Electric connector

Abstract

An electric connector comprises a terminal assembly which is provided with an insulation part, a signal terminal fixed on the insulation part and a shielding piece with a main body part, the main body part extends to form two arm parts, and the rear sides of the arm parts are provided with guide connection ends; the serial connection piece is located on the rear sides of the multiple terminal assemblies and is provided with a serial connection end which is connected with a shielding layer of the cable in a conducting mode, the serial connection piece is provided with multiple serial connection parts with the same height, the serial connection parts and the conducting connection ends of the two arm parts form grounding conducting connection, the serial connection piece is provided with covering parts, and one covering part is located between the two serial connection parts; the covering part, the main body part of the shielding piece and the two arm parts jointly form four-side wrapping on the signal terminal; the grounding piece is located at the front sides of the plurality of terminal assemblies and is provided with a grounding end which is conductively connected with a shielding layer of the cable, the grounding piece is provided with a plurality of grounding parts with the same height, the grounding parts and the main body parts of the terminal assemblies form grounding conductively connection respectively, and the serial connection parts and the grounding parts are different in height; the guide connecting sheets are located below the terminal assemblies, and each guide connecting sheet is provided with a plurality of guide connecting parts which are electrically connected with the serial connecting piece and the grounding piece respectively.

Description

Electrical connectors Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector that improves shielding and suppresses resonance. Background Technology

[0002] Existing electrical connectors are generally designed with differential signal terminal pairs and multiple grounding terminals arranged side-by-side with the differential signal terminal pairs. Differential signals are transmitted within the differential signal terminal pairs, and interference is cleared through the grounding terminals. Furthermore, a metal component may be designed to connect multiple grounding terminals in series. However, with the transmission requirements of higher frequency signals, the signals become more sensitive to noise. For existing electrical connectors, the increased signal sensitivity often leads to unsatisfactory performance in terms of crosstalk and resonance. Therefore, how to design an electrical connector to meet the transmission of higher frequency signals has become an urgent problem to be solved. Thus, a new electrical connector needs to be designed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electrical connector in which a grounding path is formed by grounding the serial part of the serial connector and the conductive end of the arm of the shield, and the grounding part of the grounding component and the main body of the shield are grounded to form a grounding path. The serial part and the grounding part are at different heights, so that there are overlapping points at different positions on multiple grounding paths in the electrical connector. This increases the grounding return path and further adjusts the potential difference on the grounding path, which is beneficial to improving shielding performance and reducing noise interference to the signal path on the signal terminal. At the same time, overlapping at different positions on the grounding path can also suppress the superposition of resonance at a certain transmission frequency in the transmission band of the electrical connector, so that the resonance will not be concentrated in the transmission band of the electrical connector, thus benefiting the signal transmission in the signal terminal.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention employs the following technical means: an electrical connector for connecting cables and mating with mating elements, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of terminal assemblies arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right sides, each terminal assembly having an insulating portion, at least one signal terminal fixed to the insulating portion, the signal terminal having a first contact portion for connecting the cable and a second contact portion for mating, and a shielding member having at least one main body portion covering the front side of the insulating portion, the main body portion extending rearward with two arms to surround at least one of the signal terminals from the left and right sides of the main body portion respectively, and at least one conductive end provided on the rear side of the arms portion; a serial connector located behind the plurality of terminal assemblies, having at least one serial end conductively connected to the shielding layer of the cable, the serial connector having a plurality of serial portions of uniform height, respectively connected to each of the terminal assemblies. The two arm portions of the terminal assembly form a ground connection, and the serial connector has a cover portion on the rear side of each insulating portion. One cover portion is located between the two serial connector portions. The cover portion, together with the main body of the shield and the two arm portions, forms a four-sided coverage of the signal terminal. A grounding member is located on the front side of the multiple terminal assemblies and has at least one ground terminal that is connected to the shielding layer of the cable. The grounding member has multiple ground portions of the same height, which are respectively connected to the main body of each terminal assembly to form a ground connection, and the serial connector portion and the ground portion are at different heights. A conductive piece is located below each terminal assembly. The conductive piece has multiple through holes for the second contact portion of the signal terminal to extend out. Each conductive piece has multiple conductive portions that are electrically connected to the serial connector and the grounding member respectively.

[0005] Furthermore, the grounding member has a slot and a retaining arm that bends and extends away from the bottom of the slot from the main body. The electrical connector also includes a housing with a retaining block. The terminal assembly and the grounding member fixed to the terminal assembly are assembled in the housing from top to bottom. The retaining arm passes down over the retaining block and abuts against the retaining block from top to bottom. The main body covers the slot in the front-back direction.

[0006] Furthermore, a partition is formed between the two rows of terminal assemblies spaced apart front and back. A serial connector and a grounding connector are respectively disposed on the front and back sides of the partition. The conductive piece has a base and at least one first abutting arm. The base is disposed below the partition, and a through hole and a conductive portion are disposed on the base. The first abutting arm includes a first fixed end connected to the base and a first free end extending from the first fixed end in a left-right direction. The first abutting portion is located between the first free end and the first fixed end. A conductive element is housed in the partition and is grounded and conductively connected to the serial connector and the grounding connector in the front-back direction, respectively. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the first abutting portion abuts downward against the mating element, and the first free end abuts upward against the conductive element and is grounded and conductively connected to the conductive element.

[0007] Furthermore, two conductive components are located on the front and rear sides of a row of terminal assemblies, respectively, and the grounding component has a contact position that is grounded to one of the conductive components, and the series connectors each have a contact position that is grounded to another conductive component. The two contact positions are located at the end of the grounding component and the series connector that is close to the second contact portion.

[0008] Furthermore, the guide piece has a base and at least one second abutting arm. A through hole and a guide portion are provided on the base. The second abutting arm includes a second fixed end and a second free end extending from the second fixed end in a forward-backward direction. The second abutting portion is located between the second free end and the second fixed end. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the second abutting portion abuts downward against the mating element, and one of the second free ends abuts upward against the arms of the two shields simultaneously, and is grounded and conductively connected to the two arms.

[0009] Furthermore, the cable includes at least one ground wire connected to the ground of the shielding layer; a shielding member is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is connected to the ground of the shielding member, the shielding member includes multiple openings and multiple shielding portions, one of the shielding portions is located between two openings; the two arms of two adjacent shielding members are spaced apart to form a receiving groove, and one receiving groove is vertically connected to one opening, at least one ground wire is received in the receiving groove, a conductive material enters the receiving groove through the opening, and the conductive material is grounded in series with the ground wire and the two arms; wherein, the shielding portion, the cover portion, the main body of the shielding member and the two arms together form a five-sided coverage of the signal terminal.

[0010] Furthermore, a shielding member is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is grounded and connected to the shielding member; the electrical connector also includes a housing, the housing including an upper housing and a lower housing fixedly connected to the upper housing, the upper housing having a locking arm and a protrusion protruding from the locking arm, the lower housing having a latching hole, the protrusion being located in the latching hole to fix the upper housing and the lower housing together, and the locking arm abutting downward against the shielding member to limit the upward displacement of the shielding member.

[0011] Furthermore, a protective cover is detachably connected to the electrical connector from bottom to top. The protective cover has a body portion and at least one protrusion protruding from the body portion toward the guide piece. The guide piece has at least one base portion and two first abutting arms extending from one base portion to the left and right sides. A through hole and a guide portion are provided on the base portion. The first abutting arms are used to ground and conduct with the mating element. Each protrusion portion blocks the base portion upwards, and the two first abutting arms are respectively located on the left and right sides of the protrusion portion and are vertically spaced from the body portion to form a gap.

[0012] Furthermore, the signal terminal has a fixing part, which is fixed inside the insulating part, and the first contact part extends backward from the upper end of the fixing part, and the second contact part is connected to the lower end of the fixing part. The serial connector has a serial body, and the serial end extends backward from the upper end of the serial body. The grounding connector has a grounding body, and the grounding end extends backward from the upper end of the grounding body. The serial end, the grounding end, and the two arms together form a four-sided enclosure around the first contact part.

[0013] Furthermore, each terminal assembly has two signal terminals, and the two signal terminals form a differential signal pair. Each signal terminal includes a fixing portion fixed to the insulating portion. A first contact portion extends from the fixing portion and includes a bent section and a straight section extending rearward from the bent section. In the left-right direction, the two bent sections bend and extend in a direction away from each other, and then bend in a direction closer to each other. The distance between the two bent sections is greater than the distance between the two straight sections and greater than the distance between the two fixing portions. The distance between the bent section and the arm is less than the distance between the fixing portion and the arm.

[0014] Another technical solution is: an electrical connector for mating with a mating element, characterized in that it comprises: a plurality of terminal assemblies arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right sides, each terminal assembly having an insulating portion, at least one signal terminal fixed to the insulating portion, and a shielding member having at least one main body portion covering the front side of the insulating portion, the main body portion extending rearward with two arms to surround at least one signal terminal from the left and right sides of the main body portion respectively, and at least one conductive end provided on the rear side of the arms portion; a serial connector located on the rear side of the plurality of terminal assemblies, the serial connector having a plurality of serial portions of the same height, and the serial connector having a cover portion corresponding to the rear side of each insulating portion, one of the cover portions being located between two of the serial connectors. Between the terminals, the cover, the main body of the shield, and the two arms together form a four-sided coverage of the signal terminal; a grounding member is located on the front side of the multiple terminal assemblies, and the grounding member has multiple grounding parts of the same height, and the series connection part and the grounding part are at different heights; the multiple series connection parts are respectively fixedly connected to the conductive ends of the two arms of each terminal assembly to form a grounding connection, and the multiple grounding parts are respectively fixedly connected to the main body of each terminal assembly to form a grounding connection, so that the multiple terminal assemblies are positioned adjacent to each other in the left and right direction; a conductive piece is located below each terminal assembly, and each conductive piece has multiple conductive parts that are electrically connected to the series connection member and the grounding member respectively.

[0015] Furthermore, the grounding member has a slot and a retaining arm that bends and extends away from the bottom of the slot from the main body. The electrical connector also includes a housing with a retaining block. The terminal assembly and the grounding member fixed to the terminal assembly are assembled in the housing from top to bottom. The retaining arm passes down over the retaining block and abuts against the retaining block from top to bottom. The main body covers the slot in the front-back direction.

[0016] Furthermore, a slot is formed between the two rows of terminal assemblies spaced apart front and back. A serial connector and a grounding connector are respectively disposed on the front and back sides of the slot. The conductive piece has a base and at least one first abutting arm. The base is disposed below the slot, and the conductive part is disposed on the base. The first abutting arm includes a first fixed end connected to the base and a first free end extending from the first fixed end in a left-right direction. The first abutting part is located between the first free end and the first fixed end. A conductive element is housed in the slot and is grounded and conductively connected to the serial connector and the grounding connector in the front-back direction, respectively. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the first abutting part abuts downward against the mating element, and the first free end abuts upward against the conductive element and is grounded and conductively connected to the conductive element.

[0017] Furthermore, the signal terminal has a first contact portion connecting to a first element, a second contact portion providing docking, two conductive elements located on the front and rear sides of a row of terminal assemblies respectively, and a grounding element having a contact position grounded to a conductive element, and each serial connector having a contact position grounded to another conductive element. The two contact positions are located at the end of the grounding element and the serial connector near the second contact portion.

[0018] Furthermore, the conductive piece has a base and at least one second abutting arm. The conductive portion is disposed on the base, and the second abutting arm includes a second fixed end and a second free end extending from the second fixed end in a forward-backward direction. The second abutting portion is located between the second free end and the second fixed end. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the second abutting portion abuts downward against the mating element, and one of the second free ends abuts upward against the arms of the two shields simultaneously, and is grounded and conductively connected to the two arms.

[0019] Furthermore, the signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting a cable and a second contact portion for docking, the cable including at least one ground wire connected to the ground of the shielding layer; a shielding member is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is connected to the ground of the shielding member, the shielding member including multiple openings and multiple shielding portions, one of the shielding portions being located between two openings; the two arms of two adjacent shielding members are spaced apart to form a receiving groove, and one receiving groove is vertically connected to one opening, at least one ground wire is received in the receiving groove, a conductive material enters the receiving groove through the opening, and the conductive material is grounded in series with the ground wire and the two arms; wherein, the shielding portion, the cover portion, the main body of the shielding member, and the two arms together form a five-sided coverage of the signal terminal.

[0020] Furthermore, a shielding member is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is grounded and connected to the shielding member; the electrical connector also includes a housing, the housing including an upper housing and a lower housing fixedly connected to the upper housing, the upper housing having a locking arm and a protrusion protruding from the locking arm, the lower housing having a latching hole, the protrusion being located in the latching hole to fix the upper housing and the lower housing together, and the locking arm abutting downward against the shielding member to limit the upward displacement of the shielding member.

[0021] Furthermore, a protective cover is detachably connected to the electrical connector from bottom to top. The protective cover has a body portion and at least one protrusion protruding from the body portion toward the guide piece. The guide piece has at least one base portion and two first abutting arms extending from one base portion to the left and right sides. The guide portion is disposed on the base portion, and the first abutting arms are used to ground and conduct with the mating element. Each protrusion portion blocks the base portion upward, and the two first abutting arms are respectively located on the left and right sides of the protrusion portion and are vertically spaced from the body portion to form a gap.

[0022] Furthermore, the signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting to the first element and a second contact portion for docking. The signal terminal has a fixing portion fixed within the insulating portion, and the first contact portion extends backward from the upper end of the fixing portion. The second contact portion is connected to the lower end of the fixing portion. The serial connector has a serial body, and the serial end extends backward from the upper end of the serial body. The grounding connector has a grounding body, and the grounding end extends backward from the upper end of the grounding body. The serial end, the grounding end, and the two arms together form a four-sided enclosure around the first contact portion.

[0023] Furthermore, the signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting the first element and a second contact portion for docking. Each terminal assembly has two signal terminals, and the two signal terminals form a differential signal pair. Each signal terminal includes a fixing portion fixed to the insulating portion. The first contact portion extends from the fixing portion and includes a bent section and a straight section extending rearward from the bent section. In the left-right direction, the two bent sections bend and extend in a direction away from each other, and then bend in a direction closer to each other. The distance between the two bent sections is greater than the distance between the two straight sections. The distance between the bent section and the arm is less than the distance between the fixing portion and the arm. The distance between the two fixing portions is less than the distance between the two bent sections.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Between the cable and the mating element, a grounding path is formed by the connection between the shield, the series connector, the grounding component, and the conductive piece. Specifically, the series portion of the series connector and the conductive end of the arm of the shield are grounded to form a grounding path, and the grounding portion of the grounding component and the main body of the shield are grounded to form a grounding path. Furthermore, the series portion and the grounding portion have different heights, resulting in overlapping points at different positions on multiple grounding paths in the electrical connector between the cable and the mating element. This increases the grounding return path while further adjusting the potential difference on the grounding path, which is beneficial for improving shielding performance and reducing noise interference to the signal path on the signal terminal. Simultaneously, overlapping at different positions on the grounding path can suppress the superposition of resonance at a certain transmission frequency in the electrical connector's transmission band, preventing concentrated resonance within the connector's transmission band and thus facilitating signal transmission within the signal terminal. In other words, the purpose of the present invention is to increase the grounding return path and adjust the potential difference... To improve shielding performance and suppress resonance, the electrical connector can meet the transmission requirements at higher frequencies. Furthermore, multiple serial connection parts are fixedly connected to the conductive ends of the two arms of each terminal assembly to form a grounding connection, and multiple grounding parts are fixedly connected to the main body of each terminal assembly to form a grounding connection. This allows the multiple terminal assemblies to be positioned adjacent to each other in the left-right direction. In other words, for the multiple terminal assemblies, no other structure is needed to position the multiple terminal assemblies in a row using serial connection parts and grounding parts. When the number of terminal assemblies in a row changes according to the user's needs, by producing independent terminal assemblies and then simply changing the size or number of serial connection parts and grounding parts, the number of terminal assemblies that meet the user's needs can be positioned in a row to achieve the desired result. That is, only the original manufacturing equipment needs to be adjusted to produce products that meet the user's needs, without the need for major modifications to the original manufacturing equipment or the redesign and development of new manufacturing equipment, thus reducing production costs. Figure Descriptions: Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector and mating elements of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cable, terminal assembly, grounding component, series connector, conductive component, and conductive plate in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an exploded plan view of the cable, terminal assembly, grounding component, series connector, conductive component, and conductive plate in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a partial exploded perspective view of the shielding component, grounding component, and a row of terminal assemblies connected to the shielding component and cable in Figure 1; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of one terminal assembly in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a top view of one terminal assembly in Figure 4; Figure 7 is a side view of the electrical connector (housing not shown) of the present invention; Figure 8 is a side view of Figure 7 after the inner mold has been removed; Figure 9 is a sectional view of Figure 8 along the front-back direction; Figure 10 is a planar sectional view of the upper and lower housings before assembly; Figure 11 is a partial sectional view of the upper housing after assembly with the lower housing along the left-right direction; Figure 12 is a perspective view of the electrical connector of the present invention; Figure 13 is an enlarged view of Figure 12 at point AA; Figure 14 is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector and a protective cover in Figure 12; Figure 15 is a partial sectional view of Figure 14 after the protective cover is installed on the electrical connector along the left-right direction.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the accompanying drawings for the specific implementation methods: Detailed Description of Embodiments [Detailed Description of Embodiments] To facilitate a better understanding of the purpose, structure, features, and effects of this invention, the invention will now be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] As shown in Figures 1 to 15, the electrical connector 100 of the present invention defines the front-to-back direction as the X-axis, the up-and-down direction as the Y-axis, and the left-to-right direction as the Z-axis. Please note that the up-and-down and left-to-right directions of the present invention are only for better understanding of the implementation scheme of the present invention, and are not a limitation of the present invention.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the electrical connector 100 of the present invention includes a housing 1 and a multi-row terminal assembly 2, a plurality of serial connectors 3, a plurality of grounding connectors 4, and a conductive piece 5 located on the lower surface of the housing 1, all housed within the housing 1. The electrical connector 100 is used to connect a mating element 200 and a plurality of cables 300. In this embodiment, the mating element 200 is a circuit board, and the cables 300 are dual-ground dual-core wires. Each of the plurality of cables 300 includes a shielding layer 301 and two ground wires 302 grounded to the shielding layer 301. Of course, in other embodiments, the cables 300 may also be of other specifications, such as dual-core wires without ground wires 302.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1, 10, and 11, the housing 1 is formed of insulating material and includes an upper shell 11 and a lower shell 12 that is separately disposed from and fixedly connected to the upper shell 11. Of course, in other embodiments, the housing 1 can also be formed of metal or conductive plastic, etc., as needed. The upper shell 11 has a locking arm 111 and a protrusion 112 protruding from the locking arm 111. The lower shell 12 has a buckle hole 121, and the protrusion 112 is located in the buckle hole 121 to fix the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12 together. The lower shell 12 has a locking block 122.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2, 5, and 6, a row of terminal assemblies 2 includes multiple terminal assemblies 2 arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right sides. Each terminal assembly 2 has an insulating part 21, a differential signal pair 22 fixed to the insulating part 21, and a shield 23 fixedly connected to the insulating part 21. Each differential signal pair 22 includes two signal terminals 22a. Each signal terminal 22a has a fixing part 222 that is received and fixed to the insulating part 21. A first contact part 221 extends upward and backward from the upper end of the fixing part 222. The first contact part 221 is used to connect the cable 300. It extends downward from the lower end of the fixing part 222. A second contact portion 223 extends outward and provides elastic docking. The first contact portion 221 includes a bent segment 2211 and a straight segment 2212 extending backward from the bent segment 2211. In the left-right direction, the two bent segments 2211 bend and extend in a direction away from each other, and then bend in a direction closer to each other. The distance L1 between the two bent segments 2211 is greater than the distance L2 between the two straight segments 2212 and the distance L3 between the two fixed portions 222. The distance L4 between the bent segment 2211 and the arm portion 232 is less than the distance L5 between the fixed portion 222 and the arm portion 232.

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, each shield 23 has a main body 231 covering the front side of an insulating part 21. The main body 231 extends rearward with two arms 232 to surround the signal terminal 22a from the left and right sides of the main body 231 respectively. At least one conductive end 2321 is provided on the rear side of the arms 232.

[0033] As shown in Figures 2 to 3 and Figures 8 to 9, a connector 3 is located behind multiple terminal assemblies 2. It has a connector body 31 and multiple connector ends 32 that bend backward from the upper end of the connector body 31. The multiple connector ends 32 are connected to the shielding layers 301 of multiple cables 300. The connector body 31 also has multiple connector portions 311 of the same height, which are respectively connected to the conductor ends 2321 of the two arms 232 of each terminal assembly 2 to form a grounding connection. The connector 3 has a cover portion 312 corresponding to the rear side of each insulating portion 21. One cover portion 312 is located between two connector portions 311. The cover portion 312, together with the main body 231 of the shielding member 23 and the two arms 232, forms a four-sided coverage of the signal terminal 22a.

[0034] As shown in Figures 2 to 3 and Figures 8 to 9, a grounding component 4 is located in front of multiple terminal assemblies 2. It has a grounding body 41 and multiple grounding ends 42 that bend backward from the upper end of the grounding body 41. The multiple grounding ends 42 are respectively connected to the shielding layers 301 of multiple cables 300. The grounding body 41 has a slot 412, a retaining arm 413 that bends and extends away from the main body 231 from the bottom of the slot 412, and multiple grounding parts 411 of the same height. The multiple grounding parts 411 are respectively grounded and connected to the main body 231 of each terminal assembly 2. The multiple serial connection parts 311 and the multiple grounding parts 411 have different heights. In addition, the serial connection end 32 of the serial connection 3, the grounding end 42 of the grounding component 4, and the two arms 232 of the shielding component 23 together form a four-sided enclosure of the first contact part 221, and the main body 231 of the shielding component 23 shields the slot 412 of the grounding component 4.

[0035] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, multiple terminal assemblies 2 in a row of terminal assemblies 2 are fixedly connected to the conductive ends 2321 of the two arms 232 of each terminal assembly 2 through multiple serial connecting parts 311, and multiple grounding parts 411 are fixedly connected to the main body 231 of each terminal assembly 2, thereby positioning them in a row along the left and right direction; the front and rear rows of terminal assemblies 2 are spaced apart to form a partition M, and a serial connecting member 3 and a grounding member 4 are respectively provided on the front and rear sides of the partition M.

[0036] As shown in Figures 2, 12, and 13, a conductive piece 5 is located below each of the terminal assemblies 2. The conductive piece 5 has a base 51, multiple through holes 52 extending vertically, multiple first abutment arms 53 extending from the base 51 in a left-right direction, and multiple second abutment arms 54 extending from the base 51 in a front-back direction. The through holes 52 allow the second contact portion 223 of the signal terminal 22a to extend out. The base 51 is located below the partition groove M and includes multiple conductive portions 511. The multiple conductive portions 511 are electrically connected to the serial connector 3 and the grounding member 4, respectively. A first abutting arm 53 and a second abutting arm 54 are used to abut against the mating element 200. The first abutting arm 53 includes a first fixed end 531 connected to the base 51 and a first free end 532 extending from the first fixed end 531 in a left-right direction. The first abutting portion 533 is located between the first free end 532 and the first fixed end 531. The second abutting arm 54 includes a second fixed end 541 and a second free end 542 extending from the second fixed end 541 in a forward-backward direction. The second abutting portion 543 is located between the second free end 542 and the second fixed end 541.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2, 8, and 9, a conductive element 6 is provided on both the front and rear sides of a row of terminal assemblies 2. The conductive element 6 is grounded and connected to the grounding element 4 or the series connector 3, respectively. The conductive element 6 located between the two rows of terminal assemblies 2 arranged at intervals is housed in a partition M and grounded and connected to a series connector 3 and a grounding element 4 located in the partition M. Specifically, the series connector 3 has a contact position N that contacts the conductive element 6, and the grounding element 4 also has a contact position N that contacts the conductive element 6. The contact position N of the series connector 3 and the contact position N of the grounding element 4 are located at the end of the grounding element 4 and the series connector 3 near the second contact portion 223.

[0038] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the electrical connector 100 also includes a shielding member 7 located above a row of terminal assemblies 2. The shielding member 7 is grounded and connected to the shielding member 23. The shielding member 7 includes a plurality of openings 71 and a plurality of shielding portions 72, with one of the shielding portions 72 located between two openings 71.

[0039] As shown in Figures 14 and 15, a protective cover 8 is detachably connected to the electrical connector 100 from bottom to top. The protective cover 8 has a body portion 81 and at least one protrusion 82 protruding from the body portion 81 toward the guide piece 5. Each protrusion 82 blocks the base portion 51 upwards, and two first abutting arms 53 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the protrusion 82 and are vertically spaced from the body portion 81 to form a gap S. Similarly, two second abutting arms 54 are respectively located on the front and rear sides of the protrusion 82 and are vertically spaced from the body portion 81 to form a gap S.

[0040] As shown in Figure 4, the two arms 232 of two adjacent shielding members 23 are spaced apart to form a receiving groove P. The receiving groove P is arranged to extend upwards, and one receiving groove P is vertically connected to an opening 71. A ground wire 302 of a cable 300 is housed in one receiving groove P. A conductive material Q is placed into the receiving groove P through the opening 71 so that the two arms 232 and the ground wire 302 are grounded through the conductive material Q. Furthermore, the shielding part 72, the cover part 312, the main body 231 of the shielding member 23, and the two arms 232 together form a five-sided coverage of the differential signal pair 22.

[0041] As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the terminal assembly 2 in the electrical connector 100 of the present invention is installed in the lower shell 12 from top to bottom. The retaining arm 413 of the grounding member 4 is elastically deformed under the abutment of the retaining block 122 and passes down past the retaining block 122, and then abuts against the retaining block 122 from top to bottom. Then the upper shell 11 is assembled with the lower shell 12. After the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12 are assembled, the locking arm 111 of the upper shell 11 abuts against the shielding member 7 from bottom to bottom to limit the upward displacement of the shielding member 7. The electrical connector 100 also includes an inner mold 9, which is formed between the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12 to cover the cable 300, the terminal assembly 2, the grounding member 4, and the connecting member 3 to further fix the covered structures to each other.

[0042] As shown in Figures 9 and 13, when the electrical connector 100 is electrically connected to the mating element 200, the first abutting part 533 abuts downward against the mating element 200, the first free end 532 abuts upward against the conductive element 6 and is grounded to the conductive element 6, the second abutting part 543 abuts downward against the mating element 200, and one second free end 542 abuts upward against the arms 232 of the two shielding elements 23 at the same time, and is grounded to the two arms 232.

[0043] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. Between the cable 300 and the mating element 200, a grounding path is formed by the connection between the shield 23, the serial connector 3, the grounding element 4, and the conductive piece 5. Specifically, the serial part 311 of the serial connector 3 and the conductive end 2321 of the arm 232 of the shield 23 form a grounding path, and the grounding part 411 of the grounding element 4 and the main body 231 of the shield 23 form a grounding path. Furthermore, the serial part 311 and the grounding part 411 have different heights, thus creating overlapping points at different positions on multiple grounding paths in the electrical connector 100 between the cable 300 and the mating element 200. By increasing the ground return path and further adjusting the potential difference on the ground path, the shielding performance can be improved, and the interference of noise on the signal path on the signal terminal 22a can be reduced. At the same time, overlapping at different positions on the ground path can also suppress the superposition of resonance at a certain transmission frequency in the transmission band of the electrical connector 100, so that the resonance will not be concentrated in the transmission band of the electrical connector 100, which is beneficial to the signal transmission in the signal terminal 22a. In other words, the purpose of this invention is to improve the shielding performance and suppress resonance by increasing the ground return path and adjusting the potential difference, so that the electrical connector 100 can meet the transmission requirements at higher frequencies.

[0044] 2. The present invention directly uses the grounding member 4 fixed to the terminal assembly 2 to fix the terminal assembly 2 to the housing 1. In order to balance the electromagnetic leakage caused by the slot 412 on the grounding member 4 due to the clamping arm 413 on the grounding member 4, the main body 231 of the shielding member 23 is set to shield the slot 412 in the front-back direction, thereby shielding the electromagnetic leakage at that location.

[0045] 3. A conductive element 6 is installed in the groove M formed by the two rows of terminal assemblies 2 spaced apart front and back. The conductive element 6 is grounded and connected to any one of the series connector 3, the grounding component 4, and the conductive piece 5. Thus, the two rows of terminal assemblies 2 are grounded through the conductive element 6 to form a relatively complete grounding network, which is beneficial to improving the shielding performance.

[0046] 4. At the position of the second contact portion 223, that is, at the contact position between the signal terminal 22a and the mating element 200, the mechanical contact between the two independent conductors (the signal terminal 22a of the electrical connector 100 and the conductor of the mating element 200) will aggravate the impedance discontinuity problem at this point, causing more signal reflection. The reflected signal aggravates the noise interference at this point. Therefore, the present invention provides conductive elements 6 on both the front and rear sides of the terminal assembly 2, and the conductive elements 6 are in contact with the grounding element 4 and the end of the serial connector 3 near the second contact portion 223. That is, the contact position N between the grounding element 4 and the conductive element 6 and the contact position N between the serial connector 3 and the conductive element 6 are both set at the end near the second contact portion 223. This allows the noise interference caused by the aggravated impedance discontinuity problem at this point to flow out quickly through the serial connector 3 and the conductive element 6 or the grounding element 4 and the conductive element 6, enhancing shielding and thus facilitating signal transmission.

[0047] 5. By using a second abutment arm 54 to simultaneously connect to the ground of both arms 232, the two shielding components 23 can be connected in series to the ground through the second abutment arm 54, which increases the ground return path and further improves the shielding performance.

[0048] 6. The shielding part 72, the cover part 312, the main body part 231 of the shielding member 23, and the two arm parts 232 together form a five-sided coverage of the signal terminal 22a. The shielding part 72 is located between the two openings 71, so that the openings 71 will not excessively affect the shielding effect of the shielding member 7 on the signal terminal 22a, thereby further improving the shielding performance of the electrical connector 100 and reducing signal crosstalk. The two adjacent arm parts 232 form a receiving groove P with a left and right interval. The ground wire 302 of the cable 300 is received in the receiving groove P and is grounded to the arm part 232 through the conductive material Q that enters the receiving groove P through the opening 71. This allows the ground wire 302 to form a grounding return path directly between the grounding member 4 and the serial member 3 through the arm part 232. The noise current generated on the shielding member 23 can be quickly discharged through the ground wire 302.

[0049] 7. The upper shell 11 and lower shell 12 are assembled separately, so that the terminal assembly 2, the serial connector 3, and the grounding component 4 can be assembled into the lower shell 12 first, and then the upper shell 11 is fixedly connected to the lower shell 12, which makes the electrical connector 100 easy to assemble. In addition, the locking structure of the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12, namely the locking arm 111, can be used to fix the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12, while the locking arm 111 also abuts against the shielding component 7 downward to limit the upward displacement of the shielding component 7, so as to ensure the grounding connection between the shielding component 7 and the shielding component 23, and at the same time improve the overall consistency of the electrical connector 100 and the stability of the fit between the structures.

[0050] 8. A protective cover 8 is provided on the lower surface of the electrical connector 100 and has a body portion 81 and a protrusion 82 protruding from the body portion 81 toward the guide piece 5. The protrusion 82 blocks the base portion 51 of the guide piece 5 upwards, so that the electrical connector 100 can be protected by the protective cover 8 before use, and the protrusion 82 can block the base portion 51 to limit the downward displacement of the guide piece 5 from the electrical connector 100. Also, the protective cover 8 will not move excessively upwards due to the blocking of the protrusion 82 and the base portion 51, so as not to abut against the first abutting arm 53 and cause the first abutting arm 53 to become fatigued or even damaged. That is, the two first abutting arms 53 of the guide piece 5 are located on the left and right sides of the protrusion 82 respectively and are spaced vertically from the body portion 81 to form a gap S, thereby ensuring the integrity of the electrical connector 100 before use.

[0051] 9. The first contact portion 221 extends backward from the fixing portion 222 and connects to the cable 300. At the position of the first contact portion 221, that is, at the position where the signal terminal 22a contacts the cable 300, the mechanical contact of the two independent conductors (the signal terminal 22a of the electrical connector 100 and the conductor of the cable 300) will aggravate the impedance discontinuity problem and cause more signal reflection. The reflected signal will aggravate the noise interference at this position. Therefore, the present invention uses the serial end 32 extending backward from the serial body 31, the ground end 42 extending backward from the ground body 41, and the two arms 232 to form a four-sided enclosure around the first contact portion 221, thereby enhancing the shielding at this position to facilitate signal transmission.

[0052] 10. A simple analysis of the factors affecting the impedance at the bending section 2211 and the fixing part 222 reveals the following: the distance between the bending section 2211 or the fixing part 222 and the arm 232 of the shielding member 23; the dielectric constant of the medium surrounding the bending section 2211 or the fixing part 222; and the distance between the two bending sections 2211 or the two fixing parts 222. The distance between the bending section 2211 and the arm 232 of the shielding member 23 is less than the distance between the fixing part 222 and the arm 232, making the bending section 2211 more effective. The capacitance of the bend 2211 is increased to lower its impedance, while the capacitance at the fixing part 222 is decreased to increase its impedance. Furthermore, the distance between the two bends 2211 is greater than the distance between the two fixing parts 222, causing the capacitance of the bend 2211 to decrease to increase its impedance, and the capacitance at the fixing part 222 to decrease its impedance. In addition, since the fixing part 222 is fixed inside the insulation part 21, the bend 2211 is partially exposed to the air to connect with the cable 300, resulting in a decrease in capacitance at the bend 2211. The impedance of the bent section 2211 is increased by lowering the capacitance of the fixed part 222, while the impedance of the bent section 2211 is decreased by one factor. In addition, the impedance of the bent section 2211 is reduced due to the connection with the cable 300. The impedance of the fixed part 222 is reduced by two factors and increased by one factor. Therefore, the impedance of the two high and two low points at the bent section is matched with the impedance of the two low and one high points at the fixed part 222 to balance the impedance difference between the first contact part 221 and the fixed part 222, reduce signal reflection, and facilitate signal transmission. The applicant also considered that the two signal terminals 22a form a differential signal pair 22 to connect with the two conductors of a cable 300. Since the spacing between the two conductors of a cable 300 is generally fixed, the spacing between the two straight sections 2212 is set to be smaller to adapt to the cable 300 and ensure the stability of the connection with the cable 300.

[0053] The above detailed description is only an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical changes made using the content of this invention's specification and illustrations are included within the patent scope of this invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for connecting cables and mating with mating components, characterized in that, include: Multiple terminal assemblies are arranged adjacent to each other on the left and right sides. Each terminal assembly has an insulating portion, at least one signal terminal is fixed to the insulating portion, the signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting a cable, a second contact portion for mating, and a shielding member has at least one main body portion covering the front side of the insulating portion. The main body portion extends rearward with two arms to surround at least one of the signal terminals from the left and right sides of the main body portion, respectively. At least one conductive end is provided on the rear side of the arms. A serial connector is located behind the multiple terminal assemblies, has at least one serial end that is conductive to the shielding layer of the cable, and has multiple serial portions of the same height, which respectively form a grounding connection with the conductive ends of the two arms of each terminal assembly. Each serial connector has a cover on the rear side of each insulating part, with one cover located between two serial connectors. The cover, together with the main body of the shield and the two arms, forms a four-sided cover for the signal terminal. A grounding component is located in front of the multiple terminal assemblies and has at least one grounding terminal that is conductive to the shielding layer of the cable. The grounding component has multiple grounding portions of the same height, which are respectively grounded to the main body of each terminal assembly, and the serial connectors and grounding portions are at different heights. A conductive plate is located below each terminal assembly and has multiple through holes for the second contact portion of the signal terminal to extend out. Each conductive plate has multiple conductive portions that are electrically connected to the serial connector and the grounding component respectively.

2. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The grounding member has a slot and a retaining arm that bends and extends away from the bottom of the slot from the body. The electrical connector also includes a housing with a retaining block. The terminal assembly and the grounding member fixed to the terminal assembly are assembled in the housing from top to bottom. The retaining arm passes down over the retaining block and abuts against the retaining block from top to bottom. The main body has a concealed groove along the front-to-back direction.

3. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: A slot is formed between two rows of terminal assemblies spaced apart front and back. A serial connector and a grounding connector are respectively disposed on the front and back sides of the slot. The conductive piece has a base and at least one first abutting arm. The base is disposed below the slot, and a through hole and a conductive part are disposed on the base. The first abutting arm includes a first fixed end connected to the base and a first free end extending from the first fixed end in a left-right direction. The first abutting part is located between the first free end and the first fixed end. A conductive element is housed in the slot and is grounded and conductively connected to the serial connector and the grounding connector in the front-back direction, respectively. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the first abutting part abuts downward against the mating element, and the first free end abuts upward against the conductive element and is grounded and conductively connected to the conductive element.

4. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Two conductive components are located on the front and rear sides of a row of terminal assemblies, respectively. The grounding component has a contact position that is grounded to one of the conductive components, and the series components each have a contact position that is grounded to another conductive component. The two contact positions are located at the end of the grounding component and the series component near the second contact portion.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The connector has a base and at least one second abutting arm. A through hole and a connecting portion are provided on the base. The second abutting arm includes a second fixed end and a second free end extending from the second fixed end in a forward-backward direction. The second abutting portion is located between the second free end and the second fixed end. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the second abutting portion abuts downward against the mating element, and one of the second free ends abuts upward against the arms of the two shields simultaneously, and is grounded and connected to the two arms.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The cable includes at least one ground wire connected to the ground of the shielding layer; a shielding member is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is connected to the ground of the shielding member, the shielding member including multiple openings and multiple shielding portions, one of the shielding portions being located between two openings; the two arms of two adjacent shielding members are spaced apart to form a receiving groove, and one receiving groove is vertically connected to one opening, at least one ground wire is received in the receiving groove, a conductive material enters the receiving groove through the opening, and the conductive material is grounded in series with the ground wire and the two arms; wherein, the shielding portion, the cover portion, the main body of the shielding member, and the two arms together form a five-sided coverage of the signal terminal.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A shielding element is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is grounded and connected to the shielding element; the electrical connector also includes a housing, the housing including an upper housing and a lower housing fixedly connected to the upper housing, the upper housing having a locking arm and a protrusion protruding from the locking arm, the lower housing having a latching hole, the protrusion being located in the latching hole to fix the upper housing and the lower housing, and the locking arm abutting downward against the shielding element to limit the upward displacement of the shielding element.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A protective cover is detachably connected to an electrical connector from bottom to top. The protective cover has a body portion and at least one protrusion protruding from the body portion toward a guide piece. The guide piece has at least one base portion and two first abutting arms extending from one base portion to the left and right sides. A through hole and a guide portion are provided on the base portion. The first abutting arms are used to ground and conduct with the mating element. Each protrusion portion blocks the base portion upwards, and the two first abutting arms are respectively located on the left and right sides of the protrusion portion and are vertically spaced from the body portion to form a gap.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The signal terminal has a fixing part, which is fixed inside the insulating part. The first contact part extends backward from the upper end of the fixing part, and the second contact part is connected to the lower end of the fixing part. The serial connector has a serial body, and the serial end extends backward from the upper end of the serial body. The grounding connector has a grounding body, and the grounding end extends backward from the upper end of the grounding body. The serial end, the grounding end, and the two arms together form a four-sided enclosure around the first contact part.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: Each terminal assembly has two signal terminals, and the two signal terminals form a differential signal pair. Each signal terminal includes a fixing portion fixed to an insulating portion. A first contact portion extends from the fixing portion and includes a bent section and a straight section extending rearward from the bent section. In the left-right direction, the two bent sections bend and extend in a direction away from each other, and then bend in a direction closer to each other. The distance between the two bent sections is greater than the distance between the two straight sections and greater than the distance between the two fixing portions. The distance between the bent section and the arm is less than the distance between the fixing portion and the arm.

11. An electrical connector for mating with a mating element, characterized in that, include: Multiple terminal assemblies are arranged side-by-side. Each terminal assembly has an insulating portion, at least one signal terminal is fixed to the insulating portion, and a shielding member has at least one main body covering the front side of the insulating portion. The main body extends rearward with two arms to surround at least one signal terminal from the left and right sides of the main body, respectively. At least one conductive end is provided on the rear side of the arms. A serial connector is located behind the multiple terminal assemblies. The serial connector has multiple serial portions of the same height, and the serial connector has a cover portion corresponding to the rear side of each insulating portion. One cover portion is located between two serial portions, and the cover portion is connected to the main body of the shielding member. The two arms together form a four-sided coverage of the signal terminal; a grounding member is located on the front side of the multiple terminal assemblies, and the grounding member has multiple grounding parts of the same height, and the series connection part and the grounding part are at different heights; the multiple series connection parts are respectively fixedly connected to the conductive ends of the two arms of each terminal assembly to form a grounding connection, and the multiple grounding parts are respectively fixedly connected to the main body of each terminal assembly to form a grounding connection, so that the multiple terminal assemblies are positioned adjacent to each other in the left and right direction; a conductive piece is located below each terminal assembly, and each conductive piece has multiple conductive parts that are electrically connected to the series connection member and the grounding member respectively.

12. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: The grounding member has a slot and a retaining arm that bends and extends away from the bottom of the slot from the body. The electrical connector also includes a housing with a retaining block. The terminal assembly and the grounding member fixed to the terminal assembly are assembled in the housing from top to bottom. The retaining arm passes down over the retaining block and abuts against the retaining block from top to bottom. The main body has a concealed groove along the front-to-back direction.

13. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: A slot is formed between two rows of terminal assemblies spaced apart front and back. A serial connector and a grounding connector are respectively disposed on the front and back sides of the slot. The conductive piece has a base and at least one first abutting arm. The base is disposed below the slot, and the conductive part is disposed on the base. The first abutting arm includes a first fixed end connected to the base and a first free end extending from the first fixed end in a left-right direction. The first abutting part is located between the first free end and the first fixed end. A conductive element is housed in the slot and is grounded and conductively connected to the serial connector and the grounding connector in the front-back direction, respectively. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the first abutting part abuts downward against the mating element, and the first free end abuts upward against the conductive element and is grounded and conductively connected to the conductive element.

14. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: The signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting a first element, a second contact portion for docking, two conductive elements located on the front and rear sides of a row of terminal assemblies, and a grounding element having a contact position for grounding with a conductive element. Each serial connector has a contact position for grounding with another conductive element. The two contact positions are located at the end of the grounding element and the serial connector near the second contact portion.

15. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: The connector has a base and at least one second abutment arm. The connector is disposed on the base. The second abutment arm includes a second fixed end and a second free end extending from the second fixed end in a forward-backward direction. The second abutment is located between the second free end and the second fixed end. When the electrical connector is electrically connected to the mating element, the second abutment abuts downward against the mating element, and one of the second free ends abuts upward against the arms of the two shields simultaneously, and is grounded and conductively connected to the two arms.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: The signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting a cable and a second contact portion for docking. The cable includes at least one ground wire connected to the ground of the shielding layer. A shielding member is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is connected to the ground of the shielding member. The shielding member includes multiple openings and multiple shielding portions, with one shielding portion located between two openings. The two arms of two adjacent shielding members are spaced apart to form a receiving groove, and one receiving groove is vertically connected to one opening. At least one ground wire is received in the receiving groove. A conductive material enters the receiving groove through the opening, and the conductive material is grounded in series with the ground wire and the two arms. The shielding portion, the cover portion, the main body of the shielding member, and the two arms together form a five-sided coverage of the signal terminal.

17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: A shielding element is located above each of the terminal assemblies and is grounded and connected to the shielding element; the electrical connector also includes a housing, the housing including an upper housing and a lower housing fixedly connected to the upper housing, the upper housing having a locking arm and a protrusion protruding from the locking arm, the lower housing having a latching hole, the protrusion being located in the latching hole to fix the upper housing and the lower housing, and the locking arm abutting downward against the shielding element to limit the upward displacement of the shielding element.

18. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: A protective cover is detachably connected to an electrical connector from bottom to top. The protective cover has a body portion and at least one protrusion protruding from the body portion toward a guide piece. The guide piece has at least one base portion and two first abutting arms extending from one base portion to the left and right sides. The guide portion is disposed on the base portion, and the first abutting arms are used to ground and conduct with the mating element. Each protrusion portion blocks the base portion upward, and the two first abutting arms are respectively located on the left and right sides of the protrusion portion and are vertically spaced from the body portion to form a gap.

19. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: The signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting a first element and a second contact portion for docking. The signal terminal has a fixing portion fixed within an insulating portion, and the first contact portion extends backward from the upper end of the fixing portion. The second contact portion is connected to the lower end of the fixing portion. The serial connector has a serial body, and the serial end extends backward from the upper end of the serial body. The grounding connector has a grounding body, and the grounding end extends backward from the upper end of the grounding body. The serial end, the grounding end, and the two arms together form a four-sided enclosure around the first contact portion.

20. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that: The signal terminal has a first contact portion for connecting a first element and a second contact portion for docking. Each terminal assembly has two signal terminals, and the two signal terminals form a differential signal pair. Each signal terminal includes a fixing portion fixed to an insulating portion. The first contact portion extends from the fixing portion and includes a bent section and a straight section extending rearward from the bent section. In the left-right direction, the two bent sections bend and extend in a direction away from each other, and then bend in a direction closer to each other. The distance between the two bent sections is greater than the distance between the two straight sections. The distance between the bent section and the arm is less than the distance between the fixing portion and the arm. The distance between the two fixing portions is less than the distance between the two bent sections.

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