An electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

Abstract

This application discloses an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly. The electrical connector includes: an insulating body having a body portion and a locking lug portion, the locking lug portion being located on one side of the body portion and forming a gap between the locking lug portion and the body portion in a left-right direction, the gap portion allowing the locking lug portion to elastically deform in a left-right direction, the locking lug portion being used to achieve mating and locking with a mating connector; a plurality of conductive terminals, each conductive terminal including a fixing section fixed to the body portion, a contact section for mating with a mating connector, and a mating section for mating with a cable or substrate; and a grounding member disposed within the gap portion and fixed to the insulating body, the grounding member having an overlapping portion protruding from the insulating body in a left-right direction, the overlapping portion being used to contact a mating structure on the mating connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly. Background Technology

[0002] For relevant prior art, please refer to Chinese Utility Model Patent CN215732549U, which discloses an elbow connector, including a mating head, a plastic housing, signal terminals, and power terminals. The signal terminals are disposed within the mating head and include a first contact portion, a first fixed connection portion, and a first welding portion connected in sequence. The first contact portion is electrically in contact with the mating connector. The first welding portion includes a welding plate used for welding and fixing signal lines in the wire harness. The power terminals are disposed within the mating head and include a second contact portion, a second fixed connection portion, and a second welding portion connected in sequence. The second contact portion is electrically in contact with the mating connector. The second welding portion has a cylindrical structure, and its end has a U-shaped welding groove used for welding and fixing power lines in the wire harness. The plastic housing and the mating head are fixed together by injection molding.

[0003] In existing connectors, no grounding terminal is provided. In some specific functional applications, it is necessary to add a grounding terminal to the connector. Adding a grounding terminal will change the arrangement of signal terminals and power terminals, which is not allowed. At the same time, it will increase the overall layout area of ​​the terminals, making the overall size of the connector larger.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design a new electrical connector and electrical connector assembly to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly that can achieve grounding function and facilitate miniaturization design.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0007] An electrical connector, comprising: An insulating body is formed with a body portion and a locking lug portion. The locking lug portion is located on one side of the body portion and forms a gap between it and the body portion in the left-right direction. The gap portion allows the locking lug portion to elastically deform in the left-right direction. The locking lug portion is used to achieve mating and locking with a mating connector. A plurality of conductive terminals, each conductive terminal including a fixing section fixed to the body, a contact section for mating with a mating connector, and a mating section for mating with a cable or substrate; A grounding element is disposed within the gap and fixed to the insulating body. The grounding element has an overlapping portion that protrudes from the insulating body in the left-right direction. The overlapping portion is used to contact the mating structure on the mating connector.

[0008] Furthermore, the grounding component includes a main board component and a cantilevered elastic member fixed to at least one of the upper and lower sides of the main board component. The overlapping portion is formed on the elastic member, and the elastic member can elastically deform in the left-right direction. The main board component is implanted and fixed in the gap portion.

[0009] Furthermore, elastic members are formed on both the upper and lower sides of the main board component, and the two elastic members are located on the upper and lower sides of the lock lug in the vertical direction.

[0010] Furthermore, the main board component is attached to the outer side of the body portion within the gap and along the left-right direction.

[0011] Furthermore, the front end of the locking lug is integrally connected to the main body along the docking direction and extends rearward from the front end to form a cantilever shape.

[0012] Furthermore, the rear end of the elastic element along the docking direction is integrally connected to the main board component and extends forward from the rear end to form a cantilever shape.

[0013] Furthermore, the insulating body also forms a protective wall portion on the outer side of the elastic member along the vertical direction, and the protective wall portion extends all over the outer side of the elastic member along the mating direction with the mating connector.

[0014] Furthermore, in the left-right direction, only the overlapping portion of the elastic member protrudes from the protective wall portion in the left-right direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the front edge of the main board extends forward along both sides in the vertical direction to form two implantation portions, which are inserted forward and fixed into the insulating body.

[0016] To achieve the above objectives, this application also provides the following technical solutions: An electrical connector assembly includes an electrical connector as described in any of the above claims, and further includes a mating connector. The mating connector is provided with an insulating base, a plurality of mating terminals and mating parts. The insulating base forms a mating cavity that opens to one end along the mating direction. Each mating terminal includes a fixing part fixed to the insulating base, a contact part extending into the mating cavity from one end of the fixing part, and a mating part extending out of the insulating base from the other end of the fixing part. The mating component is fixed to at least one side of the transverse sides of the insulating base, and the mating component includes a mating surface that protrudes into the mating cavity in the left-right direction; When the electrical connector is mated with the docking connector, the electrical connector is inserted into the docking cavity, the contact segment contacts the contact portion, and the overlapping portion contacts the docking surface.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of this application are: it can realize the grounding function and facilitates miniaturization design. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the electrical connector assembly of this application, specifically showing a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the electrical connector before it is mated with the mating connector.

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram viewed from another perspective.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a rear view of the electrical connector and the mating connector after they are mated together.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a front view of the electrical connector of this application.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a rear view of the electrical connector of this application.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a top view of the electrical connector of this application.

[0024] Figure 7 It is self Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along line AA in the middle.

[0025] Figure 8 It is self Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the AA line, and further, the schematic diagram after separating the main body, mainly show the mating relationship between the grounding components.

[0026] Figure 9 This is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of this application.

[0027] Figure 10 It is self Figure 5 A cross-sectional view along the BB line. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0029] In this application description, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "assembly," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections or electrical connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms “comprising” and “having” as used herein, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are expressly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not expressly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0031] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 10 As shown, an electrical connector assembly designed in this application includes an electrical connector 100 and a mating connector 200. The electrical connector 100 includes an insulating body 1, a plurality of conductive terminals 2 fixed within the insulating body 1, and a grounding member 3. The insulating body 1 is integrally injection molded from insulating material and includes a body portion 11 and a locking lug portion 12. The locking lug portion 12 is located on one side of the body portion 11 and forms a gap 10 between it and the body portion 11 in the left-right direction. The gap 10 allows the locking lug portion 12 to elastically deform in the left-right direction, and the locking lug portion 12 is used to achieve mating and locking with the mating connector 200.

[0032] Each conductive terminal 2 includes a fixing section 21 fixed to the body 1, a contact section 22 for mating with the connector 200, and a mating section 23 for mating with a cable or substrate. The conductive terminal 2 is divided into several signal terminals and several power terminals; the signal terminals and power terminals are arranged according to a specific rule. Specifically, in this embodiment, there are four signal terminals (shown as four thinner terminals in the figure) and two power terminals (shown as two thicker terminals in the figure). The four signal terminals are arranged in pairs along the vertical direction; the four signal terminals and the two power terminals are arranged along the horizontal direction; the two power terminals are arranged along the horizontal direction.

[0033] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 10As shown, the grounding member 3 is formed from a metal sheet. The grounding member 3 is disposed within the gap portion 10 and fixed to the insulating body 1. The grounding member 3 extends to form an overlapping portion 33 protruding from the insulating body 1 in the left-right direction. The overlapping portion 33 is used to contact the mating structure (i.e., the mating member 9 described below) on the mating connector 200. In a preferred embodiment, the grounding member 3 includes a flat main plate 31, a cantilevered elastic member 32 fixed to at least one of the upper and lower sides of the main plate 31, and a mating leg 34 formed by further extending and bending the main plate 31. The overlapping portion 31 is formed on the elastic member 32. The elastic member 32 is elastically deformable in the left-right direction. The main plate 31 is implanted and fixed within the gap portion 10. In a preferred embodiment, the main plate 31 is attached to the outer side of the body portion 1 in the left-right direction (i.e., the inner wall surface of the gap portion 10 on the side away from the locking lug portion 12 in the left-right direction). There is a pre-set gap (not labeled) between the main board component 31 and the lock lug 12 in the left-right direction. The gap is a space reserved for the deformation of the lock lug 12 in the left-right direction.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, elastic members 32 are formed on both the upper and lower sides of the main board component 31, and the two elastic members 32 are located on the upper and lower sides of the lock lug portion 12 in the vertical direction.

[0035] In one embodiment, the locking lug 12 is integrally connected to the body 11 at its front end along the mating direction and extends rearward to form a cantilever shape. The elastic member 32 is integrally connected to the main board 31 at its rear end along the mating direction and extends forward to form a cantilever shape. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the insulating body 1 also forms a protective wall portion 13 on the outer side of the elastic member 32 along the vertical direction, and the protective wall portion 13 extends all over the outer side of the elastic member 32 along the mating direction with the mating connector. In the horizontal direction, only the overlapping portion 33 of the elastic member 32 protrudes from the protective wall portion 13.

[0036] Please refer to the reference. Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the front edge of the main board component 31 extends forward along both sides in the vertical direction (at two locations near the upper and lower positions) to form two implantation portions 311, which are inserted forward and fixed into the insulating body 1. Further, one edge at the rear end of the main board component 31 extends and bends in the horizontal direction to form a bent portion 35, and the rear edge of the bent portion 35 is further bent to form the mating pin 34. The bent portion 35 is inserted into the insulating body 1. The mating pin 34 extends and protrudes from the insulating body 1.

[0037] The mating connector 200 includes an insulating base 7, a plurality of mating terminals 8, and mating parts 9. The insulating base 7 forms a mating cavity 70 opening to one end along the mating direction. Each mating terminal 8 includes a fixing portion 81 fixed to the insulating base 7, a contact portion 82 extending from one end of the fixing portion 81 into the mating cavity 70, and a mating portion 83 extending from the other end of the fixing portion 81 out of the insulating base 7. The mating parts 9 are fixed to at least one side (i.e., the left or right side) of the lateral sides of the insulating base 7. The mating parts 9 include a mating surface 90 protruding into the mating cavity 70 in the left-right direction. When the electrical connector 100 mates with the mating connector 200, the electrical connector 100 is inserted into the mating cavity 70, the contact segment 22 contacts the contact portion 82, and the overlapping portion 33 contacts the mating surface 90. Furthermore, the mating parts 9 also extend to form contact pins (unlabeled) protruding from the insulating base 7, corresponding to electrical contact with the circuit board.

[0038] Of course, in other embodiments, two grounding elements 3 can be provided, with each grounding element 3 corresponding to one of the two locking lugs 12. Simultaneously, two mating elements 9 are also provided on the mating connector 200. The grounding elements 3 serve two purposes: firstly, they provide grounding when the electrical connector 100 is mated with the mating connector 200; secondly, they provide support for the locking lugs 12 when pressed, distributing the pressing force and preventing excessive local pressure on the insulating body 1 due to deformation of the locking lugs 12, which could then cause local deformation of the insulating body 1 and inward pressure on the conductive terminals 2. Furthermore, the grounding elements 3 in this application do not increase the overall size of the electrical connector 100, and more importantly, they do not affect the arrangement of the conductive terminals 2.

[0039] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0040] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, characterized in that, include: An insulating body (1) is formed with a body portion (11) and a locking lug portion (12). The locking lug portion (12) is located on one side of the body portion (11) and forms a gap portion (10) between it and the body portion (11) in the left-right direction. The gap portion (10) allows the locking lug portion (12) to elastically deform in the left-right direction. The locking lug portion (12) is used to achieve a mating lock with a mating connector. A plurality of conductive terminals (2), each conductive terminal (2) includes a fixing section (21) fixed to the body part (1), a contact section (22) for mating with a mating connector, and a mating section (23) for mating with a cable or substrate. Grounding member (3) is disposed in the gap (10) and fixed to the insulating body (1). The grounding member (3) has an overlapping portion (33) that protrudes from the insulating body (1) in the left-right direction. The overlapping portion (33) is used to contact the mating structure on the mating connector.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grounding component (3) includes a main board component (31) and a cantilevered elastic component (32) fixed to at least one of the upper and lower sides of the main board component (31). The overlapping portion (31) is formed on the elastic component (32). The elastic component (32) can be elastically deformed in the left and right direction. The main board component (31) is implanted and fixed in the gap portion (10).

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The main board component (31) has elastic members (32) formed on both the upper and lower sides, and the two elastic members (32) are located on the upper and lower sides of the lock lug (12) in the vertical direction.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The main board component (31) is located within the gap (10) and is attached to the outer side of the body component (1) in the left-right direction.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that: The front end of the locking lug (12) is integrally connected to the body (11) along the docking direction and extends backward from the front end to form a cantilever shape.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic element (32) is integrally connected to the main board (31) at its rear end along the docking direction and extends forward from the rear end to form a cantilever shape.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 2, 3, or 6, characterized in that: The insulating body (1) also forms a protective wall portion (13) on the outer side of the elastic member (32) along the vertical direction, and the protective wall portion (13) extends all over the outer side of the elastic member (32) along the docking direction with the docking connector.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 7, characterized in that: Along the left-right direction, the elastic member (32) has only the overlapping part (33) protruding from the protective wall part (13) along the left-right direction.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 2, 3, or 6, characterized in that: The front edge of the main board component (31) extends forward along both sides in the vertical direction to form two implantation parts (311), which are inserted forward and fixed into the insulating body (1).

10. An electrical connector assembly comprising the electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, It also includes a docking connector, which is provided with an insulating base (7), a plurality of docking terminals (8) and a mating part (9). The insulating base (7) forms a docking cavity (70) that opens to one end along the docking direction. Each docking terminal (8) includes a fixing part (81) fixed to the insulating base (7), a contact part (82) extending from one end of the fixing part (81) into the docking cavity (70), and a docking part (83) extending from the other end of the fixing part (81) out of the insulating base (7). The mating part (9) is fixed to at least one side of the transverse sides of the insulating base (7), and the mating part (9) includes a mating surface (90) that protrudes into the mating cavity (70) in the left-right direction. When the electrical connector is mated with the docking connector, the electrical connector is inserted into the docking cavity (70), the contact segment (22) contacts the contact part (82), and the overlapping part (33) contacts the docking surface (90).

Images