A board-to-board connector assembly

Abstract

The application discloses a board-to-board connector assembly, which comprises a male seat connector and a female seat connector, the male seat connector comprises a male insulating base provided with long-side side walls, short-side end walls and partitions, and a plurality of male seat conductive terminals with two contact surfaces are staggered on the partitions and the long-side side walls; the female seat connector comprises a female insulating base, long-side structures, short-side structures and middle island structures, and a plurality of female seat conductive terminals with two contact surfaces are staggered on the middle island structures and the long-side structures, and the female seat conductive terminals are double-point contacted with the male seat conductive terminals. The four-row terminal staggered layout is adopted, the rigid terminal and the flexible terminal are combined, the double-contact points are elastically abutted, and the PINs are separated by plastic, so that the terminal spacing and the connector volume are greatly reduced, the short-circuit situation of the insulation breakdown pins is solved, and the problem of poor voltage resistance caused by the narrow distance between the adjacent pins or the contact points or the terminal PIN is effectively avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of electrical connector technology, and particularly relates to a board-to-board connector assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Board-to-board (BTO) connectors are commonly used connection components in electronic products, establishing an electrical connection between two circuit boards. They mainly consist of a female connector and a male connector. The female connector is typically soldered onto one circuit board, while the male connector is soldered onto another. Both the female and male connectors have a corresponding number of conductive terminals for transmitting electronic signals and power. By plugging in the female and male connectors, a communication connection between the two circuit boards can be achieved.

[0003] However, with the trend towards connector miniaturization, existing board-to-board connectors have many shortcomings in order to further reduce their footprint. The traditional dual-row terminal layout makes it difficult to further reduce the terminal spacing, resulting in a larger connector size that cannot meet the compact space requirements of miniaturized devices. Furthermore, the lack of effective isolation between pins leads to frequent insulation breakdowns and pin short circuits when encountering situations such as misaligned pins at narrow pitches. This highlights the problem of poor withstand voltage, affecting the performance and reliability of the entire electronic device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a board-to-board connector assembly to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A board-to-board connector assembly includes a male connector and a female connector detachably electrically connected to the male connector. The male connector includes a male insulating base, which includes a pair of opposing long sidewalls, a pair of opposing short sidewalls, and a partition disposed between the two long sidewalls. The partition is parallel to the long sidewalls, and a plurality of male conductive terminals are alternately arranged on the partition and the long sidewalls. The female connector includes a female insulating base, which includes a pair of opposing long side structures, a pair of opposing short side structures, and a central island structure located in the middle of the female insulating base. A first pair of slots for the long sidewalls to be inserted is reserved between the central island structure and the long side structures. A second pair of slots for the partition to be inserted is formed in the middle of the central island structure. A plurality of female conductive terminals are alternately arranged on the central island structure and the long side structures. Each male conductive terminal and each female conductive terminal has two electrical contact surfaces, and the female conductive terminal makes two-point contact with the male conductive terminal.

[0007] Furthermore, the male connector conductive terminal includes a rigid male connector terminal disposed on the two long sidewalls and a flexible male connector terminal disposed on the two partitions.

[0008] Furthermore, the rigid terminal of the male seat includes a first contact surface located on the outer side of the long sidewall and a second contact surface located on the inner side of the long sidewall; the elastic terminal of the male seat includes a first elastic arm located on the outer side of the partition and a second elastic arm extending toward the long sidewall and located on the same side as the second contact surface; the second elastic arm and the second contact surface are arranged alternately.

[0009] Furthermore, the female conductive terminal includes a female rigid terminal disposed on the two side plates of the central island structure for abutting against the male elastic terminal, and a female elastic terminal disposed on the two long side structures for abutting against the male rigid terminal.

[0010] Furthermore, the rigid terminal of the female connector includes a third contact surface located on the inner side of the wall panel and a fourth contact surface located on the outer side of the wall panel; the elastic terminal of the female connector includes a third elastic arm located on the inner side of the long side structure and a fourth elastic arm extending toward the wall panel and located on the same side as the fourth contact surface; the fourth elastic arm and the fourth contact surface are arranged alternately.

[0011] Furthermore, the first contact surface is provided with a locking point, and the third elastic arm is provided with an elastic protrusion that cooperates with the locking point.

[0012] Furthermore, the male insulating base is provided with male protective shells at both ends; the female insulating base is also provided with female protective shells at both ends.

[0013] Furthermore, the male seat protective shell includes an end wall protective portion covering the short side end wall and a side wall protective portion partially covering the long side side wall.

[0014] Furthermore, the female base protective shell includes an end protection portion covering the upper part of the end of the female insulating base, a cap portion covering the end of the central island structure, and a connecting and fixing portion integrally connecting the end protection portion and the cap portion.

[0015] Furthermore, the connecting fixing part has vertically upward-extending elastic contact parts on both sides for electrical contact with the male seat protective shell.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] The board-to-board connector assembly provided by this invention adopts a four-row staggered terminal layout, a composite design of rigid and flexible terminals, double-contact elastic abutment, and plastic barriers between pins, which greatly reduces the terminal spacing and connector volume. It also solves the problem of short circuits caused by insulation breakdown of narrow-pitch pins, effectively avoiding the problem of poor withstand voltage due to excessively narrow distance between adjacent pins or contact points or misaligned pins. The process can achieve one-time molding, ensuring insulation while achieving stable electrical connection.

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings described below are merely some embodiments. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a board-to-board connector assembly when the male connector and the female connector are mated, provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 A board-to-board connector assembly provided in this embodiment of the invention... Figure 1 A sectional view along line AA based on the given data;

[0022] Figure 3 A board-to-board connector assembly provided in this embodiment of the invention... Figure 1 A sectional view along line BB based on the given data;

[0023] Figure 4 A board-to-board connector assembly provided in this embodiment of the invention... Figure 1 A sectional view along line CC based on the given data;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a board-to-board connector assembly when the male connector and the female connector are separated, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the male connector in a board-to-board connector assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 An exploded view of the male connector in a board-to-board connector assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the female connector in a board-to-board connector assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 9 An exploded view of the female connector in a board-to-board connector assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the male conductive terminal in a board-to-board connector assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the female conductive terminal in a board-to-board connector assembly provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows:

[0032] 1-Male insulating base, 101-Partition plate, 102-Long side wall, 103-Short side end wall, 104-First male connector terminal fixing groove, 105-Second male connector terminal fixing groove, 106-Male connector terminal clearance groove, 2-Male connector rigid terminal, 201-First contact surface, 202-Second contact surface, 203-First male connector welding foot, 204-Snap-on point, 3-Male connector elastic terminal, 301-First fixing arm, 302-First elastic arm, 303-Second elastic arm, 304-Second male connector welding foot, 4-Male connector protective shell, 401-End wall top surface covering, 402-End wall inner surface covering, 403-End wall outer surface covering, 404-Side wall top surface covering, 405-Side wall inner surface covering, 406-Side wall outer surface covering, 407-Male connector protective shell welding foot, 5-Female insulating base 501-Island structure, 502-Long side structure, 503-Short side structure, 504-First pair of slots, 505-Second pair of slots, 506-Wall panel, 507-First female terminal fixing groove, 508-Second female terminal fixing groove, 509-Female terminal clearance groove, 6-Female rigid terminal, 601-Third contact surface, 602-Fourth contact surface, 603-First female welding foot, 7-Female elastic terminal, 701-Second fixed support arm, 702-Third elastic arm, 703-Fourth elastic arm, 704-Second female welding foot, 705-Elastic protrusion, 8-Female protective shell, 801-Top wall protection part, 802-Inner wall protection part, 803-Outer wall protection part, 804-Female protective shell welding foot, 805-Cap part, 806-Connecting fixing part, 807-Elastic contact part. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment of the invention provides a board-to-board connector assembly, including a male connector and a female connector detachably and electrically connected to the male connector. Specifically:

[0035] like Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the male connector includes a male insulating base 1, male conductive terminals, and a male protective shell 4. The male insulating base 1 is the basic part of the male connector, and its main body adopts a rectangular box structure design. The male insulating base 1 includes a pair of oppositely arranged long side walls 102, a pair of oppositely arranged short side end walls 103, and two partitions 101 disposed between the two long side walls 102. The partitions 101 are parallel to the long side walls 102. As the mounting base for other components, the two long side walls 102 and the two partitions 101 provide physical support for four rows of male conductive terminals and also serve as electrical insulation, isolating each male conductive terminal and preventing mutual interference. In addition, the bottom plate of the male insulating base 1 between the two partitions 101 is also provided with through holes to facilitate the cutting of the terminal strip by a cutting blade.

[0036] like Figure 7 and Figure 10 As shown, in this embodiment, the male connector conductive terminal includes a plurality of male connector rigid terminals 2 and male connector elastic terminals 3. Multiple rigid male terminals 2 and multiple flexible male terminals 3 are arranged alternately, and each rigid male terminal 2 and each flexible male terminal 3 has two electrical contact surfaces. The rigid male terminals 2 are embedded side by side at equal intervals in the first male terminal fixing groove 104 of the long side wall 102. The rigid male terminal 2 includes a first contact surface 201 located on the outer side of the long side wall 102, a first male solder foot 203 extending horizontally outward from the bottom of the first contact surface 201, and a second contact surface 202 extending from the top of the first contact surface 201 and located on the inner side of the long side wall 102. The second contact surface 202 is parallel to the first contact surface 201. The bottom of the second contact surface 202 is fixed to the bottom plate of the male insulating base 1. The first male solder foot 203 passes through the bottom plate of the male insulating base 1 and protrudes outside the male insulating base 1 for connecting the first circuit board to realize the transmission of electrical signals.

[0037] The number of male socket elastic terminals 3 is the same as the number of male socket rigid terminals 2. The male socket elastic terminals 3 are embedded side by side at equal intervals on the partition plate 101. The male socket elastic terminals 3 include a first fixed support arm 301, a first elastic arm 302, a second elastic arm 303, and a second male socket welding foot 304. The first fixed support arm 301 has barbs on both sides and is embedded in the second male terminal fixing groove 105 on the partition plate 101; the second male solder foot 304 is formed by extending horizontally outward from the bottom of the first fixed support arm 301 through the bottom plate of the male insulating base 1, and is used for soldering with the first circuit board; the first elastic arm 302 extends outward from the top of the first fixed support arm 301 and is located on the outer side of the partition plate 101; the second elastic arm 303 is arranged opposite to the first elastic arm 302, and is formed by extending upward from the bottom of the first elastic arm 302 toward the long side wall 102 and then bending upward, located on the same side of the second contact surface 202 and can float in the male terminal clearance groove 106 of the long side wall 102; the second elastic arm 303 and the second contact surface 202 are arranged alternately. The four rows of terminals are staggered, with plastic barriers between each pin, which greatly reduces the terminal spacing and connector size. The process can achieve one-time molding, resulting in high strength. Furthermore, the combination of rigid and flexible terminals, along with the elastic contact of the double contacts, ensures stable and reliable contact.

[0038] The male seat protective shell 4 is integrally formed using a bending process and is disposed at both ends of the male insulating base 1. The male seat protective shell 4 includes an end wall protection portion covering the short side end wall 103 and a side wall protection portion partially covering the long side side wall 102. Specifically, the end wall protection portion includes an outer side cover portion 403 covering the outer surface of the short side end wall 103. The top of the outer side cover portion 403 is horizontally bent to cover the top surface of the short side end wall 103, forming an upper side cover portion 401. A portion of the upper side cover portion 401 is vertically bent downwards and extends to cover the inner surface of the short side end wall 103, forming an inner side cover portion 402. The side wall protection portion includes outer side cover portions disposed at both ends of the outer side cover portion 403 and extending along the outer surface of the long side wall 102. 406, the bottom edge of the outer side panel cover 406 extends horizontally outward to form a male connector protective shell 4 solder foot for connection with the first circuit board. The top of the outer side panel cover 406 is bent inward horizontally to cover the top surface of the long side panel 102 to form a side panel top surface cover 404. The top surface cover 404 is bent vertically inward to cover the inner side of the long side panel 102 to form a side panel inner surface cover 405. The side panel inner surface cover 405 can serve as the male connector power terminal of the male connector and be electrically connected to the female connector.

[0039] like Figure 8and Figure 9 As shown, the female connector is detachably electrically connected to the male connector and includes a female insulating base 5, female conductive terminals, and a female protective shell. The female insulating base 5 is the foundation of the female connector. Its main body adopts a rectangular box structure design, serving as a mounting base for other components. It provides physical support and electrical insulation, isolating the various female conductive terminals to prevent mutual interference. The female insulating base 5 includes a pair of oppositely arranged long side structures 502, a pair of oppositely arranged short side structures 503, and a central island structure 501 located in the middle of the female insulating base 5 and protruding upward. A first pair of slots 504 are reserved between the central island structure 501 and the long side structure 502 for the long side side wall 102 to be inserted. The central island structure 501 includes two wall panels 506 parallel to the long side structure 502. A second pair of slots 505 for the partition 101 to be inserted is formed between the two wall panels 506. The bottom of the second pair of slots 505 is a through hole to facilitate the cutting blade to cut off the material strip of the terminal.

[0040] like Figure 9 and Figure 11 As shown, the female conductive terminal includes multiple rigid female terminals 6 and elastic female terminals 7. The rigid female terminals 6 and elastic female terminals 7 are staggered and each has two contact surfaces to make double-point contact with the elastic male terminal 3 and the rigid male terminal 2, respectively. Specifically, the rigid female terminals 6 are embedded side by side at equal intervals in the first female terminal fixing grooves 507 on the two wall plates 506 of the central island structure 501. The rigid female terminal 6 includes a third contact surface 601 located on the inner side of the wall plate 506, a first female welding foot 603 extending horizontally outward from the bottom of the third contact surface 601, and a fourth contact surface 602 extending from the top of the third contact surface 601 to the outer side of the wall plate 506. The fourth contact surface 602 is parallel to the third contact surface 601, and the bottom of the fourth contact surface 602 is embedded in the bottom plate of the female insulating base 5. The first female connector solder foot 603 passes through the bottom plate of the female insulating base 5 and protrudes outside the female insulating base 5, and is used to connect the second circuit board to realize the transmission of electrical signals.

[0041] The female socket elastic terminal 7 is also made of elastic metal sheet, and multiple of them are embedded side by side at equal intervals on the two long side structures 502, and the number is the same as the number of the female socket rigid terminal 6. The female socket elastic terminal 7 includes a second fixed support arm 701, a third elastic arm 702, a fourth elastic arm 703, and a second female socket welding foot 704. The second fixed support arm 701 has barbs on both sides and is embedded in the second female terminal fixing groove 508 on the long side structure 502; the second female welding foot 704 is formed by extending horizontally outward from the bottom of the second fixed support arm 701 through the bottom plate of the female insulating base 5, and is used to weld with the second circuit board to realize the transmission of electrical signals; the third elastic arm 702 extends outward from the top of the second fixed support arm 701 and is located on the inner side of the long side structure 502; the fourth elastic arm 703 is arranged opposite to the third elastic arm 702, and is formed by extending upward from the bottom of the third elastic arm 702 toward the wall plate 506 and then bending upward, located on the same side of the fourth contact surface 602 and can float in the female terminal clearance groove 509 of the wall plate 506; the fourth elastic arm 703 and the fourth contact surface 602 are arranged alternately.

[0042] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, when the male connector and the female connector are mated and inserted, the long sidewall 102 of the male connector is inserted into the first pair of slots 504 of the female connector, and the partition 101 of the male connector is inserted into the first pair of slots 504 of the female connector. The elastic force generated by the elastic deformation of the male connector's elastic terminal 3 and the female connector's elastic terminal 7 causes the male connector's rigid terminal 2 and the female connector's elastic terminal 7 to abut against each other, forming a tight contact (i.e., the first contact surface 201 abuts against the third elastic terminal, and the second contact surface 202 abuts against the fourth elastic terminal). The male connector's flexible terminal 3 and the female connector's rigid terminal 6 abut against each other to form a tight contact (i.e., the first flexible arm 302 abuts against the third contact surface 601, and the second flexible arm 303 abuts against the fourth contact surface 602). This four-row, double-contact structure ensures that the board-to-board connector maintains a plastic barrier between pins even with extremely small spacing, achieving a stable and reliable electrical connection. It also solves the problem of short circuits caused by insulation breakdown of narrow-pitch pins, effectively avoiding poor withstand voltage due to excessively narrow distances between adjacent pins or contact points, or misaligned pins. Furthermore, the electrical contact surface of the third flexible arm 702 is bent to form an elastic protrusion 705 to improve the connection holding force. Correspondingly, the first contact surface 201 has a locking point 204 that mates with the elastic protrusion 705, ensuring a more secure connection between the male and female connectors and preventing loosening.

[0043] The female connector protective shell 8 is an integral component formed by bending a metal plate, including an end protection section and a central island protection section. The end protection section covers the upper part of the end of the female insulating base 5 to strengthen the structural strength of the insulating base and prevent damage to the connector from external impacts. The end protection section includes a top wall protection section 801 covering the top surface of the short side structure 503 and partially covering the top surface of the long side structure 502, and an inner wall protection section 802 covering the inner side of the short side structure 503 and partially covering the inner side of the long side structure 502; a female connector protective shell 8 welding foot extends horizontally outward from the top wall protection section 801, partially bent downward through the female insulating base 5. The central island protection section includes a cap section 805 and a connecting fixing section 806. The cap section 805 completely covers the end of the central island structure 501 to protect the end of the central island structure 501. The connecting fixing part 806 is located on the inner bottom surface of the female insulating base 5, connecting the end protection part and the cap part 805 into one unit. This further simplifies the assembly process and effectively improves the structural strength of the female connector protective shell 8, while also increasing the current-carrying area of ​​the connector. The connecting fixing part 806 also has vertically extending elastic contact parts 807 on both sides for electrical contact with the inner side surface covering part 405 of the male connector protective shell 4.

[0044] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of implementation methods of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this invention patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A board-to-board connector assembly characterized by comprising: include: A male connector includes a male insulating base (1), the male insulating base (1) including a pair of opposing long side walls (102), a pair of opposing short side end walls (103), and a partition (101) disposed between the two long side walls (102). The partition (101) is parallel to the long side walls (102), and a plurality of male conductive terminals are alternately disposed on the partition (101) and the long side walls (102). The female connector is detachably electrically connected to the male connector and includes a female insulating base (5). The female insulating base (5) includes a pair of oppositely arranged long side structures (502), a pair of oppositely arranged short side structures (503), and a central island structure (501) located in the middle of the female insulating base (5). A first pair of slots (504) for insertion of the long side wall (102) is reserved between the central island structure (501) and the long side structure (502). A second pair of slots (505) for insertion of the partition (101) is formed in the middle of the central island structure (501). Multiple female conductive terminals are alternately arranged on the central island structure (501) and the long side structure (502). Each male conductive terminal and each female conductive terminal have two electrical contact surfaces. The female conductive terminal and the male conductive terminal are in double-point contact.

2. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 1, characterized by: The male connector conductive terminals include rigid male connector terminals (2) disposed on the two long side walls (102) and elastic male connector terminals (3) disposed on the two partitions (101).

3. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 2, characterized by: The male seat rigid terminal (2) includes a first contact surface (201) located on the outer side of the long side wall (102) and a second contact surface (202) located on the inner side of the long side wall (102); the male seat elastic terminal (3) includes a first elastic arm (302) located on the outer side of the partition (101) and a second elastic arm (303) extending toward the long side wall (102) and located on the same side as the second contact surface (202); the second elastic arm (303) and the second contact surface (202) are arranged alternately.

4. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The female conductive terminal includes a female rigid terminal (6) disposed on the two wall plates (506) of the central island structure (501) for abutting against the male elastic terminal (3) and a female elastic terminal (7) disposed on the two long side structures (502) for abutting against the male rigid terminal (2).

5. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The rigid terminal (6) of the female connector includes a third contact surface (601) located on the inner side of the wall panel (506) and a fourth contact surface (602) located on the outer side of the wall panel (506); the elastic terminal (7) of the female connector includes a third elastic arm (702) located on the inner side of the long side structure (502) and a fourth elastic arm (703) extending toward the wall panel (506) and located on the same side as the fourth contact surface (602); the fourth elastic arm (703) and the fourth contact surface (602) are arranged alternately.

6. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first contact surface (201) is provided with a snap point (204), and the third elastic arm (702) is provided with an elastic protrusion (705) that cooperates with the snap point (204).

7. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The male insulating base (1) is provided with male protective shells (4) at both ends; the female insulating base (5) is also provided with female protective shells (8) at both ends.

8. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that: The male seat protective shell (4) includes an end wall protective portion covering the short side end wall (103) and a side wall protective portion partially covering the long side side wall (102).

9. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that: The female base protective shell (8) includes an end protection portion covering the upper end of the female insulating base (5), a cap portion (805) covering the end of the central island structure (501), and a connecting and fixing portion (806) integrally connecting the end protection portion and the cap portion (805).

10. A board-to-board connector assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that: The connecting fixing part (806) has elastic contact parts (807) extending vertically upward on both sides for electrical contact with the male seat protective shell (4).

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