Signal terminal module and connector

Abstract

A signal terminal module, a connector module, and a connector are disclosed. The signal terminal module includes a signal terminal having a first fixed portion and a first elastic arm connected to the first fixed portion, and a conductive sheet attached to the first elastic arm of the signal terminal. The first elastic arm has a first electrical contact portion at a distal end thereof for making electrical contact with a mating board, and the conductive sheet is for adjusting contact impedance of the first electrical contact portion of the signal terminal. In the present invention, the conductive sheet attached to the elastic arm of the signal terminal is able to adjust the contact impedance of the electrical contact portion of the elastic arm, so that the contact impedance of the electrical contact portion of the elastic arm can be equal to or substantially equal to a designed nominal impedance, thereby improving signal integrity of a signal transmission path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal terminal module and a connector including the signal terminal module. Background Technology

[0002] In existing technologies, high-speed connectors are characterized by small size, low power consumption, and high signal transmission rates. Sometimes, the signal transmission rate of a high-speed connector needs to reach 112 Gbit / s, 224 Gbit / s, or even higher. Impedance matching is a crucial performance characteristic of high-speed connectors. Ideally, the impedance at all points on the high-speed connector should remain constant, equal to the design nominal impedance. However, the elastic arms of high-speed connectors exhibit elastic deformation, causing variations in the contact impedance of the electrical contacts on the elastic arms. When this variation is excessive, it causes the contact impedance of the electrical contacts to deviate from the nominal impedance, resulting in impedance mismatch and affecting the signal integrity of the signal transmission path. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve at least one aspect of the aforementioned problems and defects existing in the prior art.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a signal terminal module is provided. The signal terminal module includes: a signal terminal having a first fixing portion and a first elastic arm connected to the first fixing portion; and a conductive sheet attached to the first elastic arm of the signal terminal. The first elastic arm has a first electrical contact portion located at its end for electrical contact with a mating board, and the conductive sheet is used to adjust the contact impedance of the first electrical contact portion of the signal terminal.

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive sheet is attached to the portion of the first elastic arm of the signal terminal near the first electrical contact.

[0006] According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first elastic arm has a front and a back opposite each other in thickness, and the conductive sheet is attached to the front or back of the first elastic arm of the signal terminal.

[0007] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signal terminal module includes a plurality of conductive sheets, which are respectively attached to the front and / or back of the first elastic arm of the signal terminal.

[0008] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first electrical contact portion has an electrical contact surface for electrical contact with the mating board, and the conductive sheet is attached to the side of the first elastic arm of the signal terminal opposite to the electrical contact surface.

[0009] According to another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the conductive sheet is soldered or crimped to the first elastic arm of the signal terminal.

[0010] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first elastic arm of the signal terminal is bent into a predetermined shape, and the first electrical contact portion of the signal terminal is bent into an arc shape.

[0011] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive sheet and the signal terminal are made of the same conductive material or different conductive materials.

[0012] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signal terminal is made of copper or a copper alloy, and the conductive sheet is made of copper, a copper alloy, silver, or a silver alloy.

[0013] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signal terminal further has a first soldering foot, and the first elastic arm and the first soldering foot are respectively connected to both ends of the first fixing portion.

[0014] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signal terminal is an integrally stamped terminal.

[0015] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signal terminal is a differential signal terminal for transmitting differential signals.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector module is provided. The connector module includes: at least one pair of signal terminal modules; and a retainer, which is injection molded onto a first fixing portion of the at least one pair of signal terminals, such that the at least one pair of signal terminals and the retainer are integrally formed.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the connector module further includes: a plurality of grounding terminals, each grounding terminal having a second fixing portion and a second elastic arm connected to the second fixing portion, the second elastic arm having a second electrical contact portion located at its end for electrical contact with a mating board, and the retainer being injection molded onto the second fixing portion of the plurality of grounding terminals, such that the at least one pair of signal terminals, the plurality of grounding terminals and the retainer are integrally formed.

[0018] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the connector module includes multiple pairs of signal terminal modules, the multiple pairs of signal terminals and multiple ground terminals of the connector module are arranged in a row, and any pair of signal terminals is disposed between two ground terminals; the first elastic arm of the multiple pairs of signal terminals and the second elastic arm of the multiple ground terminals extend from the front side of the retainer for electrical contact with the mating board.

[0019] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the grounding terminal further has a second soldering foot, the second soldering foot and the second elastic arm being respectively connected to both ends of the second fixing part; the first soldering feet of the plurality of signal terminals and the second soldering feet of the plurality of grounding terminals extend from the rear side of the retainer for soldering to the circuit board.

[0020] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of conductive sheets are respectively connected to the first elastic arms of a plurality of signal terminals, and there is no electrical connection between the plurality of conductive sheets.

[0021] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the signal terminal is a differential signal terminal for transmitting differential signals, and the differential signal terminals in the connector module are configured in pairs.

[0022] According to another aspect of the invention, a connector is provided. The connector includes: a housing; and at least one pair of the aforementioned signal terminal modules, which are mounted in the housing.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector is provided. The connector includes: a housing; and the aforementioned connector module, which is mounted in the housing.

[0024] In the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the conductive sheet attached to the elastic arm of the signal terminal can adjust the contact impedance of the electrical contact portion of the elastic arm so that the contact impedance of the electrical contact portion of the elastic arm is equal to or approximately equal to the designed nominal impedance, thereby improving the signal integrity of the signal transmission path.

[0025] Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 A perspective view of a connector module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0027] Figure 2 This shows a row of terminals of a connector module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0029] Figure 4 An exploded schematic diagram of a pair of signal terminal modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 5A schematic diagram showing the electrical contacts of a pair of signal terminal modules and a mating board according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 An impedance curve is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This diagram shows a return loss curve according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0034] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth for ease of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatuses are illustrated to simplify the figures.

[0035] According to a general technical concept of the present invention, a signal terminal module is provided. The signal terminal module includes: a signal terminal having a first fixing portion and a first elastic arm connected to the first fixing portion; and a conductive sheet attached to the first elastic arm of the signal terminal. The first elastic arm has a first electrical contact portion located at its end for electrical contact with a mating board, and the conductive sheet is used to adjust the contact impedance of the first electrical contact portion of the signal terminal.

[0036] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a connector module is provided. The connector module includes: at least one pair of signal terminal modules; and a retainer, which is injection molded onto a first fixing portion of the at least one pair of signal terminals, such that the at least one pair of signal terminals and the retainer are integrally formed.

[0037] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a connector is provided. The connector includes: a housing; and at least one pair of the aforementioned signal terminal modules, which are mounted in the housing.

[0038] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a connector is provided. The connector shown includes: a housing; and the aforementioned connector module, which is mounted into the housing.

[0039] Figure 1 A perspective view of a connector module 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 This shows a row of terminals of a connector module 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 4 An exploded view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the electrical contacts of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 and a mating board 5 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a signal terminal module 100 is disclosed. The signal terminal module 100 includes a signal terminal 1 and a conductive sheet 3. The signal terminal 1 has a first fixing portion 10 and a first elastic arm 11 connected to the first fixing portion 10. The conductive sheet 3 is attached to the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1. The first elastic arm 11 has a first electrical contact portion 13 located at its end for electrical contact with a mating board 5. The conductive sheet 3 is used to adjust the contact impedance of the first electrical contact portion 13 of the signal terminal 1 so that the contact impedance of the first electrical contact portion 13 of the first elastic arm 11 is equal to or approximately equal to the designed nominal impedance, thereby improving the signal integrity of the signal transmission path.

[0041] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 is attached to the portion of the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1 near the first electrical contact portion 13.

[0042] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, the first electrical contact portion 13 has an electrical contact surface 13a for electrical contact with the mating board 5, and the conductive sheet 3 is attached to the side of the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1 that is opposite to the electrical contact surface 13a.

[0043] However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, the first elastic arm 11 has a front and a back opposite each other in thickness, and the conductive sheet 3 can be attached to the front or the back of the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, only one conductive sheet 3 is attached to each signal terminal 1. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, the signal terminal module 100 may include multiple conductive sheets 3, which are respectively attached to the front and / or back of the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1.

[0045] like Figures 1 to 5As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 can be soldered or pressed onto the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1, as long as the conductive sheet 3 can be electrically connected to the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1.

[0046] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1 is bent into a predetermined shape, and the first electrical contact portion 13 of the signal terminal 1 is bent into an arc shape.

[0047] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 and the signal terminal 1 can be made of the same conductive material or different conductive materials. For example, the signal terminal 1 can be made of copper or a copper alloy. The conductive sheet 3 can be made of copper, a copper alloy, silver, or a silver alloy.

[0048] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the signal terminal 1 also has a first soldering foot 12, and the first elastic arm 11 and the first soldering foot 12 are respectively connected to the two ends of the first fixing part 10.

[0049] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, signal terminal 1 is a one-piece stamped terminal. This reduces manufacturing costs and improves manufacturing efficiency.

[0050] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, signal terminal 1 can be a differential signal terminal 1 used for transmitting differential signals.

[0051] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connector module 200 is also disclosed. The connector module 200 includes at least one pair of signal terminal modules 100 and a retainer 4. The retainer 4 is injection molded onto a first fixing portion 10 of at least one pair of signal terminals 1, such that the at least one pair of signal terminals 1 and the retainer 4 are integrally formed.

[0052] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the connector module 200 further includes a plurality of grounding terminals 2, each grounding terminal 2 having a second fixing portion 20 and a second elastic arm 21 connected to the second fixing portion 20. The second elastic arm 21 has a second electrical contact portion 23 located at its end for electrical contact with the mating board 5. The retainer 4 is also injection molded onto the second fixing portion 20 of the plurality of grounding terminals 2, such that at least one pair of signal terminals 1, the plurality of grounding terminals 2 and the retainer 4 are integrated into a single unit.

[0053] like Figures 1 to 5As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the connector module 200 includes multiple pairs of signal terminal modules 100. Multiple pairs of signal terminals 1 and multiple ground terminals 2 of the connector module 200 are arranged in a row, and any pair of signal terminals 1 is positioned between two ground terminals 2. First elastic arms 11 of the multiple pairs of signal terminals 1 and second elastic arms 21 of the multiple ground terminals 2 extend from the front side of the retainer 4 for electrical contact with the mating board 5.

[0054] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the grounding terminal 2 further has a second soldering foot 22, which is connected to both ends of the second fixing part 20, respectively. The first soldering feet 12 of multiple pairs of signal terminals 1 and the second soldering feet 22 of multiple grounding terminals 2 extend from the rear side of the retaining body 4 for soldering onto the circuit board.

[0055] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, multiple conductive sheets 3 are respectively connected to the first elastic arms 11 of multiple signal terminals 1, and there is no electrical connection between the multiple conductive sheets 3. That is, the multiple conductive sheets 3 are separated from each other.

[0056] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, signal terminal 1 is a differential signal terminal for transmitting differential signals, and the differential signal terminals in connector module 200 are configured in pairs.

[0057] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a connector is also disclosed. The connector includes a housing and at least one pair of signal terminal modules 100. The at least one pair of signal terminal modules 100 are mounted into the housing.

[0058] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of the invention, a connector is also disclosed. The connector includes a housing and at least one of the aforementioned connector modules 200. The connector module 200 is mounted into the housing.

[0059] The inventors of this application discovered through experimental testing that the signal transmission integrity of the signal terminal 1 with the added conductive piece 3 is significantly better than that of the signal terminal without the conductive piece. Among other things, Figure 6 An impedance curve is shown according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This diagram shows a return loss curve according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] like Figure 6As shown in the illustrated embodiment, without the addition of conductive plate 3, the signal terminal cannot achieve good impedance results. Severe impedance mismatch occurs in the 0.1ns to 0.125ns time slot, with impedance peaks reaching approximately 89 ohms. With conductive plate 3 added, the signal terminal exhibits a significant impedance reduction in the 0.1ns to 0.125ns time slot, and no impedance mismatch is observed.

[0061] like Figure 7 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the signal terminal with added conductive sheet 3 exhibits significantly better return loss performance up to 65G compared to the signal terminal without added conductive sheet 3.

[0062] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described above are exemplary and can be improved upon. The structures described in the various embodiments can be freely combined without causing structural or principle conflicts, and these changes should fall within the protection scope of this invention.

[0063] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0064] While some embodiments of the general concept of the invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general concept of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

[0065] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the words "a" or "an" do not exclude multiple elements. Furthermore, any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A signal terminal module, characterized in that, include: The signal terminal (1) has a first fixing part (10) and a first elastic arm (11) connected to the first fixing part (10); and The conductive sheet (3) is attached to the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1). The first elastic arm (11) has a first electrical contact (13) at its end for electrical contact with the mating board (5), and the conductive sheet (3) is used to adjust the contact impedance of the first electrical contact (13) of the signal terminal (1).

2. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive sheet (3) is attached to the portion of the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1) near the first electrical contact (13).

3. The signal terminal module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first elastic arm (11) has a front and a back opposite each other in thickness, and the conductive sheet (3) is attached to the front or back of the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1).

4. The signal terminal module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The signal terminal module includes a plurality of conductive sheets (3), which are respectively attached to the front and / or back of the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1).

5. The signal terminal module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first electrical contact (13) has an electrical contact surface (13a) for electrical contact with the mating board (5), and the conductive sheet (3) is attached to the side of the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1) opposite to the electrical contact surface (13a).

6. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive sheet (3) is welded or pressed onto the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1).

7. The connector signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1) is bent into a predetermined shape, and the first electrical contact portion (13) of the signal terminal (1) is bent into an arc shape.

8. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive sheet (3) and the signal terminal (1) are made of the same conductive material or different conductive materials.

9. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal terminal (1) is made of copper or a copper alloy, and the conductive sheet (3) is made of copper, a copper alloy, silver, or a silver alloy.

10. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal terminal (1) also has a first welding pin (12), and the first elastic arm (11) and the first welding pin (12) are respectively connected to the two ends of the first fixing part (10).

11. The signal terminal module according to claim 10, characterized in that: The signal terminal (1) is an integral stamped terminal.

12. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signal terminal (1) is a differential signal terminal (1) used for transmitting differential signals.

13. A connector module, characterized in that, include: At least one pair of signal terminal modules (100) according to any one of claims 1-12; and The retainer (4) is injection molded onto the first fixing part (10) of at least one pair of signal terminals (1), such that the at least one pair of signal terminals (1) and the retainer (4) are integrated into one piece.

14. The connector module according to claim 13, characterized in that, Also includes: Multiple grounding terminals (2), each grounding terminal (2) having a second fixing part (20) and a second elastic arm (21) connected to the second fixing part (20), The second elastic arm (21) has a second electrical contact portion (23) located at its end for electrical contact with the mating board (5), and the retainer (4) is also injection molded onto the second fixing portion (20) of the plurality of grounding terminals (2), such that the at least one pair of signal terminals (1), the plurality of grounding terminals (2) and the retainer (4) are integrated into one piece.

15. The connector module according to claim 14, characterized in that: The connector module (200) includes multiple pairs of signal terminal modules (100). The multiple pairs of signal terminals (1) and multiple ground terminals (2) of the connector module (200) are arranged in a row, and any pair of signal terminals (1) is disposed between two ground terminals (2). The first elastic arm (11) of the plurality of signal terminals (1) and the second elastic arm (21) of the plurality of ground terminals (2) extend from the front side of the retainer (4) for electrical contact with the mating board (5).

16. The connector module according to claim 15, characterized in that: The grounding terminal (2) also has a second welding foot (22), and the second welding foot (22) and the second elastic arm (21) are respectively connected to the two ends of the second fixing part (20); The first soldering pin (12) of the plurality of signal terminals (1) and the second soldering pin (22) of the plurality of ground terminals (2) extend from the rear side of the retainer (4) for soldering onto the circuit board.

17. The connector module according to claim 13, characterized in that: The multiple conductive pieces (3) are respectively connected to the first elastic arm (11) of the multiple signal terminals (1), and there is no electrical connection between the multiple conductive pieces (3).

18. The connector module according to any one of claims 13-17, characterized in that: The signal terminal (1) is a differential signal terminal for transmitting differential signals, and the differential signal terminals in the connector module (200) are configured in pairs.

19. A connector, characterized in that, include: case; and At least one pair of signal terminal modules (100) according to any one of claims 1-12 are installed in the housing.

20. A connector, characterized in that, include: case; and The connector module (200) according to any one of claims 13-18 is installed in the housing.

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