Electrical connector

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of electric connectors, and particularly discloses an electric connector. The electric connector comprises an insulator, a terminal and a fixing assembly. The insulator comprises opposite first and second side walls and a third side wall connecting the first and second side walls. The insulator is provided with a plurality of forwardly penetrating plug-in holes. The terminal comprises a holding portion fixed to the insulator, a matching portion extending from one end of the holding portion and entering the plug-in hole forwardly, and a pin portion connected to the other end of the holding portion. The fixing assembly comprises two first fixing members fixed to the first and second side walls respectively and a second fixing member fixed to the third side wall. The first fixing member comprises a first fixing pin, and the second fixing member comprises a second fixing pin. The electric connector can be fixed to a circuit board in multiple ways, thereby improving the stability of the electric connector and the circuit board and reducing the risk of separation or falling of the electric connector from the circuit board due to weak holding force during the plugging and unplugging process.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Electrical connectors are typically mounted on the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs) or other substrates using surface mount technology (SMT), and then assembled by methods such as reflow soldering or dip soldering. However, existing electrical connectors have relatively weak retention force, making them prone to separation or detachment from the circuit board during insertion and removal. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, this application provides an electrical connector to improve the technical problems of poor stability and easy detachment of existing electrical connectors after mounting.

[0004] One embodiment of this application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector is used for mounting to a circuit board. The electrical connector includes an insulator, terminals, and a fixing assembly. The insulator includes opposing first and second sidewalls, and a third sidewall connecting the first and second sidewalls. The third sidewall is used for connection to the circuit board. The insulator has a plurality of forward-through insertion holes. The terminals include a retaining portion fixed to the insulator, a mating portion extending from one end of the retaining portion, and a pin portion connected to the other end of the retaining portion; the mating portion extends forward into the insertion holes. The fixing assembly includes two first fixing members fixed to the first and second sidewalls respectively, and a second fixing member fixed to the third sidewall. The first fixing members include a first fixing pin for fixing to the circuit board, and the second fixing member includes a second fixing pin for fixing to the circuit board.

[0005] When assembling an electrical connector and a circuit board, the terminals in the electrical connector are connected to the circuit board via pins, and the insulator in the electrical connector is connected to the circuit board via first and second fixing members. The electrical connector provided in this application can achieve multiple fixation between the connector and the circuit board (specifically, the connection between the pins and the circuit board, the connection between the first fixing member and the circuit board, and the connection between the second fixing member and the circuit board), which helps to improve the stability of the connection between the electrical connector and the circuit board and reduces the risk of the electrical connector separating or falling off from the circuit board due to insufficient holding force during insertion and removal.

[0006] In some embodiments of this application, the second fixing member includes a plate-shaped main body, and the insulator includes a fixing block located below the third sidewall. The fixing block has a fixing groove, and the main body is fixed to the fixing groove. The second fixing foot bends forward and extends from the rear edge of the main body.

[0007] In some embodiments of this application, the fixing block has a slot located below the main body, and the second fixing foot extends into the slot.

[0008] In some embodiments of this application, a through space is formed between the main body and the third sidewall.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, the lower surface of the fixing block away from the third sidewall is flush with the lower surface of the second fixing foot.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, the insulator includes a fourth sidewall opposite to the third sidewall, and a fastening portion is provided above the fourth sidewall.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, the insulator includes a retaining block disposed on the first and second sidewalls respectively, the first fixing member includes a fixing part fixed in the retaining block, and a cantilever extending rearward from the fixing part and beyond the insulator, and two first fixing feet extending from the free ends of the cantilever in a relatively close direction.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, the retaining block extends downward to form an integral part with the fixing block, and the bottom surface of the retaining block is flush with the bottom surface of the fixing block.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the terminal includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion extending vertically along the horizontal portion, with both the mating portion and the retaining portion extending horizontally from the horizontal portion. The lead portion extends horizontally outward from the vertical portion and passes under the corresponding cantilever.

[0014] In some embodiments of this application, the terminal pin and the first fixing pin of the first fixing member are located on the same horizontal plane, and the first fixing member is fixed to the buckle block by injection molding. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an electrical connector provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0016] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A 3D view from another angle.

[0017] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional view along the dashed line AA in the middle.

[0018] Figure 4 A perspective view of a first fastener provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 5 A perspective view of two second fasteners provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0021] 100. Electrical connector; 10. Insulator; 11. Plug hole; 12. First sidewall; 13. Second sidewall; 14. Third sidewall; 15. Fourth sidewall; 16. Fixing block; 161. Fixing groove; 162. Front opening; 163. Slot; 164. First fixing block; 165. Second fixing block; 17. Fastening part; 18. Fastening block; 20. Terminal; 21. Holding part; 22. Mating part; 23. Connecting leg part; 24. Horizontal part; 25. Vertical part; 30. Fixing assembly; 31. First fixing member; 311. First fixing leg; 312. Fixing part; 313. Cantilever; 32. Second fixing member; 321. Second fixing leg; 322. Main body part. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0023] One embodiment of this application provides an electrical connector. The electrical connector is used for mounting to a circuit board. The electrical connector includes an insulator, terminals, and a fixing assembly. The insulator includes opposing first and second sidewalls, and a third sidewall connecting the first and second sidewalls. The third sidewall is used for connection to the circuit board. The insulator has a plurality of forward-through insertion holes. The terminals include a retaining portion fixed to the insulator, a mating portion extending from one end of the retaining portion, and a pin portion connected to the other end of the retaining portion; the mating portion extends forward into the insertion holes. The fixing assembly includes two first fixing members fixed to the first and second sidewalls respectively, and a second fixing member fixed to the third sidewall. The first fixing members include a first fixing pin for fixing to the circuit board, and the second fixing member includes a second fixing pin for fixing to the circuit board.

[0024] When assembling an electrical connector and a circuit board, the terminals in the electrical connector are connected to the circuit board via pins, and the insulator in the electrical connector is connected to the circuit board via first and second fixing members. The electrical connector provided in this application can achieve multiple fixation between the connector and the circuit board (specifically, the connection between the pins and the circuit board, the connection between the first fixing member and the circuit board, and the connection between the second fixing member and the circuit board), which helps to improve the stability of the connection between the electrical connector and the circuit board and reduces the risk of the electrical connector separating or falling off from the circuit board due to insufficient holding force during insertion and removal.

[0025] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 One embodiment of this application provides an electrical connector 100. The electrical connector 100 is used for mounting to a circuit board (not shown). The electrical connector 100 includes an insulator 10, terminals 20, and a fixing assembly 30. The insulator 10 is provided with a plurality of mating holes 11, which receive the terminals 20 and are configured for mating with a mating connector (not shown).

[0026] The insulator 10 includes opposing first sidewalls 12 and second sidewalls 13, and opposing third sidewalls 14 and fourth sidewalls 15. This electrical connector is mounted on a circuit board. For ease of description, the orientation of the connector facing each other is front, the opposite sidewall is back, the side adjacent to the circuit board is bottom, and the opposite sidewall is top. The third sidewall 14 faces the circuit board and is used for connection to the circuit board.

[0027] The terminal 20 includes a retaining portion 21 fixed to the insulator 10, a mating portion 22 extending from one end of the retaining portion 21, and a pin portion 23 connected to the other end of the retaining portion 21. The mating portion 22 extends forward into the insertion hole 11. The mating portion 22 can connect with the electrical contacts (not shown) in the mating connector when the electrical connector 100 mates with the mating connector. The pin portion 23 is used for fixed connection with the circuit board and to establish an electrical connection.

[0028] The fixing assembly 30 includes a first fixing member 31 fixed to the first sidewall 12 and the second sidewall 13, and a second fixing member 32 fixed to the third sidewall 14. The first fixing member 31 has a first fixing foot 311 for fixing to the circuit board, and the second fixing member 32 has a second fixing foot 321 for fixing to the circuit board. Understandably, during assembly, the terminal 20 of the electrical connector 100 is connected to the circuit board via the pin portion 23. The first fixing member 31 is fixedly connected to the circuit board via the first fixing foot 311, and the second fixing member 32 is fixedly connected to the circuit board via the second fixing foot 321; that is, the insulator 10 of the electrical connector 100 is connected to the circuit board via the first fixing member 31 and the second fixing member 32.

[0029] In this utility model, the connection between the pin 23 and the circuit board, the connection between the first fixing member 31 and the circuit board, and the connection between the second fixing member 32 and the circuit board realize multiple connections between the electrical connector 100 and the circuit board. This helps to improve the stability of the connection between the electrical connector 100 and the circuit board and reduces the risk that the electrical connector 100 may separate or fall off from the circuit board due to weak holding force during insertion and removal.

[0030] Please refer to the following: Figures 2 to 4 In some embodiments, the insulator 10 includes a fixing block 16 located on the third sidewall 14 and having a fixing groove 161. The second fixing member 32 includes a plate-shaped main body 322, which is fixed to the fixing groove 161. The second fixing foot 321 extends from the rear edge of the main body 322 away from the insertion hole 11. By constructing the main body 322 of the second fixing member 32 as a plate and installing it in the fixing groove 161, the volume of the electrical connector 100 in the direction of the interval between the third sidewall 14 and the fourth sidewall 15 (i.e., the height direction) can be reduced, thereby reducing the space occupied by the electrical connector 100 and facilitating the miniaturization design of the electrical connector 100.

[0031] In other embodiments, the second fastener 32 may be of other shapes, which are not limited in this application, and those skilled in the art can choose according to the actual situation.

[0032] In some embodiments, the fixing groove 161 has a forward opening 162 along the front-rear direction, and the fixing groove 161 and the fixing block 16 form a slot 163. The slot 163 is located below the main body 322, and the second fixing foot 321 extends into the slot 163. Understandably, when assembling the second fixing member 32 to the insulator 10, the second fixing member 32 can be inserted rearward into the fixing groove 161 along the front opening 162 and fixed. During the process of fixing the second fixing member 32 to the fixing groove 161 along the front opening 162, the slot 163 can avoid the second fixing foot 321 in the second fixing member 32. Therefore, not only can the risk of deformation or damage to the second fixing foot 321 due to movement interference between the second fixing foot 321 and the insulator 10 be reduced, but the assembly efficiency of the second fixing member 32 and the insulator 10 can also be improved.

[0033] In some embodiments, a through space (not shown) is formed between the main body 322 and the third sidewall 14. By providing the through space, direct contact between the second fastener 32 and the insulator 10 can be avoided, which helps to reduce the risk of damage to the insulator 10 due to excessive welding heat or stress concentration during the connection of the second fastener 32 and the circuit board.

[0034] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, the fixing block 16 includes a first fixing block 164 and a second fixing block 165 respectively located near the first sidewall 12 and the second sidewall 13. The first fixing block 164 and the second fixing block 165 are spaced apart, and the aforementioned slot 163 is formed between the first fixing block 164 and the second fixing block 165, into which the second fixing foot 321 extends. Fixing slots 161 are respectively provided on the first fixing block 164 and the second fixing block 165 and extend in the front-back direction. In other words, the first fixing block 16 has a first sub-slot (not shown) extending in the insertion direction, and the second fixing block 16 has a second sub-slot (not shown) extending in the insertion direction, the first sub-slot and the second sub-slot together forming the aforementioned fixing slot 161. Since the slot 163 is constructed as a "splicing" of the first fixing block 164 and the second fixing block 165, the size of the slot 163 in the insulator 10 (specifically the width of the slot 163 in the lateral direction) can be adjusted according to the actual size of the main body 322 and the second fixing foot 321 in the second fixing member 32, which is beneficial to improving the versatility of the insulator 10.

[0035] For example, the first fixing block 164 and the second fixing block 165 move in opposite directions to increase the size of the slot 163, or the first fixing block 164 and the second fixing block 165 move in opposite directions to decrease the size of the slot 163.

[0036] In some embodiments, the lower surface of the retaining block 16 facing away from the third sidewall 14 is flush with the lower surface of the second retaining foot 321. When the electrical connector 100 is assembled to the circuit board, both the retaining block 16 and the second retaining foot 321 are in contact with the circuit board. This helps to reduce the risk that the second retaining foot 321 may be difficult to fix to the circuit board or may be unstable due to a gap between the second retaining foot 321 and the circuit board. Secondly, it helps to increase the contact area between the retaining block 16 and the circuit board, providing better surface grip (i.e., increasing the holding force of the electrical connector 100), further reducing the risk of the electrical connector 100 separating from or detaching from the circuit board.

[0037] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, the insulator 10 includes a retaining portion 17 disposed on the fourth sidewall 15. When different electrical connectors 100 (specifically, board-end electrical connectors 100 and wire-end connectors) are plugged into each other, the retaining portion 17 can cooperate with the snap-fit ​​portion in the corresponding electrical connector to achieve plugging and fixing between different electrical connectors, which helps to reduce the risk of separation between different electrical connectors 100 due to vibration or collision.

[0038] In some embodiments, the insulator 10 includes retaining blocks 18 respectively disposed on the first sidewall 12 and the second sidewall 13. The first fixing member 31 includes a fixing portion 312 fixed within the retaining block 18. Through the cooperation of the retaining block 18 and the fixing portion 312, the first fixing member 31 can be conveniently and quickly fixed to the first sidewall 12 and the second sidewall 13 of the insulator 10, which is beneficial to improving the assembly efficiency of the electrical connector 100. At the same time, when it is necessary to disassemble the first fixing member 31, it is only necessary to release the cooperation between the retaining block 18 and the fixing portion 312, without damaging the components (such as the insulator 10, the first fixing member 31, etc.).

[0039] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 5 In some embodiments, the first fixing member 31 includes a cantilever 313 extending rearward from the fixing portion 312 beyond the insulator 10. Two first fixing feet 311 extend from the free ends of the cantilever 313. The first fixing members 31 located on the first sidewall 12 and the second sidewall 13 can stop external forces through their respective corresponding cantilever 313, thereby reducing the risk of deformation and damage to the terminal 20 due to impact.

[0040] In some embodiments, the retaining block 18 extends downward to form an integral part with the fixing block 16, and the lower bottom surface of the retaining block 18 is flush with the lower bottom surface of the fixing block 16. The integrated structure of the retaining block 18 and the fixing block 16 improves the overall structural strength of the insulator 10. Simultaneously, the flush lower surfaces of the retaining block 18 and the fixing block 16 create a larger contact area, increasing the contact area between the insulator 10 and the circuit board, thereby further enhancing the holding force of the electrical connector 100 and reducing the risk of separation or detachment of the electrical connector 100 from the circuit board.

[0041] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, terminal 20 includes a horizontal portion 24 and a vertical portion 25 extending vertically along the horizontal portion 24. Both mating portion 22 and retaining portion 21 extend horizontally from the horizontal portion 24. Pin portion 23 extends horizontally outward from the vertical portion 25 and passes beneath the corresponding cantilever 313.

[0042] By adopting the design of L-shaped terminal 20 (specifically referring to horizontal portion 24 + vertical portion 25), an elastic area (i.e., the bent portion of L-shaped terminal 20) can be added between the pin portion 23 of terminal 20 and the solder point of the circuit board. During the insertion and removal process of electrical connector 100, terminal 20 can absorb the stress generated by insertion and removal force through the elastic area, thereby further reducing the risk of electrical connector 100 separating or falling off from circuit board.

[0043] In some embodiments, the terminal 20's pin 23 and the first fixing pin 311 of the first fixing member 31 are located on the same horizontal plane, and the first fixing member 31 is fixed to the buckle block 18 by injection molding.

[0044] Since the pin 23 of terminal 20 and the first fixing pin 311 of the first fixing member 31 are located on the same horizontal plane, during assembly, the pin 23 of terminal 20 and the first fixing pin 311 of the first fixing member 31 can be simultaneously fixed to the circuit board, which is beneficial to improving the assembly efficiency of electrical connector 100. In addition, the first fixing member 31 is fixed to the retaining block 18 by injection molding, that is, it adopts an integral molding structure, which is beneficial to further improve the overall structural strength of insulator 10.

[0045] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 100 may also be vertically mounted on the circuit board.

[0046] Furthermore, those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any appropriate changes and variations made to the above embodiments within the essential spirit and scope of this application fall within the scope of this application's disclosure.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for mounting to a circuit board, the electrical connector comprising an insulator, terminals, and a fixing assembly, the insulator comprising opposing first sidewalls and second sidewalls, and a third sidewall connecting the first sidewalls and the second sidewalls, the third sidewall being for connecting to the circuit board, the insulator having a plurality of forward-through insertion holes; the terminals comprising a retaining portion fixed to the insulator, a mating portion extending from one end of the retaining portion, and a pin portion connected to the other end of the retaining portion, the mating portion extending forward into the insertion holes, characterized in that: The fixing assembly includes two first fixing members fixed to the first sidewall and the second sidewall respectively, and a second fixing member fixed to the third sidewall. The first fixing member includes a first fixing foot for fixing to the circuit board, and the second fixing member includes a second fixing foot for fixing to the circuit board.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The second fixing member includes a plate-shaped main body, the insulator includes a fixing block located below the third side wall, the fixing block is provided with a fixing groove, the main body is fixed to the fixing groove, and the second fixing foot bends forward from the rear side edge of the main body.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein, The fixing block has a slot located below the main body, and the second fixing foot extends into the slot.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein, A through space is formed between the main body and the third sidewall.

5. The electrical connector of claim 3 or 4, wherein, The lower surface of the fixing block opposite to the third sidewall is flush with the lower surface of the second fixing foot.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The insulator includes a fourth sidewall opposite to the third sidewall, and a fastening portion is provided above the fourth sidewall.

7. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein, The insulator includes a retaining block disposed on the first and second sidewalls respectively. The first fixing member includes a fixing part fixed in the retaining block and a cantilever extending rearward from the fixing part and beyond the insulator. Two first fixing feet extend from the free end of the cantilever in a relatively close direction.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein, The retaining block extends downward to form an integral part with the fixing block, and the bottom surface of the retaining block is flush with the bottom surface of the fixing block.

9. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein, The terminal includes a horizontal portion and a vertical portion extending vertically along the horizontal portion. The mating portion and the retaining portion both extend horizontally from the horizontal portion. The connecting portion extends horizontally outward from the vertical portion and passes under the corresponding cantilever.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 7, characterized in that, The terminal's contact portion and the first fixing foot of the first fixing member are located on the same horizontal plane, and the first fixing member is fixed to the buckle block by injection molding.

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