Electrical connector

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electric connector, including insulating body and hold in insulating body on several conductive terminal, insulating body is equipped with along the base of extending in the lateral direction and the tongue plate department of the base along the longitudinal direction to the forward extension, the conductive terminal is equipped with the holding portion, the contact portion of the holding portion along the longitudinal direction to the forward extension and the welding portion of the holding portion along the longitudinal direction to the backward extension, the contact portion exposes the surface of tongue plate department, the welding portion extends the base to the back. Each conductive terminal has copper base and gold plating layer that is plated to the outside of copper base, the holding portion is equipped with the combination part that is buried in the insulating body, the combination part has the exposed surface of removing gold plating layer, and the exposed surface is the rough surface of plasma roughening, so that the adhesion between the insulating body and exposed surface promotes, thereby improve the combination strength of electric connector, and then optimize the product yield.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electrical connector technology, and in particular to an injection-molded waterproof electrical connector. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasingly diverse usage scenarios of various portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, and other small electronic products, users are carrying them with them. These electronic devices typically feature a USB Type-C female connector, which connects to a USB male connector for charging or data exchange with other electronic devices. Existing USB Type-C connectors consist of an insulating body, two rows of conductive terminals held within the insulating body, and a shell surrounding the insulating body. The conductive terminals typically include a copper substrate and a gold plating layer electroplated onto the substrate to prevent oxidation. However, the adhesion between this gold plating layer and the plastic of the insulating body (such as nylon or LCP) is poor, easily leading to delamination or excess adhesive after injection molding. Furthermore, in traditional processes, gold stripping is often performed after injection molding of the insulating body by laser or chemical etching of the conductive terminals. However, at this point, the metal surface of the conductive terminals is already encapsulated in plastic, making it impossible to directly optimize the bonding interface and thus affecting the sealing performance. Meanwhile, the secondary injection molding process (such as first injection molding the terminal module and then encapsulating the whole thing) is complicated, and insufficient interfacial bonding can easily lead to poor air tightness.

[0003] Therefore, it is hoped that a new electrical connector can be proposed to overcome the above-mentioned defects. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electrical connector with high bonding strength between its conductive terminals and insulating body, which significantly improves the reliability of the conductive terminals after injection molding.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: an electrical connector, comprising an insulating body and a plurality of conductive terminals fixed on the insulating body. The insulating body has a base extending laterally and a tongue extending longitudinally forward from the base. The conductive terminals have a holding portion, a contact portion extending longitudinally forward from the holding portion, and a solder portion extending longitudinally backward from the holding portion. The contact portion is exposed on the surface of the tongue portion, and the solder portion extends rearward from the base. Each conductive terminal has a copper substrate and a gold plating layer plated on the outer side of the copper substrate. The holding portion has a bonding portion embedded in the insulating body, and the bonding portion has an exposed surface from which the gold plating layer is removed, and the exposed surface is a plasma-roughened rough surface.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, each of the conductive terminals has a nickel plating layer located between the copper substrate and the gold plating layer, and the bonding portion removes the gold plating layer by laser etching to expose the nickel plating layer.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the insulating body is made of a polar polymer material and covers the exposed surface of the joint.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, a height difference is formed between the connecting portion and other portions of the retaining portion.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the insulating body has a stepped portion located between the base and the tongue portion, and the connecting portion is embedded in the stepped portion.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the conductive terminal includes an upper row of terminals and a lower row of terminals arranged in two rows laterally, with the contact portions of the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue plate, respectively, and the welding portions of the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals arranged in one row.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the lower row terminals are punched and formed from a lower row terminal strip, the lower row terminal strip having a lower row front strip connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion of the lower row terminal and a lower row rear strip connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion of the lower row terminal.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, several of the upper row terminals are punched and formed by two terminal strips, the two terminal strips including a first terminal strip and a second terminal strip stacked on top of each other, and the conductive terminals of the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are offset laterally.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of upper terminals are divided into first terminals and second terminals. The first terminal strip is provided with a first front strip connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion of the first terminal and a first rear strip connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion of the first terminal. The second terminal strip is provided with a second front strip connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion of the second terminal and a second rear strip connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion of the second terminal. The first front strip is located above the second front strip, and the first rear strip is located above the second rear strip.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the electrical connector is a USB Type-C connector.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: each of the conductive terminals has a copper substrate and a gold plating layer plated on the outside of the copper substrate. The retaining part is provided with a bonding part embedded in the insulating body. The bonding part has an exposed surface from which the gold plating layer is removed, and the exposed surface is a plasma-roughened rough surface, which improves the adhesion between the insulating body and the exposed surface, thereby improving the bonding strength of the electrical connector and optimizing the product yield. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the terminal module in a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The front view of the terminal strip in the terminal module shown.

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a three-dimensional representation of the terminal strip.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 The diagram shown is an exploded view of the terminal strip. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the embodiments of this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting the utility model.

[0021] In the description of the embodiments of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0022] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of embodiments of this utility model, "a number" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] Please see Figures 1 to 4 As shown, a preferred embodiment of this utility model discloses an electrical connector, which is a USB Type-C connector. The electrical connector includes an insulating body, a plurality of conductive terminals 20 fixed on the insulating body, and a shell covering the outside of the insulating body. The insulating body has a base extending laterally, a tongue portion extending longitudinally forward from the base, and a stepped portion located between the base and the tongue portion. The stepped portion extends longitudinally forward from the base, and the tongue portion extends longitudinally forward from the stepped portion, forming a stepped height difference between the tongue portion and the stepped portion.

[0024] The conductive terminal 20 is provided with a retaining portion 21, a contact portion 22 extending longitudinally forward from the retaining portion 21, and a welding portion 23 extending longitudinally backward from the retaining portion 21. The contact portion 22 is exposed on the surface of the tongue portion, and the welding portion 23 extends rearward from the base. In this embodiment, the conductive terminal 20 includes an upper row of terminals 30 and a lower row of terminals 40 arranged in two rows laterally. The contact portions 22 of the upper row of terminals 30 and the lower row of terminals 40 are respectively exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue portion, while the welding portions 23 of the upper row of terminals 30 and the lower row of terminals 40 are arranged in one row to be welded to the same circuit board.

[0025] Meanwhile, each of the conductive terminals 20 has a copper substrate, a gold plating layer plated on the outside of the copper substrate, and a nickel plating layer located between the copper substrate and the gold plating layer. The gold plating layer is used to maintain the conductivity of the conductive terminal 20. The retaining portion 21 has a connecting portion 211 embedded in the stepped portion of the insulating body. The connecting portion 211 has an exposed surface 212 from which the gold plating layer is removed, and the exposed surface 212 is a plasma-roughened rough surface.

[0026] Specifically, the bonding portion 211 is created by laser etching to remove the gold plating layer, exposing the nickel plating layer. Plasma roughening further increases the surface roughness and active groups on the exposed surface 212. Simultaneously, the insulating body is made of a polar polymer material and covers the exposed surface 212 of the bonding portion 211. The plasma roughening of the bonding portion 211 results in a higher bonding strength between the exposed surface 212 and the polar polymer material of the insulating body compared to the smooth gold plating on other parts of the conductive terminal 20, thereby enhancing the bonding strength between them. Furthermore, a height difference is formed between the bonding portion 211 and other parts of the retaining portion 21; that is, the bonding portion 211 is an annular groove structure, which further secures the conductive terminal 20 during injection molding to prevent delamination.

[0027] The electrical connector of this invention employs a combination of metal surface treatment and injection molding, which is particularly suitable for improving the interface bonding strength and sealing reliability between the conductive terminal 20 and the insulating body. The general steps of this process are as follows:

[0028] Selective gold stripping: Before injection molding, the gold plating at the joint 211 of the conductive terminal 20 is removed by laser etching, while the gold plating in other parts (such as the contact part 22 and the welding part 23) is retained to maintain the conductivity of the conductive terminal 20.

[0029] Surface plasma roughening: The exposed surface 212 of the gold-peeled bonding portion 211 is subjected to ion treatment to increase surface roughness and active groups (such as -OH, -COOH, etc.), thereby improving the mechanical engagement and chemical bonding between the bonding portion 211 and the insulating body.

[0030] Material selection: The insulating body is made of polar polymer materials (such as nylon or modified TPE, etc.), whose amide groups (-CONH-) form hydrogen bonds with the exposed oxide layer on surface 212, thereby enhancing the interfacial bonding force.

[0031] Mold temperature control: Preheat the conductive terminals to 20 to 80-120℃, and maintain the mold temperature at 100-120℃ during injection molding to ensure full fusion of the interface between the plastic melt of the insulating body and the exposed surface 212.

[0032] The above process improves the bonding strength of the product: the surface roughness and polar groups after gold stripping increase the adhesion of the plastic to the insulating body by more than 30%, and the peel strength is ≥5N / mm. At the same time, the yield of the electrical connector is optimized: the delamination defect rate is reduced to less than 1%, and the sealing performance meets the IPX8 waterproof standard.

[0033] Specifically, several upper-row terminals 30 are formed by punching two terminal strips. The two terminal strips include a first terminal strip 310 and a second terminal strip 320 stacked vertically, with the conductive terminals 20 of the first terminal strip 310 and the second terminal strip 320 offset laterally. The upper-row terminals 30 are divided into a first terminal 31 and a second terminal 32. The first terminal strip 310 has a first front strip 311 connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion 22 of the first terminal 31 and a first rear strip 312 connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion 23 of the first terminal 31. The second terminal strip 320 has a second front strip 321 connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion 22 of the second terminal 32 and a second rear strip 322 connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion 23 of the second terminal 32. The first front strip 311 is located above the second front strip 321, and the first rear strip 312 is located above the second rear strip 322.

[0034] Several lower terminal strips 40 are punched from a lower terminal strip 410. The lower terminal strip 410 has a lower front strip 411 connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion 21 of the lower terminal 40 and a lower rear strip 412 connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion 23 of the lower terminal 40. The lower front strip 411 is located below the second front strip 321, and the lower rear strip 412 is located below the second rear strip 322. After the first terminal strip 310, the second terminal strip 320, and the lower terminal strip 410 are assembled, an insulator 10 is injection molded on its outer side, thereby forming a structure as described above. Figure 1 The terminal module 100 shown is further processed and formed based on this terminal module 100.

[0035] In this invention, each conductive terminal 20 has a copper substrate and a gold plating layer plated on the outer side of the copper substrate. The retaining part 21 is provided with a connecting part 211 embedded in the insulating body. The connecting part 211 has an exposed surface 212 from which the gold plating layer is removed. The exposed surface 212 is a plasma-roughened rough surface, which improves the adhesion between the insulating body and the exposed surface 212, thereby improving the bonding strength of the electrical connector and optimizing the product yield.

[0036] In summary, the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present utility model. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of the present utility model should still fall within the scope of the present utility model patent.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising an insulating body and a plurality of conductive terminals fixed on the insulating body, the insulating body having a base extending laterally and a tongue portion extending longitudinally forward from the base, the conductive terminals having a retaining portion, a contact portion extending longitudinally forward from the retaining portion, and a solder portion extending longitudinally rearward from the retaining portion, the contact portion being exposed on the surface of the tongue portion, and the solder portion extending rearward from the base; characterized in that: Each of the conductive terminals has a copper substrate and a gold plating layer plated on the outside of the copper substrate. The retaining portion has a bonding portion embedded in the insulating body. The bonding portion has an exposed surface from which the gold plating layer is removed, and the exposed surface is a plasma-roughened rough surface.

2. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the conductive terminals has a nickel plating layer located between the copper substrate and the gold plating layer, and the bonding portion is exposed by removing the gold plating layer through laser etching.

3. The electrical connector as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The insulating body is made of a polar polymer material and is wrapped around the exposed surface of the joint.

4. The electrical connector as described in claim 2, characterized in that: A height difference is formed between the joint portion and the other parts of the retaining portion.

5. The electrical connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating body has a stepped portion located between the base and the tongue plate portion, and the joint portion is embedded in the stepped portion.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive terminals include an upper row of terminals and a lower row of terminals arranged in two rows laterally. The contact portions of the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals are respectively exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue plate portion, while the welding portions of the upper row of terminals and the lower row of terminals are arranged in one row.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: Several of the lower row terminals are punched and formed from a lower row terminal strip. The lower row terminal strip is provided with a lower row front strip connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion of the lower row terminal and a lower row rear strip connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion of the lower row terminal.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that: The upper row of terminals is formed by punching two terminal strips. The two terminal strips include a first terminal strip and a second terminal strip stacked on top of each other, and the conductive terminals of the first terminal strip and the second terminal strip are offset laterally.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: The plurality of upper terminals are divided into first terminals and second terminals. The first terminal strip is provided with a first front strip connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion of the first terminal and a first rear strip connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion of the first terminal. The second terminal strip is provided with a second front strip connected to the longitudinal front end of the contact portion of the second terminal and a second rear strip connected to the longitudinal rear end of the welding portion of the second terminal. The first front strip is located above the second front strip, and the first rear strip is located above the second rear strip.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The electrical connector is a USB Type-C connector.

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