A card edge connector

Abstract

A card edge connector, comprising an insulating body, a conductive terminal, a locking piece, the insulating body comprises two opposite body side walls and a slot between the two body side walls, the conductive terminal is arranged on the body side wall, the two ends of the insulating body are provided with a longitudinally extending tower part, the tower part surface is provided with a guide groove extending to the slot, the locking piece is rotatably connected on the tower part, wherein it further comprises a slot reinforcing piece and a tower part reinforcing piece, the slot reinforcing piece spans the slot and is fixed on the two body side walls, the tower part reinforcing piece covers the outer surface and the inner surface of the tower part, and the slot reinforcing piece and the tower part reinforcing piece are made of metal. The utility model can increase the overall strength of the product, reduce the risk of fracture and reduce the wear of the tower part during the card insertion process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of electrical connector technology, and in particular to a card edge connector. Background Technology

[0002] Card edge connectors are widely used on computer motherboards for edge connections of electronic devices such as expansion cards, serving both electrical conduction and mechanical fixation functions.

[0003] A typical edge connector consists of an insulating body, conductive terminals, and locking clips. The insulating body has slots, and the conductive terminals are located within the slots for electrical connection with external memory modules such as graphics cards, network adapters, DDR4 / DDR5 memory modules, expansion cards, and storage controllers. The insulating body has longitudinally extending towers on both sides, and the surface of the towers has guide grooves corresponding to the slots for guiding and positioning the external memory modules during insertion. The locking clips are rotatably assembled on the towers to secure the memory modules that have been inserted into the slots.

[0004] For existing card edge connector structures, the overall strength of the insulating body is low. When the memory strip is inserted or removed, if excessive force is applied or the insertion and removal positions are not aligned, it will cause direct wear to the slot of the insulating body and may even cause breakage. In addition, the insertion and removal of the memory strip requires passing through the guide groove of the tower. During the insertion and removal process, the component will come into direct contact with the tower, causing wear to the tower. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the aforementioned issues, this invention provides a card edge connector that increases the overall strength of the product, reduces the risk of breakage, and minimizes wear on the tower during card insertion.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a snap-fit ​​connector, comprising an insulating body, conductive terminals, and a locking element. The insulating body includes two opposing body sidewalls and a slot located between the two body sidewalls. The conductive terminals are disposed on the body sidewalls. Both ends of the insulating body are provided with longitudinally extending tower portions. The surface of the tower portions is provided with guide grooves extending to the slot. The locking element is rotatably connected to the tower portions. The connector also includes a slot reinforcement and a tower reinforcement. The slot reinforcement spans the slot and is fixed to the two body sidewalls. The tower reinforcement sleeves and covers the outer and inner surfaces of the tower portions. The slot reinforcement and the tower reinforcement are made of metal.

[0007] Specifically, the slot reinforcement includes a crossbar with pins at both ends, and the side wall of the body has a socket corresponding to the pins. The crossbar spans the slot and is fixed in the socket by being inserted into the socket through the pins at both ends.

[0008] Specifically, the slot reinforcement also includes insert plates, which are disposed on both sides of the crossbar. The extension direction of the insert plates is consistent with the extension direction of the pins. The slot is provided with a fixing groove corresponding to the insert plates, and the insert plates are inserted into the fixing grooves.

[0009] Specifically, the guide groove divides the tower into two tower sidewalls, and the tower reinforcement includes two groove-shaped sleeves and a connecting plate connecting the two groove-shaped sleeves. The tower reinforcement is U-shaped in general, wherein the groove-shaped sleeves respectively cover and fit onto the two tower sidewalls at the top of the tower.

[0010] Specifically, the tower reinforcement also includes fixing feet, which are respectively disposed on the outside of the groove sleeve. The side wall of the tower is provided with a slot corresponding to the fixing feet, and the groove sleeve is fixed to the side wall of the tower by inserting the fixing feet into the slot.

[0011] Specifically, the side walls of the insulating body slot on both sides are provided with terminal fixing holes extending from the bottom to the top, and the conductive terminals are disposed in the terminal fixing holes.

[0012] Specifically, the side wall of the body is provided with an extension hole, which corresponds to the terminal fixing hole. One end of the conductive terminal extends through the extension hole into the slot of the insulating body.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0014] By incorporating metal slot reinforcement and tower reinforcement, the tower and slot at both ends of the connector are reinforced and fixed. The slot reinforcement spans the slot and is fixed to the two side walls of the insulating body, increasing the strength of the two side walls. The tower reinforcement sleeve covers the outer and inner surfaces of the tower, effectively preventing wear on the contact tower during memory module insertion and removal, while also increasing the strength of the tower. The combined effect of these two components maximizes the strength of the card edge connector and extends its service life. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of this utility model.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of section B in the middle.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the slot reinforcement component.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of the tower reinforcement component.

[0021] Reference numerals: 1. Insulating body; 11. Body side wall; 111. Terminal fixing hole; 112. Socket; 113. Fixing groove; 114. Protrusion hole; 12. Slot; 13. Tower section; 131. Guide groove; 132. Tower section side wall; 133. Slot; 2. Conductive terminal; 3. Locking device; 31. Rotating shaft; 32. Locking block; 4. Slot reinforcement; 41. Crossbar; 42. Plug; 43. Insert plate; 5. Tower section reinforcement; 51. Slotted sleeve; 511. Fixing foot; 52. Connecting plate. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] This utility model discloses a card edge connector, which is connected to the computer motherboard and is used to allow memory modules such as graphics cards, network adapters, DDR4 / DDR5 memory modules, expansion cards, and storage controllers to be inserted to achieve electrical connection with the computer motherboard. The memory modules are locked and ejected by a locking piece 3.

[0024] Please see Figure 1-4 As shown, this embodiment discloses a card edge connector for accommodating a memory module (not shown) and electrically connecting it to a circuit board (not shown). The card edge connector has a locking member 3 for fixing the inserted memory module and also for ejecting the memory module when needed.

[0025] The card edge connector includes an insulating body 1, conductive terminals 2, and a locking element 3. The insulating body 1 includes two opposing body sidewalls 11 and a slot 12 located between the two body sidewalls 11. Terminal fixing holes 111 extend through the body sidewalls 11 on both sides of the slot 12 of the insulating body 1 from bottom to top. Each terminal fixing hole 111 also has a corresponding extension hole 114, which is located on the side of the body sidewall 11. The conductive terminals 2 are disposed on the body sidewalls 11, specifically within the terminal fixing holes 111. One end of the terminal extends to the bottom of the body sidewall 11 and is electrically connected to the motherboard, while the other end of the conductive terminal 2 extends through the extension hole 114 into the slot 12 of the insulating body 1. When a memory module is inserted into the slot 12, it contacts the conductive terminal 2 extending into the slot 12, achieving an electrical connection.

[0026] The insulating body 1 has longitudinally extending tower portions 13 at both ends. The surface of each tower portion 13 has guide grooves 131 extending to the slot 12. When the memory module is inserted, it is positioned via the guide grooves 131 for precise alignment with the slot 12. A locking member 3 is rotatably connected to the tower portion 13. Specifically, the bottom of the locking member 3 has two rotating shafts 31 on either side, and the tower portion 13 has corresponding shaft holes. The locking member 3 rotates by inserting the rotating shafts 31 into the shaft holes. The surface of the locking member 3 also has locking blocks 32, and the tower portion 13 has corresponding locking slots. Rotation of the locking member 3 causes the locking blocks 32 to engage with the locking slots, thus locking the memory module after it is inserted into the slot 12. The installation of the locking member 3 is a conventional technique in the field of edge connectors and is well-known to those skilled in the art; therefore, it will not be described further here.

[0027] Since the memory module comes into contact with the insulating body 1 and the tower 13 during the insertion and removal process, and the contact is rigid, excessive force or misalignment during insertion and removal can impact the insulating body 1, causing wear on the insulating body 1 and the tower 13. In severe cases, there is a risk of breakage. To increase the overall strength, this embodiment also provides a slot reinforcement 4 and a tower reinforcement 5.

[0028] Please see Figure 5 The slot reinforcement 4 is made of metal and includes a crossbar 41. The two ends of the crossbar 41 are provided with pins 42. The slot reinforcement 4 spans the slot 12 and is fixed to the two body side walls 11. Specifically, the two body side walls 11 are provided with sockets 112 corresponding to the pins 42. The crossbar 41 spans the slot 12 and is fixed in the sockets 112 by the pins 42 at both ends.

[0029] With the above structure, the crossbar 41 spans the slot 12 and is fixed to the two body side walls 11, increasing the strength of the two body side walls 11 in the direction of the slot 12.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the slot reinforcement 4 further includes an insert plate 43, which is disposed on both sides of the crossbar 41. The extension direction of the insert plate 43 is consistent with the extension direction of the pin 42. A fixing groove 113 corresponding to the insert plate 43 is provided in the slot 12, and the insert plate 43 is inserted into the fixing groove 113. Through the above structure, the strength of the insulating body 1 in the extension direction can be increased. Combined with the crossbar 41 spanning the slot 12 and fixing to the two side walls 11 of the body, the overall strength of the insulating body 1 is greatly improved.

[0031] Please see Figure 6The tower reinforcement 5 is made of metal. The guide groove 131 of the tower 13 divides the tower 13 into two tower side walls 132. The tower reinforcement 5 includes two slotted sleeves 51 and a connecting plate 52 connecting the two slotted sleeves 51. The tower reinforcement 5 is U-shaped in general. The slotted sleeves 51 respectively cover and fit onto the two tower side walls 132 at the top of the tower 13. Specifically, the slotted sleeves 51 are provided with fixing feet 511 on the outside, and the tower side walls 132 are provided with slots 133 corresponding to the fixing feet 511. The slotted sleeve 51 is fixed to the tower side wall 132 by inserting the fixing foot 511 into the slot 133, thereby covering and protecting the tower side wall 132 at the top of the tower 13 and preventing damage to the tower 13 when the memory module is inserted or removed. The connecting plate 52 protects the top wall of the guide groove 131 of the tower 13. The connecting plate 52 and the slotted sleeve 51 have a U-shaped structure. Since they need to be removed through the top of the guide groove 131 when being inserted or removed, the tower 13 is protected in all directions.

[0032] The synergistic effect of the metal slot reinforcement 4 and the tower reinforcement 5 maximizes the strength of the card edge connector, reduces wear, and extends its service life.

[0033] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model and is not intended to limit the utility model. Various modifications and variations can be made to this utility model by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A snap-fit ​​connector, comprising an insulating body, conductive terminals, and a locking element, wherein the insulating body includes two opposing body sidewalls and a slot located between the two body sidewalls, the conductive terminals are disposed on the body sidewalls, and longitudinally extending tower portions are provided at both ends of the insulating body, the surface of the tower portions having guide grooves extending to the slot, and the locking element is rotatably connected to the tower portions, characterized in that, It also includes a slot reinforcement and a tower reinforcement. The slot reinforcement spans the slot and is fixed to the two side walls of the body. The tower reinforcement is sleeved and covers the outer and inner surfaces of the tower. The slot reinforcement and the tower reinforcement are made of metal.

2. The card edge connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slot reinforcement includes a crossbar with pins at both ends. The insulating body has sockets on both sides corresponding to the pins. The crossbar spans the slot and is fixed in the sockets by being inserted into them through the pins at both ends.

3. The card edge connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The slot reinforcement also includes insert plates, which are disposed on both sides of the crossbar. The extension direction of the insert plates is consistent with the extension direction of the pins. The slot is provided with a fixing groove corresponding to the insert plates, and the insert plates are inserted into the fixing grooves.

4. The card edge connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide groove divides the tower into two tower sidewalls. The tower reinforcement includes two slotted sleeves and a connecting plate that connects the two slotted sleeves. The tower reinforcement is U-shaped in general, with the slotted sleeves respectively covering and fitting onto the two tower sidewalls at the top of the tower.

5. The card edge connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The tower reinforcement also includes fixing feet, which are respectively disposed on the outside of the slotted sleeve. The side wall of the tower is provided with a slot corresponding to the fixing feet, and the slotted sleeve is fixed to the side wall of the tower by inserting the fixing feet into the slot.

6. The card edge connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating body slot has a terminal fixing hole extending from the bottom to the top through the body sidewalls, and the conductive terminal is disposed in the terminal fixing hole.

7. The card edge connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side wall of the main body is provided with an extension hole, which corresponds to the terminal fixing hole. One end of the conductive terminal extends through the extension hole into the slot of the insulating body.

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