Signal terminal module and connector module

Abstract

The utility model discloses signal terminal module and connector module. Signal terminal module includes: signal terminal, has first fixed part and with first fixed part's first elastic arm, and conductive sheet is attached to signal terminal's first elastic arm. First elastic arm has the first electric contact portion for with the electric contact of opposite board card for in its end, and the conductive sheet is used for adjusting signal terminal's first electric contact portion's contact impedance. The conductive sheet includes: main part, presents flat plate shape, and bending portion is connected with the one side of main part and is bent the predetermined angle relative to main part. The main part of conductive sheet is attached to signal terminal's first elastic arm. In the utility model, the conductive sheet attached on the elastic arm of signal terminal can adjust the contact impedance of the electric contact portion of elastic arm, so that the contact impedance of the electric contact portion of elastic arm can equal or be approximately equal to the nominal impedance of design, thereby can improve the signal integrity of signal transmission path.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a signal terminal module and a connector module 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. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this utility model 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, comprising: 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. The conductive sheet includes: a main body portion, which is flat; and a bent portion connected to one side of the main body portion and bent at a predetermined angle relative to the main body portion. The main body portion of the conductive sheet is attached to the first elastic arm of the signal terminal.

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the bent portion is bent at 90 degrees relative to the main body portion, so that the conductive sheet is L-shaped.

[0006] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the main body is in the shape of a rectangular plate, having a front side and a rear side opposite to each other in length and a left side and a right side opposite to each other in width; the bent portion is located on one of the front side, rear side, left side and right side of the main body.

[0007] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive sheet is an integrally stamped part.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector module is provided, comprising: at least one pair of the aforementioned 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.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive sheet has a front side near the first electrical contact portion of the signal terminal and a rear side away from the first electrical contact portion of the signal terminal; the bent portion of the conductive sheet on the signal terminal is located on the front side or the rear side of the conductive sheet.

[0010] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each pair of signal terminals has inner sides that are adjacent to each other and outer sides that are far apart from each other, and the bent portion of the conductive sheet on the signal terminal is located on the inner side of the signal terminal.

[0011] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each pair of signal terminals has inner sides that are adjacent to each other and outer sides that are far apart from each other, and the bent portion of the conductive sheet on the signal terminal is located on the outer side of the signal terminal.

[0012] 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.

[0013] In the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the conductive sheet has a bent portion extending perpendicularly to the surface of the signal terminals. This increases the coupling area between the differential signal terminal pairs, and the coupling strength between the differential signal terminal pairs can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the bent portion of the conductive sheet. Therefore, the contact impedance of the signal terminals has a large adjustment range, making it easier to achieve the nominal impedance (e.g., 85 Ohms) during connector design. This application achieves greater performance margin simply by adjusting this height parameter, thereby greatly simplifying design complexity.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of the present 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

[0015] Figure 1 A perspective view of a connector module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 2 This shows a row of terminals of a connector module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 4 An exploded view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 This diagram shows the electrical contacts of a pair of signal terminal modules and a mating board according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 This displays an impedance curve diagram according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This displays a return loss curve according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 9 show Figure 8 An exploded view of a pair of signal terminal modules shown; Figure 10 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 11 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 12 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The technical solution of this utility model 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 this utility model with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of this utility model and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0017] 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.

[0018] According to a general technical concept of this utility model, a signal terminal module is provided, comprising: 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. The conductive sheet includes: a main body portion, which is flat; and a bent portion connected to one side of the main body portion and bent at a predetermined angle relative to the main body portion. The main body portion of the conductive sheet is attached to the first elastic arm of the signal terminal.

[0019] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a connector module is provided, comprising: at least one pair of the aforementioned 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.

[0020] 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 This diagram shows 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.

[0021] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in an exemplary embodiment of this utility model, 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.

[0022] 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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 back of the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1.

[0025] 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.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 5 As 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] Figure 8A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 9 show Figure 8 An exploded view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 shown; Figure 10 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 11 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 12 A perspective view of a pair of signal terminal modules 100 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0033] Figures 8 to 12 The pair of signal terminal modules 100 shown are Figures 1 to 5 The only difference between the pair of signal terminal modules 100 shown is the structure of the conductive sheet 3.

[0034] exist Figures 1 to 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 is generally flat. Figures 1 to 5 In the embodiment shown, the conductive sheet 3 is generally L-shaped.

[0035] like Figures 8 to 12 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 includes a main body portion 3a and a bent portion 3b. The main body portion 3a is flat. The bent portion 3b is connected to one side of the main body portion 3a and bent at a predetermined angle relative to the main body portion 3a. The main body portion 3a of the conductive sheet 3 is attached to the first elastic arm 11 of the signal terminal 1.

[0036] like Figures 8 to 12 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the bent portion 3b is bent at a 90-degree angle relative to the main body portion 3a, making the conductive sheet 3 L-shaped. However, this invention is limited to the illustrated embodiment; for example, the conductive sheet 3 may also have multiple bent portions 3b located on multiple sides of the main body portion 3a.

[0037] like Figures 8 to 12 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the main body 3a is a rectangular plate with a front and rear side opposite each other in length and a left and right side opposite each other in width. The bent portion 3b may be located on one of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the main body 3a. However, this invention is limited to the illustrated embodiment; for example, the conductive sheet 3 may also have at least two bent portions 3b located on at least two sides of the front, rear, left, and right sides of the main body 3a, respectively.

[0038] like Figures 8 to 12 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 can be a one-piece stamped part.

[0039] like Figures 8 to 12 As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 can be bent around its perimeter, extending perpendicularly to the surface of the signal terminals. This increases the coupling area between the differential signal terminal pairs. The coupling strength between the differential signal terminal pairs can be adjusted by regulating the height of the bent portion 3b of the conductive sheet 3. Therefore, the contact impedance of the signal terminals has a large adjustment range, making it easier to achieve the nominal impedance (e.g., 85 Ohms) during connector design. A greater performance margin can be achieved simply by adjusting this height parameter, thereby greatly simplifying design complexity.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of this utility model, 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.

[0041] 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 piece.

[0042] like Figures 1 to 5 As 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] like Figures 1 to 5As 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] like Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 has a front side close to the first electrical contact portion 13 of the signal terminal 1 and a rear side away from the first electrical contact portion 13 of the signal terminal 1, and the bent portion 3b of the conductive sheet 3 on the signal terminal 1 is located on the front side of the conductive sheet 3.

[0047] like Figure 12 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive sheet 3 has a front side close to the first electrical contact portion 13 of the signal terminal 1 and a rear side away from the first electrical contact portion 13 of the signal terminal 1, and the bent portion 3b of the conductive sheet 3 on the signal terminal 1 is located on the rear side of the conductive sheet 3.

[0048] like Figure 10 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, each pair of signal terminals 1 has inner sides that are adjacent to each other and outer sides that are far apart from each other, and the bent portion 3b of the conductive sheet 3 on the signal terminal is located inside the signal terminal 1.

[0049] like Figure 11 As shown, in the illustrated embodiment, each pair of signal terminals 1 has inner sides that are adjacent to each other and outer sides that are far apart from each other, and the bent portion 3b of the conductive sheet 3 on the signal terminal 1 is located on the outer side of the signal terminal 1.

[0050] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of the present 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.

[0051] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, in another exemplary embodiment of this utility model, 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.

[0052] The inventors of this utility model have 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 This displays an impedance curve diagram according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This displays a return loss curve according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] like Figure 6 As 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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 utility model.

[0056] Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0057] While some embodiments of the general concept of this utility model 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 this utility model, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

[0058] 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 this 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 portion (13) located 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 portion (13) of the signal terminal (1). The conductive sheet (3) includes: The main body (3a) is flat; and The bent portion (3b) is connected to one side of the main body portion (3a) and is bent at a predetermined angle relative to the main body portion (3a). The main body (3a) of the conductive sheet (3) is attached to the first elastic arm (11) of the signal terminal (1).

2. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bent portion (3b) is bent at 90 degrees relative to the main body portion (3a), so that the conductive sheet (3) is L-shaped.

3. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body (3a) is rectangular plate-shaped, having a front and rear side opposite to each other in length and a left and right side opposite to each other in width; The bent portion (3b) is located on one of the front, rear, left and right sides of the main body portion (3a).

4. The signal terminal module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive sheet (3) is an integral stamped part.

5. A connector module, characterized in that, include: At least one pair of signal terminal modules (100) according to any one of claims 1-4; 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) become a single piece.

6. The connector module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The conductive sheet (3) has a front side of a first electrical contact portion (13) near the signal terminal (1) and a rear side of a first electrical contact portion (13) away from the signal terminal (1); The bent portion (3b) of the conductive sheet (3) on the signal terminal (1) is located on the front or rear side of the conductive sheet (3).

7. The connector module according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each pair of signal terminals (1) has inner sides that are adjacent to each other and outer sides that are far apart from each other, and the bent portion (3b) of the conductive sheet (3) on the signal terminal is located inside the signal terminal (1).

8. The connector module according to claim 5, characterized in that: Each pair of signal terminals (1) has inner sides that are adjacent to each other and outer sides that are far apart from each other, and the bent portion (3b) of the conductive sheet (3) on the signal terminal (1) is located on the outer side of the signal terminal (1).

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