Electric connector
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- TW · TW
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-28
- Publication Date
- 2024-09-16
Smart Images
Figure TWG2TA000975286_001 
Figure TWG2TA000975286_002 
Figure TWG2TA000975286_003
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to electrical connectors, and more specifically, to electrical connectors capable of improving signal integrity (SI) performance, suitable for various application requirements such as high-speed data transmission applications. [Previous Technology]
[0002] Electrical connectors are electronic components used for the transmission and exchange of current or signals between devices in an electronic system. As nodes, electrical connectors, independently or together with cables, transmit current or signals between devices, components, equipment, and systems, ensuring that there is no signal distortion or energy loss between systems. They are essential basic components for the connection of the entire complete system. For example, I / O modules are typically used for connection between switches and between switches and servers.
[0003] As the data rate and data volume of high-speed links continue to increase, extremely high requirements are placed on the performance of connectors. The SI (signal integrity) performance of existing high-speed connectors can only meet the performance requirements of PCIe Gen5, and cannot well meet the SI performance requirements of the next-generation PCIe Gen6. [Summary of the Invention]
[0004] This disclosure is made in order to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned and other problems and defects existing in conventional technology.
[0005] An embodiment provides an electrical connector comprising: a housing; an insulating housing mounted within the housing; two terminal assemblies mounted within the insulating housing, the two terminal assemblies being spaced apart in a first direction to define an insertion space therebetween for receiving terminals of a mating connector, each terminal element including a plurality of signal terminals and ground terminals arranged in a row along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a shielding member at least partially positioned between the two terminal elements in the first direction, the shielding member including a contact arm electrically contacting the ground terminals.
[0006] In some embodiments, the shielding member is at least partially positioned between the signal terminals of the two terminal elements in the first direction.
[0007] In some embodiments, each conductive terminal includes a contact section for electrical contact with a terminal of a mating connector and an opposite mounting section for mounting on a circuit board, and the shielding member is positioned at least partially in the first direction between portions of the signal terminals of the two terminal elements near the mounting section.
[0008] In some embodiments, the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element include at least one pair of differential signal terminals and at least one corresponding pair of ground terminals, with each pair of ground terminals positioned on opposite sides of the corresponding pair of differential signal terminals in the second direction.
[0009] In some embodiments, the shielding member is electrically connected to the grounding terminal.
[0010] In some embodiments, the masking member includes two sub-mask members, each sub-mask member including a plate-shaped sub-mask body and a contact arm extending from the edge of the sub-mask body toward a corresponding grounding terminal, the two sub-mask bodies of the two sub-mask members abutting each other in the first direction such that the contact arms of the two sub-mask members are opposite to each other.
[0011] In some embodiments, each sub-mask member includes a plurality of contact arms arranged in the second direction, and the number of the plurality of contact arms of each sub-mask member is the same as the number of ground terminals of each terminal element.
[0012] In some embodiments, the contact arm has a hook-shaped shape that opens upward in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions.
[0013] In some embodiments, each terminal element further includes a mounting base in which the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element are mounted in one or more rows, the mounting base being formed with a plug-in protrusion defining a plug-in slot, and the sub-mask body including a plug-in portion configured to at least partially insert into the plug-in slot to secure the sub-mask body relative to the mounting base.
[0014] In some embodiments, the electrical connector further includes a grounding member that is in electrical contact with the grounding terminal, and the shielding member is electrically connected to the grounding terminal via the grounding member.
[0015] In some embodiments, the grounding member includes a grounding body having an intermediate slot configured to allow the shielding member to be inserted therein at least partially.
[0016] In some embodiments, the grounding member includes two spaced-apart sub-grounding members, and the shielding member is at least partially inserted in the gap between the two sub-grounding members.
[0017] The grounding member includes a contact protrusion configured to contact the grounding terminal.
[0018] In some embodiments, the shielding member has contact legs for electrical contact with grounding components on the circuit board.
[0019] In some embodiments, each terminal element further includes a mounting base in which the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element are mounted in one or more rows, each mounting base having a plurality of spaced protrusions on a side facing another terminal element, defining a groove between adjacent protrusions, and the shielding member including a single shielding body having a plurality of protrusions formed on opposite sides facing the mounting base, each protrusion being adapted to be at least partially positioned in a groove between adjacent protrusions of the corresponding mounting base.
[0020] Other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a full understanding of the disclosure.
Implementation Method
[0039] The embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification, identical or similar components are indicated by identical or similar reference numerals. The following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to illustrate the overall concept of the present disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.
[0040] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth for ease of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. 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 drawings.
[0041] FIG1 schematically illustrates an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, used to establish a signal connection / electrical connection between a circuit board (not shown) of, for example, an electrical device and a mating connector (not shown). The electrical connector 100 includes an insulating housing 120 and terminal elements 131 mounted within the insulating housing 120, the insulating housing 120 being made, for example, of a plastic material of LCP quality. Optionally, in some applications, the electrical connector 100 may also include an outer housing 110 supported, for example, by a metal material such as 304 stainless steel, the insulating housing 120 being mounted within the outer housing 110. In some examples, as shown, the outer housing 110 may be formed with a first mounting leg 1101 for mounting on a circuit board, and / or the insulating housing 120 may also be formed with a second mounting leg 1201 for mounting on a circuit board.
[0042] In the illustrated embodiment, the electrical connector 100 includes two terminal assemblies 131 mounted in an insulating housing 120. These two terminal assemblies 131 are spaced apart in a first direction X to define a mating space or mating port for receiving connection terminals of a mating connector. The two terminal elements 131 may be symmetrically arranged in the insulating housing 120, and each terminal element 131 includes a plurality of conductive terminals arranged in a row. For example, the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element 131 may be arranged in one or more rows along a second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X.
[0043] As an example, each terminal element 131 has multiple conductive terminals including signal terminals 1301, ground terminals 1302, and / or power supply terminals. For example, as shown in Figures 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15, in each row of conductive terminals, signal terminals 1301 (e.g., two differential signal terminals) are arranged between two adjacent ground terminals 1302, or one or more ground terminals are provided between adjacent signal terminals to achieve a signal shielding effect and reduce signal interference.
[0044] As an example, each terminal element 131 has a plurality of conductive terminals including at least one pair of differential signal terminals 1301 and at least one corresponding pair of ground terminals 1302, each pair of ground terminals 1302 being positioned on opposite sides of the corresponding pair of differential signal terminals 1301 in the second direction Y to provide signal shielding between differential signal terminal pairs in the same row.
[0045] Exemplarily, each conductive terminal includes a contact section 1303 (e.g., a resilient arm) at one end and a mounting section 1304 (e.g., a solder pad) at the opposite end. The contact section 1303 is used for electrical contact with the connection terminal of a mating connector, and the mounting section 1304 is used for mounting (e.g., soldering) onto a circuit board, such as soldering onto a pad on the circuit board, to achieve mounting and electrical connection of the electrical connector to the circuit board. As an example, a hole 1203 may be formed in the sidewall of the insulating housing 120 (see Figures 2 and 4), and the contact section 1303 may be partially positioned in the hole 1203 (see Figure 4) to allow the contact section 1303 to deflect or deform in a first direction X to accommodate the insertion of connection terminals of mating connectors of different sizes.
[0046] In an exemplary embodiment according to the present disclosure, the electrical connector further includes a shielding member 140, which is at least partially positioned in a first direction X between two terminal elements 131, for example, at least partially positioned between signal terminals 1301 of the two terminal elements 131, to provide further signal shielding for the signal terminals in the two adjacent terminal elements 131, thereby improving signal integrity (SI) and better meeting, for example, the SI performance requirements of PCIe Gen6, so that the electrical connector can be adapted to data transmission of high-speed links, for example, it can be used as a high-speed input / output connector.
[0047] In the illustrated embodiment, the shielding member 140 is positioned in the first direction X between portions of the signal terminals 1301 in two adjacent terminal assemblies 131 or adjacent rows of conductive terminals near their mounting sections 1304.
[0048] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the shielding member 140 may be made of a variety of conductive materials and may be grounded in a variety of ways. For example, the shielding member 140 may be electrically connected directly or indirectly to the grounding terminal 1302, or electrically connected to the grounding component on the electrical equipment or its circuit board.
[0049] Figures 2-4 schematically illustrate the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown, the electrical connector 100 further includes a grounding member 150 that is in electrical contact with a grounding terminal 1302, and a shielding member 140 is electrically connected to the grounding terminal 1302 via the grounding member 150.
[0050] The grounding member 150 that contacts the shielding member 140 can be formed and arranged in various forms. In the embodiment shown in Figures 2-4, the grounding member 150 includes a grounding body 1501, which can be formed as, for example, a generally plate-shaped shape extending along a second direction Y and perpendicular to the cooperative direction Z orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y, having one or more intermediate slots 1502 extending generally along the second direction Y, the intermediate slots 1502 being configured to allow the shielding member 140 to be at least partially inserted therein.
[0051] In some examples, as shown in Figures 2-7, the grounding member 150 includes contact protrusions 1503 that extend from the grounding body 1501 toward the grounding terminal 1302 to contact the corresponding grounding terminal 1302. Exemplarily, as shown, multiple contact protrusions 1503 are formed on opposite side edges of the grounding body 1501, and the contact protrusions 1503 can be positioned to contact the portion of the grounding terminal 1302 near the mounting section 1304. In other examples, the grounding body of the grounding member may also directly contact the grounding terminal.
[0052] In the embodiments shown in Figures 2-10, the shielding member 140 includes a shielding body 1401, which may be formed in a generally plate-like shape, for example, extending along a second direction Y and oriented perpendicular to a first direction X, to partially insert into an intermediate slot 1502 of the grounding member 150. As an example, the shielding member 140 may also include one or more contact legs 1402, which extend from the shielding body 1401 in the Z direction to insert into the intermediate slot 1502.
[0053] In some examples, as shown in Figures 2, 5 and 8, abutment portions 1403 may be formed on one side or opposite sides of the mask body 1401. The abutment portions 1403 may be formed in the form of flanges or ridges to abut against the ground body 1501 when the mask member 140 is inserted into the intermediate slot 1502.
[0054] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2-16, each terminal element 131 further includes a mounting base 1305, which extends generally along a second direction Y in a strip-like shape, for example. A plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element 131 are mounted or fixed in the mounting base 1305 in a row or more. The mounting base 1305 is disposed within and fixed relative to the insulating housing 120. For example, a protrusion 1306 may be formed on the outer sidewall of the mounting base 1305, and a corresponding groove or hole 1206 may be formed on the sidewall of the insulating housing 120. The protrusion 1306 can engage or snap into the groove or hole 1206 to secure the mounting base 1305 to the insulating housing 120, thereby securing the terminal assembly 131 within the insulating housing 120. It will be understood that this holding method is merely an example, and other suitable methods can be used to hold or mount the terminal elements within the insulating housing.
[0055] Furthermore, the shielding member 140 can also be held or fixed on the mounting base 1305. As an example, as shown in Figures 2, 5 and 8, each mounting base 1305 has a plurality of spaced protrusions 1307 on the side facing the other terminal element 131, defining a gap or groove between adjacent protrusions 1307, and the shielding body 1401 has a plurality of protrusions 1407 on the side facing the corresponding mounting base 1305 or the opposite sides, each protrusion 1407 being adapted to be at least partially positioned in the groove between adjacent protrusions 1307 of the corresponding mounting base 1305, for example, the protrusion 1407 and the groove between the protrusions 1307 are shaped to fit, and correspondingly the protrusions 1307 are at least partially positioned in the gap between adjacent protrusions 1407, and the shielding body 1401 of the shielding member 140 can be clamped between the two mounting bases 1305 of the two terminal elements 131. It will be understood that this holding method is merely an example, and the shielding member can be held or secured relative to the mounting base in other suitable ways.
[0056] In the embodiments shown in Figures 2-4, the grounding member has a single plate-shaped body, while in the embodiments shown in Figures 5-7, the grounding member includes two sub-grounding members 151 spaced apart in a first direction X. Each sub-grounding member 151 includes a strip-shaped or plate-shaped sub-grounding body 1511 extending generally in a second direction Y. The shielding member 140 is at least partially inserted into the gap 1504 between the sub-grounding bodies 1511 of the two sub-grounding members 151. The abutment portion 1403 may be partially aligned with the sub-grounding bodies 1511 of the grounding member 151 in the Z direction, for example, it may abut against the sub-grounding bodies 1511 to provide a limiting effect on the shielding member 140. As shown in Figures 5-7, a plurality of contact protrusions 1503 for contacting the corresponding grounding terminal 1302 are formed at the outer edge of the sub-grounding body 1511 of each sub-grounding member 151.
[0057] In the embodiments shown in Figures 2-7, the shielding member 140 is electrically connected to a grounding terminal by means of a separately provided grounding member. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and in other embodiments, a separate grounding member may not be provided. For example, in the embodiments shown in Figures 8-10, the aforementioned grounding member is not provided, and the shielding member 140 itself is grounded or in contact with a grounding component. In this embodiment, the contact leg 1402 of the shielding member 140 may extend further or longer from the shielding body 1401 in the Z direction (as shown in Figure 10) to make electrical contact with a grounding component (such as a ground layer or trace) on a circuit board (not shown).
[0058] As shown in FIG9, the protrusion 1407 of the shielding member 140 may have a generally T-shaped profile, which mates with the gap or groove shape defined between adjacent protrusions 1307 of the mounting base 1305. The protrusion 1407 may be positioned between adjacent grounding terminals 1302 in the second direction Y, for example, generally aligned with signal terminals 1301 in the first direction X.
[0059] In the embodiments shown in Figures 11-16, the aforementioned grounding member is not provided, and the shielding member itself is in electrical contact with the grounding terminal 1302. As shown, the shielding member includes a contact arm 1414, such as an elastic arm, that is in electrical contact with the grounding terminal 1302.
[0060] As shown in Figures 11-16, the shielding member includes two sub-shielding members 141. Each sub-shielding member 141 includes a plate-shaped sub-shielding body 1411, and a contact arm 1414 extends from the edge of the sub-shielding body 1411 toward the corresponding grounding terminal 1302. The two sub-shielding bodies 1411 of the two sub-shielding members 141 can abut against each other in a first direction X, such that the contact arms 1414 of the two sub-shielding members 141 are opposite to each other to contact the grounding terminal 1302 of the corresponding terminal element 131. As an example, each sub-shielding member 141 may include a plurality of contact arms 1414 arranged in a second direction Y, and the number of contact arms 1414 of each sub-shielding member 141 is the same as the number of grounding terminals 1302 of each terminal element 131.
[0061] The contact arm 1414 may have a certain degree of elasticity to abut against the grounding terminal 1302 after being installed in place, so as to maintain a stable contact between the two. As an example, the contact arm 1414 may have, or be defined together with the sub-shield body 1411, a generally hook-shaped (such as U-shaped or V-shaped) opening in the Z-direction of the cooperating party, to elastically abut against the grounding terminal 1302.
[0062] Although in the embodiments shown in Figures 11-16, the masking member includes two sub-mask bodies 1411 that abut against each other, in other embodiments, the masking member may also include a single body with contact arms provided on opposite sides of the single body.
[0063] As shown in Figures 11 and 14, for example, a plug-in protrusion 1308 defining a plug-in groove is formed on the side wall of the mounting base 1305 of the terminal element 131. For example, the plug-in protrusion 1308 may have a generally T-shaped profile. The sub-mask body 1411 includes a plug-in portion 1415, which is adapted to be at least partially inserted into the plug-in groove to fix the sub-mask body 1411 relative to the mounting base 1305.
[0064] In embodiments of this disclosure, in addition to grounding terminals on both sides of the signal terminals in the same row or the same terminal element, a shielding member is also provided between two adjacent terminal elements to circumferentially surround the signal terminals (such as differential signal terminal pairs) together with the grounding terminals. This further reduces signal interference, greatly improves the signal shielding effect, and better meets the SI performance requirements for high-speed data transmission. For example, referring to Figure 17, the solid lines schematically represent the SI performance requirements or specifications of PCIe Gen6 for internal cables, the dashed lines in part (a) show the integrated near-end crosstalk (PSNEXT) curve of a conventional connector, and the selected lines in part (b) show the PSNEXT curve of the electrical connector provided according to embodiments of this disclosure. It can be seen that by using the electrical connector of this disclosure, signal coupling and crosstalk are further reduced, the performance margin is large, and the SI performance requirements of PCIe Gen6 can be well met, adapting to higher data transmission rates.
[0065] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” as used herein do not exclude other elements or steps. Additionally, any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]
[0021] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0022] FIG1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0023] FIG2 is an exploded view schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG3 is a bottom view schematically showing the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0025] FIG4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG3, schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG5 is an exploded view schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG6 is a bottom view schematically showing the structure of an electrical connector according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG6, schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0029] FIG8 is an exploded view schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0030] FIG9 is a bottom view schematically showing the structure of an electrical connector according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0031] FIG10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG9, schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0032] FIG11 is an exploded view schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0033] FIG12 is a bottom view schematically showing the structure of an electrical connector according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0034] FIG13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG12, schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0035] FIG14 is an exploded view schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0036] FIG15 is a bottom view schematically showing the structure of an electrical connector according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0037] FIG16 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG15, schematically illustrating the structure of an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0038] FIG17 is a schematic graph illustrating the SI performance of a conventional connector and an electrical connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
Claims
1. An electrical connector (100), comprising: The housing (110); an insulating housing (120) mounted within the housing; two terminal assemblies (131) mounted within the insulating housing, the two terminal assemblies being spaced apart in a first direction (X) to define a mating space therebetween for receiving connection terminals of a mating connector, each terminal element including a plurality of conductive terminals arranged in a row along a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction, the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element including a signal terminal (1301) and a ground terminal (1302); and a shielding member (140) at least partially positioned between the two terminal elements in the first direction, the shielding member including a contact arm (1414) electrically contacting the ground terminal.
2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The shielding member is at least partially positioned between the signal terminals of the two terminal elements in the first direction.
3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein, Each conductive terminal includes a contact section (1303) for electrical contact with a connection terminal of a mating connector and an opposite mounting section (1304) for mounting on a circuit board, and the shielding member is positioned at least partially in the first direction between portions of the signal terminals of the two terminal elements near the mounting sections.
4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein, Each terminal element comprises at least one pair of differential signal terminals and at least one corresponding pair of ground terminals, with each pair of ground terminals positioned on opposite sides of the corresponding pair of differential signal terminals in the second direction.
5. The electrical connector as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The shielding component is electrically connected to the grounding terminal.
6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein, The shielding member includes two sub-shielding members (141), each sub-shielding member including a plate-shaped sub-shielding body (1411) and a contact arm extending from the edge of the sub-shielding body toward a corresponding grounding terminal, the two sub-shielding bodies of the two sub-shielding members abutting each other in the first direction such that the contact arms of the two sub-shielding members are opposite to each other.
7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein, Each sub-mask component includes a plurality of contact arms arranged in the second direction, and the number of the plurality of contact arms of each sub-mask component is the same as the number of ground terminals of each terminal element.
8. The electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1-4 and 6-7, wherein, The contact arm has a hook-shaped opening in the cooperative direction (Z) perpendicular to the first and second directions.
9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein, Each terminal element also includes a mounting base (1305) in which the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element are mounted in one or more rows, the mounting base being formed with a plug-in protrusion (1308) defining a plug-in slot, and the sub-mask body including a plug-in portion (1415) configured to at least partially insert into the plug-in slot to secure the sub-mask body relative to the mounting base.
10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a grounding member (150) in electrical contact with the grounding terminal, wherein, The shielding component is electrically connected to the grounding terminal via the grounding component.
11. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein, The grounding member includes a grounding body (1501) having an intermediate slot (1502) configured to allow the shielding member to be inserted therein at least partially.
12. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein, The grounding member includes two spaced-apart sub-grounding members (151), and the shielding member is at least partially inserted in the gap (1504) between the two sub-grounding members.
13. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein, The grounding member includes a contact protrusion (1503) configured to contact the grounding terminal.
14. The electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The shielding member has contact legs (1402) for electrical contact with grounding components on the circuit board.
15. The electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1-4 and 10-11, wherein, Each terminal element also includes a mounting base (1305) in which the plurality of conductive terminals of each terminal element are mounted in one or more rows. Each mounting base has a plurality of spaced protrusions (1307) on one side facing another terminal element, defining a groove between adjacent protrusions. The shielding member includes a single shielding body (1401) on opposite sides facing the mounting base, each shielding body having a plurality of protrusions (1407) formed thereon, each protrusion being adapted to be at least partially positioned in a groove between adjacent protrusions of the corresponding mounting base.