Grounding member and manufacturing method of it, grounding assembly, connector and terminal module

Abstract

The present invention relates to a grounding member, a method for manufacturing the grounding members, a grounding assembly including the grounding member, a terminal module comprising the grounding assembly, and a connector including the terminal module. A grounding member includes a plurality of contact terminals arranged in a row, a first connection strip connected to a first end of each of the contact terminals, and a second connection strip connected to a second end of each of the contact terminals. Each of the contact terminals has an elastic contact part electrically contacting one of a plurality of grounding terminals of a connector. The grounding member is an integral stamped component that interconnects the grounding terminals. The present invention, the structure of the grounding member can be changed by cutting the connection strip of the grounding member, so that the structure of the grounding member can be changed according to different needs. Therefore, the present invention does not require providing multiple different manufacturing molds, reducing manufacturing costs.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a grounding component and a method for manufacturing a grounding component, comprising a grounding component assembly, a terminal module comprising the grounding component assembly, and a connector comprising the terminal module. [Previous Technology]

[0002] In the prior art, in order to improve the grounding performance of connectors, grounding connectors are usually provided in the connectors for electrically connecting multiple grounding terminals together. However, the structure of existing grounding connectors cannot be changed according to different requirements. Therefore, in the prior art, it is necessary to use a variety of different manufacturing molds to manufacture grounding connectors with different structures according to different application requirements, which leads to increased costs. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve at least one aspect of the above-mentioned problems and defects existing in the prior art.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a grounding member is provided for electrically connecting the grounding terminals of a connector. The grounding member includes: a plurality of contact terminals arranged in a row; a first connecting strip connected to one end of the plurality of contact terminals; and a second connecting strip connected to the other end of the plurality of contact terminals. The contact terminals include resilient contact portions adapted to make electrical contact with the grounding terminals of the connector, and the grounding member is an integral stamped part for interconnecting the plurality of grounding terminals of the connector together.

[0005] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the contact terminal further includes: a substrate portion adapted to be clamped between the upper row terminal holder and the lower row terminal holder of the connector, wherein the elastic contact portion is connected to the substrate portion and is bent into a predetermined shape relative to the substrate portion.

[0006] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first connecting strip is connected to the end of the substrate portion of the plurality of contact terminals, such that the ends of the substrate portions of the plurality of contact terminals are interconnected.

[0007] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the contact terminal further includes: a fixing portion, which is plate-shaped and connected to the substrate portion, wherein the fixing portions of the plurality of contact terminals are adapted to be fixed to the grounding member retainer of the connector to fix the grounding member to the grounding member retainer.

[0008] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second connecting strip is connected to the end of the fixing portion of the plurality of contact terminals, such that the ends of the fixing portions of the plurality of contact terminals are interconnected.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a grounding component is provided, comprising the steps of: providing the aforementioned grounding component; and obtaining a grounding component with a structure different from the aforementioned grounding component by cutting off the entire second connecting strip and partially cutting off the first connecting strip, such that at least some of the plurality of contact terminals are separated from each other.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a grounding component assembly is provided. The grounding component assembly includes: a grounding component; and a grounding component retainer for holding and securing the grounding component. The grounding component is either the aforementioned grounding component or a grounding component manufactured by the aforementioned method.

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, some of the contact terminals of the grounding member are separated from each other, while other contact terminals are not separated.

[0012] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, all the contact terminals of the plurality of contact terminals of the grounding member are separated from each other.

[0013] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the grounding element holder is an injection molded part formed on the grounding element by an embedded injection molding process, so that the grounding element holder and the grounding element become an integral part.

[0014] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an elastic snap is formed on the grounding retainer, the elastic snap including an elastic arm and a protrusion formed at the end of the elastic arm; the protrusion of the elastic snap is adapted to engage with a slot in the housing of the connector to lock the grounding retainer into the housing.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector terminal module is provided. The connector terminal module includes: an upper row terminal assembly, a lower row terminal assembly, and the aforementioned grounding component assembly. The upper row terminal assembly includes: an upper row of terminals; and an upper row terminal retainer for retaining and securing the upper row of terminals. The lower row terminal assembly includes: a lower row of terminals; and a lower row terminal retainer for retaining and securing the lower row of terminals. The upper row terminal retainer, the lower row terminal retainer, and the grounding component retainer are assembled together such that the upper row terminal assembly, the lower row terminal assembly, and the grounding component assembly can be inserted together into the housing of the connector.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the substrate portion of the grounding member is sandwiched between the upper row terminal holder and the lower row terminal holder; the grounding member holder is disposed between the upper row terminal and the lower row terminal to electrically isolate the upper row terminal and the lower row terminal.

[0017] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the upper row terminal holder is an injection molded part formed on the upper row of terminals by an embedded injection molding process, so that the upper row terminal holder and the upper row of terminals become an integral part; the lower row terminal holder is an injection molded part formed on the lower row of terminals by an embedded injection molding process, so that the lower row terminal holder and the lower row of terminals become an integral part.

[0018] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the upper row of terminals includes a plurality of grounding terminals, and the elastic contact portion of the plurality of contact terminals of the grounding member is electrically contacted with the plurality of grounding terminals of the upper row of terminals respectively.

[0019] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the upper row of terminals has a first elastic arm and a first connecting leg extending from the front and rear sides of the upper row of terminal holder, respectively; the lower row of terminals has a second elastic arm and a second connecting leg extending from the front and rear sides of the lower row of terminal holder, respectively; the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm are used for electrical contact with a mating connector board inserted into a slot on the housing of the connector, and the first connecting leg and the second connecting leg are used for electrical connection to a circuit board.

[0020] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the grounding retainer is disposed on the rear side of the upper row terminal retainer and the lower row terminal retainer and located between the first connecting leg of the upper row terminal and the second connecting leg of the lower row terminal, so as to electrically isolate the first connecting leg of the upper row terminal and the second connecting leg of the lower row terminal.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector is provided. The connector includes: a housing; and the aforementioned connector terminal module, which is mounted in the housing.

[0022] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a slot for engaging with a mating connector is formed on the front side of the housing, and the first elastic arm of the upper row of terminals and the second elastic arm of the lower row of terminals extend into the slot of the housing for electrical contact with the board inserted into the slot.

[0023] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the connector further includes: a shielding shell, which is installed outside the housing, a slot is formed on the side wall of the shielding shell, and a protrusion is formed on the side wall of the housing, the protrusion engaging with the slot to fix the shielding shell to the housing.

[0024] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a plug portion adapted to be inserted into a socket on a circuit board is formed at the bottom of the shielding shell to fix and electrically connect the shielding shell to the circuit board; a positioning post adapted to be inserted into a positioning hole on the circuit board is formed at the bottom of the shell.

[0025] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the connector further includes: a mounting element, which is fixed to the housing and adapted to be plugged into or soldered to the circuit board for fixing the housing to the circuit board.

[0026] In the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the structure of the grounding member can be changed by cutting the connecting strip of the grounding member, so that the structure of the grounding member can be changed according to different requirements. Therefore, the present invention does not require providing a variety of different manufacturing molds, thus reducing manufacturing costs.

[0027] Other objects and advantages of the 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.

Implementation Method

[0039] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the specification, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0040] 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 drawings.

[0041] According to a general technical concept of the present invention, a grounding member is provided for electrically connecting the grounding terminals of a connector. The grounding member includes: a plurality of contact terminals arranged in a row; a first connecting strip connected to one end of the plurality of contact terminals; and a second connecting strip connected to the other end of the plurality of contact terminals. The contact terminals include resilient contact portions adapted to make electrical contact with the grounding terminals of the connector, and the grounding member is an integral stamped part for interconnecting the plurality of grounding terminals of the connector together.

[0042] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a grounding component is provided, comprising the steps of: providing the aforementioned grounding component; and obtaining a grounding component with a structure different from the aforementioned grounding component by cutting off the entire second connecting strip and partially cutting off the first connecting strip, such that at least some of the plurality of contact terminals are separated from each other.

[0043] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a grounding component assembly is provided. The grounding component assembly includes: a grounding component; and a grounding component retainer for holding and fixing the grounding component. The grounding component is either the aforementioned grounding component or a grounding component manufactured by the aforementioned method.

[0044] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a connector terminal module is provided. The connector terminal module includes: an upper row terminal assembly, a lower row terminal assembly, and the aforementioned grounding component assembly. The upper row terminal assembly includes: an upper row of terminals; and an upper row terminal retainer for retaining and fixing the upper row of terminals. The lower row terminal assembly includes: a lower row of terminals; and a lower row terminal retainer for retaining and fixing the lower row of terminals. The upper row terminal retainer, the lower row terminal retainer, and the grounding component retainer are assembled together such that the upper row terminal assembly, the lower row terminal assembly, and the grounding component assembly can be inserted together into the housing of the connector.

[0045] According to another general technical concept of the present invention, a connector is provided. The connector includes: a housing; and the aforementioned connector terminal module, which is mounted in the housing.

[0046] FIG10 shows a perspective view of a grounding member 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of contact terminals 23 are interconnected by connecting strips 23d, 23e.

[0047] As shown in FIG10, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a grounding member 20 is disclosed. The grounding member 20 is used to electrically connect the grounding terminal 21' of a connector (see FIG8). The grounding member 20 includes: a plurality of contact terminals 23, a first connecting strip 23d, and a second connecting strip 23e. The plurality of contact terminals 23 are arranged in a row. The first connecting strip 23d is connected to one end of the plurality of contact terminals 23. The second connecting strip 23e is connected to the other end of the plurality of contact terminals 23. The contact terminals 23 include resilient contact portions 23c adapted to make electrical contact with the grounding terminal 21' of the connector, and the grounding member 20 is an integral stamped part used to interconnect the plurality of grounding terminals 21' of the connector together.

[0048] As shown in FIG10, in the illustrated embodiment, the contact terminal 23 further includes a substrate portion 23a, which is adapted to be held between the upper row terminal holder 210 and the lower row terminal holder 220 of the connector. The elastic contact portion 23c is connected to the substrate portion 23a and is bent into a predetermined shape relative to the substrate portion 23a.

[0049] As shown in FIG10, in the illustrated embodiment, the first connecting strip 23d is connected to the end of the substrate portion 23a of the plurality of contact terminals 23, such that the ends of the substrate portion 23a of the plurality of contact terminals 23 are interconnected together.

[0050] As shown in FIG11, in the illustrated embodiment, the contact terminal 23 further includes a fixing portion 23b, which is plate-shaped and connected to the base plate portion 23a. The fixing portions 23b of the plurality of contact terminals 23 are adapted to be fixed to the grounding member retainer 230 of the connector (see FIG8) to fix the grounding member 20 to the grounding member retainer 230.

[0051] As shown in FIG10, in the illustrated embodiment, the second connecting strip 23e is connected to the end of the fixing portion 23b of the plurality of contact terminals 23, such that the ends of the fixing portions 23b of the plurality of contact terminals 23 are interconnected.

[0052] FIG7 shows a perspective view of a grounding member 20' according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein some of the plurality of contact terminals 23 are separated from each other, and others are interconnected by connecting strips 23a. FIG11 shows a perspective view of a grounding member 20" according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the plurality of contact terminals 23 are separated from each other.

[0053] As shown in Figures 7 and 10-11, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a grounding element is also disclosed. The method for manufacturing a grounding element includes the following steps: providing a grounding element 20 as shown in Figure 10; and separating at least some of the plurality of contact terminals 23 from each other by cutting off the entire second connecting strip 23e and partially cutting off the first connecting strip 23d.

[0054] In this way, grounding components with different structures can be manufactured. For example, grounding component 20' as shown in FIG. 7 or grounding component 20” as shown in FIG. 11 can be manufactured. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the figures. For example, grounding components with other structures can also be manufactured according to actual needs. Therefore, in the present invention, only a manufacturing mold for manufacturing the grounding component 20 shown in FIG. 10 needs to be provided, and it is not necessary to provide manufacturing molds for manufacturing grounding components 20' and grounding component 20” with different structures, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing molds and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0055] FIG1 shows a perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG2 shows an exploded view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG3 shows a perspective view of a connector terminal module 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG4 shows an exploded view of a connector terminal module 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG5 shows a perspective view of a connector terminal module 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the upper row terminal assembly has not yet been assembled with the lower row terminal assembly and the grounding component assembly; FIG6 shows a perspective view of the grounding component 20' and the grounding component retainer 230 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG8 shows a cross-sectional view of a connector terminal module 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG9 shows a perspective view of the upper row terminal 21, the lower row terminal 22 and the grounding component 20' of the connector terminal module 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a grounding component assembly is also disclosed. The grounding component assembly includes a grounding component 20' and a grounding component retainer 230. The grounding component retainer 230 is used to retain and fix the grounding component 20'. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 9, the grounding component 20' is a grounding component 20' manufactured by the aforementioned grounding component manufacturing method. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments. For example, the grounding component in the connector may also be the grounding component 20 shown in Figure 10, the grounding component 20' shown in Figure 11, or other grounding components with other structures manufactured by the aforementioned grounding component manufacturing method.

[0057] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, by cutting off the entire second connecting strip 23e of the grounding member 20 shown in Figure 10 and partially cutting off the first connecting strip 23d, some of the plurality of contact terminals 23 are separated from each other. In the illustrated embodiment, some of the plurality of contact terminals 23 of the grounding member 20' are separated from each other, while other contact terminals 23 are still interconnected by the first connecting strip 23d.

[0058] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the grounding retainer 230 is an injection molded part formed on the grounding parts 20, 20', and 20” by an embedded injection molding process, so that the grounding retainer 230 and the grounding parts 20, 20', and 20” become an integral part.

[0059] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, a resilient snap 231 is formed on the grounding retainer 230. The resilient snap 231 includes a resilient arm 231b and a protrusion 231a formed at the end of the resilient arm 231b. The protrusion 231a of the resilient snap 231 is adapted to engage with a slot 102 within the housing 1 of the connector to lock the grounding retainer 230 into the housing 1.

[0060] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connector terminal module 2 is also disclosed. The connector terminal module 2 includes: an upper row terminal assembly, a lower row terminal assembly, and the aforementioned grounding component assembly. The upper row terminal assembly includes: an upper row terminal 21 and an upper row terminal retainer 210. The upper row terminal retainer 210 is used to retain and fix the upper row terminal 21. The lower row terminal assembly includes: a lower row terminal 22 and a lower row terminal retainer 220. The lower row terminal retainer 220 is used to retain and fix the lower row terminal 22. The upper row terminal retainer 210, the lower row terminal retainer 220, and the grounding component retainer 230 are assembled together so that the upper row terminal assembly, the lower row terminal assembly, and the grounding component assembly can be inserted together into the connector housing 1.

[0061] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the substrate portion 23a of the grounding members 20, 20', 20" is clamped between the upper row terminal holder 210 and the lower row terminal holder 220; the grounding member holder 230 is disposed between the upper row terminal 21 and the lower row terminal 22 to electrically isolate the upper row terminal 21 and the lower row terminal 22.

[0062] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper terminal retainer 210 is an injection molded part formed on the upper terminal 21 by an embedded injection molding process, so that the upper terminal retainer 210 and the upper terminal 21 become an integral part. The lower terminal retainer 220 is an injection molded part formed on the lower terminal 22 by an embedded injection molding process, so that the lower terminal retainer 220 and the lower terminal 22 become an integral part.

[0063] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper row of terminals 21 includes a plurality of grounding terminals 21', and the elastic contact portions 23c of the plurality of contact terminals 23 of the grounding members 20, 20', 20" are electrically in contact with the plurality of grounding terminals 21' of the upper row of terminals 21 respectively.

[0064] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper row of terminals 21 has a first elastic arm 21a and a first connecting leg 21b extending from the front and rear sides of the upper row of terminal holder 210, respectively. The lower row of terminals 22 has a second elastic arm 22a and a second connecting leg 22b extending from the front and rear sides of the lower row of terminal holder 220, respectively. The first elastic arm 21a and the second elastic arm 22a are used for electrical contact with the board of the mating connector in the slot 101 on the housing 1 of the inserted connector, and the first connecting leg 21b and the second connecting leg 22b are used for electrical connection to the circuit board.

[0065] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the grounding retainer 230 is disposed on the rear side of the upper row terminal retainer 210 and the lower row terminal retainer 220 and is located between the first connecting leg 21b of the upper row terminal 21 and the second connecting leg 22b of the lower row terminal 22, so as to electrically isolate the first connecting leg 21b of the upper row terminal 21 and the second connecting leg 22b of the lower row terminal 22.

[0066] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connector is also disclosed. The connector includes: a housing 1 and the aforementioned connector terminal module 2, the connector terminal module 2 being mounted in the housing 1.

[0067] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, a slot 101 is formed on the front side of the housing 1 for engaging with a board (not shown) of a mating connector. The first elastic arm 21a of the upper row terminal 21 and the second elastic arm 22a of the lower row terminal 22 extend into the slot 101 of the housing 1 for electrical contact with the board inserted into the slot 101.

[0068] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, the connector further includes a shielding shell 3, which is installed on the outside of the housing 1. A slot 3a is formed on the side wall of the shielding shell 3, and a protrusion 1a is formed on the side wall of the housing 1. The protrusion 1a engages with the slot 3a to fix the shielding shell 3 to the housing 1.

[0069] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiment, a plug portion 3b is formed at the bottom of the shielding shell 3, which is suitable for insertion into a socket on a circuit board (not shown), so as to fix the shielding shell 3 and electrically connect it to the circuit board. A positioning post 1b is formed at the bottom of the housing 1, which is suitable for insertion into a positioning hole on the circuit board.

[0070] As shown in Figures 1 to 9, in the illustrated embodiments, the connector further includes a mounting member 4, which is fixed to the housing 1 and adapted to be plugged into or soldered to a circuit board for fixing the housing 1 to the circuit board.

[0071] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described above are exemplary and can be improved thereon. The structures described in the various embodiments can be freely combined without conflict in terms of structure or principle, and these changes should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0072] 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 of the present invention.

[0073] While some embodiments of the general concept of the present invention 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 the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

[0074] 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. Furthermore, any element designations in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0028] FIG1 shows a perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] FIG2 shows an exploded view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a connector terminal module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 shows an exploded view of a connector terminal module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a connector terminal module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the upper row terminal assembly has not yet been assembled with the lower row terminal assembly and the grounding component assembly;

[0033] Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a grounding element and a grounding element holder according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] FIG7 shows a perspective view of a grounding member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein some of the plurality of contact terminals are separated from each other, and others are interconnected by connecting strips;

[0035] FIG8 shows a cross-sectional view of a connector terminal module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 9 shows a perspective view of the upper row of terminals, the lower row of terminals, and the grounding element of a connector terminal module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] FIG10 shows a perspective view of a grounding member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of contact terminals are interconnected together by connecting strips;

[0038] FIG11 shows a perspective view of a grounding member according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein a plurality of contact terminals are separated from each other.

Claims

1. A grounding element for a grounding terminal (21') of an electrical connection connector, wherein, The grounding component (20) includes: a plurality of contact terminals (23) arranged in a row; a first connecting strip (23d) connected to one end of the plurality of contact terminals (23); and a second connecting strip (23e) connected to the other end of the plurality of contact terminals (23), wherein the contact terminals (23) include elastic contact portions (23c) adapted to make electrical contact with the grounding terminals (21') of the connector, and the grounding component (20) is an integral stamped part used to interconnect the plurality of grounding terminals (21') of the connector together.

2. The grounding element as described in claim 1, wherein: The contact terminal (23) further includes: a substrate portion (23a) adapted to be held between the upper row terminal holder (210) and the lower row terminal holder (220) of the connector, wherein the elastic contact portion (23c) is connected to the substrate portion (23a) and is bent into a predetermined shape relative to the substrate portion (23a).

3. The grounding element as described in claim 2, wherein: The first connecting strip (23d) is connected to the end of the substrate portion (23a) of the plurality of contact terminals (23), such that the ends of the substrate portion (23a) of the plurality of contact terminals (23) are interconnected.

4. The grounding element as described in claim 2, wherein: The contact terminal (23) further includes: a fixing part (23b), which is plate-shaped and connected to the base plate part (23a), wherein the fixing part (23b) of the plurality of contact terminals (23) is adapted to be fixed to the grounding member retainer (230) of the connector to fix the grounding member (20) to the grounding member retainer (230).

5. The grounding element as described in claim 4, wherein: The second connecting strip (23e) is connected to the end of the fixing part (23b) of the plurality of contact terminals (23), so that the ends of the fixing part (23b) of the plurality of contact terminals (23) are interconnected.

6. A method for manufacturing a grounding component, comprising the following steps: Provide a grounding element (20) as described in any one of claims 1-5; and obtain a grounding element (20', 20") with a structure different from that of the grounding element (20) as described in any one of claims 1-5 by cutting off the entire second connecting strip (23e) and partially cutting off the first connecting strip (23d).

7. A grounding component assembly, comprising: Grounding element (20, 20', 20”); and grounding element retainer (230) for holding and fixing the grounding element (20, 20', 20”), the grounding element (20, 20', 20”) being any one of claims 1-5 or a grounding element (20', 20”) manufactured by the method of claim 6.

8. The grounding component assembly as described in claim 7, wherein: Some of the multiple contact terminals (23) of the grounding member (20') are separated from each other, while others are not separated.

9. The grounding component assembly as described in claim 7, wherein: All the contact terminals (23) of the plurality of contact terminals (23) of the grounding member (20) are separated from each other.

10. The grounding component assembly as described in claim 7, wherein: The grounding component retainer (230) is an injection molded part formed on the grounding component (20, 20', 20") by an embedded injection molding process, so that the grounding component retainer (230) and the grounding component (20, 20', 20") become a single piece.

11. The grounding component assembly as described in claim 7, wherein: An elastic snap (231) is formed on the grounding retainer (230), the elastic snap (231) including an elastic arm (231b) and a protrusion (231a) formed on the end of the elastic arm (231b); the protrusion (231a) of the elastic snap (231) is adapted to engage with a slot (102) in the housing (1) of the connector to lock the grounding retainer (230) into the housing (1).

12. A connector terminal module, comprising: The upper terminal assembly includes: an upper terminal (21); an upper terminal retainer (210) for retaining and securing the upper terminal (21); and the lower terminal assembly includes: a lower terminal (22); a lower terminal retainer (220) for retaining and securing the lower terminal (22); and a grounding component assembly as described in any one of claims 7-11, wherein the upper terminal retainer (210), the lower terminal retainer (220), and the grounding component retainer (230) are assembled together such that the upper terminal assembly, the lower terminal assembly, and the grounding component assembly can be inserted together into the housing (1) of the connector.

13. The connector terminal module as claimed in claim 12, wherein: The base plate portion (23a) of the grounding member (20, 20', 20") is held between the upper row terminal holder (210) and the lower row terminal holder (220); the grounding member holder (230) is disposed between the upper row terminal (21) and the lower row terminal (22) to electrically isolate the upper row terminal (21) and the lower row terminal (22).

14. The connector terminal module as claimed in claim 12, wherein: The upper terminal holder (210) is an injection molded part formed on the upper terminal (21) by an embedded injection molding process, so that the upper terminal holder (210) and the upper terminal (21) become an integral part; the lower terminal holder (220) is an injection molded part formed on the lower terminal (22) by an embedded injection molding process, so that the lower terminal holder (220) and the lower terminal (22) become an integral part.

15. The connector terminal module as claimed in claim 12, wherein: The upper row of terminals (21) includes multiple grounding terminals (21'), and the elastic contact portion (23c) of the multiple contact terminals (23) of the grounding member (20, 20', 20") is electrically connected to the multiple grounding terminals (21') of the upper row of terminals (21).

16. The connector terminal module as claimed in claim 12, wherein: The upper row of terminals (21) has a first elastic arm (21a) and a first connecting leg (21b) extending from the front and rear sides of the upper row of terminal holder (210), respectively; the lower row of terminals (22) has a second elastic arm (22a) and a second connecting leg (22b) extending from the front and rear sides of the lower row of terminal holder (220), respectively; the first elastic arm (21a) and the second elastic arm (22a) are used to make electrical contact with the board of the mating connector in the slot (101) on the housing (1) of the connector, and the first connecting leg (21b) and the second connecting leg (22b) are used to make electrical connection to the circuit board.

17. The connector terminal module as claimed in claim 16, wherein: The grounding retainer (230) is disposed on the rear side of the upper row terminal retainer (210) and the lower row terminal retainer (220) and located between the first connecting leg (21b) of the upper row terminal (21) and the second connecting leg (22b) of the lower row terminal (22) to electrically isolate the first connecting leg (21b) of the upper row terminal (21) and the second connecting leg (22b) of the lower row terminal (22).

18. A connector comprising: Housing (1); and connector terminal module (2) as described in any one of claims 12-17, installed in said housing (1).

19. The connector as claimed in claim 18, wherein: A slot (101) for mating with a board of a mating connector is formed on the front side of the housing (1). The first elastic arm (21a) of the upper row terminal (21) and the second elastic arm (22a) of the lower row terminal (22) extend into the slot (101) of the housing (1) for electrical contact with the board inserted into the slot (101).

20. The connector as claimed in claim 18, wherein, It also includes: a shielding shell (3), which is installed outside the housing (1), a slot (3a) is formed on the side wall of the shielding shell (3), and a protrusion (1a) is formed on the side wall of the housing (1), the protrusion (1a) engaging with the slot (3a) to fix the shielding shell (3) to the housing (1).

21. The connector as claimed in claim 20, wherein: A plug portion (3b) suitable for insertion into a socket on a circuit board is formed at the bottom of the shielding shell (3) to fix and electrically connect the shielding shell (3) to the circuit board; a positioning post (1b) suitable for insertion into a positioning hole on the circuit board is formed at the bottom of the housing (1).

22. The connector as claimed in claim 20, wherein, It also includes: a mounting component (4), which is fixed to the housing (1) and adapted to be plugged into or soldered to the circuit board for fixing the housing (1) to the circuit board.

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