Connector terminal, connector and electroplating method for connector terminal

Abstract

A connector terminal, a connector and an electroplating method for a connector terminal. A connector terminal (1) for a connector (C) comprises: a terminal body (10), which is provided with a pin contact portion (11) and a wiring portion (12), the pin contact portion (11) being configured to match a pin of an element of the connector (C), and the wiring portion (12) being configured to electrically connect to a cable (2) of the connector (C); and a matte tin coating (100), which is arranged on a surface of the terminal body (10), wherein the wiring portion (12) has at least part of a surface that is not covered with the matte tin coating (100).

Description

Connector terminal, connector, and electroplating method for connector terminal Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a connector terminal, a connector, and an electroplating method for the connector terminal. Background Art

[0002] Various types of electronic cables are widely used in the display field, such as the common flexible printed circuit (FPC), flat flexible cable (FFC), and wire train bus (WTB), etc. These plug-in electronic cables play a very important connecting role in the assembly of the whole device.

[0003] For plug-in electronic wires using tin plating, the tin whisker short circuit problem is one of the problems that need to be solved urgently.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a connector terminal, a connector, and an electroplating method for the connector terminal, which can reduce the risk of tin whisker short circuits.

[0006] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a connector terminal for a connector, comprising:

[0007] a terminal body having a pin contact portion and a wiring portion, wherein the pin contact portion is used to match the pin of the component of the connector, and the wiring portion is used to electrically connect to the cable of the connector; and

[0008] A matte tin plating layer is provided on the surface of the terminal body,

[0009] The connection portion has at least a portion of its surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

[0010] In some embodiments, at least the portion of the surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer is located in an end region of the wiring portion away from the pin contact portion.

[0011] In some embodiments, the wiring portion and the pin contact portion are arranged along a first direction, and a width w of the end region in the first direction satisfies: 0.5 mm ≤ w ≤ 3 mm.

[0012] In some embodiments, the width w satisfies: 1 mm ≤ w ≤ 2 mm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the terminal body comprises:

[0014] terminal base material; and

[0015] a base plating layer covering the surface of the terminal substrate,

[0016] The matte tin plating layer covers a portion of the surface of the base plating layer and is exposed in an area of ​​the wiring portion that is not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

[0017] In some embodiments, the base plating includes a nickel plating.

[0018] In some embodiments, the matte tin plating layer covers at least a portion of the surface of the pin contact portion.

[0019] In some embodiments, the wiring portion and the pin contact portion are arranged along a first direction, and the matte tin plating layer covering the pin contact portion is continuous in the first direction.

[0020] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a connector, comprising:

[0021] a plurality of connector terminals, at least part of which are the aforementioned connector terminals; and

[0022] The insulating housing has a plurality of pin slots, and the plurality of pin slots respectively accommodate the plurality of connector terminals.

[0023] In some embodiments, the plurality of pin slots are arranged in a spaced manner along at least one direction, and the minimum spacing d between adjacent pin slots is min Satisfy: 0.5mm≤d min ≤1.5mm.

[0024] In some embodiments, the minimum spacing d between adjacent pin slots min Satisfy: 0.7mm≤d min ≤1.4mm.

[0025] In some embodiments, the connector is a stranded-wire train bus connector.

[0026] In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for electroplating a connector terminal of a connector, comprising:

[0027] Providing a terminal body, the terminal body having a pin contact portion and a wiring portion, the pin contact portion being used to match a pin of a component of the connector, and the wiring portion being used to electrically connect to a cable of the connector;

[0028] A matte tin plating layer is electroplated on the surface of the terminal body, and the wiring portion has at least a portion of its surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

[0029] In some embodiments, the step of providing the terminal body includes:

[0030] Provide terminal substrate;

[0031] electroplating a base plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate;

[0032] When the matte tin plating layer is electroplated on the surface of the terminal body, the matte tin plating layer covers a portion of the surface of the base plating layer and is exposed in an area of ​​the wiring portion not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

[0033] In some embodiments, the step of electroplating a base plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate comprises:

[0034] Immersing the terminal substrate as a cathode in an electroplating solution containing nickel ions and then performing electroplating to form a nickel plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate;

[0035] The step of electroplating a matte tin layer on the surface of the terminal body comprises:

[0036] The terminal body having the nickel plating layer formed thereon is immersed in a matte tin electroplating solution and then electroplated to form a matte tin plating layer on the surface of the terminal body.

[0037] When the terminal body with nickel plating is immersed in a matte tin electroplating solution, the pin contact portion is completely immersed in the matte tin electroplating solution, and a portion of the surface of the connection portion is located above the liquid level of the electroplating solution containing tin ions.

[0038] Therefore, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the matte tin plating provided on the surface of the terminal body can improve the conductive performance of the terminal body, inhibit the growth of tin whiskers, and reduce the risk of tin whiskers generated by the matte tin plating of the terminal body and tin whiskers generated by the tin plating of other terminals in the connector overlapping and short-circuiting; by ensuring that at least part of the surface of the wiring part is not covered by the matte tin plating, the risk of tin whiskers generated by the wiring part when the part of the connecting cable is exposed outside the insulating shell of the connector overlapping and short-circuiting with the wiring parts of other terminals, cables or tin whiskers is reduced, thereby improving the safety of the connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.

[0040] The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0041] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the connector disclosed herein applied to a WTB wiring harness;

[0042] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the connector disclosed herein;

[0043] 3 and 4 are schematic structural diagrams of the embodiment of FIG. 2 at front and top perspectives, respectively;

[0044] FIG5 (a) and (b) are schematic structural diagrams of an embodiment of the connector terminal of the present disclosure at different viewing angles;

[0045] FIG6 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an embodiment of a connector terminal disclosed herein;

[0046] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a connection between a connector terminal embodiment of the present disclosure and a cable;

[0047] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a method for electroplating connector terminals according to the present disclosure.

[0048] It should be understood that the size of each part shown in the drawings is not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.In addition, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description of the exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure, its application, or use. The present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are provided to make the present disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of parts and steps, the composition of materials, numerical expressions, and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments should be interpreted as being merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0050] As used in this disclosure, the terms "first," "second," and similar terms do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different parts. Terms such as "include" or "comprising" mean that the elements preceding the term encompass the elements listed after the term, and do not exclude the possibility of also encompassing other elements. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0051] In the present disclosure, when a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, an intervening device may or may not be present between the specific device and the first device or the second device. When a specific device is described as being connected to another device, the specific device may be directly connected to the other device without an intervening device, or may be not directly connected to the other device but with an intervening device.

[0052] All terms (including technical or scientific terms) used in this disclosure have the same meaning as those understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in, for example, general dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or highly formal sense, unless explicitly defined herein.

[0053] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0054] In some related technologies for plug-in electronic cables with bright tin-plated metal terminals, the width between the multiple pin slots in the connector's plastic housing for inserting metal terminals is small, and the tin atoms in the tin plating on the surface of the metal terminals diffuse along the crystal boundaries due to the stress in the plating, forming tin whiskers. These tin whiskers grown on the tin plating of the metal terminals between adjacent PIN slots have a certain length, and there is a risk of crossing to the side of the adjacent metal terminal and overlapping with the adjacent metal terminal or the tin whiskers generated by the adjacent metal terminals, causing a short circuit, thereby causing irreversible damage to the circuit board and even the electronic device. Taking the WTB connector as an example, the spacing between its adjacent pin slots is about 1.3mm, and referring to experimental data, the length of tin whisker growth can reach 0.7mm, which makes it possible for the longer tin whiskers grown on the metal terminals in adjacent pin slots to overlap with each other, thereby affecting the safety of the connector.

[0055] In addition, due to assembly errors, the metal terminal may be exposed on the end face of the plastic shell. The cable connected to the exposed part of the terminal can provide a certain traction force to the metal terminal, and the exposed part lacks the barrier and constraint effect of the plastic shell, so that the spacing between the exposed parts of adjacent metal terminals may be closer, thereby posing a greater risk of short circuit caused by tin whisker overlap.

[0056] In the related art, the tin whisker problem is reduced or eliminated by plating gold or plating tin alloys of other components, but these methods result in a significant increase in process and material costs.

[0057] In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a connector terminal, a connector, and an electroplating method for the connector terminal, which can reduce the risk of tin whisker short circuits.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector terminal for a connector is provided, comprising:

[0059] a terminal body having a pin contact portion and a wiring portion, wherein the pin contact portion is used to match the pin of the component of the connector, and the wiring portion is used to electrically connect to the cable of the connector; and

[0060] A matte tin plating layer is provided on the surface of the terminal body,

[0061] The connection portion has at least a portion of its surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

[0062] The matte tin coating applied to the surface of the terminal body improves the terminal body's electrical conductivity, inhibits tin whisker growth, reduces the number of tin whiskers that grow, and reduces the risk of bridging and shorting tin whiskers generated by the matte tin coating on the terminal body with other terminals in the connector or with tin whiskers generated by the tin coating on the terminals. Furthermore, by leaving at least a portion of the connection portion uncovered by the matte tin coating, the risk of bridging and shorting tin whiskers generated when the connection portion, where the cable is exposed, with the connection portion of other terminals, the cable, or the tin whiskers is reduced, thereby improving the safety of the connector.

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the connector disclosed herein applied to a WTB wiring harness. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the connector disclosed herein. Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of the structure of the embodiment of Figure 2 from a front perspective and a top perspective, respectively.

[0064] Referring to Figures 1-4, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a connector C comprising multiple connector terminals 1 and an insulating housing 3. This connector C can be electrically connected to one or more cables to form an electronic line for current or signal transmission. Figure 1 shows an example of a WTB harness. Connector C can be located at one or both ends of the harness, with the multiple connector terminals 1 electrically connected to multiple cables 2.

[0065] The insulating housing 3 can be made of a material with insulating properties, such as plastic. The insulating housing 3 has a plurality of pin slots 31, each of which accommodates a plurality of connector terminals 1 so as to separate the plurality of connector terminals 1 from each other in space.

[0066] 2 and 3 , in some embodiments, the plurality of pin slots 31 are arranged in intervals along at least one direction. For example, in FIG3 , the pin slots 31 are arranged in 10 groups along the second direction d2 and in two groups along the third direction d3, thereby forming a 10×2 slot array. The spacing between adjacent pin slots 31 in the second direction d2 and the third direction d3 can be the same or different. The second direction d2 and the third direction d3 can be perpendicular to each other and both parallel to the first end face 32 or the second end face 33 of the insulating housing 3 shown in FIG4 . Each pin slot 31 in the insulating housing 3 can extend along the first direction d1, and the first end face 32 and the second end face 33 can be located upstream and downstream of the first direction d1, respectively. The first direction d1 can be perpendicular to both the second direction d2 and the third direction d3.

[0067] Here, the first end face 32 of the insulating housing 3 faces the component corresponding to connector C (e.g., a socket on a circuit board). The component's multiple pins are inserted from the first end face 32 into the pin slots 31, where they make contact and electrical connection with the connector terminals 1 within the pin slots 31. The second end face 33 of the insulating housing 3 faces the cable 2 connected to connector C. The cable 2 is electrically connected and secured to the connector terminals 1 within the pin slots 31 at the second end face 33, for example, by welding or securing with a connector. This establishes an electrical connection between the cable and the component mating with connector C through the connector terminals 1 of connector C, enabling reliable data transmission.

[0068] Figures 5(a) and (b) are schematic diagrams of the structure of an embodiment of the connector terminal of the present disclosure at different viewing angles. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the connector terminal of the present disclosure. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the connection between the embodiment of the connector terminal of the present disclosure and a cable.

[0069] 5-7 , in some embodiments, the connector terminal 1 that can be used for the aforementioned connector C includes a terminal body 10 and a matte tin plating 100. The terminal body 10 has a pin contact portion 11 and a wiring portion 12. The pin contact portion 11 is used to match the pins of the component of the connector C. When the connector C is connected to the component (such as a socket on a circuit board), the pins of the component contact the pin contact portion 11 of the terminal body 10 to achieve a reliable electrical connection. The wiring portion 12 is used to electrically connect to the cable 2 of the connector C. The end of the cable 2 can be fixedly connected to the wiring portion 12 by welding or the like to achieve an electrical connection.

[0070] The matte tin plating 100 is provided on the surface of the terminal body 10, which can improve the electrical conductivity of the terminal body 10. Compared with the related art method of providing a bright tin plating on the surface of the connector terminal, the matte tin plating has coarser crystal particles, which can reduce stress within the matte tin plating, inhibit tin whisker growth, and reduce the generation of tin whiskers. This reduces the risk of tin whiskers tw generated by the matte tin plating 100 of the terminal body 10 overlapping and shorting with tin whiskers tw generated by other terminals in the connector C or the tin plating of the terminals.

[0071] The connection portion 12 has at least a portion of its surface that is not covered by the matte tin plating 100. That is, by ensuring that at least a portion of the surface of the connection portion 12 is not covered by the matte tin plating 100, the area of ​​the matte tin plating on the connection portion 12 where tin whiskers may be generated is reduced, thereby reducing the risk of tin whiskers tw generated when the connection portion 12 connected to the cable 2 is exposed outside the insulating shell 3 of the connector C and short-circuiting with the connection portion 12 of other terminals, the cable 2 or the tin whiskers tw, thereby improving the safety of the connector C.

[0072] Referring to Figures 5-7 , in some embodiments, at least a portion of the surface not covered by the matte tin plating 100 is located in an end region 121 of the connection portion 12, distal from the pin contact portion 11. During assembly of the connector C, the connection portion 12 is typically positioned entirely within the pin slot 31 of the insulating housing 3. However, due to assembly errors, at least a portion of the end region 121 of the connection portion 12 may often be exposed outside the second end surface 33 of the insulating housing 3. By leaving the end region 121 of the connection portion 12, distal from the pin contact portion 11, uncovered by the matte tin plating 100, a tin-free isolation region is formed between the matte tin plating 100 and the location where the connection portion 12 connects to the cable 2. Consequently, even if tin whiskers grow on the matte tin plating 100, they need to grow to a greater length before short-circuiting with the connection portion 12, cable 2, or tin whisker tw of an adjacent terminal. This effectively improves the safety of the connector C.

[0073] 5 , in some embodiments, the wiring portion 12 and the pin contact portion 11 are arranged along a first direction d1. For the wiring portion 12 and the pin contact portion 11 arranged along the first direction d1, the first direction d1 may correspond to the length direction of the connector terminal 1, i.e., the extending direction of the pin slot 31.

[0074] The width w of the end region 121 in the first direction d1 can affect the electrical conductivity of the connector terminal 1 and the risk of tin whisker tw bridging. If the width w is too large, the matte tin plating 100 is less, reducing its effect on enhancing the electrical conductivity of the terminal body 10. Conversely, the matte tin plating 100 is closer to the cable 2 connected to the terminal connection 12, thereby increasing the risk of tin whiskers tw generated by the matte tin plating 100 bridging and short-circuiting with the terminal connection 12, the cable 2, or the tin whiskers tw. Therefore, the width w can be set to meet the following conditions: 0.5mm≤w≤3mm, for example, w can be set to 0.5mm, 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.8mm, 2mm, 2.5mm, etc. This can achieve both the effect of the matte tin plating 100 on improving the electrical conductivity of the connector terminal 1 and the effect of reducing the risk of tin whisker bridging.

[0075] Furthermore, the width w may satisfy: 1mm≤w≤2mm, for example, making w equal to 1mm, 1.2mm, 1.5mm, 1.7mm, 2mm, etc., which can further improve the conductivity of the matte tin plating 100 to the connector terminal 1 while reducing the risk of tin whisker overlap to a greater extent.

[0076] In Figures 5(a), (b) and 7, the end regions 121 not covered by the matte tin plating 100 are indicated by shaded areas. Figure 7 also shows the relative position of the insulating housing 3 relative to the connector terminals and cables via a dotted box. As can be seen in Figure 7, for some connector terminals 1 where the end regions 121 are exposed relative to the second end face 33, since the end regions 121 are not tin-plated, the risk of the tin plating on the connector terminals 1 extending into the second end face 33 and overlapping with adjacent connector terminals, cables, or tin whiskers is relatively low. Furthermore, the matte tin plating itself has an inhibitory effect on tin whiskers, thereby more effectively reducing the risk of tin whisker overlapping short circuits and improving the safety of the connector.

[0077] Referring to Figure 6, in some embodiments, the terminal body 10 includes a terminal substrate 10a and a base plating 10b. The base plating 10b covers the surface of the terminal substrate 10a. The terminal substrate 10a can be made of a metal or alloy with good electrical conductivity, such as metallic copper or phosphor bronze. For the terminal body 10, the base plating 10b is used to cover the surface of the terminal substrate 10a, and the base plating 10b can be used to improve the performance of the terminal substrate 10a, such as anti-oxidation and corrosion resistance. In this way, when the matte tin plating 100 covers part of the surface of the base plating 10b, it can take into account the improvement of the performance of the terminal substrate 10a and the improvement of the electrical conductivity.

[0078] In an embodiment where the oxidation resistance of the connector terminal 1 needs to be enhanced, the base plating layer 10b includes a nickel plating layer. By covering the surface of the terminal base material 10a with the base plating layer 10b including the nickel plating layer, the oxidation resistance of the connector terminal 1 can be effectively enhanced.

[0079] The matte tin plating 100 covers a portion of the surface of the base plating 10b and is exposed in the area of ​​the terminal portion 12 not covered by the matte tin plating 100. By exposing the base plating 10b in the area of ​​the terminal portion 12 not covered by the matte tin plating 100 (such as the end area 121 shown in Figure 5), the plating formation process is facilitated. For example, the base plating 10b is first electroplated on the entire terminal substrate 10a to form the terminal body 10, and then the matte tin plating 100 is electroplated on a portion of the surface of the terminal body 10. In this way, the base plating 10b is exposed in the area not electroplated with the matte tin plating 100, eliminating the need for a process to remove or adjust the matte tin plating.

[0080] 6 , in some embodiments, the matte tin plating 100 covers at least a portion of the surface of the pin contact portion 11. Because the matte tin plating 100 covers at least a portion of the surface of the pin contact portion 11, when the pin of a component mating with the connector C contacts the pin contact portion 11, better electrical conductivity can be achieved between the pin and the pin contact portion 11 through the matte tin plating 100 located between the pin and the pin contact portion 11.

[0081] To ensure that the pins of the component mating with the connector C form a larger contact area with the matte tin plating 100, in some embodiments, the wiring portion 12 and the pin contact portion 11 are arranged along a first direction d1, and the matte tin plating 100 covering the pin contact portion 11 is continuous along the first direction d1. By ensuring that the matte tin plating 100 is continuous along the first direction d1 on the pin contact portion 11, the pins of the component mating with the connector C form a larger contact area with the matte tin plating 100 when electrically connected to the pin contact portion 11, thereby further improving the electrical conductivity between the component pins and the pin contact portion 11.

[0082] The various embodiments of the aforementioned connector terminals 1 can be applied to a variety of connectors, such as the connector C shown in Figures 1-4. Accordingly, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a connector C comprising a plurality of connector terminals 1 and an insulating housing 3. At least a portion of the plurality of connector terminals 1 are connector terminals 1 according to any of the aforementioned embodiments. The insulating housing 3 has a plurality of pin slots 31, each of which accommodates the plurality of connector terminals 1.

[0083] Multiple connector terminals 1 including the aforementioned connector terminals 1 are accommodated by multiple pin slots 31 in the insulating housing 3, and the matte tin plating 100 of the connector terminal 1 and at least part of the surface of the wiring portion 12 not covered by the matte tin plating 100 can effectively reduce the risk of tin whisker tw overlapping short circuit, thereby improving the safety of connector C.

[0084] 3 , in some embodiments, the plurality of pin slots 31 are arranged at intervals along at least one direction, and the minimum distance d between adjacent pin slots 31 is min Satisfy: 0.5mm≤d min ≤1.5mm, for example, d min is equal to 0.5mm, 0.7mm, 0.9mm, 1.1mm, 1.4mm, 1.5mm, etc. For the insulating housing 3, the minimum distance d between adjacent pin slots 31 is min If it is too small, the risk of tin whisker tw overlapping is relatively high, and precious metal plating such as gold and silver is required, thereby increasing the cost of the connector C. If the minimum spacing d minIf the minimum spacing d between adjacent pin slots 31 is too large, the overall size of the connector C will increase, and more space will be occupied. min Less than or equal to 1.5 mm and greater than or equal to 0.5 mm, the aforementioned connector terminal 1 can be used to reduce the cost of the connector C, improve the safety of use, and make the structure of the connector C smaller and reduce the space occupied.

[0085] Considering that the length of the tin whisker tw generated by the matte tin plating layer 100 is usually less than 0.7 mm, and the matte tin plating layer 100 can effectively suppress the number of tin whiskers tw, in some embodiments, the minimum spacing d between adjacent pin slots 31 is min Satisfy: 0.7mm≤d min ≤1.4mm, for example, d min The distance between the matte tin plating layer 100 and the matte tin plating layer 100 of the connector terminal 1 in the adjacent pin slots 31 can be 0.7 mm, 0.9 mm, 1.1 mm, 1.3 mm, 1.4 mm, etc. This can effectively reduce the risk of tin whiskers tw generated by the matte tin plating layer 100 on one connector terminal 1 overlapping with the matte tin plating layer 100 of another connector terminal 1 or with tin whiskers tw generated on the matte tin plating layer 100, thereby effectively improving the safety of use, and can also reduce the cost of the connector C and reduce the space occupied by the connector C.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the connector C may be a wire train bus (WTB) connector. By applying the aforementioned connector terminal 1 to the wire train bus connector C of the electronic cable 2 for implementing train-level communication, it is possible to improve safety while meeting high-demand communication requirements.

[0087] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a method for electroplating connector terminals according to the present disclosure.

[0088] Referring to Figure 8, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electroplating method for a connector terminal 1 of a connector C. The connector terminal 1 herein may be the connector terminal of any of the aforementioned embodiments. The electroplating method comprises steps S1 and S2. In step S1, a terminal body 10 is provided, wherein the terminal body 10 has a pin contact portion 11 and a wiring portion 12, wherein the pin contact portion 11 is configured to contact and electrically connect with a pin of a component matching the connector C, and the wiring portion 12 is configured to electrically connect with the cable 2 of the connector C.

[0089] In step S2, a matte tin plating layer 100 is electroplated on the surface of the terminal body 10, and the connection portion 12 has at least a portion of its surface uncovered by the matte tin plating layer 100. The matte tin plating layer 100 can be formed by placing the terminal body in a matte tin plating solution for electroplating. The matte tin plating solution may include stannous sulfate and sulfuric acid solution.

[0090] In some embodiments, the step of providing the terminal body 10 in step S1 may include: providing a terminal substrate 10a; and electroplating a base plating layer 10b on the surface of the terminal substrate 10a. When electroplating the matte tin plating layer 100 on the surface of the terminal body 10, the matte tin plating layer 100 covers a portion of the base plating layer 10b and leaves the wiring portion 12 exposed in an area not covered by the matte tin plating layer 100.

[0091] For the base plating layer 10b including a nickel plating layer, the step of electroplating the base plating layer 10b on the surface of the terminal substrate 10a may include: immersing the terminal substrate 10a as a cathode in an electroplating solution containing nickel ions and then performing electroplating to form a nickel plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate 10a.

[0092] Accordingly, the step of electroplating a matte tin coating 100 on the surface of the terminal body 10 in the aforementioned step S2 may include: immersing the terminal body 10 on which a nickel coating has been formed into a matte tin electroplating solution and then electroplating, so as to form a matte tin coating 100 on the surface of the terminal body 10. When immersing the terminal body 10 on which a nickel coating has been formed into the matte tin electroplating solution, the pin contact portion 11 is completely immersed in the matte tin electroplating solution, and a portion of the surface of the wiring portion 12 is located above the liquid surface of the matte tin electroplating solution. Since a portion of the surface of the wiring portion 12 is located above the liquid surface of the matte tin electroplating solution and does not participate in the replacement reaction, a matte tin coating 100 will not be formed. This also saves the complex operation of removing or converting the matte tin coating in the process.

[0093] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on a different aspect. Reference will be made to the corresponding or similar aspects of each embodiment for reference. Regarding the electroplating method embodiment, the overall description and steps involved correspond to those in the connector terminal embodiment, so the description is relatively simple. For relevant details, refer to the description of the connector terminal embodiment.

[0094] Thus far, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail. To avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0095] Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail through examples, those skilled in the art will understand that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above embodiments may be modified or some technical features may be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A connector terminal for a connector, comprising: A terminal body, comprising a pin contact portion and a wiring portion, wherein the pin contact portion is used to match the pin of the element of the connector, and the wiring portion is used to electrically connect to the cable of the connector; and A matte tin plating layer is provided on the surface of the terminal body, The wiring portion has at least a portion of its surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

2. The connector terminal according to claim 1, wherein: At least a portion of the surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer is located in an end region of the wiring portion away from the pin contact portion.

3. The connector terminal according to claim 2, wherein: The wiring portion and the pin contact portion are arranged along a first direction, and a width w of the end region in the first direction satisfies: 0.5 mm≤w≤3 mm.

4. The connector terminal according to claim 3, wherein: The width w satisfies: 1mm≤w≤2mm.

5. The connector terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The terminal body comprises: Terminal base material; and A base plating layer covers the surface of the terminal substrate, The matte tin plating layer covers a portion of the surface of the base plating layer and is exposed in an area of ​​the wiring portion that is not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

6. The connector terminal according to claim 5, wherein: The base plating layer includes a nickel plating layer.

7. The connector terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The matte tin plating layer covers at least a portion of the surface of the pin contact portion.

8. The connector terminal according to claim 7, wherein: The wiring portion and the pin contact portion are arranged along a first direction, and the matte tin plating layer covering the pin contact portion is continuous in the first direction.

9. A connector, comprising: A plurality of connector terminals, at least part of which are the connector terminals according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The insulating housing has a plurality of pin slots, and the plurality of pin slots respectively accommodate the plurality of connector terminals.

10. The connector according to claim 9, wherein: The plurality of pin slots are arranged at intervals along at least one direction, and the minimum spacing d between adjacent pin slots is min Satisfy: 0.5mm≤d min ≤1.5mm.

11. The connector according to claim 10, wherein: Minimum distance d between adjacent pin slots min Satisfy: 0.7mm≤d min ≤1.4mm.

12. The connector according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The connector is a twisted wire train bus connector.

13. A method for electroplating a connector terminal of a connector, comprising: Providing a terminal body, the terminal body having a pin contact portion and a wiring portion, the pin contact portion is used to match the pin of the component of the connector, and the wiring portion is used to electrically connect to the cable of the connector; A matte tin plating layer is electroplated on the surface of the terminal body, and the wiring portion has at least a portion of the surface not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

14. The electroplating method according to claim 13, wherein: The steps of providing a terminal body include: Provide terminal substrate; Electroplating a base plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate; When the matte tin plating layer is electroplated on the surface of the terminal body, the matte tin plating layer covers a portion of the surface of the base plating layer and is exposed in the area of ​​the wiring portion not covered by the matte tin plating layer.

15. The electroplating method according to claim 14, wherein: The step of electroplating a base plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate comprises: The terminal substrate is immersed as a cathode in an electroplating solution containing nickel ions and then electroplated to form a nickel plating layer on the surface of the terminal substrate; The step of electroplating a matte tin coating on the surface of the terminal body comprises: The terminal body having the nickel plating layer formed thereon is immersed in a matte tin plating solution and then electroplated to form a matte tin plating layer on the surface of the terminal body. When the terminal body with nickel plating is immersed in the matte tin electroplating solution, the pin contact part is completely immersed in the matte tin electroplating solution, and part of the surface of the wiring part is located above the liquid surface of the electroplating solution containing tin ions.

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