Ground terminal, connector and electronic device

Abstract

A ground terminal, a connector and an electronic device, which relate to the technical field of connectors. The ground terminal comprises a first contact portion, a first spring arm portion, a first retaining portion, and a second contact portion, wherein a part of an end of the first contact portion is configured to connect to a mating member, the first spring arm portion is connected to an end of the first contact portion, the first retaining portion is connected to the end of the first spring arm portion away from the first contact portion, the first retaining portion is configured to be fixed to an insulating body and to be connected to an electrically conductive member, the second contact portion is connected to an end portion of the other end of the first contact portion, and the second contact portion is configured to connect to the electrically conductive member. The ground terminal, the connector and the electronic device enable an end portion of the other end of the first contact portion to be connected to the electrically conductive member by means of the second contact portion, thereby eliminating a stub on the first contact portion to form an effective signal return path, and thereby reducing crosstalk and reducing resonance.

Description

A grounding terminal, connector and electronic device

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411740205.3, filed on November 29, 2024, entitled “A Grounding Terminal, Connector and Electronic Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of connector technology, and in particular to a grounding terminal, connector, and electronic device. Background Technology

[0004] A connector is a device that bridges two electronic devices, enabling electrical connection and allowing the transmission of signals, data, and power between them. A connector typically includes an insulating body, multiple grounding terminals, multiple signal terminal pairs, and conductive elements. The grounding terminals, signal terminal pairs, and conductive elements are all housed within the insulating body, with the grounding terminals connected to the conductive elements.

[0005] However, in implementing the embodiments of this application, the inventors discovered that: currently, the grounding terminal includes a contact portion, a spring arm portion, and a retaining portion, which are connected in sequence. The retaining portion is connected to a conductive element. The portion of the contact portion facing the spring arm portion is used to connect to the docking element, such that a stump (a useless signal transmission path) is formed between the portion used to connect to the docking element and the end of the contact portion away from the spring arm portion. This causes the return signal to be radiated and reflected back at the end of the stump away from the spring arm portion, thereby causing crosstalk and resonance in the signals on adjacent high-speed transmission paths.

[0006] Application content

[0007] The main technical problem solved by this application is to provide a grounding terminal that can solve the problem of a residual stake being formed between the part used to connect to one end of the docking member and the other end of the contact part away from the spring arm, which causes the return signal to be radiated and reflected back at the end of the residual stake away from the spring arm, thereby causing crosstalk and resonance of signals on adjacent high-speed transmission paths.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, one technical solution adopted in this application is: to provide a grounding terminal, including a first contact portion, a first spring arm portion, a first retaining portion and a second contact portion, wherein a portion at one end of the first contact portion is used to connect to a mating member, the first spring arm portion is connected to one end of the first contact portion, the first retaining portion is connected to the end of the first spring arm portion away from the first contact portion, the first retaining portion is used to fix to an insulating body and to connect to a conductive member, and the second contact portion is connected to the other end of the first contact portion and is used to connect to a conductive member.

[0009] Optionally, the second contact portion is inclined toward the first retaining portion.

[0010] Optionally, the first spring arm is provided with a through groove.

[0011] Optionally, the grounding terminal includes at least one third contact portion, which is connected to the first spring arm portion and is used to connect to a conductive element.

[0012] Optionally, the first retaining portion and the first spring arm portion enclose a receiving groove, which is used to receive the conductive component portion.

[0013] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted in this application is: to provide a connector, including an insulating body, a plurality of signal terminal pairs, a conductive element and a plurality of the above-mentioned grounding terminals, wherein the insulating body is provided with a slot for inserting a connector, the signal terminal pair includes two signal terminals, the signal terminals, the grounding terminals and the conductive element are all disposed on the insulating body, the signal terminals extend into the slot, the first contact portion of the grounding terminal extends into the slot, and the signal terminal pairs and the grounding terminals are arranged along a first direction to form an arrangement in which a grounding terminal, a signal terminal pair and a grounding terminal form a group;

[0014] Each of the signal terminal pairs has a first center distance and a second center distance, the first center distance being greater than the second center distance, such that the portions of each of the signal terminal pairs located at the second center distance are close to each other.

[0015] Optionally, the signal terminal includes a fourth contact portion, a second spring arm portion, a connecting portion, and a second retaining portion, wherein the fourth contact portion, the second spring arm portion, the connecting portion, and the second retaining portion are connected in sequence, and a portion of the fourth contact portion extends into the slot;

[0016] The distance between the center lines of the fourth contact portion of each signal terminal pair forms the first center distance;

[0017] The center lines of the second spring arm portion, the connecting portion, and the second retaining portion are collinear, and the distance between the center lines of the second spring arm portions of each signal terminal pair forms the second center distance, so that the second spring arm portion, the connecting portion, and the second retaining portion of each signal terminal pair are close to each other.

[0018] Optionally, the signal terminal includes a first soldering part, which is connected to a second retaining part, and the center line of the first soldering part is collinear with the center line of the fourth contact part.

[0019] Optionally, the center line of the first contact portion of the grounding terminal forms a third center distance with the center line of the adjacent fourth contact portion, and the center lines between the first contact portions of two adjacent grounding terminals form a fourth center distance. The third center distance, the fourth center distance, and the first center distance are all equal.

[0020] Optionally, the grounding terminal includes a second welding portion, the center line of which is collinear with the center line of the first contact portion of the grounding terminal.

[0021] Optionally, the insulating body is provided with a first receiving groove, the first receiving groove is connected to the slot, and the two second spring arms of the signal terminal pair are received in the first receiving groove.

[0022] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted in this application is to provide an electronic device including the connector described above.

[0023] In this embodiment, the grounding terminal includes a first contact portion, a first spring arm portion, a first retaining portion, and a second contact portion. One end of the first contact portion is connected to a mating member. The first spring arm portion is connected to one end of the first contact portion. The first retaining portion is connected to the end of the first spring arm portion away from the first contact portion. The first retaining portion is used to fix to the insulating body and to connect to a conductive member. The second contact portion is connected to the other end of the first contact portion and is used to connect to the conductive member. By using the second contact portion, the other end of the first contact portion is connected to the conductive member, eliminating residual posts on the first contact portion to form an effective signal return path. This allows the signal to be guided to the conductive member by the second contact portion at the other end of the first contact portion, preventing the signal from radiating outward at the end of the residual post away from the first contact portion and interfering with adjacent signals, thereby reducing crosstalk. Furthermore, it prevents the signal from being reflected back at the end of the residual post away from the first contact portion, thereby reducing resonance. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the connector structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 3 is a bottom view of the connector structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the connector according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the insulating body of the connector according to an embodiment of this application;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the insulating body of the connector according to an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the signal terminal and ground terminal of the connector according to an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 8 is a front view schematic diagram of the signal terminals and ground terminals of the connector according to an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the conductive element of the connector according to an embodiment of this application.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0035] 100. Connector;

[0036] 1. Insulating body; 11. Slot; 12. First receiving slot; 13. Second receiving slot; 14. Third receiving slot; 15. Fixing slot; 16. Fourth receiving slot; 17. Fifth receiving slot; 18. Sixth receiving slot;

[0037] 2. Signal terminal; 21. Fourth contact part; 22. Second spring arm part; 23. Connecting part; 24. Second retaining part; 25. First welding part;

[0038] 3. Grounding terminal; 31. First contact portion; 32. First spring arm portion; 321. Through groove; 33. First holding portion; 34. Second contact portion; 35. Third contact portion; 36. Second welding portion; 37. Receiving groove;

[0039] 4. Conductive component; 41. Opening. Embodiments of the present invention

[0040] To facilitate understanding of this application, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that when an element is described as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly on the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. When an element is described as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element, or one or more intermediate elements may exist between them. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this specification are for illustrative purposes only.

[0041] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this application. The term "and / or" as used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0042] This application provides a connector 100. Referring to Figures 1-4, the connector 100 includes an insulating body 1, multiple signal terminal pairs, multiple ground terminals 3, and a conductive element 4. The signal terminal pairs, ground terminals 3, and conductive element 4 are all disposed on the insulating body 1. Each signal terminal pair includes two signal terminals 2. The signal terminal pairs and ground terminals 3 are arranged along a first direction X, forming a group of one ground terminal 3, one signal terminal pair, and one ground terminal 3. The ground terminals 3 are connected to the conductive element 4. The insulating body 1 is used for insertion of a mating component, and both the signal terminal pairs and ground terminals 3 are used to connect the mating component and the circuit board, enabling electrical connection between the mating component and the circuit board.

[0043] In some embodiments, the signal terminal pairs and the ground terminal 3 are arranged in two rows along the second direction Y, which is perpendicular to the first direction X.

[0044] In some embodiments, signal terminal 2 is a differential signal terminal.

[0045] In some embodiments, the connector is an electronic component such as a graphics card, sound card, or network adapter.

[0046] Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the insulating body 1 is provided with a slot 11, a first receiving groove 12, a second receiving groove 13, a third receiving groove 14, a fixing groove 15, a fourth receiving groove 16, a fifth receiving groove 17, and a sixth receiving groove 18. The slot 11 extends through one end of the insulating body 1 along a first direction X and is used for mating parts insertion. The first receiving groove 12 extends through the other end of the insulating body 1, and both the first and second receiving grooves 12 and 13 are connected to the slot 11. The third receiving groove 14 is connected to the first receiving groove 12. The fixing groove 15 extends through the other end of the insulating body 1 and is connected to the third receiving groove 14. The first, second, third, and fixed grooves 12, 13, 14, and 15 all house signal terminals 2. The fourth receiving groove 16 extends through the other end of the insulating body 1 and is connected to the slot 11. The fifth receiving groove 17 extends through the other end of the insulating body 1 and is connected to the fourth receiving groove 16. The sixth receiving slot 18 extends through the other end of the insulating body 1 and is connected to the fifth receiving slot 17. The fourth receiving slot 16 and the sixth receiving slot 18 house the grounding terminal 3, and the fifth receiving slot 17 houses the conductive component 4.

[0047] Regarding the aforementioned signal terminal 2, please refer to Figures 7 and 8. The signal terminal 2 includes a fourth contact portion 21, a second spring arm portion 22, a connecting portion 23, a second retaining portion 24, and a first welding portion 25. The fourth contact portion 21, the second spring arm portion 22, the connecting portion 23, the second retaining portion 24, and the first welding portion 25 are connected sequentially. The center line of the fourth contact portion 21 and the center line of the first welding portion 25 are collinear. The center lines of the second spring arm portion 22, the connecting portion 23, and the second retaining portion 24 are all collinear. A first center distance La is formed between the center lines of the fourth contact portions 21 of each signal terminal pair. A second center distance Lb is formed between the center lines of the second spring arm portions 22 of each signal terminal pair. The first center distance La is greater than the second center distance Lb, so that the second spring arm portions 22, the connecting portion 23, and the second retaining portion 24 of the signal terminal pairs are close to each other, thereby increasing the coupling inside the signal terminal pairs. The fourth contact portion 21 is received in the second receiving groove 13, and a portion of the fourth contact portion 21 extends into the slot 11. The fourth contact portion 21 is used to connect to the mating member. The second spring arm portion 22 is received in the first receiving groove 12. The connecting portion 23 is received in the third receiving groove 14. One end of the connecting portion 23 connected to the second spring arm portion 22 extends into the first receiving groove 12, and the other end of the connecting portion 23 connected to one end of the second holding portion 24 extends into the fixing groove 15. The second holding portion 24 is engaged with the fixing groove 15, thereby fixing the signal terminal 2. One end of the second holding portion 24 connected to the first solder portion 25 extends out of the fixing groove 15. The first solder portion 25 is located outside the insulating body 1 and is used to connect to the circuit board.

[0048] In some embodiments, the thickness of the first contact portion 31, the thickness of the second spring arm portion 22, the thickness of the connecting portion 23, the thickness of the second holding portion 24, and the thickness of the first welding portion 25 are the thickness of the plate material, so that the signal terminal 2 is a bent signal terminal. Compared with the blanking type signal terminal, the bent signal terminal can save materials and reduce production and processing costs during production and processing.

[0049] It should be noted that the width of the fourth contact portion 21 is smaller than that of the second spring arm portion 22, and the gap between the two second spring arms 22 of the signal terminal pair is relatively small. Therefore, both second spring arms 22 of the signal terminal pair are housed in the first receiving groove 12, which avoids the situation where the insulating body 1 is provided with a narrow partition strip and is prone to breakage.

[0050] In some embodiments, the signal terminal pairs arranged in two rows along the second direction Y are staggered; in other words, the signal terminal pairs in one row are opposite to the two grounding terminals 3 in the other row.

[0051] Regarding the aforementioned grounding terminal 3, please refer to Figures 7 and 8. The grounding terminal 3 includes a first contact portion 31, a first spring arm portion 32, a first retaining portion 33, a second contact portion 34, at least one third contact portion 35, and a second welding portion 36. The center line of the first contact portion 31 is collinear with the center line of the second welding portion 36. The center line of the first contact portion 31 and the center line of the adjacent fourth contact portion 21 form a third center distance Lc. The center lines between two adjacent first contact portions 31 form a fourth center distance Ld. The third center distance Lc, the fourth center distance Ld, and the first center distance La are all equal, thereby increasing the distance between the second spring arm portion 22, the connecting portion 23, and the second retaining portion 24 of adjacent signal terminal pairs, thus increasing the distance between the signal transmission paths of adjacent signal terminal pairs and reducing crosstalk between adjacent signal terminal pairs. The first contact portion 31 is received in the fourth receiving groove 16, and a portion of the first contact portion 31 extends into the slot 11. One end of the first contact portion 31 is used to connect to the mating member. The first spring arm 32 is received in the fourth receiving groove 16. The first spring arm 32 is connected to one end of the first contact portion 31, and the end of the first spring arm 32 away from the first contact portion 31 extends out of the fourth receiving groove 16. The first retaining portion 33 is engaged with the sixth receiving groove 18. One end of the first retaining portion 33 extends out of the sixth receiving groove 18, and the other end of the first retaining portion 33 is connected to the end of the first spring arm 32 away from the first contact portion 31. The first retaining portion 33 and the first spring arm 32 enclose a receiving groove 37, which receives at least a portion of the conductive element 4. The second contact portion 34 is received in the fourth receiving groove 16. The second contact portion 34 is connected to the other end of the first contact portion 31, and the second contact portion 34 is inclined toward the first retaining portion 33. The third contact portion 35 is received in the fourth receiving groove 16 and is connected to the first spring arm 32. The second welding part 36 is located outside the insulating body 1. The second welding part 36 is connected to one end of the first holding part 33 and is used to connect to the circuit board.

[0052] The first elastic arm 32 is provided with a through groove 321, which is used to reduce the elastic deformation force of the first elastic arm 32, thereby reducing the force required for the mating parts to be inserted.

[0053] In some embodiments, the center lines of the first contact portion 31, the first elastic arm portion 32, the first retaining portion 33, and the first welding portion 25 are all collinear.

[0054] In some embodiments, the distances of the first center distance La, the third center distance Lc, and the fourth center distance Ld are all 1 mm, and the distance of the second center distance Lb is 0.8 mm.

[0055] Referring to Figure 9, the conductive element 4 is housed in the fifth receiving groove 17 and connected to the first holding portion 33, the second contact portion 34, and the third contact portion 35. The conductive element 4 optimizes the signal return path of the grounding terminal 3, effectively reducing crosstalk and resonance. Specifically, by connecting the conductive element 4 to the second contact portion 34, it eliminates residual posts on the first contact portion 31, forming an effective signal return path. This allows the signal to be guided to the conductive element 4 by the second contact portion 34 at the other end of the first contact portion 31, preventing the signal from radiating outwards at the end of the residual post away from the first contact portion 31 and interfering with adjacent signals, thereby reducing crosstalk. It also prevents the signal from being reflected back at the end of the residual post away from the first contact portion 31, thereby reducing resonance. The conductive element 4 is provided with an opening 41 near the second holding portion 24 to improve the characteristic impedance of the second holding portion 24. The second contact portion 34 is inclined towards the first holding portion 33, which helps to reduce the size of the conductive element 4, thereby reducing the material required for the conductive element 4.

[0056] In some embodiments, since the signal terminals 2 are arranged in two rows along the second direction Y, the corresponding number of conductive elements 4 is two, with one conductive element 4 connected to one row of grounding terminals 3.

[0057] This application also provides an embodiment of an electronic device, including the connector 100 described above. The structure and function of the connector 100 can be found in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] It should be noted that while preferred embodiments of this application are provided in the specification and accompanying drawings, this application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. These embodiments are not intended to impose additional limitations on the content of this application; their purpose is to provide a more thorough and comprehensive understanding of the disclosure of this application. Furthermore, the above-described technical features can be combined with each other to form various embodiments not listed above, all of which are considered to be within the scope of this application's specification. Moreover, those skilled in the art can make improvements or modifications based on the above description, and all such improvements and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A ground terminal characterized by, include: The first contact portion, a portion at one end of the first contact portion is used to connect to the mating member; The first elastic arm is connected to one end of the first contact portion; The first retaining part is connected to the end of the first elastic arm that is away from the first contact part. The first retaining part is used to fix to the insulating body and to connect to the conductive component. The second contact portion is connected to the other end of the first contact portion, and the second contact portion is used to connect to the conductive component.

2. The grounding terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second contact portion is inclined toward the first holding portion.

3. The grounding terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first spring arm is provided with a through groove.

4. The grounding terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that, The grounding terminal includes at least one third contact portion, which is connected to the first spring arm portion and is used to connect to a conductive element.

5. The grounding terminal according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first retaining portion and the first elastic arm portion enclose a receiving groove, which is used to accommodate the conductive component portion.

6. A connector characterized by comprising: The device includes an insulating body, multiple signal terminal pairs, a conductive element, and multiple grounding terminals as described in any one of claims 1-5. The insulating body is provided with a slot for inserting a connector. Each signal terminal pair includes two signal terminals. The signal terminals, the grounding terminals, and the conductive element are all disposed on the insulating body. A portion of the signal terminal extends into the slot. A first contact portion of the grounding terminal extends into the slot. The signal terminal pairs and the grounding terminals are arranged along a first direction to form an arrangement in which one grounding terminal, one signal terminal pair, and one grounding terminal form a group. Each of the signal terminal pairs has a first center distance and a second center distance, the first center distance being greater than the second center distance, such that the portions of each of the signal terminal pairs located at the second center distance are close to each other.

7. The connector according to claim 6, characterized in that, The signal terminal includes a fourth contact portion, a second spring arm portion, a connecting portion, and a second retaining portion. The fourth contact portion, the second spring arm portion, the connecting portion, and the second retaining portion are connected in sequence, and a portion of the fourth contact portion extends into the slot. The distance between the center lines of the fourth contact portion of each signal terminal pair forms the first center distance; The center lines of the second spring arm portion, the connecting portion, and the second retaining portion are collinear, and the distance between the center lines of the second spring arm portions of each signal terminal pair forms the second center distance, so that the second spring arm portion, the connecting portion, and the second retaining portion of each signal terminal pair are close to each other.

8. The connector according to claim 7, characterized in that, The signal terminal includes a first soldering part, which is connected to a second holding part, and the center line of the first soldering part is collinear with the center line of the fourth contact part.

9. The connector according to claim 8, characterized in that, The center line of the first contact portion of the grounding terminal forms a third center distance with the center line of the adjacent fourth contact portion, and the center lines between the first contact portions of two adjacent grounding terminals form a fourth center distance. The third center distance, the fourth center distance, and the first center distance are all equal.

10. The connector according to claim 9, characterized in that, The grounding terminal includes a second welding portion, the center line of which is collinear with the center line of the first contact portion of the grounding terminal.

11. The connector according to claim 7, characterized in that, The insulating body is provided with a first receiving groove, which is connected to the slot, and the two second spring arms of the signal terminal pair are received in the first receiving groove.

12. An electronic device, comprising: Includes the connector as described in any one of claims 6-11.

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