CN109149199B

CN109149199B - Production method of Type-C USB plug and Type-C USB plug

Info

Publication number: CN109149199B
Application number: CN201810912053.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王志城; 于立成; 郭建广
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-10
Filing date: 2018-08-10
Publication date: 2020-10-16
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-10
Also published as: CN109149199A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a production method of a Type-C USB plug and the Type-C USB plug, wherein the production method of the Type-C USB plug comprises the following steps: providing a first terminal portion including a first terminal and a second terminal portion including a second terminal; and respectively electroplating the first terminal and the second terminal to form a first plating layer on at least part of the surface of the first terminal and form a second plating layer on at least part of the surface of the second terminal, wherein the corrosion resistance of the second plating layer is superior to that of the first plating layer. According to the production method of the Type-C USB plug, the first plating layer is formed on the surface of the first terminal of the Type-C USB plug, the second plating layer is formed on the surface of the second terminal of the Type-C USB plug, so that different terminals have different anti-corrosion performances, and the production cost can be reduced.

Description

Production method of Type-C USB plug and Type-C USB plug

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the field of terminal equipment accessories, in particular to a production method of a Type-C USB plug and the Type-C USB plug.

Background

As shown in fig. 1, in the related art, a Type-C USB plug is used for a commonly used data line, and the Type-C USB plug can be used as both a charging interface and a data transmission interface of a terminal device. A Type-C USB plug has two rows of terminals arranged side by side, typically 12 terminals 1012 or 24 terminals 1012, with different terminals 1012 having different functions. A Type-C USB plug with 12 terminals 1012 includes two rows of terminals, one row having 7 terminals 1012 and the other row having 5 terminals 1012, where two pairs of terminals 1012 are VBUS.

Fig. 2 shows a terminal assembly 10 for a Type-C USB plug including 12 terminals, the terminal assembly 10 including a terminal portion 101 and a supporting portion 102. The terminal portion 101 is a section cut from a strip-shaped terminal material tape, the terminal portion 101 includes a material tape section 1011 and terminals 1012, and two ends of 7 terminals 1012 are connected to the material tape section 1011. At least part of the surface of each terminal 1012 is electroplated with a rhodium-ruthenium alloy plating layer, which has strong corrosion resistance, so that the terminal 1012 has strong corrosion resistance, but the cost is high.

Disclosure of Invention

The inventors of the present application have noted that the electrical performance of the different terminals 1012 is different, and therefore, the requirement for the corrosion prevention performance is also different. At present, a certain terminal or a plurality of terminals 1012 cannot be electroplated independently in the rhodium ruthenium electroplating process, so that all the terminals 1012 are electroplated with rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layers, which causes that the terminals with low requirement on corrosion resistance are also electroplated with rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layers with higher cost, thereby causing great waste and increasing the production cost.

In order to overcome the problems in the related art, the disclosure provides a method for producing a Type-C USB plug, so that different terminals of the Type-C USB plug have different corrosion resistance, thereby reducing the production cost. Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a Type-C USB plug.

According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of producing a Type-C USB plug, the method comprising:

providing a first terminal portion including a first terminal and a second terminal portion including a second terminal; and

electroplating the first terminal and the second terminal respectively to form a first plating layer on at least part of the surface of the first terminal and a second plating layer on at least part of the surface of the second terminal,

the corrosion resistance of the second plating layer is superior to that of the first plating layer.

Further, the production method further comprises:

providing a third terminal portion including a third terminal and a fourth terminal portion including a fourth terminal; and

electroplating the third terminal and the fourth terminal respectively to form a third plating layer on at least part of the surface of the third terminal and a fourth plating layer on at least part of the surface of the fourth terminal,

the corrosion resistance of the fourth plating layer is superior to that of the third plating layer.

Further, the production method further comprises:

overlapping and fixing the first terminal part after being plated and the second terminal part after being plated, and arranging the first terminal and the second terminal to form a row;

performing injection molding on the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion fixed together to form a first support portion, thereby forming a first terminal assembly including the first terminal, the second terminal, and the first support portion;

overlapping and fixing the electroplated third terminal part and the electroplated fourth terminal part, and arranging the third terminal and the fourth terminal to form a row;

performing injection molding on the third terminal portion and the fourth terminal portion fixed together to form a second support portion, thereby forming a second terminal assembly including the third terminal, the fourth terminal, and the second support portion;

mounting the first terminal assembly and the second terminal assembly on both sides of an elastic frame; and

mounting the first terminal assembly, the second terminal assembly and the spring frame mounted together in a housing.

Further, the second terminal and the fourth terminal include VBUS.

Further, the second plating layer is a rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer, and the fourth plating layer is a rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a Type-C USB plug, the plug including:

a first terminal, at least part of the surface of which is formed with a first plating layer;

and a second terminal having a second plating layer formed on at least a part of a surface thereof, the first terminal and the second terminal being arranged in a row, the second plating layer having corrosion prevention performance superior to that of the first plating layer.

Further, the second terminal includes VBUS.

Further, the base material of the first terminal and the base material of the second terminal are different.

Further, the plug further includes:

a third terminal, at least part of the surface of which is formed with a third plating layer;

and a fourth terminal, wherein at least part of the surface of the fourth terminal is provided with a fourth plating layer, and the corrosion resistance of the fourth plating layer is superior to that of the third plating layer.

Still further, the fourth terminal includes VBUS.

Further, the base material of the third terminal and the base material of the fourth terminal are different.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can obtain the following beneficial effects: the surface of the first terminal of the Type-C USB plug is provided with the first plating layer, and the surface of the second terminal is provided with the second plating layer, so that different terminals have different anti-corrosion performances, and the production cost can be reduced.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

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

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a Type-C USB plug in the related art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a terminal assembly used for a Type-C USB plug in the related art.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a first terminal portion according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a second terminal portion according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view illustrating a first terminal part and a second terminal part fixed together according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view illustrating a first terminal portion, a second terminal portion, and a first support portion fixed together according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a first terminal assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a second terminal assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of an elastic frame according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural view illustrating the first terminal assembly, the second terminal assembly, and the spring frame assembled together according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a schematic structural view illustrating the first terminal assembly, the second terminal assembly, the spring frame, and the housing assembled together according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a Type-C USB plug, according to an example embodiment.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a Type-C USB plug according to another exemplary embodiment.

Description of the reference numerals

Supporting part of 10 terminal assembly 101 terminal part 1011 material band section 1012 terminal 102

1 first terminal portion 11 first strip segment 12 first terminal

2 second terminal portion 21 second strip segment 22 second terminal

3 first support part 31 stopper

4 through hole 42 elastic part of elastic frame 41

5 second support part 51 clamping part

6 third terminal

7 fourth terminal

8 outer cover

M first terminal assembly

N second terminal assemblies.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the exemplary embodiments below are not intended to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

The present disclosure provides a method for producing a Type-C USB plug and a Type-C USB plug, and the following describes the present disclosure in detail by taking a method for producing a Type-C USB plug having 12 terminals as an example.

Referring to fig. 3, which shows the first terminal portion 1, the first terminal portion 1 may be a section taken from a first tape, which is a belt shape. The first strip of material is provided with a set of first terminals 12 at intervals, each set of first terminals 12 having one or more first terminals 12, for example five first terminals 12. At least a part of the surface of the first terminal 12 of the first terminal portion 1 (particularly the surface near the contact portion) is plated with a first plating layer, which may be, for example, a metal or alloy plating such as a zinc plating.

It will be appreciated that the first strip of material may be formed by a plurality of structures shown in fig. 3 arranged in succession, the first terminal portion 1 being a section taken from the first strip of material.

Referring to fig. 4, which shows the second terminal portion 2, the second terminal portion 2 may be a section taken from a second strip of material, and the second strip of material is a strip shape. The second strip of material is provided with a set of second terminals 22 at intervals, each set of second terminals 22 having one or more second terminals 22, for example two second terminals 22. At least a part of the surface of the second terminal 22 of the second terminal portion 2 (particularly, the surface in the vicinity of the contact portion) is plated with a second plating layer, which may be, for example, an alloy or a metal plating layer of a rhodium-ruthenium alloy plating layer.

It will be appreciated that the second strip of material may be formed by a plurality of the structures shown in fig. 4 arranged in succession, the second terminal portions 2 being sections taken from the second strip of material.

It is understood that the corrosion prevention performance of the rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer is superior to that of the zinc plating layer, and therefore the corrosion prevention performance of the second terminal 22 is superior to that of the first terminal 12.

As shown in fig. 3, the first terminal portion 1 (first tape) may be formed by, for example, punching the tape. The first terminal portion 1 includes a first strap segment 11 and a first terminal 12, and both ends of the first terminal 12 are connected to the first strap segment 11.

As shown in fig. 4, the second terminal portions 2 (second material tape) may be formed by, for example, punching the material tape. The second terminal portion 2 includes a second web section 21 and a second terminal 22, and both ends of the second terminal 22 are connected to the second web section 21.

It is understood that the plating layers of the first terminals 12 and the second terminals 22 may be formed by electroplating the first terminal portions 1 and the second terminal portions 2, or by electroplating the first material tape and the second material tape.

As shown in fig. 5, the first terminal portion 1 and the second terminal portion 2 are overlapped and fixed to each other, and may be fixed to each other by, for example, caulking, welding, bonding, or the like. Specifically, when the first terminal portion 1 and the second terminal portion 2 overlap each other, the first and second

terminal portions

11 and 21 of the first and second

terminal portions

1 and 2 overlap each other, and the first and

second terminals

12 and 22 are arranged in a row with being offset from each other, so that the first and second

terminal portions

11 and 21 are fixed to each other.

As shown in fig. 6, the first support part 3 is injection-molded at the positions of the first terminals 12 and the second terminals 22 using an injection mold fit. The first support part 3 is made of an insulating material so that adjacent terminals can maintain a certain distance therebetween without contacting each other. Injection mold and first supporting part 3's structure looks adaptation, through pouring into the plastic that flows in injection mold, the plastic is full of the space in the injection mold, treats that the plastic cooling solidification takes off injection mold, can form first supporting part 3.

It is understood that the first terminal portion 1 and the second terminal portion 2 are overlapped and fixed, only temporarily, and in order to fix the first terminal portion 1 and the second terminal portion 2 at the time of injection molding, the first terminal 12 and the second terminal 22 are finally fixed by the first support portion 3 using an injection molding method.

The support part 3 is provided with a stopper part 31, and the stopper part 31 protrudes from the surface of the support part 3.

Fig. 7 shows a first terminal assembly M in which a first strap section 11 at both ends of a first terminal 12 and a second strap section 21 at both ends of a second terminal 22 are cut off, the first terminal assembly M including the first terminal 12, the second terminal 22, and a first support portion 3 fixing the first terminal 12 and the second terminal 22.

As shown in fig. 8, a second terminal assembly N is formed by the above-described production method of forming the first terminal assembly M, the second terminal assembly N including a third terminal 6, a fourth terminal 7, and a second support portion 5 fixing the third terminal 6 and the fourth terminal 7.

Specifically, the third terminal portion and the fourth terminal portion may be formed by subjecting the material tape to, for example, press working. The third terminal portion includes a third ribbon section and a third terminal 6, and both ends of the third terminal 6 are connected to the third ribbon section. The fourth terminal portion includes a fourth ribbon segment and a fourth terminal 7, and both ends of the fourth terminal 7 are connected to the fourth ribbon segment.

At least part of the surface of the third terminal 6, in particular the surface in the vicinity of the contact site, is plated with a third plating layer, which may be a metal or alloy plating such as a zinc plating. At least part of the surface of the fourth terminal 7, in particular the surface in the vicinity of the contact location, is plated with a fourth plating layer, which may be, for example, an alloy or a metal plating layer of a rhodium-ruthenium alloy plating. It is understood that the corrosion prevention performance of the rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer is superior to that of the zinc plating layer, and thus the corrosion prevention performance of the fourth terminal 7 is superior to that of the third terminal 6.

The third terminal portion and the fourth terminal portion are overlapped and fixed together, and may be fixed by, for example, riveting, welding, bonding, or the like. The third terminal 6 and the fourth terminal 7 are arranged in a row.

The third terminal portion and the fourth terminal portion fixed together are injection-molded to form a second support portion, thereby forming a second terminal assembly N including a third terminal 6, a fourth terminal 7, and a second support portion 5.

The second support portion 5 is provided with a clamping portion 51, the clamping portion 51 protrudes from the surface of the second support portion 5, and the second support portion 5 and the first support portion 3 can be connected by the clamping portion 51.

It will be appreciated that the Type-C USB plug of this embodiment has 12 terminals, one row having 7 terminals and the other row having 5 terminals, and specifically, the first terminal assembly M has 7 terminals and the second terminal assembly N has 5 terminals.

The number of the first terminals 12 and the second terminals 22 added together is 7, but the number of the first terminals 12 and the second terminals 22 cannot be 7. For example, the first terminal assembly M of the Type-C USB plug includes two second terminals 22 therein, the two second terminals 22 being VBUS.

The number of the third terminals 6 and the fourth terminals 7 added together is 5, but the number of the third terminals 6 and the fourth terminals 7 cannot be 5. For example, the second terminal assembly N of the Type-C USB plug includes two fourth terminals 7, and the two fourth terminals 7 are VBUS.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the elastic frame 4 has a plate shape, and the elastic frame 4 includes a through hole 41 and an elastic portion 42. The engaging portion 51 is connected to the first support portion 3 through the through hole 41, the elastic portion 42 is located on both sides of the arrangement direction of the terminals, and the first terminal assembly M and the second terminal assembly N are mounted on both sides of the elastic frame 4 in the thickness direction.

The elastic frame 4 is common in the art, and since the specification of the Type-C USB is uniform, the structure and the size of the elastic frame 4 are the same as or similar to those of the elastic frame common in the art.

As shown in fig. 11, the first terminal assembly M, the second terminal assembly N, and the spring holder 4 mounted together are mounted in the housing 8. The stopper 31 of the first support 3 is fitted into the hole of the housing 8 to fix the first support 3 to a predetermined position. It is understood that the second supporting portion 5 may also be provided with a limiting portion, so that the second supporting portion 5 is installed in cooperation with the housing 8.

As shown in fig. 12, a protective case is further installed outside the shell 8 of the Type-C USB plug, and the protective case may be made of metal, such as iron.

As shown in fig. 12, the present disclosure provides a Type-C USB plug having 12 terminals arranged in two rows, wherein one row includes a first terminal 12 and a second terminal 22, and the other row includes a third terminal 6 and a fourth terminal 7, and particularly, the second terminal 22 and the fourth terminal 7 are oppositely grouped into two pairs.

A portion of the surface of the first terminal 12 is plated with a first plating layer, a portion of the surface of the second terminal 22 is plated with a second plating layer, a portion of the surface of the third terminal 6 is plated with a third plating layer, and a portion of the surface of the fourth terminal 7 is plated with a fourth plating layer. The corrosion resistance of the second plating layer is superior to that of the first plating layer, and the corrosion resistance of the fourth plating layer is superior to that of the second plating layer.

The material of the first plating layer is different from that of the second plating layer, or the thickness of the first plating layer is different from that of the second plating layer, or the material and the thickness of the first plating layer are different from those of the second plating layer. The material of the third plating layer is different from that of the fourth plating layer, or the thickness of the third plating layer is different from that of the fourth plating layer, or the material and the thickness of the third plating layer are different from those of the fourth plating layer. It can be understood that the corrosion resistance of the coating with thicker thickness is better than that of the coating with thinner thickness in a certain thickness range.

In particular, the first and third plating layers may be the same, and the second and fourth plating layers may be the same.

It will be appreciated that different terminals will have different requirements for corrosion protection depending on their electrical properties. The first terminal 12, the second terminal 22, the third terminal 6 and the fourth terminal 7 may be set according to the requirements of the terminals on corrosion resistance, for example, VBUS may be the second terminal 22, the fourth terminal 7, and the rest may be the first terminal 12 and the third terminal 6.

It will be appreciated that the electrical performance of different terminals will vary, and therefore will have different requirements for electrical conductivity. Therefore, different base materials can be selected for the first terminal 12 and the second terminal 22 according to different requirements of the terminals on the conductive performance, and different base materials can be selected for the third terminal 6 and the fourth terminal 7, for example, copper materials with different conductive performance are selected, so that the production cost is further reduced. In particular, the same base material may be used for the first terminal 12 and the third terminal 6, and the same base material may be used for the second terminal 22 and the fourth terminal 7.

Compared with the production method of the Type-C USB plug of the related art, in the production method of the Type-C USB plug, the total cost of the Type-C USB plug can be reduced by more than 40% by comprehensively considering the cost saved by using the base material and the electroplating material, the time and labor cost for using the production method, and the like.

As shown in fig. 13, the Type-C USB plug may also have other numbers of terminals, such as 24 terminals arranged in two rows, each row having 12 terminals including two second terminals 22 and two fourth terminals 7, and the remaining 10

first terminals

12 and 10 third terminals 6. Specifically, the two rows of terminals are arranged opposite to each other in a mirror image manner, the first terminal portion 1 and the third terminal portion are identical in structure, and the second terminal portion 2 and the fourth terminal portion are identical in structure.

Of course, the Type-C USB plug may have other numbers of terminals, and the above two embodiments are only illustrative and do not represent an exhaustive list of all embodiments.

The first terminal portion 1 and the second terminal portion 2 are placed and fixed to overlap in the above-described embodiment, however, the present invention is not limited to this, and more terminal assemblies may be placed and fixed to overlap, for example, three terminal portions may be placed and fixed to overlap. It is understood that the first plating layer, the second plating layer and the third plating layer are formed on at least part of the surfaces of the three terminal portions, respectively, and the corrosion resistance of the first plating layer, the corrosion resistance of the second plating layer and the corrosion resistance of the third plating layer are different from each other. The terminal of the Type-C USB plug has different requirements on the anti-corrosion performance due to different electrical properties, and three different coatings can be formed on the surface of the terminal according to the requirements of the terminal on the anti-corrosion performance.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A production method of a Type-C USB plug is characterized by comprising the following steps:

the second plating layer has corrosion resistance superior to that of the first plating layer, and the first terminal has a base material with a conductive property different from that of the second terminal.

2. The method of producing a Type-C USB plug according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The method of producing a Type-C USB plug according to claim 2, further comprising:

4. The method of producing a Type-C USB plug according to claim 2, wherein the second terminal and the fourth terminal include VBUS.

5. The method of producing a Type-C USB plug according to claim 2, wherein the second plating layer is a rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer, and the fourth plating layer is a rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer.

6. A Type-C USB plug, characterized in that the plug includes:

and a second terminal having a second plating layer formed on at least a part of a surface thereof, the first terminal and the second terminal being arranged in a row, the second plating layer having corrosion resistance superior to that of the first plating layer, the first terminal having a base material different from that of the second terminal.

7. The Type-C USB plug of claim 6, wherein the second terminal comprises VBUS.

8. The Type-C USB plug of claim 6, wherein the plug further comprises:

9. The Type-C USB plug of claim 8, wherein the fourth terminal comprises VBUS.

10. The Type-C USB plug of claim 8, wherein the substrate of the third terminal and the substrate of the fourth terminal are different.

11. The Type-C USB plug of claim 8, wherein the second plating layer is a rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer and the fourth plating layer is a rhodium ruthenium alloy plating layer.