CN111641069B

CN111641069B - Cable assembly with improved cable retention

Info

Publication number: CN111641069B
Application number: CN202010588411.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王海燕; 饶凌峰
Original assignee: Molex LLC
Current assignee: Molex LLC
Priority date: 2016-08-08
Filing date: 2016-08-08
Publication date: 2022-08-30
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-08
Also published as: CN114824903A; CN111641069A; CN114824903B; CN107706616A

Abstract

The invention discloses a cable connector assembly, comprising: the insulating shell is formed by assembling a base and a cover plate, a containing cavity is formed in the base, the assembled insulating shell is provided with a first opening and a second opening, and a butt joint cavity is formed in the first opening; the two circuit boards are provided with golden fingers and connecting ends respectively; at least one positioning module, which is coated and molded on the plurality of cables by plastic materials or sealant and can be clamped and fixed in the accommodating cavity; the middle part of the containing cavity is transversely provided with a separating plate, two positioning grooves are formed in the separating plate, one side edges of the two circuit boards are inserted into the positioning grooves, the positioning module is located on one side, close to the second opening, of the separating plate, and the two circuit boards are located on the other side, close to the first opening, of the separating plate. The cable connector assembly of the invention not only can prevent the high-frequency characteristic of the circuit board from being damaged, but also can resist the drawing of external force, and the manufacture, the assembly and the disassembly of the cable connector assembly are greatly simplified.

Description

Cable assembly with improved cable retention

This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application (application serial No. 201610645183.1, 2016, 08/h, entitled "cable connector assembly").

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cable connector assembly, and more particularly, to a Mini-SAS cable connector assembly.

Background

The cable connector is an important component for transmitting signals between electronic devices, and through years of development, the types of the cable connector are increasingly abundant, so that the cable connector conforming to various transmission protocols such as USB, SATA, HDMI, SAS, Displayport and the like is formed, and most of the various cable connectors transmit signals through metal conductors in cables and metal terminals in the connectors.

For example, a Mini-SAS cable connector assembly is provided in patent document CN 201966421U. Referring to fig. 1, the MINI-SAS cable connector assembly includes an outer mold 1, an inner mold 2 and a circuit board 3, wherein one surface of the head end of the circuit board 3 is provided with gold fingers 5 corresponding to PIN PINs of the MINI-SAS female connector, the tail end of the circuit board 3 is connected with an SAS wire 6, and the circuit board 3 is tightly attached to the inner mold 2 and is fixedly arranged in the outer mold 1. However, in this solution, the outer mold 1 is integrally injection molded to cover the entire circuit board 3, and since the outer mold 1 often has requirements for weather resistance and high strength, a high temperature plastic material must be used when molding the outer mold 1, and such a high temperature adversely affects the high frequency characteristics of the circuit board. In addition, since the outer mold 1 is integrally formed and cannot be disassembled, rework maintenance cannot be performed when the circuit board 3 has a problem. Moreover, when the SAS wire 6 is accidentally pulled, the end of the circuit board 3 and the connection of the SAS wire 6 are easily detached, thereby affecting the normal operation of the connector.

Therefore, it is desirable to develop a cable assembly that avoids the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector assembly which can prevent the high frequency characteristics of the circuit board from being damaged, resist the external force from being pulled out, and simplify the manufacture and assembly of the cable connector assembly.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a cable connector assembly, comprising: the insulation shell is formed by assembling a base and a cover plate, the base is L-shaped, an accommodating cavity is formed in the base, the cover plate is used for sealing the accommodating cavity, the assembled insulation shell is provided with a first opening and a second opening, the first opening and the second opening are perpendicular to each other in direction, and a butt joint cavity is formed in the first opening; the two circuit boards are fixed in the accommodating cavity, each of the two circuit boards is provided with a golden finger and a connecting end, the golden finger is exposed outwards from the butt joint cavity, and a plurality of cables connected to the connecting ends extend outwards through the second openings; the positioning module is formed on the cables in an cladding mode through plastic materials or sealant and can be clamped and fixed in the accommodating cavity; a partition plate is transversely arranged in the middle of the accommodating cavity, two positioning grooves extending in the front-back direction are formed in the partition plate, one side edges of the two circuit boards are inserted into the two positioning grooves, the positioning module is located on one side, close to the second opening, of the partition plate, and the two circuit boards are located on the other side, close to the first opening, of the partition plate; the separation plate thus not only maintains a space between the two circuit boards, but also separates the two circuit boards from the positioning module.

In one embodiment, the positioning module is at least covered at the connection part of the cables and the circuit board; the rear surface of the positioning module is provided with a clamping protrusion in a protruding mode, and the cover plate is provided with a clamping hole correspondingly matched with the clamping protrusion.

In one embodiment, the front surface of the positioning module is also provided with a fastening protrusion, and the base is also provided with a fastening hole correspondingly matched with the fastening protrusion.

In one embodiment, the other side edge of the circuit board is clamped in a channel of the inner surface of the base opposite to the separation plate, and the positioning groove is matched with the channel to provide positioning for the circuit board.

In one embodiment, a pivot is disposed at one end of the cover plate, and a pivot hole pivotally connected to the pivot is disposed on the base.

In one embodiment, the other end of the cover plate is provided with a locking protrusion in a protruding manner, the base is provided with a locking groove correspondingly matched with the locking protrusion, and the locking groove extends forwards to form the channel.

In one embodiment, the other end of the cover plate is provided with a latch part, and the base is provided with a latch hole correspondingly matched with the latch part.

In one embodiment, two sides of the middle of the cover plate respectively protrude out of the positioning flanges, and the base is provided with positioning grooves correspondingly matched with the positioning flanges.

The insulation shell and the positioning module are convenient to manufacture and can play a role in resisting drawing. Meanwhile, the invention realizes the matching positioning by assembling the insulating shell and the circuit board, and does not need to injection mold the shell at the periphery of the circuit board, thereby preventing the high temperature from damaging the high-frequency characteristic of the circuit board when the shell is injection molded, and greatly simplifying the manufacture, the assembly and the disassembly of the cable connector assembly.

The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art cable connector assembly.

Fig. 2A is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 2B is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a partially assembled cable connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein the circuit board 13 and the positioning module 12 have been assembled in the base 111.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view of the assembled cable connector assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4B is a perspective view of another direction of the assembled cable connector assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 5A is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 5B is an exploded perspective view in another orientation of another embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention.

Fig. 6A-6C illustrate an assembly process of another embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention, wherein fig. 6A illustrates a case where one set of circuit boards 231 is seated in the base 211, fig. 6B illustrates a case where both sets of

circuit boards

231, 232 are seated in the base 211, and fig. 6C illustrates a case where the assembly of another embodiment of the cable connector assembly according to the present invention is completed.

Fig. 7A is an exploded perspective view of a circuit board and cable according to the present invention with a spacer 8 disposed between the two circuit boards.

Fig. 7B is an exploded perspective view of another orientation of the circuit board and cable according to the present invention with a spacer 8 disposed between the two circuit boards.

List of reference numerals

1 outer mold

11. 21 insulating housing

111. 211 base

112. 212 cover plate

12. 22 positioning module

121 clamping and fixing projection

122 clamping hole

13. 231, 232, 3 circuit board

14 connecting end

15. 5 golden finger

16. 261, 262, 6 Cable

17. 27 first opening

18 second opening

2 inner mold

31 fixed column

32 fixed hole

41 Pivot hole

42 pivot

51 locking groove

52 locking projection

61 latching hole

62 latch part

71 positioning groove

72 positioning flange

8 separating element

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The cable connector assembly according to the present invention includes the insulative housing 11, and the insulative housing 11 is assembled by the base 111 and the cover 112 in a manner that not only facilitates the production and assembly and disassembly, but also avoids the adverse effects of the prior art in which the housing is integrally injection molded on the circuit board. A receiving cavity is formed in the base 111, and the cover plate 112 is used for sealing the receiving cavity.

The assembled insulating housing 11 has a first opening 17 and a second opening 18, the first opening 17 forming a mating cavity.

The cable connector assembly further comprises a circuit board 13, and the circuit board 13 is fixed in the accommodating cavity. The front edge of the circuit board 13 is provided with a gold finger 15, and a connection terminal 14 is further provided at one side of the circuit board 13, and the gold finger 15 is exposed from the mating cavity of the first opening 17 for mating with another connector (not shown) to transmit an electrical signal. A plurality of cables 16 are attached (e.g., soldered) to corresponding terminal pads of the terminals 14 and extend outwardly through the second opening 18. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the circuit board 13 is a set of two circuit boards.

In the present invention, the insulating housing 11 is a separate part that has been molded and assembled with the circuit board 13 to achieve the fitting positioning. Therefore, the present invention does not require injection molding of the insulating housing 11 at the periphery of the circuit board 13, thereby preventing high temperature from damaging the high frequency characteristics of the circuit board 13 when the insulating housing 11 is injection molded.

The cable connector assembly further includes at least one positioning module 12, wherein the positioning module 12 can be overmolded on the plurality of cables 16 by a plastic material or sealant and can be clamped and fixed in the receiving cavity. It should be noted that the temperature of the positioning module 12 is much lower than the temperature of the insulating housing 11, so that the high-frequency characteristics of the circuit board 13 are not adversely affected. Because the positioning module 12 is molded over the plurality of cables 16, the positioning module 12 is immovable relative to the cables 16. Meanwhile, because the positioning module 12 is clamped and fixed in the accommodating cavity, when the cable 16 is pulled by an external force, the acting force applied to the cable is transmitted to the insulating shell 11 through the positioning module 12 and is not transmitted to the connection part of the cable 16 and the circuit board 13, so that the cable 16 and the circuit board 13 are effectively prevented from being disconnected.

The circuit board 13 and the positioning module 12 are mounted in the receiving cavity of the base 111. After the circuit board 13 and the positioning module 12 are mounted in place in the receiving cavity of the base 111, the cover plate 112 covers the receiving cavity of the base 111, thereby preventing the circuit board 13 and the positioning module 12 from being accidentally detached from the base 111. This structure greatly simplifies the manufacture and assembly and disassembly of the cable connector assembly according to the present invention since the insulative housing 11, the circuit board 13, and the positioning module 12 can be easily assembled together. Also, when a problem occurs inside the cable connector assembly, it can be very easily disassembled for inspection and rework repair.

Further, in order to enhance the clamping effect of the positioning module 12 in the insulating housing 11 and enhance the pulling resistance of the cable connector assembly, two or more positioning modules may be formed on the plurality of cables 16, and the positioning modules may be clamped in the insulating housing 11. In this way, the pull-out resistance of the cable connector assembly is multiplied, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of the electrical connection between the cable 16 and the connection end 14 of the circuit board 13 being disconnected due to pulling.

In addition, the positioning module 12 may be wrapped around the connection of the cable 16 to the connection end 14 of the circuit board 13. As best shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the circuit board 13 is provided with terminal pads at the connection ends 14 for connection with cables 16. If the positioning module 12 covers the connection position of the cable 16 and the connection end 14 of the circuit board 13, the connection position of the cable 16 and the connection end 14 of the circuit board 13 can be protected.

As can be seen from fig. 2A, 2B and 3, a partition board is transversely disposed in the middle of the receiving cavity, and positioning slots extending in the front-back direction are formed on the partition board for inserting one side edge of the circuit board 13 therein. The number of the positioning grooves may be the same as the number of the circuit boards. When there are two circuit boards, the positioning grooves are preferably two so that one side edges of the two circuit boards 13 can be inserted therein, respectively, whereby the partition plate separates the two circuit boards 13. Furthermore, the positioning module 12 is located on one side of the partition plate close to the second opening 18, and the two circuit boards 13 are located on the other side of the partition plate close to the first opening 17, so that the partition plate separates the two circuit boards 13 from the positioning module 12.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A, 2B, 3, 4A, 4B, the base 111 of the insulating housing 11 is L-shaped such that the first opening 17 and said second opening 18 are oriented perpendicular to each other. It should be understood that in other embodiments not shown, the base 111 of the insulative housing 11 may have other shapes as desired, such as a straight-line shape, in which the first opening 17 and the second opening 18 are located at opposite ends of the straight-line shape, and the shapes of the circuit boards 13 and the positions of the gold fingers 15 and the connection terminals 14 are changed accordingly.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A, 2B and 3, the front surface and the rear surface of the positioning module 12 are both provided with the fastening protrusions 121, the base 111 and the cover 112 are respectively provided with the fastening holes 122, and the fastening holes 122 are correspondingly matched with the fastening protrusions 121, so as to fasten the positioning module 12 in the insulating housing 11 to resist the drawing force applied from the outside, and prevent the drawing force applied to the cable 16 from being transmitted to the soldering point with the circuit board 13.

In the present invention, the assembly of the base 111 and the cover plate 112 of the insulating housing 11 may be accomplished in various ways.

For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 2A, 2B and 3, one end of the cover plate 112 is provided with a pivot 42, and the base 111 is provided with a pivot hole 41 pivoted to correspond to the pivot 42. The cover 112 may be pivotally connected to the base 111 by pivoting the pivot shaft 42 with the pivot hole 41, thereby conveniently closing the receiving cavity in the base 111.

Furthermore, a locking protrusion 52 is protruded from the other end of the cover plate 112, and a locking groove 51 corresponding to the locking protrusion 52 is formed on the base 111. By means of the cooperation of the latch protrusion 52 and the latch groove 51, the cover plate 112 can keep closing the receiving cavity in the base 111, thereby avoiding the occurrence of the accidental disconnection of the other end of the cover plate 112 from the base 111.

The other side edge of the circuit board 13 is preferably snapped into a groove on the inner surface of the base 111 opposite to the partition, and as best shown in fig. 2A, the latching groove 51 may further extend forward toward the first opening 17 to form the groove, the other side edge of the circuit board 13 is snapped into the groove, and the positioning groove and the groove cooperate to provide positioning for the two side edges of the circuit board 13, thereby facilitating the insertion and assembly of the circuit board 13 into the base 111 and maintaining a set distance between the two circuit boards 13.

Further, the other end of the cover 112 is provided with a latch 62, and the base 111 is provided with a latch hole 61 corresponding to the latch 62. The cover 112 may also remain closed about the receiving cavity in the base 111 by the engagement of the latch 62 and the latch aperture 61, thereby preventing the other end of the cover 112 from being accidentally disconnected from the base 111.

Furthermore, the two sides of the middle part of the cover plate 112 respectively protrude out of the positioning flange 72, and the base 111 is provided with a positioning groove 71 correspondingly matched with the positioning flange 72. The cover plate 112 can be more easily assembled to the base 111 by the fitting of the positioning flange 72 and the positioning groove 71.

In another embodiment as shown in fig. 5B, a plurality of fixing posts 31 extend from the base 211, and the cover 212 is provided with a plurality of fixing holes 32 correspondingly matching with the fixing posts 31. The cover plate 112 can be more reliably assembled to one side of the base 111 by the cooperation of the fixing posts 31 and the fixing holes 32.

Fig. 5A and 5B show another embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the invention, which differs in that there are four circuit boards, which are divided into two sets of

circuit boards

231, 232 each connecting a

cable

261, 262, wherein each set of

circuit boards

231, 232 comprises two circuit boards spaced apart from each other. In order to accommodate the two sets of

circuit boards

231 and 232, two docking cavities are formed in the first opening 27 of the base 211 of the insulating housing 21 in parallel in the horizontal direction by means of a partition (best shown in fig. 5A and 5B), and two circuit boards are accommodated in each docking cavity, and the two circuit boards are spaced up and down. Meanwhile, in order to facilitate the arrangement of the two groups of

circuit boards

231 and 232, the group of circuit boards 231 arranged in one of the butt joint cavities and the cables 261 connected with the circuit boards are L-shaped and longer, and the group of circuit boards 232 arranged in the other butt joint cavity and the cables 262 connected with the circuit boards are L-shaped and shorter, wherein the longer group of circuit boards 231 and the cables 261 connected with the circuit boards are surrounded on the outer sides of the shorter group of circuit boards 232 and the cables 262 connected with the circuit boards, and the arrangement can provide a cable connector component with 90-degree outgoing lines of the two groups of circuit boards, so that the data transmission rate is higher, and the design is more flexible. The spacer also extends further rearwardly to separate the two sets of

circuit boards

231, 232 to prevent inadvertent contact. As shown in fig. 5A, 6A and 6B, the base 211 is further provided with a diaphragm perpendicular to the diaphragm between the

cables

261 and 262, the diaphragm being used for separating the

cables

261 and 262 so as to facilitate the cable arrangement.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 6C, the first opening 27 and the second opening for the

cables

261, 262 to protrude outwards are oriented perpendicular to each other. But the invention is not limited thereto.

In the case where two sets of

circuit boards

231, 232 are disposed in the two mating cavities of the first opening 27, one set of circuit board 231 is located on the side of the base 211 far from the second opening, so that the portion of the cable 261 connected thereto located in the base 211 is long. In order to better hold the cable 261, two positioning modules 22 may be disposed on the cable 261, wherein one positioning module 22 close to the circuit board 231 is wrapped around the connection of the cables 261 and the circuit board 231, and the other positioning module 22 is disposed at the position of the second opening, which is juxtaposed with the positioning module 22 wrapped around the connection of the cables 262 and the circuit board 232, for closing the second opening.

As shown in fig. 5B, 6A, 6B, and 6C, an installation entrance into which the two sets of

circuit boards

231 and 232 and the

cables

261 and 262 are installed is formed on the upper surface of the base 211, the installation entrance is perpendicular to the first opening 27 and the second opening, and the cover 212 can close the installation entrance.

Fig. 6A-6C illustrate an assembly process of another embodiment of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention. As shown in fig. 6A-6C, another embodiment of the cable connector assembly according to the present invention includes two sets of four

circuit boards

231 and 232 and two sets of

cables

261 and 262 connected thereto, first, a set of two circuit boards 231 located at an inner side of the base 211 and the cables 261 connected thereto are installed in the base 211 through the installation inlet, and two positioning modules on the cables 261 are both clamped in the base 211; then, a group of two circuit boards 232 and a cable 262 connected with the circuit boards are arranged in the base 211 through the installation inlet, and the positioning module on the cable 262 is clamped in the base 211; finally, the cover plate 212 is covered downward on the mounting entrance of the base 211, and the assembly of the cable connector assembly is completed.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiments, the circuit boards are in a group of two, that is, two circuit boards spaced up and down are in a group, and a group of circuit boards is disposed in each of the docking cavities. In order to avoid the two circuit boards contacting each other, the two circuit boards are generally separated from each other by two positioning modules 12 covering the joints of the cables 16 and the connecting ends 14 of the circuit boards 13 and matching two slots spaced apart on the base 111 (as shown in fig. 2A and 2B). The two positioning modules 12 may be provided with a snap-fit structure to position each other. However, in order to further ensure that the two circuit boards in each mating cavity do not contact each other, a spacer 8 may be provided between the two circuit boards to separate the two circuit boards at an interval up and down (as shown in fig. 7A and 7B), so that the influence on the high-frequency electrical characteristics of the circuit boards may be reduced since the over-molding is not required in the middle of the circuit boards where the electronic components are provided.

The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The description herein is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Various alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to produce additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.

As the present features may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics of the present invention, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalence of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cable connector assembly, comprising:

the insulation shell is formed by assembling a base and a cover plate, the base is L-shaped, an accommodating cavity is formed in the base, the cover plate is used for sealing the accommodating cavity, the assembled insulation shell is provided with a first opening and a second opening, the first opening and the second opening are perpendicular to each other in direction, and a butt joint cavity is formed in the first opening;

the two circuit boards are fixed in the accommodating cavity, each of the two circuit boards is provided with a golden finger and a connecting end, the golden finger is exposed outwards from the butt joint cavity, and a plurality of cables connected to the connecting ends extend outwards through the second openings;

the positioning module is formed on the cables in an cladding mode through plastic materials or sealant and can be clamped and fixed in the accommodating cavity;

a partition plate is transversely arranged in the middle of the accommodating cavity, two positioning grooves extending in the front-back direction are formed in the partition plate, one side edges of the two circuit boards are inserted into the two positioning grooves, the positioning module is located on one side, close to the second opening, of the partition plate, and the two circuit boards are located on the other side, close to the first opening, of the partition plate; the separation plate thus not only maintains a space between the two circuit boards, but also separates the two circuit boards from the positioning module.

2. The cable connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the positioning module covers at least the connection of the plurality of cables to the circuit board; the rear surface of the positioning module is convexly provided with a clamping bulge, and the cover plate is provided with a clamping hole correspondingly matched with the clamping bulge.

3. The cable connector assembly of claim 2, wherein the front surface of the positioning module is also protruded with a locking protrusion, and the base is also provided with a locking hole corresponding to the locking protrusion.

4. The cable connector assembly of any one of claims 1-3, wherein another side edge of said circuit board is captured within a channel of an inner surface of said base opposite said divider, said detent cooperating with said channel to provide a location for said circuit board.

5. The cable connector assembly of claim 4, wherein the cover has a pivot shaft at one end thereof, and the base has a pivot hole pivotally connected to the pivot shaft.

6. The assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein the cover plate has a latch protrusion protruding from the other end thereof, and the base has a latch groove corresponding to the latch protrusion, the latch groove extending forward to form the channel.

7. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the cover plate has a latch portion at the other end thereof, and the base has a latch hole corresponding to the latch portion.

8. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 5, wherein a positioning flange protrudes from each of two sides of the middle portion of the cover plate, and a positioning groove is formed on the base for correspondingly engaging with the positioning flange.