CN117276950A - Socket mating nail, socket connector and board-to-board connector assembly comprising same - Google Patents

Abstract

A receptacle mating nail for a receptacle connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first enhancement section; a pair of second reinforcing portions disposed perpendicular to the first reinforcing portions; a bottom reinforcement portion connected to the first reinforcement portion; and an island reinforcing portion connected to the bottom reinforcing portion, wherein the pair of second reinforcing portions includes a second upper covering portion continuously connected to and extending from both sides of the first upper covering portion of the first reinforcing portion, and a curved inner angle covering portion is disposed between the first upper covering portion and the pair of second upper covering portions.

Description

Socket mating nail, socket connector and board-to-board connector assembly comprising same

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a socket mating nail in a board-to-board connector and a socket connector including the same. Further, the present disclosure relates to a board-to-board connector assembly including a receptacle connector and a plug connector engaged therewith.

Background

As electronic products are miniaturized, components used in the electronic products become thinner and smaller. For example, a smart phone or a digital camera is provided with a board-to-board connector (BTB connector) that electrically connects boards to each other, but as the smart phone or the digital camera is miniaturized, a receptacle connector constituting the BTB connector and a plug connector engaged with the receptacle connector are thinned to a size having an ultra-narrow width of several mm. The gaps or pitches between the plurality of terminals held in each of the receptacle connector and the plug connector also gradually decrease, thereby making it difficult to maintain the structural strength of the connector.

When a force or external impact for assembly is applied to the receptacle connector and the plug connector while the receptacle connector and the plug connector are misaligned (i.e., misalignment occurs) during coupling, a contact portion between the receptacle plug and the plug connector may be easily deformed or damaged, and a terminal held in each of the receptacle connector and the plug connector may be easily deformed or damaged. Therefore, there is a problem in that the electrical connection between the receptacle connector and the plug connector becomes unstable.

In this regard, the socket connector disclosed in korean patent laid-open No. 10-2020-0048135 includes a reinforcing bracket, i.e., a mating nail as a conductive member covering a portion of the edge region, a portion of the bottom region, and a portion of the island region, respectively.

Patent document 1: korean patent laid-open No. 10-2020-0048135

Disclosure of Invention

However, the coupling pin provided in the socket connector disclosed in korean patent laid-open No. 10-2020-0048135 has a gap between a first upper cover portion covering an upper side of a first peripheral portion of an edge region and a second upper cover portion covering an upper side of a second peripheral portion extending in a direction orthogonal to the first peripheral portion of the edge region. Therefore, the upper side of the edge area in the receptacle connector is not sufficiently covered. That is, when the receptacle connector and the plug connector are assembled, the inner corner portion of the receptacle connector that contacts the outer corner portion of the edge region of the plug connector is not covered by the mating nails but is exposed to the outside, and thus, a force or an external impact applied when assembling the receptacle connector and the plug connector may cause deformation or breakage of the receptacle connector.

Small electronic devices, such as smartphones, are likely to fall off during use and require considerable strength, and thus also enhance the requirements of the fall-off test, and thus require a more robust and high strength structure. Accordingly, there is a need for a product that can achieve stable electrical connection between a receptacle connector and a plug connector, stably transmit high-capacity data and high current, and prevent deformation or breakage due to external impact during frequent attachment/detachment, assembly, or dropping.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a receptacle mating nail for a receptacle connector.

A socket mating nail according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first enhancement section; a pair of second reinforcing portions disposed perpendicular to the first reinforcing portions; a bottom reinforcement portion connected to the first reinforcement portion; and an island reinforcing portion connected to the bottom reinforcing portion; wherein the pair of second reinforcement parts includes a second upper cover part continuously connected to and extending from both sides of the first upper cover part of the first reinforcement part, and an inner angle cover part having a curved shape is disposed between the first upper cover part and the pair of second upper cover parts.

In one embodiment, the first reinforcing portion further comprises a first outer cover portion disposed outside the first upper cover portion and a first inner cover portion disposed within the first upper cover portion, and each of the pair of second reinforcing portions further comprises a second outer cover portion disposed outside the second upper cover portion, wherein the first outer cover portion and the second outer cover portion are spaced apart from each other.

In one embodiment, the socket mating nail further includes a first angled portion extending inwardly from the first upper cover portion and connected to the inner corner cover portion.

In one embodiment, a notch portion is formed between the first inner cover portion and the first inclined portion.

In one embodiment, the bottom reinforcement portion includes a pair of terminal portions connected to the first inner cover portion and disposed at both ends thereof, and the socket coupling nail further includes: a second inclined portion extending obliquely inward from the second upper cover portion and connected to the inner corner cover portion; and a cutout portion formed in the second upper cover portion and accommodated together with the terminal portion of the bottom reinforcement portion.

In one embodiment, the island enhancement portion includes a first island outer cover portion connected to an end portion of the bottom enhancement portion, an island upper cover portion connected to the first island outer cover portion, and a pair of second island outer cover portions extending downward from both sides of the island upper cover portion.

In one embodiment, a protrusion is formed on the first inner cover portion.

In one embodiment, the inner corner cover portion is rounded so as to extend and be molded obliquely from the first upper cover portion and the second upper cover portion toward the bottom reinforcement portion.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a receptacle connector.

The socket connector according to an exemplary embodiment includes the socket fitting nail, the socket housing, and the plurality of socket terminals according to the foregoing embodiments, wherein an upper portion of an inner angle portion between the first peripheral portion and the pair of second peripheral portions of the socket housing may be covered by an inner angle covering portion of the socket fitting nail.

The receptacle connector according to another exemplary embodiment further includes the receptacle mating nail according to the foregoing embodiment, a receptacle housing, a plurality of receptacle terminals, and a pair of power terminals, wherein the pair of power terminals includes: a power terminal portion disposed adjacent to the plurality of receptacle terminals; and a terminal protection portion connected to the power terminal portion and disposed adjacent to the socket mating nail.

In one embodiment, the upper end portion of the terminal protection portion may be formed higher than the upper end portion of the power terminal portion.

The receptacle connector according to still another exemplary embodiment further includes: a pair of receptacle mating pins and a plurality of signal terminals disposed between the pair of mating pins; and a pair of power terminals disposed between each of the pair of socket mating pins and the plurality of signal terminals, wherein each of the pair of power terminals comprises: a power terminal portion disposed adjacent to the plurality of signal terminals; and a terminal protection portion provided adjacent to the socket mating pin, wherein an upper end portion of the terminal protection portion is formed higher than an upper end portion of the power supply terminal portion.

In one embodiment, the terminal protection portion is integrally formed with the power terminal portion.

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a connector assembly. The connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment includes the receptacle connector according to the previous embodiment and the plug connector mated with the receptacle connector.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the socket connector can be prevented from being deformed or broken by sufficiently covering the inner corners of the socket connector for protection from impact, and at the same time, the plug connector can be prevented from being assembled in a misaligned state by guiding the plug connector to easily mate with the socket connector when assembling the socket connector and the plug connector. In addition, a stable assembly structure of the receptacle connector and the plug connector can be achieved and maintained and reliable product performance is provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a receptacle connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a portion of the receptacle connector including a cut-out surface taken along line II-II shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a portion of a receptacle connector including a cut-out surface taken along line III-III shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a socket mating nail according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the socket-engaging nail shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the socket-mating nail shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a signal terminal of a socket terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a power terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the power terminal shown in fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a side view of a receptacle connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 is a view showing a portion of a plug connector including a cut-out surface taken along line XII-XII shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a view showing a portion of a plug connector including a cut-out surface taken along line XIII-XIII shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view illustrating a plug-mating nail according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 15 is a view for describing an engagement structure when a receptacle connector and a plug connector in a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled.

Fig. 16 is a view for describing an engagement structure when a receptacle connector and a plug connector in a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled.

Description of the reference numerals

1: connector assembly 2: socket connector

4: plug connector 10: socket shell

11: socket bottom portion 12: peripheral portion of socket

12a, 12b: first peripheral portions 12c, 12d: a second peripheral portion

13: island portion 14: matching groove

20: socket terminal (signal terminal) 30: socket fitting nail

31: first enhancement portion 32: second reinforcing part

33: bottom reinforcement portion 34: island enhancement

35: the inner angle covering portion 36: a first inclined part

37: notch portion 38: a second inclined part

40: power supply terminal 41: power supply terminal part

50: terminal protection portion 410: plug shell

411: plug bottom portion 412: plug peripheral portion

420: plug terminal 430: plug-fitting nail

431: first enhancement portion 432: second reinforcing part

Detailed Description

For the purpose of explaining the technical concept of the present disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. The scope according to the present disclosure is not limited to the specific description of these embodiments or implementations presented below.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. All terms used in the present disclosure are selected for the purpose of more clearly describing the present disclosure, and are not intended to be limiting in terms of the scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, expressions such as "comprising," "including," "having," etc. are to be construed as open-ended terms that imply the inclusion of other embodiments are not otherwise noted in the phrases or sentences including the expressions.

Unless otherwise indicated, the singular forms described in this disclosure may include plural referents that are also applicable to the singular forms described in the appended claims.

As used herein, expressions such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish a plurality of components from one another and do not limit the order or importance of the corresponding components.

In this disclosure, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it is understood that the element can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or be connected or coupled to the other element via another new element.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or corresponding parts may be assigned identical reference numerals. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, repeated explanation of the same or corresponding parts may be omitted. However, even if descriptions of the components are omitted, it is not intended that the components are not included in any embodiment.

A connector assembly including a receptacle connector and a plug connector according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be referred to as a BTB connector in a vertical stack structure. Further, the receptacle connector may be referred to as a "female connector", and the plug connector may be referred to as a "male connector" that is assembled (fastened) with the receptacle connector or disassembled (removed) from the receptacle connector.

In the description of the embodiment, the socket connector and the plug connector are described as being assembled in the vertical direction based on the arrangement in the drawings, but are not limited thereto. The receptacle connector and the plug connector may be oriented differently in the drawings, and in this case, the receptacle connector and the plug connector may be assembled in a direction other than the vertical direction.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a receptacle connector 2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 1, a receptacle connector 2 of the embodiment includes: a receptacle housing 10 extending in a first direction (X direction); a plurality of receptacle terminals 20 held in the receptacle housing 10 and arranged in two rows in a first direction (X direction); and a pair of socket mating nails 30 provided at both ends of the socket housing 10 in the first direction (X direction).

To improve the conductivity of the plurality of socket terminals 20 and the pair of socket mating nails 30, which are typically composed of copper alloy for conductivity, portions electrically connected to the plug connector, portions electrically connected to the board, and the like may be plated with gold (Au). Further, in order to improve rust resistance of the plurality of socket terminals 20 and the pair of socket mating nails 30, a portion for preventing solder penetration extending from a portion electrically connected to the board may be plated with nickel (Ni).

The plurality of receptacle terminals 20 and the pair of receptacle mating nails 30 are injected into a mold and completely over-molded with an insulating material, thereby being molded into the receptacle housing 10. The insulating material molded into the socket housing 10 may include heat resistant plastic, heat resistant resin, or the like. Here, "full overmolding" is an injection molding process in which one material is molded over another material. Since the insulating material is filled in the mold in which the plurality of socket terminals 20 and the pair of socket fittings 30 are positioned to be molded into the socket housing 10, the plurality of socket terminals 20, and the pair of socket fittings 30 can be integrally formed without a separate assembly process. The receptacle connector 2 manufactured by this method has a stable structure that is simple to manufacture, compared to a receptacle connector in which a receptacle housing, a plurality of receptacle terminals, and a pair of receptacle mating nails are manufactured separately and then assembled integrally.

Fig. 2 is a view showing a part of the receptacle connector 2 including a cutout surface taken along a line II-II shown in fig. 1, and fig. 3 is a view showing a part of the receptacle connector 2 including a cutout surface taken along a line III-III shown in fig. 1. Here, the second direction (Y direction) means a direction perpendicular to both the first direction (X direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction). The plane defined by the first direction (X direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) is an XZ plane, and the plane defined by the second direction (Y direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) is a YZ plane.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, in the receptacle connector 2 of the embodiment, the receptacle housing 10 includes a receptacle bottom part 11, a receptacle peripheral part 12 protruding upward (+z direction) from an edge of the receptacle bottom part 11, and an island part 13 provided in the receptacle peripheral part 12. The island portion 13 is also referred to as an "island portion", "central protruding portion", or "protruding portion". The receptacle peripheral portion 12 includes: a pair of first peripheral portions 12a and 12b facing each other in a first direction (X direction) and extending in a second direction (Y direction); and a pair of second peripheral portions 12c and 12d facing each other in the second direction (Y direction) and extending in the first direction (X direction) so as to connect the pair of first peripheral portions 12a and 12b. The socket coupling nail 30 may be referred to as a metal fitting, more specifically, a reinforcing metal fitting, a locking fitting, etc., capable of protecting an end portion of the socket housing 10 from external impact.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a socket mating nail 30 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 4, the socket coupling pins 30 may cover at least a portion of the socket peripheral portion 12, the socket bottom portion 11, and the island portion 13 of the socket housing 10. Specifically, the socket coupling pin 30 may have a first reinforcement portion 31 and a pair of second reinforcement portions 32 disposed perpendicular to the first reinforcement portion 31. The first reinforcement portion 31 and the second reinforcement portion 32 may be located on an XY plane defined by a first direction (X direction) and a second direction (Y direction). Further, the socket-coupling pin 30 may have: a bottom reinforcement portion 33 connected to the first reinforcement portion 31 and covering the bottom reinforcement portion 11 between the first peripheral portions 12a and 12b and the island portion 13; and an island reinforcing portion 34 connected to the bottom reinforcing portion 33 and covering end portions of the island portion 13 facing the first peripheral portions 12a and 12b. A pair of second reinforcing portions 32 and bottom reinforcing portions 33 may be directly connected to the first reinforcing portion 31. Island reinforcement 34 may be connected to first reinforcement 31 by bottom reinforcement 33.

In the socket mating nail 30, the first reinforcement portion 31 includes a first upper cover portion 31a that covers the upper side surfaces of the first peripheral portions 12a and 12b, and the pair of second reinforcement portions 32 includes a pair of second upper cover portions 32a that cover a portion of the upper surfaces of the pair of second peripheral portions 12c and 12 d. A pair of second upper cover portions 32a extend from both sides of the first upper cover portion 31a, and may extend in a direction orthogonal to the first upper cover portion 31a. The first reinforcement portion 31 includes a first outer covering portion 31b that extends downward (-Z direction) from an outer edge of the first upper covering portion 31a so as to cover at least a part of the outer surfaces of the first peripheral portions 12a and 12b. Further, the first reinforcement portion 31 includes a first inner covering portion 31c that extends downward (-Z direction) from the inner edge of the first upper covering portion 31a so as to cover at least a part of the inner surfaces of the first peripheral portions 12a and 12b. The fitting nail protrusion 31d is formed to protrude from the first inner covering portion 31c in the opposite direction to the first outer covering portion 31 b. Further, each of the pair of second reinforcement portions 32 includes a second outer covering portion 32b that extends downward (-Z direction) from an outer edge of the second upper covering portion 32a to cover at least a part of the outer side surfaces of the second peripheral portions 12c and 12 d.

Further, the bottom reinforcement portion 33 includes a pair of fitting nail terminal portions 33a (simply referred to as "terminal portions") bent from the lower edge of the first inner cover portion 31c to extend in the-X direction, and extending upward (+z direction) from at least a portion of both edges to face each of the pair of second outer cover portions 32 b. The pair of terminal portions 33a has a fixed end portion connected to the edge of the bottom reinforcement portion 33 and a free end portion including portions extending upward (+z direction) from the fixed end portion and convexly curved toward each other. Accordingly, the pair of terminal portions 33a can be elastically deformed (bent) by a force applied in the second direction (Y direction) (e.g., pressed by contact of the plug connector assembled to the receptacle connector), and restored to the original state when the force applied in the second direction (Y direction) is released. The pair of terminal portions 33a have a contact structure with the header connector 4 (see fig. 11), and the terminal portions 33a may receive electric power from or may supply electric power to the header mating pins of the header connector 4 in contact.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the socket-type fitting 30 shown in fig. 4, and fig. 6 is a side view of the socket-type fitting 30 shown in fig. 4.

Referring to fig. 4 to 6, the island-reinforcing portion 34 includes a first island-outer-cover portion 34b extending obliquely upward (+z direction) from an inner edge of the bottom-reinforcing portion 33 and facing the first inner-cover portion 31c, an island-upper-cover portion 34a connected to the first island-outer-cover portion 34b, and a pair of second island-outer-cover portions 34c extending downward (-Z direction) from both sides of the island-upper-cover portion 34 a.

The socket coupling nail 30 includes a first reinforcing portion 31, a pair of second reinforcing portions 32, a bottom reinforcing portion 33, and an island reinforcing portion 34, and is configured to cover the socket bottom portion 11, the socket peripheral portion 12, and the island portion 13 with a single piece, respectively, to protect end portions of the socket connector 2 from external impact or the like, thereby preventing deformation or breakage of the socket connector 2 and improving rigidity of the socket connector 2.

Preferably, the first upper cover portion 31a and the pair of second upper cover portions 32a may be seamlessly connected, that is, continuously connected to each other. That is, when the socket coupling pin 30 is viewed from the top, the first upper cover portion 31a and the second upper cover portion 32a may be continuously formed without a broken portion. The first outer cover portion 31b and the second outer cover portion 32b are spaced apart from each other. That is, the first and second outer cover portions 31b and 32b of the first and second reinforcement portions 31 and 32 are spaced apart from each other, and the first and second upper cover portions 31a and 32a may be seamlessly and continuously connected to each other. In the present disclosure, when the member extends seamlessly or continuously, this means that the member extends smoothly without gaps or steps.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, a curved inner angle covering portion 35 may be provided at a connection portion between the first upper covering portion 31a and the second upper covering portion 32a. The curved inner angle covering portion 35 extends to substantially cover an upper region of an inner angle between a first inner surface portion of the first peripheral portion 12a of the receptacle peripheral portion 12 and a second inner surface portion of the pair of second peripheral portions 12c and 12 d. When the socket coupling nail 30 is viewed from the top, the socket coupling nail 30 has a structure in which an upper region of the inner corner of the socket peripheral portion 12 is covered by the inner corner covering portion 35 and is not exposed upward. Accordingly, when the plug connector 4 is assembled to the receptacle connector 2, the inner corner cover portion 35 may protect the outer corner portion of the plug connector 4 from pressing or striking the inner corner portion of the receptacle connector 2. The inner corner covering portion 35 may be made of a metal material having excellent rigidity. Therefore, the inner corner portion of the socket connector 2, which is structurally weak, can be prevented from being deformed or broken due to penetration or the like.

The inner corner covering portion 35 may extend obliquely from the first upper covering portion 31a and the second upper covering portion 32a toward the bottom reinforcing portion 33. In one embodiment, the socket coupling pin 30 is rounded by a half-stretching method to form the inner corner covering portion 35. The stretching process refers to a process of placing a metal plate on a mold having a groove and pressing the metal plate by a punch having a shape corresponding to the groove to make the plate into a three-dimensional object having a depth. For example, a metal plate may be drawn by a circular punch to be formed into a cup shape. The case where the stretching depth is relatively large is referred to as deep stretching, and the case where the stretching depth is relatively small is referred to as half stretching. By using half stretching, curved surfaces that are continuously connected to each other can be seamlessly formed. The socket mating nail 30 is manufactured by: by using a planar plate having a thin thickness as a material, the portions arranged on the plate are bent in series order. Before the inner corner covering portion 35 is half stretch-molded, a reinforcing portion located on the same plane as the first upper covering portion 31a and the second upper covering portion 32a is provided between the first upper covering portion 31a and the second upper covering portion 32a. When the reinforcing portion is rounded by pressing, the reinforcing portion is inclined downward between the first reinforcing portion 31 and the second reinforcing portion 32 and deformed to expand in a curved shape, thereby being formed as an inner angle covering portion 35.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the socket coupling pin 30 may have a first inclined portion 36 extending from an inner edge of the first upper cover portion 31a and connected to the inner angle cover portion 35. The first inner covering portion 31c may be connected to the first inclined portion 36 and extend downward (-Z direction). The notch portion 37 may be formed on the first inclined portion 36 at both sides of the first inner cover portion 31c so as to easily bend the first inner cover portion 31c downward (-Z direction) without affecting the first upper cover portion 31a and the first inclined portion 36. The notch portion 37 may be formed in a straight line when the socket coupling pin 30 is viewed from the top. However, the shape of the notch portion 37 is not limited thereto, and may be formed in a curved shape or may also be formed to extend obliquely with respect to the first inner cover portion 31c.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, the socket coupling pin 30 may have a second inclined portion 38 extending from an inner edge of the second upper cover portion 32a. A cutout portion 39 cut to have a smaller extension length than the other portions may be formed in the second inclined portion 38 so that when the terminal portion 33a provided on the bottom reinforcement portion 33 is pressed in a direction toward the second outer cover portion 32b, a free end portion of the terminal portion 33a can be accommodated without causing interference.

Referring to fig. 5, a first curved portion 31e curved in a direction opposite to a direction toward the first inner cover portion 31c may be provided at a lower end portion of the first outer cover portion 31 b. Further, a second curved portion 32e that is curved outward may be provided at the lower end portion of the second outer covering portion 32 b. The first bent portion 31e and the second bent portion 32e serve as welding portions for mounting the socket bottom portion 11 on a board while supporting the socket bottom portion 11 of the socket housing 10. Welding may be applied between the first and second curved portions 31e and 32e and the plate. The socket coupling pin 30 may be firmly coupled to the socket housing 10 by the first bent portion 31e and the second bent portion 32 e. The first bent portion 31e and the second bent portion 32e may be plated with nickel (Ni) for preventing solder wicking. To improve conductivity, end portions of the first and second bent portions 31e and 32e may be plated with gold (Au).

Referring to fig. 6, the first upper cover portion 31a of the first reinforcement portion 31 and the second upper cover portion 32a of the second reinforcement portion 32 may be disposed higher than the island upper cover portion 34a of the island reinforcement portion 34 by a height H1 based on the bottom reinforcement portion 33. When the receptacle connector 2 and the header connector 4 are assembled, the height H1 may cause the header mating nails provided in the header connector 4 to be mated, and prevent the island portions 13 provided at relatively low positions from being impacted, thereby preventing deformation or breakage of the island portions 13.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the receptacle terminals (signal terminals) 20 of the receptacle connector 2 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 7, the signal terminal 20 includes a seating portion 21, a contact portion 22 extending upward from one end of the seating portion 21 and having an end portion convexly curved toward the inside of the mating recess 14 of the receptacle connector 2, and a filling portion 23 formed at the other end of the seating portion 21 in a "U" shape or a shape similar thereto. The filling portion 23 may have a terminal protrusion 24 protruding toward the contact portion 22. The filling portion 23 may have a curved portion 25 that is curved at a lower end in an outward direction opposite to the contact portion 22. The bent portion 25 serves as a welding portion for mounting the socket bottom portion 11 on a board while supporting the socket bottom portion 11 of the socket housing 10. The signal terminals 20 may be firmly coupled to the receptacle housing 10 by the bent portions 25.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the receptacle connector 2 includes a pair of power terminals 40 provided on both sides of a plurality of receptacle terminals (signal terminals) 20. Referring to fig. 8, the power terminal 40 includes a power terminal portion 41 and a terminal protection portion 50 (simply referred to as a "protection portion") connected to the power terminal portion 41 so as to structurally protect the terminal portion 33a provided on the socket mating pin 30. The power terminal portion 41 includes a seating portion 42, a contact portion 43 extending upward from one end of the seating portion 42 and having an end portion convexly curved toward the inside of the mating groove 14, and a filling portion 44 formed at the other end of the seating portion 42 in a "U" shape or the like. A plurality of terminal protrusions 45 may be formed on the filling portion 44 to protrude toward the contact portion 43. Further, a bent portion 46 bent in an outward direction opposite to the contact portion 43 may be provided at a lower end portion of the filling portion 44. The bent portion 46 serves as a welding portion for mounting the socket bottom portion 11 on a board while supporting the socket bottom portion 11 of the socket housing 10. The power terminal 40 may be firmly coupled to the socket housing 10 by the bent portion 46.

The power terminal 40 can stably transmit high-capacity data and high current, and the width W2 (fig. 8) of the power terminal portion 41 of the power terminal 40 can be larger than the width W1 (fig. 7) of the plurality of signal terminals 20, so that it is not easily deformed or broken even due to frequent attachment/detachment or external partial impact. Further, the width W2 of the power terminal portion 41 may be larger than the width W3 of the terminal protection portion 50. The bent portion 46 may be plated with nickel (Ni) to prevent solder wicking. To improve conductivity, the end portions of the bent portions 46 and the contact portions 43 may be plated with gold (Au).

Fig. 8 and 9 are views illustrating a power terminal 40 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the terminal protection part 50 is formed in a "U" shape or the like, and the filling part 53 of the terminal protection part 50 is electrically connected to the filling part 44 of the power terminal part 41 and is structurally formed such that the upper end of the terminal protection part 50 is spaced apart from the upper end of the power terminal part 41 by a certain gap, and the terminal protection part 50 and the power terminal part 41 may be integrally formed. When the power terminal 40 is held in the receptacle connector 2, the upper end portion of the terminal protection portion 50 may be higher than the upper end portion of the power terminal portion 41 based on the receptacle bottom portion 11.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, the power terminal 40 may be disposed such that the terminal protection portion 50 is adjacent to the socket mating nail 30. Based on the socket bottom part 11, the terminal protection part 50 may be formed to have the same height as the socket coupling nail 30. Accordingly, the terminal protection portion 50 connected to the power supply terminal 40 can serve to protect at least a part of the second peripheral portions 12c and 12d and the end portion of the terminal portion 33a as with the second reinforcement portion 32 of the socket coupling pin 30. Referring to fig. 1 and 2, on one side of the terminal portion 33a of the socket coupling nail 30, the inner corner covering portion 35 and the second inclined portion 38 are separately provided or the second inclined portion 38 is separately configured, and on the other side of the terminal portion 33a, the terminal protection portion 50 is separately configured to protect the terminal portion 33a of the socket coupling nail 30 from external forces in the left-right direction (+x direction and-X direction). The terminal portion 33a may be plated with gold (Au) to improve conductivity.

Fig. 10 is a side view showing the receptacle connector 2 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The power terminal portion 41 and the plurality of receptacle terminals (signal terminals) 20 may be lower than the first and second reinforcement portions 31 and 32 of the receptacle mating nail 30 and the terminal protection portion 50 by a height H2. Alternatively, there may be a difference in level between the power supply terminal portion 41 and the plurality of signal terminals 20. Accordingly, when the plug connector 4 is assembled to the receptacle connector 2, the second peripheral portions 412c and 412d (fig. 13) of the plug connector 4 do not interfere with or contact the areas in which the plurality of signal terminals 20 are disposed in the second peripheral portions 12c and 12d of the receptacle housing 10, thereby preventing or minimizing breakage of the receptacle housing 10 or breakage of the plurality of signal terminals 20 and the power terminals 40 due to additional impact.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the receptacle connector 4 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to fig. 11, the plug connector 4 includes a plug housing 410, a plurality of plug terminals 420 held in the plug housing 410 and arranged in two rows in a first direction (X direction), and a pair of plug mating nails 430 provided at both ends of the plug housing 410, respectively. A plurality of plug terminals 420 and a pair of plug mating pins 430, which are typically formed of copper alloy for electrical conductivity, may be additionally plated to improve electrical conductivity and rust resistance.

Fig. 12 is a view showing a part of the plug connector 4 including a cutout surface taken along the line XII-XII shown in fig. 11, and fig. 13 is a view showing a part of the plug connector 4 including a cutout surface taken along the line XIII-XIII shown in fig. 11. Here, the plane defined by the first direction (X direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) is an XZ plane, and the plane defined by the second direction (Y direction) and the vertical direction (Z direction) is a YZ plane. Referring to fig. 12 and 13, the plug housing 410 of the embodiment includes a plug bottom portion 411 and a plug peripheral portion 412 protruding upward from the plug bottom portion 411. The plug peripheral portion 412 includes: a pair of first peripheral portions 412a and 412b facing each other in a first direction (X direction) and extending in a second direction (Y direction); and a pair of second peripheral portions 412c and 412d facing each other in the second direction (Y direction) and extending in the first direction (X direction).

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a plug-mating nail 430 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 14, the pin mating nail 430 includes: a first reinforcing portion 431 covering upper, outer and inner surfaces of the first peripheral portions 412a and 412b at an end portion of the plug housing 410; and a pair of second reinforcement parts 432 covering the upper, outer and inner surfaces of the pair of second peripheral parts 412c and 412 d. The first reinforcing part 431 includes a first upper cover part 431a, a first outer cover part 431b, and a first inner cover part 431c. A curved portion 431e that is curved outward is provided at a lower end portion of the first outer covering portion 431 b. A mating nail engaging groove 431d is formed in the first outer cover portion 431 b. The second reinforcement part 432 includes a second upper cover part 432a, a second outer cover part 432b, and a second inner cover part 432c. The second upper cover portion 432a is seamlessly (i.e., continuously) connected to the first upper cover portion 431a. A curved portion 432e curved in a direction opposite to the direction toward the second inner covering portion 432c may be provided at a lower end portion of the second outer covering portion 432b of the second reinforcing portion 432. A terminal engagement groove 432d is formed in the second outer cover portion 432 b. The curved portions 431e and 432e are embedded in the plug housing 410 during over-molding of the plug connector 4 to securely connect the plug mating pins 430 to the plug housing and to the board so that the plug connector 4 may be mounted on the board.

Hereinafter, the connector assembly 1 including the above-described receptacle connector 2 and plug connector 4 will be described. Fig. 15 and 16 are sectional views for describing an engagement structure when the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 4 in the connector assembly 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure are assembled. Referring to fig. 15, upon assembling the receptacle connector 2 and the header connector 4, the first island outer cover portion 34b of the receptacle mating nail 30 is formed as an inclined surface inclined with respect to the bottom reinforcing portion 33 such that the header peripheral portion 412 and the header mating nail 430 can slide without interference to fit into the mating groove 14. Further, the plug engagement pins 430 slide downward while contacting the first island outer cover portion 34b to be easily guided to an accurate assembly position. The protrusion 31d of the first inner cover portion 31c of the receptacle connector is engaged with the mating nail engagement groove 431d of the first outer cover portion 431b of the plug connector.

Referring to fig. 16, when the receptacle connector 2 and the header connector 4 are assembled, the pair of terminal portions 33a of the receptacle mating nail 30 are pushed into contact with the second outer covering portion 432b of the header mating nail 4 so as to be bent in the second direction (Y direction). Accordingly, it is possible to make stable contact between the terminal portion 33a of the socket mating nail 30 and the header mating nail 430, prevent the header connector 4 from shaking in the second direction (Y direction) after assembly, and prevent the header mating nail 430 from being loosely fitted to the socket mating nail 30.

When the receptacle connector 2 and the header connector 4 are assembled, the second reinforcement portions 432 of the header mating pins 430 are seated on the seating portions 42 of the power terminals 40 of the receptacle connector 2. The second inner cover portion 432c may extend a length L (fig. 14) and may contact the island enhancement portion 34 of the receptacle connector. The second outer cover portion 432b may contact the power terminal 40 of the receptacle connector. At this time, the terminal engagement grooves 432d of the second outer cover portion 432b may be engaged with the terminal protrusions 45 of the power supply terminal 40 of the receptacle connector. Accordingly, the receptacle connector 2 and the plug connector 4 can be firmly coupled to each other in the first direction (X direction) and the second direction (Y direction) due to the engagement structure between the protrusions and the grooves.

Although the technical idea of the present disclosure has been described through some embodiments and examples shown in the drawings, it should be understood that various substitutions, modifications and changes may be made without departing from the technical spirit and scope of the present disclosure as understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Further, such alternatives, modifications, and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A socket mating nail for a socket connector, comprising:

a first enhancement section;

a pair of second reinforcing portions disposed perpendicular to the first reinforcing portions;

a bottom reinforcement portion connected to the first reinforcement portion; and

an island reinforcement connected to the bottom reinforcement;

wherein the pair of second reinforcement portions includes a second upper cover portion that is continuously connected to and extends from both sides of the first upper cover portion of the first reinforcement portion, and

the curved inner angle covering portion is disposed between the first upper covering portion and the pair of second upper covering portions.

2. The socket mating nail of claim 1, wherein the first reinforcing portion further comprises a first outer cover portion disposed outside the first upper cover portion and a first inner cover portion disposed within the first upper cover portion, and

each of the pair of second reinforcing portions further includes a second outer cover portion disposed outside the second upper cover portion,

wherein the first outer portion cover portion and the second outer portion cover portion are spaced apart from each other.

3. The socket mating nail of claim 2, further comprising:

a first inclined portion extending inwardly from the first upper cover portion and connected to the inner corner cover portion.

4. The socket mating nail according to claim 3, wherein a notch portion is formed between the first inner cover portion and the first inclined portion.

5. The socket coupling as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bottom reinforcement portion includes a pair of terminal portions connected to the first inner cover portion and provided at both ends thereof, and

the socket mating nail further comprises

A second inclined portion extending obliquely inward from the second upper cover portion and connected to the inner corner cover portion; and

a cutout portion formed in the second upper cover portion and accommodated together with the terminal portion of the bottom reinforcement portion.

6. The socket coupling as recited in claim 5, wherein the island reinforcing portion includes a first island outer cover portion connected to an end portion of the bottom reinforcing portion, an island upper cover portion connected to the first island outer cover portion, and a pair of second island outer cover portions extending downward from both sides of the island upper cover portion.

7. The socket mating nail according to claim 2, wherein a protrusion is formed on the first inner cover portion.

8. The socket mating nail of claim 1, wherein the interior angle cover portion is rounded so as to extend and be molded obliquely from the first upper cover portion and the second upper cover portion toward the bottom reinforcement portion.

9. A receptacle connector, comprising:

the socket mating nail according to any one of claims 1 to 8;

a socket housing; and

a plurality of the terminals of the receptacle,

wherein an upper portion of an inner angle portion between the first peripheral portion and the pair of second peripheral portions of the socket housing is covered by an inner angle covering portion of the socket mating nail.

10. A receptacle connector, further comprising:

the socket mating nail according to any one of claims 1 to 8;

a socket housing;

a plurality of receptacle terminals; and

a pair of power terminals is provided for the connection of the power terminals,

wherein the pair of power terminals comprises

A power terminal portion disposed adjacent to the plurality of receptacle terminals, an

A terminal protection portion connected to the power terminal portion and disposed adjacent to the socket mating pin.

11. The receptacle connector according to claim 10, wherein an upper end portion of the terminal protection portion is formed higher than an upper end portion of the power supply terminal portion.

12. A receptacle connector, comprising:

a pair of socket mating nails and a plurality of signal terminals disposed between the pair of mating nails, an

A pair of power terminals disposed between each of the pair of socket mating pins and the plurality of signal terminals,

wherein each of the pair of power terminals comprises

A power terminal portion provided adjacent to the plurality of signal terminals, and

a terminal protection portion disposed adjacent the socket mating pin;

wherein an upper end portion of the terminal protection portion is formed higher than an upper end portion of the power supply terminal portion.

13. The receptacle connector of claim 12, wherein the terminal protection portion is integrally formed with the power terminal portion.

14. A connector assembly, comprising:

the receptacle connector of claim 9; and

a plug connector that mates with the receptacle connector.