CN213093491U - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electric connector contains a casing and inserts a plurality of transmission pieces of locating the casing. The shell comprises an insulating outer shell and a conductive inner shell arranged in the insulating outer shell, and part of the conductive inner shell is not covered by the insulating outer shell and forms a section difference. Any transmission piece comprises an insulating frame body, a plurality of signal terminals and a plurality of grounding terminals which are fixed on the insulating frame body, and a shielding sheet body which is arranged on the insulating frame body. The signal terminals and the ground terminals of the transmission sheets are respectively arranged in the shell in a penetrating mode, and the signal terminals are inserted and fixed in the conductive inner shell to be electrically coupled with each other. Therefore, the electric connector adopts a brand new framework which is completely different from the existing electric connector, so as to expand the subsequent research and development and design space of the electric connector.

Description

Electrical connector

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for high speed signal transmission.

Background

In a conventional electrical connector for transmitting high-speed signals, the electrical connector includes an insulating housing and a plurality of transmission sheets inserted into the insulating housing and stacked. However, the architecture of the existing electrical connector has been gradually limited by the existing design framework, thereby making the architecture of the existing electrical connector difficult to be further improved.

The present inventors have considered that the above-mentioned drawbacks can be improved, and have made intensive studies and use of scientific principles, and finally have proposed a novel and effective method for improving the above-mentioned drawbacks.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An embodiment of the present invention provides an electrical connector, which can effectively improve the defects possibly generated by the existing electrical connector.

The embodiment of the utility model discloses electric connector, it includes: a housing, comprising: an insulating housing, which includes an outer mating surface and an inner mating surface, and a plurality of terminal slots penetrating through the insulating housing from the outer mating surface to the inner mating surface along a plugging direction; and a conductive inner shell disposed within the insulating outer shell, the conductive inner shell including a series of contact surfaces remote from the outer mating surface; wherein, the serial connection surface and the inner assembly surface are separated by a section difference in the plugging direction; the transmission pieces are arranged along a first direction vertical to the plugging direction and are inserted into the shell; wherein any one of the transmission sheets comprises: an insulating frame body; a plurality of signal terminals, each of which comprises a signal embedding section embedded in the insulating frame body and a signal contact section extending out of the insulating frame body from the signal embedding section; a plurality of grounding terminals, each of which comprises a grounding embedded section embedded in the insulating frame body and a grounding contact section extending out of the insulating frame body from the grounding embedded section; the shielding sheet body is arranged on the insulating frame body and comprises a sheet body and a plurality of fixed arms extending from the sheet body; the signal contact sections and the grounding contact sections of the transmission sheets are respectively arranged in the terminal grooves of the shell in a penetrating manner, and the grounding contact sections and the fixing arms of the transmission sheets are inserted and fixed on the serial connection surface of the conductive inner shell so as to be electrically coupled with each other.

Preferably, the step difference is at least 0.5 millimeters (mm).

Preferably, the serial connection surface of the conductive inner shell is concavely provided with a plurality of serial connection grooves which are arranged at intervals and electrically coupled, and the plurality of fixing arms of the plurality of transmission pieces are respectively inserted and fixed in the plurality of serial connection grooves.

Preferably, the insulating outer shell is formed with an inner assembling groove from the inner assembling surface in a concave manner, the conductive inner shell comprises an exposed portion provided with the serial connecting surface and an embedded portion far away from the serial connecting surface, and the conductive inner shell is fixed to the inner assembling groove in an inserting manner through the embedded portion.

Preferably, the conductive inner housing is formed with a plurality of frame openings communicating with the plurality of terminal grooves, and the number of the plurality of frame openings is less than the number of the plurality of terminal grooves; wherein, two adjacent signal contact sections of any one transmission piece are positioned in one frame opening of the conductive inner shell.

Preferably, each securing arm further comprises at least one interference zone, and each securing arm is secured within a corresponding series groove with at least one interference zone.

Preferably, the conductive inner shell is orthographically projected toward the inner assembly surface to form a projected area at the inner assembly surface, the projected area covers 30% to 50% of the inner assembly surface; the inner assembly surface has a plurality of exposed regions, and the exposed regions are not covered by the projection region.

Preferably, any exposed region of the inner assembly surface is formed with a gap along the plugging direction, and any gap has a length of at least 0.5 millimeter (mm) in a second direction perpendicular to the plugging direction and the first direction.

Preferably, two adjacent signal contact sections of any one of the transmission sheets are located in one of the exposed areas.

Preferably, two adjacent signal contact sections of any one transmission sheet are surrounded by the corresponding frame opening by at least 180 degrees on a plane perpendicular to the plugging direction.

Preferably, the housing further comprises a plurality of interference ribs, and the conductive inner shell is secured within the insulative outer shell with the plurality of interference ribs.

To sum up, the electrical connector disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention adopts a completely new structure different from the existing electrical connector (for example, the serial connection surface of the conductive inner shell can form a step with the inner connection surface of the insulating outer shell, and the plurality of grounding contact sections and the plurality of fixing arms of the electrical connector are inserted and fixed to the serial connection surface), so as to expand the subsequent research and development and design space of the electrical connector.

In the electrical connector, all the grounding elements (such as the grounding terminals and the shielding sheets) can be electrically coupled to each other effectively through the series connection surface of the conductive inner shell, so as to achieve the effect of common grounding between the grounding elements and/or the transmission sheets, thereby effectively preventing the signal terminals from being interfered by external signals.

For a further understanding of the features and technical content of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, which are only intended to illustrate the present invention, and not to limit the scope of the present invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an electrical connector and a mating connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of fig. 1 along the sectional line II-II.

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of fig. 3 along the sectional line IV-IV.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of fig. 3 along the sectional line V-V.

Fig. 6 is a schematic perspective view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion VII of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of the housing of fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is another perspective view of the insulative housing of fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a schematic plan view of a transfer sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is an exploded view of a transmission sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is an exploded view of another perspective of a transmission sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged schematic view of a portion XIII in fig. 10.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of a portion XIV of fig. 12.

Detailed Description

The following is a description of the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in connection with the "electrical connector" by specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art can understand the advantages and effects of the present invention from the disclosure of the present specification. The present invention may be practiced or carried out in other different embodiments, and various modifications and changes may be made in the details of this description based on the different points of view and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The drawings of the present invention are merely schematic illustrations, and are not drawn to scale, but are described in advance. The following embodiments will further explain the related art of the present invention in detail, but the disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various components or signals, these components or signals should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used primarily to distinguish one element from another element or from one signal to another signal. In addition, the term "or" as used herein should be taken to include any one or combination of more of the associated listed items as the case may be.

Please refer to fig. 1 to 14, which illustrate an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the present embodiment discloses an electrical connector 100 for being detachably plugged into a mating connector 200 along a plugging direction S, and the electrical connector 100 is, for example, a high-speed (high-frequency) connector applied to a server or a switch, but the invention is not limited thereto. For the convenience of the present embodiment, the electrical connector 100 defines a first direction D1 and a second direction D2 perpendicular to the inserting and pulling direction S, and the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are perpendicular to each other.

As shown in fig. 6 to 8, the electrical connector 100 includes a housing 1 and a plurality of transmission sheets 2 inserted into the housing 1 along a plugging direction S, and the transmission sheets 2 are aligned along a first direction D1 in this embodiment. It should be noted that although the transmission sheet 2 is described as being associated with the housing 1 in the embodiment, in other embodiments not shown in the present invention, the transmission sheet 2 may be used alone (for example, sold) or associated with other components.

In the present embodiment, the housing 1 includes an insulating outer shell 11 and a conductive inner shell 12 disposed inside the insulating outer shell 11. The insulating outer shell 11 and the conductive inner shell 12 may be of an inseparable one-piece structure or a separable two-piece structure according to design requirements, which is not limited herein. It should be noted that any housing that does not include a conductive inner housing is different from the housing 1 of the present embodiment.

The insulating housing 1 includes a substantially rectangular insertion portion 111, a positioning plate 112 extending from the top end of the insertion portion 111 along the insertion direction S, and a plurality of guiding posts 113 formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the insertion portion 111 in a staggered manner. The positioning plate 112 is used for fastening and positioning the plurality of transmission sheets 2, the plurality of guiding posts 113 are used for aligning and positioning the mating connector 200, and the number of the plurality of guiding posts 113 is two in the embodiment, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the insulating housing 11 (the plug portion 111) includes an outer mating surface 1111 and an inner mating surface 1112, and the outer mating surface 1111 is located farther from the positioning plate 112 than the inner mating surface 1112. The insertion portion 111 of the insulating housing 11 has a plurality of terminal slots 1113 formed therethrough (and arranged in a matrix) along the insertion direction S, and the terminal slots 1113 are formed from the outer mating surface 1111 (along the insertion direction S) to the inner mating surface 1112 in this embodiment. The insulating housing 11 is further recessed from the inner assembling face 1112 to form an inner assembling groove 1114, which communicates with portions of the plurality of terminal grooves 1113.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, the conductive inner shell 12 may be an electroplated plastic inner shell, a conductive plastic inner shell, or a metal inner shell according to design requirements, and the metal inner shell may be made by metal injection molding or powder metallurgy, but the invention is not limited thereto. In the present embodiment, the conductive inner housing 12 is formed with a plurality of frame openings 121 communicating with the plurality of terminal slots 1113, and the number of the plurality of frame openings 121 is less than the number of the plurality of terminal slots 1113.

Further, in the present embodiment, the conductive inner casing 12 is substantially in a fence shape, the plurality of frame openings 121 are arranged in a staggered manner in the first direction D1, and the plurality of frame openings 121 are arranged in a plurality of rows parallel to the second direction D2. In the present embodiment, the frame openings 121 include a plurality of closed frame openings 1211 and a plurality of open frame openings 1212, and the open frame openings 1212 are located at an outer edge of the conductive inner shell 12; that is, the plurality of open frame openings 1212 surround the plurality of closed frame openings 1211.

In addition, each closed frame opening 1211 is connected to at least two terminal slots 1113, each open frame opening 1212 is connected to at least one terminal slot 1113, and the number of terminal slots 1113 connected to each closed frame opening 1211 is not less than the number of terminal slots 1113 connected to any open frame opening 1212. In the present embodiment, each of the closed frames 1211 is connected to three adjacent terminal slots 1113 arranged along the second direction D2, and the open frame 1212 is connected to one terminal slot 1113 or two or three adjacent terminal slots 1113 arranged along the second direction D2.

More specifically, the conductive inner shell 12 includes an exposed portion 122 and an embedded portion 123, and the conductive inner shell 12 is inserted and fixed in the inner assembling groove 1114 through the embedded portion 123; that is, the exposed portion 122 protrudes out of the inner assembly groove 1114 (and/or the inner assembly face 1112). The inner buried portion 123 and the inner assembling groove 1114 may be in an interference fit, so that the conductive inner shell 12 is firmly mounted to the insulating outer shell 11.

Further, as shown in fig. 7 to 9, a plurality of interference ribs 114 are formed in the insertion portion 111 of the insulating outer shell 11 of the housing 1, and the positions and shapes of the interference ribs 114 can be adjusted and changed according to design requirements, so that the conductive inner shell 12 can be (detachably) fixed in the insulating outer shell 11 by the interference ribs 114, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments not shown in the present invention, the plurality of interference ribs 114 may be formed on the embedded portion 123 of the conductive inner shell 12.

In addition, the conductive inner housing 12 includes a serial surface 1221 away from the outer mating surface 1111, and the serial surface 1221 is disposed on the exposed portion 122 and away from the embedded portion 123. The series surface 1221 and the inner assembling surface 1112 are separated by a step G in the inserting direction S, and the step G is illustrated as at least 5 millimeters (mm) in this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the effect of optimizing the characteristic impedance can be effectively achieved by the step G separating the serial interface 1221 and the inner assembly interface 1112 in the inserting and pulling direction S.

Further, the series connection surface 1221 of the conductive inner housing 12 is recessed to form a plurality of series connection slots 1222 spaced apart and electrically coupled, and each series connection slot 1222 is disposed at a corner of one frame opening 121, and any one of the interference ribs 114 is preferably disposed adjacent to one of the series connection slots 1222; or, each interference rib 114 may be disposed in the insertion portion 111 of the insulating housing 11 corresponding to a corner of one frame opening 121 (for example, one interference rib 114 may be disposed in the insertion portion 111 of the insulating housing 11 corresponding to the upper right corner or the lower left corner of each frame opening 121), and a plurality of interference ribs 114 may be disposed in a plurality of rows along (or parallel to) the same direction, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments not shown in the present invention, the positions of the plurality of interference ribs 114 may be two corners respectively corresponding to the opposite corners of the plurality of frame openings 121, such as: an interference rib 114 is disposed at each of the upper right corner and the lower left corner of each frame opening 121. In the present embodiment, each serial groove 1222 extends from the exposed portion 122 to the embedded portion 123 in a recessed manner, and each serial groove 1222 has a communication hole 1223 formed therein so as to communicate with the frame opening 121 correspondingly disposed therein in the first direction D1.

The conductive inner shell 12 is orthographically projected (along the inserting and pulling direction S) toward the inner assembly surface 1112 to form a projection region at the inner assembly surface 1112, which covers 30% -50% of the inner assembly surface 1112; that is, the inner assembly face 1112 has a plurality of exposed regions 1115 not covered by the projected area, and the exposed regions 1115 are also located at the position where the inner assembly face 1112 is not recessed to form the inner assembly groove 1114.

Wherein each exposed area 1115 is located corresponding to two adjacent terminal slots 1113 arranged along the second direction D2, and each exposed area 1115 is located within one bezel 121; that is, any exposed region 1115 does not span across two frame openings 121 in this embodiment. Further, any exposed region 1115 of the inner assembling surface 1112 is formed with a notch 1116 along the inserting and pulling direction S, and any notch 1116 is equivalent to the connecting inner assembling groove 1114, and any notch 1116 has a length of at least 0.5 mm in the second direction D2; that is, at least one side of the notch 1116 in the second direction D2 has a length of at least 0.5 mm, and the end face of the notch 1116 (at any exposed region 1115 of the inner assembly face 1112) may be rectangular or trapezoidal in shape. The notches 1116 are parallel to two sides of the second direction D2, and their lengths are the same or different. Further, the end face of the notch 1116 is trapezoidal, and the shorter side of the notch 1116 is parallel to two sides of the second direction D2, and may be the side closer to the terminal groove 1113 (or the side away from the frame opening 121), but the invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, by forming the notch 1116 in any one of the exposed regions 1115 of the inner group junction 1112 along the inserting and pulling direction S, the effect of optimizing the characteristic impedance can be effectively achieved.

It should be noted that although the insulating outer shell 11 and the conductive inner shell 12 are described as having the above technical features in the present embodiment, the specific structure of the insulating outer shell 11 and the conductive inner shell 12 may also include only some of the above technical features according to design requirements. For example, in other embodiments not shown in the present disclosure, any of the exposed areas 1115 of the insulating housing 11 may not form the notch 1116; alternatively, the conductive inner case 12 may not be formed with the plurality of frame openings 121; alternatively, the cascade surface 1221 of the conductive inner shell 12 may not have the step G compared to the inner assembly surface 1112; further alternatively, the housing 1 is not formed with the plurality of interference ribs 114.

As shown in fig. 6, the plurality of transmission sheets 2 are inserted into the housing 1 along the inserting direction S and fastened to the positioning plate 112 of the insulating housing 11, and since the plurality of transmission sheets 2 include two structures in the present embodiment, but the component structures thereof are substantially the same, in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment, only the structure of a single transmission sheet 2 is described below, and then the connection relationship between the plurality of transmission sheets 2 is described in due time, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments not shown in the present invention, the electrical connector 100 may also employ a plurality of transmission sheets 2 with different or identical component architectures.

As shown in fig. 10 to 12, the transmission sheet 2 in this embodiment includes a substantially rectangular insulating frame 21, a plurality of signal terminals 22 and a plurality of ground terminals 23 fixed to the insulating frame 21, and a shield sheet 24 on which the insulating frame 21 is mounted. The transmission plate 2 is fastened to the positioning plate 112 and the inserting portion 111 of the insulating housing 11 by the insulating frame 21, and the plurality of ground terminals 23 and the shielding plate 24 are connected to the conductive inner housing 12.

The insulating frame 21 includes a front end 211, a rear end 212, a top end 213, and a bottom end 214, which are elongated and distributed around the periphery. The longitudinal directions of the front end portion 211 and the rear end portion 212 are substantially parallel to the second direction D2, the longitudinal directions of the top end portion 213 and the bottom end portion 214 are substantially parallel to the inserting and extracting direction S, and the longitudinal direction of the front end portion 211 is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the bottom end portion 214.

Each signal terminal 22 is of an integrally formed one-piece elongated structure, and each signal terminal 22 includes a signal embedding section 221 embedded in the insulative frame 21, a signal contact section 222 extending from the signal embedding section 221 through the insulative frame 21 (e.g., the front end portion 211), and a signal mounting section 223 extending from the signal embedding section 221 through the insulative frame 21 (e.g., the bottom end portion 214).

In addition, in each signal terminal 22, the signal contact section 222 and the signal mounting section 223 are formed by extending from two opposite ends of the signal embedding section 221, and the signal contact section 222 penetrates the front end portion 211 approximately vertically, and the signal mounting section 223 penetrates the bottom end portion 214 approximately vertically; that is, the length direction of the signal contact section 222 is approximately 90 degrees with the length direction of the signal mounting section 223 in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Each ground terminal 23 is of an integrally formed one-piece elongated structure, and each ground terminal 23 includes a ground embedding section 231 embedded in the insulative frame 21, a ground contact section 232 extending from the ground embedding section 231 through the insulative frame 21 (e.g., the front end portion 211), and a ground mounting section 233 extending from the ground embedding section 231 through the insulative frame 21 (e.g., the bottom end portion 214). Each ground contact section 232 has a ground contact 2321 for abutting against a ground terminal 201 of the mating connector 200.

In addition, in each ground terminal 23, the ground contact section 232 and the ground mounting section 233 are formed by extending from two opposite ends of the ground embedding section 231, and the ground contact section 232 penetrates the front end portion 211 substantially vertically, and the ground mounting section 233 penetrates the bottom end portion 214 substantially vertically; that is, the length direction of the ground contact section 232 is approximately 90 degrees from the length direction of the ground mounting section 233 in this embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In more detail, the plurality of ground terminals 23 and the plurality of signal terminals 22 are arranged in an staggered manner, and two signal terminals 22 (i.e., a differential signal pair) that can be commonly used for transmitting differential signals are provided between any two adjacent ground terminals 23 or at a portion adjacent to any one of the ground terminals 23. The plurality of ground contact segments 232 and the plurality of signal contact segments 222 are aligned in the second direction D2, and the plurality of ground mounting segments 233 and the plurality of signal mounting segments 223 are aligned in the inserting and extracting direction S.

It should be noted that although the ground embedded section 231 and the signal embedded section 221 are embedded in the insulating frame 21, the ground embedded section 231 and the signal embedded section 221 may be respectively exposed outside the insulating frame 21 in a local area, so as to facilitate the impedance adjustment of the transmission sheet 2, and the ground embedded section 231 exposed outside the insulating frame 21 may be further inserted and connected by the shielding sheet 24.

The shielding sheet 24 is a single-piece structure formed by stamping a single metal sheet in the embodiment, and the shielding sheet 24 includes a sheet body 241, a plurality of inner arms 242 bent and extended from the sheet body 241, a plurality of fixing arms 243 extended from the sheet body 241, and a plurality of elastic arms 244 extended from the plurality of fixing arms 243 towards the sheet body 241, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments not shown in the present disclosure, the plurality of interconnecting arms 242 and/or the plurality of resilient arms 244 may be omitted from the shield sheet body 24.

In the present embodiment, the sheet main body 241 is formed with a plurality of side notches 2411 located at the front edge and a plurality of inner notches 2412 located inside, the plurality of inner arms 242 are formed by bending and extending from the inner walls of the plurality of inner notches 2412 and the edge of the sheet main body 241 toward the same side substantially perpendicularly, and the plurality of fixing arms 243 are formed by extending from the inner walls of the plurality of side notches 2411 (substantially along the inserting and extracting direction S), respectively. Each of the elastic arms 244 is cantilevered, and the plurality of elastic arms 244 are positioned to correspond to the plurality of side cutouts 2411, respectively, in the first direction D1. More specifically, the plurality of elastic arms 244 are respectively formed by bending and extending from the fixing arm 243 connected (corresponding) to the plurality of elastic arms 244 in the first direction D1 or along a plane formed by the first direction D1 and the inserting and extracting direction S toward the corresponding side cut 2411, and the plurality of elastic arms 244 are located on the same side of the sheet main body 241 as the plurality of interconnecting arms 242.

In the present embodiment, the shielding sheet 24 is riveted to one side of the insulating frame 21 by the sheet body 241, so that the sheet body 241 shields the signal embedding sections 221 of the signal terminals 22 in the first direction D1, thereby providing a perfect signal shielding effect. The inner arms 242 are respectively inserted into the grounding embedded sections 231 of the grounding terminals 23 (e.g., the grounding embedded sections 231 exposed outside the insulating frame 21), so that the shielding sheet 24 and the grounding terminals 23 form a common ground connection.

In addition, the plurality of fixing arms 243 are arranged in another row along the second direction D2, which is spaced apart from the row in which the plurality of ground contact segments 232 and the plurality of signal contact segments 222 are arranged. Wherein, the number of the plurality of fixing arms 243 of the shield sheet body 24 is less than or equal to the number of the plurality of ground terminals 23; that is, in one transmission plate 2, the number of the plurality of fixing arms 243 of the shield plate body 24 may be less than or equal to the number of the plurality of ground terminals 23; in one transmission sheet 2 of the present embodiment, the number of the plurality of fixing arms 243 of the shielding sheet body 24 is equal to the number of the plurality of ground terminals 23, and each fixing arm 243 and the corresponding elastic arm 244 together correspond to one ground contact section 232 along the first direction D1, and the connection point 245 of each fixing arm 243 and the corresponding elastic arm 244 protrudes out of the ground contact 2321 of the corresponding ground contact section 232 (e.g., the bending point of the ground contact section 232 in fig. 13) in the plugging direction S.

In more detail, in order to make each fixing arm 243 have a preferable structural strength to facilitate fixing and to effectively support the swinging of the corresponding elastic arm 244, each fixing arm 243 of the present embodiment adopts the following structural design, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 11, 13 and 14, each fixing arm 243 includes a free end 2431 far from the plate body 241, a supporting portion 2432 connected to the plate body 241 (e.g., an inner wall of the corresponding side cut 2411), and a connecting portion 2433 connecting the supporting portion 2432 and the free end 2431. In each fixing arm 243 of the present embodiment, a first thickness T1 of the supporting portion 2432 in the first direction D1 is greater than a second thickness T2 of the connecting portion 2433 or the free end portion 2431 in the first direction D1. A ratio of the first thickness T1 divided by the second thickness T2 is preferably between 1.1 and 1.5, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Each elastic arm 244 is formed extending from the free end portion 2431 of the corresponding fixed arm 243 in the present embodiment, and each elastic arm 244 is adjacent to the connecting portion 2433 and the supporting portion 2432 of the corresponding fixed arm 243; that is, one side edge of the free end portion 2431 of each fixing arm 243 is connected to both the connecting portion 2433 and the corresponding elastic arm 244.

The free end 2431 of each fixing arm 243 further includes two interference areas 2434 (located on opposite sides, respectively) adjacent to the connecting portion 2433 and the corresponding elastic arm 244, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, each securing arm 243 (or free end 2431) may also include at least one interference zone 2434. When each fixing arm 243 is inserted into the conductive inner casing 12 with the free end portion 2431, the fixing arm 243 can be further fixed in the conductive inner casing 12 by the interference region 2434. In addition, in each fixing arm 243, the maximum distance between the two interference zones 2434 of the free end portion 2431 is greater than the length of the side edge of the free end portion 2431 (connected to the connecting portion 2433 and the corresponding elastic arm 244).

Furthermore, the free end 2431 of each securing arm 243 projects beyond the ground contact 2321 of the corresponding ground contact section 232 in the plugging direction S, and the free end 2431 of each securing arm 243 does not project beyond the end edge of the corresponding ground contact section 232 in the plugging direction S. The free end 2431 of each fixing arm 243 protrudes beyond the ground contact 2321 of the corresponding ground contact segment 232 in the inserting and pulling direction S by at least 0.5 millimeter (mm), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Accordingly, the transmission patch 2 disclosed in the present embodiment adopts a completely new structure (e.g., a plurality of ground contact segments 232 and a plurality of signal contact segments 222 are arranged in a row, a plurality of fixed arms 243 are arranged in another row, each free end 2431 protrudes out of a corresponding ground contact 2321, and the connection 245 between each fixed arm 243 and a corresponding elastic arm 244 protrudes out of a corresponding ground contact 2321) which is different from the existing transmission patch, so as to expand the space for subsequent development and design of the transmission patch 2.

The above is the description of the structure of a single transmission sheet 2 of the present embodiment, but the specific structure of the transmission sheet 2 can be adjusted and changed according to the design requirement, but the transmission sheet 2 is not limited to the present embodiment; the connection relationship between the plurality of transmission pieces 2 and the housing 1 of the present embodiment will be described next.

As shown in fig. 4 to 7, the signal contact sections 222 and the ground contact sections 232 of the transmission tabs 2 are respectively inserted into the terminal grooves 1113 of the housing 1 (in the inserting and extracting direction S), and the fixing arms 243 of the transmission tabs 2 are respectively inserted and fixed into the housing 1 at free end portions 2431 thereof.

Wherein (the free end 2431 of) each fixing arm 243 and the corresponding ground contact section 232 of the plurality of transmission tabs 2 are inserted and fixed in the conductive inner casing 12 to be electrically coupled to each other (for example, the free end 2431 of each fixing arm 243 is fixed in the conductive inner casing 12 by at least one interference area 2434 to be electrically coupled to each other), and the free end 2431 of each fixing arm 243 and the ground contact 2321 of the corresponding ground contact section 232 are separated by the conductive inner casing 12 in the first direction D1; that is, the free end 2431 of each securing arm 243 does not contact the corresponding ground contact segment 232.

More specifically, the ground contact sections 232 of the transmission plates 2 and the fixing arms 243 (the free end portions 2431 of the fixing arms) are inserted and fixed to the serial connection surface 1221 of the conductive inner casing 12 to be electrically coupled to each other. In the present embodiment, the fixing arms 243 of the transmission sheets 2 are respectively inserted into the series-connection grooves 1222 (e.g., each fixing arm 243 is fixed in the corresponding series-connection groove 1222 by its interference area 2434), and each elastic arm 244 is located in one series-connection groove 1222 and its communication opening 1223. More specifically, one end of each of the elastic arms 244 adjacent to the connecting portion 2433 corresponding to the fixing arm 243 is located in one of the series grooves 1222, and the other end of each of the elastic arms 244 adjacent to the supporting portion 2432 corresponding to the fixing arm 243 is exposed outside the series surface 1221 of the inner conductive shell 12, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Accordingly, the electrical connector 100 disclosed in the present embodiment adopts a completely new structure different from the existing electrical connector (e.g., the connection surface 1221 of the conductive inner shell 12 and the inner connection surface 1112 of the insulating outer shell 11 form a step G, and the plurality of ground contact sections 232 and the plurality of fixing arms 243 of the electrical connector 100 are inserted and fixed on the connection surface 1221), so as to expand the space for the subsequent development and design of the electrical connector 100.

In addition, in the electrical connector 100 of the present embodiment, all the grounding elements (e.g., the grounding terminals 23 and the shielding sheets 24) can be electrically coupled to each other through the connecting surface 1221 of the inner conductive shell 12, so that the grounding elements and/or the transmission sheets 2 can be grounded together, and the signal terminals 22 can be effectively prevented from being interfered by external signals.

In other words, two adjacent signal contact sections 222 of any one transmission piece 2 are located in one exposed region 1115 and one frame opening 121 of the inner conductive shell 12 in the present embodiment, and are surrounded by the corresponding frame opening 121 for at least 180 degrees on a plane perpendicular to the plugging direction S. Two adjacent signal contact sections 222 of any one transmission patch 2 are surrounded by the corresponding closed frame openings 1211 and at least 180 degrees by the corresponding open frame openings 1212 on the plane. Accordingly, the electrical connector 100 can be matched with the signal terminals 22 through the frame openings 121 of the conductive inner housing 12, so as to improve the signal transmission performance of the signal terminals 22.

Two adjacent signal contact sections 222 of any one of the transmission sheets 2 can be disposed in one of the frame openings 121 (e.g., the closed frame opening 1211); alternatively, a signal contact section 222 adjacent to the ground contact section 232 of any one of the transmission sheets 2 can be disposed in one of the frame openings 121 (e.g., the closed frame opening 1211); alternatively, only a single ground contact segment 232 may be disposed within one bezel 121 (e.g., open bezel 1212); alternatively, only two signal terminals 22 (i.e., a differential signal pair) may be disposed within one bezel 121 (e.g., open bezel 1212). The signal contact section 222, whether located in the closed frame 1211 or the open frame 1212, not only achieves better shielding effect but also improves signal transmission performance of the signal terminal 22.

As shown in fig. 2 and fig. 4 to fig. 7, when the electrical connector 100 of the present embodiment is used to connect the mating connector 200, each ground terminal 201 of the mating connector 200 is inserted through the terminal slot 1113 of the housing 1 where the corresponding ground terminal 23 is located, and is inserted between the corresponding ground terminal 23 and the frame opening 121 of the conductive inner shell 12 where the corresponding ground terminal 23 is located, a part (i.e., one end portion) of the ground terminals 201 is exposed out of the series connection surface 1221 through the conductive inner shell 12, each ground terminal 201 is electrically coupled with the corresponding conductive inner shell 12 (or the frame opening 121 where the ground terminal is located), and the ground contact 2321 of each elastic arm 244 and the corresponding ground contact section 232 is used to abut against one ground terminal 201 of the mating connector 200 and are electrically coupled with each other. In the present embodiment, any one of the resilient arms 244 and its corresponding ground contact segment 232 are used to press and abut (e.g., to substantially clamp) the corresponding ground terminal 201 of the mating connector 200 in different directions. Each elastic arm 244 swings toward the corresponding side notch 2411 when abutting against the corresponding terminal 201 of the mating connector 200 (see fig. 11).

Accordingly, the electrical connector 100 disclosed in the present embodiment includes a plurality of ground terminals 23 and a plurality of shield sheets 24 that can not only be electrically coupled to each other and commonly grounded through the conductive inner housing 12, but also be further connected to the mating connector 200 (e.g., each of the elastic arms 244 and the corresponding ground contact 2321 abut against the ground terminal 201 of the mating connector 200), and the ground terminals 201 of the mating connector 200 are further electrically coupled to each other through the conductive inner housing 12, so that the elastic arms 244, the ground contacts 2321, the ground terminals 201 and the conductive inner housing 12 are commonly grounded, so that all ground components of the electrical connector 100 and the mating connector 200 achieve the effect of being commonly grounded, thereby effectively ensuring the quality and performance of signal transmission.

[ technical effects of the embodiments of the present invention ]

In summary, the electric connector disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention employs a completely new structure (for example, a plurality of ground contact sections and a plurality of signal contact sections are arranged in a row, a plurality of fixing arms are arranged in another row, each free end portion protrudes out of a corresponding ground contact, and the connection portion of each fixing arm and a corresponding elastic arm protrudes out of a corresponding ground contact) different from the existing transmission piece, so as to expand the space for subsequent development and design of the electric connector (or transmission piece).

Furthermore, the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention also employs a completely new structure different from the existing electrical connector (e.g., the serial connection surface of the conductive inner shell and the inner connection surface of the insulating outer shell form a step, and the plurality of grounding contact sections and the plurality of fixing arms of the electrical connector are inserted and fixed to the serial connection surface), so as to expand the subsequent development and design space of the electrical connector.

In the electrical connector, all the grounding elements (such as the grounding terminals and the shielding sheets) can be electrically coupled to each other effectively through the series connection surface of the conductive inner shell, so that the grounding elements and/or the transmission sheets can be grounded together, and the signal terminals can be effectively prevented from being interfered by external signals.

In addition, the electrical connector disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention includes a plurality of grounding terminals and a plurality of shielding sheets, which can not only be electrically coupled to each other and be grounded together through the conductive inner shell, but also be further connected to a mating connector (e.g., each elastic arm and the corresponding grounding contact abut against the grounding terminal of the mating connector) and the grounding terminals of the mating connector are further electrically coupled to each other through the conductive inner shell, so that the elastic arms, the grounding contacts, the grounding terminal and the conductive inner shell are grounded together, and all grounding components of the electrical connector and the mating connector achieve the effect of being grounded together, thereby effectively ensuring the quality and performance of signal transmission.

The above disclosure is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, so that all the modifications of the equivalent technology using the contents of the specification and drawings are included in the scope of the claims.

Claims (11)

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

a housing, comprising:

the insulating shell comprises an outer matching surface and an inner assembling surface, and a plurality of terminal slots penetrating to the inner assembling surface along a plugging direction are formed in the insulating shell from the outer matching surface; and

a conductive inner shell disposed within the insulating outer shell and including a series of interface surfaces remote from the outer mating surface; wherein the serial connection surface and the inner assembly surface are separated by a step in the plugging direction; and

the transmission pieces are arranged along a first direction perpendicular to the plugging direction and are inserted into the shell; wherein any one of the transmission sheets comprises: an insulating frame body;

the signal terminals respectively comprise a signal embedding section embedded in the insulating frame body and a signal contact section extending out of the insulating frame body from the signal embedding section;

a plurality of grounding terminals, each of which comprises a grounding embedded section embedded in the insulating frame body and a grounding contact section extending out of the insulating frame body from the grounding embedded section; and

the shielding sheet body is arranged on the insulating frame body and comprises a sheet body and a plurality of fixing arms extending from the sheet body;

the signal contact sections and the ground contact sections of the transmission sheets are respectively inserted into the terminal grooves of the housing, and the ground contact sections and the fixing arms of the transmission sheets are inserted into and fixed on the serial connection surface of the conductive inner housing so as to be electrically coupled with each other.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the step difference is at least 0.5 mm.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the serial surface of the inner conductive housing is recessed to form a plurality of serial grooves that are spaced apart and electrically coupled, and the plurality of fixing arms of the plurality of transmission plates are respectively inserted and fixed in the plurality of serial grooves.

4. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the insulative housing is recessed from the inner mating surface to form an inner mating groove, the inner conductive housing includes an exposed portion defining the mating surface and an embedded portion remote from the mating surface, and the inner conductive housing is inserted into and secured to the inner mating groove by the embedded portion.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein said conductive inner housing is formed with a plurality of frame openings communicating with a plurality of said terminal slots, and the number of said plurality of frame openings is less than the number of said plurality of terminal slots; wherein two adjacent signal contact sections of any one of the transmission plates are located in one of the frame openings of the conductive inner housing.

6. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein each of said retention arms further includes at least one interference area, and each of said retention arms is secured within a corresponding one of said series-connected slots with at least one of said interference areas.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein said inner conductive shell is orthographically projected toward said inner mating face to form a projected area at said inner mating face, said projected area covering 30% to 50% of said inner mating face; the inner assembly surface has a plurality of exposed regions, which are not covered by the projection region.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein any of said exposed regions of said inner mating surfaces has a gap formed along said mating direction, and wherein any of said gaps has a length of at least 0.5 mm in a second direction perpendicular to said mating direction and said first direction.

9. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein adjacent two of said signal contact sections of any one of said transmission wafers are located in one of said exposed areas.

10. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein adjacent two of said signal contact sections of any one of said transmission wafers are surrounded by corresponding ones of said frame openings by at least 180 degrees in a plane perpendicular to said mating and unmating directions.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein said housing further comprises a plurality of interference ribs and said inner conductive shell is secured within said outer insulative shell by said plurality of interference ribs.

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