DE102022107852A1 - Electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly (100) suitable for electrically connecting an electronic component to a circuit board (200) is provided. The electrical connector assembly comprises: a housing (110) having a grounding terminal (111) for grounding; a first electrical connector (120) mounted on the housing and adapted to be electrically connected to the circuit board; and a second electrical connector (130) mounted on the housing and electrically connected to the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector being adapted to be electrically connected to the electronic component. The first electrical connector is provided with a protective earth terminal (140) comprising: two mounting legs (141) positioned opposite each other along a first direction (X) and adapted to be mounted on the circuit board; and a floating structure suspended from the two mounting legs to allow the floating structure to be at least partially slidable in at least one direction relative to the mounting legs, the male terminal being movable along a third direction (Z) transverse to the first direction and plugged into the floating structure in the second direction to make electrical contact with the protective earth terminal.

Description

technical field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector assembly having a floating clamp structure.

State of the art

Electrical connectors are typically used to make electrical connections between electronic components such as cables and circuit boards. Terminals of conventional electrical connectors are usually fixed, which places very high demands on the overall assembly tolerance. Conventionally, it is necessary to install plural kinds of separate connectors such as connectors for signal connection, connectors for power connection and the like on a circuit board, and the connectors occupy a large space on the circuit board.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve at least one of the above and other problems or disadvantages in the prior art, the present disclosure is proposed.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrical connector assembly suitable for electrically connecting an electronic component to a circuit board, the electrical connector assembly comprising: a housing having a grounding terminal; a first electrical connector, the first electrical connector being mounted on the housing and configured to be electrically connected to the circuit board; and a second electrical connector, the second electrical connector being mounted on the housing and being electrically connected to the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector being adapted to be electrically connected to the electronic component; the first electrical connector being provided with a protective grounding terminal, the protective grounding terminal comprising: two mounting legs, the two mounting legs being positioned opposite each other along a first direction and adapted to be mounted to the circuit board; and a floating structure, the floating structure being suspended from the two mounting legs to allow the floating structure to be at least partially displaceable in at least one of the first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction relative to the mounting legs, wherein the male terminal is inserted into the floating structure along a third direction transverse to the first direction and the second direction to make electrical contact with the protective grounding terminal.

In some example embodiments, the floating structure comprises: a first U-shaped member , the first U-shaped member being located between the two mounting legs and having two first arms connected to the two mounting legs, respectively; and a second U-shaped member, the second U-shaped member being offset in the second direction from the first U-shaped member and engaging the first U-shaped member, the second U-shaped member having two second arms, which are elastically deformable in the first direction, the two second arms being adapted to pinch the plug-in terminal between the two second arms.

In some embodiments, it is contemplated that each of the second arms is inclined inward in the first direction relative to the corresponding first arm such that an opening size of the second U-shaped member along the first direction is smaller than an opening size of the first U-shaped member along the first direction.

In some embodiments, it is contemplated that a bottom of the first U-shaped member partially engages a bottom of the second U-shaped member, and each of the first arms is spaced from the corresponding second arm.

In some exemplary embodiments it is provided that the first U-shaped component and the second U-shaped component consist of an elastic material.

In some embodiments, it is contemplated that each of the second arms has a generally C-shaped structure that opens outward in the first direction.

In some exemplary embodiments it is provided that each of the first arms of the first U-shaped component is connected to the corresponding mounting leg via a third U-shaped piece.

In some exemplary embodiments it is provided that the floating structure is designed as a one-piece component.

In some embodiments, the first electrical connector includes: a first insulator Bowl; a plurality of first terminals partially mounted within the first insulating shell; and a flange projecting outwardly from the first insulating shell, the protective grounding terminal being mounted on the flange.

In some embodiments, the second electrical connector includes: a second insulating shell, the second insulating shell being at least partially disposed within a mounting hole formed in the housing; and a plurality of second clamps partially mounted within the first insulating shell; wherein the plurality of first terminals comprises a first signal terminal and a first power terminal, wherein the plurality of second terminals comprises a second signal terminal electrically contacting the first signal terminal and a second power terminal electrically contacting the first power terminal.

character list

• 1A zeigt eine Seitenansicht, die schematisch die Struktur einer elektrischen Verbinderanordnung gemäß einem beispielhaften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Offenbarung zeigt;
• 1B zeigt eine perspektivische Seitenansicht, die schematisch die Struktur der elektrischen Verbinderanordnung gemäß einem beispielhaften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Offenbarung zeigt, wobei ein Teil des Gehäuses entfernt wird, um die Schutzerdungsklemme freizulegen;
• 2 zeigt eine perspektivische Explosionsansicht, die schematisch die Struktur der elektrischen Verbinderanordnung gemäß einem beispielhaften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Offenbarung zeigt;
• 3 zeigt eine perspektivische Ansicht, die schematisch die Struktur eines zweiten elektrischen Verbinder der elektrischen Verbinderanordnung gemäß einem beispielhaften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Offenbarung zeigt;
• 4A zeigt eine perspektivische Seitenansicht, die schematisch die Struktur einer Schutzerdungsklemme der elektrischen Verbinderanordnung gemäß einem beispielhaften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Offenbarung zeigt;
• 4B zeigt eine weitere perspektivische Seitenansicht, die schematisch die Struktur der Schutzerdungsklemme der elektrischen Verbinderanordnung gemäß einem beispielhaften Ausführungsbeispiel der vorliegenden Offenbarung zeigt; und
• 5 zeigt eine vergrößerte Teilansicht, die schematisch die Struktur des Ausschnitts in dem gestrichelten Kreis aus 1B zeigt.

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the several embodiments of the present disclosure will become better understood from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the figures:

• 1A 12 is a side view schematically showing the structure of an electrical connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
• 1B 12 is a side perspective view schematically showing the structure of the electrical connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, with a portion of the housing removed to expose the protective grounding terminal;
• 2 12 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing the structure of the electrical connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
• 3 12 is a perspective view schematically showing the structure of a second electrical connector of the electrical connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
• 4A 12 is a side perspective view schematically showing the structure of a protective grounding terminal of the electrical connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
• 4B 12 is another perspective side view schematically showing the structure of the protective ground terminal of the electrical connector assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and
• 5 FIG. 12 shows an enlarged partial view schematically showing the structure of the portion in the dashed circle 1B indicates.

Detailed Embodiments

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present description, the same or similar components are denoted by the same or similar reference symbols. The following description of each exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the general idea of the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

Furthermore, in the following detailed description, for convenience in illustration, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it is apparent that one or more example embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown by way of illustration in order to simplify the drawings.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, an electrical connector assembly 100 suitable for electrically connecting an electronic component to a circuit board 200 is provided, where the electronic component is, for example, a cable, circuit or other circuit board. By way of example, the electrical connector assembly is a wire-to-board connector, such as an IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector), which can be used as a connector for vehicles, for example for connecting a lighting device.

The electrical connector assembly 100 as shown in FIG 1A until 2 1 is disposed or mounted on the circuit board 200 and includes a housing 110, and a first electrical connector 120 and a second electrical connector 130 mounted on the housing 110. FIG. The housing 110 can be provided with a plug-in terminal 111 for grounding. For example it can Housings are made of a conductive material such as aluminum. For example, the housing can be part of a chassis. The first electrical connector 120 is used to electrically connect to the circuit board 200, ie to electrically connect to an electronic component on the circuit board to provide signals and/or power to the electronic component.

In some examples, the first electrical connector 120, as shown in FIG 1A until 3 shown, a first insulating shell 121 and a plurality of first terminals (or contact pieces), which are partially mounted in the first insulating shell 121 and include, for example, a plurality of first signal terminals 122 for signal connection and a plurality of first power terminals 123 for power transmission. The second electrical connector 130 is used, for example, to electrically connect an electronic component, such as a cable, to the first electrical connector 120, and includes a second insulating shell 131 and a plurality of second terminals (or contact pieces) partially contained in the second insulating shell 131 are mounted and include, for example, a second signal terminal 132, which electrically contacts the first signal terminal 122, and a second power terminal 133, which electrically contacts the first power terminal. In the example shown in the figure, the first insulating shell 121 and/or the second insulating shell 131 are at least partially arranged or mounted in a mounting hole 112 formed in the housing 110, with the second electrical connector 130 being located on a side of the housing 110 facing away from the printed circuit board 200 , wherein the first electrical connector 120 is on the other side of the housing 110 that faces the printed circuit board 200. FIG.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that the first electrical connector 120 is provided with a protective grounding terminal 140 for electrical connection or contact with the male terminal 111 to provide grounding protection for the electronic component on the circuit board. In some embodiments, the first electrical connector 120, as shown in FIG 2 and 3 1, has a flange 124 projecting outwardly from the first insulating shell 121, with the protective earth terminal 140 being mounted on the flange 124 and spaced from the first terminal.

During assembly of the electrical connector, due to certain manufacturing tolerances or assembly errors, the terminals in electrical contact with one another may not be precisely aligned, which places greater demands on the assembly process. In the exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure, one or more of the above terminals of the electrical connector assembly may include a floating structure. This floating structure can be displaced or displaced in one or more directions to some degree under the action of an applied external force (such as a force exerted when the terminal is inserted), thereby causing assembly difficulties caused by manufacturing tolerances or assembly errors can be reduced or eliminated and reliable contact between the terminals is enabled. In the following, this floating structure is described using the example of a protective earth terminal.

As in 1A until 5 shown, the protective grounding clamp 140 comprises two mounting legs 141 and a floating structure, the two mounting legs 141 being positioned opposite one another along a first direction X and adapted to be mounted (e.g. welded) to the printed circuit board 200, the mounting legs 141 passing through may pass through the flange 124 to extend toward the circuit board 200. FIG. The floating structure is suspended from the two mounting legs 141 to allow the floating structure to pivot in one or more directions (e.g., is at least partially displaceable in at least one of the first direction X and a second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X) relative to the mounting legs 141, so that a position of the plug-in terminal 111 to be inserted into the protective grounding terminal is adjusted and it is ensured that the plug-in terminal can make proper electrical contact with the protective earth terminal. The plug-in terminal 111 can be plugged into the floating structure along a third direction Z, which is different from the first direction and the second direction and is, for example, transverse to, such as orthogonal to, the first direction and the second direction, in order to protect the protective grounding terminal 140 to contact electrically.

As an example, the mounting leg 141 may be formed with a stop 149 formed at an approximately mid-position along the length of the mounting leg for abutting the flange 124 to prevent the mounting leg 141 from extending further through the flange 124. so that the floating structure is located on a side of the flange 124 facing away from the circuit board 200 .

In exemplary embodiments, the floating structure, as in 1A until 5 shown, a first U-shaped component 143 and a second U-shaped component 144, the first U-shaped component 143 being located between the two mounting legs 141 and having two first arms 1432, each of the first arms 1432 being connected to a mounting leg 141 connected is. For example, each of the first arms 1432 can extend directly from the corresponding mounting leg 141 or, as shown in the figure, be connected to the corresponding mounting leg 141 via another component (e.g. a third U-shaped component 142). The opening direction of the third U-shaped member is opposite to the opening directions of the first U-shaped member and the second U-shaped member. These U-shaped components can be made of an elastic material.

The second U-shaped member 144 is offset from the first U-shaped member 143 in the second direction Y and engages with the first U-shaped member 143 . For example, a bottom 1431 of the first U-shaped component 143 partially engages in a bottom 1441 of the second U-shaped component 144 . The second U-shaped member 144 has two second arms 1442 for pinching the male terminal 111, the end of the second arm 1442 being a free end to form an opening, the male terminal 111 passing through the opening partially between the two second arms 1442 is plugged in. For example, the second arms 1442 can be elastically deformable in the first direction X in order to be adjusted to the position and/or the direction of insertion of the plug-in terminal. For example, an approximately V-shaped or tapered opening is formed between the ends of the two second arms 1442 .

According to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that the floating structure including the first U-shaped member and the second U-shaped member may be slid in one or more directions (such as the first X direction and/or the second Y direction) can be partially displaced or offset relative to the mounting legs in order to be adjusted to the position and/or the direction of insertion of the plug-in terminal. Thus, even in the event of manufacturing tolerances or assembly errors (e.g. in the event that the plug-in terminal is not centered or not inserted along the central axis of the protective earthing terminal), the floating structure (i.e., its first U-shaped component and/or second U-shaped member) may be displaced or displaced to some extent under the effect of an applied external force, thereby ensuring proper seating and electrical contact between the plug-in terminal and the protective earth terminal.

In the embodiment shown in the figure, it is provided that each of the second arms 1442 is inclined inward in the first direction X relative to the corresponding first arm 1432, so that an opening size of the second U-shaped component 144 along the first direction X is smaller than an opening size of the first U-shaped member 143 along the first direction X to facilitate pinching of the inserted male terminal 111 . Each of the second arms 1442 is spaced from the corresponding first arm 1432, for example in the Y direction.

In the embodiment shown in the figure, it is provided that each of the second arms 1442 has an approximately C-shaped structure that opens outward in the first direction X, so that the second U-shaped component 144 forms an insertion space with a constricted portion to facilitate clamping of the inserted male terminal 111 at the constricted portion by the oppositely positioned second arms 1442.

In the exemplary embodiments, the floating structure described above may be formed as a one-piece component, such as stamped from sheet metal.

Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and explained, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to these exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and spirit of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims and their equivalents becomes. Additionally, it should be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," and "comprising" as used herein do not exclude other elements or steps unless otherwise noted. In addition, any reference sign in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (10)

An electrical connector assembly (100) suitable for electrically connecting an electronic component to a circuit board (200), said electrical connector assembly comprising: a housing (110) having a grounding terminal (111) for grounding; a first electrical connector (120), the first electrical connector being mounted on the housing and adapted to be electrically connected to the circuit board; and a second electrical connector (130), said second electrical connector being mounted on said housing and being electrically connected to said first electrical connector, said second electrical connector being adapted to be electrically connected to said electronic component; the first electrical connector being provided with a protective earth terminal (140), the protective earth terminal comprising: two mounting legs (141), the two mounting legs being positioned opposite one another along a first direction (X) and adapted to be mounted on the circuit board will; and a floating structure, the floating structure being suspended from the two mounting legs to allow the floating structure to move at least partially in at least one of the first direction and a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction relative to the mounting legs slidable, wherein the male terminal is inserted into the floating structure along a third direction (Z) transverse to the first direction and the second direction to make electrical contact with the protective earth terminal. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the floating structure comprises: a first U-shaped member (143), the first U-shaped member being located between the two mounting legs and having two first arms (1432) connected to the two mounting legs, respectively; and a second U-shaped member (144), the second U-shaped member being offset in the second direction from the first U-shaped member and engaging the first U-shaped member, the second U-shaped member having two second arms (1442) elastically deformable in the first direction, the two second arms being adapted to pinch the male terminal between the two second arms. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 2 wherein each of the second arms is inclined inward in the first direction relative to the corresponding first arm such that an opening size of the second U-shaped member along the first direction is smaller than an opening size of the first U-shaped member along the first direction. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 2 wherein a bottom (1431) of the first U-shaped member partially engages a bottom (1441) of the second U-shaped member, and wherein each of the first arms is spaced from the corresponding second arm. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 2 , wherein the first U-shaped member and the second U-shaped member are made of an elastic material. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 2 wherein each of the second arms has an approximately C-shaped structure opening outward in the first direction. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 2 wherein each of the first arms of the first U-shaped member is connected to the corresponding mounting leg by a third U-shaped piece (142). Electrical connector assembly according to any one of Claims 1 until 7 , wherein the floating structure is formed as a one-piece component. Electrical connector assembly according to any one of Claims 1 until 7 wherein the first electrical connector (120) comprises: a first insulating shell (121); a plurality of first terminals partially mounted within the first insulating shell; and a flange (124) projecting outwardly from the first insulating shell, the protective earth terminal being mounted on the flange. Electrical connector assembly according to claim 9 wherein the second electrical connector (130) comprises: a second insulating shell (131), the second insulating shell being at least partially disposed in a mounting hole (112) formed in the housing; and a plurality of second clamps partially mounted within the first insulating shell; the first plurality of terminals comprising a first signal terminal (122) and a first power terminal (123), the second plurality of terminals comprising a second signal terminal (132) electrically contacting the first signal terminal and a second power terminal (133) connecting the first Power terminal electrically contacted include.

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