TWI633718B - Floating connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A floating connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, and at least one flexible cable. The insulative housing includes a fixed body and a floating body. The floating body is configured to be movable relative to the fixed body, and the floating body has a pair of joints. . The plurality of conductive terminals are fixed on the fixed body, and each of the conductive terminals includes a contact portion and a soldering portion. The flexible cable has a lap portion and a connecting portion. The lap portion is disposed on the mating portion of the floating body. The connecting portion is disposed on the fixed body and is electrically connected to the contact portion of the conductive terminal.

Description

Floating connector

The present invention relates to a floating connector, and more particularly to a floating connector that can be applied to high frequency signal transmission.

The floating connector is a movable connector that can absorb the skew between the male and female connectors when mating with each other, and fixes one connector, such as a socket (female) connector, to the circuit substrate (or printed circuit board) When the other connector, such as the plug (male) connector, is fitted to the socket connector, the degree of freedom in fitting the two connectors is due to the flexibility of the terminal design of the floating connector. It is higher, so compared with the conventional electrical connectors, it will not cause the two connectors to be properly mated and connected, and it will not cause damage or permanent deformation of either connector or its contacts. The problem.

As a floating connector disclosed in the National Patent Publication No. I335692, the U-shaped flexible portion of the contact member is attached to the movable side casing and the fixed side as an example of a connector for use in such a use or the like. The outer casings are convexly extended toward the opposite side of the substrate, and become a structure of a so-called low-profile floating connector. The flexible portion is located in the contact protection space formed in the protective wall of the contact member provided on the movable side outer casing, and the movable side When the outer casing is moved largely by the fixed side casing and the flexible portion is tilted and deformed, the flexible portion does not contact the contact protection wall. Therefore, the positional slip between the outer casings allowed when the outer connector is fitted can be increased. The degree of freedom in time is better.

With the increasing popularity of multimedia and high-speed bandwidth, the amount of data transmitted between most electronic devices continues to increase. How to transmit a large amount of electronic data in a short period of time is a trend in the development of information technology today. However, the current floating connector has a flexible terminal design that does not meet the transmission requirements of today's high frequency signals. In addition, when the interface is mated with the object connector to make the position between the outer casings excessively slipped, such as the floating connector disclosed in FIG. 7 of the national patent publication No. I335692, the two sides of the U-shaped terminal may mutually cross each other. Contact causes a short circuit, which is easy to cause changes in impedance and cause instability, which affects the effect of high-frequency signal transmission, and therefore cannot meet the requirements of customer signal transmission.

The terminal design of the conventional floating connector with a flexible portion cannot meet the transmission requirements of today's high-frequency signals, and when the position is slid too much between the outer casing when the object connector is fitted, the U-shaped terminal two at this time The sides may contact each other to cause a short circuit, which may easily cause a change in impedance and cause instability.

The present invention provides a floating connector including an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, and at least one flexible transmission component, wherein the insulative housing includes a fixed body and a floating body, the floating body is configured to be movable relative to the fixed body, and float The body has a pair of joints. The plurality of conductive terminals are fixed on the fixed body, and each of the conductive terminals includes a contact portion and a soldering portion. The flexible transmission element has a lap portion and a connecting portion. The lap portion is disposed on the abutting portion of the floating body. The connecting portion is disposed on the fixed body and is electrically connected to the contact portion of the conductive terminal.

The floating connector provided by the present invention replaces the flexible portion of the terminal with a flexible transmission element, since the flexible transmission element is very well controlled for impedance, and the metal conductors in the flexible transmission element are all insulated by the insulating material. Cover protection, so it can effectively solve the conventional floating connection The impedance of the connector is prone to change and the high-frequency signal transmission is unstable, which affects the transmission of high-frequency signals, and thus can meet the transmission requirements of today's high-frequency signals.

1‧‧‧Floating connector

2‧‧‧Insulated body

21‧‧‧ fixed ontology

210‧‧‧Internal space

211‧‧‧First side wall

212‧‧‧ second side wall

213‧‧‧ slots

22‧‧‧ Floating Ontology

221‧‧‧Docking Department

222‧‧‧ docking slot

223‧‧‧First inner wall

224‧‧‧Second inner wall

31‧‧‧First terminal

311‧‧‧First contact

312‧‧‧First Welding Department

32‧‧‧second terminal

321‧‧‧Second contact

322‧‧‧Second Welding Department

4‧‧‧Soft cable

41‧‧‧First line

411‧‧‧First lap

412‧‧‧First connection

413‧‧‧First flexible section

414‧‧‧First top bend

415‧‧‧First Bottom Bend

42‧‧‧Second line

421‧‧‧Second lap

422‧‧‧Second connection

423‧‧‧Second flexible section

43‧‧‧ reinforcing plate

The first figure is a schematic cross-sectional view of a floating connector of the present invention.

Referring to the first embodiment, which is a preferred embodiment of the floating connector 1 of the present invention, the floating connector 1 includes an insulative housing 2, a plurality of conductive terminals, and at least one flexible cable 4. The insulative housing 2 of the floating connector 1 can be fixed to a circuit board (not shown). The floating connector 2 is used to interface with a pair of connectors (not shown).

The insulative housing 2 of the floating connector 1 is composed of a fixed body 21 and a floating body 22. The floating body 22 is disposed to be movable relative to the fixed body 21, and the floating body 22 has a pair of joints 221. In this embodiment, the fixed body 21 has an internal space 210, the floating body 22 is located in the internal space 210 of the fixed body 21, and the docking portion 221 has a docking slot 222 parallel to the docking direction, but is not limited thereto. Another design choice for the portion 221 can also be a tongue structure similar to a plug. In this embodiment, the fixing body 21 has a first sidewall 211 and a second sidewall 212 disposed opposite to each other along the longitudinal direction thereof, and the internal space 210 is formed between the first sidewall 211 and the second sidewall 212.

The plurality of conductive terminals are fixed on the fixed body 21, and each of the conductive terminals includes a contact portion and a soldering portion. In the embodiment, the conductive terminals include a plurality of first terminals 31 and a plurality of second terminals 32, and the first terminal 31 is disposed on the first sidewall 211 of the fixed body 21, and the second terminal 32 is disposed on the fixed body 21. a second sidewall 212, each first terminal 31 having a first contact The second portion 32 has a second contact portion 321 and a second solder portion 322. The first solder portion 312 extends beyond the fixed body 21, and the first contact portion 311 extends to the portion 311 and the first solder portion 312. The slot 213 on the first side wall 211, similarly, the second soldering portion 322 extends to protrude from the fixed body 21, and the second contact portion 321 extends to the slot 213 on the second side wall 212.

It can be understood that, in this embodiment, the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 32 may be the same terminal structure in practical applications, except that the first soldering portion 312 and the second soldering portion 322 are arranged in the opposite direction. Therefore, the present invention can simultaneously produce the first terminal 31 and the second terminal 32 by using the same set of molds, so that the effect of reducing the manufacturing cost can be achieved. In addition, in the present embodiment, the first contact portion 311 and the second contact portion 321 have protrusion structures disposed opposite to each other, and the protrusion structure can be used to fix and fix the flexible cable 4.

The flexible cable 4 has a lap portion and a connecting portion. The lap portion is disposed in the mating groove 222 of the floating body 22. The connecting portion is disposed on the fixed body 21 and electrically connected to the contact portion of the conductive terminal. In the present embodiment, the flexible cable 4 includes a first cable 41 and a second cable 42. The docking slot 222 includes a first inner wall 223 and a second inner wall 224. The first row The wire 41 has a first lap portion 411 and a first connecting portion 412. The second wire 42 has a second lap portion 421 and a second connecting portion 422. The first lap portion 411 is disposed on the docking groove 222. The first connecting portion 412 is inserted into the slot 213 of the first side wall 211 and electrically contacts the first contact portion 311. Similarly, the second overlapping portion 421 is disposed on the mating slot 222. The second connecting portion 422 is inserted into the slot 213 of the second sidewall 212 and electrically contacts the second contact portion 321 .

In the embodiment, the first wire 41 has a first flexible portion 413 , and the first flexible portion 413 is located between the first overlapping portion 411 and the first connecting portion 412 , and the first row of wires 41 The first lap portion 411, the first flexible portion 413 and the first connecting portion 412 together form an N-shaped wire knot Structure. Similarly, the second wire 42 has a second flexible portion 423, and the second flexible portion 423 is also located between the second overlapping portion 421 and the second connecting portion 422, and the second wire 42 is second. The lap portion 421, the second flexible portion 423, and the second connecting portion 422 also form an N-shaped wire structure.

It can be understood that, because the presence of the first flexible portion 413 and the second flexible portion 423 provides the elasticity of the floating body 22 relative to the movement of the fixed body 21, the first cable 41 also has a first The first curved portion 414 is disposed between the first top curved portion 414 and the first bottom curved portion 415, and the first top curved portion 414 is connected to the first flexible portion. 413 and the first connecting portion 412 , the first bottom bent portion 415 is connected to the first flexible portion 413 and the first overlapping portion 411 . Similarly, in the present embodiment, the first cable 41 and the second cable 42 may be the same cable structure in practical applications, but are disposed symmetrically with respect to the floating body 22, so the second is not detailed. The shape and structure of the wire 42.

It should be noted that in the embodiment, the first top curved portion 414, the first bottom curved portion 415 and the first flexible portion 413 are located in the inner space 210 of the fixed body 21, so that the first portion can be reduced. The use space occupied by one row of wires 41 facilitates the miniaturization of the floating connector 1, and the shorter length of the first wire 41 accommodated in the internal space 210 does not interfere with other electronic components. It can be understood that the first wire 41 is composed of an insulating material and a plurality of metal conductors arranged in parallel arranged in the insulating material, and the metal conductors are exposed at the end of the first wire 41 to form a plurality of wires. Conductive contacts (not shown), the conductive contacts forming the first overlapping portion 411 and the first connecting portion 412, respectively, in order to reinforce the overlapping strength of the first overlapping portion 411 and the first connecting portion 412, Therefore, the reinforcing plate 43 is disposed on the first connecting portion 411 and the first connecting portion 412. Similarly, the reinforcing plate 43 may be disposed on the second overlapping portion 421 and the second connecting portion 422 of the second connecting wire 42. on.

It can be understood that due to the length of the first row line 41 and the second row line 42 It is easy to change the design, so that the floating range variation adjustment of the floating body 22 of the floating connector 1 is more flexible in practical applications to meet the needs of different designs of customers. In addition, since the first row line 41 and the second row line 42 are very well controlled for impedance, and the metal conductors in the first row line 41 and the second row line 42 are both covered by the insulating material, the conventional solution can be solved. The impedance of the floating connector is prone to change and causes high frequency signal transmission instability.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the floating connector 1 utilizes the flexible characteristics of the flexible cable 4 (FFC) to provide the elasticity of the floating body 22 relative to the fixed body 21, Not limited to this, another option is to use a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) instead of using the flexible cable 4 (FFC) as a flexible connection. In other words, the present invention is not limited to using only the flexible cable 4 (FFC) or flexible printed circuit board (FPC), any flexible transmission element having a flexible connection function can be applied to the present invention. Therefore, it can be understood that the first flexible line 41 and the second flexible line 42 described above may also use the first flexible transmission unit and the second flexible transmission unit instead of their functions and functions.

In summary, the floating connector provided by the present invention replaces the flexible portion of the terminal with a flexible transmission element, since the flexible transmission element has very good control over the impedance, and the metal conductors in the flexible transmission element are Protected by the insulating material, it can effectively solve the problem that the impedance of the conventional floating connector is easy to change and the high-frequency signal transmission is unstable, which affects the high-frequency signal transmission, so it can meet the current high frequency. Signal transmission requirements.

The above detailed description is intended to be illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and other equivalents and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Changes are intended to be included in the scope of the patents covered by the present invention.

Claims (10)

A floating connector includes: an insulative housing, the insulative housing includes: a fixed body; and a floating body disposed to be movable relative to the fixed body, the floating body having a pair of joints; The terminal is fixed on the fixed body, each of the conductive terminals includes a contact portion and a soldering portion; and at least one flexible transmission component having a lap portion and a connecting portion, the lap joint The connecting portion of the floating body is disposed on the fixed body and electrically connected to the contact portion of the conductive terminal, and the metal conductor in the flexible transmission element is covered by an insulating material. The floating connector of claim 1, wherein the fixed body has an internal space, the floating body is located in the inner space of the fixed body, and the flexible transmission element has a flexible portion, the flexible portion is located Between the lap portion and the connecting portion, the abutting portion has a pair of connecting grooves, and the overlapping portion is disposed at the mating groove. The floating connector of claim 2, wherein the fixed body has a first sidewall and a second sidewall disposed opposite to each other, the conductive terminals comprising a plurality of first terminals and a plurality of second terminals, The first terminal is disposed on the first sidewall, and the second terminals are disposed on the second sidewall, each of the The first terminal has a first contact portion and a first solder portion, and each of the second terminals has a second contact portion and a second solder portion. The floating connector of claim 3, wherein the flexible transmission component comprises a first flexible transmission unit and a second flexible transmission unit, the docking slot includes a first inner wall and a first opposite a second inner wall, the first flexible transmission unit has a first overlapping portion and a first connecting portion, and the second flexible transmission unit has a second overlapping portion and a second connecting portion, the first The lap portion is disposed on the first inner wall of the mating groove, the first connecting portion is disposed on the first side wall and electrically contacts the first contact portion, and the second lap portion is disposed on the mating groove a second inner wall is disposed on the second sidewall and electrically contacts the second contact portion. The floating connector of claim 4, wherein the first flexible transmission unit has a first flexible portion, and the first flexible portion is located between the first overlapping portion and the first connecting portion The second flexible transmission unit has a second flexible portion, and the second flexible portion is located between the second overlapping portion and the second connecting portion. The floating connector of claim 5, wherein the first overlapping portion, the first flexible portion and the first connecting portion of the first flexible transmission unit together form an N-shaped structure. The floating connector of claim 5, wherein the first flexible transmission unit further has a first top bend and a first bottom bend, and the first flexible portion is disposed on the first top bend Between the portion and the first bottom bend, the first top The bent portion connects the first flexible portion and the first connecting portion, and the first bottom bent portion connects the first flexible portion and the first overlapping portion. The floating connector of claim 7, wherein the first top bend, the first bottom bend and the first flexible portion are located in the inner space of the fixed body. The floating connector of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the flexible transmission element is a flexible cable (FFC). A floating connector according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the flexible transmission member is a flexible printed circuit board (FPC).