Electrical connector

An electrical connector includes an insulating body provided with a accommodating hole, and a terminal and an electrical conductor accommodated in the accommodating hole and separately provided. The terminal includes a base provided in the corresponding accommodating hole, and two elastic arms respectively formed by bending and extending from the base. Each elastic arm extends to form a contact portion. Each contact portion extends to form an extending arm. Each extending arm has a first side edge, a second side edge and an end edge. Each first side edge has an abutting portion for abutting the corresponding electrical conductor. Each first side edge has a first guide portion extending between a corresponding contact portion and a corresponding abutting portion, and a second guide portion extending between the corresponding abutting portion and a corresponding end edge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This non-provisional application claims priority to and the benefit of, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), patent application Serial No. CN201910291885.8 filed in China on Apr. 12, 2019. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector that transmits high-frequency signals and has a conductive terminal with multiple conductive paths.

BACKGROUND

A conventional electrical connector includes an insulating body and multiple terminals and multiple electrical conductors accommodated in the insulating body. The terminals and the electrical conductors are separated and arranged in pairs, and each electrical conductor is located at the front left side or the front right side of the corresponding terminal. The terminals are made of a metal plate. Each of the terminals includes a base. A first elastic arm is formed by bending and extending upward from the base, and is used to upward abut a chip module. A second elastic arm is formed by extending downward from the base, and is used to downward abut a circuit board. One side edge of each of the free ends of the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm is provided with a guide chamfer. When the chip module and the circuit board respectively abut against the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm, the guide chamfers function to guide the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm, such that the terminal and the electrical conductor laterally abut each other.

However, to ensure stable contact between the terminals and the electrical conductors, and to enable the guide chamfers of the terminals to guide the electrical conductors in the mounting process of the electrical conductors, a distance between the elastic arm and the corresponding electrical conductor is too short. Thus, whether the electrical conductors are firstly mounted to the insulating body and the terminals are then mounted to the insulating body, or the terminals are firstly mounted to the insulating body and the electrical conductors are then mounted to the insulating body, the elastic arm and the corresponding electrical conductor are likely to abut each other in the vertical direction, thereby hindering the mounting of the ones of the terminals and the electrical conductors being mounted later into the insulating body, and even causing damage to the terminals and the electrical conductors, which is not conducive to the entire mounting process.

Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need to design an improved electrical connector exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY

In view of the deficiencies in the background, the present invention is directed to an electrical connector that facilitates sequential mounting of a terminal and an electrical conductor and is provided with multiple stable conductive paths.

To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions.

An electrical connector is configured to electrically connect a mating assembly to a matching assembly. The electrical connector includes: an insulating body, provided with at least one accommodating hole; at least one electrical conductor, correspondingly mounted to the at least one accommodating hole; and at least one terminal, correspondingly mounted to the at least one accommodating hole, wherein the electrical conductor and the terminal mounted to a same one of the at least one accommodating hole are separately provided, and each of the at least one terminal comprises: a base, provided in a corresponding accommodating hole of the at least one accommodating hole; two elastic arms, respectively formed by bending and extending from the base; two contact portions, wherein each of the contact portions is correspondingly formed by extending from one of the two elastic arms, one of the two contact portions is exposed upward to the corresponding accommodating hole to be in contact with the mating assembly, and the other of the two contact portions is exposed downward to the corresponding accommodating hole to be in contact with the matching assembly; two extending arms, formed by respectively and correspondingly extending from the contact portions, wherein each of the extending arms has a first side edge and a second side edge opposite to each other in a left-right direction and an end edge connecting the first side edge and the second side edge; two abutting portions, respectively and correspondingly provided at the first side edges of the two extending arms, and configured to abut the corresponding electrical conductor, wherein the two abutting portions are located between the two contact portions in a vertical direction, and each of the abutting portions is respectively provided to be away from the second side edge of a corresponding extending arm of the extending arms in the left-right direction relative to a corresponding contact portion of the contact portions and the end edge of the corresponding extending arm; two first guide portions, respectively and correspondingly provided at the first side edges of the two extending arms, wherein each of the two first guide portions extends between the corresponding contact portion and a corresponding abutting portion of the abutting portions; and two second guide portions, respectively and correspondingly provided at the first side edges of the two extending arms, wherein each of the two first guide portions extends between the corresponding abutting portion and the end edge of the corresponding extending arm.

In certain embodiments, the two abutting portions and the corresponding electrical conductor are located in front of the base.

In certain embodiments, the two abutting portions are aligned in the vertical direction.

In certain embodiments, each of the extending arms has a width gradually increasing at a portion from the corresponding contact portion to the corresponding abutting portion in the left-right direction, and a width gradually decreasing at a portion from the corresponding abutting portion to the end edge of the corresponding extending arm in the left-right direction.

In certain embodiments, each of the first guide portions is an arc-shaped structure.

In certain embodiments, each of the second guide portions is an inclined plane structure.

In certain embodiments, the electrical conductor has one side close to the terminal, an upper end and a lower end of the one side of the electrical conductor are respectively provided with two oblique portions respectively provided corresponding to the two abutting portions, and when the mating assembly and the matching assembly respectively and correspondingly abut the contact portions, the second guide portions are correspondingly guided by the oblique portions.

In certain embodiments, each of the second guide portions and a corresponding oblique portion of the oblique portions have a same inclination angle.

In certain embodiments, the terminal and the corresponding electrical conductor are sequentially mounted to the corresponding accommodating hole along a same direction.

In certain embodiments, the terminal and the corresponding electrical conductor are mounted to the corresponding accommodating hole along opposite directions.

In certain embodiments, the electrical conductor is located between the two contact portions of the corresponding terminal in the vertical direction.

In certain embodiments, when the terminal and the electrical conductor are sequentially mounted into the accommodating hole, the electrical conductor and one of the first guide portions of the terminal guide each other.

In certain embodiments, the second side edge of each of the extending arms is a vertical plain surface.

In certain embodiments, the accommodating hole has two side walls in the left-right direction and a front wall and a rear wall in a front-rear direction, a protruding block is formed by protruding from one of the side walls, and the protruding block matches with the front wall to fix the electrical conductor.

In certain embodiments, the insulating body is provided with an upper surface, one of the contact portions of the terminal in contact with the mating assembly protrudes out of the upper surface, a projecting portion protrudes upward from the upper surface at a lateral side of each of the at least one electrical conductor, and the electrical conductor is provided not to be higher than the corresponding projecting portion in the vertical direction.

In certain embodiments, the two elastic arms of the terminal are provided to be vertically symmetrical with respect to the base.

In certain embodiments, the end edge of each of the extending arms is an arc-shaped structure.

Compared with the related art, the terminal has the two elastic arms formed by bending and extending from the base. Each of the elastic arms extends to form the contact portion, and the contact portion extends to form the extending arm. Each of the extending arms is provided with the first guide portion, the second guide portion and the abutting portion. The first guide portions are provided to facilitate the sequential mounting of the electrical conductor and the terminal. The second guide portions are provided to allow the extending arms to guide the electrical conductor when the contact portions are applied with the force, such that the abutting portions abut the electrical conductor. Moreover, the terminal has multiple electrical paths from the mating assembly to the matching assembly, which can satisfy the high frequency requirements of the terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1,FIG. 6andFIG. 9show an electrical connector100according to certain embodiments of the present invention. The electrical connector100is used to electrically connect a mating assembly200to a matching assembly300. In this embodiment, the mating assembly200is a chip module, and the matching assembly300is a circuit board. In other embodiments, other components may be used. For example, the mating assembly200and the matching assembly300can be both circuit boards. The types of the mating assembly200and the matching assembly300are not limited thereto, as long as the mating assembly200and the matching assembly300match with the electrical connector100.

As shown inFIG. 1, the electrical connector100defines a front-rear direction X, a left-right direction Y and a vertical direction Z. The front-rear direction X, the left-right direction Y and the vertical direction Z are perpendicular to one another.

As shown inFIG. 1,FIG. 6andFIG. 9, the electrical connector100includes an insulating body1, and multiple electrical conductors2and multiple terminals3provided in the insulating body1. One end of each of the terminals3elastically abuts the mating assembly200, and the other end elastically abuts the matching assembly300.

As shown inFIG. 2andFIG. 3, the insulating body1has an upper surface11and a lower surface12provided opposite to each other. Multiple projecting portions13are protrudingly provided upward from the upper surface11. The insulating body1further has multiple accommodating holes14running through the upper surface11and the lower surface12. The accommodating holes14are arranged in a matrix, and are arranged in multiple columns in the left-right direction Y. Each column has multiple accommodating holes14arranged in the front-rear direction X. Multiple accommodating holes14in two adjacent columns are provided staggeredly in the front-rear direction X.

As shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 3, a lateral side of each of the accommodating holes14is correspondingly provided with one projecting portion13. Each of the accommodating holes14includes a front wall141and a rear wall142opposite to each other in the front-rear direction X, and two side walls143connecting the front wall141and the rear wall142. Each of the side walls143is depressed at a position close to the rear wall142to form a groove144. The groove144runs upward through the upper surface11, and does not run downward through the lower surface12. One of the side walls143protrudes at a position close to the front wall141to form a protruding block145, and the protruding block145and the front wall141are respectively depressed inward at positions close to the corresponding side wall143to form a position limiting slot146. The position limiting slot146runs upward through the upper surface11.

As shown inFIG. 2,FIG. 3andFIG. 6, the electrical conductors2are correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes14. Each electrical conductor2is fixed between the protruding block145and the front wall141in the corresponding accommodating hole14, and each electrical conductor2is provided not to be higher than the corresponding projecting portion13in the vertical direction Z, and not to be lower than the lower surface12. In this embodiment, each projecting portion13is located at the left side of the corresponding electrical conductor2, and each projecting portion13and the corresponding electrical conductor2are provided to align each other in the left-right direction Y.

As shown inFIG. 1,FIG. 5andFIG. 8, the upper and lower ends of the electrical conductor2are respectively provided with two oblique portions. The oblique portions are provided on a side2aof the electrical conductor2facing the corresponding terminal3. The oblique portion at the upper end of the electrical conductor2is defined as an upper oblique portion21, and the oblique portion at the lower end of the electrical conductor2is defined as a lower oblique portion22. In this embodiment, the upper oblique portion21and the lower oblique portion22are respectively a plain surface provided obliquely. That is, each of the upper and lower ends of the electrical conductor2has a wedge shape.

As shown inFIG. 1,FIG. 3andFIG. 5, the front and rear sides of the electrical conductor2are respectively provided with two position limiting portions23protruding outward, and the position limiting portions23are located between the upper oblique portion21and the lower oblique portion22in the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the position limiting portions23are provided close to the upper oblique portion21, and the position limiting portions23form an interference fit with the corresponding position limiting slots146, such that the electrical conductor2is stably retained to the insulating body1. Further, the position limiting portions23are simultaneously stopped by the position limiting slots146, thereby preventing the electrical conductor2from moving downward.

As shown inFIG. 1andFIG. 6, the terminals3are correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes14. Each of the terminals3has a base31accommodated in the corresponding accommodating hole14. The base31abuts the rear wall142, and the left and right sides of the base31are respectively accommodated in the corresponding grooves144, thereby preventing the terminal3from moving downward excessively.

As shown inFIG. 4andFIG. 9, the top end of the base31is provided with two strip connecting portions32symmetrically to be connected with a strip (not shown). Two elastic arms are formed by bending and extending respectively from a top end and a bottom end of the base31. Each of the elastic arms extends to form a contact portion, and each of the contact portions extends to form an extending arm. The elastic arm formed by bending upward and forward from the top end of the base31at a position between the two strip connecting portions32is defined as a first elastic arm33a. The contact portion formed by extending from the first elastic arm33ais defined as a first contact portion34a. The first contact portion34ais exposed upward to the corresponding accommodating hole14to abut the mating assembly200, and the first contact portion34abends and extends forward to form a first extending arm35a. The elastic arm formed by bending downward and forward from the bottom end of the base31is defined as a second elastic arm33b. The first elastic arm33aand the second elastic arm33bare vertically symmetrical with respect to the base31. The contact portion formed by extending from the second elastic arm33bis defined as a second contact portion34b. The second contact portion34bis exposed downward to the corresponding accommodating hole14to abut the matching assembly300, and the second contact portion34bbends and extends forward to form a second extending arm35b.

As shown inFIG. 4,FIG. 5andFIG. 8, each of the first extending arm35aand the second extending arm35bis respectively provided with two side edges opposite to each other in the left-right direction Y, and an end edge connecting the two side edges. The two side edges of the first extending arm35aare defined as a first side edge351aand a second side edge352a, and the end edge of the first extending arm35ais defined as an upper end edge353a. The two side edges of the second extending arm35bare defined as a first side edge351band a second side edge352b, and the end edge of the second extending arm35bis defined as a lower end edge353b. In this embodiment, the first side edge351ais located at the left side of the first extending arm35a, the second side edge352ais located at the right side of the first extending arm35a, the first side edge351bis located at the left side of the second extending arm35b, and the second side edge352bis located at the right side of the second extending arm35b. Each of the second side edges352a,352bis a vertical plain surface, and both are located on a same vertical plane. Each of the upper end edge353aand the lower end edge353bis an arc-shaped structure.

As shown inFIG. 4andFIG. 8, each of the first side edges351a,351bis provided with an abutting portion to abut the electrical conductor2. The abutting portion on the first side edge351ais defined as a first abutting portion3511a, and the abutting portion on the second side edge351bis defined as a second abutting portion3511b. The second abutting portion3511band the first abutting portion3511aare aligned in the vertical direction Z.

As shown inFIG. 5andFIG. 8, the first abutting portion3511ais provided away from the second side edge352ain the left-right direction Y relative to the corresponding first contact portion34aand the upper end edge353a. The first extending arm35ahas a width gradually increasing at a portion from the corresponding first contact portion34ato the first abutting portion3511ain the left-right direction Y, and a width gradually decreasing at a portion from the corresponding first abutting portion3511ato the upper end edge353ain the left-right direction Y. The first side edge351ais provided with a first guide portion3512aextending between the corresponding first contact portion34aand the first abutting portion3511a, and the first guide portion3512ais an arc-shaped structure. The first side edge351ais provided with a second guide portion3513aextending between the corresponding first abutting portion3511aand the upper end edge353a. The second guide portion3513ais an inclined plane structure, and the second guide portion3513aand the corresponding upper oblique portion21have a same inclination angle.

As shown inFIG. 5andFIG. 8, the second abutting portion3511bis provided away from the second side edge352bin the left-right direction Y relative to the corresponding second contact portion34band the lower end edge353b. The second extending arm35bhas a width gradually increasing at a portion from the corresponding second contact portion34bto the second abutting portion3511bin the left-right direction Y, and the second extending arm35bhas a width gradually decreasing at a portion from the corresponding second abutting portion3511bto the lower end edge353bin the left-right direction Y. The first side edge351bis provided with a first guide portion3512bextending between the corresponding second contact portion34band the second abutting portion3511b, and the first guide portion3512bis an arc-shaped structure. The first side edge351bis provided with a second guide portion3513bextending between the corresponding second abutting portion3511band the lower end edge353b. The second guide portion3513bis an inclined plane structure, and the second guide portion3513band the corresponding lower oblique portion22have the same inclination angle.

As shown inFIG. 5andFIG. 6, in the embodiment of the present invention, after the terminal3is firstly mounted into the corresponding accommodating hole14downward from top thereof, the electrical conductor2is then mounted into the accommodating hole14downward from top thereof. During the mounting of the electrical conductor2, the electrical conductor2is guided by the first guide portion3512aof the first extending arm35ato facilitate the mounting of the electrical conductor2into the accommodating hole14. At this time, the first abutting portion3511a, the second abutting portion3511band the corresponding electrical conductor2are located in front of the base31, and the electrical conductor2is located between the first contact portion34aand the second contact portion34bin the vertical direction Z.

As shown inFIG. 7andFIG. 11, the mating assembly200presses on the first contact portion34a. When the matching assembly300is in contact with the corresponding second contact portion34b, the first elastic arm33ais elastically deformed under the force, such that the first contact portion34amoves downward relative to the insulating body1. The second guide portion3513aof the first extending arm35aslides downward along the upper oblique portion21, such that the first abutting portion3511astably abuts the electrical conductor2. The second elastic arm33bis elastically deformed under the force, such that the first contact portion34amoves upward relative to the insulating body1. The second guide portion3513bof the second extending arm35bslides upward along the lower oblique portion22, such that the second abutting portion3511bstably abuts the electrical conductor2. Finally, the first abutting portion3511aand the second abutting portion3511bstably abut the corresponding electrical conductor2. At this time, a first conductive path is formed via the mating assembly200, the first contact portion34a, the first elastic arm33a, the base31, the second elastic arm33b, the second contact portion34band the matching assembly300, and a second conductive path is formed via the mating assembly200, the first contact portion34a, the first abutting portion3511a, the electrical conductor2, the second abutting portion3511b, the second contact portion34band the matching assembly300. The first conductive path and the second conductive path are in parallel, thus reducing the electrical impedance during the telecommunication transmission between the mating assembly200and the matching assembly300, and thereby ensuring good electrical conduction and telecommunication transmission performance between the mating assembly200and the matching assembly300.

In other embodiments, after the terminal3is firstly mounted into the accommodating hole14downward from top thereof, the electrical conductor2is then mounted into the accommodating hole14upward from bottom thereof. At this time, the first guide portion3512bof the second extending arm35bis in contact with the upper oblique portion21, and the first guide portion3512bserves as a guide to facilitate the mounting of the electrical conductor2into the insulating body1.

In other embodiments, after the electrical conductor2is firstly mounted into the accommodating hole14downward from top thereof, the terminal3is then mounted into the accommodating hole14downward from top thereof. At this time, the first guide portion3512bof the second extending arm35bis in contact with the upper oblique portion21, and the upper oblique portion21serves as a guide to facilitate the mounting of the terminal3into the insulating body1.

In other embodiments, after the electrical conductor2is firstly mounted into the accommodating hole14downward from top thereof, the terminal3is then mounted into the accommodating hole14upward from bottom thereof. At this time, the first guide portion3512aof the first extending arm35ais in contact with the lower oblique portion22, and the lower oblique portion22serves as a guide to facilitate the mounting of the terminal3into the insulating body1.

Compared with the related art, the electrical connector100according to certain embodiments of the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

1. The terminal3is provided with the two elastic arms33a,33bformed by bending and extending from the base31. The elastic arms33a,33brespectively extend to form the contact portions34a,34b, and the contact portions34a,34brespectively extend to form the extending arms35a,35b. The extending arms35a,35bare respectively provided with the first guide portions3512a,3512b, the second guide portions3513a,3513band the abutting portions3511a,3511b. The first guide portions3512a,3512bare provided to facilitate the sequential mounting of the electrical conductor2and the terminal3. The second guide portions3513a,3513bare provided to allow the extending arms35a,35bto guide the electrical conductor2when the contact portions34a,34bare applied with the force, such that the abutting portions3511a,3511babut the electrical conductor2. Moreover, the terminal3has multiple electrical paths from the mating assembly200to the matching assembly300, which can satisfy the high frequency requirements of the terminal3.

2. When the mating assembly200presses downward on the first contact portion34a, and the matching assembly300abuts the second contact portion34b, the upper oblique portion21and the lower oblique portion22of the electrical conductor2and the second guide portion3513aof the first extending arm35aand the second guide portion3513bof the second extending arm35bguide each other, thus facilitating movement of the first elastic arm33aand the second elastic arm33bwithout damage.

3. When the first elastic arm33ais elastically deformed while the first contact portion34amoves downward relative to the insulating body1, and the second elastic arm33bis elastically deformed while the second contact portion34bmoves upward relative to the insulating body1, the upper end edge353aand the lower end edge353bare respectively arc-shaped structures, thus preventing from scratching in the process in which the upper end edge353aand the lower end edge353bare in contact with the electrical conductor2.

4. The second guide portion3513aof the first extending arm35aand the upper oblique portion21have the same inclination angle, and the second guide portion3513bof the second extending arm35band the lower oblique portion22have the same inclination angle, such that the upper oblique portion21and the lower oblique portion22of the electrical conductor2and the second guide portion3513aof the first extending arm35aand the second guide portion3513bof the second extending arm35bguide each other.