Patent Publication Number: US-11641081-B2

Title: Connector with improved shielding effect

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/090,241, filed on Nov. 5, 2020, which is in condition for allowance and claims priority of a Chinese Patent Application No. 201911111029.6, filed on Nov. 14, 2019 and titled “CONNECTOR”, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a connector, in particular to a high-speed connector. 
     BACKGROUND 
     High-speed connectors need to ensure that the data transmission between the signal terminals is free from external interference during signal transmission so as to improve the quality of data transmission. In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, some connectors are provided with ground plates near the signal terminals to prevent signal cross-talk. However, these ground plates are spaced apart and arranged separately, which does not facilitate to achieve a better shielding effect. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector which can achieve a better shielding effect. 
     In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution: a connector including a housing, at least one terminal module, at least one metal plate and a shielding member. The housing includes a receiving cavity, a mating surface, and a slot extending through the mating surface and communicating with the receiving cavity. The at least one terminal module is art least partially accommodated in the receiving cavity. The at least one terminal module includes a plurality of signal terminals and an insulating block covering the signal terminals. Each signal terminal is provided with a contact portion extending into the slot. The at least one metal plate and the at least one terminal module are arranged side by side along a thickness direction of the connector. The shielding member extends along the thickness direction to contact the insulating block and is electrically connected to the at least one metal plate. 
     Compared with the prior art, the present disclosure increases the shielding area by providing a shielding member, and can achieve a better shielding effect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective schematic view of  FIG.  1    from another angle; 
         FIG.  3    is a front view of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a partially exploded perspective view of the connector of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a partially exploded perspective view of  FIG.  4    from another angle; 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective schematic view of several terminal modules and shielding plates in  FIG.  4    after being separated; 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective schematic view after separating a ground plate of one of the terminal modules in  FIG.  6   ; 
         FIG.  8    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  7    with one terminal module being separated; 
         FIG.  9    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  8    with a shielding member being separated; 
         FIG.  10    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  9    in which one terminal module and several shielding members corresponding to the terminal module are separated; 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective schematic view of the shielding member in  FIG.  10   ; 
         FIG.  12    is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  13    is a partial perspective view of a connector in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  14    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  13    with one of the shielding members being separated; and 
         FIG.  15    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  14    with one terminal module being separated. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  15   , the present disclosure discloses a connector  100  for mating with a mating connector (not shown) along a mating direction B-B. The connector  100  includes a housing  1 , a plurality of terminal modules  2  installed in the housing  1 , and a plurality of ground plates  4  arranged side by side with the terminal modules  2 . In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each terminal module  2  is assembled with one ground plate  4 , and the ground plate  4  is installed on a side of the corresponding terminal module  2  along a thickness direction of the connector  100 . Of course, in other embodiments, each terminal module  2  can also be assembled with two ground plates  4  along the thickness direction of the connector  100 . For example, the two ground plates  4  are installed on opposite sides of the corresponding terminal module  2 , respectively. 
     The housing  1  includes a base  11 , a mating portion  12  protruding forwardly from the base  11 , and a buckle portion  13  located above the mating portion  12 . Referring to  FIG.  5   , the base  11  includes a receiving cavity  111  for receiving the terminal modules  2 , a plurality of mounting slots  112  located on the top of the base  11  and communicating with the receiving cavity  111 , and a plurality of buckle holes  113  located in front of the mounting slots  112 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, each mounting slot  112  is of a T-shaped configuration which is used to guide and position the corresponding terminal module  2 . The buckle holes  113  are used to lock the terminal modules  2  in order to prevent the terminal modules  2  from escaping from the housing  1 . The mating portion  12  has a mating surface  121  and a slot  122  extending through the mating surface  121  and communicating with the receiving cavity  111 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the slot  122  includes a first slot  1221  and a second slot  1222  located below the first slot  1221 . The first slot  1221  and the second slot  1222  are used for receiving tongue plates (not shown) of the mating connector. A guide groove  131  is provided between the buckle portion  13  and the mating portion  12 . The buckle portion  13  is provided with a pair of inclined guide surfaces  132  located on both sides of the guide groove  131  and a locking hole  133  in communication with the guide groove  131 . The guide groove  131  is used to receive a buckle plate of the mating connector. The locking hole  133  is used to cooperate with a protrusion on the buckle plate, so that the connector  100  and the mating connector can be locked together. 
     In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of terminal modules  2  include three groups of the terminal modules  2  which are arranged side by side along the thickness direction of the connector  100  and have the same structure. Each terminal module  2  includes a plurality of signal terminals  3 . Each signal terminal  3  is provided with a contact portion  30  extending into the slot  122 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, each terminal module  2  includes an insulating block  5  in which the signal terminals  3  are insert-molded. That is, the insulating block  5  is molded to cover the signal terminals  3 . The ground plate  4  is installed on a side of the insulating block  5 . The insulating block  5  is provided with an elastic holding arm  54  at a top of the insulating block  5  and a mounting bar  55  in rear of the elastic holding arm  54 . The elastic holding arm  54  is provided with a locking protrusion  540  for mating with the corresponding buckle hole  113 . The mounting bar  55  is T-shaped so as to be able to be locked in the corresponding mounting slot  112 . 
     Specifically, the insulating block  5  of each terminal module  2  includes a first insulating block  51  and a second insulating block  52 . The signal terminals  3  of each terminal module  2  include a plurality of first signal terminals  31  insert-molded in the first insulating block  51  and a plurality of second signal terminals  31  insert-molded in the second insulating block  52 . The first signal terminals  31  and the second signal terminals  32  form a plurality of differential pairs in order to increase the speed of data transmission. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  9  and  10   , in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic holding arm  54  includes a first elastic holding arm  541  formed on the first insulating block  51  and a second elastic holding arm  542  formed on the second insulating block  52 . Correspondingly, the locking protrusion  540  includes a first locking protrusion  5401  located on the first elastic holding arm  541  and a second locking protrusion  5402  located on the second elastic holding arm  542 . The first locking protrusion  5401  and the second locking protrusion  5402  of the same terminal module  2  are jointly held in the same buckle hole  113 . This arrangement can prevent the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52  from being separated from each other. 
     Similarly, the mounting bar  55  includes a first mounting bar  551  on the first insulating block  51  and a second mounting bar  552  on the second insulating block  52 . The first mounting bar  551  and the second mounting bar  552  of the same terminal module  2  are jointly locked in the same mounting slot  112 . This arrangement can prevent the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52  from being separated from each other. 
     In addition, the second insulating block  52  is also provided with a plurality of mounting posts  56 . Both the first insulating block  51  and the ground plate  4  are provided with a plurality of through holes  57  to receive the mounting posts  56 . With this arrangement, the components of each terminal module  2  can be closely combined with each other to avoid loosening. 
     Each terminal module  2  includes four first signal terminals  31  fixed in the first insulating block  51  and four second signal terminals  32  fixed in the second insulating block  52 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first signal terminals  31  and the second signal terminals  32  are insert-molded in the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52 , respectively. The four first signal terminals  31  and the four second signal terminals  32  are divided into two groups and extend into the first slot  1221  and the second slot respectively. 
     Referring to  FIG.  10   , the first signal terminal  31  of each terminal module  2  includes a first intermediate portion  311 , a first contact portion  312  extending from one end of the first intermediate portion  311 , and a first tail portion  313  extending from the other end of the first intermediate portion  311 . The first intermediate portion  311  is located inside the first insulating block  51 . The first contact portion  312  protrudes from a front side of the first insulating block  51  along a direction parallel to the mating direction B-B of the connector  100 . The first tail portion  313  protrudes from a bottom side of the first insulating block  51  along a mounting direction D-D perpendicular to the mating direction B-B of the connector  100 . The second signal terminal  32  of each terminal module  2  includes a second intermediate portion  321 , a second contact portion  322  extending from one end of the second intermediate portion  321 , and a second tail portion  323  extending from the other end of the second intermediate portion  321 . The second intermediate portion  321  is located inside the second insulating block  52 . The second contact portion  322  protrudes from a front side of the second insulating block  52  along the direction parallel to the mating direction B-B of the connector  100 . The second tail portion  323  protrudes from a bottom side of the second insulating block  52  along the mounting direction D-D perpendicular to the mating direction B-B of the connector  100 . Each ground plate  4  is integrally stamped from a metal plate. The ground plate  4  includes a third intermediate portion  411 , a third contact portion  412  extending from one end of the third intermediate portion  411 , and a third tail portion  413  extending from the other end of the third intermediate portion  411 . The third contact portion  412  extends into the slot  122  and extends along the direction parallel to the mating direction B-B of the connector  100 . The third tail portion  413  extends along the mounting direction D-D perpendicular to the mating direction B-B of the connector  100 . The contact portion  30  includes the first contact portion  312 , the second contact portion  322  and the third contact portion  412 . The first tail portion  313 , the second tail portion  323  and the third tail portion  413  are used for being electrically connected to a circuit board (not shown). 
     The connector  100  is also provided with a plurality of shielding members  6  which connect the ground plates  4  in series. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the shielding members  6  are divided into same three groups. Each group includes four shielding members  6 . As shown in  FIG.  12   , a first group of the shielding members  6  is installed on the rightmost terminal module  2 , a second group of the shielding members  6  is installed on the middle terminal module  2 , and a third group of the shielding members  6  is installed on the leftmost terminal module  2 . Each shielding member  6  extends along the thickness direction to contact a corresponding insulating block  5  of a corresponding one of the terminal modules  2  and to be electrically connected to a corresponding one of the ground plates  4 . Each shielding member  6  extends through a corresponding insulating block  5  and a corresponding ground plate  4  along the thickness direction. In an embodiment, each shielding member  6  extends through a corresponding insulating block  5  so as to contact a corresponding ground plate  4  along the thickness direction. As shown in  FIGS.  9  and  10   , in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the insulating block  5  is provided with a plurality of perforation holes  53 , the ground plates  4  are provided with a plurality of through holes  414 , and the perforation holes  53  are in communication with the corresponding through holes  414 . The shielding members  6  are inserted in the perforation holes  53  and the through holes  414  along the thickness direction to connect the terminal modules  2  and the ground plates  4  in series. At the same time, the shielding members  6  can be installed without increasing the size of the terminal modules  2  additionally. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the embodiment in which the shielding members  6  are inserted into the perforation holes  53  and the through holes  414  may be that the shielding members  6  contact the ground plates  4  and do not contact the signal terminals  31  of the terminal modules  2 . With this arrangement, the shielding members  6  are electrically connected to the ground plates  4  to achieve a better grounding effect. Moreover, the shielding members  6  are not electrically connected to the signal terminals  31  to prevent signal interference and solve crosstalk resonance. Another embodiment in Which the shielding members  6  are inserted into the perforation holes  53  and the through holes  414  may also be that the shielding members  6  are spaced from the ground plates  4  and do not contact the ground plates  4 . Through electrical coupling, the shielding members  6  can still be electrically connected to the ground plates  4  to achieve a grounding effect. At the same time, the shielding members  6  do not contact the signal terminals  31  to prevent signal interference and solve crosstalk resonance. In addition, referring to  FIG.  12   , in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the connector  100  may also include a low-speed terminal module  2 ′ (that is, the terminal module located on the leftmost side in  FIG.  12   ). The low-speed terminal module  2 ′ includes a plurality of low-speed signal terminals. The shielding members  6  can be optionally installed in the perforation holes  53 ′ of the low-speed terminal module  2 ′ depending on different considerations. In other words, the shielding members  6  may be inserted into the perforation holes  53 ′ of the low-speed terminal module  2 ′, or not inserted into the perforation holes  53 ′ of the low-speed terminal module  2 ′ (see  FIG.  12   ). 
     Referring to  FIG.  10   , the perforation holes  53  include a first perforation hole  531  formed on the first insulating block  51  and a second perforation hole  532  formed on the second insulating block  52 . The shielding members  6  are inserted into the first perforation hole  531  and the second perforation hole  532  to connect the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52  of the terminal modules  2  in series. 
     In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of the shielding members  6 , a plurality of the first perforation holes  531  and a plurality of the second perforation holes  532  are provided. first perforation holes  531  communicate with the corresponding second perforation holes  532 . A plurality of the shielding members  6  are respectively inserted in the first perforation holes  531  and the second perforation holes  532  in communication with each other in order to connect the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52  of the terminal modules  2  in series. In addition, as shown in  FIG.  12   , each adjacent two shielding members  6  along the thickness direction are in contact with each other. In other words, the shielding members along the thickness direction are connected in series. Therefore, a larger shielding area can be achieved to improve the shielding effect of the connector  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  8  to  12   , a plurality of ground plates  4  are provided. Two of the plurality of ground plates  4  are arranged on the outer sides of the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52 , respectively. The shielding member  6  is inserted into the first perforation hole  531 , the second perforation hole  532  and the through hole  414  to connect the first insulating block  51 , the second insulating block  52  and the two ground plates  4  in series. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the shielding member  6  contacts inner wall surfaces of the through holes  414  of the two ground plates  4  provided on the outside of the first insulating block  51  and the second insulating block  52 , so that the shielding member  6  is electrically connected to the two ground plates  4 . The shielding member  6  extends along the thickness direction to contact the insulating block  5  and the two ground plates  4  on the opposite sides of the insulating block  5 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the through hole  414  is formed on the third intermediate portion  411  of the ground plate  4 . 
     In addition, by inserting the shielding member  6  into the insulating block  5 , the shielding member  6  can also be better protected to prevent it from loosening due to external forces. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the shielding member  6  is made of a conductive plastic, but it is not limited to the conductive plastic. In other embodiments, the shielding member  6  may also be made of or include other conductive materials, such as metals, alloys, and the like. The shielding member  6  can also be made of electromagnetic loss material or wave absorbing material or include electromagnetic loss material or wave absorbing material. 
     In addition, the shielding member  6  has a columnar shape, extends along an installation direction C-C, and extends through the perforation hole  53  and the through hole  414 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the shielding member  6  has an L-shaped column shape. 
     A plurality of the shielding members  6  are provided. The installation direction C-C of the shielding members  6  is perpendicular to the mating direction B-B of the connector. In an embodiment, in the installation direction C-C, the corresponding shielding members  6  are aligned. It is understandable to those of ordinary skill in the art that the installation direction C-C is the thickness direction of the connector  100 . Each adjacent two shielding members  6  along the thickness direction are electrically connected with each other. 
     Referring to  FIG.  11   , the shielding member  6  is provided with a holding structure fixed to the ground plate  4 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the holding structure includes a protrusion  61  which is locked in the through hole  414 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the protrusion  61  of the shielding member  6  contacts the inner wall surface of the through hole  414  of the ground plate  4 , so that the shielding member  6  and the ground plate  4  are electrically connected. Referring to  FIGS.  13  to  15   , in other embodiments, the shielding member  6  has no holding structure (such as the aforementioned protrusion  61 ), and the perforation hole  53  and the through hole  414  are both rectangular. The shielding member  6  is inserted in the perforation hole  53  and the through hole  414 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  12   , a set of shielding members  6  on the right side are in contact with the rightmost ground plate  4  and the middle ground plate  4 . A set of shielding members  6  on the left side are in contact with the leftmost ground plate  4  and the middle ground plate  4 . With this arrangement, the shielding members  6  connect the ground plates  4  of all the terminal modules  2  in series, thereby increasing the shielding area and achieving a better shielding effect. 
     Referring to  FIG.  12   , as a modification of the specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of the shielding members  6  aligned along the installation direction C-C can also be arranged as a whole. Of course, in other embodiments, all the shielding members  6  can also be integrally formed to reduce the number of parts. Compared with the integral shielding member, in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, except for the leftmost terminal module  2 , four shielding members  6  are inserted into each terminal module  2 . These shielding members  6  with a shorter length along the installation direction C-C have lower requirements on the size of the perforation holes  53  of the terminal module  2  and reduce the processing difficulty of the perforation holes  53 . In some cases, even if the shielding members  6  installed at the corresponding positions in the two terminal modules  2  are not completely aligned along the installation direction C-C, as long as the two ends of the shielding members  6  can contact the adjacent ground plates  4 , it will not affect the shielding effect. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connector  100  includes a shielding plate  7  located between the first slot  1221  and the second slot  1222 . The shielding plate  7  is in contact with the ground plate  4  to further increase the shielding area and improve the shielding effect. The shielding plate  7  may be insert-molded in the housing  1 ; or there is a slot provided on the housing  1  to allow the insertion and fixation of the shielding plate  7 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, a plane where the shielding plate  7  is located is substantially perpendicular to a plane where the ground plate  4  is located. The shielding plate  7  is provided with a slot  71  for tightly holding all the ground plates  4 . It can be understood that the shielding plate  7  is not in contact with the first signal terminals  31  or the second signal terminals  32  to avoid affecting signal transmission. 
     The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present disclosure and not to limit the technical solutions described in the present disclosure. The understanding of this specification should be based on those skilled in the art. Descriptions of directions, such as “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “top” and “bottom”, although they have been described in detail in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the application, and all technical solutions and improvements that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the application should be covered by the claims of the application.