Patent Publication Number: US-2017358883-A1

Title: High speed connector assembly, receptacle connector and receptacle terminal

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a connector technology, and more particularly to a high speed connector assembly, a receptacle connector and a receptacle terminal, which can provide double contacts. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In the electronics industry, a right-angle high speed connector assembly can provide a connection interface for multiple circuit boards. For example, it can connect two orthogonal circuit boards to shorten the signal transmission channel length of these systems and improve the channel performance of signal integrity. 
     The high speed connector assembly is one common connector, which is used for large scale communication equipment, a super high performance server, a huge computer, an industrial computer and a high end storage device. This highly flexible high performance connector has become an ideal choice for telecommunications and data network applications. 
     However, it is a very important issue how to provide greater throughput and ensure more stable and reliable signal transmission by changing the signal transmission path between a receptacle connector and a plug connector under the condition of no redesign to above connection. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide a high speed connector assembly, which comprises a receptacle connector and a plug connector, wherein each receptacle terminal can contact with two different surfaces of one corresponding plug terminal to form double contacts, thereby restraining the short pile effect and reducing the crosstalk and loss at high speed signal transmission. 
     The other object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle connector, each receptacle terminal of which can contact with two different surfaces of one corresponding plug terminal to form double contacts, thereby restraining the short pile effect and reducing the crosstalk and loss at high speed signal transmission. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a receptacle terminal, which can contact with two different surfaces of one corresponding plug terminal to form double contacts, thereby restraining the short pile effect and reducing the crosstalk and loss at high speed signal transmission. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be further understood from the technical features disclosed by the present invention. 
     To achieve the aforementioned object or other objects of the present invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solution. 
     The present invention provides a high speed connector assembly, which comprises a receptacle connector and a plug connector. The receptacle connector includes at least an insulating cover and multiple terminal modules fixed by the insulating cover and arranged in parallel. Each terminal module includes an insulating frame and a receptacle terminal group retained in the insulating frame. The receptacle terminal group includes multiple pairs of differential signal terminals and multiple grounding terminals, and these terminals of the receptacle terminal group are located in a same vertical plane. Each differential signal terminal has an L-type base, a front mating portion extending forward from one end of the base, and a bottom mounting portion extending downward from the other end of the base. The front mating portion includes a finger-shaped spring extending forward and an L-type contact piece extending forward. The finger-shaped spring has a convex portion being perpendicular to the vertical plane, and the L-type contact piece has a horizontal extension portion being perpendicular to the vertical plane. The plug connector includes multiple plug terminals. When the receptacle connector and the plug connector are electrically engaged with each other, the convex portion of the finger-shaped spring and the horizontal extension portion of the L-type contact piece can electrically contact with different surfaces of one corresponding plug terminal. 
     In one embodiment, the finger-shaped spring and the L-type contact piece are independent of each other and are separated along a vertical direction, and the length of the L-type contact piece is larger than that of the finger-shaped spring. 
     In one embodiment, the finger-shaped spring further has a straight section located in the vertical plane and connected to the base, and a tilted section leaving the vertical plane and being connected to the straight section. The convex portion is formed on the front of the tilted section. And the L-type contact piece further has a straight portion connected to the base. The horizontal extension portion is formed on the front of the straight portion. 
     In one embodiment, each pair of differential signal terminals includes two differential signal terminals, the front mating portions of which are symmetrically to each other; there are two grounding terminals respectively arranged on two sides of each pair of differential signal terminals; and the width of each grounding terminal is larger than that of each differential signal terminal. 
     In one embodiment, each plug terminal has a straight mating part with a rectangular cross section, the straight mating part includes a wide surface and a narrow surface connected to the wide surface and perpendicular to the wide surface; when the receptacle connector and the plug connector are electrically engaged with each other, the convex portion of the finger-shaped spring can electrically contact with the wide surface, and the horizontal extension portion of the L-type contact piece can electrically contact with the narrow surface. 
     The present invention also provides a receptacle connector, which includes an insulating cover and multiple terminal modules fixed by the insulating cover and arranged in parallel. Each terminal module includes an insulating frame and a receptacle terminal group retained in the insulating frame. The receptacle terminal group includes multiple pairs of differential signal terminals and multiple grounding terminals, and these terminals of the receptacle terminal group are located in a same vertical plane. Wherein each differential signal terminal has an L-type base, a front mating portion extending forward from one end of the base, and a bottom mounting portion extending downward from the other end of the base. The front mating portion includes a finger-shaped spring extending forward and an L-type contact piece extending forward. The finger-shaped spring has a convex portion being perpendicular to the vertical plane, and the L-type contact piece has a horizontal extension portion being perpendicular to the vertical plane. When the receptacle connector is electrically engaged with a plug connector, the convex portion of the finger-shaped spring and the horizontal extension portion of the L-type contact piece can electrically contact with different surfaces of one same plug terminal of the plug connector. 
     The present invention further provides a receptacle terminal, which includes an L-type base located in a vertical plane, a front mating portion extending forward from one end of the base and a bottom mounting portion extending downward from the other end of the base. The front mating portion includes a finger-shaped spring extending forward and an L-type contact piece extending forward. Wherein the finger-shaped spring has a convex portion being perpendicular to the vertical plane, and the L-type contact piece has a horizontal extension portion being perpendicular to the vertical plane. When the receptacle terminal is electrically engaged with a plug terminal, the convex portion of the finger-shaped spring and the horizontal extension portion of the L-type contact piece can electrically contact with different surfaces of the plug terminal. 
     In comparison with the prior art, the high speed connector assembly of the present invention can form double contacts between the receptacle terminal and the plug terminal. By this electrical engagement, the high speed connector assembly of the present invention can restrain the short pile effect and reduce the crosstalk and loss when the transmission rate of the high speed signal is greater than 25 Gbps˜40 Gbps. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a high speed connector assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a disassembled view of the high speed connector assembly of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a disassembled view of the high speed connector assembly along another direction; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one receptacle terminal group of a receptacle connector of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of one pair of differential signal terminals in the receptacle terminal group shown by  FIG. 4 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a simulation diagram showing the engagement of one pair of differential signal terminals and one pair of plug terminals. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description of every embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings is used to exemplify a specific embodiment, which may be carried out in the present invention. Directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “top”, “bottom” etc., are only used with reference to the orientation of the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the used directional terms are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the present invention. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 to 3 , a high speed connector assembly of the present invention includes a receptacle connector  10  and a plug connector  20 . The receptacle connector  10  may be a right-angle connector, the mating direction of which is parallel to a horizontal circuit board (not shown), on which the receptacle connector  10  is mounted. The plug connector  20  may be a vertical end connector, the mating direction of which is perpendicular to a vertical circuit board (not shown), on which the plug connector  20  is mounted. 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the receptacle connector  10  includes at least an insulating cover  30  and multiple terminal modules  40  mounted in the insulating cover  30  and arranged in parallel from left to right. In the embodiment, the receptacle connector  10  of the present invention includes eight terminal modules  40 . But in other embodiments, the number of the terminal modules  40  can be changed in order to increase the density of the receptacle connector  10 . Each terminal module  40  includes at least an insulating frame  41  and a receptacle terminal group  42  retained in the insulating frame  41 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 4 , the receptacle terminal group  42  includes multiple pairs of differential signal terminals  43  and multiple grounding terminals  44 . There are two grounding terminals  44  respectively arranged on two sides of each pair of differential signal terminals  43 . In the embodiment, these differential signal terminals  43  and these grounding terminals  44  are located in a same vertical plane  50 . Each pair of differential signal terminals  43  includes two differential signal terminals  43 . The width of the grounding terminal  44  is larger than that of the differential signal terminal  43 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 5 , each differential signal terminal  43  has an L-type base  430 , a front mating portion  431  extending forward from one end of the base  430 , and a bottom mounting portion  432  extending downward from the other end of the base  430 . The front mating portion  431  includes a finger-shaped spring  433  extending forward and an L-type contact piece  434  extending forward. The finger-shaped spring  433  has a convex portion  4330  being perpendicular to the vertical plane  50  for being engaged with a plug terminal  21  (seen in  FIG. 6 ). The L-type contact piece  434  has a horizontal extension portion  4340  being perpendicular to the vertical plane  50  for being engaged with the same plug terminal  21  (seen in  FIG. 6 ). 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in the embodiment, the finger-shaped spring  433  and the L-type contact piece  434  are independent of each other and are separated along a vertical direction A. The length of the L-type contact piece  434  is larger than that of the finger-shaped spring  433 . The lengths of the L-type contact piece  434  and the finger-shaped spring  433  can be changed according to the actual needs of the electrical demand. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in the embodiment, the finger-shaped spring  433  further has a straight section  4332  located in the vertical plane  50  and connected to the base  430 , and a tilted section  4334  leaving the vertical plane  50  and being connected to the straight section  4332 . The convex portion  4330  is formed on the front of the tilted section  4334 . Actually, in other embodiment, the tilted section  4334  is not necessary, but can be omitted. Therefore, the convex portion  4330  may be directly disposed on the front of the straight section  4332  to realize the electrical contact between the finger-shaped spring  433  and the plug terminal  21 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in the embodiment, the L-type contact piece  434  further has a straight portion  4342  connected to the base  430 . The horizontal extension portion  4340  is formed on the front of the straight portion  4342 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , in one pair of differential signal terminals  43 , the finger-shaped spring  433  of one differential signal terminal  43 ′ is located above the L-type contact piece  434 , and the finger-shaped spring  433  of the other differential signal terminal  43 ″ is located under the L-type contact piece  434 . In other words, the front mating portions  431  of the pair of differential signal terminals  43 ′,  43 ″ are symmetrically to each other. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the base  430  has multiple notches  4300  on two opposite edges thereof to be used for regulating terminal impedance. The bottom mounting portion  432  is a needle shaped pin, which can be connected to a signal point of the horizontal circuit board. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 6 , each plug terminal  21  has a straight mating part  210  and a mounting end  211  connected to the straight mating part  210 . The cross section of the straight mating part  210  is rectangular. The straight mating part  210  includes a wide surface  2101  and a narrow surface  2102  connected to the wide surface  2101  and perpendicular to the wide surface  2101 . In the embodiment, the wide surface  2101  and the narrow surface  2102  are two different surfaces of the plug terminal  21 . When the receptacle connector  10  and the plug connector  20  shown in  FIG. 1  are electrically engaged with each other, the convex portion  4330  of the finger-shaped spring  433  slides toward the mounting end  211  along the wide surface  2101  and is finally pressed on the wide surface  2101 , and the horizontal extension portion  4340  of the L-type contact piece  434  slides toward the mounting end  211  along the narrow surface  2102  and is finally pressed on the narrow surface  2102 , whereby the pair of differential signal terminals  43  of the receptacle connector  10  can electrically contact with one corresponding pair of plug terminals  21 . 
     As described above, the receptacle terminal (namely one differential signal terminal  43 ) of the receptacle connector  10  of the present invention can provide double contacts when being mated with the plug terminal  21 . Specifically, one contact is formed between the convex portion  4330  and the wide surface  2101 , and the other contact is formed between the L-type contact piece  434  and the narrow surface  2102 . By this electrical engagement, the high speed connector assembly  1  of the present invention can restrain the short pile effect and reduce the crosstalk and loss when the transmission rate of the high speed signal is greater than 25 Gbps˜40 Gbps. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.