Patent Publication Number: US-11646534-B2

Title: Cable connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims priority of a Chinese Patent Application No. 202010400294.2, filed on May 12, 2020 and titled “CABLE CONNECTOR”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a cable connector which belongs to a technical field of connectors. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Existing cable connectors, such as high-speed cable connectors, usually include signal terminals, two ground terminals located on both sides of the signal terminals, and cables. The cable includes signal wires connected to the signal terminals and two ground wires respectively connected to the two ground terminals. The shielding effect is improved by setting two ground wires, in an attempt to solve the problem of peripheral crosstalk caused by the signal terminals during signal transmission. It is well known that functions of the ground wires and functions of the signal wires are completely different. The ground wires are not allowed to contact the signal wires, otherwise it will cause a short circuit. Therefore, assembly processes of how to quickly and reliably connect the two grounding wires to the corresponding grounding terminals is complicated and the yield rate is low. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cable connector in which it is easy to connect ground terminals and a cable ground shielding layer. 
     In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution: a cable connector comprising a housing having a slot; a terminal module received in the slot, the terminal module comprising a plurality of groups of conductive terminals, at least one group of conductive terminals comprising two signal terminals, a first ground terminal located on one side of the signal terminals and a second ground terminal located on the other side of the signal terminals; and a cable comprising signal wires electrically connected to the signal terminals; wherein each conductive terminal comprises a circuit board mounting portion for being mounted to a circuit board; wherein the at least one group of conductive terminals comprises a connecting portion connecting the first ground terminal and the second ground terminal; wherein the cable comprises a ground shielding layer wrapped around a periphery of the signal wires; and wherein the connecting portion is at least partially wrapped and fixed on the ground shielding layer. 
     In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution: a cable connector comprising a housing having a slot; a terminal module received in the slot, the terminal module comprising a plurality of groups of conductive terminals, at least one group of conductive terminals comprising two signal terminals, a first ground terminal located on one side of the signal terminals and a second ground terminal located on the other side of the signal terminals; and a cable comprising signal wires electrically connected to the signal terminals; wherein the at least one group of conductive terminals comprises a connecting portion connecting the first ground terminal and the second ground terminal; wherein the cable comprises a ground shielding layer wrapped around a periphery of the signal wires; wherein the connecting portion is at least partially wrapped and fixed on the ground shielding layer; and wherein the cable does not comprise any ground wire. 
     Compared with the prior art, the cable of the present disclosure includes a grounding shield layer wrapped around the periphery of the signal wires. The at least one group of conductive terminals includes a connecting portion connecting the first ground terminal and the second ground terminal. And, the connecting portion is at least partially wrapped and fixed on the ground shielding layer. With this arrangement, it is easy to connect the ground terminals and the cable ground shielding layer so as to achieve a better shielding effect. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective schematic of a cable assembly showing a cable connector mounted to a circuit board 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 partially exploded perspective view of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a partial perspective exploded view of the cable connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  4   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a left side view of the cable connector in  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  7    is a left side view of the cable connector in  FIG.  3    with the housing removed; 
         FIG.  8    is a top view of  FIG.  7   ; 
         FIG.  9    is a left side view of  FIG.  7   ; 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective schematic view of a terminal module, a first metal shield, a second metal shield and a cable after being assembled; 
         FIG.  11    is a partial perspective exploded view of  FIG.  10   , in which the first metal shield and the second metal shield are separated; 
         FIG.  12    is a further perspective exploded view after removing the first metal shield and the second metal shield in  FIG.  11   , in which the first insulating block is separated; 
         FIG.  13    is a further perspective exploded view of  FIG.  12   , in which the second insulating block is separated; 
         FIG.  14    is a top view of the conductive terminals in  FIG.  13    when the cable is connected; 
         FIG.  15    is a bottom view of  FIG.  14   ; and 
         FIG.  16    is a partial exploded view of  FIG.  15   , which shows a schematic view of a cable and a group of conductive terminals before being assembled. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail here, examples of which are shown in drawings. When referring to the drawings below, unless otherwise indicated, same numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The examples described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the application as detailed in the appended claims. 
     The terminology used in this application is only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, and is not intended to limit this application. The singular forms “a”, “said”, and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. 
     It should be understood that the terms “first”, “second” and similar words used in the specification and claims of this application do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, “an” or “a” and other similar words do not mean a quantity limit, but mean that there is at least one; “multiple” or “a plurality of” means two or more than two. Unless otherwise noted, “front”, “rear”, “lower” and/or “upper” and similar words are for ease of description only and are not limited to one location or one spatial orientation. Similar words such as “include” or “comprise” mean that elements or objects appear before “include” or “comprise” cover elements or objects listed after “include” or “comprise” and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The term “a plurality of” mentioned in the present disclosure includes two or more. 
     Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the case of no conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1  to  4   , an illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a cable connector  100  for connecting with a circuit board  200  so as to transmit high-speed signals. The cable connector  100  includes a housing  1  and a plurality of cable modules  2  mounted in the housing  1 . The circuit board  200  is provided with a plurality of conductive holes  201 . 
     The housing  1  includes a first side housing  11 , a second side housing  12  opposite to the first side housing  11 , and a metal shell  13  connecting the first side housing  11  and the second side housing  12 . The first side housing  11 , the second side housing  12  and the metal shell  13  are combined to form a whole. In addition, the first side housing  11  includes a first positioning post  111  protruding toward the circuit board  200  for passing through the circuit board  200 . The second side housing  12  includes a second positioning post  121  protruding toward the circuit board  200  for passing through the circuit board  200 . The first positioning post  111  and the second positioning post  121  are arranged asymmetrically, so as to play a role of fool-proof and avoid incorrectly assembling the cable connector  100  to the circuit board  200 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  5  and  6   , the metal shell  13  includes a top wall  131 , a bottom wall  132  and a front wall  133  connecting the top wall  131  and the bottom wall  132 . The front wall  133  is provided with a plurality of rows of slots spaced apart along a vertical direction. Each row of slots includes a plurality of openings  1331 . Two adjacent openings  1331  are arranged in a staggered manner along the vertical direction. In addition, inner walls of the first side housing  11  and the second side housing  12  are formed with a plurality of slots  14  for receiving the cable modules  2 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , the plurality of cable modules  2  are spaced apart along the vertical direction, and each adjacent two cable modules  2  along the vertical direction are arranged in a staggered manner. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  8  to  13   , each cable module  2  includes a terminal module  3 , a cable  4  connected to the terminal module  3 , a first metal shield  51  located on one side of the terminal module  3 , and a second metal shield  52  located on the other side of the terminal module  3 . 
     The first metal shield  51  and the second metal shield  52  jointly clamp the terminal module  3 . The first metal shield  51  and the second metal shield  52  are in contact so as to form a relatively large shielding area. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first metal shield  51  and the second metal shield  52  are fixed together by spot welding. After the cable module  2  is assembled into the slot  14  of the housing  1 , the first metal shield  51  and the second metal shield  52  are in contact with the metal shell  13  so as to further increase the shielding area and improve the quality of signal transmission. 
     The terminal module  3  includes a plurality of groups of conductive terminals  30 , a first insulating block  31  and a second insulating block  32 . The conductive terminals  30  are insert-molded with the first insulating block  31  to form a first module. The first module is insert-molded with the second insulating block  32  to form a whole. Referring to  FIG.  8   , the first insulating block  31  includes a first hollow portion  311  and a second hollow portion  312  spaced apart from the first hollow portion  311 . 
     Each group of conductive terminals  30  includes two signal terminals S, a first ground terminal G 1  located on one side of the signal terminals S, and a second ground terminal G 2  located on the other side of the signal terminals S. Each group of conductive terminals  30  includes a circuit board mounting portion  301  for being mounted on the circuit board  200 . The circuit board mounting portion  301  passes through the opening  1331  of the metal shell  13  (as shown in  FIG.  3   ). Referring to  FIG.  8   , the circuit board mounting portion  301  has a widened portion  302  for being pressed into the conductive hole  201  of the circuit board  200  and a through hole  303  extending through the widened portion  302 . By providing the through hole  303 , the widened portion  302  is capable of having a certain degree of flexibility. As a result, it facilitates to press the widened portions  302  into the conductive holes  201  of the circuit board  200 . Of course, in other embodiments, the circuit board mounting portions  301  may also be connected to the circuit board by soldering. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  14  to  16   , the cable  4  includes signal wires  41  electrically connected to the signal terminals S and a ground shielding layer  42  wrapped around a periphery of the signal wires  41 . In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable  4  is not provided with any ground wire. This arrangement completely solves the short circuit problem caused by the mutual contact between the ground wires and the signal wires  41 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  16   , each group of conductive terminals  30  include a connecting portion  34  connecting the first ground terminal G 1  and the second ground terminal G 2 . The connecting portion  34  includes a bridge portion  341  connecting the first ground terminal G 1  and the second ground terminal G 2 , a tail portion  342  extending from the bridge portion  341 , and a first wing portion  343  and a second wing portion  344  extending in opposite directions from opposite sides of the tail portion  342 . The first wing portion  343  and the second wing portion  344  are both parallel to the bridge portion  341 . A first slit  3431  is formed between the first wing portion  343  and the bridge portion  341 , and a second slit  3441  is formed between the second wing portion  344  and the bridge portion  341 , thereby facilitating bending of the first wing portion  343  and the second wing portion  344 . 
     The signal wires  41  and the signal terminals S are fixed by soldering. The connecting portion  34  and the ground shielding layer  42  are fixed in a non-soldering manner. Each signal terminal S includes a cable connection portion  304  exposed in the first hollow portion  311 . The cable connection portions  304  and the signal wires  41  are electrically connected, for example, in a soldering manner. The first wing portion  343  and the second wing portion  344  are exposed in the second hollow portion  312 . The first wing portion  343  and the second wing portion  344  are riveted and fixed on the ground shielding layer  42  so as to improve assembly efficiency and product yield. 
     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, 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.