Patent Publication Number: US-10326243-B2

Title: Connector and connector assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of Chinese Patent Application No. 201611040160.4, filed on Nov. 11, 2016. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates to a connector and, more particularly, to a connector having a terminal elastically contacting a mating terminal of a mating connector. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In two mating connectors in the prior art, a first connector has a plug while a second connector has an insertion chamber. The plug is adapted to be inserted into the insertion chamber. A conductive terminal of the first connector is fixedly attached to the plug. A resilient arm of a conductive terminal of the second connector extends into the insertion chamber and comes into elastic electrical contact with the conductive terminal of the first connector. 
     During mating of the first connector and the second connector, an electrical contact of the resilient arm is brought into elastic electrical contact with the conductive terminal of the first connector. The electrical contact slides on a surface of the conductive terminal of the first connector a predetermined distance, or scratch distance, to automatically scrape off an oxide layer formed on the surface of the conductive terminals of the first and second connectors, ensuring better electrical contact performance. 
     In order to ensure a sufficient scratch distance between the conductive terminal of the first connector and the conductive terminal of the second connector during mating, the conductive terminal of the first connector needs to have a sufficient length. However, in an instance in which the first connector has two adjacent rows of conductive terminals, the excessive length of the conductive terminals results in an increased coupling between the two adjacent rows of conductive terminals of the first connector, initiating resonance between the two adjacent rows of conductive terminals of the first connector. The longer the length of the two adjacent rows of conductive terminals, the greater the coupling between the two adjacent rows of conductive terminals, and the stronger the resonance between the two adjacent rows of conductive terminals. Resonance affects the function of the first connector and the second connector in use, limiting a working bandwidth. 
     SUMMARY 
     A connector comprises a housing, a plurality of rows of terminals disposed in the housing, and an insertion tongue disposed in the housing. The plurality of rows of terminals include at least a row of first terminals and a row of second terminals adjacent to the row of first terminals. The insertion tongue has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. Each of first terminals has a first contact portion held on the first side of the insertion tongue and each of second terminals has a second contact portion held on the second side of the insertion tongue. A first end part of the first contact portions of at least some of the first terminals are disconnected from the first terminals. A second end part of the second contact portions of at least some of the second terminals are disconnected from the second terminals. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a connector according to an embodiment of the invention and a mating connector; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the connector and the mating connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view of a plurality of adjacent rows of terminals of the connector of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a row of terminals of the connector of  FIG. 2  according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a row of terminals of the connector of  FIG. 2  according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a row of terminals of the connector of  FIG. 2  according to another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the terminals of the connector and the terminals of the mating connector of  FIG. 2  before coming into contact with each other; 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of the terminals of the mating connector contacting a plurality of disconnected end parts of the terminals of the connector; and 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the terminals of the mating connector contacting terminals of the connector. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     A connector according to an embodiment of the invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The connector is matable with a mating connector. The connector comprises a housing  100 ; a plurality of rows of terminals  110 ,  120 , and an insertion tongue  130 . The plurality of rows of terminals  110 ,  120  are disposed in the housing  100  and include at least a row of first terminals  110  and a row of second terminals  120  adjacent to the row of first terminals  110 . The insertion tongue  130  is disposed in the housing  100  and has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side. 
     First contact portions  111  of the row of first terminals  110  and second contact portions  121  of the row of second terminals  120 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , are held on the first side and the second side of the insertion tongue  130 , respectively. First end parts  111   a  of the first contact portions  111  of at least some of the first terminals  110  are physically disconnected from the first terminals  110 . Second end parts  121   a  of the second contact portions  121  of at least some of the second terminals  120 , corresponding to or facing the at least some of the first terminals  110  as shown in  FIG. 3 , are physically disconnected from the respective second terminals  120 . Each of the contact portions  111 ,  121  of the at least some of the first terminals  110  and the at least some of the second terminals  120  thereby has two parts which are electrically isolated from each other. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the terminals of the row of first terminals  110  correspond to or face the terminals of the row of second terminals  120 . The row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  each has at least one pair of high speed differential signal terminals S, S. In the shown embodiment, the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  each has three pairs of high speed differential signal terminals S, S. In other embodiments, the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  may each have one pair, two pairs, or four or more pairs of high speed differential signal terminals S, S. The row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  each further has at least one pair of low speed differential signal terminals T, T. In the shown embodiment, the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  each has two pairs of low speed differential signal terminals T, T. In other embodiments, the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  may each have one pair or three or more pairs of low speed differential signal terminals T, T. The row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  each further comprise at least one ground terminal G. The ground terminal G is located between two pair of high speed differential signal terminals S or between a pair of low speed differential signal terminals T and a pair of high speed differential signal terminals S. In the shown embodiment, the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  each have six ground terminals G. 
     In an embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the first contact portions  111 ,  121  of the high speed differential signal terminals S in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  are physically disconnected from the respective high speed differential signal terminals S; the end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the first contact portions  111 ,  121  of other terminals G, T other than the high speed differential signal terminals S in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  are not physically disconnected from the respective terminals G, T. The high speed differential signal terminals S in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  thereby each have two parts which are electrically isolated from each other; the other terminals G, T in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  are each formed as a single piece. 
     In an embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the first contact portions  111 ,  121  of the high speed differential signal terminals S and the low speed differential signal terminals T in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  are both physically disconnected from the respective terminals; the end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the first contact portions  111 ,  121  of ground terminals G other than the high speed differential signal terminals S and the low speed differential signal terminals T in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  are not physically disconnected from the respective ground terminals G. The end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the first contact portions  111 ,  121  of ground terminals G extend integrally from the respective ground terminals G. 
     In an embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the first contact portions  111 ,  121  of the high speed differential signal terminals S, the low speed differential signal terminals T and the ground terminals G in the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  are all disconnected from the respective terminals. Each first contact portion  111 ,  121  comprises two parts which are electrically isolated from each other. 
     A connector assembly according to the invention comprises the connector and the mating connector. The mating connector, as shown in  FIGS. 1, 2, and 7 , comprises a housing  200  and two rows of terminals  210 ,  220  disposed in the housing  200  and adapted to come into electrical contact with the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  of the connector  100 , respectively. Each terminal  210 ,  220  of the two rows of terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector has an electrical contact  211 ,  221  adapted to come into elastic electrical contact with the contacting portion  111 ,  121  of the terminal  110 ,  120  of the connector. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , each terminal of the row of first terminals  110  and the row of second terminals  120  has a soldering pad  112 ,  122  adapted to be soldered to a first circuit board  10 . Each terminal  210 ,  220  of the two rows of terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector has a soldering pad  212 ,  222  adapted to be soldered to a second circuit board  20 . The first circuit board  10  and the second circuit board  20  are electrically connected to each other via the connector and the mating connector. 
     A process of inserting the insertion tongue  130  of the connector between the two rows of terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector is shown in  FIGS. 7-9 .  FIG. 7  shows a schematic view of the terminals  110 ,  120  of the connector and terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector before coming into contact with each other. As shown in  FIG. 8 , at the beginning of the insertion, the electrical contacts  211 ,  221  of the terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector  200  come into contact with the disconnected end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the terminals  110 ,  120  of the connector  100 , and at this time, the terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector  200  are not electrically connected to the terminals  110 ,  120  of the connector  100 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , when completing the insertion, the electrical contacts  211 ,  221  of the terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector  200  come into contact with the electrical first contact portions  111 ,  121  of the terminals  110 ,  120  of the connector  100 , and at this time, the terminals  210 ,  220  of the mating connector  200  are electrically connected to the terminals  110 ,  120  of the connector  100 . 
     Since end parts  111   a ,  121   a  of the contact portions  111 ,  121  of at least some of the two adjacent rows of terminals  110 ,  120  are disconnected from the respective terminals  110 ,  120 , the effective conductive length of the respective terminals  110 ,  120  is reduced, effectively suppressing the resonance between the two adjacent rows of terminals  110 ,  120 . In addition, the end parts  111   a ,  121   a  disconnected from the respective terminals  110 ,  120  of the connector  100  may still scratch mating terminals  210 ,  22   o  of the mating connector  200 ; a sufficient scratch distance is thereby still ensured between the connector  100  and the mating connector  200 .