Electrical connector with improved structural reliability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11949181-B2
Application number	US-202217728163-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 25, 2022
Priority date	Apr 28, 2021
Publication date	Apr 2, 2024
Grant date	Apr 2, 2024

Abstract

An electrical connector includes an insulating body, a first terminal module, and a second terminal module. The first terminal module includes a first insulating block and a first conductive terminal. The first conductive terminal includes a first mating portion. The second terminal module includes a second insulating block and a second conductive terminal. The second conductive terminal includes a second mating portion. The first conductive terminal includes a supporting portion exposed from the first insulating block. The electrical connector further includes a supporting block located behind the supporting portion along a mating direction and abutting against the supporting portion. The present disclosure improves the structural reliability of the electrical connector and facilitates miniaturization of the electrical connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector, comprising:
an insulating body, comprising a first wall portion, a second wall portion, and a mating slot located between the first wall portion and the second wall portion;
a first terminal module, at least partially received in the insulating body, the first terminal module comprising a first insulating block and a plurality of first conductive terminals fixed to the first insulating block, at least one of the first conductive terminals comprising a first elastic arm, the first elastic arm comprising a first mating portion and a first end portion connected to the first mating portion, the first mating portion protruding into the mating slot; and
a second terminal module, at least partially received in the insulating body, the second terminal module comprising a second insulating block and a plurality of second conductive terminals fixed to the second insulating block, at least one of the second conductive terminals comprising a second elastic arm, the second elastic arm comprising a second mating portion and a second end portion connected to the second mating portion, the second mating portion protruding into the mating slot;
wherein the first insulating block defines a receiving groove, and the second end portion is received in the receiving groove; and
wherein at least one of the first conductive terminals comprises a supporting portion extending from the first elastic arm, the supporting portion is exposed from the first insulating block, the electrical connector further comprises a supporting block located behind the supporting portion along a mating direction and abutting against the supporting portion.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting portion is formed by bending the first elastic arm, the supporting portion comprises a first end surface arranged along the mating direction and a second end surface opposite to the first end surface, the first end surface is exposed from the first insulating block, and the supporting block abuts against the second end surface.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2 , wherein the second end surface of the supporting portion is perpendicular to the mating direction.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first conductive terminals comprises the first elastic arm, each of the second conductive terminals comprises the second elastic arm, a plurality of the receiving grooves are provided and arranged side by side along a transverse direction perpendicular to the mating direction, the first wall portion defines a plurality of first positioning grooves in communication with the mating slot, the first positioning grooves are arranged side by side along the transverse direction, and the first end portion is received in a corresponding first positioning groove.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4 , wherein the first insulating block comprises a plurality of partitions arranged at intervals along the transverse direction; and wherein two adjacent second elastic arms in the transverse direction are separated by one partition located between the two second elastic arms.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 5 , wherein the first insulating block further comprises a partition wall extending along the transverse direction, the plurality of partitions are connected to the partition wall and extend along the mating direction, one side of the supporting block abuts against the supporting portion, and the other side of the supporting block abuts against the partition wall.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 4 , wherein the first mating portions are arranged in a first row, the second mating portions are arranged in a second row parallel to the first row; and wherein the first elastic arm and the second elastic arm are aligned and arranged along the mating direction.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the first conductive terminals are insert-molded with the first insulating block, the second conductive terminals are insert-molded with the second insulating block, the first terminal module and the second terminal module are assembled with each other along an installation direction parallel to the mating direction, the first insulating block and the second insulating block are provided with a groove and a protrusion which are mutually matched with each other so as to prevent the first terminal module and the second terminal module from being separated from each other in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8 , wherein a plurality of the grooves are provided, and at least two of the grooves are L-shaped with opposite directions; and wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided, and at least two of the protrusions are L-shaped in opposite directions.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein each first conductive terminal comprises a first fixing tail, each second conductive terminal comprises a second fixing tail, the first fixing tail and the second fixing tail are soldered or welded to a circuit board, and the circuit board is perpendicular to the mating direction.

11. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a third terminal module, comprising a third insulating block and a plurality of third conductive terminals fixed to the third insulating block, at least one of the third conductive terminals comprising a third elastic arm, the third elastic arm comprising a third mating portion, the third mating portion protruding into the mating slot to be electrically connected with a mating module; and
a fourth terminal module, comprising a fourth insulating block and a plurality of fourth conductive terminals fixed to the fourth insulating block, at least one of the fourth conductive terminals comprising a fourth elastic arm, the fourth elastic arm comprising a fourth mating portion, the fourth mating portion protruding into the mating slot to be electrically connected with the mating module;
wherein the first terminal module and the second terminal module constitute a first module, the third terminal module and the fourth terminal module constitute a second module, the first mating portion and the second mating portion protrude into the mating slot along a first direction, and the third mating portion and the fourth mating portion protrude into the mating slot in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

12. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting block and the first insulating block are integrally formed.

13. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , wherein the supporting block is arranged separately from the first insulating block, and the supporting block is fixed to the first insulating block.

14. The electrical connector according to claim 1 , further comprising a metal shell enclosing the insulating body, the metal shell comprising a top wall, a bottom wall and two side walls, the top wall comprising a raised portion and a cavity located in the raised portion;
wherein the second wall portion further comprises a guiding bar protruding into the cavity.

15. The electrical connector according to claim 14 , wherein the guiding bar extends along the mating direction.

Assignees

• Dongguan Luxshare Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Maoshan
• Chen Hongji

Classifications

• H01R13/424 Primary

  Securing in base or case composed of a plurality of insulating parts having at least one resilient insulating part · CPC title

• H01R12/737 Primary

  Printed circuits being substantially perpendicular to each other (for printed connections H05K3/366) · CPC title

• H01R12/716

  Coupling device provided on the PCB · CPC title

• H01R12/721

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title

• H01R12/727

  Coupling devices presenting arrays of contacts · CPC title