Electrical connector

Abstract

An electrical connector includes: an insulating body provided with multiple accommodating holes running vertically therethrough, and multiple terminals correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes. Each accommodating hole has two protruding portions. Each terminal includes a main body portion. Two upper elastic arms are formed by bending upward and extending from left and right sides of the main body portion. Each upper elastic arm extends backward to form an upper abutting portion. A strip connecting portion extends upward from the main body portion to be connected to a strip. The strip connecting portion is located between the two upper elastic arms. Each of the left and right sides of the main body portion is provided with a position limiting portion protruding outward. The position limiting portion is located below the protruding portion. The position limiting portion and a corresponding upper elastic arm overlap along a vertical direction.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, configured to electrically connect a mating component to a circuit board, the electrical connector comprising: an insulating body, provided with a plurality of accommodating holes running through the insulating body vertically, wherein each of the accommodating holes is provided with two protruding portions; and a plurality of terminals, correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes, wherein each of the terminals comprises: a main body portion, having a through slot running through the main body portion along a front-rear direction; two upper elastic arms formed by bending upward and extending from a left side and a right side of the main body portion; two upper abutting portions, wherein each of the upper abutting portions is formed by extending backward from one of the upper elastic arms to upward abut the mating component; a strip connecting portion formed by extending upward from the main body portion to be connected to a strip, wherein the strip connecting portion is located between the two upper elastic arms; two lower elastic arms formed by bending downward and extending from the left side and the right side of the main body portion; two lower abutting portions, wherein each of the lower abutting portions is formed by extending backward from one of the lower elastic arms to downward abut the circuit board; a connecting portion connecting the two lower elastic arms and having two ends corresponding to the two lower elastic arms and the two lower abutting portions, wherein each of the two ends of the connecting portion is located between a bending location of a corresponding one of the two lower elastic arms connected to the main body portion and a corresponding one of the two lower abutting portions, and the through slot extends to the connecting portion; and two position limiting portions provided by protruding outward from the left side and the right side of the main body portion, wherein the position limiting portions are located below the protruding portions to limit each of the terminals from moving upward, a height of each of the position limiting portions is between an upper end and a lower end of the through slot, and each of the position limiting portions and a corresponding one of the upper elastic arms overlap along a vertical direction.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein two stopping blocks protrude toward each other from a left side and a right side of each of the accommodating holes, the two stopping block are located behind the main body portion to limit the main body portion from moving backward, and the two stopping block are located at a left side and a right side of the through slot and right below the upper elastic arms.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein each of the stopping blocks has a guide surface formed backward and upward obliquely from a front side thereof, a lowest point of the guide surface is lower than a bending location of each of the upper elastic arms connected to the main body portion, and a highest point of the guide surface is higher than the bending location of each of the upper elastic arms connected to the main body portion.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein each of the lower elastic arms comprises a first section bending backward from the main body portion and extending downward, and a second section extending backward and downward from the first section, a distance between the two second sections of the two lower elastic arms is greater than a distance between the two first sections of the two lower elastic arms of each of the terminals, the connecting portion connects the two first sections of the two lower elastic arms, and in a projection along the vertical direction, the two first sections of the two lower elastic arms of each of the terminals are located between the two stopping blocks of a corresponding one of the accommodating holes.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein each of the lower abutting portions is formed by extending backward and downward from the second section of the one of the lower elastic arms, and the distance between the two second sections of the two lower elastic arms is greater than a distance between the two lower abutting portions of each of the terminals.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein gaps exist between the position limiting portions and the protruding portions, such that each of the terminals is vertically movably positioned in a corresponding one of the accommodating holes, and the upper elastic arms, the upper abutting portions, the lower elastic arms and the lower abutting portions are all located at a rear side of the main body portion.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the terminals comprise a signal terminal and a ground terminal provided side-by-side symmetrically adjacent to each other in a left-right direction, and a distance between two adjacent upper elastic arms of the signal terminal and the ground terminal is less than a width of the strip connecting portion of the signal terminal or the ground terminal.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the terminals comprise a signal terminal and a ground terminal provided side-by-side adjacent to each other in a left-right direction, and two outer sides of the two upper elastic arms pass outward beyond two outer sides of the two position limiting portions of each of the terminals.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein each of a left side and a right side of the strip connecting section has a tearing edge formed by tearing from a corresponding one of the upper elastic arms, the tearing edge at the left side of the strip connecting section passes leftward beyond a left side of the through slot, and the tearing edge at the right side of the strip connecting section passes rightward beyond a right side of the through slot.

10. An electrical connector, configured to be electrically connected to a mating component, the electrical connector comprising: an insulating body, provided with a plurality of accommodating holes running through the insulating body vertically, wherein each of the accommodating holes is provided with two protruding portions; and a signal terminal and a ground terminal provided side-by-side adjacent to each other in a left-right direction, correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes, wherein the ground terminal is provided with: a main body portion, having a through slot running through the main body portion along a front-rear direction; two upper elastic arms formed by bending upward and extending from a left side and a right side of the main body portion; at least one upper abutting portion located behind the main body portion, configured to upward abut the mating component; two lower elastic arms formed by bending downward and extending from the left side and the right side of the main body portion; a connecting portion connecting the two lower elastic arms and having two ends corresponding to the two lower elastic arms, wherein each of the two ends of the connecting portion is located below a bending location of a corresponding one of the two lower elastic arms connected to the main body portion, and the through slot extends to the connecting portion; and two position limiting portions provided by protruding from the left side and the right side of the main body portion, wherein the position limiting portions are located below the protruding portions to limit the ground terminal from moving upward, a height of each of the position limiting portions is between an upper end and a lower end of the through slot, and along a vertical direction, each of the position limiting portions and a corresponding one of the upper elastic arms overlap, and the through slot and a gap between the two upper elastic arms overlap.

11. The electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein a strip connecting portion is formed by extending upward from the main body portion to be connected to a strip, the strip connecting portion is located between the two upper elastic arms, two upper abutting portions and two lower abutting portions are provided, each of the upper abutting portions is formed by extending backward from one of the upper elastic arms, each of the lower abutting portions is formed by extending backward from one of the lower elastic arms to downward abut a circuit board, two stopping blocks protrude toward each other from a left side and a right side of each of the accommodating holes, the two stopping block are located behind the main body portion to limit the main body portion from moving backward, and the two stopping block are located at a left side and a right side of the through slot and right below the upper elastic arms.

12. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein each of the lower elastic arms comprises a first section bending backward and downward from the main body portion and extending downward, and a second section extending backward and downward from the first section, a distance between the two second sections of the two lower elastic arms is greater than a distance between the two first sections of the two lower elastic arms, the connecting portion connects the two first sections of the two lower elastic arms, and in a projection along the vertical direction, the two first sections of the two lower elastic arms are located between the two stopping blocks of a corresponding one of the accommodating holes.

13. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein a distance between two adjacent upper elastic arms of the signal terminal and the ground terminal provided side-by-side symmetrically adjacent to each other in the left-right direction is less than a width of the strip connecting portion of the signal terminal or the ground terminal.

14. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein each of a left side and a right side of the strip connecting section has a tearing edge formed by tearing from a corresponding one of the upper elastic arms, the tearing edge at the left side of the strip connecting section passes leftward beyond a left side of the through slot, and the tearing edge at the right side of the strip connecting section passes rightward beyond a right side of the through slot.

15. The electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein each of the left side and the right side of the main body portion is provided with one of the position limiting portions, and two outer sides of the two upper elastic arms pass outward beyond two outer sides of the two position limiting portions of each of the terminals.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the disclosure and together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of an electrical connector according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is a top view of an electrical connector according to certain embodiments of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective sectional view of the electrical connector of FIG. 2 in a different angle along the line A-A.

(6) FIG. 5 is a plain sectional view of the terminal of FIG. 4 in a process of being assembled to the insulating body when the position limiting portion passes the protruding portion.

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective sectional view of the electrical connector of FIG. 2 along the line B-B.

(8) FIG. 7 is a plain sectional view of the electrical connector of FIG. 5 electrically connecting a mating component and a circuit board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) The present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, titles or subtitles may be used in the specification for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present invention.

(10) It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

(11) Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top,” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. The exemplary term “lower”, can therefore, encompasses both an orientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending of the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below.

(12) As used herein, “around”, “about” or “approximately” shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “around”, “about” or “approximately” can be inferred if not expressly stated.

(13) As used herein, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to.

(14) The description will be made as to the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in FIGS. 1-7. In accordance with the purposes of this invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, this invention, in one aspect, relates to an electrical connector.

(15) FIGS. 1-7 shows an electrical connector 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is used to electrically connect a mating component 200 (in this embodiment, the mating component 200 is a chip module) to a circuit board 300. The electrical connector 100 includes a plurality of terminals 2 and an insulating body 1 accommodating the terminals 2. In this embodiment, only some of the terminals 2 of the electrical connector 100 are shown, and these terminals 2 have identical structures. In other embodiments, the terminals of the electrical connector 100 do not all have identical structures. In other words, the electrical connector 100 may include two types of terminals having different structures.

(16) As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the insulating body 1 is provided with a plurality of accommodating holes 11 running through the insulating body 1 vertically to correspondingly accommodate the terminals 2. Each of a left side and a right side of each of the accommodating holes 11 is provided with a protruding portion 111. Two stopping blocks 112 protrude toward each other from the left side and the right side of each of the accommodating holes 11. The protruding portions 111 are located in front of the stopping blocks 112. Each of the stopping blocks 112 has a guide surface 1121 formed backward and upward obliquely from a front side of the corresponding stopping block 112.

(17) As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the terminals 2 include a signal terminal 2a and a ground terminal 2b provided side-by-side and symmetrically adjacent to each other in a left-right direction. In this embodiment, the signal terminal 2a and the ground terminal 2b have identical structures. In other embodiments, the signal terminal 2a and the ground terminal 2b may have different structures. Each of the terminals 2 includes a main body portion 21, which is flat plate shaped, having a through slot 26 runs through the main body portion 21 along the front-rear direction. The two stopping blocks 112 are located behind the main body portion 21 to limit the main body portion 21 from moving backward. Two upper elastic arms 22 are formed by bending and extending backward and upward from a left side and a right side of the main body portion 21. In other embodiments, the upper elastic arms 22 may be formed by bending forward from the main body portion 21 and then bending backward. A lowest point of the guide surface 1121 is lower than a bending location 30 of each of the upper elastic arms 22 connected to the main body portion 21, and a highest point of the guide surface 1121 is higher than the bending location 30 of each of the upper elastic arms 22 connected to the main body portion 21. Each of the upper elastic arms 22 extends backward to form an upper abutting portion 27 (and in other embodiments, the two upper elastic arms 22 may be connected together, and thus only one upper abutting portion 27 is provided) to upward abut the mating component 200. The two upper abutting portions 27 abut a same contact sheet c of the mating component 200 (as shown in FIG. 7). A strip connecting portion 23 is formed by extending upward from the main body portion 21 to be connected to a strip (not shown). The strip connecting portion 23 is located between the two upper elastic arms 22. A spacing D1 between two adjacent upper elastic arms 22 of the signal terminal 2a and the ground terminal 2b provided side-by-side adjacent to each other in the left-right direction is less than a width D2 of the strip connecting portion 23 (as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5). Each of a left side and a right side of the strip connecting section 23 has a tearing edge 231 formed by tearing from a corresponding upper elastic arm 22 (as shown in FIG. 4), such that the two upper elastic arms 22 of the signal terminal 2a may be provided wider, and the two upper elastic arms 22 of the ground terminal 2b may be provided wider. Two lower elastic arms 24 are formed by bending and extending backward and downward from the left side and the right side of the main body portion 21. In other embodiments, the lower elastic arms 24 may be formed by bending forward from the main body portion 21 and then bending backward. Each of the lower elastic arms 24 includes a first section 241 bending backward from the main body portion 21 and extending downward, and a second section 242 extending backward and downward from the first section 241. In each of the terminals 2, a distance M2 between the two second sections 242 of the two lower elastic arms 24 is greater than a distance M1 between the two first sections 241 of the two lower elastic arms 24 (as shown in FIG. 3). In a projection along the vertical direction, the two first sections 241 of the two lower elastic arms 24 of each of the terminals 2 are located between the two stopping blocks 112 of a corresponding accommodating hole 11. In each of the terminals 2, a left side edge of the second section 242 located at the left side and a left side edge of the upper elastic arm 22 located at the left side are aligned vertically, and a right side edge of the second section 242 located at the right side and a right side edge of the upper elastic arm 22 located at the right side are aligned vertically. Two lower abutting portions 28 are used to downward abut a same conductive sheet d of the circuit board 300 (as shown in FIG. 7). The lower abutting portions 28 are formed by extending backward and downward from the second sections 242 of the lower elastic arms 24. In each of the terminals 2, the distance M2 between the two second sections 242 of the two lower elastic arms 24 is greater than a distance L1 between the two lower abutting portions 28 (as shown in FIG. 3). A connecting portion 25 connects the two lower elastic arms 24, and has two ends corresponding to the two lower elastic arms 24 and the two lower abutting portions 28. Each of the two ends of the connecting portion 25 is located between a bending location 29 of a corresponding one of the two lower elastic arms 24 connected to the main body portion 21 and a corresponding one of the two lower abutting portions 28. In this embodiment, the connecting portion 25 connects the two first sections 241 of the lower elastic arms 24. The through slot 26 extends to the connecting portion 25. The tearing edge 231 at the left side of the strip connecting section 23 passes leftward beyond a left side of the through slot 26, and the tearing edge 231 at the right side of the strip connecting section 23 passes rightward beyond a right side of the through slot 26. The two stopping blocks 112 are located at the left and right sides of the through slot 26. Along the vertical direction, the through slot 26 and a gap between the two upper elastic arms 22 overlap. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, each of the left side and the right side of the main body portion 21 is provided with a position limiting portion 211. The position limiting portions 211 are located below the protruding portions 111 to limit the corresponding terminal 2 from moving upward. Gaps exist between the position limiting portions 211 and the protruding portions 111, such that the corresponding terminal 2 may be vertically movably positioned in the corresponding accommodating hole 11. In each of the terminals 2, two outer sides of the two upper elastic arms 22 pass outward beyond two outer sides of the two position limiting portions 211. Along the vertical direction, each of the position limiting portions 211 and a corresponding upper elastic arm 22 overlap. A height of each of the position limiting portions 211 is between an upper end and a lower end of the through slot 26. A horizontal plane P passes a middle location between the upper end and the lower end of the through slot 26. A distance between each of the position limiting portions 211 and the horizontal plane P is less than a distance between each of the position limiting portions 211 and the upper end of the through slot 26, and the distance between each of the position limiting portions 211 and the horizontal plane P is less than a distance between each of the position limiting portions 211 and the lower end of the through slot 26. The upper elastic arms 22, the upper abutting portions 27, the lower elastic arms 24 and the lower abutting portions 28 are all located at a rear side of the main body portion 21.

(18) To sum up, the electrical connector 100 according to certain embodiments of the present invention has the following beneficial effects.

(19) 1. The two upper elastic arms 22 are formed by extending from the left side and the right side of the main body portion 21, such that each of the position limiting portions 211 and a corresponding upper elastic arm 22 overlap along the vertical direction. In other words, the position limiting portions 211 are provided using the space below the upper elastic arms 22, thereby reducing the width of each terminal 2 along the left-right direction, and allowing the insulating body 1 to accommodate more terminals 2. In addition, comparing with the case where the position limiting portions 211 are arranged at the outer sides of the upper elastic arms 22 in the left-right direction, the upper elastic arms 22 of each terminal 2 may be provided wider, thereby increasing the impedance thereof, improving the high frequency of the electrical connector 100, preventing from the crosstalk and interferences between the terminals 2 in the related art, and enhancing the characteristics of the electrical connector 100. Further, comparing with the case where the position limiting portions 211 are arranged at the outer sides of the upper elastic arms 22 in the left-right direction, the distance between the two adjacent upper elastic arms 22 of two adjacent terminals 2 in the left-right direction is smaller, and the shielding effect will be enhanced if the two adjacent terminals 2 along the width direction are respectively a ground terminal 2b and a signal terminal 2a. Further, by providing the through slot 26 running through the main body portion 21 along the front-rear direction and extends to the connecting portion 25, each of the two ends of the connecting portion 25 is located between the bending location 29 of a corresponding one of the two lower elastic arms 24 connected to the main body portion 21 and a corresponding one of the two lower abutting portions 28, such that the lower portions of the main body portion 21 located at the two sides of the through slot 26 are not connected together. In the process of assembling each of the terminals 2 to the insulating body 1, when the position limiting portions 211 pass the protruding portions 111, the protruding portions 111 squeeze the position limiting portions 211. Comparing to the case where the connecting portion 25 is provided at the lower portions of the main body portion 21 (where the lower portions of the main body portion 21 located at the two sides of the through slot 26 are connected together; when the protruding portions 111 squeeze the position limiting portions 211, the lower portions of the main body portion 21 located at the two sides of the through slot 26 are connected together, and the main body portion 21 and the two position limiting portions 211 do not easily move close to the middle, resulting in difficulties for the position limiting portions 211 to pass the protruding portions 111, and the position limiting portions 211 may even damage the insulating body 1), the lower portions of the main body portion 21 located at the two sides of the through slot 26 are not restricted, and may easily move close to the through slot 26, such that the position limiting portions 211 may pass the protruding portions 111 and move to be below the protruding portions 111 to limit the corresponding terminal 2 from moving upward. In addition, the two upper elastic arms 22 are formed by extending from the left side and the right side of the main body portion 21, and the through slot 26 and the gap between the two upper elastic arms 22 overlap along the vertical direction, such that the space below the gap between the two upper elastic arms 22 is used to form the through slot 26 to provide the space for elastic deformation of the position limiting portions 211, reducing the width of the corresponding terminal 2 in the left-right direction, and allowing the insulating body 1 to accommodate more terminals 2.

(20) 2. The two stopping blocks 112 are provided to be located behind the main body portion 21 to limit the main body portion 21 from moving backward, and the two stopping blocks 112 are located at the left and right sides of the through slot 26, such that the middle portion of the main body portion 21 have more air flowing therethrough, facilitating heat dissipation of each terminal 2.

(21) 3. The stopping blocks 112 are provided to be located right below the upper elastic arms 22, such that the upper elastic arms 22 of each terminal 2 are located closer to the two side walls of the corresponding accommodating hole 11 in the left-right direction, the distance between the two adjacent upper elastic arms 22 of two adjacent terminals 2 in the left-right direction is smaller, and the shielding effect will be enhanced if the two adjacent terminals 2 along the width direction are respectively a ground terminal 2b and a signal terminal 2a.

(22) 4. A lowest point of the guide surface 1121 is lower than a bending location 30 of each of the upper elastic arms 22 connected to the main body portion 21, and a highest point of the guide surface 1121 is higher than the bending location 30 of each of the upper elastic arms 22 connected to the main body portion 21, thus preventing the bending location 30 of each of the upper elastic arms 22 connected to the main body portion 21 from touching the corresponding stopping block 112 and causing deformation of each of the upper elastic arms 22.

(23) 5. In the projection along the vertical direction, the two first sections 241 of the two lower elastic arms 24 of each of the terminals 2 are located between the two stopping blocks 112 of the corresponding accommodating hole 11, thus preventing the lower elastic arms 24 from touching the stopping blocks 112 to affect the assembling of the terminals in the process of assembling each of the terminals 2 to the insulating body 1.

(24) 6. The two adjacent terminals 2 in the left-right direction are respectively a ground terminal 2b and a signal terminal 2a. By providing the distance between the two adjacent upper elastic arms 22 of the two adjacent terminals in the left-right direction to be less than the width of the strip connecting portion, the distance between the two upper elastic arms 22 of the same ground terminal 2b is larger, the distance between the two upper elastic arms 22 of the same signal terminal 2a is larger, and the distance between the two adjacent upper elastic arms 22 of the ground terminal 2b and the signal terminal 2a adjacent to each other in the left-right direction is smaller, thus enhancing the shielding effect.

(25) 7. By providing the two outer sides of the two upper elastic arms 22 to pass outward beyond the two outer sides of the two position limiting portions 211 in a same terminal 2, the distance between the two adjacent upper elastic arms 22 of the ground terminal 2b and the signal terminal 2a adjacent to each other in the left-right direction is smaller, and the shielding effect will be enhanced if the two adjacent terminals 2 in the left-right direction are respectively a ground terminal 2b and a signal terminal 2a.

(26) The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

(27) The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to activate others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.