TWI891132B - Male electrical connector with composite mating port - Google Patents

Abstract

A male electrical connector with composite mating port includes a plurality of terminals, an insulating structure and a metal shell. A plurality of terminals are arranged in a parallel and opposite first terminal row and a second terminal row. Each terminal has a butt portion, a fixing portion and a welding portion. The butt portion and the welding portion are connected to two opposite sides of the fixing portion. end. The fixed part of the terminal is combined with the insulating structure. The metal shell covers the insulating structure. The insulation structure has a first end and a second end that are oppositely arranged. A docking space is formed inside the insulation structure. The docking portion of the terminal extends to the docking space. The first end forms a pair of interfaces for a pair of flashlights. The connector is inserted into the mating space, and the welding portion of the terminal extends and protrudes from the second end. The mating interface includes a first mating opening and a second mating opening that are overlappingly arranged. The first mating opening and the second mating opening have different characteristics. The aspect ratio makes the edges of the cross-section of the interface form a step shape.

Description

Composite interface male electrical connector

The present invention relates to the technical field of an electrical connector structure, and more particularly to a composite interface male electrical connector capable of interfacing with the tongue portion of female electrical connectors of different sizes.

A male electrical connector, such as a USB Type-C, HDMI, or DisplayPort male connector, has a mating portion with a pair of interfaces on one end for mating with a female electrical connector. When the male connector is inserted into the female connector, the tongue portion of the female connector's insulating rubber core inserts into the mating interface of the male connector's mating portion. The mating portion of the male connector's spring-shaped terminal contacts the terminal on the tongue portion of the female connector, thereby establishing an electrical connection.

The mating interface of existing male electrical connectors has a fixed size. The tongue portion of existing female electrical connectors is sometimes a plastic component made by plastic injection molding, while others are made of a circuit board. These two tongue portions have different sizes and strengths, necessitating the design of corresponding male electrical connectors with different interface sizes. This increases manufacturing costs and complicates component management.

In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a composite interface male electrical connector that solves the existing problem of increased manufacturing costs and complex component management caused by having to design and manufacture male electrical connectors with different interfaces to correspond to female electrical connectors with different structures.

One embodiment of the composite interface male-end electrical connector of the present invention includes a plurality of terminals, an insulating structure, and a metal housing. The plurality of terminals are arranged in a first terminal row and a second terminal row, which are arranged in parallel and opposite positions. Each terminal has a mating portion, a fixing portion, and a welding portion, with the mating portion and the welding portion connected to opposite ends of the fixing portion. The fixing portion of the terminal is bonded to the insulating structure. The metal housing encloses the insulating structure. The insulating structure has a first end and a second end disposed opposite each other, and a mating space is formed within the insulating structure. The mating portion of the terminal extends into the mating space. The first end forms a mating interface for inserting a pair of flashlight connectors into the mating space. The welding portion of the terminal extends from the second end. The mating interface includes a first mating opening and a second mating opening that are arranged in overlapping positions. The first and second mating openings have different aspect ratios, resulting in a stepped cross-sectional edge of the mating interface.

In another embodiment, the insulating structure has two first recessed portions at two locations corresponding to the first terminal row. The metal housing includes a main body and two second recessed portions. The main body has a top wall. The two second recessed portions are formed in the top wall and disposed within the two first recessed portions of the insulating structure and adjacent to the terminals of the first terminal row.

In another embodiment, the insulating structure further comprises a third end and a fourth end disposed opposite each other, each forming a hollow portion. The main body of the metal housing comprises two side walls disposed opposite each other, the two side walls being connected to the top wall. The metal housing further comprises two clamping springs, each formed on the two side walls and extending through the two hollow portions into the mating space.

In another embodiment, the third and fourth ends each have an assembly recess, and the metal housing further includes two assembly clamping portions, each disposed within the assembly recess and clamped to the bottom wall of the assembly recess. The hollow portion is formed in the bottom wall of the assembly recess, and the clamping spring is formed in the assembly clamping portions.

In another embodiment, the insulating structure includes two first insulating members. Each first insulating coupling member includes a coupling base portion and a frame portion. The frame portion is connected to the coupling base portion. The fixing portions of the terminals of the first terminal row and the fixing portions of the terminals of the second terminal row are coupled to the base portion. The two first insulating members are assembled such that the frame portions of the two first insulating members are assembled to form a docking space, and the ends of the frame portions remote from the base portion are assembled to form a docking interface.

In another embodiment, the first recess is formed in the first insulating member coupled to the terminals of the first terminal row.

In another embodiment, the insulating structure further includes two second insulating members, each of which is disposed on the frame portion of the two first insulating members to form a docking space. Each second insulating member has a plurality of positioning grooves, and the docking portion of the terminal is engaged in the positioning grooves.

In another embodiment, the first terminal row includes a pair of first normal signal terminals, two first functional terminals disposed on both sides of the first normal signal terminals, two first power terminals disposed on both sides of the two first functional terminals, two first high-frequency signal terminal pairs disposed on both sides of the two first power terminals, and two first ground terminals disposed on both sides of the two first high-frequency signal terminal pairs. The second terminal row includes a pair of second normal signal terminals. signal terminals, two second functional terminals disposed on either side of the second conventional signal terminal, two second power terminals disposed on either side of the two second functional terminals, two second high-frequency signal terminal pairs disposed on either side of the two second power terminals, and two second ground terminals disposed on either side of the two second high-frequency signal terminal pairs. The two second recessed portions correspond to the fixed portions of the two high-frequency signal terminal pairs of the first terminal row.

In another embodiment, the interface-type male end electrical connector of the present invention further includes a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions are separated from each other and have a predetermined distance, so that the plurality of partitions form electrical insulation between each other, the plurality of partitions are arranged between the first terminal row and the second terminal row, and the plurality of partitions include a central partition, two inner partitions arranged on both sides of the central partition, and outer inner partitions arranged on the inner side of the partition. The two outer center baffles on the sides are located between the first and second pairs of normal signal terminals. The center baffle is located between the first and second pairs of normal signal terminals. Each inner center baffle is located between the first and second functional terminals and between the first and second power terminals. Each outer center baffle is located between the first and second pairs of high-frequency signal terminals and between the first and second ground terminals.

In another embodiment, the insulating structure further includes a third insulating member. The intermediate partitions are joined to the third insulating member. The third insulating member is sandwiched between the two first insulating members. The junction between the intermediate partitions and the third insulating member is located between the fixing portions of the terminals in the first terminal row and the fixing portions of the terminals in the second terminal row, and is relatively close to the fixing portions of the terminals in the second terminal row.

The composite-interface male connector of the present invention utilizes overlapping first and second mating openings with different aspect ratios within the mating interface of the insulation structure. This allows it to mate with female connectors having tongues with different structures, eliminating the existing requirement for male connectors with different interface dimensions to correspond to female connectors with different structures. Furthermore, by providing a second recessed portion within the metal housing, positioned adjacent to the first high-frequency signal terminal pair, electromagnetic coupling is achieved with the first high-frequency signal terminal pair, achieving impedance matching. Similarly, by positioning the outer intermediate partition adjacent to the second high-frequency signal terminal pair, electromagnetic coupling is achieved with the second high-frequency signal terminal pair, achieving impedance matching.

1: Composite interface male electrical connector

10:Terminal

10a: Docking section

10b: Fixed part

10c: Welding area

11A: First conventional signal terminal

12A: First functional terminal

13A: First power terminal

14A: First high-frequency signal terminal pair

15A: First ground terminal

11B: Second conventional signal terminal

12B: Second functional terminal

13B: Second power terminal

14B: Second high-frequency signal terminal pair

15B: Second ground terminal

20: Insulation structure

20A: Docking port

20A1: First docking opening

20A2: Second docking opening

20a: First end

20b: Second end

20c: Third end

20d: Fourth end

20e: Assembly concave part

20f: Open area

21: First insulating member

22: Second insulating member

23: Third insulating member

30: Metal shell

31: Body

32: Second recessed portion

33: Assembly clamping part

34: Clamping Shrapnel

40: Middle partition

41: Central partition

42: Inner center partition

43: Outer middle partition

211: Base

212: Frame

213: First recessed portion

221: Positioning groove

311:top wall

312: Bottom wall

313: Sidewall

2121: Side Bracket

2121a: First Gap

2122: Horizontal Bracket

2122a: Second Gap

C: Circuit board

C1: Solder pad

S: Docking space

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the composite interface male end electrical connector of the present invention mounted on a circuit board.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the composite interface male end electrical connector of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the composite interface male electrical connector of Figure 2 from another angle.

Figure 4 is a perspective exploded view of the composite interface male electrical connector of Figure 2.

Figures 5 to 9 are schematic diagrams illustrating the manufacturing and assembly process of the composite interface male electrical connector of Figure 2.

Figure 10 is a front view of the composite interface male electrical connector of Figure 2.

Figure 11 is a top view of the composite interface male electrical connector of Figure 2.

Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of Figure 11.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the arrangement of the terminals and the intermediate partition of the composite interface male electrical connector of Figure 2.

Figure 14 is a bottom view of Figure 13.

Please refer to Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, which illustrate an embodiment of a composite interface male electrical connector of the present invention. The composite interface male electrical connector 1 of this embodiment includes a plurality of terminals 10, an insulating structure 20, and a metal housing 30.

A plurality of terminals 10 are arranged in parallel and oppositely spaced relation: a first terminal row A and a second terminal row B. Each terminal has a mating portion 10a, a fixing portion 10b, and a soldering portion 10c. The mating portion 10a and the soldering portion 10c are connected to opposite ends of the fixing portion 10b. In this embodiment, the mating portion 10a forms a curved elastic arm structure. The elastic deformation of the mating portion 10a generates a spring force that abuts against the terminal of the mating female electrical connector. The fixing portion 10b is bonded to the insulating structure 20 via an insert injection molding process to maintain its position. The soldering portion 10c is soldered to the solder pad C1 of the circuit board C to form an electrical connection with the circuit board C.

Referring to Figure 5 , the first terminal array A includes a pair of first normal signal terminals 11A, two first functional terminals 12A disposed on either side of the first normal signal terminals 11A, two first power terminals 13A disposed on either side of the two first functional terminals 12A, two first high-frequency signal terminal pairs 14A disposed on either side of the two first power terminals 13A, and two first ground terminals 15A disposed on either side of the two first high-frequency signal terminal pairs 14A. The second terminal array B includes a pair of second normal signal terminals 11B, two second functional terminals 12B disposed on either side of the second normal signal terminals 11B, two second power terminals 13B disposed on either side of the two second functional terminals 12B, two second high-frequency signal terminal pairs 14B disposed on either side of the two second power terminals 13B, and two second ground terminals 15B disposed on either side of the two second high-frequency signal terminal pairs 14B. In this embodiment, the first terminal array A and the second terminal array B are configured according to the USB Type-C specification, but the configuration of the terminal 10 of the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first terminal array A and the second terminal array B may also be configured according to the HDMI specification or the Display Port specification.

Please refer to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 . The composite interface male end electrical connector 1 of this embodiment further includes a plurality of intermediate partitions 40 . The plurality of intermediate partitions 40 are separated from each other and have a predetermined spacing, so that the plurality of intermediate partitions 40 are electrically insulated from each other. A plurality of intermediate baffles 40 are disposed between the first terminal row A and the second terminal row B. These intermediate baffles 40 include a central intermediate baffle 41, two inner intermediate baffles 42 disposed on either side of the central intermediate baffle 41, and two outer intermediate baffles 43 disposed outside the inner intermediate baffle 42. The central intermediate baffle 41 is disposed between the first normal signal terminal pair 11A and the second normal signal terminal pair 11B. Each inner intermediate baffle 42 is disposed between the first functional terminal 12A and the second functional terminal 12B, and between the first power terminal 13A and the second power terminal 13B. Each outer intermediate baffle 43 is disposed between the first high-frequency signal terminal pair 14A and the second high-frequency signal terminal pair 14B, and between the first ground terminal 15A and the second ground terminal 15B. In this embodiment, the intermediate plate 40 is located between the fixing portion 10b and welding portion 10c of the terminals 10 in the first terminal row A and the fixing portion 10b and welding portion 10c of the terminals 10 in the second terminal row B. Because the tongue portion of the mating handheld connector is inserted between the mating portion 10a of the terminals 10 in the first terminal row A and the mating portion 10a of the terminals 10 in the second terminal row B, an intermediate plate is not provided.

The plurality of intermediate baffles 40 provide electromagnetic shielding for the first and second terminal rows A and B, particularly preventing crosstalk caused by electromagnetic radiation between the first high-frequency signal terminal pair 14A of the first terminal row A and the second high-frequency signal terminal pair 14B of the second terminal row B when transmitting high-frequency signals. Furthermore, because the intermediate baffles 40 are spaced at predetermined intervals, electromagnetic coupling between the first high-frequency signal terminal pairs 14A on the left and right sides of the first terminal row A and the second high-frequency signal terminal pairs 14B on the left and right sides of the second terminal row B, which could cause crosstalk, is prevented. The intermediate baffles 40 are located relatively close to the fixing portions 10b of the terminals 10 of the second terminal row B, thereby creating electromagnetic coupling with the terminals 10 of the second terminal row B, resulting in impedance matching.

Referring to Figure 6 , the terminals 10 of the first terminal row A and the terminals 10 of the second terminal row B are each bonded to two first insulating members 21 via insert molding. The plurality of intermediate separators 40 are similarly bonded to a third insulating member 23 via insert molding. Each first insulating member 21 has a base portion 211 and a frame portion 212. The frame portion 212 is connected to the base portion 211. The fixing portion 10b of the terminal 10 is bonded to the base portion 211, and the mating portion 10a of the terminal 10 extends from the base portion 211 into the frame portion 212. The soldering portion 10c of the terminal 10 protrudes from the other end of the base portion 211 beyond the first insulating member 21. Two first recessed portions 213 are formed on the top of the first insulating member 21 that is coupled to the terminals 10 of the first terminal row A.

Each frame portion 212 includes two side supports 2121 connected to the base portion 211 and a transverse support 2122 connecting the two side supports 2121. The edges of the base portion 211 and the transverse supports 2122 protrude beyond the side supports 2121, forming an inwardly recessed structure relative to the base portion 211 and the transverse supports 2122. A first notch 2121a is formed at the lower edge of each side support 2121, and a second notch 2122a is formed at the lower edge of each transverse support 2122. The sidewalls on both sides of the second notch 2122a form a stepped structure.

Referring to Figure 7, the two first insulating members 21 are assembled using a locking structure of locking posts and locking holes, simultaneously clamping the third insulating member 23. This positions the terminals 10 of the first terminal row A and the terminals 10 of the second terminal row B in a parallel arrangement, while positioning the intermediate partition 40 between the terminals 10 of the first terminal row A and the terminals 10 of the second terminal row B.

Referring to Figures 8 and 10 , two second insulating members 22 are respectively assembled to the frame portion 212 of the first insulating member 21 to form the insulating structure 20 of this embodiment. The frame portions 212 of the two first insulating members 21 and the two second insulating members 22 are assembled to form a docking space S. Each second insulating member 22 has a plurality of positioning grooves 221 for engaging and positioning the docking portion 10a of the terminal 10. After the two frame portions 212 are assembled, the two transverse brackets 2122 are assembled to form the first end portion 20a of the insulating structure 20. The second notches 2122a of the transverse brackets 2122 are assembled to form the docking interface 20A. Due to the stepped structure of the second notches 2122a, the docking interface 20A includes a first docking opening 20A1 and a second docking opening 20A2 that are arranged in overlapping positions. The first docking opening 20A1 and the second docking opening 20A2 have different aspect ratios and are respectively used with the tongue portion of different female electrical connectors. The two side brackets 2121 of the two first insulating members 21 are assembled to form the third end 20c and fourth end 20d of the insulating structure 20. Because the side brackets 2121 are recessed inward relative to the base 211 and transverse brackets 2122, the assembled side brackets 2121 form an assembly recess 20e at the third and fourth ends 20c, 20d. The two first notches 2121a are combined to form a hollow portion 20f, located at the bottom wall of the assembly recess 20e. The base portions 211 of the two first insulating members 21 are assembled to form the second end 20b of the insulating structure 20.

Referring to Figure 9 , the metal housing 30 is assembled to the insulating structure 20. The metal housing 30 comprises a main body 31, two second recessed portions 32, two assembly clamping portions 33, and two clamping springs 34. The main body 31 includes a top wall 311, a bottom wall 312, and two opposing side walls 313. The two second recessed portions 32 are formed in the top wall 311. The second recessed portions 32 are disposed within the first recessed portion 213 of the insulating structure 20 and abut against the bottom wall of the first recessed portion 213. Two assembly clamping portions 33 are formed on the two side walls 313. The assembly clamping portion 33 is a spring-loaded structure, and the clamping spring 34 is formed within the assembly clamping portion 33, i.e., a spring-loaded structure within the spring. The springs of the assembly clamping portion 33 and the clamping spring 34 extend in opposite directions. The two second recesses 32 abut against the bottom wall of the assembly recess 20e of the insulating structure 20. The clamping spring 34 passes through the through-hole 20f and enters the abutting space S.

Referring to Figures 11 and 12 , the second recessed portion 32 is relatively close to the fixing portion 10b of the first high-frequency signal terminal pair 14A of the first terminal array A. The second recessed portion 32 can generate electromagnetic coupling with the first high-frequency signal terminal pair 14A to achieve impedance matching.

The composite-interface male electrical connector of the present invention utilizes overlapping first and second mating openings with different aspect ratios within the mating interface of the insulation structure. This allows it to mate with female electrical connectors having tongues with different structures, eliminating the existing requirement for male electrical connectors with different interface dimensions to correspond to female electrical connectors with different structures. Furthermore, by providing a second recessed portion within the metal housing, positioned adjacent to the first high-frequency signal terminal pair, electromagnetic coupling is achieved with the first high-frequency signal terminal pair, achieving impedance matching. Similarly, by positioning the outer intermediate partition adjacent to the second high-frequency signal terminal pair, electromagnetic coupling is achieved with the second high-frequency signal terminal pair, achieving impedance matching.

However, the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. In other words, any simple equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the present invention's patent application and the novel description are still covered by the present invention. Furthermore, no single embodiment or patent application of the present invention is required to achieve all of the objects, advantages, or features disclosed herein. Furthermore, the abstract and title are intended solely to assist in searching patent documents and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" in this specification or patent application are used solely to name elements or to distinguish between different embodiments or scopes, and are not intended to limit the upper or lower limits on the number of elements.

1: Composite-Interface Male Electrical Connector 10: Terminal 20: Insulation Structure 20A: Mating Port 20A1: First Mating Opening 20A2: Second Mating Opening 30: Metal Housing 31: Main Body 32: Second Recessed Portion 33: Assembly Clamp 34: Clamping Spring 311: Top Wall 312: Bottom Wall 313: Side Wall

Claims (9)

A composite interface male electrical connector comprises: A plurality of terminals arranged in parallel and oppositely disposed first and second terminal rows, each terminal having a mating portion, a fixing portion, and a soldering portion, the mating portion and the soldering portion being connected to opposite ends of the fixing portion; An insulating structure to which the fixing portions of the terminals are bonded; and A metal housing enclosing the insulating structure; The insulating structure has a first end and a second end that are arranged opposite to each other, and a docking space is formed inside the insulating structure. The docking portions of the terminals extend into the docking space. The first end forms a docking interface for a pair of flashlight connectors to be inserted into the docking space. The welding portions of the terminals extend from the second end. The docking interface includes a first docking opening and a second docking opening that are arranged in a superimposed manner. The first docking opening is a first docking opening. The first and second mating openings have different aspect ratios, such that the edges of the cross-sections of the mating openings form a stepped shape. The insulating structure has a first recessed portion at two locations corresponding to the first terminal row. The metal housing includes a main body and two second recessed portions. The main body has a top wall. The two second recessed portions are formed on the top wall and disposed within the two first recessed portions of the insulating structure and adjacent to the terminals of the first terminal row. As described in claim 1, the composite interface male end electrical connector, wherein the insulating structure further has a third end and a fourth end arranged opposite to each other, the third end and the fourth end respectively forming a hollow portion, the main body of the metal shell has two side walls arranged opposite to each other, the two side walls are connected to the top wall, and the metal shell further includes two clamping springs, the two clamping springs are respectively formed on the two side walls, and the two clamping springs respectively pass through the two hollow portions and enter the docking space. As described in claim 2, the composite interface male end electrical connector, wherein the third end and the fourth end are each provided with an assembly recess, and the metal shell further includes two assembly clamping parts, the two assembly clamping parts are respectively arranged in the assembly recesses and clamped on the bottom wall of the assembly recess, the hollow part is formed on the bottom wall of the assembly recess, and the clamping spring is formed on the assembly clamping part. A composite interface male end electrical connector as described in claim 2, wherein the insulating structure includes two first insulating components, each first insulating coupling component includes a coupling base portion and a frame portion, the frame portion is connected to the coupling base portion, the fixing portions of the terminals of the first terminal row and the fixing portions of the terminals of the second terminal row are coupled to the base portion, and the two first insulating components are assembled so that the frame portions of the two first insulating components are assembled to form the docking space and the ends of the frame portions away from the base portions are assembled to form the docking interface. A composite interface male end electrical connector as described in claim 4, wherein the first recesses are formed in the first insulating member coupled to the terminals of the first terminal row. As described in claim 4, the composite interface male end electrical connector, wherein the insulating structure further includes two second insulating components, the two second insulating components are respectively arranged on the frame portions of the two first insulating components to form the docking space, each of the second insulating components has a plurality of positioning grooves, and the docking portions of the terminals are engaged in the positioning grooves. The composite interface male end electrical connector as described in claim 2, wherein the first terminal row includes a pair of first conventional signal terminals, two first functional terminals arranged on both sides of the first conventional signal terminals, two first power terminals arranged on both sides of the two first functional terminals, two first high-frequency signal terminal pairs arranged on both sides of the two first power terminals, and two first ground terminals arranged on both sides of the two first high-frequency signal terminal pairs, and the second terminal row The first terminal row includes a pair of second conventional signal terminals, two second functional terminals disposed on both sides of the second conventional signal terminals, two second power terminals disposed on both sides of the two second functional terminals, two second high-frequency signal terminal pairs disposed on both sides of the two second power terminals, and two second ground terminals disposed on both sides of the two second high-frequency signal terminal pairs. The two second recessed portions correspond to the fixed portions of the two high-frequency signal terminal pairs of the first terminal row. The composite interface male end electrical connector as described in claim 7 further includes a plurality of partitions, which are separated from each other and have a predetermined distance so that the partitions are electrically insulated from each other. The partitions are arranged between the first terminal row and the second terminal row, and the partitions include a central partition, two inner partitions arranged on both sides of the central partition, and two outer partitions arranged on the outer sides of the inner partitions. A middle partition, the central middle partition is arranged between the first conventional signal terminal pair and the second conventional signal terminal pair, each of the inner middle partitions is arranged between the first functional terminal and the second functional terminal and between the first power terminal and the second power terminal, and each of the outer middle partitions is arranged between the first high-frequency signal terminal pair and the second high-frequency signal terminal pair and between the first ground terminal and the second ground terminal. A composite interface male end electrical connector as described in claim 6, wherein the insulating structure further includes a third insulating member, the intermediate partitions are combined with the third insulating member, the third insulating member is sandwiched between the two first insulating members, and the junction between the intermediate partitions and the third insulating member is located between the fixed portions of the terminals of the first terminal row and the fixed portions of the terminals of the second terminal row and is relatively close to the fixed portions of the terminals of the second terminal row.