U.S. patent application number 14/604021 was filed with the patent office on 2016-01-21 for electrical connector for transferring high frequency signal.
The applicant listed for this patent is LOTES CO., LTD. Invention is credited to Ted Ju, Chin Chi Lin, Wen Wei Lin, Li Ming Zhang.
Application Number | 20160020568 14/604021 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52772799 |
Filed Date | 2016-01-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160020568 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ju; Ted ; et al. |
January 21, 2016 |
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR FOR TRANSFERRING HIGH FREQUENCY SIGNAL
Abstract
An electrical connector includes a body having a tongue, a row
of first terminals insert-molded in the body, a depressed slot, and
a positioning slot. The tongue includes a first surface having
multiple receiving slots. Each first terminal has a contact portion
accommodated in the receiving slot and exposed from the first
surface. The first terminals include a pair of differential signal
terminals and multiple non-high-speed terminals. The depressed slot
is depressed from the first surface, located between contact
portions of two differential signal terminals, and in communication
with two adjacent receiving slots. The positioning slot is
depressed from the first surface, located between contact portions
of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, or of adjacent
non-high-speed terminal and differential signal terminal, and in
communication with two adjacent receiving slots. The length of the
positioning slot is less than the length of the depressed slot.
Inventors: |
Ju; Ted; (Keelung, TW)
; Lin; Wen Wei; (Keelung, TW) ; Zhang; Li
Ming; (Keelung, TW) ; Lin; Chin Chi; (Keelung,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LOTES CO., LTD |
Keelung |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
52772799 |
Appl. No.: |
14/604021 |
Filed: |
January 23, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62024728 |
Jul 15, 2014 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/607.01 ;
439/660 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R 13/6594 20130101;
H01R 43/18 20130101; H01R 13/6585 20130101; B29C 63/00 20130101;
H01R 24/60 20130101; H01R 12/00 20130101; H01R 12/712 20130101;
H01R 13/6477 20130101; H01R 24/78 20130101; H01R 2107/00 20130101;
H01R 12/707 20130101; H01R 24/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01R 24/78 20060101
H01R024/78 |
Claims
1. An electrical connector, comprising: a body having a tongue
extending along a direction from front to rear, wherein the tongue
comprises a first surface, and a plurality of receiving slots are
depressed from the first surface; a row of first terminals
insert-molded in the body, wherein each of the first terminals has
a contact portion respectively accommodated in one of the receiving
slots and exposed from the first surface, and the row of first
terminals comprises a pair of differential signal terminals for
transmitting a high-speed signal and a plurality of non-high-speed
terminals; a depressed slot, depressed from the first surface, and
located between the contact portions of the two differential signal
terminals, wherein the depressed slot is in communication with two
adjacent receiving slots of the receiving slots; and at least one
positioning slot depressed from the first surface, wherein the
positioning slot is located between the contact portions of two
adjacent non-high-speed terminals, or located between contact
portions of one of the non-high-speed terminals and one of the pair
of differential signal terminal adjacent to each other, and the
positioning slot is in communication with two adjacent receiving
slots, wherein a length of the positioning slot along the direction
from front to rear is less than a length of the depressed slot
along the direction from front to rear.
2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein side
surfaces directly facing each other of contact portions of two
differential signal terminals are exposed to the depressed
slot.
3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the
plurality of non-high-speed terminals are respectively located at
two sides of the pair of differential signal terminals; wherein one
of the at least one positioning slot is disposed between the
contact portions of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, and
another one of the at least one positioning slot is disposed
between contact portions of one of the non-high-speed terminals and
one of the pair of differential signal terminals adjacent to each
other; and wherein the length of all of the positioning slots along
the direction from front to rear is less than the length of the
depressed slot along the direction from front to rear.
4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the
tongue has a second surface opposite to the first surface, the
second surface is provided with a row of second terminals, and
arrangement of the second terminals on the second surface and
arrangement of the first terminals on the first surface are
centrosymmetrical.
5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, further
comprising a middle shielding sheet disposed in the tongue and
located between the first terminals and the second terminals.
6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein the
depressed slot extends to a surface of the middle shielding
sheet.
7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the
depressed slot runs forward through a front end of the tongue.
8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the
length of the depressed slot along the direction from front to rear
is greater than a length of the contact portion of the differential
signal terminal along the direction from front to rear.
9. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a front
end of the depressed slot goes forward beyond front ends of the
contact portions of the differential signal terminals, and a rear
end of the depressed slot goes backward beyond rear ends of the
contact portions of the differential signal terminals.
10. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the
tongue has a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a
groove is further depressed toward the second surface from each of
the receiving slots at which the two differential signal terminals
are located, and the groove is in communication with the receiving
slot.
11. The electrical connector according to claim 10, wherein the
second surface is provided with a row of second terminals,
arrangement of the second terminals on the second surface and
arrangement of the first terminals on the first surface are
centrosymmetrical, and the groove runs through to the second
surface.
12. The electrical connector according to claim 11, further
comprising a middle shielding sheet disposed in the middle of the
tongue and located between the first terminals and the second
terminals, wherein a location on the middle shielding sheet
corresponding to the groove is provided with a hollow portion.
13. (canceled)
14. An electrical connector, comprising: a body having a tongue
extending along a direction from front to rear and a plurality of
receiving slots disposed in the tongue; a row of terminals fixedly
disposed at the body, wherein each of the terminals has a contact
portion accommodated in one of the receiving slots respectively,
and the row of terminals comprises a pair of differential signal
terminals; and a depressed slot, disposed at the tongue, and
located between the contact portions of the two differential signal
terminals, wherein the depressed slot is in communication with two
adjacent receiving slots of the receiving slots, wherein the tongue
has an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to each other,
the upper surface and the lower surface are each provided with the
row of terminals, and the upper and lower rows of terminals are
centrosymmetrically arranged.
15. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein the
depressed slot is depressed from at least one of the upper surface
and the lower surface of the tongue.
16. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein a depth
of the depressed slot in a vertical direction is greater than a
thickness of the contact portion in the vertical direction.
17. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein the
tongue comprises a through slot running through the upper surface
and the lower surface, the through slot is located between
differential signal terminals of the upper and lower rows of
terminals, and the through slot is in communication with the
receiving slot.
18. The electrical connector according to claim 17, further
comprising a middle shielding sheet disposed in the tongue and
located between two rows of terminals, wherein a location on the
middle shielding sheet corresponding to the through slot is
provided with a hollow portion.
19. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein the
depressed slot runs forward through a front end of the tongue.
20. An electrical connector, comprising: a body having a tongue
extending along a direction from front to rear and a plurality of
receiving slots disposed in the tongue; a row of terminals fixedly
disposed at the body, wherein each of the terminals has a contact
portion accommodated in one of the receiving slots respectively,
and the row of terminals comprises a pair of differential signal
terminals; and a depressed slot, disposed at the tongue, and
located between the contact portions of the two differential signal
terminals, wherein the depressed slot is in communication with two
adjacent receiving slots of the receiving slots, wherein the row of
terminals further comprises non-high-speed terminals located at two
sides of the pair of differential signal terminals; wherein a
positioning slot is disposed between each of the contact portions
of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, and between the contact
portion of one of the non-high-speed terminals and one of the
differential signal terminals adjacent to each other, each
positioning slot is in communication with two adjacent receiving
slots; and wherein a length of the positioning slots along the
direction from front to rear is less than a length of the depressed
slots along the direction from front to rear.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of,
pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119 (e), U.S. provisional patent
application Ser. No. 62/024,728, filed Jul. 15, 2014, entitled
"ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR," by Ted Ju, which is incorporated herein in
its entirety by reference.
[0002] Some references, if any, which may include patents, patent
applications and various publications, may be cited and discussed
in the description of this invention. The citation and/or
discussion of such references, if any, is provided merely to
clarify the description of the present invention and is not an
admission that any such reference is "prior art" to the invention
described herein. All references listed, cited and/or discussed in
this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties and to the same extent as if each reference was
individually incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to an electrical connector,
and particularly to an input/output connector for transmitting a
high-speed signal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Serving as a standard input/output interface, a universal
serial bus (USB) interface has been widely applied to various
electronic devices. As the USB transmission rate is gradually
improved, differential signal terminal pairs are correspondingly
used in a USB connector to transmit a high frequency signal.
Currently, a USB connector generally includes a body made of
plastic and two rows of terminals disposed in the body. The body
includes a base and a tongue extending forward from the base. The
two rows of terminals are respectively disposed on upper and lower
surfaces of the tongue, and each row of terminals includes a
differential signal terminal pair. Two adjacent terminals of a same
row of terminals are separated by a plastic material. In this type
of structure, the differential signal terminal pair is surrounded
by a lot of plastic, the attenuation action of plastic on the high
frequency signal is great, and a small part of differential signal
terminals are exposed to air, so that the insertion loss, the
return loss and the crosstalk of the high frequency signal in a
transmission process are affected, which is adverse to transmission
of the high frequency signal.
[0005] Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art
to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to an
electrical connector, where differential signal terminals of the
electrical connector are exposed to air to a great extent, so as to
effectively improve the high frequency performance thereof.
[0007] In one embodiment, an electrical connector includes a body,
a row of first terminals insert-molded in the body, a depressed
slot, and at least one positioning slot. The body includes a tongue
extending along a direction from front to rear. The tongue has a
first surface, and multiple receiving slots are depressed from the
first surface. Each of the first terminals has a contact portion
correspondingly accommodated in one of the receiving slots and
exposed from the first surface. The row of first terminals includes
a pair of differential signal terminals for transmitting a
high-speed signal and multiple non-high-speed terminals. The
depressed slot is depressed from the first surface, and located
between contact portions of two differential signal terminals. The
depressed slot is in communication with two adjacent receiving
slots. At least one positioning slot is depressed from the first
surface. The positioning slot is located between contact portions
of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, or located between a
contact portion of a non-high-speed terminal and a contact portion
of a differential signal terminal adjacent to each other. The
positioning slot is in communication with two adjacent receiving
slots. The length of the positioning slot along the direction from
front to rear is less than the length of the depressed slot along
the direction from front to rear.
[0008] In one embodiment, side surfaces directly facing each other
of contact portions of two differential signal terminals are
exposed to the depressed slot.
[0009] In one embodiment, the multiple non-high-speed terminals are
separately located at two sides of the pair of differential signal
terminals. One such positioning slot is disposed between contact
portions of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, and one such
positioning slot is disposed between contact portions of adjacent a
non-high-speed terminal and a first differential signal terminal.
The length of all of the positioning slots along the direction from
front to rear is less than the length of the depressed slot along
the direction from front to rear.
[0010] In one embodiment, the tongue has a second surface opposite
to the first surface. The second surface is provided with a row of
second terminals. Arrangement of the second terminals on the second
surface and arrangement of the first terminals on the first surface
are centrosymmetrical. A middle shielding sheet is disposed in the
tongue and located between the first terminals and the second
terminals. The depressed slot is depressed from the first surface
and extends to a surface of the middle shielding sheet.
[0011] In one embodiment, the depressed slot runs forward through a
front end of the tongue. The length of the depressed slot along the
direction from front to rear is greater than the length of the
contact portion of the differential signal terminal along the
direction from front to rear. A front end of the depressed slot
goes forward beyond a front end of the contact portion of the
differential signal terminal, and a rear end of the depressed slot
goes backward beyond a rear end of the contact portion of the
differential signal terminal.
[0012] In one embodiment, the tongue has a second surface disposed
opposite to the first surface. A groove is further depressed toward
the second surface from each of the receiving slots at which the
two differential signal terminals are located, and the groove is in
communication with the receiving slot. The second surface is
provided with a row of second terminals. Arrangement of the second
terminals on the second surface and arrangement of the first
terminals on the first surface are centrosymmetrical. The groove
runs through to the second surface. A middle shielding sheet is
disposed in the middle of the tongue and located between the first
terminal and the second terminal. A location on the middle
shielding sheet corresponding to the groove is provided with a
hollow portion.
[0013] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to an
electrical connector. In one embodiment, an electrical connector
includes a body, a row of terminals fixedly disposed at the body,
and a depressed slot. The body includes a tongue extending along a
direction from front to rear. The tongue is provided with multiple
receiving slots. Each of the terminals has a contact portion
correspondingly accommodated in one of the receiving slots. The row
of terminals includes a pair of differential signal terminals. The
depressed slot is disposed at the tongue and located between
contact portions of two differential signal terminals. The
depressed slot is in communication with two adjacent receiving
slots of the receiving slots.
[0014] In one embodiment, the tongue has an upper surface and a
lower surface opposite to each other. The upper surface and the
lower surface are each provided with a row of terminals, and the
upper and lower rows of terminals are centrosymmetrically
arranged.
[0015] In one embodiment, the depressed slot is depressed from the
upper surface and/or lower surface of the tongue. The depth of the
depressed slot in a vertical direction is greater than the
thickness of the contact portion in the vertical direction. The
tongue is provided with a through slot running through the upper
surface and the lower surface. The through slot is located between
differential signal terminals of the upper and lower rows of
terminals, and the through slot is in communication with the
receiving slot. A middle shielding sheet is disposed in the tongue
and located between two rows of terminals. A location on the middle
shielding sheet corresponding to the through slot is provided with
a hollow portion.
[0016] In one embodiment, the depressed slot runs forward through a
front end of the tongue.
[0017] In one embodiment, the row of terminals further includes
non-high-speed terminals located at two sides of the differential
signal terminal pair. A positioning slot is disposed between
contact portions of two adjacent non-high-speed terminals, and a
positioning slot is disposed between a contact portion of a
non-high-speed terminal and a contact portion of a first
differential signal terminal adjacent to each other. The
positioning slot is in communication with two adjacent receiving
slots. The length of the positioning slot along the direction from
front to rear is less than the length of the depressed slot along
the direction from front to rear.
[0018] Compared with the related art, in certain embodiments of the
present invention, by disposing a depressed slot on the tongue
corresponding to a location between two contact portions of a pair
of differential signal terminals, plastic materials around the two
differential signal terminals are reduced, so that the two
differential signal terminals are exposed to air as much as
possible, thereby effectively reducing the insertion loss and the
return loss of a high frequency signal during transmission in these
terminals.
[0019] These and other aspects of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment
taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although
variations and modifications therein may be effected without
departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the
disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments
of the invention and together with the written description, serve
to explain the principles of the invention. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to
the same or like elements of an embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded view and a partial enlarged
view of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of
the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic view obtained after upper and lower
rows of terminals are fixed to a body, and upper and lower
shielding sheets are fixed to the body in FIG. 1.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a sectional view obtained after a metal casing is
assembled to the body in FIG. 2.
[0024] FIG. 4 is a sectional view obtained after terminals are
hidden in FIG. 3.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a top sectional view obtained after a metal casing
is assembled to the body in FIG. 2.
[0026] FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of an electrical connector
according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 7 is a bottom sectional view of the electrical
connector of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] 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.
[0029] 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.
[0030] 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.
[0031] 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.
[0032] 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.
[0033] 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.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 5, an electrical connector
according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes a
body 1, multiple terminals 2 fixedly disposed in the body 1, and a
metal casing 3 covering the body 1.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the body 1 is made of a
plastic material, includes a base 10 and a tongue 11 extending
forward from the base 10. The thickness of the base 10 in a
vertical direction is greater than the thickness of the tongue 11.
The entire tongue 11 is rectangular along a direction from front to
rear, and the tongue 11 has an upper surface 112 and a lower
surface 114 opposite to each other. The tongue 11 further has a
direction from left to right perpendicular to the direction from
front to rear and the direction from top to bottom (the vertical
direction). For convenience of understanding, as shown in a
three-dimensional coordinate system in FIG. 1, an X axis denotes a
forward direction, a Y axis denotes a rightward direction, and a Z
axis denotes an upward direction.
[0036] Multiple first receiving slots 14 are depressed from the
upper surface 112 downward. Multiple second receiving slots 15 are
further depressed from the lower surface 114 upward. The first
receiving slots 14 and the second receiving slots 15 are used for
accommodating a part of the terminals 2. The first receiving slot
14 has a bottom wall 140, the second receiving slot 15 has a top
wall 150, and the depth of the first receiving slot 14 and the
second receiving slot 15 is roughly consistent with the thickness
of the terminal 2, and may be entered by the terminal 2, so that
the terminals 2 are accommodated in the first receiving slots 14
and the second receiving slots 15. Meanwhile a part of each of the
terminals 2 is exposed from the upper surface 112 and the lower
surface 114 of the tongue 11. Four of the first receiving slots 14
and four of the second receiving slots 15 are used for
accommodating high-speed differential signal terminals, and the
four first receiving slots 14 and the four second receiving slots
15 are disposed at left and right sides of the tongue 11
pairwise.
[0037] A first groove 12 is further depressed from each of the
foregoing four first receiving slots 14 downward and is in
communication with the first receiving slot 14, and the first
grooves 12 are filled with air. The four first grooves 12 are
disposed on the upper surface 112 of the tongue 11 in two pairs,
and the two pairs of first grooves 12 are separated by a distance.
Correspondingly, a second groove 13 is further depressed from each
of the foregoing four second receiving slots 15 upward and is in
communication with the second receiving slot 15, and the second
grooves 13 are likewise filled with air. The four second grooves 13
are disposed on the lower surface 114 of the tongue 11 in two
pairs, and the two pairs of second grooves 13 are separated by a
distance. The first grooves 12 and the second grooves 13 are
corresponding in upper and lower locations, and extend along the
direction from front to rear to be lengthwise rectangular. This
embodiment serves as a preferable implementation manner, and to
reduce the plastic amount at the location as much as possible, each
of the first grooves 12 is in communication with the corresponding
second groove 13 downward, thereby forming a through slot running
through the upper and lower surfaces 112 and 114 of the tongue
11.
[0038] The depth of the four first receiving slots 14 and the four
second receiving slots 15 in the vertical direction is far less
than the depth of the first groove 12 and the second groove 13.
Meanwhile, the width of the foregoing four first receiving slots 14
in the direction from left rightward is greater than the width of
the first grooves 12, and the width of the second receiving slots
15 in the direction from left rightward is greater than the width
of the second grooves 13, thereby forming a step between the bottom
wall 140 of the first receiving slot 14 and the side wall of the
corresponding first groove 12, and also forming a step between the
top wall 150 of the second receiving slot 15 and the side wall of
the corresponding second groove 13.
[0039] The multiple terminals 2 are divided into upper and lower
rows 2A and 2B which are respectively fixedly disposed in the body
1. Each row of the terminals 2 includes high-speed terminals and
non-high-speed terminals, where the high-speed terminals are
differential signal terminals for transmitting a USB 3.0 signal.
The upper row of the terminals 2A includes a pair of first
differential signal terminals 21, and each of the first
differential signal terminals 21 has a first contact portion 210
fixed to and exposed from the upper surface 112 of the tongue 11.
The first contact portion 210 is partially accommodated in the
first receiving slot 14, is correspondingly located above one of
the first grooves 12, extends in a flat plate shape along the
direction from front to rear, and therefore may cover the top
opening of the entire first groove 12, so that the bottom surface
of the first contact portion 210 is at least partially exposed to
the air in the first groove 12. Correspondingly, the lower row of
terminals 2B includes a pair of second differential signal
terminals 22, and each of the second differential signal terminals
22 has a second contact portion 220 fixed to and exposed from the
lower surface 114 of the tongue 11. The second contact portion 220
is partially accommodated in the second receiving slot 15, is
correspondingly located below one of the second grooves 13, extends
in a flat plate shape along the direction from front to rear, and
therefore may cover the bottom opening of the entire second groove
13, so that the top surface of the second contact portion 220 is at
least partially exposed to the air in the second groove 13. In this
embodiment, the upper row of terminals 2A is insert-molded in the
body 1, while the lower row of terminals 2B is assembled to the
lower surface 114 of the tongue 11 upward from the bottom of the
body 1. The two pairs of first grooves 12 corresponding to the
upper surface 112 of the tongue 11 are disposed with two pairs of
first differential signal terminals 21, and non-high-speed
terminals are at two sides of each pair of first differential
signal terminals 21. The two pairs of second grooves 13
corresponding to the lower surface of the tongue 11 are provided
with two pairs of second differential signal terminals 22, and
non-high-speed terminals are also at two sides of each pair of
second differential signal terminals 22. More specifically, the
upper and lower rows of terminals 2A and 2B on the upper and lower
surfaces 112 and 114 are centrosymmetrically disposed. Each row of
terminals 2A or 2B is sequentially provided from left to right with
a grounding terminal, a pair of USB 3.0 terminals, a power supply
terminal, a reserved terminal, a pair of USB 2.0 terminals, a
reserved terminal, a power supply terminal, a pair of USB 3.0
terminals, and a grounding terminal.
[0040] The first contact portion 210 is partially accommodated in
the first receiving slot 14, the bottom surface of the first
contact portion 210 is supported by the bottom wall 140 of the
first receiving slot 14, and the top surface of the first contact
portion 210 is exposed from the upper surface 112 of the tongue 11.
The first contact portion 210 has a first contact location used for
contacting a mating element (not shown), and the first receiving
slot 14 is located right below the first contact location. The
second contact portion 220 is partially accommodated in the second
receiving slot 15, the top surface of the second contact portion
220 is supported by the top wall 150 of the second receiving slot
15, and the bottom surface of the second contact portion 220 is
exposed from the lower surface 114 of the tongue 11. The second
contact portion 220 has a second contact location used for
contacting a mating element, and the second receiving slot 15 is
located right above the second contact location. Both the first
contact portion 210 and the second contact portion 220 according to
certain embodiment of the present invention are in a flat plate
shape, and contact an elastic contact portion (not shown) bent in
an arc shape on a mating terminal (not shown). When the elastic
contact portion of the mating terminal is pressed against the first
contact portion 210 and the second contact portion 220 in the flat
plate shape, the bottom wall 140 of the first receiving slot 14 and
the top wall 150 of the second receiving slot 15 may play a role of
supporting the first contact portion 210 and the second contact
portion 220 respectively, so as to prevent the first contact
portion 210 and the second contact portion 220 from being depressed
toward the center of the tongue 11, thereby avoiding that the first
contact portion 210 and the second contact portion 220 are
disconnected from the mating terminal.
[0041] A middle shielding sheet 4 located between the upper and
lower rows of terminals 2A and 2B is further insert-molded in the
body 1 according to certain embodiments of the present invention.
The middle shielding sheet 4 is made of a metal material, and
includes a main body portion 40 which is rectangular along the
direction from front to rear, and two welding feet 41 bent downward
and extending from a rear end of the main body portion 40
separately. The welding foot 41 is used for conducting a grounding
path in a circuit board (not shown). The main body portion 40 of
the middle shielding sheet 4 is located between the first
differential signal terminals 21 and the second differential signal
terminals 22, and is used for shielding an interference signal
between the first differential signal terminals 21 and the second
differential signal terminals 22, so as to alleviate crosstalk of a
high frequency signal during the transmission process. In this
embodiment, the middle shielding sheet 4 and the upper row of
terminals 2A are jointly insert-molded in the tongue 11, while the
lower row of terminals 2B is assembled to the lower surface 114 of
the tongue 11 upward from the bottom of the body 1. To provide
convenience for a die to position the upper row of terminals 2A in
the insert-mold process, a location on the main body portion 40 of
the middle shielding sheet 4 corresponding to the first groove 12
and the second groove 13 is provided with a hollow portion 42, and
the hollow portion 42 enables the first groove 12 and the second
groove 13 to be in communication with each other, and also provides
convenience for a positioning pin of the die to be inserted from
the lower surface 114 of the tongue 11 to press against the bottom
surface of the first differential signal terminals 21 to position
the first differential signal terminals 21, so that subsequently
plastic is injected into a cavity of the die to form the body 1.
The length of the hollow portions 42 in the direction from front to
rear and the width thereof in the direction from left to right are
slightly greater than those of the corresponding first groove 12
and second groove 13, and are also slightly greater than those of
the corresponding first contact portion 210 and second contact
portion 220.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, to further increase the
exposure area of each differential signal terminal in the air, and
reduce the loss of a high frequency signal between two terminals of
a pair of differential signal terminals as much as possible, a
depressed slot 16 is further depressed from the upper surface 112
of the tongue 11 between two first differential signal terminals
21. The depressed slot 16 is in communication with two adjacent
first receiving slots 14, and side surfaces directly facing each
other of the first contact portions 210 of the two first
differential signal terminals 21 are exposed to the depressed slot
16, so that the side surfaces are at least partially exposed to the
air. To make the side surfaces be exposed to the air as much as
possible, the depressed slot 16 is depressed downward from the
upper surface 112 and extends to the upper surface of the middle
shielding sheet 4, and the depth thereof is greater than the
thickness of the first contact portions 210 in the vertical
direction.
[0043] In one embodiment, multiple positioning slots 17 are further
depressed from the upper surface 112. The positioning slots 17 are
located between two adjacent non-high-speed terminals and between a
non-high-speed terminal and a first differential signal terminal 21
adjacent to each other. The positioning slots 17 are also in
communication with the two adjacent first receiving slots 14. In
the process of insert-molding the upper row of terminals 2A, the
positioning pin of the die may be inserted into left and right
sides (that is, locations of the positioning slots 17) of each
terminal 2 from the upper surface 112 of the tongue 11, thereby
limiting each terminal 2 in the horizontal direction, so as to
prevent the terminals 2 from being deformed or warped due to a high
temperature when a fused plastic material is injected. The length
of at least one positioning slot 17 along the direction from front
to rear is less than the length of the depressed slot 16 along the
direction from front to rear. To make the differential signal
terminals be exposed to the air as much as possible, the depressed
slot 16 is set to be long, and meanwhile, in order to prevent
interference between non-high-speed terminals, and interference
between a non-high-speed terminal and a first differential signal
terminal 21, the positioning slot 17 is set to be short as much as
possible, so that in this embodiment, the length of all of the
positioning slots 17 is less than the length of the depressed slots
16. For convenience of reserving a small part of plastic to fix the
first contact portions 210, the whole length of the depressed slot
16 is less than the length of the corresponding first contact
portions 210. As shown in FIG. 5, the rear end of the depressed
slots 16 goes backward beyond the rear end of the first contact
portions 210 of the first differential signal terminals 21, but the
front end of the depressed slots 16 does not go forward beyond the
front end of the first contact portions 210 of the first
differential signal terminals 21, and the whole length thereof is
less than the length of the first contact portions 210.
[0044] In one embodiment, an upper shielding sheet 5 and a lower
shielding sheet 6 are separately disposed on the body 1. The upper
and lower shielding sheets 5 and 6 are buckled and connected at a
side of the tongue 11 by using a buckling structure. The upper and
lower shielding sheets 5 and 6 respectively have urging portions 50
and 60 fixed to surfaces of the base 10 of the body 1. Fixing
portions 51 and 61 covering the upper and lower surfaces 112 and
114 of the tongue 11 separately extend forward from the urging
portions 50 and 60. Moreover, the urging portions 50 and 60 of the
upper and lower shielding sheets 5 and 6 separately contact the
metal casing 3, and are used for implementing grounding conduction.
The metal casing 3 includes an inner shell 30 and an outer shell 31
covering the inner shell 30. The inner shell 30 is cylindrical and
covers the entire body 1, and a front end opening thereof is used
for the mating element to be inserted therein. The outer shell 31
may be fixed to the inner shell 30 in a spot welding or another
manner, and DIP-type welding feet extend downward from two sides of
the outer shell 31, and are used for electrically conducting the
grounding path on the circuit board.
[0045] The molding manner of the electrical connector according to
certain embodiments of the present invention is roughly as
follows.
[0046] First, multiple terminals 2 are divided into an upper row
and a lower row, which are each insert-molded at an insulation
block 7, so that these terminals 2 and the insulation blocks 7 form
an upper terminal module and a lower terminal module. Secondly, the
upper terminal module and a middle shielding sheet 4 are jointly
insert-molded in a body 1, so that the terminals 2 in the upper
terminal module are exposed from an upper surface 112 of a tongue
11, and the middle shielding sheet 4 is fixedly disposed in the
middle of the tongue 11. Then, the lower terminal module is
assembled to a lower surface 114 of the tongue 11 upward. After
that, upper and lower shielding sheets 5 and 6 are respectively
fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the body 1, and are
buckled to each other. Finally, a metal casing 3 sleeves the body
1, so that an inner shell 30 separately contacts the upper and
lower shielding sheets 5 and 6.
[0047] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show a second embodiment of an electrical
connector of the present invention. A first difference between the
second embodiment and the first embodiment lies in that the
depressed slot 16 runs forward through a front end of the tongue
11. Specifically, the depressed slot 16 is depressed from the upper
surface 112. The depressed slot 16 extends downward to the upper
surface of the middle shielding sheet 4. The depth thereof is
greater than the thickness of the first contact portions 210 in the
vertical direction. The length of the depressed slot 16 along the
direction from front to rear is greater than the length of the
first contact portions 210 of the first differential signal
terminals 21 along the direction from front to rear. The front end
of the depressed slot 16 goes forward beyond the front end of the
first contact portions 210 of the first differential signal
terminals 21, and the rear end of the depressed slot 16 goes
backward beyond the rear end of the first contact portion 210s of
the first differential signal terminals 21.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 7, a second difference between this
embodiment and the first embodiment lies in that the lower surface
114 of the tongue 11 is also provided with the depressed slot 16
running forward through between the second contact portions 220 of
each pair of second differential signal terminals 22. The depressed
slot 16 is depressed upward from the lower surface 114 and extends
to the lower surface of the middle shielding sheet 4 (that is, the
depressed slot 16 of the upper surface 112 of the tongue 11 and the
depressed slot 16 of the lower surface 114 are separated by the
middle shielding sheet 4), and the depth thereof is greater than
the thickness of the second contact portions 220 in the vertical
direction. The length of the depressed slot 16 along the direction
from front to rear is greater than the length of the second contact
portions 220 of the second differential signal terminals 22 along
the direction from front to rear, the front end of the depressed
slot 16 goes forward beyond the front end of the second contact
portions 220 of the second differential signal terminals 22, and
the rear end of the depressed slot 16 goes backward beyond the rear
end of the second contact portions 220 of the second differential
signal terminals 22. The foregoing depressed slot 16 running
forward through the front end of the tongue 11 may be formed by
placing the entirety of the terminals 2 and the body 1 at a milling
machine and machining the designated location of the body 1 by
using a milling cutter after the terminals 2 are fixed to the body
1.
[0049] In this embodiment, each depressed slot 16 runs forward
through the front end of the tongue 11, and therefore side surfaces
directly facing each other of the contact portions 210 and 220 of
each pair of differential signal terminals 21 and 22 are all
basically exposed to the air, so as to sufficiently increase the
exposure extent of the differential signal terminals in the air,
and more effectively reduce the insertion loss and the return loss
of the high frequency signal during transmission in these
terminals.
[0050] In other embodiments, both the upper row of terminals 2A and
the lower row of terminals 2B may also be fixed to the tongue 11 in
an assembly manner, the middle shielding sheet 4 may also be not
provided with any hollow portion 42, and the first groove 12 may
also be not in communication with the second groove 13.
[0051] Certain embodiments of the present invention, among other
things, have the following beneficial advantages.
[0052] 1. A depressed slot 16 is correspondingly disposed in a
tongue 11 between two first contact portions 210 of a pair of first
differential signal terminals 21, and plastic materials around the
two first differential signal terminals 21 are reduced, so that the
two first differential signal terminals 21 are exposed to the air
as much as possible, thereby effectively reducing the insertion
loss and the return loss of a high frequency signal during
transmission in these terminals.
[0053] 2. The length of the positioning slot 17 is less than the
length of the depressed slot 16, to make the depressed slot 16 be
set to be as long as possible, and the positioning slot 17 be set
to be as short as possible, so that interference between
non-high-speed terminals, and interference between a non-high-speed
terminal and a first differential signal terminal 21 may be
prevented.
[0054] 3. The middle shielding sheet 4 is disposed between the
upper and lower rows of terminals 2A and 2B, so that the middle
shielding sheet 4 can shield an interference signal between
different upper and lower differential signal terminal pairs, so as
to alleviate crosstalk in the process of transmitting a high
frequency signal.
[0055] 4. Side surfaces directly facing each other of the first
contact portions 210 of the two first differential signal terminals
21 are exposed to the depressed slot 16, so that the side surfaces
are at least partially exposed to the air. The depressed slot 16 is
depressed downward from the upper surface 112 and extends to the
upper surface of the middle shielding sheet 4, and the depth
thereof is greater than the thickness of the first contact portions
210 in the vertical direction, so that the side surfaces may be
exposed to the air as much as possible, so as to more effectively
reduce the insertion loss and the return loss of the high frequency
signal during transmission in these terminals.
[0056] 5. The upper surface 112 and the lower surface 114 of the
tongue 11 are respectively provided with the first receiving slots
14 and the second receiving slots 15 corresponding to the first
differential signal terminals 21 and the second differential signal
terminals 22, so when the elastic contact portion of the mating
terminal is pressed against the first contact portions 210 and the
second contact portions 220 in a flat plate shape, the bottom walls
140 of the first receiving slots 14 and the top walls 150 of the
second receiving slots 15 may play a role of supporting the
corresponding first contact portions 210 and the second contact
portions 220, thereby preventing the first contact portions 210 and
the second contact portions 220 from being depressed toward the
center of the tongue 11, so as to avoid that the first contact
portions 210 and the second contact portions 220 are disconnected
from the mating terminal.
[0057] 6. A molding manner in which both the middle shielding sheet
4 and the upper row of terminals 2A are insert-molded in the tongue
11, and the second differential signal terminals 22 are assembled
to the lower surface 114 is most preferably used in certain
embodiments of the present invention. Compared with a manner in
which the upper and lower rows of terminals 2A and 2B are fixed to
the tongue 11 in an assembly manner, this manner can ensure the
strength of the tongue 11 (since the tongue 11 needs to be thinned
or dug when the upper and lower terminal modules are assembled to
the tongue 11). Compared with a manner in which the upper and lower
rows of terminals 2A and 2B are fixed to the tongue 11 in an
insert-mold manner, this manner may ensure that the terminals 2 are
stably held and not damaged on the tongue 11 (since two sets of
dies are required to position the upper and lower rows of terminals
when the upper and lower terminal modules and the tongue 11 are
combined in an insert-mold manner, and the dies easily crush
terminals in the second molding process). Meanwhile production
costs are reduced.
[0058] 7. The depressed slot 16 runs forward through the front end
of the tongue 11, the length of the depressed slot 16 along the
direction from front to rear is greater than the length of the
corresponding first contact portions 210 of the first differential
signal terminals 21 along the direction from front to rear, the
front end of the depressed slot 16 goes forward beyond the front
end of the corresponding first contact portions 210 of the first
differential signal terminals 21, and the rear end of the depressed
slot 16 goes backward beyond the rear end of the corresponding
first contact portions 210 of the first differential signal
terminals 21, so that side surfaces directly facing each other of
the contact portions 210 and 220 of the pairs of first and second
differential signal terminals 21 and 22 are all basically exposed
to the air, so as to sufficiently increase the exposure extent of
the differential signal terminals in the air, and more effectively
reduce the insertion loss and the return loss of the high frequency
signal during transmission in these terminals.
[0059] 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.
[0060] The embodiments are 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.
* * * * *