TWI851000B - Electrical connector assembly, cable electrical connector, and manufacturing method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly, a cable electrical connector, and a method for manufacturing for the same. The cable electrical connector includes a first insulating shell, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of connecting cables, a plurality of extension cables and an insulating holder. The first insulating shell includes a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves, and the first terminal accommodating grooves correspond to the cable accommodating grooves. The first terminals are disposed in the first terminal accommodating grooves. The connecting cables are disposed in the cable accommodating groove, and the connecting cables are respectively electrically connected to the corresponding first terminals. The extension cables are respectively electrically connected to the connection cables. The insulating holder holds the connection cables and the extension cables so that the relative positions of the connection cables and the extension cables remain fixed.

Description

Electrical connector assembly, wire-end electrical connector, and manufacturing method of wire-end electrical connector

The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly and a wire-end electrical connector and a manufacturing method of the wire-end electrical connector, and in particular to an electrical connector assembly and a wire-end electrical connector and a manufacturing method of the wire-end electrical connector, which utilize injection molding to fix a connecting cable and an extension cable of the wire-end electrical connector to each other.

Electrical connectors are used to connect different electronic components or modules so that electronic signals can be transmitted between different electronic components or modules through electrical connectors. Electrical connectors are connected to the counterpart connectors, and then the signals are transmitted by the terminals of the electrical connectors themselves contacting the terminals of the counterpart connectors. Electrical connectors can be used to connect circuit boards and cables. In existing cable electrical connectors, since the cables are directly connected to the terminals, when the user pulls the cables, the pulling force will be transmitted to the terminals through the cables, causing the terminals to shift, resulting in poor connection between the line-end electrical connector and the board-end electrical connector, affecting signal transmission.

In view of this, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly and a wire end electrical connector and a manufacturing method of the wire end electrical connector, wherein an external extension cable and a connecting cable of the wire end electrical connector are fixed to each other by injection molding, and the connecting cable and the terminal of the wire end electrical connector form a loose fit, thereby solving the problem of the prior art that the tension acting on the cable causes the terminal to be offset.

An embodiment of the wire end electrical connector of the present invention includes a first insulating shell, a plurality of first terminals, a plurality of connecting cables, a plurality of extension cables, and an insulating holder. The first insulating shell includes a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves, and the first terminal accommodating grooves correspond to the cable accommodating grooves. A plurality of first terminals are arranged in the first terminal accommodating grooves. A plurality of connecting cables are arranged in the cable accommodating grooves, and the connecting cables are electrically connected to the corresponding first terminals, respectively. A plurality of extension cables are electrically connected to the connecting cables, respectively. An insulating holder holds the connecting cables and the extension cables so that the relative positions of the connecting cables and the extension cables remain fixed.

In another embodiment, the plurality of connecting cables and the plurality of extending cables are perpendicular to or parallel to each other.

In another embodiment, the insulating holder is coupled to the first insulating housing via a snap-fit structure.

In another embodiment, each first terminal includes a first docking portion, a first retaining portion and a cable coupling portion, the first retaining portion is fixed to the first terminal accommodating groove, the conductor portion of the connecting cable is coupled to the cable coupling portion, and the first docking portion is docked with the second terminal of a pair of connectors.

In another embodiment, the cable coupling portion has a receiving groove, and the conductor portion of the connecting cable is coupled to the receiving groove in a loose fit manner.

In another embodiment, the first docking portion is tubular and has a neck section, and the second terminal of the counterpart connector is inserted into the first docking portion and forms an interference fit with the neck section.

In another embodiment, the insulating holder covers the connection points between the connecting cables and the extension cables, and the insulating holder fills at least a portion of the gap between the connecting cable and the cable receiving groove.

In another embodiment, the first insulating housing includes a plurality of wire end connecting portions, the first terminal receiving grooves are correspondingly disposed in the wire end connecting portions, and each wire end connecting portion is in a convex column shape.

An embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention includes the aforementioned line-end electrical connector and a board-end electrical connector. The board-end electrical connector is connected to the line-end electrical connector. The board-end electrical connector includes: a second insulating shell and a plurality of second terminals. The second insulating shell includes a plurality of second terminal accommodating grooves, and the second terminal accommodating grooves are connected to the corresponding first terminal accommodating grooves. A plurality of second terminals are correspondingly arranged in the second terminal accommodating grooves, and the second terminals are correspondingly combined with the first terminals.

In another embodiment, the second terminal includes a second docking portion, a second retaining portion and an electrical connection portion, the second docking portion is correspondingly docked with the first docking portion, the second retaining portion is fixed to the second insulating shell, and the electrical connection portion is disposed on a circuit board.

In another embodiment, the first insulating shell and the second insulating shell are locked and positioned after being connected by a locking portion and a locking protrusion locking structure.

In another embodiment, the second terminal accommodating grooves of the second insulating housing serve as a plurality of board end docking portions, and the wire end docking portions of the first insulating housing are correspondingly inserted into the board end docking portions.

An embodiment of the manufacturing method of the wire end electrical connector of the present invention comprises the following steps: a plurality of first terminals are combined with a first insulating shell by an embedded injection molding process, wherein the first insulating shell comprises a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves, the first terminal accommodating grooves correspond to the cable accommodating grooves, and the first terminals are correspondingly arranged in the first terminal accommodating grooves; a plurality of connecting cables are connected to the first insulating shell; The connecting cables are respectively arranged in the cable receiving grooves, and the connecting cables are respectively electrically connected to the corresponding first terminals; the first insulating shell in which the connecting cables are arranged and a plurality of extension cables are placed in a mold and the relative positions of the connecting cables and the extension cables are fixed; plastic is injected into the connection between the connecting cables and the extension cables in a circumferential manner; and the plastic is solidified to form an insulating holder and then demolded.

The electrical connector assembly and the wire-end electrical connector and the manufacturing method of the wire-end electrical connector of the present invention fix the external extension cable and the connecting cable of the wire-end electrical connector to each other by injection molding, and the connecting cable and the terminal of the wire-end electrical connector form a loose fit. Even if the user pulls the external extension cable, the tension on the extension cable only directly acts on the injection-molded structure and the connecting cable, and will not directly act on the first terminal of the wire-end electrical connector. The first terminal will not be displaced due to the tension of the extension cable. In addition, since the first terminal and the connecting cable form a loose fit, the dimensional tolerance of the first terminal of the wire-end electrical connector and the second terminal of the board-end electrical connector can be allowed.

Please refer to Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, which show an embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention. The electrical connector assembly of this embodiment includes a line-end electrical connector 10 and a board-end electrical connector 20. The line-end electrical connector 10 and the board-end electrical connector 20 form a butt connection.

The line end electrical connector 10 includes a first insulating housing 11 , a plurality of first terminals 12 , a plurality of connecting cables 13 , a plurality of extension cables 14 and an insulating retainer 15 .

The first insulating housing 11 has a mating end 111 and a cable connecting end 112. The first insulating housing 11 includes a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves 113 and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves 114. The first terminal accommodating grooves 113 are arranged near the mating end 111, and the cable accommodating grooves 114 are arranged near the cable connecting end 112. The first terminal accommodating grooves 113 correspond to the cable accommodating grooves 114. In this embodiment, each first terminal accommodating groove 113 is connected to the cable accommodating groove 114, and the first terminal accommodating grooves 113 are aligned with the cable accommodating grooves 114. As shown in FIG5 , the docking end 111 of the first insulating housing 11 includes a plurality of wire end docking portions 115, each of which is in the shape of a convex column, and the plurality of wire end docking portions 115 are arranged in two rows. Each wire end docking portion 115 is in the shape of a tube, and each wire end docking portion 115 has a first terminal receiving groove 113. In addition, each tubular wire end docking portion 115 has a slope 116 at a corner, thereby forming a foolproof structure when docking with the board-end electrical connector 20.

A plurality of first terminals 12 are disposed in the first terminal receiving grooves 113. The first terminal receiving grooves 113 of this embodiment are arranged in two rows, one above the other, and a plurality of first terminals 12 are disposed in the first terminal receiving grooves 113 in a corresponding manner. As shown in FIG. 5 , the cross section of each first terminal receiving groove 113 is in the shape of a letter "Y".

Please refer to Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10. Each first terminal 12 of this embodiment is a substantially tubular structure, which includes a first abutting portion 121, a first retaining portion 122 and a cable coupling portion 123. The first retaining portion 122 is an inverted hook-shaped structure protruding from the first terminal 12, which abuts against the groove wall of the first terminal accommodating groove 113 and interferes with the groove wall of the first terminal accommodating groove 113, thereby fixing the first terminal 12 to the first terminal accommodating groove 113.

The conductor portion 131 of the connecting cable 13 is coupled to the cable coupling portion 123. The cable coupling portion 123 of the present embodiment includes a V-shaped receiving groove 1231. The conductor portion 131 of the connecting cable 13 is disposed in the receiving groove 1231 and the conductor portion 131 of the connecting cable 13 is coupled to the receiving groove 1231 in a loose fit manner to maintain contact, thereby forming an electrical connection between the first terminal 12 and the connecting cable 13.

The first docking portion 121 is docked with the second terminal 22 of the board-end electrical connector 20. The first docking portion 121 of the present embodiment is tubular, which cooperates with the first terminal receiving groove 113 and has a neck section 1221. The cross-sectional size of the neck section 1221 is smaller than the size of other parts of the first docking portion 121, and is used for the second terminal 22 of the board-end electrical connector 20 to be inserted into the first docking portion 121 to form an interference fit with the neck section 1221, so that the first terminal 12 and the second terminal 22 are kept in contact and maintain an electrically connected state.

Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 again. A plurality of connecting cables 13 are disposed in the cable receiving groove 114, and the other end of the connecting cable 13 is exposed from the cable connecting end 112. The conductor portions of the plurality of extension cables 14 are respectively electrically connected to the conductor portions of the plurality of connecting cables 13 to form an electrical connection.

As shown in FIG4 and FIG8, the first insulating housing 11 and the extension cable 14 mounted with the first terminal 12 and the connecting cable 13 are placed in a mold, and then an insulating holder 15 is formed between the insulating housing 11 and the extension cable 14 by injection molding. The insulating holder 15 holds the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14, so that the relative positions of the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14 are kept fixed. The insulating holder 15 of this embodiment covers the connection points of the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14. As shown in FIG3 and FIG4, the first insulating shell 11 pre-forms a filling channel S, and the filling channel S opens at the cable connecting end 112 and the side surface of the first insulating shell 11. After the injection molding process is completed, the plastic will be filled in the filling channel S to form a clamping structure that combines the insulating holder 15 with the first insulating shell 11. In other embodiments, the insulating holder 15 can also fill at least part of the gap between the connecting cable 13 and the cable receiving groove 114. The extension cable 14 of this embodiment is perpendicular to the connection cable 13, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 , the extension cable 14 may also be connected in parallel to the connection cable 13.

The board-end electrical connector 20 includes: a second insulating housing 21 and a plurality of second terminals 22. The second insulating housing 21 includes a plurality of second terminal receiving grooves 211, and the second terminal receiving grooves 211 are connected to the corresponding first terminal receiving grooves 113. The plurality of second terminals 22 are correspondingly disposed in the second terminal receiving grooves 211, and the second terminals 22 are correspondingly combined with the first terminals 12. The second terminal accommodating grooves 211 are arranged in two rows, one above the other. In addition to accommodating the second terminals 22, the second terminal accommodating grooves 211 also serve as board-end docking portions 212. The wire-end docking portion 115 of the first insulating housing 11 is inserted into the board-end docking portion 212. The inner surface of the board-end docking portion 212 has an inclined surface 213 corresponding to the inclined surface 116, so as to serve as a foolproof structure for docking the board-end docking portion 212 with the wire-end docking portion 115. When the wire-end connector 10 is docked with the board-end electrical connector 20, the wire-end docking portion 115 of the first insulating housing 11 is inserted into the board-end docking portion 212 of the second insulating housing 21, and the second terminals 22 are inserted into the first terminal accommodating grooves 113 and docked with the first terminals 12.

The second terminal 22 includes a second docking portion 221, a second retaining portion 222, and an electrical connection portion 223. The second docking portion 221 is correspondingly docked with the first docking portion 121. The second retaining portion 222 of this embodiment is fixed to the second insulating shell 21 by a tight fit, and the electrical connection portion 223 is inserted into the through hole of the circuit board and forms an electrical connection with the circuit board. In other embodiments, the electrical connection portion can also be a solder pad welded to the circuit board by surface mounting technology. The second docking portion 221 of this embodiment is in the shape of a rod and is inserted into the first docking portion 121 in the shape of a tube.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the first insulating shell 11 includes a buckle portion 117 having a hook-shaped structure, and the second insulating shell 21 includes a buckle protrusion 214. When the line-end electrical connector 10 and the board-end electrical connector 20 are connected, the first insulating shell 11 and the second insulating shell 21 are locked and positioned by the buckle structure of the buckle portion 117 and the buckle protrusion 214 after the connection.

Please refer to FIG. 11, which shows an embodiment of the manufacturing method of the wire end electrical connector of the present invention. In the manufacturing method of the wire end electrical connector of this embodiment, in step S1, a plurality of first terminals 12 are combined with a first insulating shell 11 by an embedded injection molding process, wherein as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 10, the first insulating shell 11 includes a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves 113 and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves 114, and the plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves 113 correspond to the plurality of cable accommodating grooves 114, and the plurality of first terminals 12 are correspondingly arranged in the plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves 113. Then, step S2 is entered.

In step S2, a plurality of connecting cables 13 are correspondingly disposed in a plurality of cable receiving grooves 114, the connecting cables 13 are inserted into the cable receiving grooves 114, and the conductors of the plurality of connecting cables 13 are respectively electrically connected to the corresponding plurality of first terminals 12. Then, step S3 is entered.

In step S3, the first insulating housing 11 on which the plurality of connecting cables 13 are mounted and the plurality of extension cables 14 are placed in a mold and the relative positions of the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14 are fixed. Then, step S4 is entered.

In step S4, plastic is injected in a circumferential manner into the connection points between the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14, so that the plastic covers the connection points between the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14. Then, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the plastic is solidified to form an insulating holder 15 and then demolded. The insulating holder 15 holds the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14, so that the relative positions of the plurality of connecting cables 13 and the plurality of extension cables 14 are kept fixed.

The electrical connector assembly and the wire-end electrical connector of the present invention use injection molding to fix the external extension cable and the connecting cable of the wire-end electrical connector to each other, and the connecting cable and the terminal of the wire-end electrical connector form a loose fit. Even if the user pulls the external extension cable, the tension on the extension cable only directly acts on the injection-molded structure and the connecting cable, and will not directly act on the first terminal of the wire-end electrical connector. The first terminal will not be displaced due to the tension of the extension cable. In addition, since the first terminal and the connecting cable form a loose fit, the dimensional tolerance of the first terminal of the wire-end electrical connector and the second terminal of the board-end electrical connector can be allowed.

However, what is described above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and it cannot be used to limit the scope of the implementation of the present invention. That is, all simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application and the content of the invention description are still within the scope of the present invention. In addition, any embodiment or patent application of the present invention does not need to achieve all the purposes, advantages or features disclosed by the present invention. In addition, the abstract and title are only used to assist in searching for patent documents, and are not used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. mentioned in this specification or patent application are only used to name the name of the element or distinguish different embodiments or scopes, and are not used to limit the upper or lower limit of the number of elements.

10: Wire end connector

11: First insulation shell

12: First terminal

13: Connecting cables

14: Extension cable

15: Insulation holder

20: Board-side electrical connector

21: Second insulation shell

22: Second terminal

111: Docking end

112: Cable connection terminal

113: first terminal receiving groove

114: Cable accommodating groove

115: Wire end connection part

116: Bevel

117: Buckle part

121: first docking portion

122: First holding portion

123: Cable junction

211: Second terminal receiving groove

212: Plate end connection part

213: Bevel

214: Buckle protrusion

221: Second docking portion

222: Second holding portion

223: Electrical connection part

1231: Accommodating groove

1221: Neck section

S: Filling channel

S1~S5: Steps

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1 from another perspective. FIG. 3 is a partial perspective exploded view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1, wherein the insulating retainer of the line-end electrical connector has not yet been injection molded. FIG. 4 is a partial perspective exploded view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1, wherein the insulating retainer of the line-end electrical connector has been injection molded. FIG. 5 is a partial perspective exploded view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1 from another perspective. FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of another embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the first terminal and the second terminal of the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1 combined, wherein the insulating retainer of the line-end electrical connector has not yet been injection molded. FIG8 is a three-dimensional view of the first terminal and the second terminal of the electrical connector assembly of FIG1, wherein the insulating retainer of the line-end electrical connector has been injection molded. FIG9 is a top view of the electrical connector assembly of FIG1. FIG10 is a cross-sectional view of FIG9 along the A-A line. FIG11 is a flow chart of the manufacturing method of the line-end electrical connector of the present invention.

10: Wire end electrical connector

11: First insulation shell

14: Extension cable

15: Insulation retainer

20: Board-side electrical connector

21: Second insulation shell

22: Second terminal

111: Docking end

112: Cable connection terminal

115: Wire end connection part

117: Buckle part

211: Second terminal accommodating groove

212: Plate end connection part

213: Slope

214: Buckle protrusion

Claims (9)

A wire-end electrical connector comprises: a first insulating housing, comprising a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves, wherein the first terminal accommodating grooves correspond to the cable accommodating grooves; a plurality of first terminals, arranged in the first terminal accommodating grooves; a plurality of connecting cables, arranged in the cable accommodating grooves, and the connecting cables are electrically connected to the corresponding first terminals respectively; A plurality of extension cables are electrically connected to the connecting cables respectively; and an insulating holder is used to hold the connecting cables and the extension cables so that the relative positions of the connecting cables and the extension cables remain fixed; wherein the insulating holder covers the connection between the connecting cables and the extension cables, and the insulating holder fills at least part of the gap between the connecting cables and the cable receiving groove. A wire-end electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting cables and the extension cables are perpendicular or parallel to each other. The wire end electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein each first terminal comprises a first mating portion, a first retaining portion and a cable coupling portion, the first retaining portion is fixed to the first terminal receiving groove, the conductor portion of the connecting cable is coupled to the cable coupling portion, the first mating portion is mated with the second terminal of a counterpart connector; the cable coupling portion has a receiving groove, the conductor portion of the connecting cable is loosely coupled to the receiving groove; the first mating portion is tubular and has a neck section, the second terminal of the counterpart connector is inserted into the first mating portion and forms an interference fit with the neck section. The wire end electrical connector as described in claim 1, wherein the first insulating housing includes a plurality of wire end docking portions, the first terminal receiving groove is correspondingly disposed in the wire end docking portions, and each wire end docking portion is in the shape of a convex column. An electrical connector assembly, comprising: a line-end electrical connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 4; a board-end electrical connector connected to the line-end electrical connector, the board-end electrical connector comprising: and a second insulating housing, comprising a plurality of second terminal accommodating grooves, the second terminal accommodating grooves being connected to the corresponding first terminal accommodating grooves; a plurality of second terminals, correspondingly disposed in the second terminal accommodating grooves, the second terminals being correspondingly combined with the first terminals. The electrical connector assembly as described in claim 5, wherein the second terminal includes a second docking portion, a second retaining portion, and an electrical connection portion, the second docking portion is correspondingly docked with the first docking portion, the second retaining portion is fixed to the second insulating shell, and the electrical connection portion is disposed on a circuit board. The electrical connector assembly as described in claim 5, wherein the first insulating shell and the second insulating shell are locked in place by a snap-on portion and a snap-on protrusion snap-on structure after docking. The electrical connector assembly as described in claim 5, wherein the second terminal receiving grooves of the second insulating shell serve as a plurality of board end docking portions, and the wire end docking portions of the first insulating shell are correspondingly inserted into the board end docking portions. A method for manufacturing a wire-end electrical connector comprises: using an embedded injection molding process to combine a plurality of first terminals with a first insulating shell, wherein the first insulating shell comprises a plurality of first terminal accommodating grooves and a plurality of cable accommodating grooves, the first terminal accommodating grooves correspond to the cable accommodating grooves, the first terminals are correspondingly arranged in the first terminal accommodating grooves; a plurality of connecting cables are correspondingly arranged in the first terminal accommodating grooves; The cable accommodating grooves, and the connecting cables are electrically connected to the corresponding first terminals respectively; the first insulating shell in which the connecting cables are arranged and a plurality of extension cables are placed in a mold and the relative positions of the connecting cables and the extension cables are fixed; plastic is injected into the connection between the connecting cables and the extension cables in a circumferential manner; and the plastic is solidified to form an insulating holder and then demolded.

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