Patent Application
20230318232
The present disclosure relates to an adapter connector which belongs to the technical field of electrical connectors.
An adapter connector usually includes an insulating body and a plurality of conductive terminals installed in the insulating body. The insulating body is provided with a first port at one end and used for mating with a first connector and a second port at the other end and used for mating with a second connector. How to improve signal transmission quality of the adapter connector is a technical problem to be solved by those skilled in the art.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an adapter connector with improved shielding effect.
In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution: an adapter connector, including: a terminal assembly including a first terminal clamping portion at a first end and a second terminal clamping portion at a second end opposite to the first end; a first adapter housing defining a first receiving space; and a second adapter housing defining a second receiving space; wherein the first adapter housing and the second adapter housing are assembled together with the terminal assembly received therein; wherein the terminal assembly includes a first terminal module; the first terminal module includes a first insulating block, a plurality of first adapter terminals secured to the first insulating block, a first metal shield provided on a first side of the first insulating block, a second metal shield provided on a second side of the first insulating block, and a first conductive plate; the plurality of first adapter terminals include a plurality of first elastic contact portions protruding beyond the first insulating block and located at the first end, and a plurality of second elastic contact portions protruding beyond the first insulating block and located at the second end; the first terminal clamping portion includes the plurality of first elastic contact portions, and the second terminal clamping portion includes the plurality of second elastic contact portions; wherein the plurality of first adapter terminals include a plurality of first ground terminals, the first metal shield is in contact with one side of the plurality of first grounding terminals, and the first conductive plate includes a plurality of first conductive ribs which extend through the second metal shield to be in contact with the other side of the plurality of first ground terminals.
In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution; an adapter connector, including: a terminal assembly including a first terminal clamping portion at a first end and a second terminal clamping portion at a second end opposite to the first end; a first adapter housing defining a first receiving space; and a second adapter housing defining a second receiving space; wherein the first adapter housing and the second adapter housing are assembled together with the terminal assembly received therein; wherein the terminal assembly includes a first terminal module and a second terminal module; wherein the first terminal module includes a first insulating block, a plurality of first adapter terminals secured to the first insulating block, a first metal shield provided on a first side of the first insulating block, a second metal shield provided on a second side of the first insulating block, and a first conductive plate; the plurality of first adapter terminals include a plurality of first elastic contact portions protruding beyond the first insulating block and located at the first end, and a plurality of second elastic contact portions protruding beyond the first insulating block and located at the second end; wherein the plurality of first adapter terminals include a plurality of first ground terminals, the first metal shield is in contact with one side of the plurality of first grounding terminals, and the first conductive plate is in contact with the other side of the plurality of first ground terminals; wherein the second terminal module includes a second insulating block, a plurality of second adapter terminals secured to the second insulating block, a third metal shield provided on a first side of the second insulating block, a fourth metal shield provided on a second side of the second insulating block, and a second conductive plate; the plurality of second adapter terminals include a plurality of third elastic contact portions protruding beyond the second insulating block and located at the first end, and a plurality of fourth elastic contact portions protruding beyond the second insulating block and located at the second end; wherein the plurality of second adapter terminals include a plurality of second ground terminals, the third metal shield is in contact with one side of the plurality of second grounding terminals, and the second conductive plate is in contact with the other side of the plurality of second ground terminals; and wherein the first terminal clamping portion is formed by the plurality of first elastic contact portions and the plurality of third elastic contact portions, and the second terminal clamping portion is formed by the plurality of second elastic contact portions and the plurality of fourth elastic contact portions.
Compared with the prior art, the first metal shield is in contact with one side of the plurality of first grounding terminals, and the first conductive plate is in contact with the other side of the plurality of first ground terminals, thereby improving the shielding effect of the first adapter terminals.
Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail here, examples of which are shown in drawings. When referring to the drawings below, unless otherwise indicated, same numerals in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The examples described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the application as detailed in the appended claims.
The terminology used in this application is only for the purpose of describing particular embodiments, and is not intended to limit this application. The singular forms “a”. “said”, and “the” used in this application and the appended claims are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates other meanings.
It should be understood that the terms “first”, “second” and similar words used in the specification and claims of this application do not represent any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, “an” or “a” and other similar words do not mean a quantity limit, but mean that there is at least one; “multiple” or “a plurality of” means two or more than two. Unless otherwise noted, “front”, “rear”, “lower” and/or “upper” and similar words are for ease of description only and are not limited to one location or one spatial orientation. Similar words such as “include” or “comprise” mean that elements or objects appear before “include” or “comprise” cover elements or objects listed after “include” or “comprise” and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. The term “a plurality of” mentioned in the present disclosure includes two or more.
Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the case of no conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.
Referring to
The adapter connector 300 includes a terminal assembly 3, a first adapter housing 1 and a second adapter housing 2. The first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 are mated with the terminal assembly 3. The first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 are assembled with each other. The terminal assembly 3 is received in the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2. The terminal assembly 3 includes a first terminal clamping portion 31 at a first end (for example, an upper end in
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first side wall 14 includes a first locking opening 141 communicating with the first channel 131 (referring to
Referring to
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the fifth side wall 24 includes a second locking opening 241 communicating with the third channel 231 (referring to
Referring to
The first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 are in contact with each other and have positioning structures which are mated with each other. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the positioning structures include the first positioning protrusion 121 and the first positioning recess 122 provided on the first adapter housing 1, and the second positioning protrusion 221 and the second positioning recess 222 provided on the second adapter housing 2. The first positioning protrusion 121 of the first adapter housing 1 is mated with the second positioning recess 222 of the second adapter housing 2. The first positioning recess 122 of the first adapter housing 1 is mated with the second positioning protrusion 221 of the second adapter housing 2. After the assembly of the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 is completed, the first channel 131 and the third channel 231 are aligned with each other, and the second channel 132 and the fourth channel 232 are aligned with each other.
Preferably, the structure of the first adapter housing 1 and the structure of the second adapter housing 2 are the same, so that the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 can be shared. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 are in a point-symmetric relationship. When the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 are shared, it means one of the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 can be assembled by rotating one of the first adapter housings 1 and the second adapter housing 2 by 180 degrees. As a result, only a set of molds are needed, which saves costs.
Referring to
The first locking assembly 101 includes the first locking protrusion 421 provided on the terminal assembly 3 and mated with the first locking opening 141 of the first adapter housing 1. The first locking protrusion 421 is locked in the first locking opening 141. The second locking assembly 201 includes the second locking protrusion 422 provided on the terminal assembly 3 and mated with the second locking opening 241 of the second adapter housing 2. The second locking protrusion 422 is locked in the second locking opening 241. In this embodiment, the first locking assembly 101 further includes the third locking protrusion 521 provided on the terminal assembly 3 and mated with the third locking opening 151 of the first adapter housing 1. The third locking protrusion 521 is locked in the third locking opening 151. The second locking assembly 201 further includes the fourth locking protrusion 522 provided on the terminal assembly 3 and mated with the fourth locking opening 251 of the second adapter housing 2. The fourth locking protrusion 522 is locked in the fourth locking opening 251.
Referring to
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of first adapter terminals 41 are insert-molded with the first insulating block 40. The plurality of first adapter terminals 41 include a plurality of first elastic contact portions 411 protruding beyond the first insulating block 40 and located at the first end (for example, a left end in
The first insulating block 40 includes a first surface 401 (for example, a top surface in
The first metal shield 42 is provided with a plurality of protruding ribs 423 protruding toward the first ground terminals G1. The protruding ribs 423 extend through the first slots 403 so as to be in contact with one side of the corresponding first ground terminals G1. Preferably, the plurality of protruding ribs 423 are fixed to the plurality of first ground terminals G1 by soldering or welding (for example, laser welding). In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locking protrusion 421 and the second locking protrusion 422 are provided on the first metal shield 42. For example, the first locking protrusion 421 and the second locking protrusion 422 are formed by stamping the first metal shield 42.
The second metal shield 43 is located between the second surface 402 of the first insulating block 40 and the first conductive plate 44 so as to improve the shielding effect. The second metal shield 43 is provided with a plurality of slots 431 corresponding to the first ground terminals G1 and a plurality of connecting portions 432 of which each is located between two adjacent slots 431.
The first conductive plate 44 includes a plurality of first openings 441 corresponding to the first heat melt posts 404 and a plurality of first conductive ribs 442 protruding toward the first ground terminals G1. The second metal shield 43 and the first conductive plate 44 are fixed together by insert molding or heat melting. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first insulating block 40, the second metal shield 43, and the first conductive plate 44 are fixed together by heat melting. During assembling, the first heat melt posts 404 may extend through the corresponding first openings 441 before being heat-melted. After heat melting, the first heat melting posts 404 and the first openings 441 are integrated. During heat melting, the connecting portions 432 extend through the corresponding first conductive ribs 442 to be embedded in the first conductive plate 44. When the connecting portions 432 extend through the corresponding first conductive ribs 442, the first conductive ribs 442 extend through the corresponding slots 431 on both sides of the corresponding connecting portions 432. After heat melting, the connecting portions 432 will be embedded in the first conductive plate 44 and the first conductive plate 44 will contact the other side of the first ground terminals G1. In this way, the first ground terminals G1 are in contact with the first metal shield 42 and the first conductive plate 44, and the first conductive plate 44 is electrically connected to the second metal shield 43, thereby increasing the grounding area and improving the shielding effect. In some embodiment, the first conductive rib 442 is made by a conductive glue, a conductive adhesive, or a conductive plastic.
Referring to
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of second adapter terminals 51 are insert-molded in the second insulating block 50. The plurality of second adapter terminals 51 include a plurality of third elastic contact portions 511 protruding beyond the second insulating block 50 and located at the first end (for example, a left end in
The second insulating block 50 includes a third surface 501 (for example, a top surface in
Referring to
The third metal shield 52 includes a plurality of protruding ribs 523 protruding toward the second ground terminals G2. The protruding ribs 523 extend through the second slots 503 so as to be in contact with one side of the corresponding second ground terminals G2. Preferably, the plurality of protruding ribs 523 are fixed to the plurality of second ground terminals G2 by soldering or welding (for example, laser welding). In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the third locking protrusion 521 and the fourth locking protrusion 522 are disposed on the third metal shield 52. For example, the third locking protrusion 521 and the fourth locking protrusion 522 are formed by stamping the third metal shield 52.
The fourth metal shield 53 is located between the fourth surface 502 of the second insulating block 50 and the second conductive plate 54 in order to improve the shielding effect. The fourth metal shield 53 is provided with a plurality of slots 531 corresponding to the second ground terminals G2 and a plurality of connecting portions 532 of which each is located between two adjacent slots 531.
The second conductive plate 54 includes a plurality of second openings 541 corresponding to the second heat melt posts 504 and a plurality of second conductive ribs 542 protruding toward the second ground terminals G2. The fourth metal shield 53 and the second conductive plate 54 are fixed together by insert molding or heat melting. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second insulating block 50, the fourth metal shield 53 and the second conductive plate 54 are fixed together by heat melting. After heat melting, the second heat melt posts 504 and the second openings 541 are integrated, and the connecting portions 532 extend through the corresponding second conductive ribs 542 so as to be embedded in the second conductive plate 54. The second conductive ribs 542 extend through the corresponding slots 531 to contact the other side of the plurality of second ground terminals G2. With this arrangement, the second ground terminals G2 are in contact with both the third metal shield 52 and the second conductive plate 54, thereby increasing the grounding area and improving the shielding effect. In some embodiment, the second conductive rib 542 is made by a conductive glue, a conductive adhesive, or a conductive plastic.
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first terminal clamping portion 31 includes the plurality of first elastic contact portions 411 and the plurality of third elastic contact portions 511. The second terminal clamping portion 32 includes the plurality of second elastic contact portions 412 and the plurality of fourth elastic contact portions 512.
Compared with the prior art, by providing the first adapter housing 1 and the second adapter housing 2 which are assembled with each other, the present disclosure reduces the difficulty of manufacturing the housing. In addition, by providing the terminal assembly 3 with the first locking assembly 101 which is locked with the first adapter housing 1 and a second locking assembly 201 which is locked with the second adapter housing 2, it facilitates the assembly of the adapter connector 300 of the present disclosure.
Preferably, the first locking opening 141, the second locking opening 241, the third locking opening 151, and the fourth locking opening 251 all extend outwardly through the corresponding side walls. With this arrangement, when the terminal assembly 3 needs to be disassembled, a tool can be inserted into the corresponding locking openings to push against the corresponding locking protrusions, so that the locking protrusions can be separated from the locking openings, thereby facilitating disassembly of the adapter connector 300.
The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present disclosure and not to limit the technical solutions described in the present disclosure. The understanding of this specification should be based on those skilled in the art. Descriptions of directions, such as “left”, “right”, “front” and “back”, although they have been described in detail in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the application, and all technical solutions and improvements that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the application should be covered by the claims of the application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202010194118.8 | Mar 2020 | CN | national |
This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/201,671, filed on Mar. 15, 2021, which is pending and claims priority of a Chinese Patent Application No. 202010194118.8, filed on Mar. 18, 2020 and titled “ADAPTER CONNECTOR”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17201671 | Mar 2021 | US |
| Child | 18207278 | US |
