This patent application claims priority of a Chinese Patent Application No. 202211593083.0, filed on Dec. 13, 2022 and titled “CONNECTOR MODULE AND ASSEMBLY METHOD THEREOF”, and a Chinese Patent Application No. 202310439164.3, filed on Apr. 21, 2023 and titled “CONNECTOR MODULE AND ASSEMBLY METHOD THEREOF”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a connector module and an assembly method thereof, which belongs to a technical field of wire-to-board interconnection.
In order to realize interconnection between a cable and a circuit board, there are usually two technical solutions in the related art. A first solution is to realize the interconnection through a male connector and a female connector which are mated with each other. One of the male connector and the female connector is connected to the cable, and a remaining one is connected to the circuit board. However, under this interconnection architecture, the volume occupied is relatively large, and it is difficult to meet the requirement of miniaturization. A second solution is to have only one connector which is connected to the cable. The connector is provided with elastic abutting arms. The elastic abutting arms are configured to directly contact metal conductive pads on the circuit board. However, with the terminal density becomes higher and higher, how to achieve a design balance between making the elastic abutting arm have a sufficient length to ensure its elasticity and how to reduce the occupied space of the elastic abutting arm is a technical problem faced by those skilled in the art.
In addition, how to install and position the connector is also a technical problem faced by those skilled in the art.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a connector module with a pressing block and an assembly method of the connector module.
In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution: a connector module, including: a bracket including a side wall, the side wall including at least one receiving groove and a protrusion protruding into the receiving groove; at least one cable connector, the cable connector including a body, a plurality of conductive terminals and a plurality of cables connected to the plurality of conductive terminals, the body being at least partially accommodated in the receiving groove, the plurality of conductive terminals being configured to be pressed against a plurality of conductive elements; and at least one pressing block, the pressing block defining at least one notch on at least one side of the pressing block, the pressing block being assembled and fixed to the bracket, the pressing block being pressed against the body so as to maintain the body in the receiving groove, the protrusion being at least partially accommodated in the notch so as to position the pressing block after being assembled.
In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution: a method of assembling a connector module, the connector module including: a bracket including a side wall, the side wall including at least one receiving groove and a protrusion protruding into the receiving groove; at least one cable connector, the cable connector including a body, a plurality of conductive terminals and a plurality of cables connected to the conductive terminals, the body being at least partially accommodated in the receiving groove, the plurality of conductive terminals being configured to be pressed against a plurality of conductive elements of a circuit board; and at least one pressing block, the pressing block defining at least one notch on at least one side of the pressing block, the pressing block being assembled and fixed to the bracket, the pressing block being pressed against the body so as to maintain the body in the receiving groove; the method including: providing the circuit board, and fixing the bracket to the circuit board; providing the cable connector, and assembling the cable connector into the receiving groove of the bracket along a vertical direction; and providing the pressing block, and assembling the pressing block onto the cable connector along the vertical direction; and then pushing the pressing block forwardly in a horizontal direction, so that at least part of the pressing block is inserted under the protrusion; the protrusion being at least partially accommodated in the notch so as to position the pressing block after being assembled.
Compared with the prior art, the present disclosure provides the bracket, and the cable connector is mounted to the bracket to be pressed against the conductive elements. In addition, the present disclosure is capable of ensuring the reliability of the electrical connection between the cable connector and the conductive elements by providing the pressing block assembled and fixed to the bracket. By accommodating at least part of the protrusion of the side wall in the notch of the pressing block, the pressing block after being assembled can be positioned.
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
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first sidewall 111, the second sidewall 112, the third sidewall 113 and the fourth sidewall 114 are all provided with a plurality of receiving grooves 115. The structures of the plurality of receiving grooves 115 are the same, and the following only takes one receiving groove 115 on one side wall (e.g., the first side wall 111) as an example for description in detail.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first bracket 11 is provided with a plurality of first through holes 117 adjacent to its four corners. Preferably, the first bracket 11 is made of metal material to improve heat dissipation performance.
As shown in
Referring to
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In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the structures of the first peripheral portion 221, the second peripheral portion 222, the third peripheral portion 223 and the fourth peripheral portion 224 are similar. In the following, only one peripheral portion (for example, the first peripheral portion 221) is used as an example for description.
Referring to
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As shown in
The first shielding sheet 33 includes a first contact portion 331, a second contact portion 332, and a first protrusion 333 located between the first contact portion 331 and the second contact portion 332. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first protrusion 333 is provided with a first opening 330. Referring to
The second shielding sheet 34 includes a third contact portion 341, a fourth contact portion 342, and a second protrusion 343 located between the third contact portion 341 and the fourth contact portion 342. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the second protrusion 343 is provided with a second opening 340. Referring to
Referring to
Of course, it is understandable to those skilled in the art that, in some embodiments, the first shielding sheet 33 may not be provided with the first opening 330, and the second shielding sheet 34 may also not be provided with the second opening 340, which is beneficial to achieve a better shielding effect.
The first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 are located on two sides of the signal terminal pair DP, respectively, along a second direction M2-M2 perpendicular to the first direction M1-M1. The first protrusion 333 protrudes away from the second shielding sheet 34. The second protrusion 343 protrudes away from the first shielding sheet 33. The first contact portion 331 and the third contact portion 341 are in contact with two sides of the first ground terminal G1, respectively. The second contact portion 332 and the fourth contact portion 342 are in contact with two sides of the second ground terminal G2, respectively. Referring to
A general concept of the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 is a shielding sheet. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the shielding sheet includes the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 which are separate components. Of course, in other embodiments, the shielding sheet may also be an integral/one-piece shielding sheet, which is equivalent to setting the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 as a whole.
In the embodiment shown in the present disclosure, the first signal terminal S1, the second signal terminal S2, the first ground terminal G1, the second ground terminal G2, the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 are all hard structures, that is, their elasticity is almost negligible. It should be noted that, in the present disclosure, the first signal terminal S1, the second signal terminal S2, the first ground terminal G1, the second ground terminal G2, the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 need to have relatively high hardness so that they can be directly or indirectly contacted with the corresponding conductive elements by being pressed, so as to finally realize electrical connection with the corresponding conductive elements. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that the pressing method of the present disclosure is completely different from the mounting method in the related art in which the conductive terminals adopt the design of the elastic arms and elastically abut against the conductive elements through certain surfaces of the elastic arms.
Specifically, the first signal terminal S1 includes a first mating surface 311. The second signal terminal S2 includes a second mating surface 312. The first ground terminal G1 includes a third mating surface 313. The second ground terminal G2 includes a fourth mating surface 314. The first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313 and the fourth mating surface 314 are located in a same plane. In other words, in the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313 and the fourth mating surface 314 are located at a same height. The first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313, and the fourth mating surface 314 are configured to be electrically connected to the corresponding conductive elements of the circuit board 2 by being pressed.
Referring to
Referring to
In one embodiment, the first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313, the fourth mating surface 314, the fifth mating surface 334 and the six mating surface 344 are configured to be directly pressed against the corresponding conductive elements of the circuit board 2, so as to realize electrical connection.
Referring to
The first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313, the fourth mating surface 314, the fifth mating surface 334 and the sixth mating surface 344 are configured to be in contact with the conductive film 5. The conductive film 5 covers the conductive elements of the circuit board 2. The first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313, the fourth mating surface 314, the fifth mating surface 334 and the sixth mating surface 344 are configured to be indirectly contacted with the corresponding conductive elements on the circuit board 2 by being pressed and via the conductive film 5, so as to realize electrical connection. Compared with a way of direct contact, by providing the conductive film 5, it is beneficial to protect the conductive elements of the circuit board 2, reduce the risk of the conductive elements being scratched, and improve product reliability.
Referring to
The body 35 includes a mounting surface 351, a plurality of mounting grooves 352 extending through the mounting surface 351, an installation space 353 communicating with the plurality of mounting grooves 352, and at least one positioning post 354 protruding from the mounting surface 351. The positioning post 354 is used for being inserted into the positioning hole 2211 of the circuit board 2 to achieve positioning. In the embodiment shown in the present disclosure, the first ground terminal G1, the second ground terminal G2, the first signal terminal S1, the second signal terminal S2, the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 are received in a corresponding mounting groove 352.
Referring to
In the present disclosure, the first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313, the fourth mating surface 314, the fifth mating surface 334 and the sixth mating surface 344 are electrically connected to the corresponding conductive elements on the circuit board 2 in a non-elastic arm pressing manner, which shortens the signal transmission path, saves space, and is beneficial to increase the contact density.
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable connector 3 includes a terminal module 36. The terminal module 36 includes the first signal terminal S1, the second signal terminal S2, and a first fixing block 361 for fixing the first signal terminal S1 and the second signal terminal S2 together. In the embodiment shown in the present disclosure, the first signal terminal S1 and the second signal terminal S2 are insert-molded in the first fixing block 361. The first signal terminal S1 includes a first tail portion 31a protruding beyond the first fixing block 361, and a first abutting portion 31b protruding beyond the first fixing block 361 and located opposite to the first tail portion 31a. The first tail portion 31a is configured to contact the first core 321. The first mating surface 311 is provided on an end surface (for example, an upper end surface) of the first abutting portion 31b. Preferably, the first tail portion 31a is fixed to the first core 321 by soldering or welding.
Similarly, the second signal terminal S2 includes a second tail portion 32a protruding beyond the first fixing block 361, and a second abutting portion 32b protruding beyond the first fixing block 361 and located opposite to the second tail portion 32a. The second tail portion 32a is configured to contact the second core 322. The second mating surface 312 is provided on an end surface (for example, an upper end surface) of the second abutting portion 32b. Preferably, the second tail portion 32b is fixed to the second core 322 by soldering or welding.
Both the first ground terminal G1 and the second ground terminal G2 are in contact with the ground shielding layer 325. Preferably, both the first ground terminal G1 and the second ground terminal G2 are fixed to the ground shielding layer 325 by soldering or welding. The third mating surface 313 is provided on an end surface (for example, an upper end surface) of the first ground terminal G1. The fourth mating surface 314 is provided on an end surface (for example, an upper end surface) of the second ground terminal G2.
In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable connector 3 further includes a second fixing block 362 fixed on part of the first abutting portion 31b, part of the second abutting portion 32b, part of the first ground terminal G1 and the second ground terminal G2. In the embodiment shown in the present disclosure, the second fixing block 362 is over-molded on the first abutting portion 31b, the second abutting portion 32b, the first ground terminal G1 and the second ground terminal G2. The first mating surface 311 of the first signal terminal S1, the second mating surface 312 of the second signal terminal S2, the third mating surface 313 of the first ground terminal G1, and the fourth mating surface 314 of the second ground terminal G2 protrude beyond the second fixing block 362.
Referring to
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In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, a distance between each of the first mating surface 311, the second mating surface 312, the third mating surface 313, the fourth mating surface 314, the fifth mating surface 334 and the sixth mating surface 344, and the conductive elements of the circuit board 2 is no more than 0.2 mm.
Referring to
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Specifically, the pressing block 4 is provided with a first mounting hole 41 which is aligned with the second mounting hole 116. The connector module 100 further includes a fastening member 7 passing through the first mounting hole 41 and the second mounting hole 116. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the fastening member 7 is a first bolt. The first bolt includes a head 71 and a threaded portion 72 connected to the head 71. The threaded portion 72 passes through the first mounting hole 41. The threaded portion 72 is at least partially fastened in the second mounting hole 116.
Referring to
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The pressing block 4 further includes a second notch 44 on the other side opposite to the first notch 43, a second abutting block 441 located behind the second notch 44, and a second inserting block 442 protruding forwardly into the second notch 44. In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, an upper surface of the second inserting block 442 is lower than an upper surface of the second abutting block 441. The second inserting block 442 is in connection with the second abutting block 441.
In order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, a superordinate concept of the first notch 43 and the second notch 44 is a notch; a superordinate concept of the first inserting block 432 and the second inserting block 442 is an inserting block; a superordinate concept of the first protrusion 1151 and the second protrusion 1152 is a protrusion; a superordinate concept of the first supporting block 1153 and the second supporting block 1154 is a supporting block.
When assembling the pressing block 4, firstly, the pressing block 4 is vertically installed into the receiving groove 115 from a top-to-bottom direction. At this time, the first inserting block 432 and the second inserting block 442 are located behind the first protrusion 1151 and the second protrusion 1152, respectively. Secondly, the pressing block 4 is pushed forwardly in a horizontal direction, so that the first inserting block 432 and the second pressing block 442 of the pressing block 4 are inserted under the first protrusion 1151 and the second protrusion 1152, respectively. At this time, the first protrusion 1151 is accommodated in the first notch 43, and the second protrusion 1152 is received in the second notch 44. The first abutting block 431 and the second abutting block 441 abut against a rear end surface of the first protrusion 1151 and a rear end surface of the second protrusion 1152, respectively, so as to prevent the pressing block 4 from being pushed forwardly excessively. When the pressing block 4 is pushed forwardly to the position, the first protrusion 1151 and the second protrusion 1152 respectively press down on the first inserting block 432 and the second plugging 432 in the vertical direction, so as to limit the pressing block 4 to a certain extent, and prevent the pressing block 4 from being disengaged from the first bracket 11 improperly. At this time, the first mounting hole 41 of the pressing block 4 is vertically aligned with the second mounting hole 116 of the side wall, so as to facilitate the installation of the fastening member 7.
Referring to
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The body 35 includes a base 35a, an extension portion 35b protruding from the base 35a, a first supporting plate 35c protruding from the base 35a, and a second supporting plate 35d protruding from the base 35a. The extension portion 35b, the first supporting plate 35c and the second supporting plate 35d are located on a same side (for example, a lower side) of the base 35a. The first supporting plate 35c and the second supporting plate 35d are respectively located on two sides of the extension portion 35b along the front-to-rear direction. The base 35a, the first supporting plate 35c and the second supporting plate 35d all have a same mounting surface 351. The base 35a is further provided with a plurality of supporting ribs 3511 further protruding downwardly from the mounting surface 351. Referring to
The second supporting plate 35d includes at least one positioning post 354 protruding downwardly from the mounting surface 351. The positioning post 354 is used for being inserted into the positioning hole 2211 of the circuit board 2 to achieve positioning. The conductive terminals 31, the first shielding sheet 33 and the second shielding sheet 34 protrude downwardly beyond the mounting surface 351 to be pressed against the conductive elements along the pressing direction P.
Referring to
When the cable connector 3 is assembled into the receiving groove 115 of the bracket 1, the first abutting surface 355 and the second abutting surface 356 of the cable connector 3 abut against the first supporting block 1153 and the second supporting block 1154 of the side wall, respectively, to limit the installation height of the cable connector 3, so that the cable connector 3 can be installed at a predetermined position.
In the present disclosure, by providing the pressure blocks 4 detachably fixed to the first bracket 11, the cable connectors 3 can be assembled and disassembled independently, thereby improving the convenience of maintenance.
The present disclosure also discloses an assembly method of the above-mentioned connector module 100, and the assembly method includes:
The assembly method further includes: providing the conductive film 5, and installing the conductive film 5 on the bracket 1.
The assembly method further includes: providing the fastening member 7, and fixing the pressing block 4 to the bracket 1, so that the pressing block 4 is pressed against the body 35 to fix the body 35 in the receiving groove 115.
The bracket 1 includes a first bracket 11 and a second bracket 12. The conductive film 5 is mounted to the first bracket 11. The circuit board 2 is at least partially clamped between the first bracket 11 and the second bracket 12.
In addition, the assembly method includes a step of assembling the limiting bracket 6, wherein the limiting bracket 6 is assembled to the first bracket 11.
For other steps of the assembly method, please refer to the above description of the connector module 100, which will not be repeated in the present disclosure.
Compared with the prior art, the present disclosure is provided with the bracket 1. The cable connectors 3 are assembled to the bracket 1 to be pressed against the circuit board 2. In addition, the present disclosure can ensure the reliability of the electrical connection between the cable connectors 3 and the circuit board 2 by providing the pressing blocks 4 assembled and fixed to the bracket 1.
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, 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 |
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202211593083.0 | Dec 2022 | CN | national |
202310439164.3 | Apr 2023 | CN | national |