CN111106461B

CN111106461B - Electrical connector

Info

Publication number: CN111106461B
Application number: CN201811266862.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王治强; 殷豪
Original assignee: Molex LLC
Current assignee: Molex LLC
Priority date: 2018-10-29
Filing date: 2018-10-29
Publication date: 2021-09-10
Anticipated expiration: 2038-10-29
Also published as: TWM582248U; CN111106461A

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrical connector comprising: an insulating shell, which comprises a base and two positioning lugs protruding downwards from the lower surface of the base; the upper surface of the base is provided with a containing groove and a fixed projecting column arranged in the containing groove; a plurality of conductive posts fixed on the base; each conductive column comprises a butt-joint end which protrudes out of the upper surface of the base upwards and a welding end which is exposed out of the lower surface of the base downwards; a magnetic metal sheet, which is provided with a fixing hole which is communicated up and down; the magnetic metal sheet is fixed in the containing groove; the fixing protruding column extends into the fixing hole, and the magnetic metal sheet is fixed on the insulating shell after the fixing protruding column is subjected to hot melting. The electric connector has simple structure, is convenient to manufacture and is beneficial to miniaturization.

Description

Electrical connector

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of electric connectors, in particular to an electric connector which is convenient to manufacture and miniaturize.

Background

US3,786,391 discloses a magnetic self-aligning electrical connector including a pair of inter-coupled connectors each having a plurality of conductive terminals, the inner ends of the terminals being respectively led out through cables. The male connector is embedded with a magnet, and the female connector is provided with a metal sheet capable of being attracted by the magnet. The conductive terminals in the two connectors keep accurate electrical connection relationship through the magnetic attraction of the magnet and the metal sheet. In the female electric connector, the middle part of a metal sheet protrudes relative to the edge of the metal sheet, the metal sheet is magnetically attracted with a magnet through a protruding part, the edge part of the metal sheet is accommodated by a groove annularly arranged in an insulating shell, and a plurality of through holes are arranged on the edge part of the metal sheet for installing a conductive terminal. The electric connector has a complex structure, is difficult to manufacture and is not beneficial to miniaturization.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to overcoming the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, and to providing an electrical connector which is easy to manufacture and is advantageous for miniaturization.

The present invention provides an electrical connector for solving the above technical problems, comprising: an insulating shell, which comprises a base and two positioning lugs protruding downwards from the lower surface of the base; the upper surface of the base is provided with a containing groove and a fixed projecting column arranged in the containing groove; a plurality of conductive posts fixed on the base; each conductive column comprises a butt-joint end which protrudes out of the upper surface of the base upwards and a welding end which is exposed out of the lower surface of the base downwards; a magnetic metal sheet, which is provided with a fixing hole which is communicated up and down; the magnetic metal sheet is fixed in the containing groove; the fixing protruding column extends into the fixing hole, and the magnetic metal sheet is fixed on the insulating shell after the fixing protruding column is subjected to hot melting.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has at least the following advantages: in the electric connector, the insulating shell is provided with an accommodating groove and a fixing protruding column for fixing the magnetic metal sheet, the magnetic metal sheet is provided with a fixing hole and fixed in the accommodating groove, and the fixing protruding column inserted in the fixing hole is melted and then filled in the fixing hole, so that the magnetic metal sheet is fixed on the insulating shell. The electric connector is compact in structure and beneficial to miniaturization, the magnetic metal sheet is connected with the insulating shell by utilizing the hot-melting fixing protruding column, the manufacturing difficulty is reduced, and the electric connector is more convenient to process. In addition, the lower surface of the insulating shell is provided with two positioning lugs for positioning the circuit board, so that the circuit board can be accurately positioned on the electric connector conveniently, the circuit board and the welding end of the conductive column can be welded and fixed conveniently, and the assembly is simple.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another viewing angle direction of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the electrical connector of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view a-a of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of the electrical connector shown in fig. 1 connected to a circuit board.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of the structure of fig. 6 mounted in an electronic device housing.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electronic device of fig. 7 connected to a charger.

Wherein the reference numerals are as follows: 100. an electronic device; 1. an electrical connector; 2. a circuit board; 21. positioning holes; 3. a housing.

11. An insulating housing; 111. a base; 1111. a first side surface; 1112. a second side surface; 112. positioning the ear; 113. an accommodating groove; 1131. a base; 1132. an extension portion; 114. fixing the protruding columns; 115. and (5) sinking the tank.

12. A conductive post; 12a, a first conductive pillar; 12b, a second conductive pillar; 121. a butt joint end; 122. and welding the end.

13. A magnetic metal sheet; 131. a lateral extension; 132. a longitudinal extension; 1321. a side surface; 1322. an end face; 133. and (7) fixing holes.

200. A charger; 5. a magnet; 6. and a conductive terminal.

Detailed Description

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present description is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated.

Thus, a feature indicated in this specification is intended to describe one of the features of an embodiment of the invention and does not imply that every embodiment of the invention must have the described feature. Further, it should be noted that this specification describes many features. Although some features may be combined to show a possible system design, these features may also be used in other combinations not explicitly described. Thus, the combinations illustrated are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, directional references (such as upper, lower, left, right, front and rear) are used to explain the structure and movement of the various elements of the invention, rather than absolute, and relative. These descriptions are appropriate when the elements are in the positions shown in the drawings. If the description of the positions of these elements changes, the indication of these directions changes accordingly.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The electric connector provided by the invention is a mini-type magnetic charging connector which is used for being installed in small-sized wireless electronic equipment, such as a hearing aid, a Bluetooth headset and the like. The electric connector is used for being connected with a charger to charge the electronic equipment.

For convenience of description, an end of the electrical connector for connection with the charger is defined as "up" and an end opposite to the "up" for connection with the circuit board of the electronic device is defined as "down" herein.

Referring to fig. 1 to 5, the electrical connector 1 of the present embodiment includes an insulating housing 11, four conductive posts 12 extending upward from the insulating housing 11, and a magnetic metal sheet 13 fixed on the upper surface of the insulating housing 11.

The insulating housing 11 is preferably formed on the four conductive posts 12 by insert molding. Referring to fig. 2 and 5, the insulating housing 11 includes a base 111 and two positioning lugs 112 protruding downward from two sides of the lower surface of the base 111. The upper surface of the base 111 is formed with a receiving groove 113 and a fixing post 114 disposed in the receiving groove 113.

Referring to fig. 5, the base 111 is shaped like a rectangular block and has two parallel opposite first side surfaces 1111 and two parallel opposite second side surfaces 1112, each first side surface 1111 is perpendicular to each second side surface 1112, and the adjacent first side surfaces 1111 and the adjacent second side surfaces 1112 are connected by a smooth transition of a circular arc surface.

The two positioning lugs 112 are used for positioning the circuit board 2 connected to the electrical connector 1 (see fig. 6), so as to facilitate accurate and quick connection between the circuit board 2 and the electrical connector 1. The outer side surfaces of the two positioning lugs 112 are respectively flush with the two first side surfaces 1111.

The receiving groove 113 is formed by a downward recess of the upper surface of the base 111. The receiving groove 113 is substantially T-shaped, and has a base portion 1131 and an extending portion 1132 extending outward from a middle portion of one side of the base portion 1131. The base 1131 is rectangular, the length direction thereof is parallel to the second side 1112 of the base 111, and a small space is provided between the end surface (corresponding to the short side of the rectangle) of the base 1131 and the first side 1111 of the base 111. The extension portion 1132 extends from a long side of the base portion 1131 to a second side 1112 of the susceptor 111, and the end of the extension portion 1132 extends through the second side 1112.

The fixing post 114 protrudes upward from the bottom of the receiving groove 113. The fixing post 114 is located at the interface of the base portion 1131 and the outer extension portion 1132.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, the four conductive posts 12 are arranged on the insulating housing 11 in a rectangular shape, and correspond to the four corners of the base 111 respectively. Each conductive pillar 12 penetrates the base 111 up and down, and each conductive pillar 12 has a connecting terminal 121 protruding out of the upper surface of the base 111 and a bonding terminal 122 exposing out of the lower surface of the base 111.

Optionally, the four conductive posts 12 include two first conductive posts 12a having a larger diameter Φ 12a (e.g., 1.2mm) and two second conductive posts 12b having a smaller diameter Φ 12b (e.g., 1.0 mm).

Two first conductive pillars 12a are disposed adjacent to each other and close to a second side 1112 of the base 111 far from the extension portion 1132. The two first conductive posts 12a are a first group for conducting current to charge the electronic device. The first conductive pillar 12a has a larger diameter and correspondingly a smaller resistance, which is beneficial to reducing the charging loss.

Two second conductive pillars 12b are a second group, and two second conductive pillars 12b are disposed adjacent to each other and close to the other second side 1112 of the base 111. Two second conductive pillars 12b are respectively arranged on two sides of the epitaxial portion 1132, and the second conductive pillars 12b have a smaller diameter, so that there is a larger space between the two second conductive pillars 12b for the epitaxial portion 1132 to arrange. The two second conductive pillars 12b may be used to conduct signals, for example, detection signals may be conducted when charging, etc.

The height h12a (e.g., 1.1mm) of each second conductive pillar 12b is less than the height h12b (e.g., 1.35mm) of each first conductive pillar 12a, and corresponding to the two second conductive pillars 12b, a sinking groove 115 is formed on the upper surface of the base 111 at two corners in a manner of being recessed downward, and the sinking groove 115 penetrates through a first side 1111 and a second side 1112 adjacent to the sinking groove 115, so as to form a step structure at the corners of the base 111. The provision of the sinking groove 115 increases the height dimension of the second conductive post 12b exposed from the base 111, so that the height of the second conductive post 12b held by a mold can be increased when the insulating housing 11 is formed, which is convenient for manufacturing and processing. For the mini-type electrical connector of the present embodiment, the total height of the second conductive pillar 12b is only about 1mm, the size of the second conductive pillar is small, the size that the mold can hold is smaller, and the stability and reliability of the mold holding the second conductive pillar 12b can be improved after the sinking groove 115 is provided.

The magnetic metal sheet 13 is made of a ferromagnetic material, preferably such as a nickel-iron alloy, which is magnetically attracted by a magnet. Referring to fig. 1, 3 and 5, in the present embodiment, the magnetic metal sheet 13 is preferably T-shaped, and includes a lateral extension 131 and a longitudinal extension 132 perpendicularly protruding from a middle portion of one side of the lateral extension 131. A fixing hole 133 is formed at the boundary between the lateral extension 131 and the longitudinal extension 132.

The magnetic metal sheet 13 is adapted to the shape and size of the receiving groove 113 on the insulating housing 11, the thickness of the magnetic metal sheet 13 is adapted to the depth of the receiving groove 113, and the magnetic metal sheet 13 is fixed in the receiving groove 113 with a sink and almost no outward protrusion. The laterally extending portion 131 of the magnetic metal sheet 13 is correspondingly located in the base portion 1131 of the receiving slot 113, so as to be located between the two first conductive pillars 12a and the two second conductive pillars 12 b. The two ends of the lateral extension 131 respectively pass through the space between the first conductive pillar 12a and the second conductive pillar 12b, and respectively extend toward a first side 1111 of the base 111. The longitudinally extending portion 132 of the magnetic metal sheet 13 is located on the outer portion 1132 of the receiving slot 113 and located between the two second conductive pillars 12 b. The longitudinal extension 132 extends toward a second side 1112 of the base 111 through the space between two second conductive pillars 12b, and an end surface 1322 of the end of the longitudinal extension 132 is flush with the second side 1112. The two side surfaces 1321 of the longitudinal extension portion 132 facing the two second conductive pillars 12b are both concave arc surfaces, and are respectively matched with the circular profiles of the two second conductive pillars 12 b. This magnetic metal piece 13 make full use of each lead interval space arrangement between the electrical pillar 12, compact structure, and increased this magnetic metal piece 13's area as far as possible, have great magnetism and inhale the area under the prerequisite of practicing thrift the space, keep reliable connection with the charger when being convenient for charge.

The fixing hole 133 is adapted to the fixing post 114, the fixing post 114 extends into the fixing hole 133, and the upper end of the fixing post 114 is melted to fill the fixing hole 133, so as to fix the magnetic metal sheet 13 on the insulating housing 11. The fixing posts 114 are thermally fused to connect the magnetic metal sheet 13 and the insulating housing 11, so that the manufacturing difficulty is reduced, and the processing is more convenient in a small-sized application environment.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, when the electrical connector 1 is used in an electronic device 100, the upper surface of the insulating housing 11 faces the housing 3 of the electronic device 100, the mating end 121 of the conductive pillar 12 faces outward, and the lower surface of the insulating housing 11 faces the inside of the electronic device 100. The circuit board 2 of the electronic device 100 is mounted on the lower surface of the insulating housing 11, two sides of the circuit board 2 are respectively provided with a positioning hole 21 and are matched with the positioning lug 112 of the insulating housing 11 for positioning, and corresponding pads (not shown) on the circuit board 2 are correspondingly welded with the welding ends 122 (see fig. 2) of the four conductive posts 12, so as to implement a charging function.

Referring to fig. 8 and also to fig. 1, when the electronic device 100 is connected to an adapted charger 200 (only a reference schematic diagram of the charger is shown in fig. 8) during charging, the magnetic metal sheet 13 of the electrical connector 1 is magnetically attracted by the magnet 5 in the charger 200, so that the electronic device 100 and the charger 200 are firmly connected, and the conductive posts 12 of the electrical connector 1 and the conductive posts 6 in the charger 200 are correspondingly contacted to form reliable electrical connection. The T-shape of the magnetic metal sheet 13 allows a magnetic attraction area as large as possible in an extremely narrow application space, and a large magnetic attraction force can be provided between the magnetic metal sheet and the magnet 5, thereby improving the reliability of connection.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily make various changes and modifications according to the main concept and spirit of the present invention, so the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

an insulating shell, which comprises a base and two positioning lugs protruding downwards from the lower surface of the base; the upper surface of the base is provided with a containing groove and a fixed projecting column arranged in the containing groove;

the plurality of conductive columns are fixed on the base and are arranged on the base into two groups; each conductive column comprises a butt-joint end which protrudes out of the upper surface of the base upwards and a welding end which is exposed out of the lower surface of the base downwards;

a magnetic metal sheet, which is provided with a fixing hole which is communicated up and down; the magnetic metal sheet is fixed in the accommodating groove, is in a T shape and comprises a transverse extension part and a longitudinal extension part vertically extended from one side of the transverse extension part, the transverse extension part is positioned between the two groups of conductive columns, and the longitudinal extension part is positioned between two adjacent conductive columns of one group of conductive columns;

the fixing protruding column extends into the fixing hole, and the magnetic metal sheet is fixed on the insulating shell after the fixing protruding column is subjected to hot melting.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the plurality of conductive posts includes two first conductive posts and two second conductive posts; wherein the diameter of the first conductive post is greater than the diameter of the second conductive post; the two first conductive pillars are a first group, the two second conductive pillars are a second group, and the two second conductive pillars are respectively arranged at two sides of the longitudinal extension portion.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein two sides of the longitudinal extension facing the two second conductive posts are concave surfaces.

4. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein the height of the second conductive post is less than the height of the first conductive post; the upper surface of the base is also provided with a sinking groove corresponding to each second conductive column and sinking downwards, and the sinking groove penetrates through the side surface of the base to form a step structure.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the fixing hole is located at a position where the lateral extension portion and the longitudinal extension portion interface.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1 wherein the end of the longitudinal extension is flush with an outer side of the base.

7. The electrical connector of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the solder end of each conductive post is located between two locating ears.

8. An electrical connector according to any of claims 1-6, wherein the outer side of the positioning lug is flush with the outer side of the base.