CN117477250A

CN117477250A - Electric connector

Info

Publication number: CN117477250A
Application number: CN202210857763.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨文初; 唐辉; 王晓栋; 吕涛; 刘振兴; 李杭; 冯绍奎
Original assignee: Amphenol Assembletech Xiamen Co Ltd
Current assignee: Amphenol Assembletech Xiamen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-07-20
Filing date: 2022-07-20
Publication date: 2024-01-30

Abstract

An electrical connector is provided for providing an electrical connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device. The electric connector comprises an insulating shell, a first signal terminal, a circuit board arranged on the insulating shell, a chip arranged on the circuit board, a first signal cable and a first signal external connection cable. The first end of the first signal cable is connected to the tail of the first signal terminal, and the second end of the first signal cable is connected to the circuit board to be conducted with the chip. The first signal external connection cable has a first end connected to the circuit board for conduction with the chip and a second end configured for connection to a second corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device. The first signal terminal, the first signal cable, the chip, the circuit board, and the first signal external connection cable are configured to transmit and process a first signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. According to the present application, an electrical connector having improved signal transmission performance and more extended functions can be provided.

Description

Electric connector

Technical Field

The present application relates generally to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector.

Background

Electrical connectors are used to provide electrical connections between different electronic components or systems to enable signal and/or power transmission. CEM (Card Electromechanical) connectors are configured to provide for establishing electrical connection between a plug-in Card (Add-in Card) such as a Solid State Drive (SSD), a Graphics Processor (GPU), a Network Interface Card (NIC), and a destination circuit board such as a motherboard. In existing CEM connector designs, signal terminals are soldered directly to first corresponding pads of a Riser Card (Riser Card) by a Surface Mount (SMT) process, and cables are soldered to second corresponding pads of the Riser Card to conduct with the signal terminals through the Riser Card, thereby enabling signal transmission. However, in this connection, the impedance stability of the solder joints of the signal terminals on the adapter card is poor and the insertion loss is large. With higher and higher signal transmission rates (e.g., up to 16GT/s under PCIe 4.0 specification and up to 32GT/s under PCIe 5.0 specification), this connection is difficult to meet the higher requirements of signal transmission performance.

Furthermore, in the prior art, a chip for processing signals transmitted by an electrical connector is typically disposed on a target circuit board, which occupies a limited space on the target circuit board. Once the chip is damaged, the target circuit board needs to be removed to replace the chip, and even the entire target circuit board. This results in high maintenance costs.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the foregoing, the present application proposes a novel electrical connector that overcomes at least one of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art.

The present application provides an electrical connector for providing an electrical connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, characterized in that the electrical connector comprises: an insulating housing; a plurality of first conductive terminals held in the insulating housing, each first conductive terminal including a mating portion and a tail portion, the mating portion configured to establish an electrical connection with a first corresponding conductive portion of the first electronic device, the plurality of first conductive terminals including a first signal terminal; a circuit board mounted on the insulating housing; a chip mounted on the circuit board; the first end of the first signal cable is connected to the tail part of the first signal terminal, and the second end of the first signal cable is connected to the circuit board so as to be communicated with the chip; and a first signal external connection cable having a first end connected to the circuit board to be in communication with the chip and a second end configured for connection to a second corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device. The first signal terminal, the first signal cable, the chip, the circuit board, and the first signal external cable are configured to transmit and process a first signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first conductive terminals further comprises a second signal terminal, the electrical connector further comprises a second signal cable having a first end connected on a tail of the second signal terminal, a second end configured for connection to a third corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device, the second signal terminal and the second signal cable configured for transmitting a second signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

In some embodiments, the first signal is a sideband signal.

In some embodiments, the second signal is a high speed signal.

In some embodiments, the second signal terminals include a plurality of pairs of second signal terminals, each pair of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals forming a differential signal pair for transmitting a differential signal, and the second signal is a differential signal.

In some embodiments, the chip is configured to at least one of: the IO port expansion method is used for IO port expansion; as an electrically erasable programmable read only memory; for processing the sensor signal.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first conductive terminals further includes a ground cable having a first end connected to a tail portion of the ground terminal and a second end configured for connection to a fourth corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device, the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal being arranged in a row along a first direction in the insulative housing, and the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal being spaced apart by the ground terminal to improve signal integrity, the electrical connector further including a terminal retention mechanism including a conductive member and an insulative retention member surrounding the conductive member, the terminal retention mechanism being attached to the insulative housing to retain the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal in the insulative housing and to connect the ground terminal together through the conductive member.

In some embodiments, the tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal extend from a first face of the insulative housing, the terminal retention mechanism is attached to the first face, the insulative retention member includes a base including a recess recessed into the base from a base surface of the base to receive and retain the tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal.

In some embodiments, the tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal partially protrude from the base surface when received in the recess, and the base includes a retaining portion protruding from the base surface, the retaining portion surrounding and retaining an end portion of the tail portion.

In some embodiments, the conductive member includes a body disposed in the base of the insulating retaining member and a contact portion extending from the body into a first one of the grooves for receiving the ground terminal to contact the ground terminal.

In some embodiments, the first recess includes two opposing sidewalls formed by the base and a bottom wall extending between the two sidewalls formed by the contact.

In some embodiments, the insulative housing includes a first slot extending from the first face into the insulative housing to receive the ground terminal, and the conductive member further includes a first support arm extending from the contact portion, the first support arm extending into the first slot to support and retain the ground terminal in the first slot when the terminal retention mechanism is attached to the insulative housing.

In some embodiments, a section of the ground terminal in contact with the first support arm is formed with a convex hull configured to enhance a mating force between the first support arm and the ground terminal.

In some embodiments, a second one of the grooves for receiving the first and second signal terminals includes two opposing sidewalls and a bottom wall extending between the two sidewalls, the two sidewalls and the bottom wall each being formed by the base.

In some embodiments, the insulative housing includes a second slot extending into the insulative housing from the first face to receive a respective one of the first and second signal terminals, the insulative retaining member further including a second support arm extending from the base that extends into the second slot when the terminal retaining mechanism is attached to the insulative housing to support and retain the respective signal terminal in the second slot.

In some embodiments, the conductive member is made of metal or conductive plastic.

In some embodiments, the insulated housing includes a wire positioning mechanism to position and retain a wire when the first ends of the ground cable, the first signal cable, and the second signal cable are soldered to the respective tails of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing includes a mounting portion protruding from the first face on both sides of the base portion for mounting the circuit board, the wire positioning mechanism is located on the mounting portion and aligned with the tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal in the first direction, the wire positioning mechanism includes two clips, and a wire fixing groove is formed between the two clips.

In some embodiments, the base includes a separation portion that separates each adjacent two of the grooves, the separation portion being partially removed to form a separation space along the first direction between respective terminals disposed in the each adjacent two grooves.

In some embodiments, the spacing spaces are recessed from the base surface of the base into the base to a depth greater than the depth at which the bottom side of the respective terminal is located in the recess.

In some embodiments, the spacing space and a portion of the groove form a transverse groove along the first direction, the transverse groove extending along the entire length of the base portion where the groove is disposed.

In some embodiments, the electrical connector further comprises an insulative outer molded member molded onto the insulative housing to encase the terminal retention mechanism and the connections of the first signal terminals and the first signal cable, the second signal terminals and the second signal cable, and the ground terminals and the ground cable.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing includes a dovetail groove recessed into the insulating housing from a side of the insulating housing that is connected to the first face, the outer molding member filling the dovetail groove to form a dovetail snap fit with the dovetail groove to secure the outer molding member to the insulating housing.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing is elongated along the first direction and includes two side ends opposite in the first direction and two mounting portions respectively protruding from the first face and positioned adjacent to the two side ends, the circuit board is configured to be mounted to the insulating housing in a mounting direction perpendicular to the first face and includes a first portion, a second portion, and a lateral portion extending between the first portion and the second portion, the first portion and the second portion being respectively mounted to the two mounting portions and the lateral portion being located on a first side of the insulating housing, the lateral portion not overlapping the external molding member in the mounting direction, the first signal cable, the second signal cable, and the ground cable being respectively bent away from the first side of the circuit board in the shape of a bent L of the connection of the first signal terminal and the first signal cable, the second signal terminal and the second signal cable, and the ground terminal and the ground cable.

In some embodiments, there is a space between a projection of the lead-out position of the first signal cable, the second signal cable, and the ground cable from the outer molded member on a plane in which the first face lies and a projection of an inner edge of the lateral portion on the plane near the outer molded member, the space being sized such that each cable can be bent from the lead-out position to be oriented away from the first face in the mounting direction to allow the circuit board to move through the lead-out position in the mounting direction without damaging each cable of the first signal cable, the second signal cable, and the ground cable.

In some embodiments, the electrical connector further comprises: a plurality of power terminals held in the insulating housing, each power terminal including a mating portion and a tail portion, the mating portion of the power terminal configured to establish an electrical connection with a fifth respective conductive portion of the first electronic device, and the tail portion of the power terminal being mounted to the circuit board to connect the power terminal to the circuit board; and a power supply external connection cable having a first end connected to the circuit board and a second end configured for connection to a sixth corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device; wherein: the power terminal and the power supply external connection cable are directly conducted through the circuit board; or the power terminal is conducted with the chip through the circuit board, and the chip is conducted with the power supply external cable through the circuit board, the chip being configured for power conversion.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing includes a mounting portion at which the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing, the mounting portion including a second face, the tail portions of the power terminals including fisheye ends, and at least the fisheye ends of the tail portions of the power terminals extending from the second face, the circuit board including conductive holes configured to receive the fisheye ends, the fisheye ends press-fit into the conductive holes of the circuit board.

In some embodiments, the power terminals are arranged in a row in the insulating housing along a second direction, and the fisheye ends of the tail portions of adjacent two power terminals in the same row are offset from each other in the second direction.

In some embodiments, the second face is substantially parallel to the circuit board, the power terminals further include an intermediate portion extending between the mating portion and the tail portion, the intermediate portions of the power terminals in the same row being coplanar with a first plane perpendicular to the second face, the tail portions of adjacent two power terminals in the same row being curved in opposite directions relative to the first plane.

In some embodiments, the power terminals are arranged in two rows in the insulating housing along the second direction, the tail portions of a first power terminal of two adjacent power terminals in one of the two rows being curved away from the other of the two rows, and the tail portions of a second power terminal of the two adjacent power terminals being curved toward the other row, the fisheye end of the tail portion of the first power terminal being a greater distance from the first plane than the fisheye end of the tail portion of the second power terminal.

In some embodiments, the mounting portion further includes a step portion protruding from the second face, the step portion being configured to restrict the circuit board from further moving toward the second face in a mounting direction perpendicular to the second face when the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing so that the step portion is in contact with the circuit board.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing further comprises a guide post protruding from the step, a distance from an end of the guide post to the second face being greater than a distance from an end of a tail of the power terminal to the second face, the circuit board further comprising a first hole configured to receive the guide post, wherein the guide post and the first hole cooperate to guide and position the circuit board when the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing.

In some embodiments, the insulating housing further includes a second hole recessed into the insulating housing along the mounting direction from a surface of the step, the second hole having a nut disposed therein, the circuit board further includes a third hole configured to align with the second hole when the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing, and the electrical connector further includes a bolt extending from the third hole into the second hole from a side of the circuit board opposite the step and locking with the nut, thereby securing the circuit board and the insulating housing together.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first conductive terminals are disposed in a first section of the insulating housing and the plurality of power terminals are disposed in a second section of the insulating housing, the first section being adjacent to the second section.

In some embodiments, the tail portions of the plurality of first conductive terminals extend from a first face of the insulative housing, the first face and the second face being substantially parallel to each other and facing in a same direction, the first face being recessed inwardly relative to the second face, the electrical connector further comprising a terminal retention mechanism attached to the first face to retain the plurality of first conductive terminals in the insulative housing.

The first electronic component is a PCIe card, a graphics processor, or a network interface card, and the second electronic component is a motherboard.

According to the present application, an electrical connector having improved signal transmission performance and more extended functions can be provided.

Drawings

The foregoing and other aspects of the present application will be more fully understood and appreciated in conjunction with the following drawings. It should be noted that the figures are merely schematic and are not drawn to scale. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1 with the outer molded member of the electrical connector removed;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1 with the outer molded member of the electrical connector removed;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1 with the outer molded member of the electrical connector removed;

fig. 7A is a perspective view of a body portion of the electrical connector shown in fig. 1;

FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of the area encircled by the dotted line in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the body portion shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of a set of power terminals of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1, illustrating an exemplary arrangement of power terminals in the electrical connector;

FIG. 9B is a side view of the set of power terminals shown in FIG. 9A;

fig. 10A is a perspective view of some of the first conductive terminals of the electrical connector shown in fig. 1, illustrating an exemplary arrangement of the first conductive terminals in the electrical connector;

fig. 10B is another perspective view of the first conductive terminal shown in fig. 10A;

Fig. 10C is a front view of the first conductive terminal shown in fig. 10A;

fig. 11 schematically illustrates an assembly of the terminal retention mechanism of the electrical connector of fig. 1 with a first conductive terminal;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the assembly shown in FIG. 11;

fig. 13 is a partial perspective view of the terminal holding mechanism shown in fig. 11;

fig. 14 is a partial perspective view of the conductive member of the terminal holding mechanism shown in fig. 11;

fig. 15 is a partial perspective view of an insulating holding member of the terminal holding mechanism shown in fig. 11;

fig. 16 schematically illustrates another version of a terminal retention mechanism; and

fig. 17 is a partial perspective view of the terminal holding mechanism shown in fig. 16.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples are not meant to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, features in various embodiments or examples of the present application may be combined with each other without conflict. It should be understood that the dimensions, proportions, and number of parts of the figures are not limiting of the present application.

An electrical connector 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 1 to 17. The electrical connector 1 may also be referred to as an electrical connector assembly. As will be described in detail below, the electrical connector 1 is used to provide an electrical connection between a first electronic device (not shown) and a second electronic device (not shown).

As shown in fig. 1 to 8, the electrical connector 1 includes a main body portion 3 (fig. 7A) including an insulating housing 5 and a plurality of first conductive terminals 7 (fig. 8) held in the insulating housing 5. The insulating housing 5 may be made of an insulating material. Examples of insulating materials suitable for making the insulating housing 5 include, but are not limited to, plastic, nylon, liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), high temperature nylon or polyphenylene oxide (PPO), or polypropylene (PP). Each of the plurality of first conductive terminals 7 is formed of a conductive material. The conductive material suitable for manufacturing the first conductive terminal 7 may be a metal or a metal alloy, such as copper or a copper alloy.

Fig. 10A to 10C schematically show perspective views of some of the first conductive terminals 7 of the plurality of first conductive terminals 7, which illustrate an exemplary arrangement of the first conductive terminals in the electrical connector. As shown in fig. 10A to 10C, each first conductive terminal 7 includes a mating portion 7a, a tail portion 7b, and an intermediate portion 7C extending between the mating portion 7a and the tail portion 7 b. The mating portion 7a of the first conductive terminal 7 is configured for establishing an electrical connection with a first corresponding conductive portion of the first electronic device.

In some examples, the body portion 3 of the electrical connector 1 may be configured as a socket pattern. Referring back to fig. 2, 3 and 5, one of the sides 51 of the insulating housing 5 may be provided with a socket 8a, which socket 8a extends into the insulating housing 5 such that the mating portion 7a of the first conductive terminal 7 is accessible via the socket 8a when the plurality of first conductive terminals 7 are held in the insulating housing 5. The side surface 51 may also be referred to as a "butt surface". For example, the first electronic device may be an Add-in Card (Add-in Card) such as a Solid State Drive (SSD), a Graphics Processor (GPU), a Network Interface Card (NIC), or the like. From which the card can be docked with the insulating housing 5. The first respective conductive portions of the card (typically pads at or near the edge of the card) are inserted into the insulating housing 5 via the socket 8a to contact the mating portions 7a of the first conductive terminals 7, thereby establishing an electrical connection. As another example, the first electronic device may also be a plug connector configured to mate with the body portion 3, the plug portion of which is inserted into the insulating housing 5 via the socket 8a so that the first respective conductive portion thereof is in contact with the mating portion 7a of the first conductive terminal 7, thereby establishing an electrical connection. In other examples, the body portion 3 of the electrical connector 1 may also be configured as a plug style (not shown). For example, the main body portion 3 may include a plug portion protruding from the side face 51 of the insulating housing 5 from the insulating housing 5, and the mating portion 7a of the first conductive terminal 7 may be arranged on the plug portion so as to be exposed on the surface of the plug portion. In this case, the first electronic device may be a receptacle connector configured to mate with the body portion 3. The plug portion of the body portion 3 may be inserted into a corresponding socket of the receptacle connector such that the mating portion 7a of the first conductive terminal 7 is in contact with a corresponding conductive portion of the receptacle connector, thereby establishing an electrical connection. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

The plurality of first conductive terminals 7 includes a first signal terminal 75 (as shown in fig. 9 and 10A to 10C). As shown in fig. 1 to 6, the electrical connector 1 further includes a circuit board 9 mounted on the insulating housing 5, a chip 11 mounted on the circuit board 9, a first signal cable 13, and a first signal outer cable 15. The first end 13a of the first signal cable 13 is connected to the tail portion 7b of the first signal terminal 75, and the second end 13b is connected to the circuit board 9 to be conductive with the chip 11. The first end 15a of the first signal external connection cable 15 is connected to the circuit board 9 for conduction with the chip 11, and the second end 15b is configured for connection to a second corresponding conductive portion of a second electronic device. In some examples, the second electronic device may be a Riser Card (Riser Card) and the second end 15b of the first signal external connection cable 15 is connected to a corresponding signal pad of the Riser Card. The adapter card may in turn be plugged into a card edge connector (Card Edge Connector) located on a target circuit board, such as a motherboard. In this way, the aforementioned first electronic device can be connected to the target circuit board. In other examples, the second electronic device may be a cable connector and the second end 15b of the first signal external connection cable 15 is connected to a corresponding signal terminal of the cable connector. In still other examples, the second electronic device may be a target circuit board, such as a motherboard, and the second ends 15b of the first signal external cables 15 are connected to respective signal pads of the target circuit board. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

The first signal terminal 75, the first signal cable 13, the chip 11, the circuit board 9 and the first signal external connection cable 15 are configured for transmitting and processing the first signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. Specifically, the first signal terminal 75 is in conduction with the chip 11 through the first signal cable 13 and the circuit board 9, and the chip 11 is in conduction with the first signal external connection cable 15 through the circuit board 9. The chip 11 can be configured to process the first signal according to the needs of the user. With this configuration, the electrical connector 1 is able to transmit and process a first signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. In contrast to prior art soldering of signal terminals directly to a circuit board such as a riser card, the first signal terminals 75 of the electrical connector 1 of the present application need not be soldered to a circuit board such as a riser card, but rather are connected to the circuit board 9 by the first signal cable 13 and then to a circuit board such as a riser card via the first signal external cable 15. This can reduce insertion loss, reduce attenuation of signals, and can improve impedance stability on a signal transmission path, thereby improving signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1. The provision of the chips 11 on the circuit board 9 makes it possible to eliminate the corresponding chips on the target circuit board such as a motherboard, thereby saving space on the target circuit board. Furthermore, this can provide greater scalability to an electronic system using the electrical connector 1. In addition, this can also improve the reliability of the electronic system using the electrical connector 1 and reduce the maintenance cost. In addition, the chip 11 can be configured according to the needs of the user to process the first signal, thereby diversifying the functions of the electronic system. It follows that according to the present application, an electrical connector with improved signal transmission performance and more extended functions can be provided.

In some examples, the first signal may be a sideband signal. The chip 11 is configured to process sideband signals. The chip 11 is connected with the sideband signals to control the functions and configuration of the sideband signals through the chip 11, so that the functional configuration of the electrical connector 1 is more flexible and convenient. In some examples, the chip 11 is configured to at least one of: the IO port expansion method is used for IO port expansion; as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), for example for updating Firmware (FW); and for processing the sensor signal, for example for processing a temperature signal. In one of these examples, the chip 11 may include an IO port expansion chip, an EEPROM, a sensor chip, or a combination thereof. In other partial examples, the chip 11 may be a single chip and integrate these functions.

The plurality of first conductive terminals 7 further includes a second signal terminal 77 (shown in fig. 8 and 10A to 10C). As shown in fig. 1 to 6, the electrical connector 1 further comprises a second signal cable 16. The first ends 15a of the second signal cables 16 are connected to the tail portions 7b of the second signal terminals 77. Similar to the second end 15b of the first signal external connection cable 15, the second end 15b of the second signal cable 16 is configured for connection to the aforementioned third corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device. In particular, in some examples, the second electronic device may be a riser card and the second ends 15b of the second signal cables 16 are connected to respective signal pads of the riser card. In other examples, the second electronic device may be a cable connector, and the second end 15b of the second signal cable 16 is connected to a corresponding signal terminal of the cable connector. In still other examples, the second electronic device may be a target circuit board, such as a motherboard, and the second ends 15b of the second signal cables 16 are directly connected to corresponding signal pads of the target circuit board. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

The second signal terminal 77 and the second signal cable 16 are configured for transmitting a second signal between the aforementioned first electronic device and the aforementioned second electronic device. In contrast to prior art soldering of signal terminals directly to a circuit board such as a riser card, the second signal terminals 77 of the electrical connector 1 of the present application do not need to be soldered to a circuit board such as a riser card, but rather are connected to a second electronic device by the second signal cable 16. This can reduce insertion loss, reduce attenuation of signals, and can improve impedance stability on a signal transmission path, thereby improving signal transmission performance of the electrical connector 1.

In some examples, the second signal may be a high-speed signal. The high-speed signal is, for example, a signal used in ethernet of PCIe Gen3, PCIe Gen4, PCIe Gen5, PCIe Gen6, SAS4.0, 10G, and above. In some examples, the second signal may be a differential signal. In this case, the second signal terminals 77 include a plurality of pairs of second signal terminals 77 (as best shown in fig. 10A to 10C), each pair of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals 77 forming a differential signal pair for transmitting a differential signal. Specifically, a first signal terminal of each pair of signal terminals 77 may be driven by a first voltage, and a second signal terminal may be driven by a second voltage. The voltage difference between the first signal terminal and the second signal terminal is representative of the signal.

The plurality of first conductive terminals 7 further includes a ground terminal 79 (shown in fig. 10A to 10C). The electrical connector 1 further comprises a ground cable (not shown in the drawings). Similar to the second signal cable 16, the first end of the ground cable is connected to the tail portion 7b of the ground terminal 79 and the second end is configured for connection to a fourth corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device. In particular, in some examples, the second electronic device may be a riser card and the second end of the ground cable is connected to a corresponding ground pad of the riser card. The adapter card may in turn be plugged into a card edge connector such as on a target circuit board. In other examples, the second electronic device may be a cable connector and the second end of the ground cable is connected to a corresponding ground terminal of the cable connector. In still other examples, the second electronic device may be a target circuit board, such as a motherboard, and the second ends of the ground cables are directly connected to respective ground pads of the target circuit board. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

It should be appreciated that in some examples, the first electronic component is a PCIe card, a Graphics Processor (GPU), a network interface card, or a custom class card, and the second electronic component is a motherboard.

As best shown in fig. 8 and 11, the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77 are arranged in rows along a first direction (or may be referred to as a "row direction") 17 in the insulating housing 5 such that the terminals are aligned with one another in the respective rows. In some examples, as shown, the ground terminal 79, the first signal terminal 75, and the second signal terminal 77 are arranged in two rows opposite to each other and spaced apart from each other in the insulating housing 5 along the first direction 17. It should be understood that in other partial examples, the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77 may be arranged in a single row or more than two rows along the first direction 17 in the insulating housing 5, and the present application is not limited thereto.

The first signal terminal 75 and the second signal terminal 77 are spaced apart by a ground terminal 79 to reduce cross-talk between the signal terminals and thereby improve signal integrity. In some examples, as shown in fig. 10A to 10C, the first signal terminals 75 include a plurality of individual first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77 include a plurality of pairs of second signal terminals 77. Each of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals 77 may form a differential signal pair for transmitting a differential signal. Each first signal terminal 75 and each pair of second signal terminals 77 are separated by one or more ground terminals 79. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto. For example, the first signal terminals 75 may include a plurality of pairs of first signal terminals 75, and each pair of first signal terminals 75 is separated from the other terminals by one or more ground terminals 79. As another example, the second signal terminals 77 may include a plurality of individual second signal terminals 77, and each second signal terminal 77 is separated from the other terminals by one or more ground terminals 79.

As shown in fig. 3, 5, 6, 7A, 7B and 8, the electrical connector 1 further includes a terminal holding mechanism 100. The terminal holding mechanism 100 includes a conductive member 101 and an insulating holding member 103 surrounding the conductive member 101. The terminal holding mechanism 100 is attached to the insulating housing 5 to hold the ground terminal 79, the first signal terminal 75, and the second signal terminal 77 in the insulating housing 5, and connects the ground terminal 79 together through the conductive member 101. Connecting the ground terminals 79 together by the conductive members 101 may provide a conductive path between the ground terminals 79 to control or suppress unwanted resonances occurring within the ground terminals 79 during operation of the electrical connector 1, thereby improving signal integrity. The conductive member 101 may be made of metal, conductive plastic, or any other suitable material. As used herein, "conductive plastic" refers to a plastic material that has conductive properties by itself, or by adding a conductive medium to the plastic material or plating a conductive medium on the surface of the plastic material.

As shown in fig. 6, 7A and 7B, the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75 and the tail portions 7B of the second signal terminals 77 protrude from the first face 53a of the insulating housing 5. For example, the first face 53a of the insulating housing 5 may be opposite and parallel to the side face 51 of said insulating housing 5, or may be perpendicular to the side face 51 of the insulating housing 5.

As shown in fig. 7A, 7B and 8, the terminal holding mechanism 100 is attached to the first face 53a of the insulating housing 5. For example, the insulating housing 5 may include a positioning post 5d protruding from the first face 53a from the insulating housing 5, and the terminal retention mechanism 100 may include an aperture 100a configured to receive the positioning post 5 d. In this way, the terminal holding mechanism 100 can be positioned and attached to the first face 53a of the insulating housing 5. A snap fit may be formed between the locating post 5d and the aperture 100a. Turning to fig. 11 to 15, the insulating holding member 103 includes a base 103a. The base 103a includes a recess 105 recessed into the base 103a from the base surfaces 1031 and 1033 of the base 103a for receiving and retaining the tail portions 7b of the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77. Thus, the base 103a includes a partition 107 that separates each adjacent two of the grooves 105. As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the tail portions 7b of the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77 partially protrude from the respective base surfaces when received in the respective grooves 105 of the base 103a. The base 103a includes a holding portion 1035 protruding from the base surfaces 1031 and 1033, the holding portion 1035 surrounding and holding the end portion 71b of the tail portion 7b.

As shown in fig. 12, 13, and 14, the conductive member 101 includes a main body 101a provided in a base 103a and a contact portion 101b. The contact portion 101b extends from the main body 101a into a first recess 105a of the recesses 105 for receiving the ground terminal 79 to contact the ground terminal 79. In this way, the ground terminals 79 are connected to the main body 101a through the contact portions 101b, so that the ground terminals 79 are connected together through the conductive members 101. In some examples, as shown in fig. 13, the first groove 105a includes two opposing sidewalls 1051a and 1053a, and a bottom wall extending between the two sidewalls 1051a and 1053 a. The two side walls 1051a and 1053a are formed by the base 103a, and the bottom wall is formed by the contact portion 101b.

As shown in fig. 7B and 8, the insulating housing 5 includes a first slot 55 extending from the first face 53a into the insulating housing 5 to receive a ground terminal 79. Turning to fig. 12, 13 and 14, the conductive member 101 further includes a first support arm 101c extending from the contact portion 101b. The first support arm 101c is configured to extend into the first slot 55 when the terminal holding mechanism 100 is attached to the insulating housing 5 to support and hold the ground terminal 79 in the first slot 55. The ground terminal 79 can be reliably held in place by means of the engagement of the holding portion 1035 with the end portion 71b of the tail portion 7b of the ground terminal 79 and the first support arm 101c, the ground terminal 79, and the first slot 55. In some examples, as best shown in fig. 10B and 12, a section of the ground terminal 79 that contacts the first support arm 101c is formed with a convex hull 79a. The convex hull 79a is configured to improve the mating force between the first support arm 101c and the ground terminal 79. With this configuration, the connection reliability between the conductive member 101 and the ground terminal 79 can be improved.

As shown in fig. 13 and 15, the second recess 105b of the recess 105 for receiving the first and second signal terminals 75 and 77 also includes two opposite side walls 1051b and 1053b, and a bottom wall extending between the two side walls 1051b and 1053 b. Both side walls 1051b and 1053b and the bottom wall are formed by the base 103 a. As shown in fig. 7B and 8, the insulative housing 5 includes a second slot 57 extending from the first face 53a into the insulative housing 5 to receive a respective one of the first signal terminal 75 and the second signal terminal 77. The insulating holding member 103 further includes a second support arm 103c. The second support arm 103c extends from the base 103a into the second slot 57 to support and retain respective ones of the first and second signal terminals 75, 77 in the second slot 57. The first signal terminal 75 or the second signal terminal 77 can be reliably held in place by means of the engagement of the holding portion 1035 with the end portion 71b of the tail portion 7b of the first signal terminal 75 or the second signal terminal 77 and the second support arm 103c, the second socket 57, and the first signal terminal 75 or the second signal terminal 77.

The first ends of the ground cables, the first ends 13a of the first signal cables 13, and the first ends 15a of the second signal cables 16 may be connected to the respective tail portions 7b of the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77 by any suitable soldering process.

For example, the cable may be soldered using a Hot melt soldering (Hot Bar) process. As best shown in fig. 7B, the insulated housing 5 includes a wire positioning mechanism 59 to position and hold the wire while welding the first ends of the ground cable, the first signal cable 13, and the second signal cable 16 to the respective tail portions 7B of the ground terminal 79, the first signal terminal 75, and the second signal terminal 77. Providing the wire positioning mechanism 59 can improve welding efficiency and welding accuracy. As will be described later, the insulating housing 5 includes mounting portions 5a (two in fig. 7A). As shown in fig. 7A, the mounting portions 5a protrude from the first face 53a on both sides of the base 103a from the insulating housing 5 for mounting the circuit board 9. In some examples, wire positioning mechanism 59 is located on mounting portion 5a and is aligned with tail portions 7b of ground terminal 79, first signal terminal 75, and second signal terminal 77 in first direction 17. The wire positioning mechanism 59 may take any suitable form as long as it is capable of positioning and holding the wire. In some examples, as best shown in fig. 7B, the wire positioning mechanism 59 includes two clips 59a with a wire retaining groove 59B formed between the two clips 59 a.

As another example, the cable may be welded using a laser welding process. Fig. 16 and 17 schematically illustrate another version of a terminal retention mechanism 100' for an electrical connector 1. In fig. 16 and 17, portions similar to those in fig. 11 to 15 are denoted by like reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted herein. The terminal holding mechanism 100' shown in fig. 16 and 17 is different from the terminal holding mechanism 100 shown in fig. 11 to 15 in that: the separation portion 107 of the base 103a is partially removed to form a spacing space S along the first direction 17 (i.e., the row direction) between the respective terminals disposed in each adjacent two of the grooves 105, which enables to prevent the base 103a from carbonizing to cause a short circuit of the respective terminals when the respective cables are laser-welded on the tail portions 7b of the respective terminals. In some examples, the spacing space S is recessed from the base surface (i.e., 1031 or 1033) of the base 103a into the base 103a to a depth greater than the depth at which the bottom side of the respective terminal is located in the recess 105. In some examples, the spacing space S and a portion of the groove 105 may form a transverse groove along the first direction 17, the transverse groove extending along the entire length of the base 103a where the groove 105 is disposed.

Returning to fig. 1-3, the electrical connector 1 further includes an insulative outer molded member 200. Examples of insulating materials suitable for the exterior molding member 200 include, but are not limited to, plastic, nylon, liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), high temperature nylon, or polyphenylene oxide (PPO), or polypropylene (PP). The exterior molding member 200 is molded onto the insulating housing 5 to cover the terminal holding mechanism 100 and the connection portions of the first signal terminals 75 and the first signal cable 13, the second signal terminals 77 and the second signal cable 16, and the ground terminals 79 and the ground cable. In this way, the terminal holding mechanism 100, the first signal terminal 75, the second signal terminal 77, and the ground terminal 79 can be reliably held in place, and the connection reliability between the first signal terminal 75 and the first signal cable 13, between the second signal terminal 77 and the second signal cable 16, and between the ground terminal 79 and the ground cable is improved. In some examples, as shown in fig. 1-3, the insulating housing 5 includes a dovetail groove 60 recessed into the insulating housing 5 from a side of the insulating housing 5 that is connected to the first face 53 a. The outer molding member 200 fills the groove 60 to form a dovetail-shaped snap fit with the groove 60, thereby fixing the outer molding member 200 to the insulating housing 5.

As shown in fig. 1 to 9B, the electrical connector 1 further includes a plurality of power terminals 300 held in the insulating housing 5. It should be appreciated that the plurality of power terminals 300 may be retained in the insulating housing 5 by any suitable means. For example, the insulating housing 5 may be molded around the plurality of power terminals 300, or the plurality of power terminals 300 may be mounted to the insulating housing 5 by another holding mechanism. The plurality of first conductive terminals 7 are disposed in a first section 501 of the insulating housing 5 and the plurality of power terminals 300 are disposed in a second section 503 of the insulating housing 5, the first section 501 being adjacent to the second section 503. Each power terminal 300 includes a mating portion 300a, a tail portion 300b, and an intermediate portion 300c extending between the mating portion 300a and the tail portion 300 b. The tail portions 300b of the power terminals 300 are mounted to the circuit board 9 to connect the power terminals 300 to the circuit board 9. Like the mating portion 7a of the first conductive terminal 7, the mating portion 300a of the power terminal is configured for establishing an electrical connection with a fifth corresponding conductive portion of the first electronic device. Specifically, in some examples, the body portion 3 of the electrical connector 1 may be configured as a socket pattern, and the side 51 of the insulating housing 5 may also be provided with the socket 8b. The socket 8b extends into the insulating housing 5 so that the mating portion 300a of the power terminal 300 is accessible via the socket 8b when the power terminal 300 is held in the insulating housing 5. For example, in the case where the first electronic device is a card, a fifth respective conductive portion of the card (typically a power pad at or near an edge of the card) is inserted into the insulating housing 5 via the socket 8b to contact the mating portion 300a of the power terminal 300, thereby establishing an electrical connection. As another example, in the case where the first electronic device is a plug connector configured to mate with the main body portion 3, the plug portion thereof is inserted into the insulating housing 5 via the socket 8b so that the fifth respective conductive portions thereof are brought into contact with the mating portions 300a of the power supply terminals 300, thereby establishing electrical connection. For another example, in the case where the main body portion 3 of the electrical connector 1 is configured in a plug type (not shown), the fitting portion 300a of the power terminal 300 may be arranged on a plug portion of the main body portion 3 so as to be exposed on a surface of the plug portion. In this case, the first electronic device may be a receptacle connector configured to mate with the body portion 3. The plug portion of the body portion 3 may be inserted into a corresponding socket of the receptacle connector such that the mating portion 300a of the power terminal 300 contacts a corresponding conductive portion of the receptacle connector, thereby establishing an electrical connection. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

The electrical connector 1 further comprises a power supply external connection cable 19, a first end 19a of the power supply external connection cable 19 being connected to the circuit board 9, and a second end 19b being configured for connection to a sixth corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device. Specifically, in some examples, the second electronic device may be a riser card, and the second end 19b of the power supply external connection cable 19 is connected to a corresponding power supply pad of the riser card. In other examples, the second electronic device may be a cable connector, and the second end 19b of the power supply external connection cable 19 is connected to a respective power supply terminal of the cable connector. In still other examples, the second electronic device may be a target circuit board, such as a motherboard, and the second ends 19b of the power supply external cables 19 are directly connected to respective power supply pads of the target circuit board. It should be understood that the present application is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the power terminal 300 is in direct communication with the power external connection cable 19 through the circuit board 9. In this way, power can be transferred between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. In other examples, the power terminal 300 is in communication with the chip 11 through the circuit board 9, and the chip 11 is in communication with the power supply external cable through the circuit board 9. The chip 11 is configured for power conversion. In this way, power conversion between the first electronic device and the second electronic device can be achieved. The chip 11 may include a power conversion chip.

As described above and as shown in fig. 3, 6, 7A and 8, the insulating housing 5 includes the mounting portion 5a. The mounting portion 5a includes a second face 53b. The second face 53b and the first face 53a are substantially parallel to each other and face in the same direction. The first face 53a is recessed inwardly relative to the second face 53b. The second face 53b is substantially parallel to the circuit board 9. The tail portion 300b of the power terminal 300 includes a fisheye end 300d, and at least the fisheye end 300d of the tail portion 300b of the power terminal 300 extends from the second face 53b. The circuit board 9 is mounted to the insulating housing 5 at the mounting portion 5a, and includes a conductive hole 91 configured to receive the fisheye end 300 d. When the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing 5, the fisheye end 300d of the tail 300b of the power terminal 300 is Press-Fit (Press-Fit) into the conductive hole 91 of the circuit board 9. The assembly of the circuit board 9 with the main body portion 3 can be facilitated by the press-fit process, compared to the manner in which the power supply terminals are surface-mounted to the circuit board in the prior art. In addition, the outer molding member 200 may be protected from melting by a press-fit process adjacent the first section 501 and the second section 503, as would otherwise occur with the outer molding member 200 using a surface mount process.

As shown in fig. 8, 9A and 9B, the power terminals 300 are arranged in rows (two rows in the drawing) in the insulating housing 5 along the second direction 21 such that the terminals are aligned with each other in the respective rows. The first direction 17 and the second direction 21 may be parallel to each other, but the present application is not limited thereto. The fisheye ends 300d of the tail portions 300b of adjacent two power terminals 300 in the same row are offset from each other in the second direction 21. In this way, the power terminals 300 can be arranged in a more compact manner to reduce the space occupied by the power terminals 300 on the circuit board 9, thereby reducing the size of the circuit board 9 and reducing the size of the entire electrical connector 1.

In some examples, the middle portions 300c of the power terminals 300 in the same row are coplanar to a first plane a (fig. 9B) perpendicular to the second face 53B. The tail portions 300b of adjacent two power terminals 300 in the same row are bent in opposite directions with respect to the first plane a. In one of these examples, as shown in fig. 8, 9A, and 9B, the power terminals 300 are arranged in two rows along the second direction 21 (fig. 9A) in the insulating housing 5. The tail 300b of a first one of the adjacent two power terminals 300 in one of the two rows is bent away from the other one of the two rows, and the tail 300b of a second one of the adjacent two power terminals 300 is bent toward the other row, the fisheye end 300D of the first power terminal being a distance D1 from the first plane a that is greater than the distance D2 from the first plane a of the fisheye end 300D of the tail 300b of the second power terminal.

As shown in fig. 6, 7A and 8, the mounting portion 5a may further include a stepped portion 23 protruding from the second face 53 b. The step portion 23 is configured to restrict the circuit board 9 from further moving toward the second face 53b in the mounting direction 24 perpendicular to the second face 53b when the circuit board 9 is mounted to the insulating housing 5 so that the step portion 23 is in contact with the circuit board 9. By providing the height of the stepped portion 23 protruding from the second face 53b, the fisheye end 300d of the tail 300b of the power terminal 300 can be prevented from being excessively pressed into the circuit board 9.

As shown in fig. 6, 7A and 8, the insulating housing 5 may further include guide posts 25 (three in the drawing) protruding from the stepped portion 23. The distance D3 from the end 25a of the guide post 25 to the second face 53b is greater than the distance D4 from the end of the tail 300b of the power terminal 300 to the second face 53 b. The circuit board 9 further comprises a first hole 27 configured to receive the guide post 25. The guide posts 25 cooperate with the first holes 27 to guide and position the circuit board 9 when the circuit board 9 is mounted to the insulating housing 5. Since D3 is larger than D4, the guide posts 25 are mated with the circuit board 9 prior to the tail portions 300b of the power terminals 300 when the circuit board 9 is mounted to the insulating housing 5. This makes it possible to prevent the tail portion 300b of the power terminal 300 from being bent and damaged due to misalignment of the circuit board 9 and the insulating housing 5.

The insulating housing 5 may include a second hole 29 recessed into the insulating housing 5 along the mounting direction 24 from the surface of the step 23. A nut 26 (fig. 8) is disposed in the second hole 29. The circuit board 9 further comprises a third hole 31. The third hole 31 is configured to be aligned with the second hole 29 when the circuit board 9 is mounted to the insulating housing 5. The electrical connector 1 further comprises a bolt 33. The bolt 33 extends from the third hole 31 into the second hole 29 from the side of the circuit board 9 opposite to the stepped portion 23 and is locked with the nut, thereby fixing the circuit board 9 with the insulating housing 5. In this way, the strength of the insulating housing 5 can be improved, and the connection reliability of the power supply terminal 300 to the circuit board 9 can be improved. It should be appreciated that the circuit board 9 and the insulating housing 5 may be secured together by other suitable means, and the application is not limited thereto. In some examples, a washer 34 may be provided between the bolt 33 and the circuit board 9 to protect the circuit board.

As shown in fig. 1 and 4 to 6, the insulating housing 5 is elongated along a first direction 17, and includes opposite side ends 511a and 511b in the first direction 17. The mounting portion 5a includes two mounting portions 5a protruding from the first face 53a of the insulating housing 5 and positioned adjacent to the two side end portions 511a and 511b, respectively. The holding mechanism 100 or 100' is attached to the first face 53a of the insulating housing 5 between the two mounting portions 5a. The circuit board 9 is configured to be mounted to the insulating housing 5 in a mounting direction 24 perpendicular to the first face 53a. The circuit board 9 includes a first portion 9a, a second portion 9b, and a lateral portion 9c extending between the first portion 9a and the second portion 9 b. The first portion 9a and the second portion 9b are mounted to the two mounting portions 5a, respectively, and the lateral portion 9c is located on the first side of the insulating housing 5. The lateral portion 9c of the circuit board 9 does not overlap the exterior molding member 200 in the mounting direction 24. The connection portions of the first signal cable 13, the second signal cable 16, and the ground cable (not shown) with respect to the first signal terminal 75 and the first signal cable 13, the second signal terminal 77 and the second signal cable 16, and the ground terminal 79 and the ground cable, respectively, are bent in an L-shape to be led out from the exterior mold member 200 toward the first side 53a adjacent to the side of the circuit board 9 facing away from the first side. This configuration of the electrical connector 1 can minimize its space occupation. It should be understood that in other partial examples, the circuit board 9 may include only a first portion 9a and a second portion 9b separated from each other, without the lateral portion 9c.

As best shown in fig. 4, there is a space G between the projection of the lead-out positions of the first signal cable 13, the second signal cable 16, and the ground cable from the exterior molding member 200 on the plane in which the first face 53a lies and the projection of the inner edge 93 of the lateral portion 9c of the circuit board 9 near the exterior molding member 200 on the plane. The size of the gap G is configured such that each of the first signal cable 13, the second signal cable 16, and the ground cable can be bent from the lead-out position to be oriented away from the first face 53a in the mounting direction 24 to allow the circuit board 9 to move through the lead-out position in the mounting direction 24 without damaging each of the cables. The size of the gap G may be 1 to 10 times the cable diameter. The benefits of such a spacing G will be described below in connection with an exemplary assembly method of the electrical connector 1.

In step S1, the plurality of power terminals 300 are held in the insulating housing 5, and the first signal terminal 75, the second signal terminal 77, and the ground terminal 79 are held in the insulating housing 5 by the terminal holding mechanism 100 or 100'.

Next, in step S2, the first ends of the ground cables, the first ends 13a of the first signal cables 13, and the first ends 15a of the second signal cables 16 are connected to the respective tail portions 7b of the ground terminals 79, the first signal terminals 75, and the second signal terminals 77.

Next, at step S3, the first signal cable 13, the second signal cable 16, and the ground cable (not shown) are bent in an L-shape with respect to the connection portions of the first signal terminal 75 and the first signal cable 13, the second signal terminal 77 and the second signal cable 16, and the ground terminal 79 and the ground cable, respectively, so that the cables are led out toward the first side of the insulating housing 5 at positions adjacent to the side of the circuit board 9 to be mounted, which is away from the first face 53 a.

Next, at step S4, the exterior molding member 200 is molded onto the insulating housing 5 to cover the terminal holding mechanism 100 or 100' and the connection portions of the first signal terminal 75 and the first signal cable 13, the second signal terminal 77 and the second signal cable 16, and the ground terminal 79 and the ground cable.

Next, at step S5, each of the first signal cable 13, the second signal cable 16, and the ground cable is bent from the lead-out position to be oriented away from the first face 53a in the mounting direction 24 without damaging each of the cables. Due to the gap G, the circuit board 9 is allowed to move through the extraction position in the mounting direction 24, thereby avoiding interference of the circuit board 9 with the cable.

Next, in step S6, the circuit board 9 is mounted to the insulating housing 5 in the mounting direction 24.

Next, in step S7, the bolt 33 is extended from the third hole 31 of the circuit board 9 into the second hole 29 of the insulating housing 5 from the side of the circuit board 9 opposite to the insulating housing 5 and locked with the nut located therein to fix the circuit board 9 and the insulating housing 5 together.

Next, at step S8, the cable is bent back to the original position, and the second end 13b of the first signal cable 13, the first end 15a of the first signal outer cable 15, and the first end 19a of the power outer cable 19 are connected to the circuit board 9.

It should be appreciated that in some examples, some of the steps may not be performed in the order described above.

It should also be understood that although the ground cable is omitted from the figures, the configuration of the ground cable may be the same as the second signal cable 16 or the ground cable may be part of the second signal cable 16.

It should also be understood that the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," "fifth," and "sixth" are used merely to distinguish one element or portion from another element or portion, but the elements and/or portions should not be limited by such terms.

The present application is described in detail above in connection with specific embodiments. It will be apparent that the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings are to be understood as illustrative and not limiting of the present application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or adaptations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the present application.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for providing an electrical connection between a first electronic device and a second electronic device, the electrical connector comprising:

an insulating housing;

a plurality of first conductive terminals held in the insulating housing, each first conductive terminal including a mating portion and a tail portion, the mating portion configured to establish an electrical connection with a first corresponding conductive portion of the first electronic device, the plurality of first conductive terminals including a first signal terminal;

a circuit board mounted on the insulating housing;

a chip mounted on the circuit board;

the first end of the first signal cable is connected to the tail part of the first signal terminal, and the second end of the first signal cable is connected to the circuit board so as to be communicated with the chip; and

a first signal external connection cable having a first end connected to the circuit board to be in communication with the chip and a second end configured for connection to a second corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device;

the first signal terminal, the first signal cable, the chip, the circuit board, and the first signal external cable are configured to transmit and process a first signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of first conductive terminals further includes a second signal terminal;

the electrical connector further includes a second signal cable having a first end connected to the tail of the second signal terminal and a second end configured for connection to a third corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device;

the second signal terminal and the second signal cable are configured for transmitting a second signal between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein the first signal is a sideband signal and the second signal is a high speed signal.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein the second signal terminals comprise a plurality of pairs of second signal terminals, each of the plurality of pairs of second signal terminals forming a differential signal pair for transmitting a differential signal, and the second signal being a differential signal.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the chip is configured to at least one of:

the IO port expansion method is used for IO port expansion;

As an electrically erasable programmable read only memory; and

for processing the sensor signal.

6. The electrical connector of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein:

the plurality of first conductive terminals further includes a ground terminal;

the electrical connector further includes a ground cable having a first end connected to the tail portion of the ground terminal and a second end configured for connection to a fourth corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device;

the ground terminals, the first signal terminals, and the second signal terminals are arranged in rows along a first direction in the insulative housing, and the first signal terminals and the second signal terminals are spaced apart by the ground terminals to improve signal integrity; and

the electrical connector further includes a terminal retention mechanism including a conductive member and an insulating retention member surrounding the conductive member, the terminal retention mechanism being attached to the insulating housing to retain the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal in the insulating housing and to connect the ground terminals together through the conductive member.

7. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein:

the tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal extend from a first face of the insulative housing, the terminal retention mechanism is attached to the first face, the insulative retention member includes a base including a recess recessed into the base from a base surface of the base to receive and retain the tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein tail portions of the ground terminals, the first signal terminals, and the second signal terminals partially protrude from the base surface when received in the recess, and the base includes a retention portion protruding from the base surface, the retention portion surrounding and retaining an end portion of the tail portions.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the conductive member comprises a body disposed in the base of the insulating retaining member and a contact portion extending from the body into a first one of the grooves for receiving the ground terminal to contact the ground terminal.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the first recess includes two opposing sidewalls formed by the base and a bottom wall extending between the two sidewalls formed by the contact.

11. The electrical connector of claim 9, wherein:

the insulative housing includes a first slot extending from the first face into the insulative housing to receive the ground terminal;

the conductive member further includes a first support arm extending from the contact portion, the first support arm extending into the first socket when the terminal retention mechanism is attached to the insulative housing to support and retain the ground terminal in the first socket.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11, wherein a section of the ground terminal in contact with the first support arm is formed with a convex hull configured to enhance a mating force between the first support arm and the ground terminal.

13. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein a second one of the grooves for receiving the first and second signal terminals comprises two opposing sidewalls and a bottom wall extending between the two sidewalls, the two sidewalls and the bottom wall each being formed by the base.

14. The electrical connector of claim 13, wherein:

the insulative housing includes a second slot extending from the first face into the insulative housing to receive respective ones of the first and second signal terminals;

the insulative retaining member further includes a second support arm extending from the base that extends into the second slot when the terminal retaining mechanism is attached to the insulative housing to support and retain the respective signal terminal in the second slot.

15. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein the conductive member is made of metal or conductive plastic.

16. The electrical connector of any one of claims 7 to 15, wherein the insulative housing includes a wire positioning mechanism to position and retain a wire when the first ends of the ground cable, the first signal cable, and the second signal cable are soldered to the respective tails of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein:

The insulating shell comprises mounting parts, wherein the mounting parts protrude out of the insulating shell from the first surface at two sides of the base part and are used for mounting the circuit board;

the wire positioning mechanism is located on the mounting portion and is aligned with tail portions of the ground terminal, the first signal terminal, and the second signal terminal in the first direction; and

the welding wire positioning mechanism comprises two clamping blocks, and a welding wire fixing groove is formed between the two clamping blocks.

18. The electrical connector as recited in any one of claims 7 to 15, wherein the base portion includes a partition portion that separates each adjacent two of the grooves, the partition portion being partially removed to form a separation space along the first direction between respective terminals disposed in the each adjacent two grooves.

19. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the spacing space is recessed from a base surface of the base into the base to a depth greater than a depth of a bottom side of the corresponding terminal in the recess.

20. The electrical connector of claim 18, wherein the spacer space and a portion of the recess form a transverse slot along the first direction, the transverse slot extending along an entire length of the base where the recess is disposed.

21. The electrical connector as recited in any one of claims 7 to 15, further comprising an insulative outer molded member molded to the insulative housing to encase the terminal retention mechanism and the connection of the first signal terminal and the first signal cable, the second signal terminal and the second signal cable, and the ground terminal and the ground cable.

22. The electrical connector of claim 21, wherein the insulative housing includes a dovetail groove recessed into the insulative housing from a side of the insulative housing that is connected to the first face, the outer molded member filling the dovetail groove to form a dovetail snap fit with the dovetail groove to secure the outer molded member to the insulative housing.

23. The electrical connector of claim 21, wherein:

the insulating housing is elongated along the first direction and includes two side ends opposite in the first direction, and two mounting portions protruding from the first face, respectively, the insulating housing and positioned adjacent to the two side ends;

The circuit board is configured to be mounted to the insulating housing in a mounting direction perpendicular to the first face, and includes a first portion, a second portion, and a lateral portion extending between the first portion and the second portion, the first portion and the second portion being mounted to the two mounting portions, respectively, and the lateral portion being located on a first side of the insulating housing, the lateral portion not overlapping the exterior molding member in the mounting direction; and

the connection portions of the first signal cable, the second signal cable, and the ground cable, respectively, of the first signal terminal and the first signal cable, the second signal terminal and the second signal cable, and the ground terminal and the ground cable are bent in an L-shape to be led out from the external mold member toward the first side adjacent to the side of the circuit board facing away from the first face.

24. The electrical connector of claim 23, wherein:

a space exists between a projection of a lead-out position of the first signal cable, the second signal cable, and the ground cable from the exterior molded member on a plane in which the first face is located and a projection of an inner edge of the lateral portion near the exterior molded member on the plane, the space being sized so that each cable can be bent from the lead-out position to be oriented away from the first face in the mounting direction to allow the circuit board to move through the lead-out position in the mounting direction without damaging each cable of the first signal cable, the second signal cable, and the ground cable.

25. The electrical connector of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of power terminals held in the insulating housing, each power terminal including a mating portion and a tail portion, the mating portion of the power terminal configured to establish an electrical connection with a fifth respective conductive portion of the first electronic device, and the tail portion of the power terminal being mounted to the circuit board to connect the power terminal to the circuit board; and

a power supply external connection cable having a first end connected to the circuit board and a second end configured for connection to a sixth corresponding conductive portion of the second electronic device;

wherein:

the power terminal and the power supply external connection cable are directly conducted through the circuit board; or alternatively

The power supply terminal is in communication with the chip through the circuit board, and the chip is in communication with the power supply external cable through the circuit board, the chip being configured for power conversion.

26. The electrical connector of claim 25, wherein:

the insulating housing includes a mounting portion at which the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing, the mounting portion including a second face; and

The tail portion of the power terminal includes a fisheye end, and at least the fisheye end of the tail portion of the power terminal extends from the second face, the circuit board includes a conductive aperture configured to receive the fisheye end, and the fisheye end is press-fit into the conductive aperture of the circuit board.

27. The electrical connector of claim 26, wherein the power terminals are arranged in rows in the insulative housing along a second direction, and the fisheye ends of the tails of adjacent two power terminals in the same row are offset from each other in the second direction.

28. The electrical connector of claim 27, wherein the second face is substantially parallel to the circuit board, the power terminals further comprising an intermediate portion extending between the mating portion and the tail portion, the intermediate portions of the power terminals in a same row being coplanar with a first plane perpendicular to the second face, the tail portions of adjacent two power terminals in a same row being curved in opposite directions relative to the first plane.

29. The electrical connector of claim 28, wherein the power terminals are arranged in two rows in the insulating housing along the second direction, the tail portions of a first power terminal of two adjacent power terminals in one of the two rows being bent away from the other of the two rows, and the tail portions of a second power terminal of the two adjacent power terminals being bent toward the other row, the fisheye end of the tail portion of the first power terminal being a greater distance from the first plane than the fisheye end of the tail portion of the second power terminal.

30. The electrical connector of claim 26, wherein:

the mounting portion further includes a step portion protruding from the second face, the step portion being configured to restrict the circuit board from further moving toward the second face in a mounting direction perpendicular to the second face when the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing so that the step portion is in contact with the circuit board.

31. The electrical connector of claim 30, wherein:

the insulation shell further comprises a guide post protruding out of the step part, and the distance from the tail end of the guide post to the second surface is larger than the distance from the tail end of the power terminal to the second surface; and

the circuit board further includes a first aperture configured to receive the guide post;

wherein the guide post cooperates with the first hole to guide and position the circuit board when the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing.

32. The electrical connector of claim 30, wherein:

the insulating housing further includes a second hole recessed into the insulating housing from a surface of the stepped portion along the mounting direction, the second hole having a nut disposed therein;

The circuit board further includes a third hole configured to align with the second hole when the circuit board is mounted to the insulating housing; and

the electrical connector further includes a bolt extending from the third hole into the second hole from a side of the circuit board opposite the step and locking with the nut to secure the circuit board and the insulating housing together.

33. The electrical connector of claim 25, wherein:

the plurality of first conductive terminals are disposed in a first section of the insulating housing and the plurality of power terminals are disposed in a second section of the insulating housing, the first section being adjacent to the second section.

34. The electrical connector of claim 26, wherein the tail portions of the plurality of first conductive terminals extend from a first face of the insulative housing, the first face and the second face being substantially parallel to each other and facing in a same direction, the first face being recessed inward relative to the second face, the electrical connector further comprising a terminal retention mechanism attached to the first face that retains the plurality of first conductive terminals in the insulative housing.

35. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the first electronic component is a PCIe card, a graphics processor, or a network interface card, and the second electronic component is a motherboard.