WO2019108506A1

WO2019108506A1 - Connector for high speed signal transmission

Info

Publication number: WO2019108506A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/062531
Authority: WO
Inventors: Suk Min Kim; Kwan Yeong Hwang
Original assignee: Molex, Llc
Priority date: 2017-11-28
Filing date: 2018-11-27
Publication date: 2019-06-06
Also published as: TW201937813A; KR102516102B1; TWI689137B; KR20190061888A

Abstract

The present disclosure is related to a cable connector having a vertical connection structure, which allows high speed signal transmission by efficiently cancelling noise with a single metal shell, in which the connector comprises: a plug for receiving a pair of cables on both sides; and a receptacle including a housing coupled to the plug, a plurality of contact terminals coupled to the housing to be in contact with a signal electrode of the cable, and a metal shell having a plurality of ground terminals to be in contact with a ground electrode of the cable and being coupled to cover the housing, wherein by means of coupling the plug with the receptacle, the contact terminal is in contact with an inner side signal electrode of the cable to transmit a signal to a substrate, and the ground terminal is in contact with an outer side ground electrode of the cable to ground the cable to the substrate. The present disclosure may have an effect that noise problems can be resolved by only one metal shell, thereby reducing the number of components, lowering manufacturing costs, and improving assembly efficiency.

Description

CONNECTOR FOR HIGH SPEED SIGNAL TRANSMISSION

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2017-0160723, filed November 28, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments described herein are generally related to a connector, and more particularly, to a cable connector having a vertical connection structure, which allows high speed signal transmission by efficiently cancelling noise with a single metal shell.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] Recently, as electronic products become smaller in size and higher in performance, a large number of electronic devices are arranged on a printed circuit board (PCB), and a plurality of signals are input to or output from a product in parallel accordingly. A flexible flat cable (FFC) or flexible printed circuit (FPC) and the like have been widely used for electrical connection and signal transmission between these devices. The FFC or FPC (hereinafter, referred to as a 'cable') has a plurality of electrodes arranged in parallel to form a single cable and has a high degree of flexibility in design compared to a rigid PCB. Such a cable may be removably connected to a receptacle mounted on a substrate with the cable being coupled to a plug and electrically connected with the substrate via the plug and the receptacle.

[0004] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a connector and a coupling structure thereof according to related art, respectively.

[0005] As illustrated in these drawings, a conventional connector has a horizontal connection structure and includes a plug 10 coupled to a cable 1, and a receptacle 20 mounted on a substrate 2 to receive the plug 10 to be inserted.

[0006] The plug 10 includes a plug housing 11 in which a cable receiving portion 12 is formed to receive and fix the cable 1, and a plug metal shell 13 coupled to the cable receiving portion 12 of the plug housing 11. The plug metal shell 13 is provided with at least one ground terminal 14, and the ground terminal 14 has a contact protruding toward the cable receiving portion 12.

[0007] In addition, the receptacle 20 may include a receptacle housing 21 forming a plug receiving portion 22 that has an opening at the center thereof; a receptacle metal shell 23 mounted on the substrate 2 to fix the receptacle housing 21 while covering the upper portion of the receptacle housing 21; and a plurality of contact terminals 25 coupled to the receptacle housing 21 such that a contact protrudes toward the plug receiving portion 22. The receptacle metal shell 23 may be provided with at least one ground terminal 24, and the contact of the ground terminal 24 may protrude toward the plug receiving portion 22.

[0008] According to the connector having the aforementioned construction, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the plug 10 may be connected to the receptacle 20 with the fore end of the plug housing 11 being inserted into the plug receiving portion 22 of the receptacle housing 21. Then, the contact terminal 25 of the receptacle 20 may be in contact with a signal electrode la on one side of the cable 1 to form a signal path S I between the plug 10 and the receptacle 20, and the ground terminal 24 of the receptacle 20 may be in contact with a ground electrode l b on the other side of the cable 1 to form a ground path S2.

[0009] Since the signal transmission between the cable 1 and the substrate 2 is performed in the shortest path through the contact terminal 25, the connector has an advantage that allows high speed signal transmission. Further, according to the connector, external noise may be blocked by the receptacle metal shell 23 and the plug metal shell 13, and internal noise may be discharged to the outside through the ground terminals 14 and 24 of the respective metal shells 13 and 23, thereby obtaining high speed transmission with better signal quality.

[0010] However, according to the conventional connector as described above, both of the plug 10 and the receptacle 20 should be provided with the metal shells 13 and 23 in order to block and discharge the noise. Therefore, there is a problem that it will increase manufacturing costs as the number of components increases and will cause a complicated assembly process. In addition, since the noise of the cable 1 is discharged from the ground electrode lb to the outside via both of the plug metal shell 13 and the receptacle metal shell 23, the connector has difficulty in quickly discharging the noise. Further, the space for being in contact with the respective metal shells 13 and 23 should be secured between the plug metal shell 13 and the cable 1 , and therefore, there is a disadvantage that the overall thickness of the connector becomes thick. [0011] Furthermore, according to the conventional connector, when the ground electrode lb of the cable 1 is in contact with the ground terminal 24 of the plug metal shell 13, the fore end of the ground electrode lb impacts with the ground terminal 24 to make contact therebetween. The ground electrode l b made of a soft conductive tape may be easily damaged during the process of impacting with the ground terminal 24 made of a rigid metal material. Therefore, according to the conventional connector, a contact failure has often occurred due to damage to the ground electrode lb.

[0012] Further, the type and number of signals to be transmitted between recent electronic devices have gradually been increased, but the conventional connector still has a structure in which one cable 1 is connected to the substrate 2. In order to meet such demand, the widths of the cable and the connector should be increased, or the signals should be transmitted through a plurality of cables and connectors. However, there is difficulty in structural design for efficiently utilizing the space to mount a broad width of connector or a large number of connectors on the substrate.

[0013] In order to address such a problem, Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10- 2004-0105566 discloses a connector to winch a plurality of cables can be connected in a batch. However, according to the connector of the aforementioned related art, since the cables are merely coupled to the connector in two rows, there is a disadvantage that it cannot resolve noise problems at all and it is not applicable to high speed signal transmission due to a complicated signal transmission path.

[0014] Examples of related art include Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 10- 2004-0105566 (published on December 16, 2004, "PLUG-TYPE CONNECTOR AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR COMPRISING THE SAME”).

SUMMARY

[0015] In order to address the aforementioned problems, it is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a connector for high speed signal transmission, which can resolve noise problems while minimizing the number of components, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and improving assembly efficiency.

[0016] In addition, it is another objective of the present disclosure to provide a connector for high speed signal transmission, in which a space can be efficiently utilized by connecting a dual cable.

[0017] Further, it is yet another objective of the present disclosure to provide a connector for high speed signal transmission, which can improve the reliability of connection by preventing an impact between the terminal of the connector and the electrode of the cable when being connected, thereby minimizing damage to the electrode.

[0018] In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a connector comprising: a plug for receiving a pair of cables on both sides; and a receptacle including a housing coupled to the plug, a plurality of contact terminals coupled to the housing to be in contact with a signal electrode of the cable, and a metal shell having a plurality of ground terminals to be in contact with a ground electrode of the cable and being coupled to cover the housing, wherein by means of coupling the plug with the receptacle, the contact terminal is in contact with an inner side signal electrode of the cable to transmit a signal to a substrate, and the ground terminal is in contact with an outer side ground electrode of the cable to ground the cable to the substrate

[0019] The plug may have a terminal guide hole on both sides for guiding the insertion of the ground terminal, and the ground terminal may be configured to be in contact the ground electrode while a ground contact is slid along the terminal guide hole.

[0020] In addition, the temiinal guide hole of the plug may have a terminal guide protrusion to prevent the ground contact from impacting with the fore end of the ground electrode, and the terminal guide protrusion may be formed to have a thickness greater than the cable

[0021] Furthermore, the terminal guide hole may be formed at a position having an asymmetric structure with respect to both sides of the plug, so as to prevent from being erroneously inserted into the receptacle.

[0022] Further, the ground terminal may have a ground arm bent in a direction toward the plug receiving portion of the housing.

[0023] The present disclosure may have an effect that noise problems can be resolved by only one metal shell, thereby reducing the number of components, lowering manufacturing costs, and improving assembly efficiency.

[0024] In addition, the present disclosure may provide an effect that a connection space can be efficiently utilized by connecting two cables to the substrate through one connector. [0025] Further, the present disclosure may have an effect that since the ground terminal does not impact with the fore end of the ground electrode of the cable during the process of connecting the plug housing and the receptacle housing, damage to the ground electrode can be minimized and the reliability of connection can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] FIG. I is a perspective view illustrating a connector according to related art;

[0027] FIG. 2 is a coupling cross-sectional view illustrating the connector of FIG. 1 ,

[0028] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure:

[0029] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrati ng the connector of FIG. 3,

[0030] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a coupling structure of a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a plug which is a main section of FIG. 5;

[0032] FIG. 7 is a bottom view illustrating a plug housing which is a main section of FIG. 5; and

[0033] FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are cross-sectional views illustrating a connection process between a plug and a receptacle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0034] A variety of aspects of the present disclosure and technical objectives to be achieved according to those aspects of the present disclosure will be more apparent from preferred embodiments as set forth below. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the connector of FIG. 3.

[0036] As illustrated in the drawings, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connector may include a plug 100 coupled to a pair of cables 200, and a receptacle 300 to be mounted on and fixed to a substrate 400, and the connector may have a vertical connection structure such that the plug 100 is connected to the receptacle 300 in a vertical direction.

[0037] More specifically, the plug 100 may include a plug housing 1 10 coupled to a pair of cables 200, in which a pair of cable receiving portions 130 may be formed therein to receive the cables 200, respectively. The plug housing 110 may be made of an injection molded body using an insulating material such as plastic.

[0038] In addition, the plug housing 110 may be formed of a hexahedron shape of cavity having a predetermined thickness, width and length, while passing through the center portion in a longitudinal direction (z direction, i.e., the connection direction). An inner frame 120 may be formed on the inside of the plug housing 110 to divide the cable receiving portions 130 into both sides in the thickness direction (y direction) while being transverse to the inner space of the cavity in the width direction (x direction). Therefore, the plug housing 1 10 may provide for a first cable receiving portion formed on one side in the thickness direction (y direction) and a second cable receiving portion formed on the other side in the thickness direction (y direction), by means of the inner frame 120.

[0039] Further, a coupling lever 140 may be formed on both sides in the width direction (x direction) of the plug housing 1 10 for guiding and locking the coupling with the receptacle 300. The coupling lever 140 may be connected to the plug housing 1 10 so that both ends of an elastic piece 141 having a predetermined length are spaced apart from the plug housing 110 by a predetermined distance, and a push protrusion 142 and a latch protrusion 143 may be formed on the outer side of the elastic piece 141, respectively. The latch protrusion 143 may have a latch structure in wiiich one side (z plane) of the connection direction has a slope. Therefore, the coupling lever 140 may allow easy connection to the connection direction of the plug 100 without separate operations, and when the plug is detached, it may allow the plug 100 to be detached from the receptacle 300 by being unlocked through the operation of pushing the push protrusion 142 inward.

[0040] Furthermore, the plug housing 110 may be provided with a locking arm 150 for securing the insertion of the cable 200 The locking arm 150 may be formed on both frames in the thickness direction (y direction) of the plug housing 1 10, and preferably, at least two locking arms may be formed at a predetermined distance. When the cable 200 is completely inserted into the cable receiving portion 130, the locking arm 150 may be inserted into a locking groove (not illustrated) formed in the cable 200 to prevent the cable 200 from being detached.

[0041] In addition, the plug housing 110 may be provided with a terminal guide hole 160 for guiding a ground terminal 331 when being connected to the receptacle 300. The terminal guide hole 160 may be formed along the connection direction (z direction, i.e., the longitudinal direction) of the plug housing 110 so that the ground contact 333 of the ground terminal 331 can be slid, and a plurality of terminal guide holes 160 may be formed corresponding to the positions of the ground terminal 331.

[0042] According to the plug 100 having the aforementioned construction, a first cable 200 may be inserted into and coupled to the first cable receiving portion 130, and a second cable 200 may be inserted into and coupled to the second cable receiving portion 130. The cable 200 may be made of an FFC or an FPC cable. A signal electrode 210 for signal transmission may be formed on one side of the cable 200, and a ground electrode 220 for ground may be formed on the other side of the cable 200

[0043] As described above, a pair of the first and second cables 200 having the signal electrode 210 and the ground electrode 220 formed on both sides thereof may be inserted into and coupled to the first and second cable receiving portions 130 with a symmetric structure. In accordance with an exemplar}' embodiment of the present disclosure, the first and second cables 200 may be inserted into the first and second cable receiving portions 130 so that the signal electrodes 210 face each other. In other words, the first and second cables 200 may be coupled to the plug 100 such that one side on which the signal electrode 210 is formed faces inward and the other side on which the ground electrode 220 is formed faces outward. As such, since the signal electrodes 210 formed on the first and second cables 200 are coupled to face each other inward, they can be protected from interference with external apparatuses and the like, and the risks of a short circuit and the like can be prevented in advance.

[0044] Further, the receptacle 300 may include a receptacle housing 310 defining a plug receiving portion 312; a plurality of contact terminals 310 coupled to the receptacle housing 310 such that a signal contact 323 protrudes toward the plug receiving portion 312; and a metal shell 330 mounted on the substrate 400 while covering the receptacle housing 310 to fix the receptacle housing 310 to the substrate 400.

[0045] The receptacle housing 310 may cause a connection between the plug 100 and the receptacle 300 by inserting the plug housing 1 10 and may be made of an injection molded body using an insulating material such as plastic. The receptacle housing 310 may be formed of a hexahedron shape to have a center frame 311 formed therein, of which the center portion protrades. Further, the receptacle housing 310 may form a track-shaped plug receiving portion 312 corresponding to the fore end of the plug housing 1 10 along the periphery of the center frame 311.

[0046] In addition, the receptacle housing 310 may include a lever insertion groove 313 formed in the lateral portion in the width direction (x direction) of the plug receiving portion 312, so as to insert a coupling lever 140. A latch groove (not illustrated) may be formed within the lever insertion groove 313, so that the latch protrusion 143 of the coupling lever 140 is elastically inserted thereinto and latched thereto.

[0047] Furthermore, the receptacle housing 310 may be provided with a terminal assembly groove 314 in which a contact terminal 320 is assembled. A plurality of the terminal assembly grooves 314 may be formed on both sides of the center frame 31 1 at a predetermined distance in the width direction (x direction).

[0048] The contact terminal 320 may electrically connect the cable 200 with the substrate 400 to provide a path through which signals are transmitted therebetween and may be made of a highly conductive metal material. For this purpose, the contact terminal 320 may include a signal mounting portion 321 soldered to the signal pad of the substrate 400, an extension portion 322 extending upward from the signal mounting portion 321, and a signal contact 323 protruding from the extension portion 322 to one side. A plurality of contact terminals 320 having the aforementioned construction may be assembled while being inserted into the respective terminal assembly grooves 314 of the receptacle housing 310 such that the signal contact 323 faces the plug receiving portion 312.

[0049] The metal shell 330 may be a metal frame coupled to cover the receptacle housing 310, in which the metal frame can block the inflow of external noise and discharge internal noise to the outside, while fixing the receptacle housing 310 to the substrate 400, thereby avoiding distortion of high speed transmission signals. For this purpose, the metal shell 330 may be made of a conductive metal material and may be coupled to cover the outer side of the receptacle housing 310.

[0050] The metal shell 330 may also be provided with a ground terminal 331 that is in contact with the ground electrode 220 of the cable 200. The ground terminal 331 may include a ground arm 332 bent toward the plug receiving portion 312 of the receptacle housing 310 with a part of the upper end of the metal shell 330 being cut away, and a ground contact 333 protrading toward the plug receiving portion 312 with the end of the ground arm 332 being bent downward. Then, a plurality of the ground terminals 331 may be formed in the frames on both sides in the thickness direction (y direction). According to the present embodiment, two ground terminals 331 may be formed on both sides, respectively. Further, the ground terminals 331 may be formed at different positions that are asymmetric with each other in both frames. According to the ground terminals 331 having such asymmetric structure, when the plug 100 is inserted into an opposite position, the positions of the ground terminals 331 and the terminal guide holes 160 may be displaced from each other so that the insertion of the plug 100 can be blocked, thereby avoiding misconnection between the plug 100 and the receptacle 300.

[0051] Furthermore, the ground arm 332 of the ground terminal 331 may be bent inward from the metal shell 330 to have a predetermined slope. The ground arm 332 of the ground terminal 331 may be pushed outward from the metal shell 330 approximately by the thickness of the cable 200 when the plug 100 and the receptacle 300 are connected to each other. Accordingly, the ground terminal 331 does not protrude toward the outside of the metal shell 330 by means of such deformation.

[0052] In addition, the metal shell 330 may include a ground mounting portion 334 soldered to the substrate. A part of the lower end of the metal shell 330 may bend and extend in the horizontal direction, so that the ground mounting portion 334 is soldered to the ground pad of the substrate 400

[0053] The receptacle 300 having the aforementioned construction may be assembled by inserting the contact terminal 320 into the terminal assembly groove 314 of the receptacle housing 310. After assembling the metal shell 330 along the outer side of the receptacle housing 310, the signal mounting portion 321 of the contact terminal 320 and the ground mounting portion 334 of the metal shell 330 may be soldered to the signal pad and the ground pad of the substrate 400, respectively and mounted on the substrate 400.

[0054] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a coupling structure of a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a plug which is a main section of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a bottom view illustrating a plug housing which is a main section of FIG. 5; and FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are cross-sectional views illustrating a connection process between the plug and the receptacle.

[0055] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the plug 100 may be connected to the receptacle 300 by inserting the fore end of the plug housing 110 into the plug receiving portion 312 of the receptacle housing 310, with a pair of the cables 200 being coupled to the first and second cable receiving portions 130, respectively. When the connection between the plug 100 and the receptacle 300 is completely made, the contact terminal 320 may be in contact with the signal electrode 210 on the inner side of the cable 200, and the ground terminal 331 may be in contact with the ground electrode 220 on the outer side of the cable 200.

[0056] Then, the shortest signal path S may be formed between the cable 200 and the substrate 400, which is linearly connected via the contact terminal 320. Therefore, high speed signal transmission is possible between the cable 200 and the substrate 400. Further, the cable 200 may be shielded from external noise by the metal shell 330 of the receptacle 300, and the ground electrode 220 may be grounded to the substrate 400 along the ground path S' that is formed via the ground terminal 331 , so that internal noise can be quickly discharged. Therefore, high speed transmission can be efficiently performed by minimizing the effect of noise between the cable 200 and the substrate 400.

[0057] In addition, according an aspect of the present disclosure, the ground electrode 220 of the cable 200 may be prevented from being damaged during the process of connecting the plug 100 and the receptacle 300. For this purpose, a terminal guide protrusion 170 may be formed in the terminal guide hole 160 of the plug housing 110, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The terminal guide protrusion 170 may be formed in the front portion in the connection direction of the terminal guide hole 160 at a thickness greater than the thickness of the cable 200 including at least the ground electrode 220. Accordingly, the cable 200 and the ground electrode 220 may be positioned at the rear portion of the terminal guide protrusion 170, and the fore end 220' of the ground electrode 220 may be shielded by the terminal guide protrusion 170. Therefore, the terminal guide protrusion 170 can prevent the ground contact 333 from impacting with the fore end 220' of the ground el ectrode 220 when the plug 10 is coupled to the receptacle 20.

[0058] Further, a pair of the cables 200, which are symmetrical to face each other, may be elastically pressurized from the inner direction to the outer direction of the plug housing 1 10 while being in contact with the plurality of contact terminals 320. Then, a slight bending deflection may occur outward at both frames of the plug housing 110 and the cable 200, as illustrated in FIG. 7. In addition, since the ground terminal 331 is in contact with the outer side of the cable 200 in the inner direction, even if the metal shell 330 is provided with a small number of the ground terminal 331, the stability of contact can be secured between the ground terminal 331 and the ground electrode 220 of the cable 200. Therefore, the ground electrode 220 of the cable 200 may be pressurized by a small number of the ground terminal 331, so that damage to the ground electrode 220 can be minimized and the stability of contact can be improved.

[0059] The connection process between the plug 100 and the receptacle 300 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C. In an initial stage of connection, the ground contact 333 of the ground terminal 331 may impact with the terminal guide protrusion 170 of the plug housing 110, as illustrated in FIG. 8 A. Subsequently, as the connection continues, the ground contact 333 may be slid along the surface of the terminal guide protrusion 170 and moved backward, as illustrated in FIG. 8B. When the connection is completed, the ground contact 333 may pressurize and contact the surface of the ground electrode 220, as illustrated in FIG. 8C.

[0060] As such, the ground contact 333 of the ground terminal 331 can be prevented from impacting with the fore end 220^! of the ground electrode 220 by means of the terminal guide protrusion 170, during the connection process of the plug 100 and the receptacle 300. Therefore, it is possible to minimize damage to the ground electrode 220 due to repeated connections. Further, since the ground terminal 331 is in contact with the ground electrode 220 prior to the contact between the contact terminal 320 and the signal electrode 210, noise can be cancelled in advance, thereby protecting a circuit area on the signal path.

[0061] While the present disclosure has been described herein with reference to certain embodiments, it is to be understood that a variety of modifications and other equivalent embodiments thereof may be made by a person skilled in the art to which the disclosure belongs.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A connector for high speed signal transmission, comprising:

a plug for receiving a pair of cables on both sides; and

a receptacle including a housing coupled to the plug, a plurality of contact terminals coupled to the housing to be in contact with a signal electrode of the cable, and a metal shell having a plurality of ground terminals to be in contact with a ground electrode of the cable and being coupled to cover the housing,

wherein by means of coupling the plug with the receptacle, the contact terminal is in contact with an inner side signal electrode of the cable to transmit a signal to a substrate, and the ground terminal is in contact with an outer side ground electrode of the cable to ground the cable to the substrate

2. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the plug has a terminal guide hole on both sides for guiding the insertion of the ground terminal, and the ground terminal is in contact the ground electrode while a ground contact is slid along the terminal guide hole

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein the terminal guide hole has a terminal guide protrusion to prevent the ground contact from impacting with a fore end of the ground electrode

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein the terminal guide protrusion is formed to have a thickness greater than the cable

5. The connector of claim 2, wherein the terminal guide hole is formed at a position having an asymmetric structure with respect to both sides of the plug, so as to prevent from being erroneously inserted into the receptacle.

6. The connector of claim 1, wherein the ground terminal has a ground arm bent in a direction toward a plug receiving porti on of the housing.