Electrical connector with fixed housing, floating housing, elastic terminal mounted therein and electrical connector assembly using the same
An electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly include an insulative fixing seat, an insulative floating seat floatingly mounted thereabove, a floating terminal and a conductive shell. The fixing seat has a terminal fixing groove which extends horizontally. The floating seat has an insertion hole, an outer wall having an annular groove. The floating terminal includes a float connecting portion elastically connected between a mating portion and a horizontal fixing portion and is floatingly received in the fixing seat. The mating portion extends into the insertion hole, the conductive shell sheathes the fixing seat, the conductive shell has a plurality of elastic mating pieces having tips extending into the annular groove.
1 . An electrical connector comprising:
an insulative fixing seat which has a terminal receiving groove therein, a bottom portion of the terminal receiving groove having a terminal fixing groove which extends horizontally;
an insulative floating seat floatingly mounted above the insulative fixing seat, the insulative floating seat having an insertion hole which penetrates up and down, and an outer wall of the insulative floating seat being provided with an annular groove;
a floating terminal comprising a soldering tail portion, a horizontal fixing portion which is connected with the soldering tail portion and extends horizontally, a mating portion and a float connecting portion which is elastically connected between the mating portion and the horizontal fixing portion, the horizontal fixing portion being fixed to the insulative fixing seat in the terminal fixing groove, the float connecting portion being floatingly received in the terminal receiving groove, the mating portion upwardly extending into the insertion hole of the insulative floating seat, and the soldering tail portion extending outwardly from an outer side of the insulative fixing seat; and
a conductive shell which partially sheathes the outer side of the insulative fixing seat, the conductive shell having a plurality of elastic mating pieces which extend upwardly, and a tip of each elastic mating piece extending into the annular groove and engaging with the insulative floating seat to prevent the insulative floating seat from being detached from the insulative fixing seat while allowing the insulative floating seat to move relative to the insulative fixing seat.
2 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the float connecting portion of the floating terminal comprises three straight extending portions which sequentially bend and extend from other portions of the floating terminal, any two straight extending portions of the three straight extending portions are perpendicular to each other.
3 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the float connecting portion comprises:
a first bending portion connected with the mating portion,
a first straight extending portion connected with the first bending portion and extending horizontally,
a second bending portion bending downwardly from the first straight extending portion by 90 degrees,
a second straight extending portion connected with the second bending portion and extending vertically,
a third bending portion bending horizontally from the second straight extending portion by 90 degrees,
a third straight extending portion connected with the third bending portion and extending vertically, and
a fourth bending portion connected with the third straight extending portion; and
the horizontal fixing portion is connected with the fourth bending portion.
4 . The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein
two opposite sides of the first straight extending portion each have a bending arm which extends downwardly, the bending arm has a free end which is suspended.
5 . The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein
the horizontal fixing portion of the floating terminal extends horizontally just below the mating portion; or
the horizontal fixing portion of the floating terminal extends horizontally offset just below the mating portion.
6 . The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein
the terminal receiving groove is provided at a side of the insulative fixing seat and partitions the insulative fixing seat into a first position-limiting wall and a second position-limiting wall which face each other,
the first position-limiting wall is provided with a partitioning wall which extends horizontally toward the second position-limiting wall,
the partitioning wall and the second position-limiting wall have a gap therebetween, the partitioning wall extends into below the first straight extending portion, the partitioning wall and the first straight extending portion has an interval therebetween, and
the second straight extending portion inserts into the gap and is configured to float in the gap.
7 . The electrical connector of claim 6 , wherein
the first position-limiting wall and the second position-limiting wall are respectively provided with a first inserting groove and a second inserting groove respectively at a position which is close to a bottom end of the first position-limiting wall and a position which is close to a bottom end of the second position-limiting wall,
an opening of the first inserting groove and an opening of the second inserting groove face each other and together form the terminal fixing groove, and
two sides of the horizontal fixing portion of the floating terminal are respectively snapped in the first inserting groove and the second inserting groove.
8 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the mating portion of the floating terminal comprises two mating elastic pieces which are provided to face each other, cross sections of the two mating elastic pieces are arcs which curve toward each other, corresponding sides of lower portions of the two mating elastic pieces are connected, upper portions of the two mating elastic pieces are separated from each other, and the two mating elastic pieces therebetween form an inserting cavity which penetrates up and down, the two mating elastic pieces gather toward a center of the inserting cavity at positions of the two mating elastic pieces close to upper ends of the two mating elastic pieces to form a necking portion.
9 . The electrical connector of claim 8 , wherein
the mating portion sequentially from down to up comprises:
a straight barrel portion,
a cone barrel portion which is formed by tapering upwardly a caliber thereof from the straight barrel portion, and
an inserting guide portion which is formed upwardly from the cone barrel portion and is horn-shaped; and
the necking portion is formed at a boundary position between the cone barrel portion and the inserting guide portion.
10 . The electrical connector of claim 9 , wherein
the mating portion has a first slit and a second slit,
the first slit extends downwardly from an upper end of the inserting guide portion to the straight barrel portion and cut through the straight barrel portion,
the second slit extends downwardly from the upper end of the inserting guide portion to the straight barrel portion but does not cut through the straight barrel portion, and
the float connecting portion is connected to a lower end of the straight barrel portion and is positioned just below the second slit.
11 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the terminal receiving groove and the float connecting portion have a gap therebetween, and
the terminal receiving groove has spacing members extending into and between various portions of the float connecting portion.
12 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the insulative fixing seat comprises a main fixing seat and an auxiliary fixing seat coupled to the main fixing seat, the main fixing seat forming a horizontal lower wall surface of terminal fixing groove, and the auxiliary fixing seat is provided with a spacing block forming a horizontal upper wall surface of the terminal fixing groove, and the spacing block is interposed between the floating terminal and the horizontal fixing portion of the floating terminal.
13 . The electrical connector of claim 12 , wherein
the terminal receiving groove partitions an inner wall of the main fixing seat into two position-limiting walls which face each other, the two position-limiting walls are respectively provided with snapping grooves, and
the auxiliary fixing seat includes snapping blocks which respectively snap with the snapping grooves.
14 . The electrical connector of claim 13 , wherein
one of the two position-limiting walls of the main fixing seat is further provided with a stopping wall protruding into the terminal receiving groove.
15 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the insulative floating seat comprises a barrel body which is barrel-shaped,
the annular groove is provided to an upper portion of the insulative floating seat and encircles around the barrel body, and
a protruding ring protruding outwardly is formed on an outer wall of the barrel body adjacent to below the annular groove.
16 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein
the conductive shell comprises a sleeve portion which sheathes the insulative fixing seat,
the elastic mating pieces are distributed to be spaced apart from each other along an upper end of the sleeve portion and form a cage shape,
an upper end of each elastic mating piece bends toward a central axis of the conductive shell to form a bending hook, a tip of each bending hook extends into the annular groove, and
a lower end of the sleeve portion is provided with a soldering leg which extends outwardly.
17 . An electrical connector assembly, comprising:
a male connector;
a main mounting housing which allows the male connector to insert therein; and
the electrical connector of claim 1 which inserts into and cooperates with the male connector;
the male connector comprising:
a metal shell;
a central conductive member which is received in the metal shell;
an insulative seat;
the central conductive member being fixed on the insulative seat, the insulative seat being interposed between the metal shell and the central conductive member; and
the central conductive member and the mating portion of the floating terminal correspondingly contacting to establish a first electrical connection, and the metal shell sheathing the conductive shell to establish a second electrical connection.
18 . The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the float connecting portion of the floating terminal includes a bending portion extending from the horizontal fixing portion, a straight extending portion extending from the bending portion and extending vertically, and at least one further bending portion and at least one further straight extending portion connected to and extending between the straight extending portion connected with the horizontal fixing portion and the mating portion.