Card edge connector with covering block occupying contact passageways

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11239609-B2
Application number	US-202016983777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Aug 1, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A card edge connector includes an insulative housing extending along a lengthwise direction, two rows of (contact) passageways formed in two opposite side walls with a central slot therebetween. Two rows of contacts are disposed within the corresponding passageways, respectively. The contacts include signal contacts and grounding contacts. Each side wall further forms an elongated channel by two sides of central wall under the central slot. A covering block is upwardly assembled into the corresponding channel after the corresponding contacts have been assembled into the corresponding passageways. Each block includes a deflectable latch engaged with the central wall. The covering block occupies at least one half of each passageway in the transverse direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction. The covering block is optimally made of conductive plastic and forms a plurality of abutment ribs to respectively abut against the corresponding grounding contacts, respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector comprising:
an insulative housing including opposite side walls with a central slot therebetween in a transverse direction, each side wall extending in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the transverse direction;
a bottom wall linked between the pair of side walls in the transverse direction and forming a central wall under the central slot in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction;
two rows of passageways formed in the corresponding side walls, respectively;
two rows of contacts disposed in the corresponding passageways, respectively, said contacts including signal contacts and grounding contacts;
each side wall further forming an elongated channel in the bottom wall to extend through the corresponding passageways in the longitudinal direction; and
two covering blocks received within the corresponding channels, respectively, each covering block including a plurality of fins upwardly extending into the corresponding passageways, respectively; wherein
an inner side of each corresponding fin abuts laterally and inwardly against the central wall intimately.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the covering block forms a plurality of deflectable locking lugs to engage the central wall.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the central wall forms a plurality of engagement recesses in which the corresponding locking lugs are received.

4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the covering block forms a slot beside each corresponding locking lug so as to enhance resiliency of the locking lug in the transverse direction.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each contact includes a vertical retaining section, and an outer side of the fin is spaced from the retaining section of the signal contact in the transverse direction.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each contact includes a vertical retaining section, and an outer side of the fin forms an abutment rib to abut laterally against the retaining section of the grounding contact in the transverse direction.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6 , wherein said covering block is electrically conductive.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said covering block includes an insulative body coated with a conductive layer on exterior surfaces.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said covering block is made of conductive plastic.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a partition is formed every adjacent two passageways in the longitudinal direction, the covering block forms a plurality of slits alternately arranged with the fins along the longitudinal direction, and the partitions are received within the corresponding slits, respectively.

11. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each fin occupies at least one half of the corresponding passageway in the transverse direction.

12. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein all the fins of the corresponding covering block laterally abut inwardly against the central wall in the transverse direction intimately.

13. An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing including opposite side walls with a central slot therebetween in a transverse direction, each side wall extending in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the transverse direction; a bottom wall linked between the pair of side walls in the transverse direction and forming a central wall under the central slot in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction; two rows of passageways formed in the corresponding side walls, respectively; two rows of contacts disposed in the corresponding passageways, respectively, said contacts including signal contacts and grounding contacts; each side wall further forming an elongated channel in the bottom wall to extend through the corresponding passageways in the longitudinal direction; and two covering blocks received within the corresponding channels, respectively, each covering block including a plurality of fins upwardly extending into the corresponding passageways, respectively, and each fin abuts inwardly against the central wall in the transverse direction; wherein each covering block is electrically conductive and mechanically and electrically connected to the corresponding grounding contacts while being spaced from the signal contacts.

14. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein each covering block includes a plurality of deflectable locking lugs engaged with the central wall.

15. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein some fins are equipped with corresponding abutment ribs to abut against vertical retaining sections of the corresponding grounding contacts, respectively.

16. A method of assembling an electrical connector comprising steps of:
providing an insulative housing with two opposite side walls each extending in a longitudinal direction, a central slot located between the two side walls in a transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, two rows of passageways formed in the corresponding side walls, respectively, and two channels formed in the corresponding side walls with a central wall between the pair of channels in the transverse direction and under the central slot in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction;
upwardly assembling two rows of contacts into the corresponding passageways from a bottom face of the housing, respectively, said contacts including signal contacts and grounding contacts; and
upwardly assembling two covering blocks into the corresponding channels from the bottom face only after the contacts have been assembled into the corresponding passageways, wherein
each covering block forms a plurality of fins respectively received within the corresponding passageways, respectively, and at least some fins abut inwardly against the central wall in the transverse direction, and at least some fins abut outwardly against the corresponding contacts in the transverse direction so as to have the covering block stably retained in the corresponding channel without movement in the transverse direction.

17. The method as claimed n claim 16 , wherein some of the at least some fins which are inwardly abut against the central wall, are equipped with deflectable locking lugs to be engagement within corresponding engagement recesses in the central wall.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the covering block forms a slit behind each corresponding deflectable locking lug to enhance resiliency of the locking lug.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein said covering block is electrically conductive, and the at least some fins which outwardly abut against the corresponding contacts are equipped with corresponding abutment ribs to abut against the grounding contacts.

Assignees

• Foxconn Kunshan Computer Connector Co Ltd
• Foxconn Interconnect Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Tang Wen-Jun
• Qin Teng
• Zheng xiao-qin

Classifications

• H01R13/6471 Primary

  by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal] · CPC title

• H01R12/737

  Printed circuits being substantially perpendicular to each other (for printed connections H05K3/366) · CPC title

• H01R13/02

  Contact members · CPC title

• H01R13/6461

  Means for preventing cross-talk · CPC title

• H01R12/721

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title