Electrical connector with inner shell in two pieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016064870-A1
Application number	US-201414561366-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 5, 2014
Priority date	Sep 3, 2014
Publication date	Mar 3, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a number of contacts retained in the insulative housing, a metallic outer shell enclosing the insulative housing, and a metallic inner shell positioned between the metallic outer shell and the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes a base and a tongue portion protruding from the base. The contacts include a number of flat contacting portions exposed on a top surface and a bottom surface of the tongue portion, respectively. The metallic inner shell includes at least two pieces which are separately made and fixed to the insulative housing. The metallic inner shell and the metallic outer shell are in mechanical contact with each other in order to achieve a relative larger grounding area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electrical connector comprising:
an insulative housing comprising a base and a tongue portion protruding from the base, the tongue portion comprising a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface; a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing and comprising a plurality of flat contacting portions, the contacting portions being exposed on the top surface and the bottom surface, respectively; a metallic outer shell enclosing the insulative housing; and a metallic inner shell positioned between the metallic outer shell and the insulative housing, the metallic inner shell comprising at least two pieces which are separately made, the at least two pieces being fixed to the insulative housing.

2 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the metallic inner shell comprises a top shell and a bottom shell, the top shell and the bottom shell being separately made, the top shell being attached to a top side of the insulative housing, and the bottom shell being attached to a bottom side of the insulative housing.

3 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the top shell comprises a pair of upper fixing legs extending downwardly from lateral sides thereof, the bottom shell comprises a pair of lower fixing legs extending upwardly from lateral sides thereof, the insulative housing comprises a pair of upper slots to receive the upper fixing legs and a pair of lower slots to receive the lower fixing legs.

4 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein one of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises a hook, and a remaining one of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises a slot to receive the hook.

5 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the top shell comprises a pair of top sidewalls extending downwardly, the bottom shell comprises a pair of bottom sidewalls extending upwardly, one of the hook and the slot is formed on the top sidewall and a remaining one of the hook and the slot is formed on the bottom sidewall, the top sidewalls and the bottom sidewalls are jointed with each other so as to form a frame.

6 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the contacts comprise a plurality of upper contacts and a plurality of lower contacts, the electrical connector further comprising a metallic grounding plate between the upper contacts and the lower contacts.

7 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the metallic grounding plate is in mechanical contact with the metallic inner shell.

8 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the metallic grounding plate defines two slots through which the top sidewalls and the bottom sidewalls extend.

9 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises an elastic tab abutting against the outer shell in order to achieve mechanical contact.

10 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the insulative housing comprises an upper insulative housing inject-molded with the upper contacts and the top shell, a lower insulative housing inject-molded with the lower contacts and the bottom shell, and an outer insulative housing inject-molded on the upper insulative housing and the lower insulative housing.

11 . An electrical connector comprising:
an insulative housing comprising a base and a tongue portion protruding forwardly from the base, the tongue portion comprising a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface; a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing, the contacts being divided into a plurality of upper contacts and a plurality of lower contacts, each contact comprising a contacting portion, the contacting portions of the upper contacts and the lower contacts being exposed on the top surface and the bottom surface of the tongue portion, respectively; a metallic grounding plate positioned between the upper contacts and the lower contacts; a metallic outer shell enclosing the insulative housing, the tongue portion being located at a center of the metallic outer shell along a vertical direction; and a metallic inner shell positioned between the metallic outer shell and the insulative housing, the metallic inner shell comprising at least two pieces which are separately made, the at least two pieces being fixed to the insulative housing.

12 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the metallic inner shell comprises a top shell and a bottom shell, the top shell and the bottom shell being separately made, the top shell being attached to a top side of the insulative housing, and the bottom shell being attached to a bottom side of the insulative housing.

13 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein one of the metallic inner shell and the metallic outer shell comprises a protrusion, and a remaining one of the metallic inner shell and the metallic outer shell comprises a recess to receive the protrusion, the protrusion abutting against the recess to achieve mechanical contact.

14 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 12 , wherein one of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises a hook, and a remaining one of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises a slot to receive the hook.

15 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the top shell comprises a pair of top sidewalls extending downwardly, the bottom shell comprises a pair of bottom sidewalls extending upwardly, one of the hook and the slot is formed on the top sidewall and a remaining one of the hook and the slot is formed on the bottom sidewall, the top sidewalls and the bottom sidewalls are jointed with each other so as to form a frame.

16 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the metallic grounding plate defines two slots through which the top sidewalls and the bottom sidewalls extend.

17 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the metallic grounding plate is insert molded in the insulative housing.

18 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the top shell comprises a pair of upper fixing legs extending downwardly from lateral sides thereof, the bottom shell comprises a pair of lower fixing legs extending upwardly from lateral sides thereof, the insulative housing comprises a pair of upper slots to receive the upper fixing legs and a pair of lower slots to receive the lower fixing legs.

19 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises an elastic tab abutting against the outer shell in order to achieve mechanical contact.

20 . The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each contacting portion of the upper contacts comprises an upper protrusion bent downwardly from a front end thereof, each contacting portion of the lower contacts comprises a lower protrusion bent upwardly from a front end thereof, the upper protrusions and the lower protrusions are facing each other and are embedded in the tongue portion for fixation.

Assignees

• Alltop Electronics Suzhou Ltd

Inventors

• Yu Wang-I
• Liang li-li
• Zhang Yong-Gang
• Huang Mao-Jung
• Liu Kun

Classifications

• H01R24/60 Primary

  Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement · CPC title

• H01R13/6597

  the conductive member being a contact of the connector · CPC title

• H01R13/6585 Primary

  Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts · CPC title

• H01R2107/00

  Four or more poles · CPC title

• H01R13/6596

  the conductive member being a metal grounding panel · CPC title