Electrical connector with grounding mechanism contacting outer shell

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9276365-B2
Application number	US-201414552712-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2014
Priority date	Jun 11, 2014
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

An electrical connector includes an upper contact module, a lower contact module, an outer insulative housing inject-molded with the upper contact module and the lower contact module, a shielding mechanism at least partly fixed in the outer insulative housing and a metallic outer shell enclosing the outer insulative housing. The upper contact module includes a number of upper contacts and an upper housing inject-molded with the upper contacts. The lower contact module includes a number of lower contacts and a lower housing inject-molded with the lower contacts. The shielding mechanism and the metallic outer shell are in mechanical contact with each other for achieving a relative larger grounding area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector comprising:
an upper contact module comprising a plurality of upper contacts and an upper housing inject-molded with the upper contacts;
a lower contact module comprising a plurality of lower contacts and a lower housing inject-molded with the lower contacts;
an outer insulative housing inject-molded with the upper contact module and the lower contact module;
a shielding mechanism at least partly fixed in the outer insulative housing; and
a metallic outer shell enclosing the outer insulative housing; wherein
the shielding mechanism and the metallic outer shell are in mechanical contact with each other.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the shielding mechanism comprises a metallic shielding plate sandwiched between the upper contact module and the lower contact module.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the upper contact module comprises an upper slot extending vertically therethrough, the lower contact module comprises a lower slot vertically extending therethrough, and the metallic shielding plate comprises a middle slot vertically extending therethrough, the upper slot, the middle slot and the lower slot being in alignment with each other along a vertical direction, the outer insulative housing being inject-molded over the upper contact module and the lower contact module, the outer insulative housing comprising a stuffing block filling in the upper slot, the middle slot and the lower slot.

4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the metallic shielding plate comprises a flat body portion positioned between the upper contacts and the lower contacts, the flat body portion comprising a deformable protrusion in contact with the metallic outer shell.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the flat body portion extending sidewardly and frontwardly beyond the upper housing and the lower housing.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the metallic shielding plate comprises a pair of soldering legs extending downwardly from the flat body portion for being soldered to a circuit board.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising a metallic inner shell between the outer insulative housing and the metallic outer shell, the metallic inner shell covering the upper housing and the lower housing, the metallic inner shell comprising an elastic tab engaging with the metallic outer shell.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the upper housing comprises an upper base and an upper tongue portion extending forwardly from the upper base, the upper tongue portion being thinner than the upper base; the lower housing comprising a lower base and a lower tongue portion extending forwardly from the lower base, the lower tongue portion being thinner than the lower base; each of the upper base and the lower base comprising a rear portion and a front portion thinner than the rear portion, the front portion being thicker than the upper tongue portion and the lower tongue portion; the metallic inner shell being of a unitary one piece, the metallic inner shell comprising a first part covering the front portions of the upper base and the lower base, and a second part covering the rear portions of the upper base and the lower base.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7 , 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 upper housing, and the bottom shell being attached to a bottom side of the lower housing.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the metallic shielding plate comprises a flat body portion positioned between the upper contacts and the lower contacts, the flat body portion comprising a deformable protrusion in contact with the metallic inner shell.

11. An electrical connector comprising:
an upper contact module comprising a plurality of upper contacts and an upper housing inject-molded with the upper contacts, the upper contacts comprising an upper grounding contact;
a lower contact module comprising a plurality of lower contacts and a lower housing inject-molded with the lower contacts, the lower contacts comprising a lower grounding contacts in alignment with the upper grounding contact along a vertical direction;
a metallic shielding plate positioned between the upper contact module and the lower contact module;
a metallic inner shell comprising a top shell attached to the upper housing and a bottom shell attached to the lower housing, the top shell comprising an upper fixing leg extending downwardly to contact the upper grounding contact, and the bottom shell comprising a lower fixing leg extending upwardly to contact the lower grounding contact; and
an outer insulative housing inject-molded with the upper contact module, the lower contact module and the metallic inner shell.

12. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the top shell and the bottom shell are separately made.

13. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the metallic shielding plate comprises a flat body portion positioned between the upper contacts and the lower contacts, the flat body portion extending sidewardly and frontwardly beyond the upper housing and the lower housing.

14. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the metallic shielding plate comprises a pair of soldering legs extending downwardly from the flat body portion for being soldered to a circuit board.

15. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the upper housing comprises an upper base and an upper tongue portion extending forwardly from the upper base, the upper tongue portion being thinner than the upper base; the lower housing comprising a lower base and a lower tongue portion extending forwardly from the lower base, the lower tongue portion being thinner than the lower base; each of the upper base and the lower base comprising a rear portion and a front portion thinner than the rear portion, the front portion being thicker than the upper tongue portion and the lower tongue portion.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each of the top shell and the bottom shell comprises a pair of elastic tabs.

17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each upper contact comprises a slant portion and an upper soldering portion extending from the slant portion, the upper soldering portions being arranged in a single row and coplanar with each other.

18. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the lower contacts comprise lower soldering portions extending along the vertical direction, the lower soldering portions being arranged in two rows.

19. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the upper soldering portions are located at a rear of the lower soldering portions.

Assignees

• Alltop Electronics Suzhou Ltd

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H01R13/6587 Primary

  for mounting on PCBs · CPC title

• H01R24/70 Primary

  with additional earth or shield contacts · CPC title

• H01R13/6594

  the shield being mounted on a PCB and connected to conductive members · CPC title

• H01R24/60

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