Receptacle connector with contact assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9935385-B2
Application number	US-201615230882-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2016
Priority date	Aug 8, 2016
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A receptacle connector includes a contact assembly having a dielectric carrier holding contacts, which may be overmolded by the dielectric carrier. The receptacle connector includes a housing holding the contact assembly having a mating end mated with a plug connector and a mounting end mounted to the circuit board. The housing has first and second side walls and first and second end walls. The housing has a card slot open at the top for receiving the plug connector and a contact assembly cavity open at the bottom for receiving the contact assembly. The housing may have positioning ribs extending from the first and second side walls to position the contact assembly within the cavity and/or strengthening ribs extending across the cavity to connect the side walls at a location remote from the end walls.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A receptacle connector configured to mate with a plug connector, the receptacle connector comprising:
a contact assembly having a first contact sub-assembly and a second contact sub-assembly coupled to the first contact sub-assembly, the first and second contact sub-assemblies having corresponding first and second dielectric carriers, the first and second contact sub-assemblies having contacts held by the first and second dielectric carriers, respectively, the contacts being arranged in first and second contact arrays aligned in corresponding first and second rows, the contacts having mating ends configured for electrical connection with the plug connector, the contacts having terminating ends configured for electrical connection with a circuit board, the contacts having intermediate sections between the mating ends and the terminating ends, the intermediate sections being overmolded by an overmolded body forming the corresponding first and second dielectric carriers; and
a housing holding the contact assembly, the housing having a mating end at a top of the housing configured to mate with the plug connector and a mounting end at a bottom of the housing configured to be mounted to the circuit board, the housing having first and second side walls extending between the top and the bottom, the housing having first and second end walls extending between the top and the bottom, the housing having a card slot open at the top for receiving the plug connector with the mating ends of the contacts being exposed in the card slot for making electrical connection with the plug connector, the housing including a contact assembly cavity open at the bottom for receiving the contact assembly such that the first and second rows of contacts are parallel to the first and second side walls, the housing having positioning ribs extending from the first and second side walls into the contact assembly cavity periodically along the first and second side walls between the first and second end walls including remote from the first and second end walls to engage sides of the first and second dielectric carriers to control a side-to-side position of the contact assembly within the contact assembly cavity.

2. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the first and second contact sub-assemblies are identical and inverted 180° relative to each other and coupled together to form the contact assembly.

3. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the contact assembly includes at least one securing feature on at least one of the first and second dielectric carriers, the housing including at least one securing feature on at least one of the first and second side walls interacting with the at least one securing feature of the contact assembly to secure the contact assembly in the contact assembly cavity.

4. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the positioning ribs extending from the first and second side walls to distal ends engaging the contact assembly to position the contact assembly within the contact assembly cavity.

5. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the positioning ribs comprise primary positioning ribs and secondary positioning ribs, the primary positioning ribs being press-fit against the contact assembly to hold the contact assembly in the contact assembly cavity, the secondary positioning ribs aligning the contact assembly in the contact assembly cavity without being press-fit against the contact assembly.

6. The receptacle connector of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a strengthening rib extending across the contact assembly cavity to connect the first side wall to the second side wall at a location remote from the first end wall and remote from the second end wall.

7. The receptacle connector of claim 6 , wherein the strengthening rib ties the first and second side walls together to resist bowing outward of the first and second side walls.

8. A receptacle connector configured to mate with a plug connector, the receptacle connector comprising:
a contact assembly having a dielectric carrier holding contacts, the contacts having mating ends configured for electrical connection with the plug connector, the contacts having terminating ends configured for electrical connection with a circuit board, the contacts having intermediate sections between the mating ends and the terminating ends, the intermediate sections passing through the dielectric carrier; and
a housing holding the contact assembly, the housing having a mating end at a top of the housing configured to mate with the plug connector and a mounting end at a bottom of the housing configured to be mounted to the circuit board, the housing having first and second side walls extending between the top and the bottom, the housing having first and second end walls extending between the top and the bottom, the housing having a card slot open at the top for receiving the plug connector with the mating ends of the contacts being exposed in the card slot for making electrical connection with the plug connector, the housing including a contact assembly cavity open at the bottom for receiving the contact assembly;
wherein the housing includes primary positioning ribs and secondary positioning ribs extending from the first and second side walls into the contact assembly cavity to position the contact assembly within the contact assembly cavity, the primary positioning ribs being press-fit against the contact assembly to hold the contact assembly in the contact assembly cavity, the secondary positioning ribs aligning the contact assembly in the contact assembly cavity without being press-fit against the contact assembly.

9. The receptacle connector of claim 8 , wherein the primary positioning ribs extend from the housing into the contact assembly cavity a first depth, the secondary positioning ribs extend from the housing into the contact assembly cavity a second depth less than the first depth.

10. The receptacle connector of claim 8 , wherein the primary positioning ribs are located outside of the secondary positioning ribs between the secondary positioning ribs and the corresponding end wall.

11. The receptacle connector of claim 8 , wherein the primary positioning ribs comprise press-fit ribs on both the first and second side walls and the secondary positioning ribs comprise alignment-fit ribs on both the first and second side walls, the press-fit ribs engaging the contact assembly and imparting a holding force against the contact assembly, the alignment fit ribs engaging the contact assembly and imparting a non-holding force against the contact assembly less than the holding force.

12. The receptacle connector of claim 11 , wherein the alignment-fit ribs on the first side wall define a first alignment plane and the alignment-fit ribs on the second side wall define a second alignment plane, the press-fit ribs on the first side wall extend into the contact assembly cavity beyond the first alignment plane, the press-fit ribs on the second side wall extend into the contact assembly cavity beyond the second alignment plane.

13. The receptacle connector of claim 8 , further comprising end wall positioning ribs extending from the first and second end walls into the contact assembly cavity to position the contact assembly within the contact assembly cavity.

14. The receptacle connector of claim 8 , wherein the contact assembly includes a first contact sub-assembly and a second contact sub-assembly coupled to the first contact sub-assembly, the first and second contact sub-assemblies each having corresponding first and second dielectric carriers, the first and second contact sub-assembli

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Phillips Michael John
• Henry Randall Robert
• Shirk Michael Eugene

Classifications

• H01R13/506

  assembled by snap action of the parts · CPC title

• H01R12/737

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

• H01R13/516

  Means for holding or embracing insulating body, e.g. casing {, hoods} · CPC title

• H01R12/716 Primary

  Coupling device provided on the PCB · CPC title

• H01R12/73

  connecting to other rigid printed circuits or like structures · CPC title