Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-09
2003-05-20
Field, Lynn (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
active
06565389
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a connector having a shell (ground plate) for preventing EMI (electromagnetic interference) and, more particularly, to achieving a thin type of connector.
Firstly, a prior art connector as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. (Hei) 10-270125 is described with reference to FIG.
1
. The connector is constituted by a receptacle connector
51
and a plug connector
61
. The receptacle connector
51
comprises a housing
52
, a plurality of pine contacts
53
supported by the housing
52
, and a shield cover
54
covering the housing
52
. The plug connector
61
comprises a housing
62
, a plurality of socket contacts
63
supported by the housing
62
, and a shield cover
64
covering the housing
62
. A projecting strip
63
A of the shield cover
64
of the plug connector
61
makes contact with the inner face of the shield cover
54
of the receptacle connector
51
. The lower portion of the shield cover
54
of the receptacle connector
51
is formed as a conductor pattern on a printed circuit board
66
.
In the case of this prior art example, the plug connector
61
comprises two symmetrical three-layer structures comprising a shell, an insulator side wall and contacts, whilst the plug-side connector
51
has a structure where the respective three-layer structures are received on both sides of the contacts
53
thereof, respectively. Therefore, the thickness of the receptacle connector
51
is inevitably large. The height of the receptacle connector
51
above the printed circuit board
66
is taken as H
1
.
Next, another prior art receptacle connector as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. (Hei) 11-185883 is described with reference to FIG.
2
. The receptacle connector
71
forming an I/O connector comprises a housing
72
, a plurality of contacts
73
supported by a central projecting section of the housing
72
, and a shield cover
74
covering the housing
72
. This receptacle connector
71
can be connected to the plug connector illustrated in FIG.
1
. Accordingly, the height H
2
of the receptacle connector
71
above the printed circuit board is approximately the same as the height H
1
in FIG.
1
.
Next, a prior art connector for an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) is described with reference to
FIG. 3
to FIG.
5
. The receptacle connector
81
is constituted by an insulator
82
, a plurality of contacts
83
press-fitted in an aligned fashion into the insulator
82
, ground contacts
86
confronting same, a first shell
84
press-fitted onto the lower portion of the insulator
82
, and a second shell
85
press-fitted onto the upper face of the insulator
82
.
The plug connector
91
connected to the FPC comprises an insulator
92
, a plurality of contacts
93
press-fitted into the insulator
92
, a ground plate
94
attached to the lower portion of the insulator
92
, a shell
95
press-fitted onto the upper face of the insulator
92
, and a slider
96
disposed slidably between FPC contact sections
93
a
of the contacts
93
and the ground plate
94
. The insulator
92
comprises upper and lower side walls
92
a
and
92
b
forming an FPC inserting section, and a plate-shaped section
92
c
forming a coupling section for coupling with the receptacle connector. Each of the contacts
93
comprises an FPC contact section
93
a
projecting into the FPC inserting section, and a contact section
93
b
disposed above the aforementioned plate-shaped section
92
c
for connecting with a contact of the receptacle connector. The ground plate
94
is molded to the insulator
92
in such a manner that it extends from the upper face of the lower-side wall
92
b
of the insulator
92
to the lower face of the plate-shaped section
92
c.
In a state where the slider
96
is pulled out from the FPC inserting section, an FPC is inserted between the FPC contact sections
93
a
of the contacts and the ground plate
94
, whereupon, by pressing the slider
96
back into position, the FPC is connected to the contacts
93
, whilst also being prevented from being removed readily.
In this FPC connector
91
, the coupling section inevitably has a large thickness, since it comprises three layers formed in the vertical direction, namely, the contact sections
93
b
of the contacts, the plate-shaped section
92
c
of the insulator, and the ground plate
94
. Consequently, the receptacle connector
81
coupling with same naturally has a large thickness.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a prior art plug connector, since the coupling section comprises a two-stage, upper and lower, three-layer structure comprising contacts, an insulator and a shell (ground plate), then a receptacle connector connecting to same inevitably has a large thickness.
Moreover, although the coupling section of the plug connector comprises a three-layer structure of a ground plate, contacts and an insulator, the coupling section of the receptacle connector receiving same must comprise an insulator, contacts, ground contact, and shell, and hence has a larger thickness.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to devise a structure whereby the thickness of the section of the aforementioned receptacle connector which couples with a plug connector can be reduced. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a plug connector wherein the thickness of the coupling section which couples with the aforementioned receptacle connector is reduced.
According to the present invention, a connector of a thin type having a composition as described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 12 below is obtained.
1. A receptacle connector of a thin type characterized in that said receptacle connector comprises an insulator formed in a frame shape, and a plurality of contacts fixed to said insulator, and that one of the pair of opposing side walls of the connector constituting a section for coupling with a plug connector is formed by a first shell made from metal while the other side wall is integrally molded with said insulator.
2. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 1 above, characterized in that a plurality of bend sections formed on one side edge of said first shell are molded in said insulator.
3. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 2 above, characterized in that a second shell made from metal is layered over the outer surface of said other side wall, and connection is made between connecting sections of said first shell and connecting sections of said second shell.
4. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 3 above, characterized in that each of said plurality of contacts comprises a section for attaching to the insulator, a cantilever shaft section extending forwards from said attaching section, a contact section at the front end thereof, and a terminal section extending rearwards from said cantilever shaft section, a plurality of contact receiving grooves being formed in parallel fashion in the inner face of said side wall of said insulator, whereby the respective cantilever shaft sections of said contacts fit into respective contact receiving grooves with a play, said contact sections projecting towards said first shell from said contact receiving grooves.
5. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 4 above, characterized in that the side wall of said insulator forms the base portion of said contact receiving grooves and comprises through holes of smaller dimension than the contact sections of said contacts, provided in the portion thereof opposing the contact sections of said contacts.
6. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 4 above, characterized in that the side wall of said insulator forms the base portion of said contact receiving grooves, slits of smaller width than that of the contact sections of said contacts being formed at least in the portion thereof opposing the contact sections of said contacts.
7. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 2 above, characterized in that said plurality of contacts and said plurality of bend sections in said first
Field Lynn
Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Limited
Le Thanh-Tam
Michael Best & Friedrich LLC
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