Electrical connector

Details Electrical connector Electrical connector

1999-10-19

2001-01-02

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield

Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...

Utility Patent

active

06168468

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector shielded by a shell which prevents the electrical connector from inclining after being mounted on a printed circuit board.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
With the continuous miniaturization of notebook computers and similar products, there is a need for miniaturization of the electrical components within these products. Prior art Taiwan patent application Nos. 85217217, 86207971 and 86214118 and U.S. design Pat. No. 377,007 disclose universal serial bus (USB) connectors. An example of a longitudinal type of USB connector has an insulative housing with a rib configuration slot projecting from one side thereof to receive conductive contacts which are inserted from rear mating holes in the insulative housing. Additionally, a metal shell covers the insulative housing to shield the electrical connector from external EMI. In order to keep the metal shell from short-circuiting with a printed circuit board, an appropriate underlay is usually added to a bottom surface of the insulative housing. The underlay cooperates with a boardlock formed on a lateral side of the metal shell to mount the entire electrical connector onto the printed circuit board. However, using this means, the area of the underlay and the boardlock which contact directly with the printed circuit board are too small relative to the size of the entire electrical connector, and therefore provide a limited retaining force. In this case, if the USB connector covered by a metal shell has a fairly long soldering section, it may slant forward relative to the boardlock, thereby further affecting the reliability of the conductive contacts. Because the electrical connector slants forward and leans against the printed circuit board, a front port of the metal shell may not align with a corresponding opening defined in a metal panel, which is unacceptable in a finished product. Additionally, during the soldering of the conductive contacts to a printed circuit board, a slant to the electrical connector may easily cause soldering paste to wick up along the conductive contacts to the metal shell, shorting the metal shell and one or more contacts. Finally, unless the contact is securely retained on the printed circuit board, the stability and reliability of signal transmission will be affected.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A first object of the present invention is to provide a shielded electrical connector having a stabilization device and a plurality of boardlocks for being soldered to a printed circuit board, thereby mounting the electrical connector securely thereon without slanting or leaning against the printed circuit board.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a positioning structure on the rear side of an insulative housing to interferingly retain conductive contacts and to simplify the manufacture of the conductive contacts.
An electrical connector according to the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive contacts, a shell covering the outside surfaces of the insulative housing, and a rear cover. A plurality of receiving slots are defined in the insulative housing for receiving the conductive contacts. Positioning grooves are defined in a rear side of the insulative housing and each forms a plurality of bumps on opposite inside surfaces thereof. The said bumps interferingly retain soldering sections of the conductive contacts, making interfering appendages on the conductive contacts unnecessary, thereby simplifying contact production.
Additionally, a stabilization device is integrally stamped and formed from a bottom forward surface of the shell. The stabilization device comprises a latch leg depending vertically downward from the bottom forward surface thereof and a stabilization tab punched from an upper portion of the latch leg and parallel to the bottom surface of the shell. The latch leg may be inserted into an appropriate hole in the printed circuit board and the stabilization tab may be abutted against the printed circuit board, thereby providing a standoff between the electrical connector and the printed circuit board. Thus the stabilization device provides mounting stability to the electrical connector and prevents it from slanting forward.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5637015 (1997-06-01), Tan et al.
patent: 5938473 (1999-08-01), Nishio et al.
patent: 5993258 (1999-11-01), Matsunuma et al.

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