Electrical connectors – Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield – Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-23
2001-09-11
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Electromagnetic or electrostatic shield
Shielding individually surrounding or interposed between...
Reexamination Certificate
active
06287147
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and particularly relates to an electrical connector having a conductive shield.
Shielded connectors are generally known. A conventional connector generally includes an insulating housing, a receptacle defined within the housing, and a plurality of conductive terminals contained within the terminal cavities. The connector is configured so that a mating plug can be received by the receptacle for electrically contacting the terminals. The known housing is rectilinear in shape. Such a conventional connector additionally includes a conductive shield that substantially covers the insulating housing.
To provide shielding coverage around all four sides of the housing, as well as an upper mating side that receives the mated plug, the shield includes four side panels and a mating side. An aperture is defined in the mating side to provide access into the receptacle opening. The side panels may include mounting legs for fixing the connector to the circuit board. Many conventional shields are cut from a planar sheet as a blank that is folded to form four side panels and an upper mating panel.
It is desirable to establish a conductive contact between the shield and the mated plug that is received by the connector for further reducing noise and interference. In prior art connectors, such grounding contact has been inadequate.
Additionally, the shape of conventional shields has been rather complex, resulting in undesirable manufacturing inefficiencies. One conventional connector, for example, has a unitary shield formed from an generally T-shaped blank cut from a sheet, including a mating panel located in a center of the T-shaped blank. A strip comprised of a first, second and a third side panel extends from one edge of the mating panel, and a fourth side panel projecting from an opposite edge of the mating panel. A plurality of locking tabs and mounting legs project from these side panels, further complicating the overall shape of the flat shield blank. The shield is then formed generally into a box shape to encase the exterior of the insulative housing by bending each of the side panels perpendicularly. Unfortunately, when cutting a sheet to yield a plurality of shield blanks having such a complex shape, a significant amount of material is wasted, thus increasing manufacturing costs. Additionally, the folding process is cumbersome.
During manufacture, shields are typically plated prior to assembly with the housing. A plurality of the shields are placed together to be processed as a batch during the plating process. Unfortunately, the complex shield shape can cause the shields to become entangled with each another. Unless the entangled shields are carefully separated, the shields can be bent and deformed. Therefore, the complex shield shape requires the careful inspection and separation of the shields after plating. These steps further raise manufacturing costs.
Therefore, a need exists for a connector having improved grounding and having an effective electromagnetic shield that is less expensive to manufacture. A shield design is desirable which reduces wasted material and which is less susceptible to entangling with other shields.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the problems of prior connectors by providing an improved shield. For example, in an embodiment, the invention provides a connector including a conductive shield that has ground contacts to provide a conductive contact between the shield and a mated plug received in the connector. In an embodiment, the connector further includes ground pins for establishing improved grounding contact and mounting stability at the circuit board.
Additionally, the present invention provides an improved shape of the shield that reduces wasted material and avoiding potentially damaging entanglement of parts during manufacture. Instead cutting the shield in the shape of a T, the shield of the invention made from two strip-shaped members, thereby greatly reducing the amount of wasted material. Each of the strip-shaped members is bent in a U-shape forming a central mating panel and two sides panels perpendicularly extending therefrom. The two U-shaped shield members are secured over a generally cube-shaped or rectilinear housing such that each member covers two opposite side surfaces of the housing. Each of the four side panels may include a mounting leg. The central mating panels of the two shields overlap across a mating surface of the housing.
More specifically, in an embodiment, the present invention provides a shielded electrical connector including an insulative housing having a mating surface, a mounting surface, at least one side surface extending from the mating surface, and terminal cavities extending through the housing. The housing includes a plug receptacle opening that is accessible from the mating surface. Conductive terminals are disposed in the terminal cavities in the housing. Each of the terminals has a contact portion for mating with terminals of a mated plug and a tail portion for engaging conductors on a circuit board. Additionally, the connector includes a shield comprised of first and second shield members that substantially encase the housing. The first shield member includes a mating panel disposed on the mating surface of the housing and side panel covering a side surface of the housing and a second shield member including mating wall disposed on the mating panel of the first conductive shield and a side wall covering a side surface of the housing. The shield includes one or more resilient ground contacts that projects inwardly to contact against a mated plug received in the plug receptacle opening. The housing includes one or more respective cutout for access between the shield and the receptacle, each cutout providing a space to accommodate a corresponding one of the ground contacts.
In an embodiment, the first shield member and the second shield member together each includes two ground contacts, totaling four ground contacts evenly arranged around the plug to provide better improved shielding and grounding.
In an embodiment, the connector first and second shield members include a plurality of locking tabs. For example, an embodiment includes eight locking tabs. Each of the tabs is bent inwardly to lock on a bottom of insulating housing. The coupling strength between the housing and shield is thereby enhanced.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a shielded electrical connector that establishes a reliable, robust grounding connection between the electromagnetic shield and the mated plug received by the connector.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector having electromagnetic shields that can be manufactured inexpensively with little waste of material.
A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector which has a secure, grounded mount to a circuit board.
Yet another advantage of the present invention is that it provides an electrical connector having a shield that can be manufactured with low rates of damage and deformation.
A still further advantage of the present invention is that it provides a connector that is simple to manufacture and which has a shield that reduces the use of tools in assembling the shield members.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the following detailed description, the claims and the Figures.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4936795 (1990-06-01), Kawai et al.
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patent: 5975957 (1999-11-01), Noda et al.
patent: 5984727 (1999-11-01), Wu et al.
patent: 6036544 (2000-03-01), Brunber et al.
patent: 6053773 (2000-04-01), Wu
Abrams Neil
Duverne J. F.
Molex Incorporated
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