Electrical connector with transfer contact for connecting cable and another contact

An electrical connector (100) includes an insulative housing (10) defining a passageway (12), a contact (30) received in the passageway and a transfer contact (40) with one end connected to a cable and the other end connected to the contact. The contact includes a retaining portion (31) fixed in the passageway, a contact portion (32) extending forwardly from the retaining portion and a tail portion (33) extending backwardly from the retaining portion. The transfer contact includes a U-shaped portion (41) for receiving the tail portion (33) and a cable connection portion (42) extending from the U-shaped portion for receiving the cable. The U-shaped portion includes a pair of side walls (412). At least one of the side walls (412) includes an elastic arm (413) engaging with the tail portion (33) of the contact for improving fixation force therebetween.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector with a transfer contact for bridging a cable and a signal contact.

2. Description of Related Art

With rapid development of current communication and digital electronic technologies, related components need to meet the requirements of simple structures, lower cost, high assembly efficiency to improve product competitiveness. A conventional electrical connector usually includes an insulative housing and a plurality of signal contacts received in the insulative housing. When such electrical connector is mating with a mateable connector, the signal contacts usually need cables so as to establish signal transmission to the mateable connector. However, how to assemble the cables with the signal contacts is a difficult problem to those of ordinary skill in the art. Generally, current contact structures for assembling cables are complex which results in difficult assembly phenomenon, low manufacture efficiency and less-effective product competitiveness.

Hence, it is desirable to provide an electrical connector for solving the above problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an electrical connector including an insulative housing, a contact received in the insulative housing and a transfer contact connected to the contact. The insulative housing includes a mating surface, a mounting surface opposite to the mating surface, a passageway extending through the mating surface and a rear cavity extending through the mounting surface. The passageway and the rear cavity are in communication with each other along a front-to-back direction. The contact is received in the passageway of the insulative housing. The contact includes a retaining portion fixed in the passageway, a contact portion extending forwardly from the retaining portion and a tail portion extending backwardly from the retaining portion. The transfer contact includes a U-shaped portion for receiving the tail portion and a cable connection portion extending from the U-shaped portion for receiving a cable. The U-shaped portion includes a bottom wall and a pair of side walls extending from the bottom wall and jointly with the bottom wall to define a receiving slot to receive the tail portion of the contact. At least one of the side walls includes an elastic arm protruding into the receiving slot, and the elastic arm engages with the tail portion of the contact for improving fixation force therebetween.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail. As shown inFIGS. 1 to 3, the illustrated embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrical connector100, also known as a power connector, including an insulative housing10, a plurality of power contact groups20retained in the insulative housing10, a plurality of fastening members28for securely fastening the power contact groups20to insulative housing10, a plurality of signal contacts30and a transfer terminal module50connecting with the signal contacts30.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4, the insulative housing10extends along a longitudinal direction A-A and includes a front mating surface101, a rear mounting surface102, a plurality of rectangular grooves11extending through the mating surface101and the mounting surface102for receiving the power contact groups20, a plurality of passageways12extending through the mating surface101for receiving the signal contacts30, and a rear cavity120extending through the mounting surface102for at least partly receiving the transfer terminal module50. The passageways12and the rear cavity120are in communication with each other along a front-to-back direction B-B perpendicular to the longitudinal direction A-A. As shown inFIG. 5, each passageway12includes a flat slot121and a pair of rectangular mating holes122below while in communication with the flat slot121. The mating holes122extend through the mating surface101and are arranged in a matrix manner. The first slot121and the pair of mating holes122jointly receive the signal contacts30.

As shown inFIGS. 1 to 4, corresponding to each groove11, the insulative housing10includes a pair of guiding blocks17extending thereinto. The guiding blocks17are located adjacent to the mating surface101of the insulative housing10and are adapted for not only guiding insertion of a corresponding contact of a mateable connector (not shown), but also preventing the power contact groups20from being over-inserted into the grooves11along a back-to-front direction. Each groove11is formed between a pair of inner side walls103of the insulative housing10. Each inner side wall103includes a pair of blocks15protruding into the groove11. The pair of blocks15are vertically symmetrical with each other along a middle line (not shown) therebetween. Each block15includes an inclined surface151in order to form a relative greater heat-dissipation gap (not shown) with respect to the corresponding power contact group20. Besides, as shown inFIG. 4, the insulative housing10defines a pair of upper positioning slots104and a pair of lower positioning slots105located at a top side and a bottom side of each groove11, respectively. The upper positioning slots104and the lower positioning slots105are in communication with corresponding groove11therebetween. The upper positioning slots104and the lower positioning slots105are in communication with corresponding heat-dissipation gap for better dissipating the heat which is generated from the power contact groups20.

Besides, in order to achieve robust heat-dissipation effects, the insulative housing10further defines a plurality of escaping holes13extending through the mating surface101under condition that two escaping holes13are positioned between each adjacent two grooves11. Each inner side wall103defines a heat-dissipation slot14in communication with adjacent groove111and the adjacent escaping hole13. Furthermore, as shown inFIG. 5, each inner side wall103defines a heat-dissipation slit181extending through the mounting surface102of the insulative housing10. The heat-dissipation slit181and the heat-dissipation slot14are in communication with the corresponding groove11as a result that the heat generated from the power contact groups20can be emitted immediately.

Referring toFIGS. 4 to 7, each power contact group20is U-shaped and includes a first power contact21and a second power contact22essentially symmetrical with each other. The first power contact21includes a first contacting portion211and a first retaining portion212perpendicular to the first contacting portion211. The second power contact22includes a second contacting portion221and a second retaining portion222perpendicular to the second contacting portion221. The first contacting portion211and the second contacting portion221are parallel to each other. The first retaining portion212and the second retaining portion222engage with and overlap each other along the front-to-back direction B-B. Each of the first contacting portion211and the second contact portion221includes a pair of upper and lower slant beams23which are cantilevered and extend toward the first and the second retaining portions212,222. Besides, the first retaining portion212defines a first hole (not shown) and an extension24extending inwardly along the back-to-front direction. The extension24defines a column cavity (not shown) in communication with the first hole. The second retaining portion222defines a second hole223in alignment with the first hole and the column cavity. Although the first hole and the column cavity are shown clearly shown, it is understandable to those of ordinary skill in the art that the positions of such first hole and such column cavity are corresponding to the fastening member28extending therethrough.

The first power contacts21and the second power contacts22are linked by a plurality of fastening members28so as to form the power contact groups20. The fastening members28are separately made from the power contact groups20. Each fastening member28is a screw according to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention. The fastening member28includes a head281and a screw portion282extending from the head281along the back-to-front direction. The screw portion282is screwed into the second hole223and the first hole in turn and ultimately fastened into the column cavity. The head281includes a cross recess283for being rotatably driven by a tool (not shown) so that the screw portion282can be ultimately fixed to the first and the second retaining portions212,222. In order to reliably hold the plurality of fastening members28, the present invention further includes a plurality of locking pieces26as shown inFIG. 3. Each locking piece26defines a round hole261through which the corresponding screw portion282extends.

In assembling, as shown inFIG. 6, the fastening members28are screwed into the first and the second retaining portions212,222of the first power contacts21and the second power contacts22so as to form the plurality of power contact groups20. Each locking piece26is sandwiched between the second retaining portion222and the head281. That is to say, each head281resists against the second retaining portion222through the locking pieces26. Then the plurality of power contact groups20are inserted into corresponding grooves11of the insulative housing10along the back-to-front direction. The first and the second contacting portions211,221are essentially located adjacent to the inner side walls103. The blocks15on the inner side walls103engage against corresponding first and second contacting portions211,221for holding the corresponding first and the second contacting portions211,221. Besides, the heat-dissipation gaps formed between each first and the second contacting portions211,221and the neighboring inner side walls103help dissipating heat. Front ends of the first and the second contacting portions211,221are stopped by the guiding blocks17so as to avoid over-insertion. The upper and the lower slant beams23of the first and the second contacting portions211,221are positioned and retained in the upper and the lower positioning slots104,105, respectively, so that the first and the second contacting portions211,221can be prevented from escaping the insulative housing10.

Referring toFIG. 8, each signal contact30includes a plate retaining portion31fixed in the flat slot121of the passageway12, a pair of forked contact portion32extending forwardly from the retaining portion31and a pair of tail portions33extending backwardly from the retaining portion31. Each tail portion33is U-shaped to have larger surface for enhancing friction force. Corresponding tail portions33and corresponding contact portions32are in alignment with each other along the front-to-back direction B-B.

The transfer terminal module50includes an insulative block51, a plurality of contact-receiving holes52defined in the insulative block51and a plurality of transfer contacts40received in the contact-receiving holes52. The contact-receiving holes52are arranged in a matrix manner and are in alignment with the corresponding mating holes122along the front-to-back direction B-B. Each transfer contact40includes a U-shaped portion41for receiving the tail portion33and a cable connection portion42extending from the U-shaped portion41for receiving a cable (not shown). The U-shaped portion41includes a bottom wall411and a pair of side walls412extending from the bottom wall411and jointly with the bottom wall411to define a receiving slot410for receiving the tail portion33of the signal contact30. Each side wall412includes an elastic arm413protruding into the receiving slot410. The elastic arms413engage with the tail portion33of the signal contact30for improving fixation force therebetween. Each elastic arm413extends along a direction essentially opposite to the tail portion33. According to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, since the tail portion33is U-shaped, the fixation force between the tail portion33and the elastic arms413are greatly enhanced for signal transmission reliability. Besides, from a viewpoint of manufacture, with the transfer terminal module34, it is capable of simplifying the structure of the signal contacts and it is very effective in connector assembling. The transfer contacts40of the transfer terminal module50bridge the signal transmission of the cables and the signal contacts30, it is understandable to those of ordinary skill in the art that the signal contacts30of the present invention can be either male contacts or female contacts.