Electrical connector with an improved shell having a vertical blade to perform a shielding function

An electrical connector (100) includes an insulative body (1) comprising a rear part (11), a front widened tongue (121), and a front narrowed tongue (122), a plurality of contacts (2) received in the insulative body, a metallic shell (3) enclosing the insulative body, a spacer (5) assembled to the insulative body for supporting the contacts, and a cable connected with the contacts and comprising two STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) wires (62) for high speed signal transmission, each of the two STP wires having a front section without aluminum foil. The metallic shell comprises a front shell (32) and a rear shell (33) assembled with each other, the rear shell defines a vertical blade (335) bent downwards from a top wall thereof, and the vertical blade extends downwards and is located between the front sections of the STP wires.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the art of electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector having an improved shell for preventing cross-talk.

2. Description of Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 8,142,226, issued to Xiao et al. on Mar. 27, 2012, discloses a cable connector assembly in compliance with USB 3.0 standard. The cable connector assembly comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing, a metallic shell enclosing the insulative housing, and a pair of latches retained in the insulative housing and exposed out of the metallic shell. Tail portions of the contacts extend beyond a rear end of the insulative housing to be electrically connected with a cable.

The metallic shell of the cable connector assembly comprises a front shell and a back shell assembled to each other along an up-to-down direction. The cable has two high speed signal wires with front aluminum foil thereof stripped away. Cross-talk may occur between two neighboring front segments where there is no aluminum foil.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an electrical connector including an insulative body comprising a backward part, a widened tongue and a narrowed tongue extending forwardly from the backward part, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative body, a metallic shell enclosing the insulative body, a spacer assembled to the insulative body for supporting the contacts, and a cable electrically connected with the contacts and comprising two STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) wires for high speed signal transmission, each of the two STP wires having a front section without aluminum foil. The metallic shell comprises a front shell and a rear shell assembled with each other, the rear shell defines a vertical blade bent downwards from a top wall thereof, and the vertical blade extends downwards and is located between the front sections of the STP wires.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail, wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by same or similar reference numeral through the several views and same or similar terminology.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 3, an electrical connector100includes an insulative body1with a plurality of contact terminals2held therein, a metallic shell3shield the insulative body1, a pair of latches4retained in the insulative body1and exposed out of the metallic shell3, a spacer5fastened to a rear end of the insulative body1for supporting the contact terminals2, and a cable6electrically connected with the contact terminals2.

Referring toFIGS. 2 to 6, the insulative body1includes a thick backward part11and a thin forward part12integrally extending forwardly beyond the backward part11. The forward part12is split into a widened tongue121and a narrowed tongue122side by side arranged with each other and disposed in a common plane, and the size of the widened tongue121is accordance with USB 2.0 standard. The narrowed tongue122and the widened tongue121are spaced apart from each other by a gap horizontally located therebetween through a front end of the forward part12. A pair of outlets113are recessed forwardly from a rear end of the backward part11. Both the narrowed tongue122and the widened tongue121have a plurality of passages123extending along a mating direction, and the passages123are extending through the backward part11. A pair of channels124are defined on both sides of the widened tongue121to receive the latches4, and the channels124are extending through the backward part11.

The contact terminals2include first and second sets of contacts21,22located in the widened tongue121and the narrowed tongue122, respectively. The first contacts21are compatible to version 2.0 Micro Universal Serial Bus. That is to say, the definition of the first contacts21for signal transmission is compatible to version 2.0 Micro Universal Serial Bus. The first contacts21and the second contacts22are received in the corresponding passages123. Each contact terminal2includes a contact portion23extending along the mating direction, a connecting portion24extending backward from the contact portion23and a tail portion25linked with the connecting portion24.

The first contacts21include five conductive contacts, and the second contacts22also include five conductive contacts, and the middle one of the second contacts22is a grounding contact221, a differential pair of signal contacts222for transmitting high speed signal and a differential pair of signal contacts222for receiving high speed signal are located by both sides of the grounding contact221. Notably, the grounding contact221forms an enlarged vertical plate221A. A plurality of tabs221B extend along one edge of the enlarged vertical plate221A in an alternate/staggered oblique manner so as to form a V like retention groove, viewed along a front-to-back direction, to receive therein the corresponding drain wires621(illustrated later) wherein the tabs221B are offset from one another in the front-to-back direction.

The metallic shell3includes a shielding member31, a front shell32and a back shell33, and the back shell33is cooperated with rear section of the front shell32. The shielding member31comprises a front sleeve portion311and a plurality of fasteners312extending backwards from a back end of the sleeve portion311, the shielding member31has two mating cavities for receiving the widened tongue121and the narrowed tongue122.

The front shell32comprises a front pocket321with a rectangular box shape, and the pocket321defines a row of locking holes3210along a transverse direction. The front shell32has a plurality of stopping portions323on a front end thereof, the stopping portions323are bent from two opposite front edges of the front shell32and extending along a vertical direction. An extension portion324is extending rearwards from an upper wall of the front shell32, and the extension portion324is located behind the locking holes3210. The extension portion324is separated from both side walls of the front shell32, thus two gaps are formed between the extension portion324and the two side walls, and the gap corresponding to the second contacts22has a lager width than the gap corresponding to the first contacts21.

The rear shell33comprises a pair of slits331on both sides of a top wall thereof and a plurality of teeth332on a front end of the top wall, the teeth332are inserted into the corresponding locking holes3210of the front shell32to make the rear shell33combined with the front shell32securely. A pair of protrusions formed on both side walls of the front shell32are inserted into the corresponding slits331. A vertical blade335is stamped downwardly from the top wall of the rear shell33, thus a rectangular opening334is formed after stamping, the vertical blade335is perpendicular to the top wall of the rear shell33. The opening334has a same size as the vertical blade335, and the vertical blade335is extending downwards from a side wall of the opening334.

Each latch4comprises a retaining standoff41held in the backward part11of the insulative body1and an engaging arm42extending forwards from the retaining standoff41, the engaging arm42is received in the relative channel124of the insulative body1.

The spacer5is made of insulative material, and comprises a primary portion51and a pair of elongate arms52extending forwards from lateral sides of the primary portion51.

The cable6is divided into two groups, and the first group comprises a number of individual wires61connected with the first contacts21, and the second group comprises two STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) wires62for high speed signal transmission wherein each STP wire62includes a pair of differential wires622and a drain wire621wrapped within an aluminum foil.

In assembly, the contacts2are inserted into the insulative body1along a back-to-front direction, the first contacts21and the second contacts22are accommodated in the corresponding passages123of the widened tongue121and the narrowed tongue122respectively, the latches4are inserted into the channels124of the widened tongue121. The tail portions25of the contacts2are exposed beyond the insulative body1. Then the spacer5is assembled to the rear end of the insulative body1along the back-to-front direction, the elongate arms52on both sides of the spacer5are latched with corresponding sides of the backward part11. Tail portions25of the contacts2are exposed beyond the insulative body1and received in grooves53of the spacer5.

The individual wires61of the cable6are soldered to corresponding tail portions25of the first contacts21, the STP wires62are electrically connected with the second contacts22. Front parts of aluminum foils of the STP wires62are stripped away to expose corresponding inner conductors.

Then the insulative body1is assembled into the shielding member31, the forward part12of the insulative body1is received in the sleeve portion311of the shielding member31. The engaging arms42of the latches4are exposed out of the shielding member31. Then the aforementioned components are assembled into the front shell32, the stopping portions323on the front end of the front shell32are located adjacent to a front end of the backward part11of the insulative body1. The rear shell33is mounted to the front shell32along an up-to-down direction, the teeth332on a front end of the rear shell33are inserted into the corresponding locking holes3210of the front shell32. The extension portion324of the front shell32is extending rearwardly to shield under the opening334of the rear shell33, thus to suppress Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI). The vertical blade335of the rear shell33is neighboring to one lateral surface of the extension portion324and extending downwards to locate between the two neighboring areas of the STP wires62without aluminum foil, thus to reduce cross-talk between the two STP wires62furthest. Thus the shielding member31, the front shell32, the rear shell33and the insulative body1are combined to a whole, and the electrical connector100is assembled.

According to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the vertical blade335of the metallic shell3is located between two STP wires62, therefore to prevent cross-talk and achieve better Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) suppressing effect. As shown inFIG. 5, the vertical blade335extends with a distance beyond one half of the exposed front portion of each STP wire62in the vertical direction for achieving the aforementioned better EMI suppressing effect.

While the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, the description of the invention is illustrative and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various of modifications to the present invention can be made to preferred embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.