Cable assembly with EMI protection

A cable assembly comprises a housing defining a body portion with a front face, a pair of upper and lower tongue portions respectively extending forwardly from a top and bottom sides of the front face. The housing is configured by a metallic lower cover, a metallic upper cover assembled to the metallic lower cover and an insulative stand assembled to the metallic upper cover. A printed circuit board is disposed in a receiving room of the body portion of the housing and defines a mating portion extending forwardly from the front face of the housing and disposed between the upper and lower tongue portions and a terminating portion opposite to the mating portion. A cable is terminated to the terminating portion of the printed circuit board and extended out of the housing. And a latch is assembled to the insulative stand of the housing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cable assembly, and more particularly to a cable assembly with a metallic housing for EMI protection.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Generally, a few of cable assembly used in an internal space of the server or other electrical device will not influenced by EMI seriously, the cable assembly do not have a shield for anti-EMI. However, as more and more high speed cable assemblies are applied in the internal of the server or other electrical device, so the cable assembly will be influenced by EMI more or less which are produced by other electrical components in the server or itself. If the cable assembly is influenced by EMI, the stability of signal transmission of the cable assembly will be affected.

As discussed above, an improved cable assembly overcoming the shortages of existing technology is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cable assembly with EMI protection.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, a cable assembly comprises a housing defining a body portion with a front face, a pair of upper and lower tongue portions respectively extending forwardly from a top and bottom sides of the front face. The housing is configured by a metallic lower cover, a metallic upper cover assembled to the metallic lower cover and an insulative stand assembled to the metallic upper cover. A printed circuit board is disposed in a receiving room of the body portion of the housing and defines a mating portion extending forwardly from the front face of the housing and disposed between the upper and lower tongue portions and a terminating portion opposite to the mating portion. A cable is terminated to the terminating portion of the printed circuit board and extended out of the housing. And a latch is assembled to the insulative stand of the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2illustrate perspective views of a cable assembly100made in accordance with the present invention. The cable assembly100comprises a housing2, a printed circuit board3disposed in the housing2and a plurality of cables4electrically connected to a rear end of the printed circuit board3. The housing2defines a body portion23and a pair of spaced tongue portions24,25extending forwardly from a front face of body portion23. The printed circuit board3defines a mating portion31at its front end and extending forwardly from the front face of the body portion23of the housing2. An inner molding7is formed on a connection between the printed circuit board3and the cable4. The cable assembly100further defines a latch5assembled to a top surface of the housing2. Four engaging means6, such as screws, are used to lock the printed circuit board3to the housing2.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4, the housing2is comprised by a lower cover21, an upper cover22assembled to the lower cover21and a stand23assembled to the upper cover22. The lower cover21and upper cover22are die-cast or stamped from metallic material to provide EMI protection. The stand23is preferably made of plastic material, in another embodiment, the stand23may be die-cast or stamped from metal.

The lower cover21defines a body portion212and a lower tongue portion211extending forwardly from a front face of the body portion212. The body portion212defines a pair of positioning posts2121extending upwardly from a top surface of the body portion212and disposed at two sides of a front end of the body portion212. The body portion212defines four receiving holes2122extending downwardly for a distance from a top surface thereof and disposed at four corners thereof. The body portion212further defines a recess2123extending downwardly from the top surface thereof.

The upper cover22defines a body portion222and an upper tongue portion221extending forwardly from a front face of the body portion222. The body portion222has an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface. The body portion222of the upper cover22defines an recessed area2225formed in the upper surface thereof and groove2226formed in the lower surface thereof. A pair of receiving holes2221are formed in the lower surface of a front end of the upper cover22for receiving a pair of top ends of the positioning posts2121of the lower cover21. Four through holes2222are formed at four corners of the body portion222and in alignment with the receiving holes2122of the lower cover21in a vertical direction. And, four positioning posts2223extends upwardly from a bottom surface of the recessed area2225and are used to position the stand23. Further, a platform2224is formed in the recessed area2225and disposed between two positioning posts2223.

The stand23defines four through holes232formed at four corners thereof and corresponding to the four through holes2222and four receiving holes2122respectively formed in the upper cover22and lower cover21. The stand23further defines four receiving holes231formed in a bottom surface thereof for receiving the corresponding positioning posts2223formed in the recessed area2225of the upper cover22. A rectangular through hole233is formed in a middle and rear section of the stand23. The stand23further defines an engaging portion234formed on a top surface of a front section thereof and a pair of ear sections235located at two sides of the rectangular through hole233respectively with an opening (not figured) toward each other.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4in conjunction withFIGS. 11 to 13, a printed circuit board3disposed in the housing2defines a mating portion31with a plurality of conductive pads311thereon, a terminating portion33opposite to the mating portion31with a plurality of conductive pads (not shown) for terminating to a plurality of cables4and a connecting portion32connected with the mating portion31and the terminating portion33. The conductive pads311are arranged on opposite upper and lower surfaces of the mating portion31of the printed circuit board3in a transverse direction. The connecting portion32defines a pair of front holes321disposed at two sides thereof and a pair of rear holes322disposed at back of the pair of front holes321. The pair of front holes321of the printed circuit board3allow the pair of positioning posts2121of the lower cover21to pass through.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 5, a plurality of cables4terminated to the printed circuit board3are comprised by two sets of sub-assemblies in a stacked relationship. Each sub-assembly comprises four serial Attached Technology Attachment (ATA) standard cables for high speed signal transmission.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 5, an inner molding7is formed on a connection between the printed circuit board3and the cables4using injection molding process. The terminating portion33of the printed circuit board3is also surrounded by the inner molding7.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 5in conjunction withFIG. 12, the latch5is stamped and formed from a metallic plate and comprises a retaining portion51, a pair of generally L-shape locking portions52extending upwardly and rearwardly from the retaining portion51, a N-shaped pressing portion53formed at a rear position of the pair of locking portions52, and an inclined supporting portion54slantwise extending from the pressing portion53. The latch5further defines an inclined intermediate portion55connecting the pressing portion53with the locking portions52. The pressing portion53defines a pair of spring tab531disposed at two sides thereof.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4in conjunction withFIGS. 9,11and13, four engaging means6, such as screws, are used for locking with the lower cover21, the printed circuit board3, the upper cover22and the stand23together. Each screw6defines a cylindrical thread portion61and an operating portion62.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 8in conjunction withFIGS. 9 to 13, the assembling process of the cable assembly100made in according to the present invention starts from arranging the cables4into two levels and soldering the cables4to the printed circuit board3.

After the cables4are soldered to the printed circuit board3, then forming an inner molding7on a connection between the printed circuit board3and the cables4using injection molding process. So a PCB module is formed after the above assembling steps. The PCB module is comprised by the printed circuit board3, the cables4and the inner molding7.

After a PCB module is configured, then assembling the PCB module to the lower cover21. The inner molding7has a lower portion (not figured) formed on a bottom surface of the printed circuited board3and received into the recess2123of the lower cover21. And a pair of positioning posts2121of the lower cover21pass through the pair of front holes321. Thus, the PCB module is positioned in the lower cover21through the lower portion of the inner molding7and the pair of positioning posts2121cooperated with the lower cover21.

After the PCB module is assembled to the lower cover21, then assembling the upper cover22to the lower cover21. The lower surface of the upper cover22is attached to the top surface of lower cover21after the upper cover22assembled to the lower cover21. Thus, an upper portion (not figured) of the inner molding7is received into the groove2226of the upper cover22. And a pair of top ends of the positioning posts2121of the lower cover21are received into the pair of receiving holes2221formed in the lower surface of the upper cover22.

After the upper cover22is assembled to the lower cover21, then assembling the latch5to the stand23. A forward pressing force is exerted on the latch5. The retaining portion51is engaged with the engaging portion234to make the latch5positioned on the stand23. The pressing portion53, the inclined supporting portion54, the inclined intermediate portion55and the locking portions52are cantilevered relative to the retaining portion51. The pair of spring tabs531are respectively received into a pair of openings (not labeled) formed in the pair of ear sections235. The ear section2139can prevent the locking member5excessive rebound when the operator withdraw a downward force exerted on the pressing portion53.

After the latch5is assembled to the stand23, then assembling the latch5and stand23together to the upper cover22in a up to down direction. The stand23is received into the recessed area2225and four positioning posts2223formed in the recessed area2225are received into the four receiving holes231formed in the bottom surface of the stand23. The platform2224of the upper cover22pass through the rectangular through hole233and locates below the pressing portion53, the inclined supporting portion54and the inclined intermediate portion55of the latch5. Four through holes232of the stand23are in alignment with the four through holes2222of the upper cover22. Thus, four receiving holes26are formed in the housing2for receiving four screws6. Each receiving hole26is defined by a through hole232of the stand23, a through hole2222of the upper cover22and a receiving hole2122of the lower cover21. A pair of rear holes322of the printed circuit board3are in alignment with two front receiving holes26of the four receiving holes26of the housing2.

Finally, assembling four screws6to the housing2in an up-to-down direction. The thread portions61of the four screws6are received into the four receiving holes26. Thus, the lower cover21, the upper cover22, the stand and the printed circuit board3are engaged with each other by the four screws6.