Electrical connector assembly

An electrical connector assembly includes a contact module having an upper part and a lower part stacked with each other in the vertical direction. The upper part includes a front/outer upper unit and a rear/inner upper unit. The lower part includes a front/outer lower unit and a rear/inner lower unit. Each unit includes an insulative body and a plurality of contacts integrally formed with the insulative body. The insulative body includes a middle sector and a pair of side sectors. The contacts include the side-band contacts retained in the middle sector, and the differential-pair contacts retained in the side sectors. The tail sections of the side-band contacts are mounted to the printed circuit board. The tail sections of the differential-pair contacts are connected to the wires. Each of the unit further includes a metallic grounding bracket provides spaced two positions mechanically and electrically connected to each corresponding grounding contact.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the electrical connector assembly, and particularly to the electrical connector assembly including the four-layer contact module each having the side-band contacts mounted to the printed circuit board and the differential-pair contacts mechanically and electrically connected to the wires. This application basically relates to U.S. provisional application 63/118,829 filed on Nov. 27, 2020. The specific feature regarding the grounding bar electrically and mechanically connecting to the corresponding grounding contacts relates to provisional application 63/134,557 filed on Jan. 6, 2021.

2. Description of Related Art

On one hand, U.S. provisional applications 63/053,611 and 63/090,225 with the same inventor of the instant application disclose the electrical connector assembly including the four-layer contact module for mounting to the printed circuit board. On the other hand, U.S. provisional application 63/022,492 also with the same inventor of the instant application discloses the electrical connector assembly having a pair of differential-pair contact zones commonly sandwich a side-band contact zone therebetween in the transverse direction wherein the side-band contacts are directly mounted to the printed circuit board while the differential-pair contacts are mechanically and electrically connected to the corresponding wires.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the instant invention is to provide a hybrid type electrical connector assembly essentially composed of the four-layer contact module with different contact zones in the transverse direction for respectively connecting to the printed circuit board and the wires. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing for mounting to the printed circuit board, and a contact module received within the insulative housing. The contact module includes an upper part and a lower part stacked with each other in the vertical direction. The upper part includes a front/outer upper unit and a rear/inner upper unit. The lower part includes a front/outer lower unit and a rear/inner lower unit. Each unit includes an insulative body and a plurality of contacts integrally formed with the insulative body via an insert-molding process. The insulative body includes a middle sector and a pair of side sectors. The contacts include the side-band contacts retained in the middle sector, and the differential-pair contacts retained in the side sectors. The side sector forms a plurality of grooves to receive the tail sections of the differential-pair contacts and the corresponding wires which are soldered to the tail sections of the differential-pair contacts. The insulative body further forms the coupling structures so as to be engaged with those of the neighboring unit. Each unit further includes a pair of grounding brackets each cooperating with a transverse bar of the corresponding grounding contacts to sandwich the corresponding wires therebetween in the vertical direction. A pair of metallic shields commonly enclose the contact module therein. Compared to the aforementioned provisional application 63/118,829 having the grounding bracket mechanically and electrically connected to each grounding contact only at one position, in the instant invention the grounding bracket provides spaced two positions mechanically and electrically connected to each corresponding grounding contact. Moreover, the grounding bracket further includes an extending tang to extend through the metal shell and an additional side plate so as to securely assemble the whole contact module together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIGS.1-13(E), in a combination1000, an electrical connector assembly100for mounting upon a printed circuit board (PCB)900, includes an insulative housing110and a contact module assembly120received within the housing110. The contact module assembly120includes a contact module122retained within a metallic shield190. The contact module122includes an upper part130and a lower part160stacked with each other. The upper part130includes a front/outer upper unit132and a rear/inner upper unit134assembled together. The front/upper unit132includes a unitary insulative body136and a plurality of contacts140integrally formed within the insulative body136via an insert-molding process. The insulative body136includes a middle sector (not labeled) and a pair of side sectors (not labeled).

As shown inFIG.11(A), the contacts140include a plurality of side-band contacts141retained in the middle sector to form a side-band contact zone (not labeled), and a plurality of differential-pair contacts142retained in the side sector (not labeled) to form a pair of differential-pair contact zones (not labeled) by two sides the side-band contact zone (not labeled). The side sector (not labeled) forms a plurality of grooves (not labeled) to receive the tail sections142T of the differential-pair contacts and the inner conductors202of the corresponding wires200which are associatively soldered thereon, and a plurality of slots (not labeled) aligned with the corresponding grooves (not labeled) to receive the wires200. Each wire200includes a pair of inner conductors202, a pair of inner insulative layers203, a metallic braiding layer204and an outer insulative jacket205sequentially and concentrically arranged with one another wherein the inner conductors202are soldered to the tail sections142T of the corresponding differential-pair contacts142. The contacts140further include a plurality of grounding contacts144alternately arranged with the corresponding differential-pair contacts142. The grounding contacts144are unified together via a rear transverse bar146. Three holes147are formed in the transverse bar146in alignment with the corresponding grounding contacts144, respectively, in the front-to-back direction. In this embodiment, the contacts140include one set of side-band contacts141and two sets of differential-pair contacts142by two sides of the side-band contacts141in the transverse direction, wherein the set of side-band contacts141include five pieces, and each set of differential-pair contacts142include two pairs of the differential-pair contacts142alternately arranged with three grounding contacts144. Understandably, the tail sections of the side-band contacts141are directly soldered to the printed circuit board900on which the connector100is mounted.

Each differential-pair contact zone (not labeled) is further equipped with a metallic grounding bracket150to cooperate with the corresponding transverse bar146to sandwich the braiding layers204of the corresponding wires200therebetween in the vertical direction, wherein the grounding bracket150and the transverse bar146are optimally soldered with the braiding layer204.

Notably, as shown inFIG.9, the grounding bracket150includes three strap sections156and two bulged section155alternately arranged with each other in the transverse direction with three extensions154forwardly and slightly obliquely extending from the corresponding strap section156to mechanically and electrically connect the tail sections144T of the corresponding grounding contacts144, respectively. Three solder termination pins153extend, in a vertical direction, from a rear end of the transverse bar146and in alignment with the corresponding grounding contacts144, respectively, in a front-to-back direction, and further into the corresponding holes147in the transverse bar146in a soldering manner, respectively. Therefore, each grounding contact144and the corresponding grounding bracket150have two connection positions at the extension154and the solder termination pin153. Each strap section156forms a hole152through which a heat-stake P on the insulator extends to be deformed to press the grounding bracket150in position. The bulged section155forms a tab151to compress the braiding layer204of the corresponding wire200. Notably, the front deflectable contacting sections of the contacts140are exposed in front of the front edge of the insulative body136.

The basic structure/arrangement of the rear/inner upper unit134is essentially similar to that of the front/outer upper unit132and includes the insulative body138and a plurality of contacts140integrally formed with the insulative body138via insert-molding. The rear/inner upper unit134also forms the middle side-band contact zone and a pair of differential-pair contact zones by two sides. The lower side of the differential-pair contact zone forms a plurality of grooves to receive the tail sections of the differential-pair contacts142of the contacts140and the inner conductors202of the corresponding wires200, and a plurality of slots aligned with the corresponding grooves to receive the corresponding wires200. The upper side of the differential-contact zone forms a plurality of slots aligned with the corresponding slots of the front/outer upper unit132to receive the wires200of the front/outer upper unit132. Notably, the grounding brackets150of the rear/inner upper unit134are in an upside-down manner with those of the front/outer upper unit132.

The arrangement of the lower part160is similar to that of the upper part130, and includes a front/outer lower unit164and a rear/inner lower unit162stacked with each other with the similar relationship defined in the upper part130. In other words, each unit164,162includes the insulative body l68,166and a plurality of contacts170integrally formed with the insulative body168,166via insert-molding. Each unit164,162also forms the side-band contact zone and the pair of differential-pair contact zones on two sides. Notably, the upper part130and the lower part160are essentially arranged in a mirror image manner in the vertical direction, including extension of the contacts and the stacking of the front/outer unit and the rear/inner unit, except the tail sections of the side-band contacts of both the upper part130and the lower part160extend downwardly instead of oppositely.

The shield190of the contact module assembly120includes a pair of metallic shields192,194respectively assembled upon the upper part130and the lower part160. Each of the shields192,194includes the spring tangs191extending inwardly in the vertical direction to electrically and mechanically connect to the bulged sections155of the corresponding grounding brackets150for perfecting grounding. Each of the shields192,194further includes extending finger195to contact the other for make common grounding. The housing110includes a front mating slot (not labeled) and a rea receiving space (not labeled). Two rows of passageways (not labeled) are formed by two sides of the mating slot (not labeled). The contact module assembly120is forwardly inserted into the receiving space (not labeled) of the housing110wherein the front deflectable contacting sections of the contacts140,170are received within the corresponding passageways (not labeled), respectively, with the corresponding contacting points exposed in the mating slot (not labeled) which receives a mating tongue of the complementary connector. The shields192,194includes engagement tabs193to be received within the corresponding engagement holes (not labeled) of the housing110so as to retain the contact module assembly120within the housing110.

A pair of metallic mounting legs290are secured on two sides of the housing110. Each of the mounting legs290includes a spring finger292to mechanically and electrically connect the corresponding extending finger195of the shields192,194for common ground consideration, and a plurality of press-fit legs (not labeled) for mounting to the PCB900. In this embodiment, an over-molding cover (not labeled) is applied upon a rear side of the contact module assembly120so as to complete the whole assembly of the connector100to shield the rear portion of the housing110while allowing the wires200to extend rearwardly.

Notably, as shown inFIG.13(E), the front edge of the grounding bracket150optimally extends beyond the front edge of the inner insulator203of the wire200for impedance and crosstalk control.

FIGS.14(A)-22disclose another embodiment of the invention wherein all structures are similar to those in the first embodiment except that the upper part and the lower part are assembled to each other by means that the grounding brackets extend through corresponding holes of a pair of metallic side plates so as to complete the whole contact module assembly.

The electrical connector assembly300includes a contact module400assembled within an insulative housing310. The contact module400is essentially similar to the contact module122of the first embodiment, and includes an upper part410and the lower part450. The upper part410includes a front/outer upper unit412and the rear/inner upper unit414stacked with each other in the vertical direction. Similar to the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, each unit412,414includes a plurality of contacts (not labeled) integrally formed within an insulative body via insert molding and mechanically and electrically connected to the corresponding wires550, respectively, or mounting to the printed circuit board. The contacts include the differential-pair contacts and the grounding contacts alternately arranged with each other. Similar to the grounding contacts disclosed in the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the tail sections420T of the grounding contacts are unified together at rear ends to form a transverse bar422which cooperates with the corresponding grounding bracket500to mechanically and electrically sandwich a braiding layer552of the wire500therebetween in the vertical direction. Similar to the grounding bracket550of the first embodiment, the grounding bracket500of the second embodiment includes three strap sections502and two bulged section504alternatively arranged with each other in the transverse direction wherein the bulged section504grasps the braiding layer552. Different from the grounding bracket150of the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, an extension510, as a feature of the second embodiment, extends from an outer end of the grounding bracket500in the transverse direction. Correspondingly, the lower part includes a front/outer lower unit454and the rear/inner lower unit452stacked with each other. Similar to the grounding bracket500disclosed in the upper part410, the grounding bracket500of the lower part450also includes an extension510extending from the outer end in the transverse direction.

Different from the shield190of the first embodiment which is composed of the upper shell192and the lower shell194, the metallic shield of the second embodiment includes a main shell320and a pair of side shells/plates490to assemble the upper part410and the lower part450together. The main shell320adapted to be upwardly assembled into the housing310after the contact module400is forwardly assembled into the housing310, includes a U-shaped structure with retention tabs322retained within the corresponding holes312of the housing310, a plurality of downwardly extending legs328for mounting to the printed circuit board, and a plurality of slots324for allowing the extensions510to extend therethrough, and a plurality of slots326to allow the corresponding protrusions (not labeled) formed on the insulative body of the rear/inner lower part452to extend therethrough. The side shells490are assembled upon the two opposite lateral sides of the insulative bodies of the contact module400. Each side shell490forms a plurality of holes492to receive the corresponding extensions510to extending therethrough, and a hole494to receive the aforementioned corresponding protrusions formed on the insulative body of the rear/inner lower part452. The solder material may be applied into the holes492,494to mechanically and electrically connect the extensions510with the side shell490and the main shell320.

After the side shells490are assembled upon the contact module400, the extensions510are bent with ninety degrees to have the upper part410and the lower part450secured with each other via the corresponding side shells490. The front contacting sections of the contacts extend into the front mating cavity of the housing310.