Electrical connector with a sleeve therein

An electrical connector includes an insulating housing (1) defining a receiving cavity (10) with an opening (101) opened forward and running through a mating face (11). A plurality of terminals are mounted in the insulating housing. A cover (4) defines a space for partly receiving the insulating housing therein, and includes a front wall (43) with an aperture (430) corresponding with the opening (101). A shell (5) is provided for shielding the insulating housing and the cover. A sleeve (3) has a base portion (32) sandwiched between the mating face (11) and the front wall (43) of the cover (4), and a ring (31) projecting forward through the aperture (430), therefore the sleeve can not release from the insulating housing easily.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector with a ring assembled therein.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,127 issued to Li et al. on Apr. 22, 2003 discloses an electrical connector for signal transmission. The electrical connector includes a housing mounted with a plurality of terminals and forming a cylindraceous mating portion protruding forward from the housing for receiving a mating plug therein. The electrical connector further comprises an insulating sleeve assembled in an inner side of the mating portion and locked with the mating portion by a pair of hooks buckling with an end of the mating portion and a plurality of ribs interfering with the inner side of the mating portion. However, the sleeve may release from the mating portion after multiple usage of the mating plug. Hence, an electrical connector which can solve the problem is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for steadily fastening a sleeve therein.

In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector includes an insulating housing defining a receiving cavity with an opening opened forward and running through a mating face. A plurality of terminals are mounted in the insulating housing. A cover defines a space for partly receiving the insulating housing therein and has a front wall with an aperture corresponding with the opening. A sleeve has a base portion sandwiched between the mating face and front wall of the cover, and a ring projecting forward through the aperture. A shell is provided for shielding the insulating housing and cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe a preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail. Referring toFIGS. 1 and 3, an electrical connector100according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is provided and comprises an insulating housing1, a plurality of terminals2mounted in the housing1, a sleeve3mounted in the housing1, a cover4fastening the sleeve3and mounted on the housing1, a shell5surrounding the housing1and the cover4, and a flake6attached to a mating face11of the housing1.

The insulating housing1defines a receiving cavity10running through the mating face11thereby defining an opening101for guiding a mating plug to be inserted. A recess portion111is defined around the opening101and recessed rearward, with a gap112defined at an upper portion of the housing and communicating with the receiving cavity10. A grounding terminal2is fixed in an upper wall of the housing and includes a contacting portion21projecting into the receiving cavity through the gap112. Each side wall of the insulating housing1is in a step configuration and comprises a first side wall12at a front end thereof and a second side wall13at a rear end and protruding outward. Each first and second side walls12,13form a protrusion portion121,131protruding outward for locking with the shell5.

The metallic sleeve3includes an annular base portion32and a ring31extending forward from the base portion32, wherein the ring is in a smaller dimension than the base portion32. A hole311is defined on the sleeve3corresponding with the gap112on the insulating housing1.

Referring toFIGS. 3 and 4, the cover4includes a rectangular body portion41, a pair of side wall42extending downward from opposite side edges of the body portion41, a front wall43extending downward from a front edge of the body portion41and connecting with the side wall42, thereby defining a space surrounded by the three walls. An aperture430is defined on the front wall43for receiving the sleeve3and in communication with the space, and an annular extending portion431projecting forward from circumference of the aperture430. A slot4311corresponding with the hole311is defined at a joint portion of the body portion41and front wall43. A plurality of ribs4312are provided in an inner side wall of the extending portion431for improving the interfering force.

Referring toFIGS. 5 and 6, the sleeve3is inserted into the cover4from a rear end, the ring31of the sleeve3projects forward and exposes to an exterior of the extending portion431by running through the aperture430, meanwhile, circumference of the ring31is interfering with the ribs4312on the extending portion431for retention, and the base portion32is blocked by a rear end of the extending portion431(i.e. an inner face432of the front wall43) for preventing the forward movement of the sleeve3. The slot4311on the extending portion431is aligned with the hole311on the ring31at this time, therefore, the sleeve3is primarily mounted on the cover4.

Referring toFIGS. 2 and 3, the cover4together with the sleeve3is assembled onto the insulating housing1. The side walls42of the cover4are tightly affixed to the first walls12with rear ends abutting against front ends of the second walls13, and the protrusion portions121,131of the first and second walls12,13are received in apertures421defined at lower ends of the side walls42. The front wall43is tightly affixed to the mating face11of the housing1with the base portion32received in the recess portion111and the contacting portion21of the contact2projecting into the hole311on the sleeve and slot4311on the extending portion. The body portion41covers the upper wall of the housing1and sandwiches the terminal2together with the upper wall of the housing. Under this condition, the sleeve3is finally retained between the cover4and the insulating housing1, and can not move toward any direction. Then, the shell5is assembled onto the housing1with a top wall51covering the base portion41of the cover4, locking holes521,522defined on each side wall52being locked with corresponding protrusion portions121,131, and a rear wall53shielding the rear ends of the housing1and cover4. Finally, the flake6is attached onto the front wall43of the cover4for beautiful looking, therefore, an integral electrical connector has been made with steadily retention effect.

In the present invention, the sleeve3is primarily assembled onto a cover4and then assembled onto the housing1so that the sleeve3is sandwiched between the housing1and the cover4and can not release from the housing easily.