Connector having improved insulative housing

A connector (100) includes an insulative housing (1), a set of contacts (3) attached to the insulative housing, and a metal shell shielding the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base portion (11) and a tongue portion (12) extending forwardly from the base portion. The base portion has a pair of first bumps (1124) protruding therefrom and located at two sides thereof, and a second bumps (1125) protruding therefrom and located between the first bumps. The metal shell has a pair of first notches (44) locating at two sides thereof and locking with the first bumps, and a second notch (45) located between the first notches and locking with the second bumps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an USB connector or the like, and more particularly to an USB connector in which an insulative housing is provided with a bump interengaged with a notch defined on a rear portion of a metallic shell.

2. Description of Related Art

At present, Universal Serial BUS (USB) is a widely used as an input/output interface adapted for many electronic devices, such as personal computer and related peripherals. A conventional USB plug connector usually comprises an insulative housing defining a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, a plurality of contacts retained in the base portion and extending in the tongue portion for mating with a receptacle connector, and a metal shell shielding the insulative housing and defining an interface with the tongue portion extending therein. Typically, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,422,488 issued on Sep. 9, 2008.

The contacts have contacting portions coupled to the tongue portion, and tail portions retained in a rear portion of the base portion and extending out of the rear portion in some prior arts. The rear portion of the insulative housing which is usually very thin as compared with other and may be readily warped in a height direction, and in case of such deformation the tail portions of the contacts will lose its coplanarity rending unwanted defects.

Hence, an improved connector with an improved housing is desired to overcome the above problems.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a connector comprises: an insulative housing having a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the base portion comprising a pair of first bumps protruding therefrom and located at two sides thereof, and a second bumps protruding therefrom and located between the first bumps; a plurality of contacts attached to the insulative housing; and a metal shell shielding the insulative housing, the metal shell defining a pair of first notches locating at two sides thereof and locking with the first bumps, and a second notch located between the first notches and locking with the second bumps.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a connector comprises: an insulative housing having a base portion defining a second bump protruding upwardly from an upper face thereof and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the second bump having at least one securing slot formed thereon; a plurality of contacts attached to the insulative housing; and a metal shell shielding the insulative housing, the metal shell defining a top plate disposed upon the upper face of the base portion, a bottom plate opposite to the top plate, and a pair of side plates connecting the top and bottom plates. The top plate defines at least one securing portion formed thereon for being retained in the securing slots so as to lock with the second bump in a height direction of the insulative housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details.

Referring toFIGS. 1-3, a connector100according to an embodiment of the present invention is an A type USB 3.0 plug connector and defines an interface101. The connector100comprises an insulative housing1, a set of contacts3coupled to the insulative housing1, an insulator2coupled to the insulative housing1, and a metal shell4shielding the insulative housing1and the insulator2.

Referring toFIGS. 3-7, The insulative housing1includes a base portion11and a tongue portion12extending forwardly from a front end of the base portion11. The base portion11has a first portion111defining a retaining slot1110for receiving the insulator2and a pair of side walls113located at two lateral sides of the retaining slot1110, and a second portion112extending backwardly from the first portion111. The first portion111and the second portion112form as a ladder shape which can be presented explicitly inFIG. 7.

Referring toFIGS. 3-6, each side wall113has a first and second protrusions1131,1132protruding outwardly from an outer face thereof, and a recess1135depressed from an inner face thereof and communicating with the retaining slot1110. The recess1135locates between the first and second protrusions1131,1132in a front-to-back direction. The first portion111has a first opening1112passing therethrough in a height direction of the insulative housing1and communicating with the retaining slot1110, a vertical face1120facing the retaining slot1110, and a pair of embossments1113protruding into the retaining slot1110and located between the first opening1112and the vertical face1120. The second portion112has a horizontal upper face1121perpendicular to the vertical face1120, a plurality of ribs1122protruding upwardly from the upper face1121, and a plurality of cavities1123exposed to exterior and formed between each two adjacent ribs1122.

The second portion112has a pair of first bumps1124protruding upwardly and outwardly therefrom, and a second bump1125protruding upwardly from the upper face1121and located between the first bumps1124in a transverse direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. The second bump1125is higher than the first bumps1124and has a pair of securing slots11252formed at two lateral sides thereof for retaining the metal shell4.

Referring toFIGS. 4-7, the insulator2is received in the retaining slot1110and has a pair of upheavals231protruding outwardly from two side surfaces23thereof. The upheavals231are received in the corresponding recesses1135. Each upheaval231has a flange233protruding outwardly therefrom and being locked into a slit1130formed in the recess1135. Therefore, the insulator2could be retained in the insulative housing1reliably. When the insulator2is assembled to the retaining slot1110, front and back clearances234,235are defined between the side surface23of the insulator2and the corresponding inner face of the side wall113at front and back of the upheaval231, the first and second protrusions1131,1132are corresponding to the front and back clearances234,235in the transverse direction. When the metal shell4is assembled to the insulative housing1, the side wall113will have an elastic deformation at the front and back clearances234,235, therefore, the metal shell4could pass over the first and second protrusions1131,1132smoothly so as to prevent the first and second protrusions1131,1132from abrasion. The tongue portion12has a number of projections122spaced from each other in the transverse direction and forms a number of passageways123between each two adjacent projections122. The insulator2is retained between the embossments1113and the projections122in the front-to-back direction.

Referring toFIGS. 6-7, the contacts3are adapted for USB 3.0 protocol, and include a number of first contacts31and a number of second contacts32. The first contacts31are adapted for USB 2.0 protocol and connected by two first contact carriers310before the first contacts31being made out. The first contacts31are insert molded into the insulative housing1. The two first contact carriers310will be cut off from the first opening1112and a second opening125passing through the tongue portion12in the height direction so that the first contacts31could be separated from each other. The first contacts31include stiff first contacting portions312retained in the tongue portion12and exposed to the interface101, first connecting portions311bending downwardly and extending backwardly from back ends of the first contacting portions312, first bending portions314bending upwardly from back ends of the first connecting portions311, first offset portions313extending backwardly from the first connecting portions311and offsetting horizontally, and first tail portions315connecting the first offsetting portions313and extending backwardly beyond the second portion112. The two first contact carriers310connect the first contacts31at the first contacting portions312and the first connecting portions311. The second contacts32are connected by a second contact carrier320before the second contacts32being made out and include resilient second contacting portions322received in the passageways123of the tongue portion12, second connecting portions321extending backwardly from back ends the second contacting portions322and retained in retaining holes24passing through the insulator2in the front-to-back direction, second bending portions324bending upwardly from the second connecting portions321and extending through a space formed between the vertical face1120and the insulator2, second offset portions323extending backwardly and offsetting horizontally, and second tail portions325connecting the second offset portions323and extending backwardly beyond the second portion112. The second offset portions323are retained in the cavities1123of the second portion112. The second contact carrier320connect the second contact32at the second offset portions323and is located upon the upper face1121. In this embodiment, the second contacts32are assembled to the insulator2so as to form a module retained in the insulative housing1, In other embodiments, the second contacts32could be insert molded into the insulator2to form a module retained in the insulative housing1.

Conjoined withFIG. 7, the first contacts31include a first grounding contact51, a power contact56, and a first pair of differential contacts53located between the first grounding contact51and the power contact56. The first offset portions313of the first grounding contact51and the power contact56offset oppositely along the transverse direction, therefore, a distance measured between the first tail portions315of the first grounding contact51and the power contact56is greater than a distance measured between the corresponding first contacting portions312or the corresponding first connecting portions311. The first offset portions313of the first pair of differential contacts53offset toward each other in the transverse direction, therefore, a distance measured between the first tail portions315of the first pair of differential contacts53is smaller than a distance measured between the corresponding first contacting portions312or the corresponding first connecting portions311.

The second contacts22include a second pair of differential contacts54, a third pair of differential contacts55, and a second grounding contact52located between the second and third pairs of differential contacts54,55. The second offset portions323of the second pair of differential contacts54offset toward each other in the transverse direction, therefore, a distance measured between the second tail portions325of the second pair of differential contacts54is smaller than a distance measured between the corresponding second contacting portions322or the corresponding second connecting portions321. Similarly, the second offset portions323of the third pair of differential contacts55offset toward each other in the transverse direction, therefore, a distance measured between the second tail portions325of the second pair of differential contacts54is smaller than a distance measured between the corresponding second contacting portions322or the corresponding second connecting portions321. The second bending portion324of the second grounding contact52has a width wider than those of the remaining second bending portions324and defines a through hole3241passing therethrough in the front-to-back direction. The second offset portion323of the second grounding contact52has a width wider than that of the second bending portion324and defines two split said second tail portions325spaced from each other in the transverse direction. The second bump1125is located between the two second tail portions325of the second grounding contact52.

The first and second tail portions315,325are arranged in one row, all of the second tail portions325are arranged between the first tail portions315of the first grounding contact51and the power contact56. In another word, relative to the first and second tail portions315,325, the first grounding contact51and the power contact56are arranged at two outermost sides. The second tail portions325of the second pair of differential contacts54are arranged between the first tail portion315of the power contact56and one second tail portion325of the second grounding contact52, the second tail portions325of the third pair of differential contacts55are arranged between the first tail portion315of the first grounding contact51and the other second tail portion of the second grounding contact52. Referring toFIG. 3, all of the first and second tail portions315,325viewed from a back view and a left-to-right direction are arranged in the following specific sequence: power contact56(P)the second pair of differential contacts54(S+, S−)the second grounding contact53(G)the first pair of differential contacts52(S−, S+)the second grounding contacts53(G)the third pair of differential contacts55(S+, S−)the first grounding contact51(G). Therefore, in the first and second tail portions315,325, each adjacent two pairs of the first, second and third pairs of differential contacts53,54,55has a grounding contact52located therebetween, the space between the first, second and third differential contacts53,54,55can be increased, the interference between the first, second and third differential contacts53,54,55can be reduced more effectively.

Referring toFIGS. 1-4, the metal shell4surrounds the tongue plate12to form the interface101and includes a top plate41, a bottom plate42and a pair of side plates43connecting the top and bottom plates41,42. The metal shell4has a pair of first notches44formed between the top plate12and two side plates43and engaging with the corresponding first bumps1124, a second notch45formed in a back side of the top plate41and engaging with the second bump1125. The first bumps1124are received in the corresponding first notches44and resist the metal shell4forwardly, inwardly and downwardly. The second bump1125is received in the second notch45. The top plate41has two securing portions451on two sides of the second notch45retained in the securing slots11252so that the top plate41could be orientated in the second bump1125in the height direction. Therefore, the second portion112has two sides resisted upwardly and outwardly by the metal shell4via the first bumps1124cooperating with the first notches44, and a midst portion orientated along the height direction by the metal shell4via the second bump1125cooperating with the second notch45, the second portion112could be presented from warp along the height direction, and the first and second tail portions315,325will be preferably coplanar in a horizontal plane for being soldered to a printed circuit board reliably. In another embodiment, the second bump1125could have only one said securing slot11252formed thereon, the top plate41has one said securing portion451extending backwardly from a rear end thereof and being retained in said securing slot11252. When the metal shell4is assembled to the insulative housing1along the front-to-back direction, the side wall113will have an elastic deformation at the front and back clearances234,235, therefore, the side plates43of the metal shell4could pass over the first and second protrusions1131,1132smoothly, and the first and second protrusions1131,1132could be prevented from abrasion.