An optical-electric connector (100) includes an insulating housing (10), a number of terminals, an optical element (40) and a shielding shell (30). The insulating housing (10) defines a mating face (11) having a mating hole (111) thereon, a receiving room (13) communicating with the mating hole and a number of terminal slots (15) receiving the terminals. The optical element is assembled in the insulating housing. The shielding shell substantially encloses the insulating housing and comprises a grounding tab (33) extending from an upper face thereof, the terminal comprises a grounding terminal and a detecting terminal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a connector, and particularly relates to an optical-electric connector for receiving an audio and an optical plug selectively.

2. Description of Prior Arts

Miniaturized audio visual apparatuses such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player/recorder, MD (Mini-Disk) player/recorder, etc., portable audio apparatuses such as an MD portable player/recorder, CD portable player/recorder, memory type audio apparatus (audio apparatus using a memory card), etc., personal computer, mobile communication apparatuses such as a mobile phone, pocket or portable telephone etc., or the like have been miniaturized more and more in their external configurations or shapes and dimensions or sizes, and accordingly, an input terminals and/or output terminals built in or mounted to these electronic apparatuses have been also miniaturized. Particularly, in recent years, with the advance of optical connector mounted on thereto as an optical signal input terminal for receiving an optical or light digital signal or an optical signal output terminals for outputting an optical connector to the optical cable.

An optical connector mounted to any one of various electronic apparatuses and appliances has a light receiving element or light emitting element housed in the connector body thereof, and for instance, one of two optical plugs mounted to an optical cable at opposed ends thereof respectively, that transmits an optical or light digital signal is directly plugged in the optical connector, so that an optical digital signal is transmitted from the optical cable to the optical connector or from the optical connector to the optical cable.

A conventional optical-electric connector usually comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of signal terminals received in the housing. And a grounding terminal received in the housing. But in the conventional optical-electric connector, signal terminals are engaged with signal portion of a corresponding plug before the grounding terminal contacts with grounding terminal of the plug connector. A noise may be produced before the grounding terminals contacting each other. Further the conventional optical-electric connector has not provided a detecting terminal for detecting whether an audio plug or an optical plug being plugged in.

Hence, it is desirable to have an optical-electric connector with an improved grounding terminal and detecting terminal to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical-electric connector with a grounding terminal for obtaining better anti-EMI effectiveness and a detecting terminal.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an optical-connector comprises an insulating housing, a plurality of signal terminals, a grounding terminal, a detecting terminal, an optical element and a shielding shell, the insulating housing defines a mating face having a mating hole thereon, a receiving room communicating with the mating hole and a plurality of terminal slots, the terminals are received in the terminal slots of the insulating housing, the optical element assembled in the insulating housing, the shielding shell substantially encloses the insulating housing, the grounding terminal is assembled in a proper position for contacting with a grounding portion of a corresponding audio plug before the signal terminals contacting each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference toFIGS. 1 to 4, an optical-electric connector100in accordance with the present invention is a straight-shaped jack connector for receiving an audio plug or an optical plug selectively, and comprises an insulating housing10, a plurality of signal terminals60,70,80and a grounding terminal501, a detecting terminal502received in the insulating housing10respectively, a retainer20, an optical element40for receiving/emitting optical signal and a shielding shell30enclosing the housing10.

The shielding shell30comprises a flat portion31, two pairs of lateral plates32extending downwardly from the opposed ends of the flat portion31, and a rear portion (not labeled) extending downwardly from a back end of the flat portion31. A pair of resilient plate33curvedly extending upwardly and rearwardly from the flat portion31and has a contacting portion at the distal end thereof. Each lateral plate32defines a retaining hole321thereon. The lateral plate32at a back side of the flat portion31has leg portion322comprising a supporting portion323extending horizontally from a bottom side thereof and a tab324extending downwardly from the supporting portion323.

With reference toFIG. 3in conjuction withFIG. 2, the insulating housing10comprises an upper wall101, a pair of side walls12extending downwardly from the upper wall101, a front wall11extending downwardly from a front edge of the upper wall101, and a rear wall102extending from a back edge of the upper wall101, A pair of depressed portions121are formed at the center of the side walls12, respectively. Each side wall12defines a pair of cutouts122thereof corresponding to the retaining holes321of the shielding shell30. The front wall11is higher than the rear wall102and defines a mating hole111having an inner mating face112therethrough for insertion of a mating plug (not shown). A pair of keys113protrudes inwardly on the inner mating face112. The front wall11comprises a mating face for mating with the plug and a pair of swallow-slots114at an inner face thereof. The insulating housing10comprises a receiving room divided into a front receiving room13and a rear receiving room14by a separating portion16. A connecting hole161is formed on the separating portion16in a position aligning with the mating hole111of the front wall11. A plurality of terminal slots15are formed near to the two sides of the front receiving room13and communicate with the front receiving room13.

With reference toFIGS. 2,4. Each Terminals60,70,80comprises a base portion61,71,81with a leg portion63,72,83extending downwardly respectively, the resilient terminal60further has a resilient arm62extending rearwardly into the front receiving room13of insulating housing10. The resilient arm62has contacting portion621and an end portion622at the distal end thereof. The resilient terminal60and the retaining terminal70can be electrically connected or spaced like a switch. The terminal80further has a resilient arm82extending frontwardly into the front receiving room13of the insulating housing10. Terminals50comprise a grounding terminal501and a detecting terminal502formed almost symmetrically. Each detecting terminal502comprises a base portion51with a projection511formed thereon, a leg512extending downwardly from the base portion51. A C-shaped contacting portion52formed on an edge of the base portion51with a leg53extending downwardly. The grounding terminal501has a base portion, a contacting portion521, legs521,5121each forms almost symmetrically to that of the detecting terminal502.

With reference toFIG. 2, the retainer20has a front face with a pair of swallow-blocks211thereon for being received in the swallow-slots114on the insulating housing10. The lateral edges of the retainer20define a plurality of protrusions212for being received in the cutouts122of the insulating housing10. A plurality of passageways24is defined on the retainer20for retaining corresponding terminals. A pair of supporting blocks22is formed near the passageways24for properly positioning the retainer20with respect to the housing10. The retainer20defines a receiving portion for receiving the optical element40. The receiving portion comprises three plugging holes251and a pair of retaining blocks25formed between the plugging holes251. Refer toFIG. 2. The optical element40comprises a receiving portion400, legs41, and the receiving portion400of the optical element40comprises a plugging hole401for the optical plug to extending therethrough.

For better showing the relationship between the members of the connector, the terminals and the optical element40is assembled on the retainer20. Actually, terminals50,60,70,80are first received in the corresponding terminal slots15of the insulative housing10, the optical element40is assembled in the back receiving room14, and then the retainer20is engaged into the insulating housing10in a down-to-up direction. The terminal slots15are big enough for receiving corresponding terminals on the retainer20. The C-shaped contacting portions52,521are assembled in two sides of the inner mating face112respectively and between keys113. The supporting blocks22support the terminals50not to be curved while the plug is inserted into the connector100. The protrusions212are received in the corresponding cutouts122of the insulating housing10. Each terminal extends into the corresponding passageway24and beyond the bottom face of insulating housing10. The receiving portion400of the optical element40(reference toFIG. 2) locates in a line with the connecting hole161of the separating portion16of the insulating housing10and a retaining structure (not shown) for engaging with the retaining blocks25of the retainer20. The part terminals and the optical element40beyond the bottom face of the insulative housing are soldered to the printed circuit board (not shown).

At last, the shielding shell30encloses the insulating housing10and the retainer20. The shielding shell30has its retaining holes321engaging with the protrusions212of the retainer20, meantime, the supporting portion323of the lateral plates32of the shielding shell30engages with the bottom face of the insulating housing10for supporting the insulating housing10and the retainer20. The tabs324of the lateral plates32are used to ensure the connector100on a right position.

Refer toFIGS. 5-7, the connector100is engaged with an audio plug200, the plug200comprises a first contacting portion2001, a second contacting portion2002and a grounding portion2003. When the plug200is plugged on the connector100, the grounding terminal501is assembled in a proper position to contact with the grounding portion2003before the contacting portions2001,2002contacting with the signal terminals60,70and80in the connector100. It prevents the connector from producing a noise when the plug plugged therein. Further more the connector100has a detecting terminal502to detect whether an audio plug or an optical plug is plugged therein.