Abstract:
A shielded connector assembly having an electrical connector and a recharging connector portion. The electrical connector having a first insulating housing with contacts disposed therein, a first fixing portion, and a shielding shell disposed about the first insulating housing. The recharging connector portion including a second insulating housing having a terminal, and a second fixing portion that engages the first fixing portion to detachably mount the recharging connector portion to the housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a shielded connector assembly having a recharging connector portion.  
         DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
         [0002]    Various types of electrical connectors, such as cellular telephones, are provided with a metallic shielding shell to protect signal paths of the connector from external electromagnetic waves. The shielding shell is formed to cover an outer periphery of an insulating housing having electrical contacts therein. The shielding shell may be formed by punching and bending a metal plate into a standarized dimension and shape, such as a cube or a cylinder.  
           [0003]    Shielded connectors used for cellular telephones are commonly referred to as a “combined type.” The combined type shielded connector is provided with a recharging connector portion to add a recharging function thereto. An example of a combined type shielded connector assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,660 titled “Portable Phone Composite Connector.” The portable phone composite connector has an input/output (I/O) connector portion and a recharging connector portion with recharging terminals provided within a single shielded connector assembly.  
           [0004]    The configuration of the recharging terminals, such as the interval therebetween, varies from one manufacturer of cellular telephones to another. Because the connector portion and the recharging connector portion are integrally formed, when the recharging connector portion is configured differently, the entire shielded connector assembly must be rebuilt. In addition, because the recharging connector portion is not securely fixed, repeated use of the recharging connector portion often results in positional misalignment.  
           [0005]    It is therefore desirable to provide a shielded connector assembly wherein the recharging connector portion is fixed onto a circuit board to withstand positional misalignment from repeated usage. It is further desirable to provide a shielded connector assembly wherein various configurations of recharging terminals are easily accommodated by simply changing the recharging connector portion.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    The invention relates to a shielded connector assembly having an electrical connector and a recharging connector portion. The electrical connector having a first insulating housing with contacts disposed therein, a first fixing portion, and a shielding shell disposed about the first insulating housing. The recharging connector portion including a second insulating housing having a terminal, and a second fixing portion that engages the first fixing portion to detachably mount the recharging connector portion to the housing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shielded connector of the present invention viewed from a side of an engagement opening.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the connector of FIG. 1.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the shielded connector assembly of the present invention from the side of the engagement opening.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the shielded connector assembly of FIG. 3 divided into the shielded connector and the recharging connector portion from below the side of the engagement opening.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a plan side view of the shielded connector assembly of FIG. 3.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the shielded connector assembly from below the side of the engagement opening. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0013]    The present invention relates to a shielded connector assembly  100  having a shielded connector  1  and a recharging connector portion  102 . FIGS.  1 - 2  show the shielded connector  1  having an insulating housing  2  covered by a shielding shell  8 . As shown most clearly in FIG. 2, the housing  2  has a horizontal engagement rib  26  and a cylindrical protrusion  28 . A plurality of contacts  4  are arranged on the engagement rib  26  and are separated from each other by a plurality of walls  26   a . The cylindrical protrusion  28  houses a coaxial contact  6 . The coaxial contact  6  has a central contact  6   a  and an arcuate outer contact  6   b . Steps  32  are formed on both sides of a bottom  30  of the housing  2 . A plate  23  that abuts a rear edge  21  of a lower shell  8   b  is formed on the bottom  30  of the housing  2  and extends in a lengthwise direction thereof (the horizontal direction in FIG. 2). Holes  36  are formed at both sides of an upper portion of the housing  2 .  
         [0014]    A top guide piece  44  is formed at a forward edge of the upper wall  14  and extends from one side wall  12  to the other side wall  12 . The top guide piece  44  guides a mating connector (not shown) into engagement opening  24 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, rectangular openings  42  are formed in the upper wall  14  and the side walls  12 ,  12 . The rectangular openings  42  engage locking arms (not shown) of the mating connector (not shown). The locking arms (not shown) of the mating connector (not shown) engage with the openings  42  to lock the connectors to each other.  
         [0015]    As shown most clearly in FIG. 1, tongue pieces  40  formed from U-shaped slits  38  are positioned in the vicinity of both edges of the upper wall  14 . The tongue pieces  40  extend forward (the direction toward the engagement opening  24  or the foreground in FIGS. 1 and 2) and downward. The tongue pieces  40  act as contact pieces for electrical grounding and contact a shielding shell (not shown) of the mating connector (not shown) that is received in the engagement opening  24 . Although the tongue pieces  40  are described as extending forward in this embodiment, the tongue pieces may alternatively be formed to extend backward.  
         [0016]    Each of the side walls  12  has an engagement protrusion  46 . The engagement protrusion  46  is integrally formed with the upper shell  8   a  and has a tapered shape. Barbs  46   a  are formed on both sides of the engagement protrusion  46 . The engagement protrusion  46  extends upward from a fold back portion  47  and a horizontal portion  47   a  that extends horizontally from an approximate center of a lower edge  12   a  of each of the side walls  12 . The fold back portion  47  and the horizontal portion  47   a  are integrally formed with the upper shell  8   a . Because the fold back portions  47 , the horizontal portions  47   a , and the engagement protrusions  46  are integrally formed, conservation of space may be achieved. The vertical position of the fold back portion  47  is such that the fold back portion  47  is surface mountable to a circuit board (not shown) when the shielded connector  1  is mounted thereon. The fold back portion  47  and the engagement protrusion  46  are collectively referred to as fixing portions  45 .  
         [0017]    A pair of downwardly extending legs or tines  48  is integrally formed at the lower edges  12   a  of each of the side walls  12 . The tines  48  are received in apertures (not shown) of the circuit board (not shown) and soldered thereto when the shielded connector  1  is mounted on the circuit board (not shown). Although the tines  48  are described as extending downward, the tines  48  may alternatively be formed to extend outward so as to enable surface mounting similar to the fold back portions  47 .  
         [0018]    The lower shell  8   b  has a lower wall  20  that has upwardly extending side walls  18 . Engagement pieces  52  protrude from both sides of a rear portion of the lower wall  20 . The engagement pieces  52  are press-fit into holes (not shown) formed in the bottom  30  of the housing  2  and are engaged thereto when the shielding shell  8  and the housing  2  are assembled. A pair of latch arms or second locking members  16  is formed on each of the side walls  18  of the lower shell  8   b . The latch arms  16  incline outwardly and correspond with the engagement apertures  10  to be fixed at upper ends thereof. The distance between the side walls  18  is shorter than the distance between the side walls  12  of the upper shell  8   a  so that the side walls  18  of the lower shell  8   b  are disposed inside the side walls  12  of the upper shell  8   a  when the upper shell  8   a  and lower shell  8   b  are assembled.  
         [0019]    A bottom guide piece  54  is formed at a forward edge of the lower wall  20  and extends from one side wall  18  to the other side wall  18 . Side guide pieces  56  are formed on each of the side walls  18 . The bottom and side guide pieces  54 ,  56  guide the mating connector (not shown) into the engagement opening  24 .  
         [0020]    The side walls  18  have cut-outs  58  corresponding to the openings  42  of the upper shell  8   a . Steps  50  are formed between the lower wall  20  and the side walls  18 . The steps  50  surround the housing  2  along the step  32  of the housing  2  when the shielding shell  8  and the housing  2  are assembled.  
         [0021]    When the shielded connector  1  is assembled, the engagement pieces  57  of the upper shell  8   a  are press-fit into the holes  36  of the housing  2  to fix the upper shell to the housing  2 . The engagement pieces  52  of the lower shell  8   b  are press-fit into the holes (not shown) on the bottom  30  of the housing  2  to fix the lower shell  8   b  to the housing  2 . The side walls  18  of the lower shell  8   b  are disposed inside the side walls  12  of the upper shell  8   a  so that the side walls  12  and the side walls  18  overlap. The latch arms  16  engage with the engagement apertures  10  to fix the upper shell  8   a  and the lower shell  8   b  to each other.  
         [0022]    Deformation in the vertical direction is prevented when a prying force is applied in the vertical direction due to the construction described above, wherein the upper shell  8   a  and lower shell  8   b  are held so not to separate in the vertical direction. When a prying force is applied in the horizontal direction, the side walls  12  of the upper shell  8   a  prevent the opening of the lower shell  8   b  so that deformation is prevented. In addition, because the upper shell  8   a  is fixed to a circuit board by soldering the tines  48  thereto, vertical as well as horizontal movement of the upper shell  8   a  becomes difficult. This fixing further increases the effect of preventing deformation, and the shield shell  8  is structured to resist deformation due to prying forces and external forces in any direction.  
         [0023]    The recharging connector portion  102  will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 3 through 5. The recharging connector portion  102  has an insulative housing  103 . The housing  103  has an upper wall  104  that covers the upper wall  14  of the upper shell  8   a , outer walls  106  that extend downward from both edges of the upper wall  104  to cover the side walls  12  of the upper shell  8   a , and flanges  108  that extend horizontally outward from lower edges of the outer walls  106 . Front walls  110  extend in the same plane as the engagement opening  24  to the sides thereof and are integrally formed with the outer walls  106  and the flanges  108 .  
         [0024]    Electrodes or terminals  113  are provided on outer edges of the front walls  110 . The terminals  113  have conductive pads  114  for contacting contact elements (not shown) of a recharging device (not shown) and for providing current to a battery (not shown). The conductive pads  114  are press-fit into grooves  116 , shown in FIG. 4, that extend from lower surfaces to upper regions of the front walls  110 . Substantially rectangular openings  118  communicate with the grooves  116  and are open toward a front side to enable access to the conductive pads  114 , which are press fit into the grooves  116  through the openings  118 . In the alternative, the grooves  116  may be formed to open to the upper surface of the front walls  110 , and the terminals may be inserted therein from above. Barbs for engaging the grooves  116  may be formed on side edges of the conductive pads  114  press-fit therein. Because the conductive pads  114  are exposed to an exterior, when a cellular phone is placed on the recharging device (not shown), electrical contact pieces thereof contact the conductive pads  114  to enable recharging.  
         [0025]    Tines  120  are formed on the lower edges of the conductive pads  114 . The tines  120  extend along the lower surfaces of the flanges  108  and are bent downward. The tines  120  are directly electrically connected to conductive paths (not shown) of the circuit board by soldering to form a circuit independent of the shielded connector  1 .  
         [0026]    Receiving holes or second fixing portions  124  having receiving openings  122  are formed on the lower surfaces of the outer walls  106  and extend upward to within the outer walls  106 . The receiving holes  124  correspond to the engagement protrusions  46 , shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and are dimensioned so that the engagement protrusions  46  may be press-fit therein. The barbs  46   a  of the engagement protrusions  46  engage with inner walls of the receiving holes  124  to fix the engagement protrusions  46  therein. Although the second fixing portions  124  are formed as holes  124 , the second fixing portions  124  may also be formed as grooves having receiving openings, or dovetail grooves. Because the engagement protrusions  46  extend upward and the corresponding holes  124  are also formed upward, press-fitting is thereby facilitated.  
         [0027]    As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, columnar bosses  112  are formed on lower surfaces of each of the flanges  108 . The bosses  112  are inserted into openings of the circuit board (not shown) when the shielded connector assembly  100  is mounted thereto to position the recharging connector portion  102 .  
         [0028]    The assembly of the recharging connector portion  102  to the shielded connector  1  will now be described with reference to FIG. 6. The recharging connector portion  102  is mounted on the shielded connector  1  by positioning the upper wall  104  of the recharging connector portion  102  adjacent to the upper wall  14  of the upper shell  8   a  so that the lower surfaces of the outer walls  106  and the front walls  110  are in substantially the same plane as the lower surface of the lower shell  8   b . The engagement protrusions  46  are press-fit in the receiving holes  124 . The tines  48  of the upper shell  8   a  and the tines  120  of the recharging terminals  113  are inserted through apertures of the circuit board (not shown) and fixed by soldering thereto. Thus, the shielded connector assembly  100  is mounted in a stable condition on the circuit board (not shown), and the recharging connector portion  102  is securely mounted to the shielded connector  1 . For additional stability, the horizontal portions  47   a  of the engagement protrusions  46  may be surface mounted to the circuit board (not shown) by soldering. The horizontal portion  47   a  increases the soldering area, therefore, enhanced soldering strength may be obtained. Screws (not shown) may also be inserted through apertures  126  in the flanges  108  and attached to the circuit board (not shown).  
         [0029]    Because the engagement protrusions  46  are press-fit in the receiving holes  124 , the recharging connector portion  102  may be solidly fixed from an exterior of the shielded connector  1  without positional misalignment. Additionally, if the separate recharging connector portion  102  is exchanged, only the recharging connector portion  102  needs to be replaced. In this manner, recharging terminals of different configurations may be easily accommodated.  
         [0030]    The foregoing illustrates some of the possibilities for practicing the invention. Many other embodiments are possible within the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, the fold back portions  47  may be of a U-shape, without the horizontal portions  47   a . In addition, the engagement protrusions  46  need not extend upward, but may alternatively extend forward or backward. In this case, the receiving holes  124  of the recharging connector portion  102  may be formed to extend forward or backward, corresponding to the engagement protrusions  46 . It is, therefore, intended that the foregoing description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting, and that the scope of the invention is given by the appended claims together with their full range of equivalents.