Abstract:
An electrical connector ( 100 ) according to the present invention includes an insulative housing ( 1 ) and a pair of conductive terminals ( 2 ). The housing includes a wire connecting portion ( 11 ) for connecting a wire and a mating port ( 10 ) with a receiving space ( 101 ) at the center thereof adapted for receiving a complementary connector, and the wire connecting portion defines a plurality of surfaces. The pair of conductive terminals include mating portions ( 22 ) received in the receiving space and soldering portions ( 21 ) surface mounted on different surfaces of the wire connecting portion of the housing so that the soldering portion of the terminals is separated by the wire connecting portion of the housing.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly, to an electrical connector with contact terminals isolated from each other within the housing. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,744 discloses an electrical connector which includes a connector housing, a cable and a plurality of terminals. The terminals are held in the connector housing and each comprises a tail which extends out the connector housing to be soldered to the cable. A wire management member is joint to the connector housing to support the tails of terminals. However, the tails of the terminals are arranged in cantilevered form and are critical before the wire management member is mounted on the connector housing. Moreover, the connector housing has to be wide enough to array the plurality of the terminals in a row. 
   Hence, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the above problems. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector with an improved housing which isolates conductive terminals therein. 
   In order to attain the object above, an electrical connector according to the present invention comprises an insulative housing and a pair of conductive terminals. The housing includes a wire connecting portion for connecting a wire and a mating port with a receiving space at the center thereof adapted for receiving a complementary connector, and the wire connecting portion defines a plurality of surfaces. The pair of conductive terminals include mating portions received in the receiving space and soldering portions surface mounted on different surfaces of the wire connecting portion of the housing so that the soldering portion of the terminals is separated by the wire connecting portion of the housing. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures and in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded, perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another aspect; 
       FIG. 3  is an assembled view of an electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 3  taken along lines  4 - 4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   Please referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , a power connector  100  according to the present invention comprises an insulative housing  1 , a pair of conductive terminals  2  disposed in the housing  1 , a conductive shell  3  partially covering the housing  1  and an insulative casing  4  located at the outermost. 
   Please referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , the housing  1  defines a front portion  10 , a rear portion  11 , a pair of sidewalls  12 ,  13 , and top and bottom walls  15  and  14 . The front portion  10  stands at the front of the housing  1  and comprises an annular enlargement portion  16  which has a notch  160  and an inclined surface  161 . The rear portion  11  forms a step portion  17  at the rear thereof, the rear portion  17  having a projection  170  and a supporting plate  171  extending backwards from a lower end of the projection  170  for supporting a cable (not shown). The projection  170  forms at the center thereof a cavity  172  with a stopper wall  18 , and there are a pair of gaps (not shown) between the stopper wall  18  and the sidewalls  12  and  13  to facilitate the terminals  2  to enter the front portion  10 . There are a pair of chambers  111  between the step portion  17  and the sidewalls  12  and  13  to communicate with the corresponding gaps, and each chamber  111  has a terminal passageway  110  adjacent to the step portion  17  to receive a terminal  2 . The sidewall  12  has an inclined surface  120 , and the sidewall  13  is of rectangular. A pair of grooves  102  are depressed in inner surfaces of the sidewalls  12  and  13 , and extend backwards from the enlargement portion  16  to the stopper wall  18 . The stopper wall  18  extends vertically and connects the grooves  102  and the terminal passages  110 . The housing  1  defines a receiving cavity  101  at its center to receive a complementary connector (not shown). The receiving cavity  101  extends backwards from a front surface of the front portion  10  to the stopper wall  18  and communicates with the grooves  102 . The top wall  15  has a rectangular indentation  150  and a channel  151  which extends forwards from the projection  170  and communicates with the receiving cavity  101 . The bottom wall  14  stands in a horizontal surface and has a pair of hollows  140 . 
   The pair of terminals  2  have the same configuration and each has a soldering portion  21 , a mating portion  22  and a Z-shaped connecting portion  23 . The soldering portion  21  forms a through-hole  210  for facilitating the soldering to the cable. The connecting portion  23  has a plurality of sawteeth  230  on its upper and lower edges to hold the terminal  2  in the housing  1 . The mating portion  22  comprises an embossed strip (not labeled) extending inwards from an inner surface of the mating portion  22  to contact a complementary connector, and a tip  220  at a free end for engaging with the housing  1  and guiding the complementary connector in contact with the mating portion  22 . The distance between the pair of the mating portions  22  is farther than that of the soldering portions  21 . 
   The conductive shell  3  is made of a single metal plate, and comprises a top wall  31 , a bottom wall  32  and a pair of first and second sidewalls  33  and  34  facing to each other. The top and bottom walls  31  and  32  have a plurality of spring tabs  310  and  320  which extend inwards and backwards to engage with the rectangular indentation  150  and the hollows  140  of the housing  1 . The top wall  31  and sidewalls  33  and  34  have a plurality of spring tabs  311  and  330  which extend forwards and outwards. The bottom wall  32  forms a ligule  321  at its front end to engage with the notch  160 , and a rectangular hole  322  at the rear end. A rear wall  36  with a round hole  360  at its center is formed in the rear of the shell  3 , and the round hole  360  is used for a cable to pass through. 
   The casing  4  covers the shell  3  and comprises a top wall  41 , a bottom wall  42  and a pair of sidewalls  43  and  44 . The top and bottom walls have a recess (not shown) to engage with the spring tab  311  of the shell, and a pair of arcuated protrusions  410  and  420 . The sidewalls  43  and  44  have a plurality of wrinkles (not labeled) to enlarge friction against the casing  4  and a pair of recesses  440  (referring to  FIG. 4 ) to engage with the spring tabs  330  of the shell  3 . The recesses  440  extend downwards through the bottom wall  42  to form a pair of openings  421 . A front portion  45  is formed at the front of the casing  4  and comprises a ring-shaped flange  451  and a receiving space  450  at its center. The receiving space  450  extends forwards into the rear end of the casing  4  to receive the shell  3 . 
   In assembly, firstly the terminal  2  are inserted the housing  1  along the projection  170 . The mating portions  22  pass through the gaps between the stopper wall  18  and the sidewalls  12  and  13  are disposed in the grooves  102 , the connecting portions  23  abut against the stopper wall  18  with the sawteeth  230  engaging with the housing  1  to hold them together, and the soldering portions  2  are received in the terminal passages  110  and spaced each other by the projection  170 . Secondly, the shell  3  encloses the housing  1 , the ligule  321  engaging with the notch  160  of the housing  1 , the spring tabs  320  and  310  respectively engaging with the hollows  140  and the indentation  150 . Finally, the casing  4  slides along a rear-to-front direction to partially enclose the shell  3 , with the recesses  440  (the recess of the top wall  41  not shown) engaging with the spring tabs  311  and  330 . Please referring to  FIG. 3 , the annular enlargement portion  16  of the housing  1  and front part of the shell  3  constitute a mating port of the power connector  100  which is used to inserted into the complementary connector. Front surface of the ring-shaped flange  451  abuts against a front surface of the complementary connector and is named as mating surface. 
   It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous, characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set fourth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosed is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of number, shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.