Patent Publication Number: US-10312635-B2

Title: Contact bridge punched out away from shielding plate

Description:
1. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The invention is related to an electrical connector assembly, and particularly to the USB Type C connector with the contact bridges punched out in a direction away from the shielding plate. 
     2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTS 
     The USB (Universal Serial Bus) Type C connector, which is tiny and becomes popular in the cellular phone, includes a contact module enclosed within a metallic shielding shell. The contact module essentially includes an upper contact module and a lower contact module commonly sandwiching a metallic shielding plate therebetween. The upper contact module includes a plurality of upper contacts embedded within an upper insulator via an insert-molding process, and the lower contact module includes a plurality of lower contacts embedded within a lower insulator via another insert-molding process. A third insulator is further applied upon the assembled upper contact module, the lower contact module and the shielding plate therebetween to finalize the whole contact module. Anyhow, during insert-molding the upper/lower contacts with thin the upper/lower insulator, the neighboring upper/lower contacts are linked with the corresponding bridges and such bridges are removed by punching out after the upper/lower insulator is formed and the upper/lower contact module is finalized. The traditional removing way is to punch out the corresponding bridges in a direction toward the shielding plate, i.e., from the contacting surface of the contacting section of contact toward the opposite surface, for keeping the relatively smooth contact surface. Anyhow, such a way may have the possibly formed barb extend in a direction toward the shielding plate, thus inevitably risking shorting between the contact and the shielding plate, and jeopardizing the expected shielding effect.  FIG. 8  shows the detailed analysis wherein in the mating tongue which has a 0.6 mm thickness S 1 , the regular distance S 2  between the contacting section of the contact to the shielding plate is 0.175±0.05 mm. Notably, the barb due to or derived from punching for removing the bridges between the adjacent contacting sections of the contacts, is around 0.06 mm in maximum. Therefore, the worst scenario is that the regular distance S 2  is equal to 0.125 mm in minimum, i.e., 0.175 mm-0.05 mm, due to the manufacturing tolerance, and the barb is 0.06 mm in maximum, so that the rear distance between the contacting section of the contact and the shielding plate will be 0.065 mm, i.e., 0.125 mm-0.06 mm. Such a tiny amount tends to result in a risky situation for the connector during signal transmission. 
     It is desired to provide a Type C connector with the sufficient distance between the contacting sections of the contacts and the shielding plate not less than 0.125 mm so as to maintain a relatively safe environment between the contacting sections and the shielding plate during operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     To achieve the above desire, an electrical connector assembly includes a terminal module enclosed within a metallic shielding shell. The terminal module includes a first contact module including a plurality of first contacts embedded within a first insulator via a first stage insert-molding process, and a second contact module including a plurality of second contacts embedded within a second insulator via another first stage insert-molding process. The first contact module and the second contacting module commonly sandwich a metallic shielding plate therebetween and further integrally formed within a third insulator to commonly form the complete terminal module via second stage insert-molding process wherein the first insulator, the second insulator and the third insulator commonly form the insulative housing including the base and a mating tongue extending forwardly from the base. In each contact module, before forming the complete terminal module, the bridges between the contacting sections of the neighboring contacts are removed by punching in a direction from the inner hidden surface to the outer exposed surface of the contacting section of the contact. Such an outward punching results in the barbs extending away from the shielding plate after the whole terminal module is formed so as to avoid the defect due to the unexpected relatively tiny distance between the contacting sections of the contacts and the shielding plate in the mating tongue along the vertical direction. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the electrical connector of the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the terminal module of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a further exploded perspective view of the terminal module of the electrical connector of  FIG. 3  without the third insulator thereof; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the first contact module of the terminal module of the electrical connector of  FIG. 3 , and  FIG. 5(A)  is a perspective view of the first contact module of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1  wherein the bridges are not removed therefrom; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the second contact module of the terminal module of the electrical connector of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the contacting sections of the contacts of the first contact module and that of the second contact module of the terminal module of the electrical connector of  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the terminal module of the electrical connector used in the traditional design. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIGS. 1-8 , an electrical connector  100  includes a terminal module  10  and a metallic shielding shell  20  enclosing the terminal module  10 . The shielding shell  20  includes a first/inner shell  21  and a second/outer shell  22  enclosing the first/inner shell  21 . The second/outer shell  22  has the legs  220  for mounting to the printed circuit board (not shown). 
     The terminal module  10  includes a first/upper contact module  15 , a second/lower contact module  16  and a metallic shielding plate  17  therebetween. The first contact module  15  includes a first/upper insulator  151  and a plurality of first/upper contacts  152  embedded within the first insulator  151  via a first stage insert-molding process. The second contact module  16  includes a second/lower insulator  161  and a plurality of second/lower contacts  162  embedded within the second insulator  161  via another first stage insert-molding process. The first contact module  115 , the second contact module  16  and the shielding plate  17  therebetween are commonly integrally formed with a third insulator or an insulative cover  13  via a second stage insert-molding process. Notably, the first insulator  151 , the second insulator  161  and the third insulator  13  common form an insulative housing including a rear base  11  and a front mating tongue  12  extending forwardly from the base  11 . The shell  20  forms a mating cavity  14  in which the mating tongue  12  extends. The second insulator  161  includes latches  166  engaged within the holes  156  in the first insulator  151  for assembling the first contact module  15  and the second contact module  16  together. 
     Similar to the traditional connector, the first contact  152  includes a front first contacting section  153  exposed upon the corresponding first/upper surface (not labeled) of the mating tongue  12 , a middle first retaining section  154  in the base  11 , and a rear first soldering section  155  exposed outside of the housing. Similarly, the second contact  162  has the front second contacting section  163  exposed upon the second/power surface of the mating tongue  12 , the middle second retaining section  164  in the base  11 , and a rear second soldering section  165  outside of the housing, as well. Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the contacting section  153 / 163  of each contact  152 / 162  on the mating tongue  12  has an outer/exposed surface A away from the shielding plate  17 , an inner/hidden surface B opposite to the surface A and facing toward the shielding plate  17 , and a pair of side surfaces C linking the surface A and the surface B. A plurality of bridges T are unitarily linked between the contacting sections  153  of the neighboring first/second contacts  152 / 162 , respectively, for regulating the contacting sections  153  not to be messed up during the high pressure insert-molding process. Understandably, there are a plurality of through holes (not labeled) in the first insulator  151  and the second insulator  161 , in which the bridges T are located, for allowing the puncher to extend therethrough for removing the corresponding bridges T. After removal of such bridges T, a plurality of barbs D are formed upon the corresponding side surfaces C. 
     Notably, because the bridges T are removed by punching outwardly in a vertical direction away from the shielding plate  17 , i.e., upwardly for the first/upper contact module  15  and downwardly for the second/lower contact module  16 , the barbs D will not extend toward the shielding plate  17  to decrease the distance between the upper/lower contact  152 / 162  and the shielding plate  17 . Therefore, the worst scenario regarding the distance between the upper/lower contacts  152 / 162  and the distance is not less than 0.125 mm, thus assuring the performance of the whole connector. 
     While a preferred embodiment according to the present disclosure has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present disclosure are considered within the scope of the present disclosure as described in the appended claims.