Patent Publication Number: US-10333253-B2

Title: Electrical connector with reinforced and thickened metallic shielding plate on front edge of mating tongue

Description:
1. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The invention is related to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector with a reinforced and thickened metallic shielding plate on the front edge of the mating tongue. 
     2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTS 
     U.S. Pat. No. 9,496,653 discloses the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Type C receptacle connector wherein a metallic shielding plate is embedded within a mating tongue of the housing for shielding and reinforcing and locking. Anyhow, because the dimension of the mating tongue of the connector is relatively tiny, the strength thereof is relatively insufficient during heavy operation. 
     Therefore, it is desired to have an electrical connector equipped with a reinforced and thickened shielding plate, and particularly on the front edge of the mating tongue. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     To achieve the aforementioned object, an electrical connector includes a metallic frame, an insulative housing and two rows of contacts. The metallic frame made by metal injection molding and includes a main part and a first plat section. Two rows of contacts are respectively located by two sides of the first plate section in the vertical direction. The housing is secured to both the contacts and the frame and forms a mating tongue enclosing the first plate section. Thickened portions are formed on a front edge and two opposite side edges of the first plate section, and exposed upon a front edge and two opposite side edges of the mating tongue. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the electrical connector according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1  wherein the insulator is separated from the remainders of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a further exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 2  wherein the upper contact module and the lower contact module are separated from the frame; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the electrical assembly to enclose the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical assembly of  FIG. 4   
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , an electrical connector  1000  for mating with a USB Type C plug/cable connector, includes an insulative housing  7  with a vertical base  1010  and a horizontal mating tongue  1020  extending forwardly from the housing  1010 . The mating tongue  1020  forms opposite mating surfaces  1021 , a front face  1022 , two side faces  1023 , and a step section  1024  adjacent to the base  1010 . 
     Tow rows of contacts  8  include the upper/first contacts  81  and the lower/second contacts  82 . The upper contacts  81  include a pair of power contacts  801 , four contacts  802  between the pair of power contacts, two pairs of differential pair contacts  803  by opposite outer sides of the pair of power contacts  801 , and a pair of grounding contacts  801  respectively located by two opposite outer sides of the two pairs of differential pair contacts  803 , respectively. The lower contacts  82  are arranged as well as the upper contacts  81 . Each contact  8  includes a contacting section  83  exposed upon the mating surface  1021 , and a soldering section  84  extending out of the base  1010 . The insulative housing  7  essentially is formed by a first/upper insulator  71 , a second/lower insulator  72  and a third/middle insulator  73 . The upper contacts  81  are integrally formed with the upper insulator  71  to commonly form an upper/first contact module  91 , and the lower contacts  82  are integrally formed with the lower insulator  72  to commonly form a lower/second contact module  92 , and the third insulator  73  are applied upon a combination of the upper contact module  91 , the lower contact module  92  and the metallic frame  6  (illustrated later) to commonly form the base  1010  and the mating tongue  1020 . Notably, the upper contacts  81  do not extend forwardly beyond a front edge of the upper insulator  71 , and the lower contact  82  do not extend forwardly beyond a front edge of the lower insulator  72  so as not to interfere with the metallic frame  6  (illustrated later). 
     The metallic frame  6  is made via metal injection molding or die-casting, and includes a main part  61 , a first plate section  62  and a second plate section  63  both extending from the main part  61  forwardly and parallel to each other, and a soldering section  64  extending rearwardly from the main part  61 . The upper contact module  91  and the lower contact module  92  are respectively located on two sides of the first plate section  61  in the vertical direction, and the third insulator  73  is applied thereupon to have the both the upper contact  91  an the lower contact module  92  integrally formed with the frame  6  in a fixed manner so as to result in the base  1010  and the mating tongue  1020  accordingly. Notably, the main part  61  of the frame  6  forms opening (not labeled), through which the first/front plate section  62  extends, to allow the upper contact module  91  and the lower contact module  92  to extend therethrough to be positioned upon the opposite upper and lower surfaces of the first plate section  62 . The second/rear plate section  63  is located above the upper contact module  92  and coplanar with the upper surface of the step section  1024 . 
     The first plate section  62  includes a thickened front edge  622 , and a pair of thickened side edges  621 . The thickened front edge  622  is exposed upon the front face  1022  of the mating tongue  1020 , and the thickened side edges  621  are exposed upon the side faces  1023  of the mating tongue  1020  to form the corresponding locking sections (not labeled). The thickened front edge  622  and the thickened side edges  621  commonly form a U-shaped receiving structure  625  in a top view so as to receivably confront the upper contact module  91  and the lower contact module  92 . Each of the upper contact module  91  and the lower contact module  92  has a pair of protrusions  900  for guidable insertion within the corresponding U-shaped receiving structure  625 . An opening  623  is formed in the first plate section  62  to be filled with the third insulator  73 . Another opening  624  is formed in the first plate  62  and located behind the front edge  622  to be filled with the third insulator  73  too. 
     The electronic device  2000  forms a receiving cavity  2002  and a printed circuit board  2001 . The main part  61  of the frame  6  is snugly received within the receiving cavity  2002  with the soldering section  62  secured thereto. Notably, the first plate section  62  embedded in the mating tongue  1020  and unitarily formed with the metallic frame  6 , inherently owns the relative strong structure compared with the discrete shielding plate in the mating tongue in the traditional connector. In addition, the thickened front edge  622  efficiently protects the front face  1022  of the mating tongue  1020  during insertion for mating between the plug connector and the subject connector  1000 , and the thickened side edges  621  efficiently reinforces the locking structure for engagement with the latch of the plug connector (not shown). Notably, the thickened front edge  622  is spaced from the front edge of the upper insulator  71  of the upper contact module  91  and that of the lower insulator  72  of the lower contact  92  with a gap (not labeled) in the front-to-back direction while the third insulator  73  fills such a gap. Understandably, such a gap between the thickened front edge  622  and the front edge of the upper/lower insulator  71 / 72  communicates with the opening  624  so that the third insulator  73  is joined around the opening  624  and such a gap. It is noted that the thickened front edge  622  extends transversely with a transverse dimension similar to that of the front face  1022  of the mating tongue  1020  and linked with the pair of thickened side edges  622  so as to achieve the superior strength thereof and full protection in a front-to-back direction. 
     The manufacturing method of making the invention includes the following steps: providing a unitary metallic frame formed by metal injection molding and including a vertical main part and a horizontal front plate section extending from the main part; providing an upper contact module with a plurality of upper contacts integrally formed with an upper insulator via an insert-molding process; providing a lower contact module with a plurality of lower contacts integrally formed with a lower insulator via another insert-molding process; forwardly inserting the upper contact module through a corresponding opening of the main part to position the upper contact module upon an upper surface of the front plate section; forwardly inserting the lower contact module through the corresponding opening of the main part to position the lower contact module upon a lower surface of the front plate section; overmolding a middle insulator upon all the frame, the upper insulator of the upper contact module and the lower insulator of the lower contact to form a mating tongue with a thickened front edge of the front plate section protectively covering/shielding a front face thereof wherein said front face is formed by the middle insulator. 
     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.