Patent Publication Number: US-8123562-B2

Title: Electrical connector assembly with improved contact soldering ends

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector assembly with improved contact soldering ends for crosstalk reduction. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     Personal computers (PC) are widely used today. Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard to the PC architecture which focuses on computer telephony interface, consumer and productivity applications. The design of USB is standardized by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), an industry standard body incorporating leading companies from the computer and electronic industries. USB can connect peripherals such as mouse devices, keyboards, PDAs, gamepads and joysticks, scanners, digital cameras, printers, external storage, networking components, etc. For many devices such as scanners and digital cameras, USB has become the standard connection method. Furthermore, due to the need for high speed signal transmission of electronic products, USB 3.0 connectors have been adopted. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0112863 published on May 6, 2010 discloses a USB 3.0 connector. The USB 3.0 connector comprises an insulative body including integral forward part and backward part. The forward part is split into a narrow tongue and a wide tongue disposed in a common plane. The narrow tongue and the wide tongue are spaced a distance from each other at front ends thereof. The USB 3.0 connector comprises a plurality of first contacts received in the narrow tongue and a plurality of second contacts received in the wide tongue, respectively transmitting differential signals. Each contact comprises a contacting portion extending beyond an upper surface of the frontward part of the insulative housing and a soldering portion extending out of the backward part and thus, exposed outside the insulative housing. The contacts are soldered with wires of a cable, and during the process, the soldering portions of the contacts are prone to be damaged, because no protection is provided to the soldering portions. Furthermore, a shield covers the insulative housing and an insulative cover is usually molded over the shield, and the soldering portions of the contacts might be deflected during the molding process. Two adjacent soldering portions may connect with each other and shorting occurs subsequently. 
     Additionally, the contacting portions extend in a first, same horizontal plane and the soldering portions extend alternately, both upwardly and downwardly relative to the corresponding contacting portions, at different horizontal planes from the first horizontal plane. Because each contact extends straight along a mating direction, each soldering portion is offset with respect to adjacent soldering portions in a top view. Therefore, the impedance thereof is large and may hinder high speed signal transmission, although two differential signals are transmitted. Finally, the first contacts comprise a pair of transmitting contacts, a pair of receiving contacts, and a grounding contact located at the same side of the transmitting contacts and receiving contacts and so do the second contacts. The transmitting contacts and the receiving contacts are so close that crosstalk may occur therebetween. Since the grounding contact is disposed at the same side of the transmitting contacts and the receiving contacts rather than disposed between the transmitting contacts and receiving contacts, grounding effect is reduced. 
     Hence, an electrical connector assembly with improved contact soldering ends for crosstalk reduction is desired to overcome the aforementioned disadvantage of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly with improved contact soldering ends for crosstalk reduction. 
     To achieve the above object, an electrical connector assembly includes an insulative housing, a number of contacts assembled in the insulative housing, a cable welded with the contacts. The insulative housing includes a base portion, a tongue portion integral with the base portion for defining a mating direction. The contacts has a number of contacting portions received in the tongue portion and partly extending beyond the tongue portion and a number of soldering portions extending rearward out of the base portion. The soldering portions include at least one pair of upper-and-lower soldering portions. Each upper soldering portion opposingly faces a corresponding lower soldering portion in a vertical direction perpendicular to the mating direction. The cable is connected with respective soldering portions of the contacts. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective, assembled view of an electrical connector assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective, partly assembled view of the electrical connector assembly when an insulative cover and a cable are not shown; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective, fully exploded view of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another fully exploded view similar to  FIG. 3  but taken a different aspect; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective, partly exploded view of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective, exploded view of the insulative housing and the contacts; and 
         FIG. 7  is a rear elevational view of the insulative housing when the contacts are retained in the insulative housing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , a USB 3.0 connector assembly  100  in accordance with the present invention used for transmitting high speed differential signals, comprises an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  and a pair of latches  4  assembled in the insulative housing  1 , a shield  3  covering the insulative housing  1 , a cable  5  connecting with the contacts  2 , and an insulative cover  6  partly molding outside of the shield  3  and the cable  5 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3-6 , the insulative housing  1  comprises a base portion  11  and a tongue portion  12  extending forwardly from the base portion  11 . The tongue portion  12  is arranged lower than the base portion  11  for facilitating connection with a mating connector (not shown) along a mating direction. The base portion  11  extends along a transverse direction perpendicular to the mating direction. The base portion  11  defines an upper surface  111 , a lower surface  112  opposite to the upper surface  111 , a pair of side surfaces  113  connecting with the upper surface  111  and the lower surface  112 , a front surface  114  from which the tongue portion  12  extends, and a rear surface  115  opposite to the front surface  114 . Each side surface  113  forms a protrusion  1131 . The tongue portion  12  comprises a first, wide mating tongue  121  and a second, narrow mating tongue  122  arranged at a same level as the first, wide mating tongue  121 . The first, wide mating tongue  121  comprises a first connecting portion  1210  integral with the base portion  11  and a first mating portion  1212  integrally, forwardly extending from the first connecting portion  1210 . Correspondingly, the second, narrow mating tongue  122  comprises a second connecting portion  1220  integral with the base portion  11  and a second mating portion  1222  integrally, forwardly extending from the second connecting portion  1220 . The first mating portion  1212  spaces a little distance away from the second mating portion  1222 . The first connecting portion  1210  integrates with the second connecting portion  1220  for increasing intensity of the tongue portion  12 . The first mating tongue  121  defines a plurality of first passageways  1213  and the second mating tongue  122  defines a plurality of second passageways  1223 . The first passageways  1213  and the second passageways  1223  extend through the insulative housing  1  along the mating direction and backwardly end at the rear surface  115  of the base portion  11 . Additionally, the first mating tongue  121  defines a pair of slots  1214  at two sides of the first passageways  1213  for receiving the latches  4 . The base portion  10  forms a plurality of ribs  13  extending rearward from the rear surface  115  along the mating direction. The ribs  13  and the tongue portion  12  are located at opposite sides of the base portion  11 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  5 , and  6 , the contacts  2  have a group of first terminals  21  which are assembled in the first tongue portion  121  of the insulative housing  1  and a group of second terminals  22  which are assembled in the second tongue portion  122  of the insulative housing  1 . Each of the first terminal  21  and the second terminal  22  has a soldering portion  211 / 221  and a contacting portion  212 / 222  at front of the soldering portion  211 / 221 . The contacts  2  are received in the corresponding passageways  1213 ,  1223  of the insulative housing  1  and the contacting portions  212 ,  222  extend beyond the mating portions  1212 ,  1222  for engaging with the mating connector, while the soldering portions  211 ,  221  extend out of the base portion  1  from the rear surface  115  for connecting with the cable  5 . Each contacting portion  212 / 222  extends in a vertical plane while the soldering portions  211 / 221  alternately bend upwardly or downwardly from the corresponding contacting portions  212 / 222 . The soldering portions  211 ,  221  extend in parallel, horizontal planes. The ribs  13  divide the soldering portions  211 ,  221  one from the other and the soldering portions  211 ,  221  are leaned against the adjacent ribs  13 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, certain rib  13  defines a cutout  131  for accommodating a corresponding soldering portion  211 / 221 . The ribs  13  amount to a number which at least makes sure that the first soldering portions  211  of the first terminals  21  extending along the same horizontal planes separated from each other and makes sure that the second soldering portions  221  of the second terminals  21  extending along other same horizontal planes separated from each other, too. Furthermore, each rib  13  extends at least up to rear edges of the soldering portions  211 ,  221  of the contacts  2 &#39;s extension for protecting the contacts  2 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5-7 , the first terminals  21  comprise a pair of first transmitting terminals  26 , a pair of first receiving terminals  28 , and a first grounding terminal  24 . The first grounding terminal  24  is disposed at the right side of the first receiving terminals  28  and the first transmitting terminals  26  are disposed at the left side of the first receiving terminals  28  along the transverse direction. The second terminals  22  comprise a pair of second transmitting terminals  27 , a pair of second receiving terminals  29 , and a second grounding terminal  25 . Different to the first grounding terminal  24 , the second grounding terminal  25  is disposed between the second transmitting terminals  27  and the second receiving terminals  29  along the transverse direction. Each of the first transmitting terminals  26 , the first receiving terminals  28 , the second transmitting terminals  27 , and the second receiving terminals  29  comprise a pair of soldering portions  2116 / 2118 / 2217 / 2219  with one thereof extending upward and then rightward bending, while the other one extending downward and then leftward bending such that the pair of soldering portions  2116 / 2118 / 2217 / 2219  opposingly face towards each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to both the mating direction and the transverse direction. The first grounding terminal  24  comprises a soldering portion  2114  extending upwardly and being coplanar with the upper soldering portion  2116  of one first transmitting terminal  26  as well as the upper soldering portion  2118  of one first receiving terminal  28  in this embodiment. The soldering portion  2114  of the first grounding terminal  24  alternatively extends downward to be coplanar with the lower soldering portion  2116  of the other first transmitting terminal  26  as well as the lower soldering portion  2118  of the other first receiving terminal  28  in an alternative embodiment of the present invention. The second grounding terminal  25  comprises a soldering portion  2215  extending upwardly and being coplanar with the upper soldering portion  2217  of one second transmitting terminal  27  as well as the upper soldering portion  2219  of one second receiving terminal  29  in this embodiment. The second grounding terminal  25  further comprises a main plate  251  extending in the vertical direction, being located below the soldering portion  2215  and separates the soldering portions  2217 ,  2219  of the second terminals  22  at opposite sides for preventing crosstalk. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 7 , particularly, one receiving terminal  291  of the second receiving terminals  29  is located nearer to the grounding terminal  25  than the other one receiving terminal  292 . The one receiving terminal  291  slantwise extend upward and then horizontally bends to extend over the other one receiving terminal  292  for facilitating welding with the cable  5 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , each latch  4  comprises a retaining portion  41  and a locking portion  42  extending forward from the retaining portion  41 . The latches  4  are both assembled in the slots  1214  of the first tongue portion  121 . The latches  4  are disposed at opposite sides of the first contacts  21 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , the shield  3  comprises a first, upper metal cover  31  and a second, lower metal cover  32  attached to the first, upper metal cover  31 . The upper metal cover  31  comprises a flat portion  311  and a casing portion  312  extending from the flat portion  311 . The casing portion  312  essentially covers the tongue portion  12 . The lower metal cover  32  are attached to the flat portion  311  of the upper metal cover  31  and associates with the flat portion  311  for covering the base portion  11  of the insulative housing  1 . The latches  4  projects upwardly out of the casing portion  312  of the shield  3  when assembled. 
     The cable  5  has wires (not shown) respectively soldered to the contacts  2 . The insulative cover  6  is partly molded outside of the shield  3  and the cable  5 . 
     In the present invention, because the soldering portions  2116 ,  2118 ,  2217 ,  2219  are both two numbered, with one thereof extending upward and then rightward bending, while the other one extending downward and then leftward bending such that one faces towards the other in a vertical direction, impedance thereof is reduced and therefore, signal is more rapidly transmitted. Because the second grounding terminal  25  comprises the main plate  251  separating the soldering portions  2217 ,  2219  of the second terminals  22 , crosstalk is prevented. Because the insulative housing  1  forms a plurality of ribs  13  extending rearward from the base portion  11 , and the ribs  13  divide the soldering portions  211 ,  221  one from the other, and therefore, the soldering portion  211 ,  221  are prevented from being damaged in the following welding between the soldering portion  211 ,  221  and the cable  5 , and the following molding of the insulative cover  6 . The electrical connector assembly  100  avoids shorting too because the ribs  13  prevent the adjacent ribs  13  from riskily being connected with each other. Overall, the electrical connector assembly  100  of the present invention can efficiently and error-freely transmit signals therethrough. 
     While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.