Patent Publication Number: US-6659807-B1

Title: Electrical connector with insert-molding structure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This present application is related to a contemporaneously filed U.S. patent applications entitled to “MULTI-PORT MODULAR JACK ASSEMBLY WITH DETACHABLE INSERT SUBASSEMBLES” with a Ser. No. 10/253,186, and entitled to “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR” with a Ser. No. 10/253,954, invented by the same inventor, and assigned to the common assignee. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a stacked modular jack. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Modular jacks are often used in computers to interconnect the computers with electronic peripheral equipments. As multi-function trend becomes more popular in computer industry, while spaces on printed circuit boards (PCBs) of the computers are limited, stacked modular jacks have been widely adopted in electrical connectors. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,267 discloses a modular jack having a housing with a rear loading bay, and a backplate sub-assembly with an L-shaped backplate and a plurality of contact pin arrays mounted to the L-shaped backplate. A plurality of channels are formed in inner walls of the L-shaped backplate. Each contact pin array has an L-shaped unitary insulative member engaging with the channels of the L-shaped backplate. The backplate sub-assembly further has a shield plate disposed between two rows of the contact pin arrays. The backplate sub-assembly is received in the rear loading bay of the housing. 
     However, there is no engaging means between the two rows of the contact pin arrays, so that during the process of assembling the sub-assembly to the housing, the two contact pin arrays may relatively move, and the contact pins of the modular jack may be deformed. 
     Hence, an improved modular jack is needed to eliminate the above-mentioned defects of the conventional modular jacks. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with terminals of subassemblies fixed relatively. 
     An electrical connector according to the present invention has an insulative housing, a plurality of subassemblies. Each subassembly has a base member, a first, second and third printed circuit boards (PCBs), a pair of insert portions respectively mounted on the first and second PCBs, and a plurality of terminals insert molded in the insert portions. One of the insert portions has a first upper surface, a first pair of positioning posts protruding on first the upper surface, a first pair of mounting holes defined in the first upper surface, and a first latch formed on one lateral side thereof. The other insert portion has a second upper surface, a second pair of positioning posts and a second pair of mounting holes respectively protruding on and defined in the second upper surface, and a second latch formed on one lateral side thereof. The first positioning posts and the first mounting holes engage with corresponding second mounting holes and second positioning posts. The first, second and third PCBs respectively have a plurality of through holes. The base member has a plurality of contacts for soldering to or engaging with the through holes of the first, second and third PCBs. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an electrical connector of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an assembled view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is another view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is an assembled view of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is another view of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a subassembly of the electrical connector. 
     FIG. 7 is another view of FIG.  6 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an electrical connector  9  of the present invention has an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of subassemblies  3  received in the insulative housing  1 . 
     The housing  1  has a top wall  11 , a pair of side walls  12 , a bottom wall  13 , a front wall  16 , a plurality of clapboards  17 , and a plurality of partitioners  18 . The plurality of clapboards  17  are longitudinally formed between the two side walls  12  with proportional spacing, and the plurality of partitioners  18  are transversely formed between every two clapboards  17  or between the clapboard  17  and the side wall  12 . Each partitioner  18  defines a plurality of slots  181 . The side walls  12  and the clapboards  17  together define a plurality of mating openings  162  for receiving complementary plugs (not shown). The mating openings  162  are arranged in an upper and lower rows, and the upper row of the mating openings  162  has a mirror-image structure of the lower row of the mating openings  162 . The side walls  12  and the clapboards  17  define a plurality of groove  121  for receiving engaging parts of the complementary plugs. The bottom wall  13  of the housing  1  has a pair of poles  15  extending downwardly therefrom. The front wall  16  forms a plurality of L-shaped tabs  161  extending into the mating openings  162  of the housing  1 . Each clapboard  17  has a block  171 , and a notch  172  defined in the block  171 . Every two blocks  171  define a channel  173 , and each side wall  12  and corresponding block  171  adjacent to the side wall  12  define a channel  173 . The plurality of channels  173  are defined by every two adjacent blocks  171  and the blocks  171  with corresponding side walls  12  for receiving corresponding subassemblies  3  of the electrical connector  9 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, each subassembly  3  has a base member  4 , a first printed circuit board (PCB)  71 , a second PCB  72 , a third PCB  73 , a pair of insert portions  6  respectively mounted onto the first and second PCBs  71 ,  72 , and a plurality of terminals  5  insert molded in the insert portions  6 . 
     The base member  4  has a pair of magnetic module receptacles  42 , a grounding bar  41  sandwiched in between the magnetic module receptacles  42 . The magnetic module receptacles  42  have flat portions  43  respectively formed on an upper and lower surfaces of the magnetic module receptacles  42 , and a plurality of contacts  45 ,  46  received in the magnetic module receptacles  42 . The contacts  45 ,  46  respectively have a plurality of intervening portions  451 ,  461 . Each flat portion  43  defines a plurality of recesses  44  for receiving corresponding intervening portions  451 ,  461  of the contacts  45 ,  46 . The base member  4  further has a plurality of magnetic coils (not shown) received in the magnetic module receptacles  42  for both transmitting signals and filtering noises. 
     The terminals  5  have contacting sections  51 , C-shaped spring sections  52 , connecting sections insert molded in corresponding insert portions  6 , and soldering sections  53  extending rearwardly for soldering to surfaces of the first PCB  71  and the second PCB  72 . 
     The pair of insert portions  6  of each subassembly  3  respectively have a first and second upper surfaces  61 ,  66 , a first and second pairs of positioning posts  62 ,  67  diagonally protruding on corresponding first and second upper surfaces  61 ,  66 , a first and second pairs of mounting holes  63 ,  68  diagonally defined in corresponding first and second upper surfaces  61 ,  66  and aligned with corresponding pair of positioning posts  67 ,  62 , and a first and second latches  64 ,  69  formed on lateral sides of corresponding insert portions  6  for engaging with corresponding blocks  171  of the housing  1 . The first and second latches  64 ,  69  has a first and second clasps  641 ,  691  formed on front portions of the first and second latches  64 ,  69  for engaging with corresponding notches  172  of the housing  1 . Both the insert portions  6  have a pair of engaging portions  65  formed on lower surfaces opposite to corresponding first and second upper surfaces  61 ,  66  thereof. 
     The third PCB  73  has a plurality of filtering elements  733  mounted on an upper surface thereof for filtering noises. The second PCB  72  has one of the insert portions  6  mounted on a lower surface thereof, and the first PCB  71  has the other insert portion  6  mounted on an upper surface thereof. The first, second and third PCBs  71 ,  72 ,  73  respectively have a plurality of through holes  732 ,  731  for the grounding bar  41  and the contacts  45 ,  46  extending through. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-7, in assembly, the connecting sections of the terminals  5  are insert molded in the insert portions  6 , the insert portions  6  together with the terminals  5  are respectively placed on the upper surface of the first PCB  71  and the lower surface of the second PCB  72 . The engaging portions  65  of the insert portions  6  engage with corresponding holes (not labeled) of the first and second PCBs  71 ,  72 . The soldering sections  53  of the terminals  5  are respectively soldered to the upper surface of the third PCB  71  and the lower surface of the second PCB  72 . 
     The intervening portions  451 ,  461  of the contacts  45 ,  46  are received in corresponding recesses  44  of the magnetic module receptacles  42 . The magnetic module receptacles  42  with the contacts  45 ,  46  are placed back-to-back and separated by the grounding bar  41 . Attaching the first PCB  71  above the base member  4 , the contacts  45  of the rear magnetic module receptacles  42  extend through corresponding through holes  731  of the first PCB  71 , and the contacts  45  of the front magnetic module receptacle  42  are soldered to the first PCB  71  for transmitting signals. The grounding bar  41  extends through the through hole  732  of the first PCB  71 . 
     Attaching the second PCB  72  above the first PCB  71 , the first positioning posts  62  and the first mounting holes  63  of the insert portion  6  on the second PCB  72  engage with corresponding second mounting holes  68  and the second positioning posts  67  of the insert portion  6  on the first PCB  71 . The first and second latches  64 ,  69  of the insert portions  6  respectively abut against opposite sides of each other. The contacts  45  of the rear magnetic module receptacle  42  are soldered to the second PCB  72  for transmitting signals. The grounding bar  41  and the contacts  45  of the front magnetic module receptacle  42  are respectively extending through the through holes  732 ,  731  of the second PCB  72 . 
     Attaching the third PCB  73  above the second PCB  72 , the contacts  45  of the pair of magnetic module receptacles  42  are soldered to the first PCB  71  for filtering noises. The ground bar  41  is soldered to the through hole  732  of the third PCB  73 , thereby finishing the assembly of the subassembly  3 . 
     The inserted subassembly  3  is inserted into a corresponding channel  173  of the housing  1 . The first and second latches  64 ,  69  of the subassembly  3  engage with corresponding blocks  171  of the housing  1  with the clasps  641  thereof received in corresponding notches  172 . Free ends of the contacting sections  51  of the terminals  5  are received in corresponding slots  181  of the partitioners  18  of the housing  1  preventing the contacting sections  51  being deformed in a lateral direction. The tabs  161  of the housing  1  hold the first and second PCBs  71 ,  72  firmly. 
     An advantage of the present invention over the prior art is that the first positioning posts  62  and the first mounting holes  63  of one insert portion  6  engage with corresponding second mounting holes  68  and second positioning posts  67  of the other insert portion  6 , and the first and second latches  64 ,  69  of the subassembly  3  engage with corresponding blocks  171  of the housing  1 . As a result, after the subassembly  3  is assembled in the housing, the first and second PCBs  71 ,  72  are secured with each other firmly. Another advantage is that the terminals  5  are insert molded in the insert portions  6  and mounted together by the mounting holes  63  engaging with positioning posts  62 , thus, one insert portion  6  with the terminals  5  could be replaced easily by a new one when the terminals  5  are destroyed. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous, characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth 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 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.