Patent Publication Number: US-8523613-B2

Title: Electrical connector for broadside coupled or edge coupled mating with mating connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for communication applications. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     In communication applications, a header connector and a receptacle connector mating with the header connector are widely used for transmitting high speed signal. Generally, the header connector comprises a plurality of header contacts each having a flat shape, and the receptacle connector comprises a plurality of receptacle contacts each having a bifurcated shape for mating with the header contact. There are two mating types between header contacts and receptacle contacts, namely broadside coupled and edge coupled. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,219, issued on Jun. 24, 2008, to Pan discloses a receptacle having mating contact ends of edge engagement type. According to the disclosure, the receptacle comprises a plurality of contacts disposed in a vertical plane. Each of the contacts comprises a bifurcated mating portion defining a mating slot. The bifurcated mating portion comprises a pair of contact surfaces facing to the mating slot for edge engagement or coupling with the mating contacts, and a pair of side faces perpendicular to the contact surfaces. The contact surfaces having a first width, and the side surface having a second surface larger than the first width. Therefore, this mating fashion is called edge coupled. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,802, issued on Feb. 19, 2008, to Rothermel et al. discloses a receptacle contact and a header contact broadside coupled with the receptacle contact. According to the disclosure, the receptacle contact comprises a mating surface to abut against with the header mating contact. Therefore, this mating fashion is called broadside coupled. The insulative housing of the header defines only one type of receiving holes such that the header only may broadside coupled with the receptacle. If the header were to be edge coupled with the receptacle, a new insulative housing having a different type or orientation of receiving holes is required. Therefore, the cost is increased. 
     Hence, an improved electrical connector is desired to offer advantages over the related art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which can be selectively provided with broadside couple or edge side couple with a mating connector. 
     To achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical connector comprises a housing and a plurality of contacts mounted on the insulative housing. The insulative housing comprises a mounting portion and a receiving room on one side of the mounting portion. The mounting portion comprises a plurality of mounting slots each comprising a first slot and a second slot crossed with the first slot. Each of the contacts comprises a body portion mounted on the mounting portion, and a mating portion extending form the body portion and projecting into the receiving room. The contacts are selectively mounted on either the first slots or the second slots. 
     According to the present invention, the housing defines a first slot and a second slot. The contacts are selectively mounted on either the first slots to form a broadside coupling or the second slots to form a edge coupling with or according to contacts of a mating connector. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention showing the contacts mounted on the first slots; 
         FIG. 2  is a partly exploded view of the electrical connector as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention showing the contacts mounted on the second slots; 
         FIG. 4  is a partly exploded view of the electrical connector as shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is top view of the insulative housing in accordance with the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view showing the circled portion as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , an electrical connector  100  comprises an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  mounted on the insulative housing  1  and arranged in a plurality of columns and rows. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the contacts  2  are mounted on the insulative housing  1  and arranged in a first fashion. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the contacts  2  are mounted on the insulative housing  1  and arranged in a second fashion. The electrical connector  100  may mate with a mating connector and transmit signals through broadside couple when the contacts  2  are arranged in a first fashion. The electrical connector  100  may mate with the mating connector and transmit signals through edge couple when the contacts  2  are arranged in a second fashion. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the contacts  2  extend along a first direction A 1 -A 1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the insulative housing  1  has a “U” shape from a side view. The insulative housing  1  comprises a mounting portion  11 , a first side wall  12  extending from a first end of the mounting portion  11  upwardly, an opposite second side wall  13  extending from a second end of the mounting portion  11  upwardly, and a receiving room  10  defined between the first side wall  12  and the second side wall  13  for receiving a mating connector. Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  5  and  6 , the mounting portion  11  defines a plurality of mounting slots  14 . Each of the mounting slots  14  comprises a first slot  15  extending along a second direction A 2 -A 2 , a second slot  16  extending along a third direction A 3 -A 3  perpendicular to the second direction A 2 -A 2 . The first direction A 1 -A 1  is perpendicular to the second direction A 2 -A 2  and third direction A 3 -A 3 . The first slot  15  shares a common portion  140  with the second slot  16 . The first slot  15  has a first width W 1 , and the second slot  16  has a second width W 2  equal to the first width W 1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 4 , the contacts  2  are generally of blade types and are mounted to the insulative housing  1  along the first direction A 1 -A 1 . Each of the contacts  2  comprises a body portion  21  received in the mounting portion  11 , a mating portion  22  having a flat shape extending from a first end of the body portion  21  and projecting into the receiving room  10 , and a tail portion  23  extending from a second end of the body portion  21  opposite to the first end and beyond the mounting portion  11 . The body portion  21  has a flat shape. The body portion  21  has a width W 3  and a thickness T 3  smaller than the width W 3 . The body portion  21  comprises a first projecting tab  211  disposed adjacent to the mating portion  22  and projecting outwardly along a widthwise direction, and a second projecting tab  212  disposed adjacent to the tail portion and projecting outwardly along the widthwise direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the body portion  21  is selectively mounted on the first slot  15  or the second slot  16 . The first projecting tab  211  and the second projecting tab  212  are selectively mounted on the first slot  15  or second slot  16  to assemble the contact  2  to the insulative housing  1 . When the contacts  2  are mounted on the first slots  15 , the contacts  2  are arranged in a first fashion, e.g. with reference to the locations of the two side walls  12  and  13 , to broadside couple with mating contacts. When the contacts  2  are mounted on the second slot  16 , the contacts  2  are arranged in a second fashion, e.g. with reference to the locations of the two side walls  12  and  13 , to edge couple with the mating contacts. The electrical connector  100  could use the same insulative housing  1  and the same contacts  2  to realize broadside couple or edge couple, through the contacts  2  selectively mounted on the first slots  15  or the second slots  16 . Therefore, the electrical connector  100  could be used in different applications. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advanarmes of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure 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.