Patent Publication Number: US-6666714-B1

Title: Electrical connector with terminal protector

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector having right-angle bent terminals, and particularly to an electrical connector having an insulative protector for covering and protecting the terminals. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Electrical connectors with a large number of electrical contacts are often used in electrical computers, particularly large computers which produce a high number of transmission signals. To save the space, headers having electrical terminals bent at an angle of approximately 90° from the end of the header are commonly used in the electrical and electronic industry as, for example, on the end of a circuit board. The electrical terminals are usually unprotected and are subject to damage and may collect dust and debris which could interfere with the electrical operations. 
     Thus, there is a need for a simple, cost effective means to effectively shield the right angle bend electrical terminals to protect persons using electrical equipment from receiving an electrical shock when touching the exposed electrical terminals and to reduce the accumulation of the dust and debris on the electrical terminals. Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrical connector which has a protector steadily assembled to an insulative housing thereof so as to protect a plurality of terminals of the electrical connector and ensure the signal transmission. 
     To achieve the above object, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, and an insulative protector. The insulative housing comprises a mating portion having a rear face, a plurality of terminal receiving passageways defined in the mating portion, a pair of sidewalls extending rearwardly from the mating portion and a pair of platforms respectively formed outside of the sidewalls. The protector comprises a top ledge having a pair of tongues formed on opposite ends thereof, and a base having a pair of opposite side latches at the bottom thereof. Each latch has a hook formed at the free end thereof. The tongues of the top ledge and the latches of the base engage the sidewalls of the insulative housing to assemble the insulative protector to the insulative housing. 
    
    
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an insulative housing and a spacer of the electrical connector of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an insulative protector of the electrical connector; 
     FIG. 4 is another exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of the present invention, viewed from front and bottom aspects; 
     FIG. 5 is an assembled perspective view of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1-5, an electrical connector  1  of the present invention comprises an insulative housing  10 , a plurality of terminals  20 , a protector  30  protecting the terminals  20 , a spacer  40 , and a pair of board locks  50 . 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the insulative housing  10  comprises a mating portion  11  having a rear face  12  for mating with a complementary connector (not shown), a plurality of terminal receiving passageways  13  defined in the mating portion  11 , a pair of trapezium-shaped sidewalls  14  extending rearwardly from the mating portion  11 , and a pair of platforms  16  respectively formed outside of the sidewalls  14 . A space  15  is defined between the two sidewalls  14  and the rear face  12  of the mating portion  11  for receiving the protector  30 . Each sidewall  14  defines a slot  141  in the top thereof, a recess  145  in the bottom thereof and an opening  142  in rear of the recess  145 . A protrusion  143  and a groove  144  are disposed in the opening  142 . Each platform  16  defines a slit  161  therethrough for receiving a corresponding board lock  50 . Also referring to FIG. 4, the insulative housing  10  comprises a pair of opposite posts  18  at the bottom thereof to position the electrical connector  1  on a printed circuit board (not shown). The spacer  40  is elongated and comprises a plurality of through holes  41  and a pair of arms  42  respectively formed at opposite ends thereof. Each arm  42  has a catch  421 . 
     Referring to FIG. 3, the protector  30  is substantially an insulative panel, and comprises a base  32  and a top ledge  31  projecting from the base  32 . The top ledge  31  has a pair of tongues  311  respectively projecting from opposite ends thereof and a plurality of stoppers  312  projecting from a front edge thereof. The base  32  has a pair of opposite side latches  321  at the bottom thereof. Each latch  321  has a hook  322  at the free end thereof. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, the terminal  20  received in the housing  10  comprises a contact portion  21 , an engaging portion  22  perpendicularly connecting with the contact portion  21 , and a tail  23  connecting with the engaging portion  22  and extending out of the insulative housing  10 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 to  6 , in assembly, the contact portions  21  of the terminals  20  are received in the terminal receiving passageways  13  of the mating portion  11 , and the engaging portions  22  perpendicularly extend downwardly. The catch  421  of each arm  42  of the spacer  40  engages the recess  145  of the sidewall  14  of the insulative housing  10 , so that the spacer  40  is assembled onto the insulative housing  10  and the tails  23  of the terminals  20  are respectively inserted through the through holes  41  of the spacer  40  to extend out of the insulative housing  10 . The tongues  311  of the top ledge  31  of the protector  30  are respectively inserted into the slots  141  of the sidewalls  14  of the insulative housing  10 , and the stoppers  312  of the top ledge  31  of the protector  30  abut against the rear face  12  of the insulative housing  10 . The latches  321  of the protector  30  are respectively received in the openings  142  of the sidewalls  14 , and the hooks  322  of the latches  321  are received in the grooves  144  of the sidewalls  14  and engage the protrusions  143  of the sidewalls  14 . Thus, the protector  30  is assembled onto the insulative housing  10  and protects the engaging portions  22  of the terminals  20  from bending. Since the protector  30  is insulative and not a metal cover and the distance between the protector  30  and the terminals  20  is large enough to avoid engagement between the protector  30  and the terminals  20 , the electrical connector of the present invention has better and reliable signal transmission quality. 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that a variety of modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention which is intended to be defined by the appended claims.