Patent Publication Number: US-9847606-B2

Title: Electrical connector having extended separating wall portion for preventing insertion of uncut terminals

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector having an insulative housing designed to prevent insertion of terminals where cutoff bridges have not been removed. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     China Patent No. 203859329 discloses a reversible electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a first module, a second module mounted to the first module, and a shell. The first module has a first insulator, a number of first contacts, and a shielding plate retained in the first insulator. The first insulator has a tongue portion defining a first surface and a second surface. The second surface defines a number of slots. The second module has a second insulator and a number of second contacts retained in the second insulator. The first contacts are exposed from the first surface and the second contacts are received in the slots and exposed from the second surface. During manufacturing of this electrical connector, the second contacts prior to cutting cutoff bridges of a metal carrier might still be assembled mistakenly. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0020568 discloses a reversible electrical connector including a body, plural terminals fixedly disposed in the body, and a metal casing covering the body. The terminals are divided into an upper and a lower row, which are each insert molded with an insulation block to form an upper terminal module and a lower terminal module. 
     An improved electrical connector is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector, comprising: an insulative housing having a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the tongue portion having a plurality of terminal-receiving slots, a respective separating wall being disposed between every two neighboring terminal-receiving slots, at least one separating wall having an extending portion extending backwardly along an insertion direction to be located behind respective rear ends of the other separating walls; a plurality of terminals retained in the insulative housing, the plurality of terminals including a row of first contacts, each first contact having a pair of gaps located forwardly of the extending portion along the insertion direction; a metallic shielding plate retained in the insulative housing; and a shielding shell attached to the insulative housing. 
     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; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective, assembled view of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the electrical connector separated with a shielding shell; 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective, partly exploded view of the electrical connector; 
         FIG. 6  is another perspective, partly exploded view of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 8  is an amplified partly view of B in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an insulator and a number of first contacts connected with metal carriers; and 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of an insulative housing, the insulator, and the first contacts connected with metal carriers. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 1 to 8  show an electrical connector  100  cooperated with a plug connector. For convenience, the electronic connector  100  defines a mating port, an insertion direction, a transverse direction perpendicular to the insertion direction and forming a horizontal plane therebetween, and a vertical direction perpendicular to the insertion direction and the transverse direction in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-7 , the electrical connector  100  includes an insulative housing  1 , a number of terminals  2  and a metallic shielding plate  3  retained in the insulative housing  1 , an insulator  4  received in the insulative housing  1 , and a shielding shell  5  attached to the insulative housing  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 8 , the insulative housing  1  includes a base portion  11  defining a receiving cavity  110  and a tongue portion  12  extending forwardly from the base portion  11 . The base portion  11  has a pair of receiving holes  112  communicated with an upper surface and a lower surface thereof, a pair of projections  113  located behind the receiving holes  112 , and a division  114  located at a rear end thereof. The tongue portion  12  defines a first surface  121  and a second surface  122  disposed oppositely, and a number of terminal-receiving slots  120  extending along the insertion direction and located at the first surface  121  and the second surface  122 . The neighboring terminal-receiving slots  120  located at the first surface  121  define a separating wall  123 . Two of the separating walls  123  located at symmetrical positions respectively define a pair of extending portions  124  extending backwardly therefrom. The extending portions  124  and other separating walls  123  define a number of guiding portions  125  located at a rear end. Each guiding portion  125  defines a pair of inclined surfaces  126  guiding the terminals  2  into the terminal-receiving slots  120  located at the first surface  121  correctly. Referring to  FIG. 8 , the tongue portion  12  defines a connection  130  connected with the base portion  11 . The connection  130  has a number of resisting structures  131 . Each resisting structure  131  has an aperture  1311  located above the terminal-receiving slot  120  and communicated with the corresponding terminal-receiving slot  120  and a pair of stepping portions  1312  located between the aperture  1311  and the corresponding terminal-receiving slot  120  and resisted against by the corresponding terminal  2 . The pair of stepping portions  1312  are disposed discontinuously and resists two sides of the corresponding terminal  2  along the transverse direction. The division  114  divides rear openings of the terminal-receiving slots  120  located at the first surface  121  and the second surface  122  along the vertical direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the terminals  2  include a number of first contacts  21  carried by the first surface  121  of the tongue portion  12  and a number of second contacts  22  carried by the second surface  122  of the tongue portion  12 . The first contacts  21  and the second contacts  22  extending in an insertion direction respectively includes four power contacts located forwardly and eight signal contacts located backwardly. The two power contacts in the middle are used to provide electric source and the other two are used for electrical grounding. The eight signal contacts includes four super-speed differential contacts located at two sides, two low-speed differential contacts located in the middle, and a pair of controlling contacts. Each of the first contacts  21  is associated with a respective one of the second contacts  22  and is positioned in reverse symmetry with respect to the second contacts  22 . 
     Each of the first contacts  21  includes a first contacting portion  211  exposed from the first surface  121 , a first affixed portion  212  extending along the insertion direction, and a first soldering portion  213  extending from a back end of the insulator  4 . The first contacts  21  are insert-molded with the insulator  4  to form a terminal module wholly and the first affixed portions  212  are retained in the insulator  4 . Each of the second contacts  22  shaping like a panel, includes a second contacting portion  221  exposed from the second surface  122  of the tongue portion  12 , a second affixed portion  222  retained in the tongue portion  12 , and a second soldering portion  223  extending from a back end of the base portion  11 . Each of the second contacts  22  has a tail portion  224  extending backwardly from the second affixed portion  222  and separated from the second soldering portion  223 . In manufacture, the tail portions  224  are used for pressing and orienting and prevent interfering with the orienting and forming of the second soldering portions  223  in bending the second soldering portions  223 . Each of the first contacts  21  and the second contacts  22  respectively has an end portion  23  extending close to the metallic shielding plate  3  so that the terminals  2  are incapable of up-warping to scrape or null contact. 
     Each of the first contact  21  defines a number of metal carriers  215  connected therewith before cutting off and a number of gaps  216  formed after cutting off the metal carriers  215 . Each extending portion  124  of the insulative housing is located between the neighboring gaps  216  of the first contacts  21 . The guiding portions  125  of the extending portions  124  are resisted against by the metal carriers  215  to prevent the insulator  4  with the first contacts  21  inserting into the insulative housing  1 , when the first contacts  21  still mistakenly connected with the metal carriers are insert-molded with the insulator  4 . Two sides of the first affixed portions  212  are resisted against by low surfaces of the two stepping portions  1312  to release pressure form the stepping portions  1312  and prevent the first contacting portion  211  tilting upwardly pressed by downward pressure of the first affixed portions  212 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the metallic shielding plate  3 , sandwiched between the first contacts  22  and the second contacts  22 , includes a supporting portion  31  retained in the insulative housing  1  and a pair of affixed legs  32  extending downwardly from a rear end of the supporting portion  31 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the insulator  4  has a number of ribs  41  resisting an inner surface of the receiving cavity  110  of the insulative housing  1  to affix the insulator  4  stably with the insulative housing  1 . The insulator  4  has a number of protrusions  42  located at two sides thereof and a number of depressions  43  adjacent to the projections  42 . The projections  42  protrude to the receiving holes  112  of the insulative housing  1  and the projections  113  are received in the depressions  43  to orient the insulator  4  in the insulative housing  1  and prevent the insulator  4  withdrawing. The receiving holes  112  are used to observe the assembly of the insulator  4  and the insulative housing  1 . The shielding shell  5  includes opposite top wall  51  and bottom wall  52 , and a pair of side walls  53  linked therebetween by two sides. Each of the top wall  51  and the bottom wall  52  has an inward retention arm  55 . The top wall  51  has a plurality of dimples  54  for engagement with the shell of the complementary connector. 
     A method of making the electrical connector  100  includes the steps of: providing a metallic shielding plate  3 , insert-molding the insulative housing  1  with the metallic shielding plate  3 , the neighboring terminal-receiving slots  120  define a separating wall  123  located therebetween, a pair of the separating walls  123  having the extending portion  124  extending backwardly from a rear end thereof and located behind the other separating walls  123  along the insertion direction; providing a number of second contacts  22 , assembling the second contacts  22  to the terminal-receiving slots  120  located at the second surface  122 ; providing a number of first contacts  21  connected with the metal carriers  215 , insert-molding the insulator  4  with the first contacts  21  connected with the metal carriers  215 ; cutting off the metal carriers  215  between the neighboring first contacts  21  to form a pair of gaps  216  located at two sides of the first contacts  21 ; assembling the insulator  4  with the first contacts  21  to the insulative housing  1  to dispose the first contacts  21  in the terminal-receiving slots  120  of the first surface  121 , the pair of the extending portions  124  located at the neighboring gaps  216 , two sides of the first affixed portion  212  resisted against by low surfaces of the two stepping portions  1312 ; enclosing the shielding shell  4  in the insulative housing  1 . 
     However, the disclosure is illustrative only, changes may be made in detail, especially in matter of shape, size, and arrangement of sections within the principles of the invention.