Patent Publication Number: US-2011053427-A1

Title: Electrical connector having two insulative retainers for positioning terminals

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a right-angled type electrical connector having two insulative retainers coordinating with each other so as to position a plurality of terminals therebetween. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Japan Pat. No. 3366250 issued on Nov. 1, 2002, discloses an electrical connector. The connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing and a retaining spacer attached on the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base portion and an engaging portion extending forward from the base portion. Each of the contacts defines a retaining portion held in the housing, a contacting portion extending from one end of the retaining portion into the engaging portion and a soldering tail integrally connected to another end of the retaining portion at a right angle. The retaining spacer includes a plurality of through-holes for receiving and positioning the soldering tails which extend through thereof. However, it is without the function of dust-proof because of absent of protecting measures for the contacts. Additionally, when the terminals are assembled with the retaining spacer, the soldering tails of the terminals will be deviated from their original position if they are pushed by the retaining spacer upwardly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,744 issued to Maruyama et al. on Mar. 1, 2005, shows a low-profile connector having an insulative housing and a plurality of terminals parallel-arranged in the insulative housing. The insulative housing defines a base portion and an engaging portion extending from the base portion. Each of the terminals includes a soldering tail and a contacting portion connecting to the soldering tail and extending into the engaging portion for electrical connection with a mating connector. The terminal defines an intermediate crank-like portion and a right-angled connecting portion integrally connecting with the intermediate crank-like portion and the soldering tail. The right-angled connecting portion is pressed against by a protecting ceiling which unitarily extends from the base portion of the insulative housing for dustproof and preventing the terminals from overly-deflected. However, in such a manner that the structure of insulative housing is complicated and the terminal is unable to be easily assembled into the insulative housing. 
     Therefore, an improved electrical connector is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the related arts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having two insulative retainers in which the contacts can be readily and easily assembled onto a connector housing without encountering any disadvantages as well as laborious assembling process. 
     In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical connector in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes an insulative housing with a base portion and an engaging portion extending from the base portion, a plurality of contacts which defines a retaining portion, a contacting portion extending from the retaining portion and a soldering portion extending outwards from the retaining portion and a first insulative retainer and a second insulative retainer opposite to each other and assembled in the insulative housing. The first insulative retainer has a plurality of through-holes receiving the soldering portion therein, while the second insulative retainer includes a plurality of recesses corresponding with the contacts which include a plurality of intermediate connecting portions received therein and interconnecting with the retaining portion and soldering portions unitarily. 
     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 a perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of  FIG. 1  without showing a metal shell; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-section view of the electrical connector taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section view of the electrical connector taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an insulative retainer engaging with terminals of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a partly enlarged perspective view of  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an electrical connector  100  includes an insulative housing  1  with a base portion  11  and an engaging portion  12  extending from the base portion  11  in a mating direction (i.e. an X direction), a plurality of contacts  2  inserted into the base portion  11  from a rear side  1   c  of the insulative housing  1  in the X direction and arranged along a longitudinal direction (i.e. a Y direction) perpendicular to the X direction, a metal shell  3  covering the insulative housing  1 , a first insulative retainer  4  locking with the base portion  11  and a second insulative retainer  5  attached to the base portion  11 . 
     The engaging portion  12  of the insulative housing  1  defines three tongue plates (i.e. a first tongue plate  12   a , a second tongue plate  12   b  and a third tongue plate  12   c ), thereby forming a first mating room  120  and a second mating room  121  for receiving a mating connector (not shown). The base portion has a recess  110  for receiving the second insulative retainer  5  therein. The second insulative retainer  5  is inserted into the recess  110  along the Y direction and defines a pair of blocking portions  51  engaged with an inner surface of the recess  110  for positioning thereof in the insulative housing  1  steadily. The insulative housing  1  includes a plurality of grooves  122  extending from the base portion into engaging portion  12  for receiving the contacts  2  respectively therein. The contacts  2  are inserted into the grooves  122 , each of which includes a retaining portion  201  retained in the insulative housing  1 , a contacting portion  202  extending from one end of the retaining portion  201  into the engaging portion  12 , a soldering tail  203  extending from another end of the retaining portion  201  and a reverse L-shaped intermediate connecting portion  204  unitarily connecting with the soldering tail  203  and the retaining portion  201 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the contacts  2  are grouped into a set of first contacts  21 , a set of second contacts  22 , a set of third contacts  23 , and a set of fourth contacts  24 . The first contacts  21  and the second contacts  22  are opposite to each other in the first mating room  120  while the third contacts  23  and the fourth contacts  24  are opposite to each other in the second mating room  121 . The first contacts  21  are disposed on the first tongue plate  12   a  and opposite to the second contacts  22  which are disposed on one side of the second tongue plate  12   b . Furthermore, the third contacts  23  are disposed on another side of the second tongue plate  12   a  and opposite to the fourth contacts  24  which are disposed on the fourth tongue plate  12   c . Each pair of the first contact  21  and the second contact  22  in the first mating room  120  are staggered with each other for decreasing the pitch of the two contacts  2  while lowering a cross-talking between of the contacts  2 . The relationship of the third contacts  23  and the fourth contacts  24  are similar to that of the first contacts  21  and the second contacts  22 . 
     The first insulative retainer  4  is assembled into the base portion  11  along a vertical direction (i.e. a Z direction) and blocked with the base portion  11 , thereby forming an opposite relationship with the second insulative retainer  5  in the Z direction. The soldering tails  203  of the contacts  2  are also divided into four arrays in the Y direction and extending through the first insulative retainer  4  which defines a plurality of through-holes  41  for receiving and positioning the soldering tails  203 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 6 , the second insulative retainer  5  includes a plurality of recesses  52  matching even or engaging with the intermediate connecting portions  204  of the contacts  2  for receiving and positioning the intermediate connecting portions  204  therein. The recesses  52  are opened to the first insulative retainer  4 , thereby forming a balanced force system acting on the intermediate connecting portions  204  for preventing the contacts  2  from movement and deviating from original position thereof. The recesses  52  includes a plurality of first recesses  521 , a plurality of second recesses  522  which are shallower than the first recesses  521  and staggered with the first recesses  521  and a plurality of spacing wall  523  disposed between each first recess  521  and second recess  522 . Each of the first recesses  521  defines a first positioning surface  52   a  and a second positioning surface  52   b  perpendicular to each other at inner side thereof for respectively preventing the intermediate connecting portions  204  from moving in the Z direction and a reverse direction of the X direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 to 5 , the first contacts  21  are received and positioned in the first recesses  521  respectively. The second contacts  22  are received and positioned in the second recesses  522  respectively. Each of the third contacts  23  straddles upon the first recess  52  and has a pair of protruding ears  231  respectively pressing against on the two adjacent spacing walls  523 . So that the four sets contacts  2  are disposed in the insulative housing  1  in a smaller a spacing pitch of each two contacts  2 . But the fourth contacts  24  are not engaged with the second insulative retainer  5  because its soldering tails are shorter than the other three sets contacts (i.e. the first contacts  21 , the second contacts  22  and the third contacts  23 ) and closer than the insulative housing in the Y direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the metal shell  3  is formed by a unitary metallic plate and includes a pair of openings  31  for anti-mismating of the mating connector and a pair of tongue tabs  32  each integrally connected with inner edge of the opening  31  for guiding the mating connector inserted into. 
     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 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 board general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.