Patent Publication Number: US-8974252-B1

Title: Electrical connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector. 
     2. The Related Art 
     Nowadays, electrical connectors are widely used in electronic products to realize signal transmission between the electronic products and corresponding peripheral equipments thereof. In order to meet market requirements, the electrical connectors are being at the period of mass production. With the rapid development of electronic technology, the electrical connector is required to give consideration to both high speed information transmission rate and miniaturization structure. However, the electrical connector is often mated with a mating connector in a single direction for insertion. As a result, users need to recognize positive and negative directions of the electrical connector firstly before using the electronic product. It is inconvenient for the users. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals and a shielding shell. The insulating housing has a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall and two side walls which together surround an inserting chamber thereamong. The top wall and the bottom wall respectively define a plurality of first terminal grooves and second terminal grooves which are opened symmetrically about the inserting chamber and communicate with the inserting chamber. The first terminal grooves and the second terminal grooves are arranged at regular intervals along transverse directions of the top wall and the bottom wall respectively and each extends along a longitudinal direction to further penetrate rearward through the rear wall of the insulating housing. The terminals include a plurality of first terminals and a plurality of second terminals. The first terminals each has a first fastening strip, a first elastic portion and a first soldering portion which are connected with two opposite ends of the first fastening strip. The second terminals each has a second fastening strip, a second elastic portion and a second soldering portion which are connected with two opposite ends of the second fastening strip. The first and second terminals are respectively inserted frontward in the first and second terminal grooves of the insulating housing. The first fastening strips of the first terminals are fixed in the first terminal grooves, the first elastic portions project downward into the inserting chamber, and the first soldering portions have distal ends thereof project rearward behind the rear wall. The second fastening strips of the second terminals are fixed in the second terminal grooves, the second elastic portions project upward into the inserting chamber and are symmetrical with the first elastic portions in structure and arrangement about the inserting chamber, and the second soldering portions have distal ends thereof project downward under the rear wall. The shielding shell encloses the insulating housing. 
     As described above, the first terminals and the second terminals of the electrical connector of the embodiment of the present invention are assembled in the insulating housing with the first elastic portions and the second elastic portions being symmetrical in structure and arrangement about the inserting chamber. Therefore, users don&#39;t need to recognize positive and negative directions of the electrical connector specially when using the electrical connector. It improves the convenience for the users greatly. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 4  is another assembled, perspective view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to  FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present invention is embodied in an electrical connector  100 . The electrical connector  100  includes an insulating housing  10 , a plurality of terminals  20  and a shielding shell  30 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the insulating housing  10  has a top wall  11 , a bottom wall  12 , a rear wall  13  and two side walls  14  which together surround an inserting chamber  15  thereamong. The top wall  11  and the bottom wall  12  respectively define a plurality of first terminal grooves  111  and second terminal grooves  121  which are opened symmetrically about the inserting chamber  15  and communicate with the inserting chamber  15 . The first terminal grooves  111  and the second terminal grooves  121  are arranged at regular intervals along transverse directions of the top wall  11  and the bottom wall  12  respectively and each extends along a longitudinal direction to further penetrate rearward through the rear wall  13  of the insulating housing  10 . A rear middle of a top face of the top wall  11  is concaved downward to from a recess  112 . Front ends of the top wall  11  and the side walls  14  protrude outward to form a blocking rib  16  of inverted-U shape of which two vertical parts protrude rearward to form a pair of lumps  161  at substantial middles thereof. Front ends of the first terminal grooves  111  and the second terminal grooves  121  are vertically spread through the top wall  11  and the bottom wall  12  respectively to form a plurality of slots  17 . Two blocking eaves  181  are protruded on a bottom side of the top wall  11  and a top side of the bottom wall  12  and transversely over the front ends of the first terminal grooves  111  and the second terminal grooves  121 , respectively. The bottom side of the top wall  11  and the top side of the bottom wall  12  further protrude towards the inserting chamber  15  to form a plurality of partitions  182  arranged alternately with the first terminal grooves  111  and the second terminal grooves  121  respectively and each extending longitudinally to connect between the corresponding blocking eave  181  and a front side of the rear wall  13 . A rear face of the rear wall  13  is concaved forward to form an L-shaped receiving cavity  131  penetrating through a bottom face of the rear wall  13  and communicating with rear ends of the first terminal grooves  111  and the second terminal grooves  121 . Two opposite outsides of the side walls  14  of the insulating housing  10  are concaved inward through the side walls  14  to form a pair of through grooves  141  with front ends thereof communicating with the inserting chamber  15  and rear ends thereof being freely opened. 
     The terminals  20  include a plurality of first terminals  21  and a plurality of second terminals  22 . The first terminals  21  each has a first fastening strip  211 , a first elastic portion  212  and a first soldering portion  214  which are connected with two opposite ends of the first fastening strip  211 . The first elastic portion  212  is meandered frontward from a front end of the first fastening strip  211  to substantially show a V-shape and a front end of the first elastic portion  212  of the first terminal  21  extends forward to form a first blocking portion  213 . The first soldering portion  214  is formed by a rear end of the first fastening strip  211  extending downward and then being bent rearward. The second terminals  22  each has a second fastening strip  221 , a second elastic portion  222  and a second soldering portion  224  which are connected with two opposite ends of the second fastening strip  221 . The second elastic portion  222  is meandered frontward from a front end of the second fastening strip  221  to substantially show an inverted-V shape and a front end of the second elastic portion  222  of the second terminal  22  extends forward to form a second blocking portion  223 . The second soldering portion  224  is bent downward from a rear end of the second fastening strip  221 . Two opposite side edges of each rear end of the first fastening strip  211  of the first terminal  21  and the second fastening strip  221  of the second terminal  22  protrude sideward to form a pair of barbs  23 . 
     The shielding shell  30  has a top plate  31 , a rear plate  32  and two side plates  33  which are bent and extend downward from rear and side edges of the top plate  31 . A rear middle of the top plate  31  is die-cut downward to form an inclined buckling portion  311 . The side plates  33  of the shielding shell  30  are opened with a pair of openings  331  corresponding to the through grooves  141  of the insulating housing  10 . A rear edge of each opening  331  extends frontward and is inclined inward to form an elastic arm  332  with a distal end thereof being further arched inward. The elastic arms  332  are gradually narrowed along the extend direction thereof. A rear of each side plate  33  is opened with a locking hole  333  located behind the corresponding opening  331 . A front edge of each side plate  33  of the shielding shell  30  is concaved rearward to form a notch  334  corresponding to the lump  161  of the insulating housing  10 . Two opposite side edges of the rear plate  32  are bent and extend forward to form a pair of locking slices  321  of which each is punched outward to form a locking wedge  322  corresponding to the locking hole  333 . The locking slices  321  are against inner sides of the rears of the side plates  33  and the locking wedges  322  are buckled in the locking holes  333 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , in assembly, the first and second terminals  21 ,  22  are respectively inserted frontward in the first and second terminal grooves  111 ,  121  of the insulating housing  10  to be arranged in two rows in vertical direction. The first fastening strips  211  of the first terminals  21  are fixed in the first terminal grooves  111  and the barbs  23  of each first fastening strip  211  resist against inner sidewalls of the first terminal groove  111  to secure the first terminal  21  in the first terminal groove  111 . The first elastic portions  212  project downward into the inserting chamber  15 , and the first blocking portions  213  elastically resist against a top side of the blocking eave  181  and are movable in the corresponding slots  17  in vertical direction. The first soldering portions  214  are partially received in the receiving cavity  131  and have distal ends thereof project rearward behind the rear wall  13 . The second fastening strips  221  of the second terminals  22  are fixed in the second terminal grooves  121  and the barbs  23  of each second fastening strip  221  resist against inner sidewalls of the second terminal groove  121  to secure the second terminal  22  in the second terminal groove  121 . The second elastic portions  222  project upward into the inserting chamber  15  and are symmetrical with the first elastic portions  212  in structure and arrangement about the inserting chamber  15 . The second blocking portions  223  elastically resist against a bottom side of the blocking eave  181  and are movable in the corresponding slots  17  in vertical direction. The second soldering portions  224  are partially received in the receiving cavity  131  and have distal ends thereof project downward under the rear wall  13 . 
     The shielding shell  30  is assembled forward to the insulating housing  10  until front edges of the top plate  31  and the side plates  33  are blocked against the blocking rib  16  and the lumps  161  are held in the notches  334  of the side plates  33 . The buckling portion  311  of the shielding shell  30  is buckled in the recess  112  of the insulating housing  10 . The elastic arms  332  of the side plates  33  of the shielding shell  30  are held in the through grooves  141  of the side walls  14  of the insulating housing  10  and the distal ends of the elastic arms  332  elastically project face-to-face into the inserting chamber  15 . In this embodiment, the top edges of the locking slices  321  of the shielding shell  30  are spaced from a bottom side of the top plate  31 . The locking slices  321  are held in the rear ends of the through grooves  141  of the insulating housing  10 , and top rear ends of the side walls  14  of the insulating housing  10  are clamped between the top edges of the locking slices  321  and the bottom side of the top plate  31 . 
     As described above, the first terminals  21  and the second terminals  22  of the electrical connector  100  of the embodiment of the present invention are assembled in the insulating housing  10  with the first elastic portions  212  and the second elastic portions  222  being symmetrical in structure and arrangement about the inserting chamber  15 . Therefore, users don&#39;t need to recognize positive and negative directions of the electrical connector  100  specially when using the electrical connector  100 . It improves the convenience for the users greatly.