Patent Publication Number: US-11664622-B2

Title: Electrical connector having an outer shell and an insulative housing side wall to define an engaging groove and a pair of side grooves

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector including an insulative housing, a contact module received in the insulative housing, and a metallic outer shell enclosing the insulative housing and having a latching portion spaced apart from a side wall of the insulative housing, wherein as a design improvement the metallic outer shell cooperates with the insulative housing to define plural grooves for engaging a mating connector. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     China Patent No. 210245775 discloses an electrical connector having an engaging groove that is defined by an insulative housing and a metallic outer shell thereof as well as a pair of side grooves that are defined by a pair of blocks of the insulative housing and a pair of corner portions of the metallic outer shell. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An electrical connector comprises an insulative housing having a mating slot, a contact module received in the insulative housing, and a metallic outer shell enclosing the insulative housing and having a latching portion spaced apart from a side wall of the insulative housing, wherein the metallic outer shell includes a pair of bulging portions flanking the latching portion to define, together with the side wall of the insulative housing, an engaging groove, and the metallic outer shell includes a pair of end walls and a pair of side portions between the end walls and the bulging portions, respectively, to define, together with the side wall of the insulative housing, a pair of side grooves. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is another perspective view of the electrical connector; 
         FIG.  3    is a top plan view of the electrical connector; 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector taken along line A-A in  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded view of the electrical connector in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a further exploded view of the electrical connector in  FIG.  5   ; and 
         FIG.  7    is a view similar to  FIG.  6    but from another perspective. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 - 7   , an electrical connector  100  of a vertical type has a mating direction along Z axis. The electrical connector  100  may be a right-angle type as well so as to have a horizontal mating direction. 
     The electrical connector  100  includes an insulative housing  10  elongated along X axis, a contact module  20  (a left one and a right one in the embodiment shown) received in the insulative housing  10 , and a metallic outer shell  40  enclosing the insulative housing  10 . 
     The insulative housing  10  has a mating face  11  and a mounting face  12 , a mating slot  13  through the mating face  11 , a first and a second side walls  14  and  15 , two end walls  16 , and a mounting groove  18  through the mounting face  12 . Contact-receiving grooves  17  are formed on the first and second side walls  14  and  15 . 
     The contact module  20  has an insulator  21  and a plurality of contacts  22 . The insulator  21  has a protrusion  211 , a slot  212 , and one or more blocks  213 . Each of the first and second side walls  14  and  15  has corresponding holes  141 . Each contact  22  has a contacting portion  221 , a mounting portion  223 , and a connecting portion  222 . 
     The metallic outer shell  40  has a board  41 , a side wall  42 , and a pair of end walls  43 , together defining a receiving space  401 . The board  41  is spaced a distance from the first side wall  14  of the insulative housing  10  and has a pair of holes  413 . The board  41  has a latching portion  410  containing the pair of holes  413  which are substantially leveled with a top edge of the side and end walls  42  and  43 . The board  41  further has a pair of bulging portions  411  flanking a middle portion  412  or the latching portion  410  to define, together with the first side wall  14  of the insulative housing  10 , an engaging groove  102 . The metallic outer shell  40  also includes a pair of side portions  416  between the end walls  43  and the bulging portions  411 , respectively, to define, together with the first side wall  14  of the insulative housing  10 , a pair of side grooves  103 . 
     The side wall  14  has a depression  142  facing the middle portion  412  of the metallic outer shell  40 . There are a pair of notches  146  at respective junctions of the side wall  14  and the end walls  16 . The notches  146  are exposed to the pair of side grooves  103 , respectively. 
     Referring specifically to  FIG.  3   , the bulging portion  411  is substantially U-shaped and abuts against the side wall  14  of the insulative housing  10 . The bulging portion  411  separates the engaging groove  102  from the side groove  103 . 
     The first side wall  14  has a thickness H 1 , along Y axis, which is less than a thickness H 2  of the second side wall  15 . At a bottom of the first side wall  14  there is a step  144 . A combined thickness of the step  144  and the first side wall  14  is substantially equal to the thickness of the second side wall  15 . The insulative housing  10  has a first lug  145  securing the latching portion  410  and a pair of second lugs  147  securing the pair of bulging portions  411 . The board  41  of the metallic outer shell  40  includes an extension  414  which has a slot  415  for engaging the lug  145 . 
     The notches  146  of the insulative housing  10  receive a pair of claws  431  provided on the end walls  43 . Each end wall  43  also has a pair of legs  432  and a clip  433  for catching in a respective recess  19  of the housing  10 . 
     The present invention redesigns the metallic outer shell  40  to together with the first side wall  14  provide the engaging groove  102  and the pair of side grooves  103  for properly positioning a complementary mating connector.