Patent Publication Number: US-6663425-B1

Title: Electrical connector with reliably assembled shield and housing

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a co-pending application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/947,245 filed on Sep. 5, 2001 and entitled “INPUT/OUTPUT CONNECTOR HAVING FIRMLY ASSEMBLED INSULATIVE HOUSING AND SHELL”, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/126,847 filed on Apr. 19, 2002 and entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH METAL SHIELD”, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/143,616 filed on May 9, 2002 and entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SUPPORTED ON PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD”, all assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector having a shield and a housing reliably engaged with each other. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     It is well known that a cellular phone is provided with an electrical connector for enabling the cellular phone to connect with an auxiliary electrical device. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,807 discloses an electrical connector assembly having a metal shield, a dielectric housing with U-shaped channels and a plurality of terminals received in the U-shaped channels of the housing. The metal shield is mountable on a substrate in at least two orientations. Each terminal is generally U-shaped to define a pair of leg portions, an offset tail extending from one of the leg portions and a bight portion joining the pair of leg portions. The bight portions of the terminals have front contact faces for engaging appropriate contact portions of terminals of a complementary mating connector. 
     However, there is no retention means between the metal shield and the dielectric housing, so that the metal shield can not be retained reliably on the housing when the complementary mating connector is inserted into or pulled out of the electrical connector assembly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,335 discloses a conventional electrical connector having a shield, a housing and a plurality of terminals. The shield has a pair of locking tabs, and the housing defines a pair of recesses for receiving corresponding locking tabs. However, the locking tabs are apt to distort when a push force is exerted on the housing, so that the locking tabs cannot effectively resist a push force acting on the housing during insertion of a complementary connector into the connector. As a result, the engagement between the housing and the shield may be broken, thereby adversely transmitting the acting force directly to the solder joint connections between the terminals and a printed circuit board. 
     Hence, an improved connector is needed to eliminate the above mentioned defects of the conventional connectors. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a shield and a housing reliably engaged with each other. 
     An electrical connector of the present invention has an insulative housing, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, and a metal shield. The housing has a body portion and two side portions formed respectively on lateral sides of the body portion. Each side portion has a passage extending therethrough, a front notch and a rear recess respectively in communication with the passage. the shield has two retentive tabs each having an engaging portion projecting through a corresponding passage. The engaging portions of the retentive tabs have free ends received in corresponding notches of the housing. Connecting portions of the retentive tabs upwardly extend from a bottom wall of the shield and are received in corresponding recesses of the housing. The terminals have vertical contacting sections, connecting sections extending parallel to the contacting sections, retention sections connecting the contacting section with the connecting sections, and soldering sections extending horizontally from the connecting sections. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an electrical connector of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but viewed from a rear aspect. 
     FIG. 3 is an assembled view of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is an assembled view of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an electrical connector  100  of the present invention has a dielectric housing  8 , a plurality of terminals  9  for being received in the housing  8 , and a shield  7  for enclosing the housing  8 . For clarity, the terminals  9  are shown in a final configuration. 
     The shield  7  has a top wall  71 , two side walls  72  and a bottom wall  73 . The top wall  71  defines a pair of holes  711  respectively adjacent to corresponding side walls  72  for engaging with latching portions of a complementary connector (not shown). The bottom wall  73  of the shield I has a pair of retentive tabs  731  upwardly extending from a rear edge thereof respectively adjacent to corresponding side walls  72 , a slit  733 , and a projection  732  aligned with the slit  733 . The retentive tabs  731  have connecting portions  735  connecting to the bottom wall  73  of the shield  7 , and engaging portions  736  extending perpendicularly from corresponding connecting portions  735 . The projection  732  includes two identical portions (not labeled). The slit  733  is defined in a middle portion of the bottom wall  73  of the shield  7  between the two identical portions of the projection  732 . 
     The housing  8  has an elongated body portion  81  and two side portions  82  formed respectively on two lateral sides of the body portion  81 . The body portion  81  has a rear wall  817  and two side walls  816 . The body portion  81  defines a plurality of passageways  811  extending therethrough, and a plurality of cavities  812  in communication with corresponding passageways  811 . The rear wall  817  of the body portion  81  has an aperture  814  for receiving the projection  732  of the shield  7 , a plurality of ribs  818  and a plurality channels  813  defined between the ribs  818 . Each of the side walls  816  has a step-like face  815  so that the complementary connector can not be inserted into the electrical connector  100  in a wrong direction. Each side portion  82  has a front face  824 , a rear face  825  and a passage  821  extending therethrough. A notch  822  and a recess  823  are respectively defined in an upper portion of the front face  824  and a lower portion of the rear face  825  of each side portion  82 . The notch  822  and the recess  823  communicate with each other via the passage  821 . The notch  822 , the recess  823  and the passage  821  are adapted for cooperatively engaging with a corresponding retentive tab  731  of the shield  7 . A front surface  826  (FIG. 5) defines a rearward extent of each notch  822  and is an inclined face. 
     The terminals  9  are stamped from a metal sheet and are in a straight configuration (not shown) before assembly. Each terminal  9  has a contacting section  91 , a retention section  92  extending perpendicularly from the contacting section  91 , a soldering section  94  extending parallel to the retention section  92 , and a connecting section  93  connecting the retention section  92  to the soldering section  94 . The retention sections  92  and the connecting sections  93  respectively form a plurality of barbs  921 ,  931  on opposite sides thereof. 
     Referring to FIGS. 3,  4  and  5 , in assembly, the plurality of terminals  9  are inserted into the body portion  81  of the housing  8  with retention sections  92  received in corresponding cavities  812  of the body portion  81 . The contacting sections  91  of the terminals  9  are downwardly bent from one end of the retention sections  92  are received in corresponding passageways  811  of the body portion  81 . The connecting sections  93  of the terminals  9  are downwardly bent and are received in corresponding channels  813  of the body portion  81 . The plurality of barbs  921 ,  931  of the retention sections  92  and the connecting sections  93  of the terminals  9  respectively bite into inner walls of corresponding cavities  812  and channels  813  for a secure engagement therebetween. The soldering sections  94  of the terminals  9  are bent away from the body portion  81  of the housing  8  and extend horizontally and rearwardly from the connecting sections  93 . 
     The body portion  81  of the housing  8  is enclosed by the shield  7 , bottom sides of the soldering sections  94  of the terminals  9  lying substantially coplanar with a bottom surface of the bottom wall  73  of the shield  7 , so that the soldering sections  94  of the terminals  9  can be properly soldered to circuit traces on a printed circuit board (PCB) where the connector  100  is mounted. The engaging portions  736  of the retentive tabs  731  of the shield  7  are inserted into corresponding passages  821  of the housing  8  with free ends thereof upwardly bent and received in corresponding notches  822  of the side portions  82  of the housing  8 . The connecting portions  735  of the retentive tabs  731  of the shield  7  are received in corresponding recesses  823  of the side portions  82  of the housing  8 , so that a secure engagement between the housing  8  and the shield  7  is formed. The projection  732  is received in the aperture  814  of the housing  8  to further secure the engagement of the housing  8  and the shield  7 . 
     An advantage of the present invention over the prior art results from the fact that the engaging portions  736  of the retentive tabs  731  of the shield  7  engage with corresponding passages  821  of the housing  8  with the free ends thereof bent and received in corresponding notches  822 , and the connecting portions  735  of the retentive tabs  731  are received in corresponding recesses  823  of the housing  8 . Said advantage for the results from the fact is that the projection  732  of the shield  7  is received in the aperture  814  of the housing  8 . Said advantage of the present invention over the prior art is that the shield  7  and the housing  8  are reliably engaged with each other, so that the shield  7  and housing  8  are not separated from each other when the complementary connector is inserted into or pulled out of the electrical connector  100 . Alternatively, the retentive tabs  731  of the shield  7  may extend from a rear edge of the top wall  71  of the shield  7 , and accordingly the front notches  822  and the rear recesses  823  are respectively defined in lower and upper portions of the side portions  82  of the housing  8 . 
     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 disclosed 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 broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.