Patent Publication Number: US-9425560-B1

Title: Electrical connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to a connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector. 
     2. The Related Art 
     With the development of electronic products, a variety of the electronic products are connected with peripheral devices more and more frequently. The electronic products are usually connected with the peripheral devices by electrical connectors. 
     A conventional electrical connector includes an insulating housing, a plurality of terminals and a shielding shell. The terminals are integrally molded to the insulating housing. The shielding shell surrounds the insulating housing. The shielding shell has a top plate, two lateral plates extended downward from two opposite sides of the top plate, a bottom plate connected between bottom edges of the two lateral plates, and a rear plate bent downward from a rear edge of the top plate. The top plate, the two lateral plates, the bottom plate and the rear plate surround a receiving space thereamong. The insulating housing together with the terminals is received in the receiving space. 
     However, assembling procedures of the conventional electrical connector are generally complex, and the electrical connector is connected with a butting connector unstably. As a result, transmission signals between the conventional electrical connector and the butting connector are affected. 
     Thus, in order to effectively overcome the aforesaid drawbacks, an innovative electrical connector which has a reasonable-designed structure need be developped, the innovative electrical connector is capable of simplifying assembling procedures of the innovative electrical connector and making electrical connector connected with the butting connector stably. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a docking module, a shielding shell and a metal cover. The shielding shell has a top plate, two lateral plates bent downward from two opposite sides of the top plate, a bottom plate connected between two bottoms of the two lateral plates, and a receiving space formed among the top plate, the two lateral plates and the bottom plate. The docking module is received in the receiving space. Front ends of the two lateral plates are punched outward to form two barbs. Middles of the two lateral plates bulge outward to form two convex portions. The metal cover is covered downward on the shielding shell. The metal cover has a base plate, and two side plates extended downward from two opposite sides of the base plate. The two side plates define a plurality of openings corresponding to the barbs and the convex portions. Bottom edges of the two side plates are recessed upward to form a plurality of guiding notches. Each of the guiding notches is correspondingly located below one of the openings. The barbs and the convex portions are guided along the guiding notches to be fastened in the corresponding openings. 
     As described above, the barbs and the convex portions of the shielding shell are guided along the guiding notches to be fastened in the corresponding openings of the metal cover, so that the electrical connector has a reasonable-designed structure to make the electrical connector simplify assembling procedures of the electrical connector, and provide accurate locations for the metal cover and the shielding shell of the electrical connector for ensuring the electrical connector connected with a butting connector stably. As a result, transmission signals between the electrical connector and the butting connector are steady. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is another exploded view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a right side view showing that the electrical connector in accordance with the present invention is without a shielding shell and a first metal cover. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 5 , an electrical connector  100  in accordance with the present invention is shown. The electrical connector  100  includes a docking module  10 , a shielding shell  20  and a metal cover  30 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the docking module  10  includes a terminal module  11  and an insulating body  12 . The insulating body  12  is integrally molded to the terminal module  11 . The terminal module  11  includes a first terminal pack  13 , a second terminal pack  14  and a ground component  15 . The ground component  15  is mounted between the first terminal pack  13  and the second terminal pack  14 . Rears of two opposite sides of the ground component  15  are bent downward to form two soldering arms  151 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 , the first terminal pack  13  includes a first base body  131 , a plurality of first terminals  132  and a first shielding part  133 . The first terminals  132  are integrally molded to the first base body  131 . The first shielding part  133  is fastened on an upper portion of the first base body  131 . The first shielding part  133  is without contacting the first terminals  132 . Two opposite sides of the first base body  131  protrude outward to form two blocking portions  134 . Specifically, each of the first terminals  132  has a first fastening portion  1321 , a first contact portion  1322  extended forward from a front end of the first fastening portion  1321 , and a first soldering portion  1323  bent downward and extending rearward from a rear end of the first fastening portion  1321 . Front ends of outer sides of the first contact portions  1322  of the two first terminals  132  respectively adjacent to two opposite side edges of the first base body  131  are bent downward and then protrude outward to form two first connecting arms  1324 . The first fastening portion  1321  is molded to the first base body  131 . The first contact portion  1322  is exposed to the upper portion of the first base body  131 . The first soldering portion  1323  projects out of the first base body  131 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 , the second terminal pack  14  includes a second base body  141 , a plurality of second terminals  142  and a second shielding part  143 . The second terminals  142  are integrally molded to the second base body  141 . The second shielding part  143  is fastened to a lower portion of the second base body  141 . The second shielding part  143  is without contacting the second terminals  142 . Specifically, each of the second terminals  142  has a second fastening portion  1421 , a second contact portion  1422  extended forward from a front end of the second fastening portion  1421 , and a second soldering portion  1423  bent downward from a rear end of the second fastening portion  1421 . Front ends of outer sides of the second contact portions  1422  of the two second terminals  142  respectively adjacent to two opposite side edges of the second base body  141  are bent upward and then protrude outward to form two second connecting arms  1424 . The second fastening portion  1421  is molded to the second base body  141 . The second contact portion  1422  is exposed to the lower portion of the second base body  141 . The second soldering portion  1423  projects out of the second base body  141 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 5 , the ground component  15  is mounted on the second terminal pack  14 . The soldering arms  151  project beyond a bottom surface of the second base body  141 . The two second connecting arms  1424  are located at and are connected with the bottom surface of the ground component  15  to effectively decrease the generation of the high-frequency convex wave phenomenon so as to make the high-frequency waveform steadily transmitted. The first terminal pack  13  is mounted on the ground component  15 . The two first connecting arms  1324  are located on and are connected with a top surface of the ground component  15  to effectively decrease a generation of a high-frequency convex wave phenomenon so as to make a high-frequency waveform steadily transmitted. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the shielding shell  20  surrounds the docking module  10 . The shielding shell  20  has a top plate  21 , two lateral plates  23  bent downward from two opposite sides of the top plate  21 , a bottom plate  22  connected between two bottoms of the two lateral plates  23 , and a receiving space  24  formed among the top plate  21 , the two lateral plates  23  and the bottom plate  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the docking module  10  is received in the receiving space  24 . The first shielding part  133  electrically contacts the top plate  21  of the shielding shell  20 . The second shielding part  143  electrically contacts the bottom plate  22  of the shielding shell  20 . Several portions of the top plate  21  and the bottom plate  22  of the shielding shell  20  are punched inward to form a plurality of elastic pieces  25  elastically connected with a butting connector (not shown) and providing a ground breakover between the electrical connector  100  and the butting connector. Front ends of the two lateral plates  23  are punched outward to form two barbs  26 . Middles of the two lateral plates  23  bulge outward to form two convex portions  27 . Two sides of a rear end of the top plate  21  of the shielding shell  20  define two fastening holes  28 . 
     Two opposite sides of the top plate  21  of the shielding shell  20  protrude rearward to form two first blocking slices  211 . Each of the first blocking slices  211  is punched downward to form an abutting piece  212 . Rears of the two lateral plates  23  of the shielding shell  20  extend rearward to form two second blocking slices  231 . Outer side edges of the two first blocking slices  211  abut against inner surfaces of the two blocking portions  134 . Top edges of the two second blocking slices  231  abut against bottoms of the two blocking portions  134 . Rear edges of the two lateral plates  23  of the shielding shell  20  abut against front surfaces of the two blocking portions  134 . The abutting piece  212  abuts against a rear surface of the first base body  131 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the metal cover  30  has a base plate  31 , two side plates  32  extended downward from two opposite sides of the base plate  31 , and a rear plate  33  bent downward from a rear edge of the base plate  31 . Two opposite sides of a rear end of the base plate  31  of the metal cover  30  protrude downward to form two fastening pillars  311  corresponding to the two fastening holes  28 . The two side plates  32  define a plurality of openings  321  corresponding to the barbs  26  and the convex portions  27 . Bottom edges of the two side plates  32  are recessed upward to form a plurality of guiding notches  322 . Each of the guiding notches  322  is correspondingly located below one of the openings  321 . Several portions of substantial middles of bottoms of the two side plates  32  of the metal cover  30  extend outward and then protrude downward to form a plurality of first soldering feet  323 . Rears of the bottoms of the two side plates  32  of the metal cover  30  extend downward to form two second soldering feet  324 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 5 , the metal cover  30  is covered downward on the shielding shell  20 . The barbs  26  and the convex portions  27  are guided along the guiding notches  322  to be fastened in the corresponding openings  321 . The fastening pillars  311  are fastened to the fastening holes  28 . After the metal cover  30  is completed being assembled to the shielding shell  20 , the metal cover  30  is combined with the shielding shell  20  by virtue of a laser welding technology. So the metal cover  30  is combined with the shielding shell  20  tightly for improving a tolerance degree of a mechanism test. The rear plate  33  of the metal cover  30  blocks behind a rear of the docking module  10 . 
     When the electrical connector  100  is mounted to a circuit board (not shown), the soldering arms  151  are soldered to the circuit board. The first soldering portion  1323  is soldered to the circuit board. The second soldering portion  1423  is soldered to the circuit board. The first soldering feet  323  and the second soldering feet  324  are soldered to the circuit board. 
     As described above, the barbs  26  and the convex portions  27  of the shielding shell  20  are guided along the guiding notches  322  to be fastened in the corresponding openings  321  of the metal cover  30 , so that the electrical connector  100  has a reasonable-designed structure to simplify assembling procedures of the electrical connector  100 , and provide accurate locations for the metal cover  30  and the shielding shell  20  of the electrical connector  100  for making the electrical connector  100  connected with the butting connector stably. As a result, transmission signals between the electrical connector  100  and the butting connector are steady.