Patent Publication Number: US-10312639-B2

Title: Shielded board-to-board connector assembly

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The invention is related to an electrical connector assembly, and particularly to the board-to-board connector assembly with the metallic shielding shells covering the corresponding housing circumferentially. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ARTS 
     Taiwan Patent No. M435072 discloses the board-to-board electrical connector assembly each equipped with a metallic shielding shell. Anyhow, the shielding shell is not structured with a full shielding effect disadvantageously. 
     It is desired to provide a board-to-board connector assembly wherein each mating connector is equipped with a metallic shielding shell sufficiently covering the housing and efficiently providing shielding effect. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     To achieve the above desire, an electrical connector assembly includes a receptacle connector and a plug connector wherein the receptacle connector has an insulative housing with a plurality of contacts therein, and metallic shielding shell covering the housing. The housing includes a base and a peripheral wall surrounding an island to form a mating cavity therebetween wherein the shielding shell covers the exterior surfaces of the peripheral wall and further provides pressing section upon an interior surfaces thereof. Correspondingly, the plug connector has an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts therein, and a metallic shielding shell cover the housing. The housing forms a receiving cavity to receive the island. The shielding shell of the plug connector forms a recess in the outer abutting section to engage the pressing section of the receptacle connector during mating. Therefore, a good mechanical and electrical connection between the receptacle connector and the plug connector can be achieved. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of the invention wherein the receptacle connector and the plug connector are not mated with each other; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1  wherein the receptacle connector and the plug connector are mated together; 
         FIG. 4  is another perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the receptacle connector of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is another exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 8  is another exploded perspective view of the plug connector of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9(A)  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 9(B)  is another cross-sectional view of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is another cross-sectional view of the electrical connector assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , an electrical connector assembly  300  includes a receptacle connector  100  mounted upon a printed circuit board (not shown) for mating with a plug connector  200  mounted upon another printed circuit board (not shown). The receptacle connector  100  includes an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  retained to the housing  1 , and a metallic shielding shell  3  covering the housing  1 . 
     The insulative housing  1  includes a base  14 , an island  11  extending upwardly from the base  14 , a peripheral wall  12  cooperating with the island  11  to form a frame like mating cavity  10 . The peripheral wall  12  forms an interior surface  121  facing the island  11 , and an exterior surface  122  opposite to the inner surface  121 . The peripheral wall  12  includes a pair of first side walls  123  and a pair of second side walls or end walls  124 . The first side wall  123  forms a recess  1231  in the interior surface. The housing  1  further includes a pair mounting sections  13  by two sides of the first side wall  123 . The island  11  forms a plurality of grooves  111  and a pair of protrusions  112  at two opposite ends of the island  11 . The base  14  forms a plurality of though holes  141  communicatively aligned with the corresponding grooves  111 . A pair of receiving sections  101  are located at two opposite ends in which the protrusions  112  are located. 
     The contacts  2  are received within the corresponding grooves  111 . Each contact  2  has a contacting section exposed upon the island  11 . The contacting section includes a first contacting section  21  and a second contacting section  23  exposed upon two opposite sides of the island  11  and linked by an arc connection section  22  located upon a top edge of the island  11 . The contact  2  further includes a first horizontal soldering section  24 . The second contacting section  23  includes a first recess  231 . The first horizontal soldering section  24  extends through the through hole  141  to be exposed upon the bottom surface of the connector  100  for soldering to the printed circuit board (not shown). 
     The metallic shielding shell  3  continuously extends to cover the peripheral wall  12  and includes a pressing section  3  exposed upon the interior surface  121 . Alternately, the shielding shell  3  may be integrally formed with the housing  1 . In this embodiment, the shielding shell  3  is downwardly assembled upon the housing  12  and includes an upper part  31  from which the pressing section  32  is formed. 
     The upper part  31  includes the first upper part  311  upon the first side wall  123  and the second upper part  312  upon the second side wall  124  wherein the first upper part  311  and the second upper part  312  are linked with each other around the corner of the first side wall  123  and the second side wall  124 . The upper part further includes a first outer part  33  upon the first side wall  123  with the corresponding soldering legs  331 . 
     The pressing section  32  includes the first pressing section  321  upon the interior surface  121  of the first side wall  123 , and the second pressing section  322  upon the interior surface  121  of the second side wall  124 . The first pressing section  321  includes a protruding section  3211  and the pressing region  3212  under the protruding section  3211 . Both the protruding section  3211  and the pressing region  3212  are located within the corresponding recess  1231  wherein the pressing region  3212  presses the interior surface of the recess  1231 . A plurality of slots  34  are formed around the first upper part  311 , the first pressing section  321  and the outer part  33  so as to separate the first pressing section  321  into plural portions. 
     The first pressing section  321  is applied to the first side wall  123  symmetrically with regard to the island  11 . The soldering legs  331  extend from the bottom of the outer wall  133  and under the slots  34 , respectively, for reinforcing the strength thereabouts due to forming the slots  34 . The second pressing section  322  includes a protruding section  3221  between the first cutout  3222  and the second cutout  3223  in the transverse direction. The second cutout  3222  receives the corresponding protrusion  112 . The shielding shell  3  further includes notches  35  to retain the corresponding mounting section  13  for securing the shielding shell  3  upon the housing  1 . 
     The plug connector  200  includes an insulative housing  4 , a plurality of mating contacts  5  disposed in the housing  4 , and the metallic shielding shell  6  applied upon the housing  4 . The housing  4  includes a center receiving cavity  41  and the peripheral wall  42 . The peripheral wall  42  forms an interior surface  422  facing toward the receiving cavity  41 , and an exterior surface  423  opposite to the interior surface  422 . The peripheral wall  42  forms blocks  421  at two opposite ends. The peripheral wall  42  forms a recessed region  424  in an undersurface. 
     The mating contact  5  is mated with the contact  2 . The contact  5  is retained to the peripheral wall  42  and includes a first contacting section/portion  51  and a second contacting section/portion  53  linked by the horizontal connecting section/portion  52 , an upside-down U-shaped connecting section/portion  54  linked to the second contacting section  53 , and a second horizontal soldering section/portion  55  linked to the upside-down U-shaped connecting portion  54 . The second horizontal soldering section  55  is received within the recessed region  424 . The end of the first contacting section  51  forms a upside-down U-shaped hook  511 , and the second contacting section  53  forms a second recess  531 . The second horizontal soldering section  55  extends through the bottom of the housing  4  and is received within the recessed region  424  to be exposed upon the bottom of the connector for soldering to the printed circuit board (not shown) 
     The metallic shielding shell  6  covers the exterior surfaces  423  of the peripheral wall  42 . The shielding shell  6  is downwardly assembled upon the peripheral wall  42  and includes an upper part  63 , an outer part or abutment section  62  and an end part  61 . The end part  61  includes a soldering section  611  and a notch  612  located above the soldering section  611  to receive the corresponding block  421  for securing the shielding shell  6  to the housing  4 . The outer part  62  includes the second soldering section  621 , the covering section  622 , and a recess  623  under the covering section  622 . 
     During mating the plug connector  200  with the receptacle connector  100 , the peripheral wall  42  of the plug connector  200  is inserted into the mating cavity  10  and the island  11  is received within the receiving cavity  41 . In this embodiment, the engagement between the protruding section  3221  and the end part is relatively minor while the protruding section  3211  is received within the recess  623  with a click sound. The notch  612  receives the protrusion  112 , the upside-down U-shaped hook  511  of the contact  5  contacts the first contacting section  21  of the contact  2 , and the second recess  531  of the second contacting section  53  of the contact  5  and the first recess  231  of the second contacting section  23  of the contact  2  are mutually engaged with each other. 
     In brief, the shielding shell  3  covers both the interior surfaces  121  and the exterior surface  122  of the first side wall  123  for not only enhancing the shielding effect but also the structural strength. The retention between the receptacle connector  100  and the plug connector  200  can be performed by engagement between the protruding section  3211  of the shielding shell  3  of the receptacle connector  200  and the recess  623  of the shielding shell  6 , thus more efficiently. 
     While a preferred embodiment according to the present disclosure has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present disclosure are considered within the scope of the present disclosure as described in the appended claims.