Patent Publication Number: US-6663402-B1

Title: Electrical connector having grounding bridge

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to a copending application filed on Dec. 23, 2002 with an unknown serial number and entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING GROUNDING BRIDGE”, which is invented by the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee as this application and which is hereby fully incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector and particularly to an electrical connector having grounding bridges. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Electrical connectors usually have guiding columns to be inserted into guiding apertures of mating connectors for guiding the electrical connectors to engage with the mating connectors and grounding bridges provided on the guiding columns for contacting with grounding members of the mating connector for Electro-Static Discharge (ESD). 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,833 discloses in FIGS. 7 and 8 thereof a connector  10  comprises a pair of metallic grounding pads  17  each having a contacting portion  174  exposed from opposite ends of the housing  11  for electrically engaging with a shield  23  of a mating connector  20 . The grounding pads  17  are inserted into cavities  128  of the housing  11  from a bottom face of the housing  11 , and the grounding pads  17  are positioned in the cavities  128  by junctures  176  thereof upwardly abutting against blocks  125 ,  126  on opposite ends of the housing  11  and first feet  175  thereof pressing against an inner side of the shield  13  attached to an outer side of the housing  11 . Sometimes, customers want electrical connectors with grounding pads thereof retained in other ways. 
     Hence, an electrical connector with improved grounding bridges is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having grounding bridges which can be reliably retained therein and which can assure an electrical connection thereof with a shield of a mating connector complementary to the electrical connector. 
     To achieve the above object, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing having an elongated base wall and a mating wall projecting upwardly from an upper surface of the base wall and provided with a pair of guiding columns on opposite ends thereof, a plurality of terminals received in the housing, a metallic shield attached to an outer side of the insulative housing, and a pair of grounding bridges each having a body portion and a resilient arm extending upwardly from the body portion. Each guiding column defines a slot. A pair of notches are defined in the upper surface of opposite ends of the base wall. Each notch communicates with a lower portion of a corresponding slot. The body portions of the grounding bridges are retained in the notches and the resilient arms extend in the slots. The body portions of the grounding bridges electrically connect with the metallic shield from the upper surface of the base wall. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention and a mating connector complementary to the electrical connector; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the electrical connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the electrical connector of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the mating connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevtional view of the mating connector of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the mating connector taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector taken along line  7 — 7  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 with the mating connector of FIG. 6 shown; and 
     FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, showing the electrical connector and the mating connector haven been engaged with each other. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 , an electrical connector  10  in accordance with the present invention is adapted to mate with a mating connector  20  complementary to the electrical connector  10  and together with the mating connector  20  configures an electrical assembly  1 . 
     The electrical connector  10  comprises an insulative housing  11 , a plurality of terminals  12  received in the insulative housing  11 , a pair of metallic power clips  13  located at one end of the housing  11 , a pair of L-shaped grounding bridges  14 , and a metallic shield  15  attached to an outer side of the housing  11 . 
     The insulative housing  11  includes an elongated base wall  111  and a mating wall  112  projecting upwardly from an upper surface of the base wall  111 . The mating wall  112  defines, between a distal guiding column  1120  and a proximate guiding column  1121  opposing the distal guiding column  1120 , a longitudinal first receiving cavity  1122  and a pair of second receiving cavity  1123  separated from the first receiving cavity  1122  by a baffle wall  1124 . Two rows of terminal passageways are defined in opposite inner side walls  1125  of the mating wall  112 . Moreover, two auxiliary terminal passageways are defined in an inner side  1126  of the distal guiding column  1120 . A tongue  1127  extends from the baffle wall  1124  toward the distal guiding column  1120  and defines two rows of terminal passageways in opposite outer sides thereof. The tongue  1127  is parallel to the side walls  1125 . 
     Further referring to FIG. 7, each guiding column  1120 ,  1121  defines a slot  1128  (only one is shown) extending downwardly from a top end thereof to the upper surface of the base wall  111 . Lower portions  1130  of inner walls of the slots  1128  are outwardly offset from upper portions  1129  of the slots  1128 . A pair of notches  1112  (only one is shown) are defined in the upper surface of opposite ends of the base wall  111 . Each notch  1112  communicates with a lower portion of a corresponding slot and extends outwardly throughout the base wall  111 . The slots  1128  open to air from outer sides of the guiding columns  1120 ,  1121  and the notches  1112  open to air from the upper surface of the base wall  111 . 
     Each L-shaped grounding bridge  14  has a horizontal body portion  141  and a resilient arm  142  extending upwardly an end of the body portion  141 . A plurality of barbs (not shown) are formed on opposite sides of the body portion  141 . The resilient arm  142  has a transversely curved contacting portion  143  on a free end thereof. 
     In assembly, the terminals  12  are received in the terminal passageways in the opposite side walls  1125  of the mating wall  112  and the outer sides of the tongue  1127 . Two auxiliary terminals  16  are received in the terminal passageways in the inner side  1126  of the distal guiding column  1120 . Each power clip  13  is received in a second receiving cavity  1123 . The grounding bridges  14  are transversely inserted into the notches  1112  and the slots  1128  from ends of the base wall  111 . The body portions  141  are received in the notches  1112  with the barbs engaging with the base wall  111 . The resilient arms  142  extend in the slots  1128 . The lower portions of the resilient arms  142  abut against the lower portions  1130  of the inner walls of the slots  1128 . The metallic shield  15  is attached to an outer side of the housing  11  with the contacting portions  143  of the grounding bridges  14  upwardly and outwardly protruding beyond the shield  15 . The grounding bridges  14  electrically connect with the shield  15  from the outer sides of the guiding columns  1120 ,  1121  and the upper surface of the base wall  111 . Since the lower portions  1130  of the inner walls of the slots  1128  are outwardly offset from the upper portions  1129  of the slots  1128 , the upper portions of the resilient arms  142  of the grounding bridges  14  are able to resiliently move in upper portions of the slots  1128  during the course of the engagement between the electrical connector  10  and the mating connector  20 . 
     As is shown in FIGS. 1,  4 ,  5  and  6 , the mating connector  20  comprises a dielectric mating housing  21 , a plurality of mating terminals  22 , a pair of power contacts  23 , a metallic mating shield  24  attached to the mating housing  21  and two auxiliary mating terminals  25 . 
     The mating housing  21  is elongated and defines an upward facing recess  210 . Two parallelly arranged mating tongues  211  are located in the recess  210  with their distal ends being perpendicularly interconnected by a bridge wall  212 . The mating tongues  211  and the bridge wall  212  are adapted to be received in the first receiving cavity  1122 . Each mating tongue  211  defines engaging surfaces  2110  on opposite sides thereof and the bridge wall  212  defines a contacting surface  2120  merely on a side facing the distal guiding column  1120 . The mating terminals  22  are positioned on the engaging surface  2110  of the mating tongues  211  whereas two auxiliary mating terminals  25  are positioned on the contacting surface  2120 . The power contacts  23  are located an end of the recess  210  far away from the bridge wall  212 . 
     The mating shield  24  has a peripheral wall  240  wrapping an inner side of the recess  210  and two flanges  241  covering opposite ends of an upper surface of the mating housing  21 . The flanges  241  perpendicularly join to the peripheral wall  240  at joints  242 . 
     When the electrical connector  10  and the mating connector  20  are engaged, as is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the joints  242  of the mating shield  24  contact the contacting portions  143  of the grounding bridges  14  of the electrical connector  10  before the terminals  22 ,  25  and the power contacts  23  of the mating connector  20  engage with corresponding terminals  12 ,  16  and power clips  13  of the electrical connector  10 . Therefore, the static electronics deposited on the connectors  10 ,  20  are discharged prior to data transmitting and power current flowing between the electrical connector  10  and mating connector  20 . Since the body portions  141  of the grounding bridges  14  are received and secured in the notches  1112  in the base wall  111 , a reliable electrical connection between the grounding bridges  14  and the mating shield  24  is got. The two mating tongues  211  sandwiches the tongue  1127  so that the terminals  12  engage with the corresponding mating terminals  22  for data transmitting. Meanwhile, the contacting surface  2120  of the bridge wall  212  engages with the inner side  1126  of the distal guiding column  1120  such that the auxiliary terminals  16  engage with corresponding auxiliary mating terminals  25  for data transmitting. The power contacts  23  of the mating connector  20  are clipped by the power clips  13  of the electrical connector  10  for power current flowing therethrough. 
     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 disclosure 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.