Patent Publication Number: US-11025012-B2

Title: High frequency electrical connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector for high frequency signal transmission. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     China Patent No. CN101364692 discloses a pair of signal contacts between a grounding contact and a power contact. Anyhow, some crosstalk may occur during signal transmission. 
     An improved arrangement is desired to have the electrical connector with the corresponding contacts properly arranged with each other in both the dimension and the configuration. 
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector with an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts retained thereto. The housing includes a base and a tongue extending forwardly from the base. The contacts includes first contacts composed of a pair of first differential contacts, a first power contact and a first grounding contact respectively located by two sides of the pair of first differential contacts in a transverse direction. Each first contact includes, along the front-to-back direction perpendicular to the transverse direction, a front first contacting section, exposed above a mating face of the tongue, a rear first soldering section extending out of the housing, and a first connecting section located therebetween wherein in the pair of first different contacts, the first connecting sections are transversely offset from the corresponding first contacting sections and toward each other so as to have therebetween a distance, in the transverse direction, smaller than that between the corresponding first contacting sections. 
     The contacts further include second contacts composed of a second grounding contact with two pairs of second differential contacts by two sides in the transverse direction, respectively. Each second contact includes, along the font-to-back direction, a front second contacting section exposed upon the mating face of the tongue, a rear second soldering section extending out of the housing, and a second connecting section therebetween. Similar to the pair of first different contacts, in each pair of second differential contacts the second connecting sections are transversely offset from the corresponding second contacting sections and toward each other so as to have therebetween a distance, along the transverse direction, smaller than that between the corresponding second contacting sections. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the disclosure 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 according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a further exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is another exploded perspective view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the contacts of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a top view of the contacts of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the arranged contacts of the electrical connector of  FIG. 1 : and 
         FIG. 10  is a bottom view of the arranged contacts of the electrical connector of  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , an electrical connector  100  includes an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  retained in the housing  1 , a metallic shell enclosing the housing  1 , and a positioning seat  4 . 
     The housing  1  includes a base  11 , and a tongue  12  forwardly extending from the base  11 . The base  11  includes opposite upper surface  111  and lower surface  112  and two side surfaces  113 . In the base  11 , the first fixing slot  114  is recessed from the lower surface  112 , and a second fixing slot  115  extends vertically. Each side surface  113  forms a protrusion  1131  to engage the shell  3 . 
     The first fixing slot  114  includes a first bottom wall  1141  and two first side walls  1142  to form two engaging slots  1143 . The two fixing slots  115  form, along the corresponding side walls  1142 , two second side walls  1151  with corresponding engaging parts  1152 . The engaging slots  1143  and the engaging parts  1152  are respectively engaged with the positioning seat  4 . The tongue includes an upper face  121 , a lower face  122  opposite to the top face  121 , and a plurality of passageways  123  formed in the lower face  122 . 
     The contacts  2  include a plurality of first contacts  21  retained in the corresponding passageways  123 , and a plurality of second contacts insert-molded within the housing  1 . The first contacts  21  include a pair of first differential contacts  21   a , and a first grounding contact  21   b  and a first power contact  21   c  respectively located by two sides of the pair of first differential contacts  21   a . Each first contact  21  includes a first contacting section  211  extending beyond the mating face, i.e., the lower face  122 , a first soldering section  213  extending out of the housing  1 , and a first connecting  212  linked between the first contacting section  211  and the first soldering section  213 . The distance between the first connecting section  212  of the pair of first differential contacts is smaller than that between the corresponding contacting sections. Understandably, such a distance refers to the pitch measured by two center lines thereof. The first connecting section  212  includes a first offsetting section  2121  linked with the corresponding first contacting section  211 , a first oblique section  2122  linked to the first offsetting section  2121 , and a first horizontal section  2123  linked between the first oblique section  2122  and the first soldering section  213 . The distance between the two first oblique sections  2122  is equal to the distance between two first horizontal section  2123 . The distance D 2  between the two first horizontal sections  2123  is 1.5 mm which is smaller than the distance D 1  between the two first contacting sections  211  while the distance D 1  is equal to the distance D 3  between the two first soldering sections  213 . Notably, the difference between the distance D 1  and the distance D 2  results from the first offsetting sections  2121 . In fact, the distance D 2  is decreases from 2.0 mm of the conventional design to 1.5 mm of the instant invention. Notably, both the first connecting section  211 , the first offsetting section  2121  and the first oblique section  2122  are deflectable in the vertical direction so as to be deemed as a spring contacting arm with the corresponding first connecting section  211  at the free end. Actually, both the first offsetting section  2121  and the corresponding first oblique section  2122  extend in an oblique direction while the first contacting section  211  extends in an opposite oblique direction so as to form a contacting point/apex therebetween. The distance D 4  between the first offsetting sections  2121  of the pair of first differential contacts  21   a  is variant between the distance D 2  and the distance D 1 /D 3 . 
     The second contacts  22  include a second grounding contact  22   a  and two pairs of second differential contacts  22   b  respectively located by two sides of the second grounding contact  22   a . Each second contact  22  includes a second contacting section  221  exposed upon the mating face, i.e., the lower face  122 , a second soldering section  223  extending out of the housing  1 , and a second connecting section  222  linked between the second contacting section  221  and the second soldering section  223 . In each pair of second differential contacts  22   b , the corresponding second connecting sections  222  are offset from the corresponding second contacting section  221  and toward each other. 
     In the second contact  22 , the second connecting section  222  includes a reduced section  2221 , and a second horizontal section  2222  located between the reduced section  2221  and the second soldering section  223 . The width d 1  of the second horizontal section  2222  of the second grounding contact  22   a  is larger than the distance d 2  measured by two outermost edges of the corresponding first horizontal sections  2123  of the pair of first differential contacts  21   a . In fact, the width d 1  of the second horizontal section  2222  of the second grounding contact  22   a  is increased from the original 2.1 mm of the conventional design to 3.1 mm of the instant invention. 
     in each pair of second differential contacts  22   b , a second offsetting section  2223  is formed between the corresponding reduced section  2221  and the corresponding second horizontal section  2222 . Notably, the distance between the two second horizontal sections  2222  is smaller than that between the corresponding second contacting sections  221 . In this embodiment, the distance d 3  measured by two opposite outermost edges of the second horizontal sections  2222  of the pair of second differential contacts  22   b  is larger than the width of either the first grounding contact  21   b  or the first power contact  21   c.    
     The first connecting sections  212  of the first contacts  21  and the second connecting sections of the second contacts  22  are arranged in two rows in the vertical direction. In a top view, the pair of first differential contacts  21   a  is located between two pairs of second differential contacts  22   b . A space  5  is formed between the reduced sections  2221  of the pair of second differential contacts  22   b  to receive the first contacting section  211  of the corresponding first power contact  21   b  or the first grounding contact  21   c.    
     The positioning seat  4  includes a first seat  41  secured to the first fixing slot  114 , and the second seat  42  secured to the second fixing slot  115 . The first positioning seat  41  includes the securing parts  411  engaged with the corresponding engaging slots  1143  for securing the first seat  41  thereto. The second positioning seat  42  includes the securing parts  421  engaged with the engaging parts  1152  for securing the second seat  42  thereto. 
     In the invention, on one hand, the distance D 2 , i.e., the pitch, between the first horizontal sections  2123  of the pair of first differential contacts  21   a  is reduced from 2.0 mm to 1.5 mm so as to reduce the corresponding distance d 2  measured by two outermost edges thereof. On the other hand, the width d 1  of the second horizontal section  2222  of the second grounding contact  22   a  is increased from 2.1 mm to 3.1 mm so as to be larger than the distance d 1 . This arrangement may provide more efficient shielding. In addition, the second horizontal sections  2222  of the pair of second differential contacts  22   b  are also offset toward each other by reducing the pitch D 2 ′ between the second horizontal sections  2222  of the pair of second differential contacts  22   b  compared with the pitch D 1 ′ between the second contacting sections  221  so as to increase the distance d 4  ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ), measured by two corresponding opposite inner edges between the first horizontal section  2123  of the pair of first differential contact  21   a  and the second horizontal section  2222  of the pair of neighboring second differential contacts  22   b , from 1.43840 mm to 1.64210 mm, thus eliminating the crosstalk due to signal transmission. 
     While a preferred embodiment in accordance with 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.