Patent Publication Number: US-8109798-B2

Title: Electrical connector with improved receiving channels latched with contacts

Description:
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 used for an electronic equipment. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     CN patent No. 2547034Y issued to Huang on Apr. 23, 2003 discloses a plug connector comprising an insulated housing and a plurality of contacts, and the insulated housing has a plurality of receiving grooves, the contacts are assembled into the insulated housing along a rear-to-front direction. The contacts are retained in the corresponding receiving grooves via a latch of each contact locked in a corresponding fixing hole of the insulated housing, and the latch is arranged on a top surface of a U-shaped retaining portion of each contact, each fixing hole is arranged in an upper surface of the corresponding receiving groove, so the contacts can be prevented sliding backwards. However, the contacts will be pulled backwards constantly as the plug connector mated frequently, so the latch may be destroyed and the contacts may move rearwards to separate from the insulated housing. 
     Hence, it is desirable to have an improved structure to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with a plurality of contacts retained in an insulative housing stably. 
     In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing. The insulative housing defines a base portion and a mating portion in front of the base portion, the mating portion defines a plurality of receiving channels extending along a mating direction. The contacts are received in the insulative housing, and inserted into the receiving channels along a front-to-back direction. Each contact has a soldering portion extending through the receiving channel and assembled to the base portion of the insulative housing, a retaining portion located in front of the soldering portion and held in the receiving channel, and a contacting portion received in the mating portion of the insulative housing, the retaining portion has a higher barb in the front and a lower barb on a rear section thereof on both sides. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded, perspective view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially assembled, perspective view of an insulative housing with a plurality of contacts of the electrical connector; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-section view take along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a partially cross-section view take along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 1 , with one of the contacts being drawn out. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , an electrical connector  100  made in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  received in the insulative housing  1  and a metallic shell  3  shielding the insulative housing  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , the insulative housing  1  is of a unitary configuration, and includes a base portion  11  and a mating portion  12  extending forwards from the base portion  11  to mate with a complementary connector (not shown). The mating portion  12  is configured with a plate approximately, and comprises an upper wall  121 , a lower wall  122 , a pair of lateral walls  123  and a plurality of receiving channels  124  extending along a mating direction, the receiving channels  124  are arranged in a row along a transverse direction. The upper wall  121  has a pair of wedges  1211  protruding upwards and a plurality of slots  1212  communicated with corresponding receiving channels  124 . The lower wall  122  defines a number of grooves  1221  communicated with corresponding receiving channels  124 . Each lateral wall  123  defines a leading member  1231  to guide the electrical connector  100  mating with the complementary connector. The leading member  1231  has a protrusion  1232  to achieve anti-mismating and latching performance. 
     Each receiving channel  124  is formed with a plurality of internal walls (not labeled), and comprises a first opening  1241  and a second opening  1242  back to back, the first opening  1241  is arranged towards foreside with the second opening  1242  towards backside. The first opening  1241  is of convex shape, and the second opening  1242  is rectangular, the second opening  1242  has a smaller dimension than the first opening  1241 . Each receiving channel  124  also defines a first notch  1243  and a second notch  1244  below the first notch  1243 , and the first notch  1243  has a bigger width than the second notch  1244 . The base portion  11  is elongate in a transverse direction, and defines a plurality of rectangular passages  111  relative to the receiving channels  124 , a plurality of first routeways  112  and a plurality of second routeways  113 , and the first routeways  112  is narrower than the second routeway  113 . The base portion  11  defines a pair of mounting portions  114  on lateral sides, and each mounting portion  114  defines at least one of wedge-shaped extruding portion  1141 . 
     Each contact  2  is made of metallic material, and comprises a soldering portion  21  connected with a wire (not shown) and extending horizontally, a linking portion  22  extending slantways from the soldering portion  21 , a retaining portion  23  extending horizontally from the linking portion  22 , a contacting portion  24  below the retaining portion  23  and a rectangular bridge  25  connecting the contacting portion  24  and the retaining portion  23 . The contacting portion  24  is spaced apart from the retaining portion  23 , and the bridge  25  is disposed along a vertical direction. The retaining portion  23  defines a pair of first barbs  231  on both sides thereof and a pair of second barbs  232  behind the first barbs  231 , each second barb  232  has a smaller width than the first barb  231 . Additionally, each of the first barbs  231  and the second barbs  232  respectively has an inclined surface  2311 ,  2321 , and each inclined surface  2311 ,  2321  has a higher front portion and a lower rear portion, therefore can guide the contacts  2  being inserted into the receiving channels  124 , and the contacts  2  can be retained in the insulative housing  1  via the first barbs  231  and the second barbs  232  interferentially cooperated with the receiving channels  124 . 
     The contacting portion  24  comprises a rear section  241  parallel to the retaining portion  23  and an elastic mating section  242  extending forwards from the rear section  241 , and the mating section  242  is curved and firstly extending close to the retaining portion  23 , and then away from the retaining portion  23 . The retaining portion  23  and the contacting portion  24  are mating with contacts of the complementary connector together. The retaining portion  23  has a bigger width than the soldering portion  21 , the linking portion  22 , the contacting portion  24  and the second opening  1242  of the receiving channel  124 . The bridge  25  is connecting the retaining portion  23  with the rear section  241  of the contacting portion  24 . The contact  2  has the same height with the first opening  1241 , and has a bigger height than the second opening  1242 . 
     The metallic shell  3  is die casted from metal material, and comprises a top shell  31  and a bottom shell  32 . The top shell  31  defines a first plane portion  311  and a plurality of vertical walls  312  bending downwards from the first plane portion  311 , and each vertical wall  312  has a through hole  3121 . The bottom shell  32  defines a second plane portion  321 , a pair of side walls  322  extending upwards from both sides of the second plane portion  321 , and a pair of arms  323  extending from a front edge of the second plane portion  321 . The arms  323  are neighboring to the corresponding side walls  322 , and each side wall  322  has a cutout  3221  and a tab  3222 . 
     In assembly, the contacts  2  are inserted into the receiving channels  124  along the mating direction from the first opening  1241  of the insulative housing  1  firstly, and the soldering portion  21  of each contact  2  is extending through the receiving channel  124  and accommodated in the rectangular passage  111  of the base portion  11 . Each bridge  25  is adjacent to an inner wall of the receiving channel  124 , and each retaining portion  23  is received in the first notch  1243 , the first barbs  231  and the second barbs  232  are interferentially matched with the receiving channels  124 , so the retaining portions  23  can be held in the receiving channel  124 . The contacting portions  24  are received in the second notches  1244 , and the rear sections  241  of the contacting portions  24  are adjacent to corresponding inner walls of the receiving channels  124 , the mating sections  242  are located above the relative grooves  1221 . Secondly, the wires (not shown) are soldered to the soldering portions  21  of the contacts  2  and extending through the first routeways  112  and the second routeways  113  of the base portion  11 . 
     In the third step, the metallic shell  3  is assembled to the insulative housing  1 , and the bottom shell  32  is enclosing the base portion  11  of the insulative housing  1 , the second plane portion  321  is adjacent to a lower surface of the base portion  11 , the side walls  322  are adjacent to external sides of the mounting portions  114  of the base portion  11 . The cutouts  3221  are latched with the corresponding extruding portions  1141  of the mounting portions  114 , the arms  323  of the bottom shell  32  are adjacent to the protrusions  1232  of the leading members  1231 . The top shell  31  is assembled to the insulative housing  1 , and the first plane portion  311  is shielding on the base portion  11 , the vertical walls  312  are covering the mounting portions  114  of the base portion  11  and the side walls  322  of the bottom shell  32 , the through holes  3121  of the vertical walls  312  are latched with the corresponding extruding portions  1141  of the mounting portions  114  and the tabs  3222  of the bottom shell  32 . 
     In the present invention, the contacts  2  are assembled into the insulative housing  1  along a front-to-back direction, and the contacts  2  can be held in the insulative housing  1  still stably while pulling the wires, and the electrical connector  100  doesn&#39;t need a complex latch mechanism locking with an insulative housing  1 . 
     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.