Patent Publication Number: US-7717745-B2

Title: Electrical connector with a tongue with two sets of contacts

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to electrical connectors with a tongue. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Universal Serial Bus (USB) is used widely in variety electronic devices as a standard and simple interface. The standard USB 2.0 receptacle comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulative housing and a metal shell covering the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base and a tongue extending levelly and forwardly from the base. The metal shell has a top wall and a bottom wall which are parallel to the tongue. The space between an upper face of the tongue and the top wall is smaller than that between a lower face of the tongue and the bottom wall. Each contact has a contact portion extending to the lower face of the tongue. 
   As a miniaturized development of electronic industry, the standard USB 2.0 can not satisfied the requirement of many electric devices because of a large mounting space thereof. For adapting to the miniaturized development of electric industry, another type of USB receptacle which we said upright USB receptacle is born. The upright USB receptacle stands up from a right side of the standard USB receptacle for decreasing the mounting face thereof. A tongue of the upright USB receptacle extends uprightly. A metal shell of the upright USB receptacle has a left wall and a right wall which are parallel to the tongue. The space between a left face of the tongue and the left wall is smaller than that between a right face of the tongue and the right wall. Each contact of the upright USB receptacle has a contact portion extending to the right face of the tongue. 
   However, whether standard USB receptacle or upright USB receptacle, there are many consumers can not use these normal USB interfaces conveniently and usually insert a corresponding plug conversely which destroys the USB receptacle easily. 
   Hence, another type USB receptacle is desired to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the present invention, an electrical connector comprises: an insulative housing comprising a base portion, the base portion having a front face, a top face and a mounting face opposite to the top face, the insulative housing having a tongue extending forwardly from the front face, the tongue having a left face and a right face; a metal shell covering the insulative housing and defining a receiving space with the insulative housing, the metal shell comprising a left wall and a right wall; and a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing, each contact having a contact portion extending to the left face of the tongue and a soldering portion extending out of the mounting face. The space between the left face and the left wall is larger than that between the right face and the right wall. 
   The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a partial exploded view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 
       FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3 , while taken from another aspect; 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a view similar to  FIG. 5 , while taken from another aspect; 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 7 ; and 
       FIG. 9  is a view similar to  FIG. 8 , while taken from another aspect. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. For the most part, details concerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , an electrical connector  100  according to a first embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The electrical connector  100  comprises an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of contacts  2  retained in the insulative housing  1 , and a metal shell  3  covering the insulative housing  1 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 3-6 , the insulative housing  1  comprises a first housing  11  and a second housing  12  engaging with each other. The contacts  2  comprise a plurality of first contacts  21  insert molded in the first housing  11  and a plurality of second contacts  22  insert molded in the second housing  12 . The first housing  11  has a base portion  111 . The base portion  111  has a front face  112 , a top face  113  and a mounting face  114  opposite to the top face  113 . The base portion  111  has an inner wall  116  with a plurality of installed grooves  117  and a block  118  at a rear position of the installed grooves  117  and projecting out of the inner wall  116  for engaging with the second housing  12 . The first housing  11  has a tongue  115  extending forwardly from the front face  112 . The tongue  115  is perpendicular to the mounting face  114 . A geometric profile of the tongue  115  is substantially same as that of a standard USB 2.0 A type receptacle. The metal shell  3  surrounds the tongue  115  and forms a receiving space  31  with the tongue  115  for receiving a corresponding plug (not shown). The receiving space  31  opens sideward. The tongue  115  has a left face  1151  and a right face  1152  which are perpendicular to the top face  113  and the mounting face  114 . 
   Each first contact  21  has a first contact portion  211  extending to a front end of the tongue  115  and a first soldering portion  212  extending out of the mounting face  114  of the insulative housing  1 . The first contact portions  211  are flat and arranged in a row along a length direction of the tongue  115 . The first contact portions  211  are partially exposed to the receiving space  31  but not extend out of the left face  1151 . The first soldering portions  212  extend sideward and parallel to the mounting face  114 . 
   The tongue  115  has a plurality of ribs  11512  between adjacent first contact portions  211  to separate the first contact portions  211  with each other, and a plurality of receiving slots  11511  at a rear position of the first contact portions  211  to receive the second contact portions  22 . The tongue  115  is formed with a plurality of position holes  1153  corresponding to the first contact portions  211  and a number of depressions  1154  located at a rear position of the position holes  1153  and between adjacent first contacts  21 . A mold (not shown) used for molding the first housing  1  has a plurality of small posts at the position of position holes  1153  for positioning the first contacts  21 , and a number of pins at the position of depressions  1154  for preventing the adjacent first contacts  21  from contacting with each other. 
   The second housing  12  is a rectangular insulator and has a mating wall  121  for engaging with the inner wall  116  of the first housing  11 . The mating wall  121  has a plurality of protrusions  122  and an installed slot  126  adjacent to the protrusions  122 . The protrusions  122  engage with the installed grooves  117 , and the block  118  engages with the installed slot  126  for fixing the first and second housing  11 ,  12  together. Therefore, the second housing  12  is arranged at a side portion of the tongue  115  along a width direction of the first housing  11  and located at a rear portion of the tongue  115  along a length direction of the first housing  11 . The second housing  12  has a front face  123 , a top face  124  and a mounting face  125  also. Each second contact  22  has a second contact portion  221  extending out of the front face  123 , and a second soldering portion  222  extending out of the mounting face  125 . The second soldering portions  222  are parallel to the mounting face  114 ,  125 , and extend sideward and opposite to the first soldering portions  212 . The first and second housing  11 ,  12  each defines a cutout  13  recessed from a lower portion of the front faces  112 ,  123  and communicating with each other for positioning the metal shell  3 . Each outside wall of the first and second housing  11 ,  12  defines a recess  14  for engaging with the metal shell  3 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , when the second housing  12  with the second contacts  22  is assembled to the first housing  11  with the first contacts  21 , the second contact portion  221  is elastic and cantileveredly received in the receiving slots  11511 , and the second contact portion  221  is disposed above the left face  1151  and extends into the receiving space  31 . Therefore, the flat first contact portions  211  and the elastic second contact portions  221  are located at different plane along a thickness direction of the tongue  115  for assuring signal transmit steadily. The second contact portions  221  are arranged in a row along the length direction of the tongue  115  too. The first contact portion  211  and the second contact portion  221  are arranged at a same side of the tongue  115  along the thickness direction of the tongue  115 . The first contact portions  211  are located at a front side of the second contact portions  221  and spaced apart from the second contact portions  221  along the length direction, for preventing the first and second contact portions  211 ,  221  crosstalk with each other when they are arranged in a same row. 
   The second contacts  22  are adapted for USB protocol and transmit signals same to the standard USB 2.0 receptacle. The second contacts  22  comprise four contacts which are a power contact, a pair of differential signal contacts and a ground contact. The differential signal contacts are located between the power contact and the ground contact. Thereby, the electrical connector  100  in the present invention can mate with a normal USB 2.0 plug (not shown). The first contacts  21  comprise two pairs of differential signal contacts for transmitting high frequency signals and a ground contact between two pairs of differential signal contacts. Of course, the first contacts  21  could comprise only a pair of or many pairs of differential signal contacts and ground contact  214  in the other embodiment. 
   The metal shell  3  covers the insulative housing  1  and fixes the first and second housing  11 ,  12  together. The metal shell  3  has an upper wall  32 , a lower wall  33  opposed to the upper wall  32 , a left wall  34  and a right wall  35  opposed to the left wall  34 . A rear end of the lower wall  33  is positioned in the cutout  13  of the insulative housing  1 . The upper wall  32 , lower wall  33 , left wall  34  and right wall  35  each has at least a spring arm  36  extending into the receiving space  31 . The electrical connector  100  defines a first space between the left face  1151  and the left wall  34  and a second space between the right face  1152  and the right wall  35 . The first face is larger than the second face. The metal shell  3  has two pairs of mounting legs  37  extending downwardly from the left and right wall  34 ,  35  respectively for mounting the electrical connector  100  to a circuit board (not shown). The left wall  34  and right wall  35  each has a spring tab  38  extending inwardly for resisting to the recesses  14  of the first and second housing  11 ,  12 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7-9 , an electrical connector  100 ′ according to a second embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. Structures of the electrical connectors  100 ,  100 ′ in the first and second embodiments is similar, and a small difference is that: the first and second soldering portions  212 ′,  222 ′ of the first and second contacts  21 ′,  22 ′ extend downwardly and perpendicular to the mounting face  114 ′,  125 ′ for through hole mounting purpose. The electrical connector  100 ′ of the second embodiment can achieve the purpose of the present invention also. 
   As fully described above, the contact portions  211 ,  221 ,  211 ′ and  221 ′ are arranged in the left face  1151  of the tongue  115 . The tongue  115  extends forwardly and perpendicular to the mounting face  114 ,  125 ,  114 ′ and  125 ′, therefore, the electrical connector  100 ,  100 ′ not only has a small mounting face  114 ,  125 ,  114 ′ and  125 ′ for adapting to the miniaturived development of the electrical industry, but also supplies another type of mating manner for different consumers. In addition, the electrical connector  100 ,  100 ′ is adapted for USB protocol and can mate the USB 2.0 plug. Finally, the electrical connector  100 ,  100 ′ adds a plurality of first contacts  21 ,  21 ′ for transmitting high frequency signals than the standard USB receptacle, therefore, the transmission speed of the electrical connector  100 ,  100 ′ is increased. 
   It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous, characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set fourth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosed is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of number, 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.