Patent Publication Number: US-7909654-B2

Title: Plug connector having an improved shell

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a plug connector, and more particularly to a plug connector having an improved shell. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     A conventional plug connector usually comprises an insulative housing defining a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, a plurality of contacts retained in the base portion and extending in the tongue portion for mating with a receptacle connector, and a metal shell defining a chamber with the tongue portion extending therein and shielding the tongue portion for preventing electro magnetic interface (EMI). 
     However, the conventional plug connector has a great volume and is inconvenient for carrying and using for consumers. 
     Hence, an improved plug connector is desired to overcome the above problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a plug connector for mating with a receptacle connector comprises a PCB having opposed upper and lower surfaces; a plurality of metal contacting pads disposed on the upper surface of the PCB; a metal shell enveloping the upper surface of the PCB and collaborating with the upper surface to form a receiving space for receiving a tongue plate of the receptacle connector; and a metal film covering the lower surface of the PCB. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, an USB flash disk comprises a PCB defining a base portion and a tongue portion with a plurality of metal contacting pads disposed on an upper surface thereof; a metal shell enveloping the upper surface of the tongue portion and forming a receiving space between the metal shell and the upper surface, the metal shell defining an opening downwardly open to an exterior for a lower surface of the tongue portion to be exposed over; and a metal film covering the lower surface of the PCB. 
     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 an assembled, perspective view of a plug connector of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another aspect; 
         FIG. 3  is a partly exploded perspective view of the plug connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the plug connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is similar to  FIG. 4 , but viewed from another aspect; and 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the plug connector taken along line  6 - 6  shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     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. 1-3 , A plug connector  100  according to the present is adapted for mating with a receptacle connector (not shown) and comprises an printed circuit board (named as PCB hereinafter)  1 , a set of resilient contacts  2  coupled to the PCB  1 , an insulator  3  attached to the PCB  1 , a metal shell  5  covering the PCB  1  and the insulator  3 , and a plastic case  4  surrounding the metal shell  5  and the PCB  1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the PCB  1  includes a base portion  10  and a tongue portion  11  extending forwardly from a front end of the base portion  10 . The base portion  10  defines a plurality of metal soldering pads  12  formed on an upper surface thereof and a pair of through holes  16  passing therethrough in a height direction of the plug connector  100 . The tongue portion  11  has a plurality of metal contacting pads  13  formed on an upper surface thereof and arranged in a front row along a transverse direction for mating with the receptacle connector, and a plurality of passageways  14  passing therethrough in the height direction and arranged in a back row along the transverse direction. The contacting pads  13  are formed by golden fingers of the PCB  1 . The tongue portion  11  has a lower surface opposite to the upper surface and being coated or adhibited with a metal film  15 . The metal film  15  extends backwardly beyond the passageways  14  and the through holes  16  from a front end of the lower surface to the base portion  10 . The metal film  15  could contact with metal spring tabs of the receptacle connector to eliminate the static electricity of the plug connector and prevent electromagnetic interference. The tongue portion  11  has a notch  115  recessed inwardly from each side face thereof, and forms a front portion  112  at front of the notch  115 , a back portion  113  at back of the notch  115 , and a bottom portion  114  at bottom of the notch  115 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3-6 , each resilient contact  2  has a tail portion  23  for being soldered on the soldering pad  12 , a resilient contacting portion  21  being movably received in the passageway  14  for mating with the receptacle connector, and a connecting portion  22  connecting the contacting portion  21  and the tail portion  23 . The contacting portion  21  bending downwardly and extending forwardly from a front end of the connecting portion  22 . The tail portion  23  bending downwardly and extending backwardly from a rear end of the connecting portion  22 . The connecting portions  22  are assembled to a plurality of cavities  32  of the insulator  3 , therefore, the resilient contact  2  and the insulator  3  are formed as a contact module together for being assembled to the PCB  1 , the tail portions  23  will be soldered on the soldering pads  12  securely, and when the resilient contacting portions  21  are deflected by the receptacle connector, the tail portions  23  will not be deflected and will electrically connect to the soldering pads  12  reliably. Each connecting portion  22  has a set of projections  225  projecting from two lateral sides thereof for interferentially engaging with the corresponding cavity  32 . The insulator  3  has a plurality of grooves  33  communicating with the cavities  32  and collaborating with the passageways  14  together to offer spaces for the contacting portions  21  deflecting in the height direction. Furthermore, the grooves  33  of the insulator could restrict the contacting portions  21  therein so as to prevent the contacting portions  21  from over deflection. The resilient contacts  2  comprise two pairs of differential contacts and a grounding contact located between the two pairs of differential contacts. The metal contacting pads  13  are adapted for USB 2.0 protocol. The metal contacting pads  13  and the resilient contacts  2  are adapted for USB 3.0 protocol. The metal contacting pads  13  and the contacting portions  21  are located on the upper surface of the tongue portion  11  and are arranged in two rows along a front-to-back direction. In other embodiments, the resilient contact  2  could be insert molded into the insulator  3  so as to form as a contact module together for being assembled to the PCB  1 . The plug connector  100  using the PCB  1 , the metal contacting pads  13  and the resilient contacts  2  to form as a USB 3.0 plug connector will diminish the cost of production and miniaturize the volume of the plug connector  100 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-6 , the metal shell  5  envelopes the insulator  3  and the upper surface of the tongue portion  11 , and collaborates with the upper surface of the PCB together to form a receiving space  101  for receiving a tongue plate of the receptacle connector. The metal shell  5  includes a top wall  51  located above the upper surface of the tongue portion  11 , a pair of side walls  52  extending downwardly from two lateral sides of the top wall  51 , and an opening  53  downwardly open to an exterior. The top wall  51  has a pair of perforations  512  for being latched by metal spring tabs of the receptacle connector. Each side wall  52  includes a retaining portion  55  extending downwardly and retained in the corresponding notch  115  of the tongue portion  11 , a leg  56  extending downwardly and retained in the corresponding through hole  16 , and a cutout  57  formed between the retaining portion  55  and the leg  56 . A pair of latching tabs  58  project inwardly from each side wall  52  to interferentially engage with the insulator  3 . The retaining portion  55  is resisted backwardly, forwardly, and upwardly by the front portion  112 , the back portion  113 , and the bottom portion  114  respectively. Therefore, the retaining portion  55  will be retained in the notch  115  firmly. The metal shell  5  is assembled downwardly into the PCB along the height direction and dose not has a bottom wall for covering the lower surface of the tongue portion  11 , The side walls  52  of the metal shell  5  have side surfaces coplanar with the side faces of the tongue portion  11 , therefore, the volume of the plug connector  100  will be miniaturized. In other embodiments, the side walls  52  or other portions of the metal shell  5  could contact with the metal film  15 , and the plug connector could be a USB flash disk. 
     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.