Patent Publication Number: US-6210225-B1

Title: Electrical connector with a pick-up cover

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a connector, and particularly to an electrical connector with a pick-up cover for facilitating assembly and protecting the circuit therein. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,912 discloses an electrical connector. The electrical connector comprises an elongated dielectric housing having a plurality of terminals, and an elongated tail aligning device for protecting the terminals during mounting on a printed circuit board. This connector has a small fixing base surface, so it is not adapted to use with automatic placement device for fixing on a printed circuit board. The connector also lacks EMI shielding, so protection of connected circuits is limited. 
     Other similar connectors, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,036, disclose an electrical connector including an elongated housing and a terminal cover provided to secure the connection between the connector and a printed circuit board, but the connector fails to provide a fixing base plate to solve the assembly problem. Therefore, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with a pick-up cover which provides EMI protection for the connector; 
     A second object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with a pick-up cover on the insulative housing, where the pick-up cover defines a base surface for attaching automatic assembly devices, thereby facilitating assembly. 
     Accordingly, an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongate insulative housing including a projection projecting forwardly from the insulative housing, a plurality of terminals received in the corresponding grooves located in the elongate housing, a shell covering the projection of the insulative housing, a pick-up cover engaging with a top of the insulative housing, a spacer, and an attaching means to secure the shell to the housing and the connector to the printed circuit board. An upper surface is disposed on the top of the insulative housing and defines at least a positioning hole with an inclined face. The pick-up cover comprises a flat plate with a pair of latches extending downward for mounting on the upper surface of the insulative housing. 
     Moreover, several positioning ridges downwardly extending from the flat plate for receipt in several corresponding positioning holes of said insulative housing, and a positioning bar downwardly extending from the flat plate of the pick-up cover between the latches thereof cooperate with the latches to retain said pick-up cover on the electrical connector. 
     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 view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bottom of the pick-up cover of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1-2, an electrical connector  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises an elongate pick-up cover  6 , an elongate insulative housing  3 , a shell  2 , a terminal module  5 , a spacer  4 , a pair of board locks  7  and a pair of rivets  8 . 
     The insulative housing  3  includes a projection  30  projecting forwardly thereof and defining a plurality of grooves  300  in an inside surface thereof for receiving a corresponding number of terminals  52 . An upper surface  36  is disposed on the top of the insulative housing  3  and defines several positioning holes  32  and recesses  37 , each recess  37  further forming a corresponding tab  33  therein. A guiding inclined face  35  is defined to a rear of each positioning hole  32 . A pair of guiding arms  34  extend perpendicularly and rearwardly from a rear side (not shown) of the insulative housing  3  along the engaging direction and include a guiding slot  340  defined in an inward-facing surface thereof for guiding terminal module  5  therebetween. A pair of through-holes  31  extend through opposite ends of the insulative housing  3 . 
     The terminal module  5  includes an insulative block  50  forming several protrusions  502  on top and bottom faces thereof for engaging with the insulative housing  3 . A plurality of conductive terminals  52  is insert molded into the block  50 . 
     The insulative spacer  4  is an elongate step-shape structure defining a plurality of passageways  40  for receiving the lower portions of the plurality of terminals  52  therein. A pair of guiding posts  41  and catches  42  are formed on opposite ends of the spacer  4  for cooperating with the guiding arms  34  of the insulative housing  3 . 
     The conductive shell  2  covers a front end (not labelled) of the insulative housing  3  and comprises an elongate panel  21  from which a shroud  20  forwardly projects. A pair of locking holes  210  is defined at opposite ends of the panel  21 . A pair of locking plates  211  rearwardly extends from a top edge of the panel  21 , each locking plate  211  further defining a hole  212  for engaging with the tab  33  of the insulative housing  3 . 
     Attention is directed to FIG. 2. A pair of metallic board locks  7  and rivets  8  are mounted at either end of the electrical connector  1 . Each board lock  7  includes a main body  70 , a hole  71 , an aperture  72  and a leg  73 , each extending from the main body  70 . The leg  73  can be inserted into the printed circuit board for retaining the electrical connector thereon. Each metallic rivet  8  comprises a base plate  80  from which a tube  81  extends. 
     Also referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the conductive pick-up cover  6  comprises a flat plate  60  with an upper side (not labelled) and a lower side  65 , a pair of latches  62  extending downward from the lower side. Several positioning ridges  63  are formed on a forward portion of the lower side  65  and a positioning bar  64  is formed on a rearward portion of the lower side  65  between the latches  62 . A clipping portion  620  is formed at a distal end of the latches  62 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the terminal module  5  is inserted into the rear side (not shown) of the housing  3  via the guiding slots  340 , a forward portion of the terminals  52  engaging with the grooves  300 . The spacer  4  is fitted between the guiding arms  34  of the housing, its passageway  40  guiding lower portions of the terminals  52 . The shell  2  is fitted to the front end (not labelled) of the housing  3 , the holes  212  of the shell  2  engaging with the tabs  33  of the housing  3 . Board locks  7  are positioned in cavities (not shown) at opposite ends of the rear side (not shown) of the housing  3 . The tube  81  of each rivet is inserted sequentially through corresponding holes  71  of the board locks  7 , through-holes  31  of the housing  3 , and locking holes  210  of the shell  2 , and is then flattered to rivet the board locks  7 , housing  3 , and shell  2  together. Finally, the flat plate  60  is fitted to the upper surface  36  of the housing  3 , the clipping portion  620  of the latches  62  of the flat plate  60  sliding from the rear of an outer side of the guiding aims  34  toward the rear side (not shown) of the housing  3 , the positioning ridges  63  on the lower side  65  sliding up the inclined faces  35  of the upper surface  36  of the housing  3  and snappingly engaging with the positioning holes  32  in the upper surface  36 , the positioning bar  64  engaging with upper inside edges of the guiding arms  34  and the rear side (not shown) of the housing  3 . The conductive pick-up cover  6  is thus retained on the housing  3 . It is to be understood that the conductive flat plate  60  provides further EMI shielding to the terminals  52 , and also provides a flat pick-up surface (fixing base surface) for attachment of vacuum pick-up devices. This makes the electrical connector easy to use with automatic assembly systems, increasing assembly efficiency for correction onto circuit boards and lowering cost. 
     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.