Patent Publication Number: US-6705896-B1

Title: Micro coaxial cable end connector assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application is a co-pending application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/199,713, filed on Jul. 19, 2002, invented by David Tso-Chin Ko, entitled “MICRO COAXIAL CABEL CONNECTOR HAVING LATCHES FOR SECURELY ENGAGING WITH A COMPLEMENTARY CONNECTOR” and all assigned to the same assignee as this patent application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a micro coaxial cable end connector assembly used in liquid crystal display (LCD) application, and particularly to such connector assembly having securely connection between a connector and a cable. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,305,978 B1, 6,273,753 B1, 6,338,652 B1, D456,779 S, D456,780 S, D456,777 S, D457,138 S, and D444,130 S disclose low profiled micro coaxial cable connector assembly. This type connector assembly comprises a micro coaxial connector and a cable connecting with the micro coaxial connector used to transmit signals between a mother board in a base of a notebook computer and an LCD panel of the notebook computer. Because the micro coaxial connector has a low profile configuration, the connector is not easy to be held and extracted from a complementary connector by a user&#39;s hand. In addition, when the micro coaxial cable connector assembly is assembled to the notebook computer, a lot of other electrical connectors are settled around the micro coaxial cable connector assembly so that the micro coaxial cable connector is not easy to be extracted because of the space limiting. Therefore, the user usually directly pulls the cable of the assembly so as to separate it from the complementary connector which may cause a disconnection between the cable and the connector. The signal transmission between the cable and the connector is effected. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, a micro coaxial cable connector assembly comprises a micro coaxial cable connector  2  and a cable  6  which has a plurality of wires  61  extending out the cable and connecting with the connector. The wires  61  are soldered with conductive contacts of the connector  2  and some adhesive is filled into the connector to further connect the contacts with the wires. When the cable is pulled, the wires arranged in the middle bear a little pull force and the wires arranged adjacent to a pair of sides of the connector bear a large pull force. Therefore, the wires arranged adjacent to the pair of sides of the connector are easy to be break so as to effect signal transmission. 
     It is desired to provide a new micro coaxial cable connector assembly having a secure connection between the connector and the wires of the cable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a micro coaxial cable connector assembly having a secure connection between a micro coaxial connector and wires of the cable. 
     In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector assembly comprises an electrical connector and a cable. The electrical connector has a contact set and a shield enclosing the contact set. The contact set has an insulative insert and a plurality of contacts. The insulative insert defines a plurality of channels, the contacts are received into the channels and each conductive contact has a mating portion adapted for mating with a complementary connector and a connecting portion retained in a rear end of the insulative insert. The cable has a plurality of wires and a pair of strong grounding conductors. Each wire has a conductive conductor electrically and mechanically connecting with the connecting portion of the contact. The pair of strong grounding conductors is mechanically connected to a pair of sides of the connector and electrically connected with a grounding trace of the connector so as to enhance a mechanical connection between the cable and the connector and a grounding effect. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a micro coaxial cable connector assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the micro coaxial cable connector assembly of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, from a different aspect; 
     FIG. 3A is an enlarged perspective view of a skinned wire shown in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 4 is a partly assembled view of FIG. 3 showing an insulative housing and a shield without assembled; 
     FIG. 5 is a partly assembled view of FIG. 4 showing the shield without assembled; 
     FIG. 6 is a further assembled view of FIG. 5 showing a pair of grounding conductors twisting around wires; 
     FIG. 7 is an assembled view of a second embodiment of a micro coaxial cable connector assembly showing a metal braiding connected to a shield; 
     FIG. 8 is an assembled view similar to FIG. 7 showing the metal braiding twisting around wires; and 
     FIG. 9 is an assembled view of a conventional micro coaxial cable connector assembly. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 , a micro coaxial cable connector assembly  100  of the present invention comprises a micro coaxial connector  1  and a cable  40 . The connector  1  comprises an elongate insulative housing  10 , a contact set  2 , and a conductive shield  30 . 
     The insulative housing  10  comprises an elongate base portion  11 , a tongue portion  12  extending forwardly from the base portion  11 , a rear portion  13  at a rear end of the base portion  11 , a pair of retention portions  14  formed on a pair of lateral ends of the base portion  11 . The base portion  11  and the tongue portion  12  together define a plurality of passageways  111  from the rear end of the base portion  11  to a front end of the tongue portion  12 . The rear portion  13  comprises an elongate plate  131  extending rearwardly from the base portion  11 , a pair of receiving sections  132  formed on lateral ends of the elongate plate  131 . Each of the receiving sections  132  defines a receiving channel  133  in an inner side thereof. A gap  15  is defined between each retention portion  14  and a corresponding receiving section  132 . A plurality of protrusions  113  is formed on a bottom face of the base portion  11 . A pair of recesses  115  is defined in an upper surface face of the base portion  11  adjacent to the retention portions  14 . 
     The contact set  2  comprises an insulative insert  21 , a plurality of signal and grounding contacts  22 , and a grounding bar  23 . 
     The insulative insert  21  defines a plurality of channels  210  adjacent to a front end thereof, a receiving groove  212  adjacent to a rear end thereof. The channels  210  communicate with the receiving groove  212 . The channels  210  are extended in a front-to-rear direction. The receiving groove  212  is laterally extended. A plurality of slots  214  extends through a rear face  213  of the insert  21  and communicates with the receiving groove  212 . The slots  214  are used to allow a plurality of wires  41  of a cable  40  extending therethrough into the receiving groove  212  and the channels  210 . 
     The signal and grounding contacts  22  have the same structure; each contact  22  comprises a retention portion  222 , a mating portion  224  extending forwardly from the retention portion  222 , and a connecting portion  226  extending rearwardly from the retention portion  222 . The mating portions  224  are for electrically engaging with the complementary connector. The connecting portions  226  are for electrically connecting with the wires  41  of the cable  40 . 
     The grounding bar  23  comprises an elongate, laterally extending main portion  232  and a plurality of grounding fingers  234  extending forwardly from the main portion  232 . 
     The conductive shield  30  comprises an upper plate  31 , a lower plate  32 , and a pair of connecting portions  33  connecting rear portions of the upper plate  31  and the lower plate  32 . A receiving space  34  is defined between the upper and the lower plates  31  and  32 . A pair of side portions  322  extends from a pair of lateral ends of the lower plate  32  to the upper plate  31 . A plurality of resilient tabs  324  extends from the lower plate  32  into the receiving space  34  and a plurality of apertures  326  is defined in the lower plate  32 . A pair of resilient bars  312  extends from the upper plate  31  into the receiving space  34 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 2,  3  and  3 A, the cable  40  comprises the plurality of wires  41 , a pair of grounding conductors  42 , and a conductive tape  43  wrapping around the wires  41  and grounding conductor  42 . The wire  41  has a skinned end which has a center conductor  411 , an insulator  412  enclosing the center conductor  411 , a metal braiding  413  enclosing the insulator  412 , and a insulative jacket  414  enclosing the metal braiding  413 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4, in assembly, the signal and grounding contacts  22  are respectively inserted into the channels  210  with the connecting portions  226  of the contacts  22  received in the channels  210 , and the retention portions  222  and the mating portions  224  extending forwardly beyond a front face of the insert  21 . The grounding bar  23  is inserted into the receiving groove  212  with the grounding fingers  234  extending into corresponding channels  210  to electrically contact the grounding contacts of the contacts  22 . Therefore, the contact set  2  is assembled together. The cable  40  is assembled to the contact set  2  with the center conductors  411  of the wires  41  soldered to corresponding signal contacts and the metal braidings  413  of the wires  41  electrically and mechanically connecting with the grounding bar  23 , and the grounding conductors  42  soldered to the main portion  232  of the grounding bar  23 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the contact set  2  is assembled to the elongate plate  131  of the rear portion  13  of the insulative housing  10  with lateral ends of the contact set  2  received in the receiving channels  133  of the receiving sections  132 , respectively, and the retention portions  222  and the mating portions  224  of the contacts  22  extending into the passageways  111  of the housing  10 , wherein the retention portions have an interferential fit with the housing  10 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 1,  5  and  6 , the housing  10  is assembled into the receiving space  34  of the shield  3  with the plurality of protrusions  113  fitted into the apertures  326 , the resilient tabs  324  extending into the receiving groove  212  and engaging with the grounding bar  23 , and the resilient bars  312  engaging in the recesses  115  of the base portion  11  of the housing  1 . The side portions  322  extend into and are securely retained in the gaps  15 . Thus, the insulative housing  10 , the contact set  2  and the shield  3  are assembled together. 
     Referring to FIG. 6, free ends of the pair of grounding conductors  42  soldered to the grounding bar  23  twist around the wires  41  so as enhance the intensity of tension of the cable  40 . The conductive tape  43  wraps the wires  41  and the grounding conductors  42  therein with the grounding conductors  42  electrically connecting with conductive tape  43 . Accordingly, the micro coaxial cable connector assembly  100  in accordance with the present invention is completed. 
     Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, a micro coaxial cable connector assembly  100 ′ of a second embodiment of the present invention comprising a micro coaxial connector  1 ′ and a cable  40 ′. The cable  40 ′ comprises a plurality of wires  41 ′, a metal braiding  42 ′ and a conductive tape  43 ′. One end of the metal braiding  42 ′ is soldered to an upper plate  31 ′ of a shield  30 ′ and a free end of the metal braiding  42 ′ twists around the wires  41 ′ so as to enhance the intensity of tension of the cable. Finally, the conductive tape  43 ′ wraps the wires  41 ′ and the metal braiding  42 ′ therein and the conductive tape  43 ′ electrically connects with the metal braiding  42 ′. 
     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.