Patent Publication Number: US-9847604-B2

Title: Electrical connector having improved shielding structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector having an improved shielding structure. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0126069 discloses a flippable electrical connector including, among others, a metallic power/grounding contact or clip. The clip has a rear end terminated to a paddle card and a front end defining a pair of retention recesses for engagement with a pair of corresponding deflectable power/grounding contacts of a mating connector. 
     Hence, an improved electrical connector is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing defining a base portion and a tongue portion; a plurality of terminals disposed in the insulative housing and including at least one grounding contact located laterally, the at least one grounding contact having a connecting portion retained in the base portion, a soldering portion extending backwardly from the base portion, and a tail portion extending from the connecting portion and exposed to a gap of the tongue portion; a metallic shielding plate affixed to a front end of the tongue portion, the metallic shielding plate having bridge portion enclosing a front end of the tongue portion and a pair of side portions extending backwardly from two sides of the bridge portion, the side portions partly covering side edges of the tongue portion and electrically connected with the tail portion of the at least one grounding contact; and a shielding shell attached to the insulative housing. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of making such electrical connector. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective, assembled view of an electrical connector mounted upon a printed circuit board; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective, assembled view of the electrical connector; 
         FIG. 3  is another view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective, partly exploded view of the electrical connector; 
         FIG. 5  is another perspective, exploded view of the electrical connector of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a further perspective, exploded view of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is another perspective, exploded view of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective, exploded view of the electrical connector omitting a shielding shell and a metal shell thereof; 
         FIG. 9  is another perspective, exploded view of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a further exploded view of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 11  is another exploded view of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector along line  12 - 12  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector along line  13 - 13  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector along line  14 - 14  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector along line  15 - 15  in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 1-13  show an electrical connector  100 . For convenience, the electrical connector  100  defines a mating direction, a transverse direction perpendicular to the mating direction, and a vertical direction perpendicular to the mating direction and the transverse direction. The electrical connector  100  defines a mating port mated with a mating connector. 
     The electrical connector  100 , mounted upon a printed circuit board  1  in a sunk manner, includes an insulative housing  20 , a number of terminals  3  and a metallic shielding/grounding/retaining plate or bracket  4  retained in the insulative housing  20 , a shielding shell  5  formed with a mating cavity to receive the insulative housing  20 , a sealer  7  sealing up a gap between the insulative housing  20  and the shielding shell  5 , and a metal shell  8  attached to the shielding shell  5 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5-7 , the insulative housing  20  includes a base portion  201  and a tongue portion  202  extending upwardly from the base portion  201 . The insulative housing  20  includes a first insulative body  21 , a second insulative body  22  disposed in the vertical direction, and an insulator  23  accommodating the first insulative body  21  and the second insulative body  22 . Referring to  FIGS. 6-13 , the first insulative body  21  includes a first base portion  211  and a first tongue portion  212  extending upwardly from the first base portion  211 . The first tongue portion  212  has a pair of first projections  213  located at a lower surface thereof and protruding laterally. The first insulative body  21  has a number of receiving holes  214  located at two sides of the first base portion  211  and a front end of the first tongue portion  212 . The second insulative body  22  includes a second base portion  221  and a second tongue portion  222  extending upwardly from the second base portion  221 . The second tongue portion  222  has a pair of second projections  223  located at an upper surface thereof and protruding laterally. The second insulative body  22  has a number of bulges  224  located at two sides of the second base portion  221  and a front end of the second tongue portion  222 . The bulges  224  protrude upwardly to receive in the receiving holes  214  of the first insulative body  21  along the vertical direction. The first base portion  211  and the second base portion  221  include a number of receiving grooves  24  located at a front surface thereof and respectively close to the first tongue portion  212  and the second tongue portion  222 . The insulator  23  includes a protruding portion  231  and a front portion  232  extending upwardly from the protruding portion  231  and accommodating the first tongue portion  212  and the second tongue portion  222 . The first base portion  211 , the second base portion  221 , and the protruding portion  231  commonly form the base portion  201 , and the first tongue portion  212 , the second tongue portion  222 , and the front portion  232  commonly form the tongue portion  202 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-13 , the terminals  3  includes a number of first contacts  31  carried by the first tongue portion  212  and a number of second contacts  32  carried by the second tongue portion  222 . The first contacts  31  and the second contacts  32  extending in a mating direction. Each of the first contacts  31  is associated with a respective one of the second contacts  32  and is positioned in reverse symmetry with respect to the second contacts  32 . The first contacts  31  include at least one first grounding contact  311  and the second contacts  32  include at least one second grounding contact  321 . The first grounding contact  311  has a connecting portion  33 , a soldering portion  34  extending rearwardly from the first base portion  211 , and a first tail/contacting portion  312 . A front end of the first tail portion  312  is exposed from a gap of the first tongue portion  212 . The second grounding contact  321  has a connecting portion  33 , a soldering portion  34  extending rearwardly from the second base portion  221 , and a second tail/contacting portion  322 . A front end of the second tail portion  322  is exposed from a gap of the second tongue portion  222 . The second tail portion  322  is engaged with the first tail portion  312  along the vertical direction and each of the first tail portion  312  and the second tail portion  322  has an incline portion  35  located at a front end. The incline portions  35  of the first tail portion  312  and the corresponding second tail portion  322  form a V shape and are located behind the first projection  213  along the mating direction. The first contacts  31  and the second contacts  32  are positioned to have 180 degree symmetry such that the corresponding plug connector (not shown but available by referring to U.S. Pat. No. 9,484,681), can be inserted and operatively coupled to the electrical connector  100  in either of two orientations. The soldering portion  34  of the first contacts  31  and the second contacts  32  are located at a same plane and configured in two rows. Understandably, in this embodiment, the first contacts  31  are integrally formed with the first insulative body  21  to commonly form a first/upper terminal module (not labeled) via a first stage insert-molding process, and the second contacts  32  are integrally formed with the second insulative body  22  to commonly form a second/lower terminal module (not labeled) via another first stage insert-molding process. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-15 , the metallic shielding plate  4  is of a U-shaped configuration and includes a bridge portion  41  attached to a front end of the first insulative body  21  and second insulative body  22  and a pair of side portions  42  extending backwardly from two sides of the bridge portion  41  and enclosing side edges of the first insulative body  21  and second insulative body  22  along the mating direction. A thickness of the bridge portion  41  is not less than that of the combination of the first tongue portion  212  and the second tongue portion  222 . Each side portion  42  has an upper beam  421 , a lower beam  422  located along the vertical direction with the upper beam  421 , and a number of hooks  44  respectively located in an upper surface and a lower surface of the upper beams  421  and the lower beams  422  and away from the bridge portion  41 . The upper beam  421  and the lower beam  422  of same side portion  42  form a sliding slot  43  therebetween. Each of the upper beams  421  and the lower beams  422  has a striping-like protrusion  45  electrically connected with grounding contacts of the mating connector and spaced from the neighboring terminals  3  along the transverse direction. In other words, the protrusion  45  is to replace the contacting section of the original outermost grounding contact for mating with the grounding contact of the mating plug connector. Notably, in this embodiment the outermost grounding contact  311 ,  321  forms a shortened contacting section on the tongue portion  202  compared with other terminals  3  because of the corresponding protrusion  45 . The hooks  44  are received in and engaged with the receiving grooves  24  of the insulative housing  20 . Notably, similar to other USB Type C receptacle connector, the metallic shielding plate  4  forms a pair of locking notches  47  on two opposite lateral sides for engagement with a pair of corresponding latches of the USB Type C plug connector. 
     The metal shell  8  has a number of first affixed legs  81  extending downwardly from side surfaces thereof to retain in the printed circuit board  1  and a shielding wall  82  located at a back end thereof and shielding a back end of the insulative housing  20 . The shielding wall  82  has a pair of second affixed legs  821  bent inwardly and engaged with a bottom surface of the insulative housing  20 . 
     The method of making the electrical connector  100  includes the steps of: providing a plurality of terminals, the terminals having at least a grounding contact located outermostly along a transverse direction perpendicular to a mating direction, each grounding contact having a connecting portion, a soldering portion, and a tail portion extending upwardly from the connecting portion; insert-molding an insulative housing with the terminals, the insulative housing having a base portion retaining the connecting portion and a tongue portion extending upwardly from the base portion, the tail portion exposed from a gap of the tongue portion; providing a metallic shielding plate, the metallic shielding plate having a bridge portion and a pair of side portions extending backwardly form two sides of the bridge portion; assembling the metallic shielding plate to the insulative housing along the mating direction, the bridge portion enclosing a front end of the tongue portion, the side portions electrically connected with the tail portions of the terminals; an insulator defined in insulative housing is over-molded with the metallic shielding plate; and assembling a shielding shell to enclose the insulative housing. Notably, in this embodiment the insulator  23  is integrally formed with the first insulative body  21 , the second insulative body  22  and the shielding plate  4  via a second stage insert-molding process. 
     A first feature of the invention is to provide the metallic shielding/grounding plate/bracket  4  with the functions of not only locking with the corresponding plug connector via the locking notches  47  but also retaining the upper terminal module and the lower terminal module together via the projections  213  and  223  received within the corresponding sliding slots  43  in the vertical direction. A second feature of the invention is to have the shielding/grounding sheet/bracket  4  replace the outermost grounding terminals, in the transverse direction, on the tongue portion  202 . A third feature of the invention is to have the shielding bracket  4  provide a thickened dimension in the vertical direction, i.e., the thickness direction of the tongue portion  202  for not only reinforcing the strength of the whole tongue portion  202  but also providing a superior latching and grounding effect with the corresponding metallic resilient latches of the complementary plug connector. In other words, in this embodiment, the metallic bracket  4  has the same dimension with the tongue portion  202  in the vertical direction, i.e., the thickness direction of the tongue portion  202 . Understandably, the traditional USB Type C receptacle connector, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 9,484,681, uses the metallic shielding plate located between the upper terminals and the lower terminals and such a substantial plate essentially defines a less dimension in the vertical direction, thus failing to perform the aforementioned effects. In this embodiment, the metallic shielding bracket is made via a die-casting process so as to have thickened structures while the traditional shielding shell is made via a stamping process so as to only have a uniformed small thickness thereof. 
     However, the disclosure is illustrative only, changes may be made in detail, especially in matter of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention.