Patent Publication Number: US-2016240983-A1

Title: Electrical connector

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 is easy to fabricate. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In the end of 2008, USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) released USB 3.0 specification. The USB 3.0 electrical connector adds two pair of differential contacts and a grounding contact to the USB 2.0 for increasing the speed rate up to 5 GB/s and is backward compatible with USB 2.0. With the development of electronic industry, USB 3.0 can&#39;t meet the requirements of consumer. Thus, USB-IF announced USB Type-C connectors which is reversible so that it can be used in any orientation. Moreover, it gets faster and EMI of which is improved. However, USB C-type connector is complicated and challenges the manufacturing and the assembling ability. 
     Hence, it is desired to provide an electrical connector to overcome the problems mentioned above. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector which facilitates to manufacture and has improved transmitting speed. 
     The present invention is directed to an electrical connector includes an insulative housing having a front space and a rear space communicated with each other, a plurality of electrical contacts each having a spring section projecting into the front space and a soldering section connected with the spring section, an internal circuit board disposed in the rear space of the insulative housing, and a pair of spring tabs secured to opposite sides of the insulative housing. The internal circuit board has a plurality of first golden fingers at a front end thereof to connect with the soldering sections, a plurality of second golden fingers at a rear end thereof, and a plurality of conductive traces connected with the first and second golden fingers. The internal circuit board has a plurality of grounding pads adjacent to the second golden finger. The pair of spring tabs each has a locking section extending into the front space and a connecting section contacting with the grounding pad of the internal circuit board. 
     The present invention is directed to an electrical connector includes an insulative housing having a front space and a rear space communicated with each other; a plurality of electrical contacts arranged in two rows and each having a spring section projecting into the front space and a soldering section connected with the spring section, an internal circuit board disposed in the rear space of the insulative housing, and a metal shell surrounding the insulative housing. The internal circuit board has a plurality of first golden fingers at a front end thereof to connect with the soldering sections, a plurality of second golden fingers at a rear end thereof, and a plurality of conductive traces connected with the first and second golden fingers. The first golden fingers, the second golden fingers and the conductive traces form a plurality of electrical circuits corresponding to the electrical contacts respectively. 
     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 a perspective view of an electrical connector according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a partial exploded view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1   
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the internal circuit board shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 6  is similar to  FIG. 4  but viewed from a different aspect; and 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail, wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like of similar elements are designated by same or similar reference numeral through the several views and same or similar terminology. 
     Please referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 7 , the present invention is directed to an electrical connector  100  including an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of electrical contacts  2  secured to the insulative housing  1 , a pair of spring tabs  3 , two grounding pieces  4  disposed on the top and bottom sides of the insulative housing  1 , an internal circuit board  6 , and a metal shell  5  surrounding the insulative housing  1 . 
     Please referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the insulative housing  1  has a main portion  11  and a mating portion  12  projecting forwardly from the main portion  11 . The main portion  11  defines a rear space  111  opening to a rear face thereof for receiving the internal circuit board  6 . The rear space  111  is provided with a plurality of protrusions  112  for sandwiching and retaining the internal circuit board  6 . 
     The insulative housing  1  is configured to an oval—shape and has a top wall  122 , a bottom wall  123 , and a pair of curved sidewalls  124  thereby define a front space  121  opening to a front face of the mating portion  12 . A partition  113  is located between the front space  121  and the rear space  111  and includes a plurality of passageways  1131  and a plurality of separating strips  1132  located between the passageways  1131 . The passageways  1131  are arranged in two rows along an up to down direction. 
     Each electrical contact  2  has a spring section  21  and a soldering section  22  connecting with each other. The soldering section  22  is disposed in the rear space  111  and contacts with the internal circuit board  6 . The spring section  21  extends through the passageway  1131  and projects into the front space  121 . The spring sections  21  are arranged in upper and lower sides of the front space  121  and are provided with a plurality of V-shaped contacting sections  221  for clamping a tongue of a mating connector (not shown). 
     The insulative housing  1  defines a pair of longitudinal grooves  13  at opposite sides thereof. The pair of grooves  13  are communicated with the front space  121  and the rear space  111  at front end and rear end of the insulative housing  1 . A plurality of slots  131  are defined on the top and bottom walls  122 ,  123  and communicated with the rear space  111 . 
     The mating portion  12  defines a pair of recesses  125  recessed from top and bottom surfaces of the insulative housing  1 , a pair of passageways  26  extending through the top and bottom walls  122 ,  123  and communicated with the recesses  125  and the front space  121 , a plurality of channels  128 , and a plurality of partitions  129  separating the channels  128 . The passageway  126  includes a plurality of notches  127  disposed on the internal sides of the top wall  122  and the bottom wall  123 . The channels  128  extend through the top wall  122  and the bottom wall  123  and communicate with the recesses  125 . The channels  128  are corresponding to electrical contacts  2  for providing a deforming space for the spring sections  21  when the electrical connector  100  engages with the mating connector. 
     The electrical contacts  2  are arranged in two rows and include a plurality of signal contacts  24  and a plurality of grounding contacts  25 . In each row of the electrical contacts  2 , the grounding contacts  25  are located at outermost sides and the signal contacts  4  are located between the grounding contacts  25 . The signal contacts  24  includes two pair of high frequency signal contacts adjacent to the grounding contacts  25  respectively, two power contacts at inner side of the high frequency signal contacts and four low frequency signal contacts located between the two power contacts  24 . The electrical contacts  2  on the top row and the bottom row are similar but disposed in opposite directions. 
     The present invention is provided with an internal circuit board  6  which facilitates to manufacture. Please referring to  FIG. 3  to  FIG. 6 , the internal circuit board  6  has a top layer  61 , a bottom layer  62 , and a grounding layer  63 . The top layer  61  and the bottom layer  62  each include a plurality of first golden fingers  64  at a front end thereof for electrically connecting with the electrical contacts  2 , a plurality of second golden fingers  24  at a rear end thereof for electrical connecting with external wires (not shown), and a plurality of conductive traces (not labeled) connected with the first and second golden fingers  21 ,  24 . 
     The grounding layer  63  has two grounding copper foils  631  at opposite sides thereof and a middle copper foil  632  located between the grounding copper foils  631 . The grounding copper foils  631  are sandwiched by the high frequency signal contacts and the grounding contacts  25  of the top row and the bottom row thereby preventing crosstalk between the two rows. The middle copper foils  632  are sandwiched by the power contacts of the top row and the bottom row. Furthermore, the conductive traces corresponding to the grounding contacts  25  on the top layer  61  and the bottom layer  62  are connected with the grounding copper foils  631  via a plurality of plated-through holes (not labeled) so as to establish a grounding path between the grounding contacts  25  of the top and bottom rows and the grounding copper foil  631  for improve shielding. 
     The conductive traces corresponding to the power contacts on the top layer  61  and the bottom layer  62  are connected with middle copper foils  632  via a plurality of plated-through holes (not labeled) so as to establish a power path between the power contacts of the top and bottom rows and the middle copper foil  632  thereby form two parallel power paths between the top and bottom layers  201 ,  202  and the middle copper foil  632  and decrease the resistance for transmitting biggish current. 
     The top layer  61  and the bottom layer  62  each is provided with a grounding pad  66  on the conductive traces electrically connected with the grounding contacts  25  and adjacent to the second golden finger  65 . The internal circuit board  6  is inserted into the rear space  111  with the second golden fingers  65  and the grounding pads  66  exposed to an exterior of the insulative housing  1  for facilitating soldering. 
     Please referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6 , the pair of spring tabs  3  are received in the longitudinal groove  13  of the insulative housing  1  and each has a retention section  31  attached to the slot  131 , a locking section  32  extending into the front space  121  and a connecting section  33  bending from the retention section  31 . The retention section  31  is provided with a plurality of barbs  311  engaging with slot  131 . The locking section  32  is locked with the mating connector (not shown). The connecting section  33  is soldered to the grounding pad  66  to establish a grounding path between the mating connector and the electrical connector  100 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 7 , the grounding pieces  4  are received in the recesses  5  respectively and separated from the electrical contacts  2  thereby provide shielding for the electrical contacts  2 . The grounding pieces  4  are located at opposite sides of the front space  121  and each includes a front beam  41 , a rear beam  42  and two side beams  43  connecting the front beam  41  with the rear beam  42 , a plurality of front tabs  44  bending from the front beam  41  and projecting into the front space  44 , and a plurality of internal fingers  45  bending from the rear beam  42  and projecting out of the insulative housing  1 . The internal fingers  45  are aligned with the partitions  129  and staggered with the channels  128  so that each of the internal fingers  45  is corresponding two adjacent electrical contacts  2  and provides shielding therebetween. The front beam  41  is received in the passageway  126  and the front tabs  44  extend through the notches  127  and project into the front space  121 . 
     The front tabs  44  include two side tabs  441  and a central tab  442 . The grounding piece  4  further has a front finger  46  opposite to the central tab  442  for contacting with the shell  5 . 
     The shell  5  is configured to an oval—shape and surrounding the insulative housing  1 . The shell  5  has a top wall  51 , a bottom wall  52 , and two curved side walls  53  extending between the top wall  51  and the bottom wall  53 . The internal fingers  45  and the front fingers  46  contact with the top wall  51  and the bottom wall  52  of the shell  5  after assembling. 
     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.