Information
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Patent Grant
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6280252
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Patent Number
6,280,252
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Date Filed
Thursday, January 27, 200025 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, August 28, 200124 years ago
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Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A cable connector comprises an insulative housing defining a plurality of passageways, a plurality of terminals received in the passageways of the insulative housing, an upper shell, a lower shell and a casing portion enveloping the upper shell and the lower shell therein. The insulative housing includes a main body and a projection portion forwardly projecting from the main body. The upper shell includes a front section for receiving the projection portion therein, a rear section receiving the main body therein and a transition portion for joining the front section and rear section. A rib is provided at a junction of the transition portion and the rear section for enhancing the engagement strength of the transition portion and the rear section of the upper shell. A top protrusion and a pair of side protrusions are disposed on the rear section of the upper shell for abutting against the insulative housing. The lower shell has a latching hook upwardly extending from a forward edge of a bottom wall thereof for pressing against the forward surface of the main body of the insulative housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electrical connector having a pair of shells which firmly retain an insulative housing therein and which can be conveniently manufactured, and particularly to a mini USB cable connector having a pair of shells for enclosing the insulative housing therein, thereby providing EMI shielding.
Electrical connectors commonly used for electrically connecting cable, and although they may solve the problem of connecting the cables, they simultaneously producing a variety of other problems about the electrical connectors. These other problems include generation of and vulnerability to electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI problems are normally overcome by use of shielding, but reliably attaching an EMI shield to a connector housing is a problem since the shield must endure a large insertion force from a mating connector. Conventional electrical connectors are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,683,269 and 5,425,657. An electrical connector, as shown in
FIG. 3
, comprises a housing
24
containing contacts therein, a cover block member
32
for holding cable conductors, and a pair of metal backshells
26
and
28
fastened together over the cover block member
32
and the housing
24
. A pair of locking tabs
261
of a pair of first projections
260
of the backshell
26
latch with a pair of locking holes
281
of a pair of second projections
280
of the backshell
28
, the first and the second projections
260
and
280
together abutting against opposite sides
241
of the housing
24
. However, the projections
260
and
280
are inconvenient to manufacture and can not reliably retain the housing
24
in a fixed position in the backshells
26
and
28
.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A main object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector which can be conveniently manufactured and has a pair of shells for accurately positioning and reliably enclosing an insulative housing therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector having a pair of shells which firmly engage with each other for providing strain relief and shielding against EMI.
A cable connector according to the present invention comprises an insulative housing defining a plurality of passageways therethough, a plurality of terminals received in the passageways of the insulative housing, an upper shell, a lower shell and a casing portion enveloping the upper shell and the lower shell. The insulative housing includes a main body and a projection portion forwardly projecting from the main body. The main body has a forward surface defining a pair of apertures and a lower opening therein.
The upper shell includes a front section for receiving the projection portion of the insulative housing, a rear section having a top wall and a pair of opposite lateral walls, and a transition portion connecting the front section to the rear section. The rear section forms a top protrusion and a pair of side protrusions respectively disposed on the top wall and on each lateral wall for abutting against the insulative housing. The transition portion of the upper shell downwardly depends from a forward edge of the top wall of the rear section for joining the front section with the rear section. A rib is provided at substantially a middle of a junction of the top wall of the rear section and the transition portion for enhancing the engagement strength of the transition portion and the rear section of the upper shell. A pair of retention arms depend rearwardly from opposite side edges of the transition portion and is retained in the corresponding apertures of the main body of the insulative housing.
The lower shell has a latching hook upwardly depending from a forward edge of a bottom wall thereof for latching with the lower opening of the main body of the insulative housing. The upper shell and lower shell interlock with one another, tightly retaining the insulative housing therein.
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 an exploded view of a cable connector of the present invention;
FIG. 2
is a cable connector of
FIG. 1
viewed from another aspect; and
FIG. 3
is an exploded view of a conventional electrical connector.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a cable connector
1
in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing
10
, four terminals
20
received in the insulative housing
10
, an upper shell
30
integrally formed, a lower shell
40
integrally formed and a casing portion
50
enveloping the upper shell
30
and the lower shell
40
. The insulative housing
10
includes a substantially rectangular main body
11
having a forward surface
113
and a pair of side surfaces
111
, and a projection portion
12
forwardly projecting from the forward surface
113
of the main body
11
. The main body
11
and the projection portion
12
longitudinally define four passageways
122
therein for respectively receiving four terminals
20
. A pair of apertures
116
are defined in an upper portion of the forward surface
113
. A pair of side recesses
114
and a lower opening
118
are defined in the forward surface
113
of the main body
11
respectively adjacent to a side and a bottom of the projection portion
12
. Each side surface
111
of the main body
11
disposes a locking tab
112
in the vicinity of a rear edge thereof.
The upper shell
30
comprises a rear section
31
having a top wall
34
and a pair of lateral walls
32
, a front section
33
for receiving the projection portion
12
of the insulative housing
10
and a transition portion
35
downwardly depending from a forward edge of the top wall
34
. The transition portion
35
joins the front section
33
to the rear section
31
. A rib
351
is provided at substantially a middle of a junction position of a forward edge of the top wall
34
of the rear section
31
and the transition portion
35
for enhancing the engagement strength of the transition portion
35
and the rear section
31
of the upper shell
30
. A pair of retention arms
352
rearwardly depend from opposite edges of the transition portion
35
of the upper shell
30
and is retained in apertures
116
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The front section
33
of the upper shell
30
defines a pair of slits
335
in an upper face thereof and disposes an embossment
333
between the slits
335
for engaging with the casing portion
50
. A pair of side flanges
331
outwardly depend from rear edges of opposite sides of the front section
33
for being received in side recesses
114
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The top wall
34
downwardly disposes a top protrusion
343
thereon, and each lateral wall
32
inwardly disposes a side protrusion
323
thereon for abutting against the insulative housing
10
. Each lateral wall
32
of the rear section
31
includes a locking tongue
325
at a rear portion thereof and a locking tail
327
outwardly curling from a rear edge thereof. A locking opening
321
is defined in each lateral wall
32
of the rear section
31
of the upper shell
30
for receiving the corresponding locking tab
112
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
.
The lower shell
40
comprises a main section
41
having a bottom wall
42
and a pair of side walls
44
and an arcuate strain relief
45
for holding a cable. A latching hook
421
upwardly extends from substantially a middle of a front edge of the bottom wall
42
of the lower shell
40
for latching with the lower opening
118
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. A latching arm
442
inwardly depends from a forward edge of each side wall
44
of the lower shell
40
for pressing against the forward surface
113
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. A latching hole
440
is defined in each side wall
44
of the main section
41
of the lower shell
40
for receiving the locking tongue
325
of the rear section
31
of the upper shell
30
.
During assembly, the terminals
20
are first inserted into the passageways
122
of the projection portion
12
of the insulative housing
10
. The projection portion
12
of the insulative housing
10
is received in the front section
33
of the upper shell
30
. The upper shell
30
and the lower shell
40
engage with each other to enclose the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
therein, the lateral walls
32
of the upper shell
30
contacting the side walls
44
of the lower shell
40
. The retention arms
352
of the transition portion
35
are retained in the apertures
116
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The side flanges
331
of the front section
33
of the upper shell
30
are received in the side recesses
114
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The locking openings
321
of the upper shell
30
receive the locking tabs
112
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The top protrusion
343
of the top wall
34
and the side protrusion
323
of the lateral walls
32
of the upper shell
30
respectively abut against the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The latching hook
421
of the main section
41
of the lower shell
40
is held in the lower opening
118
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
. The latching arms
442
press against the forward surface
113
of the main body
11
of the insulative housing
10
, and also press against the side flanges
331
of the upper shell
30
. The locking tongues
325
of the lateral walls
32
of the rear section
31
of the upper shell
30
are embedded in the latching holes
440
of the side walls
44
of the lower shell
40
. The locking tails
327
latch with opposite rearward edges of the side walls
44
of the lower shell
40
. Thus, the upper shell and the lower shell
40
are firmly fastened to each other, and the insulative housing
10
is reliably secured in the upper shell
30
and the lower shell
40
. Finally, the upper shell
30
and the lower shell
40
are enclosed in the casing portion
50
. The projection portion
12
of the insulative housing
10
extends out of the casing portion
50
for plugging into a mating electrical connector (not shown).
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.
Claims
- 1. A cable connector comprising:an insulative housing including a main body and a projection portion together defining a plurality of passageways, the main body defining a pair of apertures and a lower opening in a forward surface thereof; a plurality of terminals received in the passageways of the insulative housing; an upper shell including a front section for accommodating the projection portion of the insulative housing, a rear section and a transition portion interconnected between the front section and the rear section, a pair of retention arms rearwardly extending from opposite edges of the transition portion for latching with the apertures in the main body of the insulative housing, a top protrusion and a pair of side protrusions being respectively disposed on a top wall and on opposite lateral walls of the rear section for abutting against the insulative housing, a locking tail outwardly extending from a rear edge of each lateral wall of the rear section of the upper shell; a lower shell fastened to the rear section of the upper shell for enclosing the insulative housing therein, the lower shell having a main section with a pair of side walls and a bottom wall, a latching hook upwardly extending from a front edge of the bottom wall of the main section for latching with the lower opening in the main body of the insulative housing; and a casing portion enveloping the upper shell and the lower shell; wherein a rib is disposed at a junction of the rear section and the transition portion for enhancing the engagement strength of the transition portion and the rear section of the upper shell; wherein the front section of the upper shell defines a pair of slits in an upper face thereof and has an embossment between the slits for tightly engaging with a mating electrical connector; wherein each locking tail of the rear section of the upper shell latches with a rear edge of each side wall of the main section of the lower shell; wherein a pair of side recesses are respectively defined in the forward surface of the main body of the insulative housing, a pair of side flanges outwardly depend from rear edges of opposite sides of the front section of the upper shell and are received in the side recesses of the main body of the insulative housing, and a latching arm inwardly depends from a forward edge of each side wall of the lower shell for pressing against the forward surface of the main body of the insulative housing; wherein a locking tab is disposed on each side surface of the main body in the vicinity of a rear edge thereof, a locking opening is defined in each lateral wall of the rear section of the upper shell for receiving the locking tab of the main body of the insulative housing; wherein each lateral wall of the rear section of the upper shell has a locking tongue at a rear portion thereof, each side wall of the main section of the lower shell defines a latching hole therein for receiving the locking tongue of the rear section of the upper shell; wherein the lower shell comprises a strain relief rearwardly extending from a rear edge of the bottom wall of the main section for holding a cable.
US Referenced Citations (4)
