1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to electrical connectors with improved metal shells.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors present as a medium being widely used in computers and other electronic devices for electrically connecting the electronic device with each other to transmit signals. A common electrical connector usually includes an insulative housing, a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing for transmitting signals, a metal shell covering the insulative housing for shielding the electrical connector from being disturbed, a pair of board locks coupled to the insulative housing for being mounted onto a PCB, and a pair of nuts riveting the metal shell, the insulative housing, and the board locks together and having threaded holes for screws of a complementary mating plug screwed into.
However, the metal shell, the rivets, and the board locks must be produced separately and then assembled together to construct the electrical connector, the mass number of the elements will complicate the manufacture and assembly processes.
Hence, an improved electrical connector with an improved grounding means is desired to overcome the above problems.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector for being mounted onto a PCB comprises: an insulative housing; a plurality of electrical contacts retained in the insulative housing; and a metal shell coupled to the insulative housing, the metal shell comprising a pair of nuts integrally protruding therefrom and defining threaded holes for screws of a complementary plug screwed into, and a pair of board locks integrally extending therefrom for being mounted onto the PCB.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector for being mounted onto a PCB comprises: an insulative housing defining a base portion and a mating portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the base portion has a pair of through holes passing therethrough along a front-to-rear direction and being located at two lateral sides of the mating portion; a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing and defining contacting portions retained in the mating portion, tail portions mounted onto the PCB, and connecting portions connecting the contacting portions and the tail portions; and a metal shell coupled to the insulative housing, the metal shell comprising a main portion leaning against a front face of the base portion backwardly, and a sleeve portion extending forwardly from the base portion and encircling the mating portion, the main portion has a pair of nuts integrally protruding therefrom and corresponding to the through holes, and a pair of board locks integrally extending therefrom for being mounted onto the PCB, the nuts having threaded holes for screws of a complementary plug screwed into.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. For the most part, details concerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art.
Referring to
Referring to
The electrical contacts 2 have contacting portions 21 extending into the passageways 121 for contacting with a complementary mating plug (not shown), tail portions 23 passing through retaining holes 61 formed on the spacer 6 for being mounted to the PCB, and connecting portions 22 connecting the contacting portions 21 and the tail portions 23 and being received in the receiving space 1143.
The metal shell 3 has a main portion 31 leaning against the front face of the base portion 11 backwardly, and a sleeve portion 32 extending forwardly from the main portion 31 and encircling the mating portion 12 for shielding the contacting portions 21. The main portion 31 has a pair of nuts 310 integrally extending forwardly therefrom, a pair of board locks 5 integrally extending from a lower end thereof for being mounted onto the PCB, and a pair of tabs 312 extending backwardly from the lower end and located between the board locks 5 for being retained in the securing slots 116 of the insulative housing 1. The nuts 310 have threaded holes 3101 for screws of the mating plug screwed into. The threaded hole 3101 passes through the nut 310 along the front-to-rear direction and communicates with the corresponding through hole 111. In another embodiment, the nuts 310 could integrally extend backwardly from the main portion 31 and pass through the through hole 111 to rivet on a rear face of the base portion 11, and the metal shell 3 could be retained on the insulative housing 1 firmly. The board lock 5 has a horizontal portion 311 extending horizontally from the lower end of the main portion 31, a retaining portion 51 extending backwardly from the horizontal portion 311 and being retained in the retaining slot 115 of the insulative housing 1, and a leg 52 extending downwardly from a lateral side of the retaining portion 51 and passing through the corresponding notch 118 for being mounted onto the PCB. The leg 52 includes a first arc portion 521 extending downwardly from the retaining portion and bowed inwardly, and a second arc portion 522 extending downwardly from a lower end of the first arc portion 521 and bowed outwardly. An upper plate 313 extends horizontally and backwardly from an upper end of the main portion 31 and has a pair of cavities 3131 for latching with the projections 1121. Therefore, the metal shell 3 is retained on the insulative housing 1 firmly. The base portion 11 is sandwiched between the upper plate 313 and the horizontal portions 311 in an upper to lower direction. In this invention, the nuts 310 and the board locks 5 are integrally formed with the metal shell 3, the number of the elements of the electrical connector 100 is decreased, and the assembly process will be simplified.
The metal cover 4 includes a top wall 42, a rear wall 41 bending downwardly from a rear end of the top wall 42, and a pair of side walls 43 bending downwardly from two lateral sides of the top wall 42. The top wall 42 covers the upper surface 112 of the base portion 11 and is resisted upwardly by the ribs 1122. A set of protrusions 421 protrude upwardly from the top wall 42 and contact with the upper plate 313. Therefore, the cover 4 could electrically contact with the metal shell 3, and the static electricity on the cover 4 could be eliminated via the board locks 5 which are integrally with the metal shell 3. A pair of clasps 431 extend forwardly from the corresponding side walls 43 and pass through the corresponding apertures 117. The clasps 431 bend inwardly at front ends thereof and clasp on the front face of the base portion 11 to contact with the main portion 31 reliably.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous, characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set fourth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosed is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of number, 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.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009 2 0309646 | Sep 2009 | CN | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20110059653 A1 | Mar 2011 | US |