1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical connector, and more particularly to a connector having improved electrical contacts.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors are typically used to couple PCB (Printed Circuit Board) which have numerous electrical devices. Some electrical connectors have a mating end wherein conductive terminals are exposed for engagement with the terminals of a mating connector. When mating the connectors, opposite charges at the connector interface may result in an ESD between the two connectors. In fact, electrostatic discharges can be generated simply by a person approaching or touching the connector interface or touching the terminal contacts. As known, when the ambient relative humidity drops to fifty percent or below, the human body accumulates a large electrical charge which can be in excess of 20,000 volts. Generally, very little current is associated with an electrostatic discharge; however, the voltage can be high enough to damage or destroy certain types of electrical devices such as semiconductor devices. Consequently, when the connector contacts or terminals are electrically associated with such devices on a circuit board, the electrostatic discharge may damage or destroy the electrical devices on the circuit board.
In order to alleviate the electrostatic discharge problem, some electrical connectors include features to provide ESD protection. In at least some connectors, ESD protection is provided with a shield in the form of a plate, bar, or the like located proximate the connector interface and connected to ground on or proximate the connector. But sometimes, the electrostatic discharge also happens to the signal contacts. Please refer to
Hence, it is desired to provide an electrical connector to overcome the problems mentioned above.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having improved electrical contacts for ESD protection.
In order to obtain the object, an electrical connector for mating with a complementary plug comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of electrical contacts attached thereto. The insulative housing has a rear section and a tongue extending from the rear section. The tongue defines a front face at a front end thereof. The tongue also comprises an upper side and a lower side perpendicular to the front face. The electrical contacts include a plurality of upper contacts and a plurality of lower contacts. The lower contacts are arranged on the lower side of the tongue and each including a contact section for contact with the plug. The upper contacts each includes an extending section arranged on the upper side of the tongue. A contact section is bending from a side edge of the extending section of the upper contact and extending through a passageway of the tongue to be arranged on the lower side of the tongue.
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.
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.
Referring to
While the drawings display a dual stacked connector system 100, the present invention could be used with any type of electrical connector. While each receptacle is shown with nine contacts 20 in a group, the invention can be employed with any desired number of contacts 20 in a group. Similarly, while two receptacles 11, 12 are shown, the invention can be employed with a single receptacle or any desired number of stacked receptacles.
Referring to
As illustrated in
Referring to
Each upper contacts 21 also includes a retention section 211 engaging with the insulative housing 10, an extending section 212 extending from one end of the retention section 211, and a mounting section 213 from the other end of the retention section 211. The extending section 212 is parallel to the tongue 14, 15 and received in the upper recess 141. A connect section 214 is bending from a side edge of the extending section 212 at the front end thereof and perpendicular to the front face 145. A flat nonealstic contact section 215 is connected with the connect section 214 and parallel to the extending section 212. The contact sections 215 and the connect sections 214 are received in the notches 146 and the passageways 147, respectively.
As illustrated in
The extending section 212 and the contacts section 215 are connected by the connect section 214 at the side edge thereof so that a front end of the upper contact 21 is located in the interior of the tongue 14, 15. Therefore, an intervening spacing is generated between the front face 145 and the front ends of the upper contacts 21 to prevent the upper contacts 21 contacting with the shell 40 of the plug 200 and avoid the ESD problem to the upper contacts 21.
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.
This is a continuation application of a copending application Ser. No. 11/978,870, filed Oct. 30, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,677.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11978870 | Oct 2007 | US |
Child | 12321983 | US |