WO2009037682A2

WO2009037682A2 - Electrical receptacle connector

Info

Publication number: WO2009037682A2
Application number: PCT/IB2008/055617
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hsien Ning Chin
Original assignee: Fci; Fci Connectors Singapore Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2007-09-18
Filing date: 2008-09-18
Publication date: 2009-03-26
Also published as: WO2009037682A3

Abstract

An electrical connector has a housing and first and second sets of contacts disposed in respective slots of the housing. Each of the first set of contacts is generally U-shaped having a bent portion facing a front end of the connector. The housing has a stopper covering the bent portions such that the bent portions are prevented from direct access from the front end. Possible short circuit situation between the bent portions and a counterpart connector can be avoided. The first and second sets of contacts are both inserted into the housing from a rear end thereof to simplify manufacturing processes. The slots for receiving the first set of contacts may be opened to one side of the housing to allow easy insertion of the first set of contacts.

Description

ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE CONNECTOR

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an electrical connector. In particular, it relates to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) receptacle connector having two sets of contacts meeting the USB 3.0 standard.. It also relates to a method of manufacturing such type of connectors.

BACKGROUND

USB connectors are widely used in electronics devices such as computers to establish electrical connections with external devices via counterpart USB plug connectors. One type of recently-developed USB receptacle connector, referred to as USB 3.0 connector, has two sets of contacts arranged with contact points disposed in rows adjacent to each other and facing a same side of the connector. This structure requires that one set of the contacts be assembled to the connector housing with electrical conductive portions directly facing the front end of the connector.

One potential problem that such type of USB receptacle connector may encounter is that, during the mating operation, e.g. when a USB plug connector is plugging into a USB receptacle connector, the metal shell of the USB plug connector may contact the front-exposed contacts of the USB receptacle connector due to, e.g., misalignment of the two mating connectors. This may cause short-circuit to the contacts of the USB receptacle connector and hence may damage the electronics devices. It is therefore desirable to provide a USB receptacle connector which meets the USB 3.0 requirements and in the meantime, to avoid the possible short circuit situation mentioned above. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention has a housing and first and second sets of contacts disposed in respective slots of the housing. Each one of the first set of contacts is generally U-shaped having a bent portion facing a front end of the connector. The housing has a stopper covering the bent portions such that the bent portions are blocked from direct access from the front end of the connector. Possible short circuit situation between the bent portions and a counterpart connector can be avoided. The first and second sets of contacts are both inserted into the housing from a rear end thereof to simplify manufacturing processes. The slots for receiving the first set of contacts may be opened to one side of the housing to allow easy insertion of the first set of contacts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 A is a partial cross sectional perspective view showing an electrical connector according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 1 B is a perspective top view of the housing of the connector shown in Fig. 1A;

Fig. 1 C is a perspective bottom view of the housing of the connector shown in Fig. 1A;

Fig. 1 D is perspective bottom view of Fig. 1 C after contacts are inserted into the housing.

Fig. 2A is a perspective view of Fig. 1 A before contact pin assembly; Fig. 2B is a partial front cross sectional view of Fig. 2A;

Fig. 3A is a perspective view of Fig. 1 A showing a contact pin assembly step;

Fig. 3B is a partial front cross sectional view of Fig. 3A;

Fig. 4 and 5 are partial cross sectional front views showing assembly steps of a connector of Fig. 1 A;

Fig. 6A is a perspective view of Fig. 1 A showing the completion status of contact pin assembly.

Fig. 6B is a partial front cross sectional view of Fig. 6A;

Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing contacts engagement status when a connector of present invention is connected to a counter part connector.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a USB receptacle connector accordant to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Fig. 1A shows a USB receptacle connector 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 1 B and 1 C show the housing of the connector of Fig. 1A. Fig. 1 D show the housing of Fig. 1 C after contacts are inserted. Figs. 2A and 2B show a connector of Fig.1 A before first set of contacts are assembled to the housing. Figs. 3A and 3B show a connector of Fig.1A when first set of contacts are half-way inserted into the housing. Figs. 4 and 5 show a connector of Fig.1 A when first set of contacts are in positions further to that shown in Fig. 3A and 3B. Figs. 6A and 6B show a connector of Fig.1 A when the insertion process of first set of contacts is completed.

As shown in Figs. 1 A, 1 B, 1 C and 1 D, connector 100 has a front end 102 for receiving a counterpart USB plug connector (not shown), along longitudinal direction 104, and a rear end 108 opposite to front end 102. Connector 100 has a housing 110, first and second sets of contacts 120 and 140 disposed in housing 110.

Each of the first set of contacts is generally U-shaped, having a long extension portion or base portion 122, a short extension portion or contact portion 124 bent from long extension portion 122, and a bent portion 123 connecting long extension portion 122 and short extension portion 124. Long extension portion 122 is to fix contact 120 to housing 110, and short extension portion 124 is to make electrical contact with a counterpart connector, as illustrated below.

First set of contacts 120 are positioned in housing 110, with long extension portion 122 received in respective first set of slots 112 formed on housing 110. Second set of contacts 140 are received in respective second set of slots 114 formed on housing 110. When positioned in housing 110, bent portion 123 of each of the first set of contacts 120 is positioned adjacent to, and facing front end 102.

Housing 110 has a block portion or stopper 113, formed as an integral part thereof, at front end 102 of connector 100. Viewing from front end 102, stopper

113 blocks bent portions 123 of first set of contacts 120. Stopper 113 serves to prevent direct access to first set of contacts 120 from front end 102, along longitudinal direction 104. Stopper 113 provides advantageous effect to connector 100 in that, for example, during a mating operation, when a counterpart plug connector is plugged along longitudinal direction 104, metal shell of the counterpart connector will be blocked by stopper 113 from contacting bent portions 123 of first set of contacts 120. Possible short circuit problem encountered to the first contacts in conventional connectors can be successfully avoided.

Housing 110 has a base 111 at the center portion. First set of slots 112 are formed at upper side of base 111 , and second set of slots 114 are formed at lower side of base 111 , as shown in Fig. 2B. Each of the first set of slots 112 is opened to upper and lower surfaces of housing 110. Between base 111 and stopper 113 there is formed a recess or gap 115.

In the assembly process of connector 100 as shown in Figs. 2A to 6B, housing 110 is positioned with rear end 108 facing first and second sets of contacts 120, 140 which, may be inserted into housing 110, either sequentially or simultaneously, along a same insertion direction 105, i.e. a direction from rear end 108 towards frond end 102. Advantages of inserting both the first and second sets of contacts 120, 140 from a same direction are that, for example, the housing needs not be turned backward or re-positioned during the contact insertion process. Assembly and handling process are therefore simplified. In addition, it is also possible to insert both the first and the second sets of contacts in a single assembly process. Inserting first sets of contacts 120 from rear end 108 of the connector can provide further advantages, as described below.

In the assembly step as show in Figs. 3A and 3B, short extension portion 124 of each of the first set of contacts 120 are brought into contact with upper surface of base 111. Each of the first set of contacts 120 is therefore deformed upwardly and partially out of corresponding slot 112.

When passed over base 111 , as shown in Fig. 4, short extension portion 123 is received by gap 115, allowing each of the first set of contacts 120 to spring- back, as shown in Fig. 5. Further insertion of first set of contacts 120 will bring bent portions 123 into contact with stopper 113. Stopper 113 will guide first set of contacts 120 into final position, as shown in Figs. 6A and 6B. In addition, stopper 113 can prevent first set of contacts 120 from moving beyond first end 102, hence stopper 113 also provides additional means to ensure the positioning accuracy of first set of contacts 120 in housing 110.

Each of first set of contacts 120 has a shoulder portion 127 (Fig. 2A) which, when contact 120 is inserted into housing 110 at the final position, fixes contact

120 into housing 110. When first set of contacts 120 are inserted into final position, carrier 129, which is formed during manufacturing process to connect first set of contacts 112 together, is trimmed off. Thereafter, long extension portions 122 may be bent downwards, to form final contact terminals of connector 100.

Since carrier 129 is trimmed off after the insertion process, first set of contacts 120 are held together by carrier 129 during the insertion operation. Relative positions of first set of contacts 120 is ensured and therefore, handling of first set of contacts 120 becomes much easier.

Figs. 7 and 8 show a contact engagement situation when a counterpart USB plug connector is plugged into a connector of one embodiment of the present invention. When a counterpart plug connector contact 70 is brought into contact with a corresponding receptacle contact 120, plug contact 70 exerts a force against a corresponding receptacle contact 120. Because short extension portion 124 is located within and shorter than gap 115, short extension portion 124 can move freely relative to housing at the beginning of the mating operation. The force causes contact 120 to deflect upwardly, from the un-deformed position depicted by dashed line 128, about a fulcrum 126 formed by the engagement of shoulder portion 127 and housing 110, as shown in Fig. 8. Since the distance between fulcrum 126 and the contact point of contacts 70 and 120 is longer than the length of short extension portion 124. the insertion force 72 required to insert a counterpart connector into connector 100 is reduced, compared to that of a conventional connector in which the short extension portion is prevented from deformation by the base portion supporting the short extension portion. As shown in Fig. 9, a method 900 of manufacturing a USB receptacle connector according to one embodiment of the present invention includes, at step 910, forming a housing with a first and second sets of slots, and a stopper at front end thereof. At step 920, first and second contacts are inserted into the housing both from the rear end of the housing, either sequentially or at the same time.

Thereafter, at step 930, the carrier connecting the first set of contacts is trimmed off. Further, the first and second sets of contacts may be bent, at step 940, to form the USB receptacle connector.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and described in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, and is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, alternatives and substitutions without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth and recited by the following claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising: a housing having a front end for receiving a counterpart connector along a longitudinal direction; a plurality of first contacts disposed in the housing, each contact having an end portion adjacent to the front end; wherein the housing having a block portion between the front end and the end portions to prevent direct access to the end portions from the front end along the longitudinal direction.

2. The connector of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a base having an upper side and a lower side, a plurality of first slots are formed at the upper side within each of which a first contact is disposed, wherein each of the first slots is opened to the upper and lower sides of the base.

3. The connector of claim 2, wherein a gap is formed of a recessed area in each of said plurality of first slots on said base proximate said block portion.

4. The connector of claim 3, wherein each of said first contacts comprises a long extension portion, a short bent portion extending from said long extension portion; and a bent portion connecting said long extension portion and said short bent portion.

5. The connector of claim 4, wherein each of said first contacts further comprises a shoulder portion at the long extension portion for fixing to a corresponding first slot.

6. The receptacle connector of claim 5 wherein said short extension potion is located within said gap and movable in said gap about a fulcrum formed by said shoulder portion engaging said slot.

7. An electrical receptacle connector comprising: a housing having a front end, a rear end and an opening through the front end for receiving a counterpart connector; a base inside said housing having an upper side and a lower side; a plurality of first slots on the upper side of said base, each slot opens through the lower side of said base; a plurality of first contacts each extending through one of said plurality of first slots, each of the first contacts having a body portion fixing to the housing, a contact portion exposed at the lower side of the base for making electrical contact with the counterpart connector, and a bent portion connecting the body portion and the contact portion; a stopper at said front end of said base proximate an end of each of said plurality of first slots to prevent direct access to each of said plurality of first contacts through said front end of said housing.

8. The receptacle connector of claim 7 further comprising: a second set of slots on the lower side of said base; and a plurality of second contacts each being disposed in one of said plurality of second slots, each of the second contacts having a contact portion exposed at the lower side of the base.

9. The receptacle connector of claim 8 wherein a gap is formed of a recessed area in each of said plurality of first slots on said base proximate said stopper.

10. The receptacle connector of claim 9 wherein each of said plurality of first contacts further comprises a shoulder portion on the base portion for fixing to one of said plurality of first slots.

11. The receptacle connector of claim 10 wherein said contact potion of each of the first contacts is located within said gap and movable in said gap about a fulcrum formed by said shoulder portion engaging said base.

12. A method for manufacturing an electrical receptacle connector, comprising: forming a housing having a base, the base having a front end, a rear end, an upper side and a lower side with a plurality of first slots formed at said upper side and a stopper at said front end; inserting a plurality of first contacts into said plurality of first slots from the rear end until said plurality of first contacts contact said stopper; and guiding each the plurality of first contacts to a final position with said stopper.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of inserting comprises: sliding said plurality of first contacts along said plurality of first slots from the rear end towards the front end, wherein a contact portion of each of said plurality of first contacts is in contact with an upper surface of said base in said one of said plurality of first slots causing a portion of each of said plurality of first contact to deflect upwardly and partially out of said one of said plurality of first slots during sliding; and causing said contact portion of each of said plurality of first contacts to enter a recess defined in each of said plurality of first slots and allowing each of said plurality of first contact to spring-back to expose said contact portion at the lower surface of the base.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein said plurality of first contacts are connected together at a tail portion to a carrier and said plurality of first contacts are inserted into said plurality of first slots simultaneously.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising, after the plurality of first contacts are disposed at the final position, trimming off said carrier from said first plurality of contacts.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein said step of forming said base includes forming a plurality of second slots on the lower side of said base extending from said back end to said front end of said base.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising inserting a plurality of second contacts into said plurality of second slots from said rear end.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said plurality of first and second contacts are inserted into said respective first and second slots simultaneously.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said plurality of first and second contacts are inserted into said respective first and second slots sequentially.