Electrical connector with a reliable waterproof performance

• US 10,355,394 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zhang, Xue-Hai
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thanh Tam T
• Application Number:
  US15/981,419
• Publication Number:
  US 20180337488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 439 79, 439271, 43960711, 43960735, 4396074, 439660
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/707 Soldering or welding
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/716 Coupling device provided on the PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/725 containing contact members presenting a contact carrying strip, e.g. edge-like strip
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5202 Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/521 Sealing between contact members and housing, e.g. sealing insert
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5219 Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/62 Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6581 Shield structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6585 Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/18 for manufacturing bases or cases for contact members

Abstract

An electrical connector is provided which has a reliable waterproof performance. The electrical connector has an insulated body having a housing, a plurality of conductive terminals, a metal shell, two fixed plates, and a waterproof adhesive. The plurality of conductive terminals are fixed to the insulative body. The insulated body is inserted into a cavity of the metal shell from back to front. The two fixed plates are respectively mounted on two opposite sides of the housing. Each fixed plate has a fixed portion and a holding portion bent downwardly from a rear side of the fixed portion. A rear side of the housing is held by the holding portions. The waterproof adhesive is coated on the holding portion and the rear side of the housing to form an overall seal on a rear portion of the cavity.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulated body which comprises a housing and a tongue extending forwardly from the housing;

a plurality of conductive terminals fixed to the insulated body, each conductive terminal comprising a mating portion exposed to a surface of the tongue, a soldering portion extending backwardly out of the insulated body and a connecting portion connected between the mating portion and the soldering portion;

a metal shell surrounding and forming a cavity penetrating along a front-back direction, at least one blocking protrusion protruding from a middle of the metal shell into the cavity, and the cavity being divided into a mating cavity and a receiving cavity along the front-back direction by the at least one blocking protrusion, the insulated body being inserted into the cavity from a back to front, a front side of the housing being stopped by the at least one blocking protrusion;

at least one fixed plate mounted on the housing, the at least one fixed plate comprising a fixed portion and a first holding portion bent from a rear side of the fixed portion, the fixed portion being fixed to the metal shell, the first holding portion being configured to hold a rear side of the housing; and

a waterproof adhesive coated on the first holding portion and the rear side of the housing, so that an overall seal is achieved in a rear portion of the receiving cavity.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one fixed plate comprises two fixed plates , the two fixed plates respectively being fixed to two opposite sides of the housing.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein each of the two fixed plates are U-shaped and further each comprise a second holding portion bent from a front side thereof.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, wherein an upper side and a lower side of the housing are respectively provided with mounting grooves for mounting the two fixed plates respectively.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein each of the fixed plates are formed by integrally bending a metal plate, wherein the fixed portion of each fixed plate extends parallel to the tongue, and each fixed portion is engaged with the metal shell by a laser welding.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the front side of the housing is recessed with a positioning groove cooperating with the at least one blocking protrusion of the metal shell.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the at least one blocking protrusion protrudes from each of an upper side and a lower side of the metal shell into the cavity.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulated body further comprises a terminal positioning block provided behind the housing, an adhesive receiving groove penetrating along an up-down direction is formed between the terminal positioning block and the housing, the connecting portions of the conductive terminals are exposed to the adhesive receiving groove, the waterproof adhesive is filled in the adhesive receiving groove.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein both sides of the terminal positioning block each are respectively formed with an extending portion extending backwardly therefrom, the soldering portions of the conductive terminals are positioned between the two extending portions of the terminal positioning block, both sides of the rear portion of the metal shell are respectively formed with a soldering leg extending downwardly therefrom, the two soldering legs are respectively provided on outer sides of the two extending portions.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the metal shell is made by a metal injection molding process, a front end of the metal shell is encircled and recessed with a mounting channel for correspondingly mounting a sealing ring, both sides of a front portion of the metal shell each are formed with a locking portion extending outwardly therefrom.