Electrical connector with improved soldering characteristic to be mounted on a printed circuit board

• US 20070149062A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Long, Ji-En, Kuo, Wei-Nan
• Granted Patent: US 7,361,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/668
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/707 Soldering or welding
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/58 Contacts spaced along longitudinal axis of engagement

Abstract

An electrical connector (100) includes an insulative housing (1) for receiving a number of contacts (2). The insulative housing has a base (11) extending in a longitudinal direction and a mating portion (12) protruding forwardly from the base. The base (11) defines a slot (141) from an intermediate position thereof and extending forwardly through the mating portion (12). The mating portion (12) defines a receiving hole (10) extending into the base (11). The receiving hole (10) is in communication with the slot (141). The slot (141) can counteract a deformation of the insulative housing to ensure the soldering tails (213, 223, 233, 243, 253, 262) of the contacts coplanar with one another, thereby ensuring the contacts to be wonderfully surface mounted on a PCB.

Claims

1. An electrical connector mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) for mating with a plug, comprising:

an insulative housing comprising a base extending along a longitudinal direction and a mating portion protruding forwardly from a front surface of the base, the mating portion defining a receiving hole extending into the base for receiving the plug, the base having a mounting wall facing to the PCB with a slot defined therethrough in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the slot extending forwardly from a position of the mounting wall and through the mating portion, the slot extending substantially along the longitudinal direction and being in communication with the receiving hole; and

a plurality of contacts retained in the base, the contacts having a plurality of contact portions extending into the receiving hole.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the slot extends from an intermediate position of the mounting wall.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulative housing has a top wall opposite to the mounting wall with a depression defined therein, one contact portion extending into the receiving hole through the depression.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the contacts have a plurality of soldering portions extending beyond the mounting wall to be surface mounted on the PCB.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the soldering portions are coplanar with one another.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the soldering portions are coplanar with the mounting wall.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the insulative housing has a rear face opposite to the mating portion, the base defining a pair of slits extending inwardly from the rear face and being positioned on a side of the receiving hole.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 7, wherein the contacts comprise a pair of switch terminals respectively received in the pair of slits.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein one of the switch terminals has an arm extending into the receiving hole and detachably engaging with another switch terminal.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein the base defines another pair of slits extending inwardly from the rear face and being positioned on another side of the receiving hole, the contacts having another pair of switch terminals received in the another pair of slits, the another pair of switch terminals detachably engaging with each other.

11. An electrical connector mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB), comprising:

an insulative housing extending along a front-to-back direction, the insulative housing defining a front face, a receiving hole extending from the front face backwardly along the front-to-back direction and a mounting wall facing to the PCB, the mounting wall defining a slot therethrough in a direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction and in communication with the receiving hole, the slot extending substantially along the front-to-back direction and terminating at the front face; and

a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing with a plurality of contact portions extending into the receiving hole.

12. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the slot extends from an intermediate position of the mounting wall.

13. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the insulative housing comprises a base and a mating portion protruding forwardly from a front surface of the base.

14. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the contacts have a plurality of soldering portions extending beyond the mounting wall to be surface mounted on the PCB.

15. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein the soldering portions are coplanar with one another.

16. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein the soldering portions are coplanar with the mounting wall.

17. An electrical connector assembly comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB);

an electrical connector mounted on the PCB, said connector comprising;

an insulative housing extending along an axial direction, the insulative housing defining a front face, a receiving hole extending from the front face backwardly along the an axial direction and a mounting wall facing to the PCB, a slot extending from a front face rearwardly not only in said axial direction along the housing with a predetermined distance but also in a radial direction through said housing until the receiving hole so as to provide deformability thereof; and

a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing with a plurality of contact portions extending into the receiving hole.

18. The assembly as claimed in claim 17, wherein the slot is essentially hidden except from the front face.

19. The assembly as claimed in claim 18, wherein the slot is located in the mounting wall.

20. The assembly as claimed in claim 19, wherein the slot faces the printed circuit board.