ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

• US 20110165790A1
• Filed: 10/27/2008
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai-Ichi Seiko Company Limited
• Original Assignee: I-PEX Co., Ltd. (DMC Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ikari, Hiroharu, Tagawa, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,317,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/374
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/598 Each conductor being individually surrounded by shield, e.g. multiple coaxial cables in flat structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/79 connecting to rigid printed circuits or like structures

Abstract

An electrical connector which comprises an insulated housing on which a first engaging portion is provided for engaging with a second engaging portion provided in a mating electrical connector, first contacts arranged in a predetermined direction on the insulated housing and operative to come into contact with second contacts provided in the mating electrical connector, a conductive shell for covering partially the insulated housing, and an aligning cover attached to the conductive shell and operative to cause end portions thereof in the predetermined direction to engage respectively with end portions in the predetermined direction of the mating electrical connector for aligning the insulated housing with the mating electrical connector when the first engaging portion is engaged with the second engaging portion, and with which the first engaging portion can be appropriately and smoothly put in engagement with the second engaging portion.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising;

an insulated housing on which a first engaging portion is provided for engaging with a second engaging portion provided in a mating electrical connector,

a plurality of first conductive contacts provided on the insulated housing with contacting terminals thereof arranged along a predetermined direction on the first engaging portion and operative to come into contact with a plurality of second conductive contacts provided in the mating electrical connector when the first engaging portion is put in engagement with the second engaging portion,

a conductive shell for covering partially the insulated housing, and

an aligning cover attached to the conductive shell for covering partially an outside surface of the conductive shell and operative to cause a pair of end portions thereof in the predetermined direction to engage respectively with a pair of end portions in the predetermined direction of the mating electrical connector for aligning the insulated housing with the mating electrical connector to be restricted in position and moving direction when the first engaging portion is engaged with the second engaging portion.

2. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein each of said end portions of the aligning cover is provided with a first guiding member facing an end surface of the insulated housing in the predetermined direction with a predetermined space between and a second guiding member apart from the first guiding member on the side of the first engaging portion, and each of the first and second guiding members is operative to engage with said end portion of the mating electrical connector when the first engaging portion is engaged with the second engaging portion.

3. An electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein each of the first and second guiding members provided on each of said end portions of the aligning cover extends to be bent from a portion of the aligning cover expanding over the outside surface of the conductive shell to approach said end surface of the insulated housing.

4. An electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein, when the first engaging portion is put in engagement with the second engaging portion, first the second guiding member comes to engagement with a first contacting portion provided at said end portion of the mating electrical connector for guiding the insulated housing and then the first guiding member comes to engagement with a second contacting portion provided at said end portion of the mating electrical connector to face said end surface of the insulated housing with the second contacting portion between in the predetermined direction for guiding further the insulated housing so that an engagement of the first engaging portion with the second engaging portion is completed.

5. An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein each of said end portions of the aligning cover faces an outside surface of the conductive shell with a part of said end portion of the mating electrical connector between in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction when the engagement of the first engaging portion with the second engaging portion is completed.

6. An electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein each of said end portions of the aligning cover and the outside surface of the conductive shell face each other with a part of a conductive shell constituting the part of said end portion of the mating electrical connector between when the engagement of the first engaging portion with the second engaging portion is completed.