CONNECTOR WITH WATERPROOF STRUCTURE

• US 20170179634A1
• Filed: 12/17/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: YU, CHUN-MING, ZHANG, GUO-HUA, DU, XIAO-BO, GUO, BIN
• Granted Patent: US 9,768,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/521 Sealing between contact members and housing, e.g. sealing insert
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5216 characterised by the sealing material, e.g. gels or resins
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6581 Shield structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/60 Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement

Abstract

An electrical connector includes an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts retained in the housing to commonly form a terminal module, a metallic shield enclosing the terminal module and forming a mating cavity, and a glue groove formed in a base of the housing and located behind the mating cavity, in which a glue part is received. The shield forms an opening communicating with the glue groove, through which the liquid type glue is injected into the glue groove and solidified therein.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

a terminal module including an insulative housing with two rows of contacts and a metallic shielding plate integrally formed within the housing;

the insulative housing including a base and tongue portion forwardly extending from the base along a front-to-back direction;

the base defining opposite front and rear faces in said front-to-back direction;

a glue groove formed in the base, and located between and spaced from said front face and said rear face in the front-to-back direction;

each of said contacts including a retention section exposed in the glue groove; and

a tubular metallic shield enclosing the terminal module and defining a mating cavity in front of the front face;

wherein

the shield forms an injection opening generally aligned with the glue groove in a vertical direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction so as to allow liquid type glue to enter and fill the glue groove via said injection opening to form a waterproof part.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the glue groove includes a first groove in which a first sealing section of the waterproof part is received to retain the retention sections of the contacts, and a second groove surrounding the first groove in which a second sealing section of the waterproof part is received to intimately contact an interior surface of the shield.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said second sealing section of the waterproof part circumferentially surrounds a portion of the housing.

4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shielding plate includes an opening aligned with the glue groove in the vertical direction and occupied by the waterproof part.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the injection opening is occupied by the waterproof part.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, further including a metallic bracket attached upon the shield to cover the injection opening.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 6, wherein said bracket includes a mounting leg for mounting to a printed circuit board while the shield has no mounting leg for mounting to the printed circuit board.

8. A method of making an electrical connector comprising steps of:

providing a terminal module with an insulative housing and a plurality of contacts retained in the housing;

providing the insulative housing with a base and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base in a front-to-back direction;

providing said base with opposite front and rear faces, and a glue groove located between the opposite front and rear faces in the front-to-back direction;

assembling a metallic tubular shield upon the terminal module with therein an opening in communication with the glue groove; and

injecting liquid type glue into the glue groove via said injection opening to form a waterproof part in said glue groove.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein said injection opening communicates with the glue groove in a transverse direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said transverse direction is a vertical direction.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, further including a step of welding a metallic bracket upon the shield to cover said injection opening.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said bracket is equipped with at least one mounting leg for mounting to a printed circuit board while said shield is equipped with no mounting legs.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said liquid type glue is injected into the glue groove when the connector is held in a normal horizontal manner along said front-to-back direction.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8, further including a step of providing a metallic shield in the insulative housing, wherein said shielding plate has an opening intersecting with the glue groove and filled with the waterproof part.

15. An electrical connector comprising:

a terminal module including an insulative housing with a plurality of contacts therein;

a metallic shield enclosing the terminal module to form a mating cavity forwardly communicating with an exterior in a front-to-back direction; and

a glue groove formed in the insulative housing and in communication with an exterior in a transverse direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction;

wherein

said shield includes an injection opening in communication with said the glue groove in said transverse direction so as to allow a liquid type glue to enter the glue groove to form a waterproof part.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein said injection opening is aligned with the glue groove in a vertical direction.

18. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein said contacts include retention sections exposed in the glue groove and enclosed by the waterproof part.

19. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein said waterproof part includes two opposite front and rear surfaces both intimately confronting the insulative housing in the front-to-back direction.

20. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein said injection opening is occupied by the waterproof part.

17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 17, further including a metallic bracket attached upon a top face of the shield to cover the injection opening.