ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING EXCELLENT WATERPROOF PROPERTY

• US 20170324187A1
• Filed: 05/08/2017
• Published: 11/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2016
• 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: ZHU, ZHI-HUI, ZHANG, DA-WEI, WANG, SHU-JIAN, CHANG, YEN-CHIH, BAI, MING-GUANG
• Granted Patent: US 10,199,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 13/5213 Covers
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6594 the shield being mounted on a PCB and connected to conductive members
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/005 for making dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof connection, coupling, or casing

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a terminal module and a shielding shell surrounding the terminal module. The terminal module has an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive terminals retained in the insulative housing. The shielding shell has a metallic shell and a waterproof shell insert molded on an outer side of the metallic shell. The metallic shell surrounds the insulative housing to form a mating cavity opening forwardly. The shielding shell has a sealing member disposed between the metallic shell and the waterproof shell and a retaining member disposed at a rear side of the waterproof shell. The retaining member is separate from the sealing member. The metallic shell defines an opening slot going therethrough. The sealing member covers the opening slot. The retaining member defines a mounting leg.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

a terminal module having an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive terminals retained in the insulative housing; and

a shielding shell surrounding the terminal module, the shielding shell having a metallic shell and a waterproof shell insert molded on an outer side of the metallic shell, the metallic shell surrounding the insulative housing to form a mating cavity opening forwardly;

wherein the shielding shell has a sealing member disposed between the metallic shell and the waterproof shell and a retaining member disposed at a rear side of the waterproof shell, the retaining member is separate from the sealing member, the metallic shell defines an opening slot going therethrough, the sealing member covers the opening slot, and the retaining member defines a mounting leg.

2. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the metallic shell has a resilient pressing portion extending into the mating cavity, and the opening slot is formed corresponding to the resilient pressing portion.

3. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the waterproof shell is made of insulative plastic material or elastic material, and the waterproof shell unitarily forms an interfering portion protruding outwardly when the waterproof shell is made of elastic material.

4. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing member entirely covers the opening slot to entirely separate the opening slot from the waterproof shell.

5. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the waterproof shell extends rearwardly beyond the sealing member and surrounds an outer surface of the metallic shell.

6. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing member is manufactured as a metal ring surrounding around the metallic shell or a thin plate attached to an outer side of the opening slot.

7. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sealing member has a convex hull recessed outwardly, the resilient pressing portion move into a recess formed by the convex hull when the resilient pressing portion is forced by a mating connector.

8. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulative housing has a base portion and a mating portion extending forwardly from the base portion, the metallic shell has a surrounding portion surrounding around the mating portion, the sealing member and the retaining member are disposed on the surrounding portion, and the sealing member is located in front of the retaining member.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a waterproof member disposed at a rear side of the mating cavity, the surrounding portion has an opening hole opposite to the retaining member, and the opening hole is provided for waterproof material flowing therethrough.

10. A method of making an electrical connector comprising:

providing a terminal module with a plurality of conductive terminals integrally formed within a insulative housing;

providing a metallic shielding shell by stamping sheet metal to form a tubular configuration wherein said shielding shell including a seam essentially extending along a front-to-back direction, and at least one opening slot with at least one resilient pressing portion extending inwardly toward an interior of the tubular configuration;

a metallic seamless tubular sealing member attached upon the metallic shielding shell covering both the opening slots and the seam;

applying an insulative waterproof shell upon the sealing member around a front opening of the shielding shell; and

forwardly assembling the terminal module into the interior of the shielding shell from a rear opening of the shielding shell.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said shielding shell further includes a rear section with a rear wall downwardly bent to cover a rear side of the terminal module after the terminal module is assembled into the interior of the shielding shell.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, further including a step of securing a retaining member upon the shielding shell, wherein said retaining member forms at least one mounting legs for mounting to a printed circuit board.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said retaining member is located behind the sealing member.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said housing includes a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, and a rear end of the sealing member is terminated around a vertical plane where an interface between the tongue portion and the base portion is located.

15. An electrical connector comprising:

a terminal module including a plurality of conductive terminals disposed in an insulative housing;

a metallic shielding shell made from sheet metal with a tubular configuration to surround the terminal module and define a mating cavity therein, said shielding shell forming a seam essentially extending along a front-to-back direction, an opening slot with a resilient pressing portion extending into the mating cavity;

a tubular seamless metallic sealing member intimately surrounding the shielding shell to cover both the seam and the opening slot; and

applying an insulative waterproof shell upon the sealing member around a front opening of the mating cavity.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein said housing includes a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, and a rear end of the waterproof shell is terminated at a vertical plane, which is perpendicular to said front-to-back direction, where an interface between the tongue portion and a base portion is located.

17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein a rear region of said tongue portion forms a slot extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to both said front-to-back direction and said vertical direction, to expose the corresponding conductive terminals in the vertical direction.

18. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, further including a metallic retaining member attach upon the shielding shell and behind the sealing member, wherein said retaining member including at least one mounting leg.

19. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 18, wherein said shielding shell forms an opening hole communicating with an exterior in a vertical direction, wherein a sealing member is formed in the housing surrounding the corresponding conductive terminals by injecting glue through said opening hole.

20. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 19, wherein said sealing member is essentially located under the retaining member in a vertical direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction.