Grounding for electrical connectors

• US 5,478,260 A
• Filed: 07/29/1994
• Issued: 12/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Original Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC)
• Inventors: Root, John A., Kaufman, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US08/283,312
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 439/64, 439/59, 439/101, 439/108, 439/607, 439/609
• US Class Current: 439/607.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0047 for reading/sensing record carriers having edge contacts
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0082 comprising an arrangement for protection against electrostatic discharge, e.g. by grounding part of the conductive housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6582 with resilient means for engaging mating connector

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly 20 for a card reader including a housing 24 having opposed major and minor sides 26,30 defining a card receiving mouth 32, a plurality of conductive electrical terminals 36 disposed in the housing 24 and having portions 38 thereof extending into the mouth 32, and a conductive shroud 50 encircling the housing 24, the shroud 24 having inwardly spaced contact portions extending into the mouth 32 along at least one of the major sides 26 of the housing 24, the shroud contact portions being spaced from the electrical terminal portions 38 when the shroud 50 is assembled to the housing 24. The inwardly spaced contact portions can be spring fingers 54 extending into the mouth 32 from an edge 53 of the shroud 50 or dimples 254 expressed into the mouth from an outer surface of the shroud 250. At least one of the major walls 26 of the housing 24 includes a plurality of shroud contact receiving recesses 28 adapted to receive the shroud contact portions such that the shroud contact portions are closely adjacent a card receiving space 34 thereby being positioned to be either electrically engaged by corresponding raised conductive surfaces 84 on an outwardly facing conductive surface 82 of a shielded card 70 upon insertion of the shielded card into the mouth 32, or to remain spaced from surfaces of an unshielded card 170 upon inserting the unshielded card into the mouth 32.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly for mating with a complementary electrical module, said assembly comprising:

an electrical connector including a housing having opposed major sides and minor sides defining a module receiving mouth, a plurality of conductive electrical terminals disposed in said housing and having portions thereof extending into said module receiving mouth; and

a conductive shroud encircling said housing, said shroud having inwardly spaced contact portions extending into said mouth along at least one of said major sides of said housing, said shroud contact portions being spaced from said electrical terminals;

said at least one of said major sides of said housing includes at least one shroud contact receiving recess extending at least partially outwardly to the leading edge of said module receiving mouth and at least partially to an outer housing surface from an inner housing surface of said at least one major side, said at least one recess being adapted to receive said shroud contact portions therein upon connector assembly such that engageable portions of said shroud contact portions are closely adjacent said module receiving mouth thereby being positioned to be either electrically engaged by corresponding raised conductive surfaces on an outwardly facing conductive surface of a shielded module upon insertion of said shielded module into said module receiving mouth, or to remain spaced from surfaces of an unshielded module upon inserting said unshielded module into said mouth;

whereby said connector is suitable for use with shielded as well as unshielded modules.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1 wherein said electrical module is a memory card.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1 wherein said inwardly spaced contact portions are spring fingers extending into said mouth from an edge of said shroud.

4. The connector assembly of claim 1 wherein said inwardly spaced contact portions are dimples expressed into said mouth from an outer surface of the shroud.

5. The connector assembly of claim 4 wherein said at least one shroud contact receiving recess is a slot extending through and along said at least one major side of said housing and associated with all said inwardly spaced contact portions therealong.

6. The connector assembly of claim 1 wherein said at least one major side of said housing includes a plurality of slots extending therethrough, each slot corresponding to a corresponding shroud contact portion.

7. The connector assembly of claim 1 wherein said at least one major side housing includes a plurality of shroud contact receiving recesses extend to the leading edge of said module receiving mouth and extending partially to said outer housing surface.

8. The connector assembly of claim 1 wherein said at least one major housing side includes a plurality of shroud contact receiving recesses extending to the leading edge of said module receiving mouth and extending through said at least one major outer housing side defining shroud contact receiving slots.

9. An improved electrical connector for a card reader, said connector of the type including an insulative housing having opposed major sides and minor sides defining a card receiving mouth, a portion thereof being a card receiving space, a plurality of conductive electrical terminals disposed in said housing and having portions thereof extending into said card receiving space, a conductive shroud encircling said housing, said shroud having spring fingers extending therefrom and into said mouth along at least one of said major sides of said housing, said spring fingers being spaced from said electrical terminals, the improvement comprising:

said at least one of said major sides of said housing includes a plurality of finger receiving recesses extending at least partially outwardly to the leading edge of said card receiving mouth, said slots being adapted to receive leading portions of corresponding ones of said spring fingers therein upon connector assembly such that said spring fingers include engageable portions closely adjacent said card receiving space thereby being positioned to be either electrically engaged by corresponding raised conductive surfaces on an outwardly facing conductive surface of a shielded card upon insertion of said shielded card into said card receiving space of said mouth, or to remain spaced from surfaces of an unshielded card upon inserting said unshielded card into said card receiving space of said mouth;

whereby said connector is suitable for use with shielded as well as unshielded cards.

10. The improved electrical connector of claim 9 wherein said finger receiving recesses extend to the leading edge of said card receiving mouth.

11. The improved electrical connector of claim 9 wherein said finger receiving recesses extend through said at least one major side defining finger receiving slots.

12. The improved electrical connector of claim 11 wherein said-finger receiving slots extend to the leading edge of said card receiving mouth.

13. The improved electrical connector of claim 12 wherein leading ends of said spring fingers are secured to said shroud.

14. An electrical assembly including a shrouded electrical connector mated with a complementary electrical module, said assembly comprising:

said shrouded electrical connector including a dielectric housing having opposed major sides and minor sides defining a module receiving mouth, a plurality of conductive electrical terminals disposed in said housing and having portions thereof extending into said module receiving mouth; and

a conductive shroud encircling said housing, said shroud having inwardly spaced contact portions extending into said mouth along at least one of said major sides of said housing, said shroud contact portions being spaced from said electrical terminals;

said at least one of said major sides of said housing includes at least one shroud contact receiving recess extending at least partially outwardly to a leading edge of said module receiving mouth, said at least one recess being adapted to receive said shroud contact portions therein upon connector assembly such that engageable portions of said shroud contact portions are closely adjacent said module receiving mouth; and

said complementary electrical module including an outwardly facing conductive surface having raised conductive surfaces thereon, said raised conductive surfaces being in electrical engagement with corresponding ones of said shroud contact portions when said complementary electrical module is inserted into said module receiving mouth.

15. The connector assembly of claim 14 wherein said electrical module is a memory card.

16. The connector assembly of claim 14 wherein said inwardly spaced contact portions of said shroud are spring fingers extending into said mouth from an edge of said shroud.

17. The connector assembly of claim 14 wherein said inwardly spaced contact portions of said shroud are dimples expressed into said mouth from an outer surface of the shroud.