Low profile cable connector with grounding means

• US 6,338,652 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2000
• Issued: 01/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ko, David Tso-Chin
• Primary Examiner(s): Paumen, Gary F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARVEY, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US09/611,233
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 439/579, 439/610, 439/497
• US Class Current: 439/579
• 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 12/775 Ground or shield arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/16 for manufacturing contact members, e.g. by punching and by bending
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/0512 Connections to an additional grounding conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/0515 Connection to a rigid planar substrate, e.g. printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/053 using contact members penetrating insulation

Abstract

A cable connector assembly (100) includes a cable connector (1) and a coaxial multiconductor cable set (40). The cable set (40) includes a grounding bar (50) electrically connected to braidings shielding each coaxial connector in each wire (401) of the cable set (40). The cable connector (1) comprises a housing (10), an insert (20) with a number of terminals (22), a grounding plate (30), and a shield (60) surrounding the housing. The cable set (40) is connected to the insert (20), the conductors (424) soldered to the terminals (22) and the grounding bar (50) mating with the insert (20). The housing (10) includes a front wall (14), a pair of sidewalls (13), and a top wall (12) with an opening (15) defined therebetween. A bottom side (217) of the insert (20) acts as a bottom wall of the housing (10) thereby reducing the profile of the cable connector (1). The grounding plate (30) has a number of grounding pads (35) and a pair of arms (33) extending from opposite ends of a strip (31) thereof. The grounding plate (30) is easily insertable between the housing (10) and the insert (20), whereby the arms (33) contact the grounding bar (50) engaged with the insert (20). The shield (60) provides a pair of fingers (62) pressing against the arms (33) of the grounding plate (30), thereby establishing a grounding path between the shield (60), the grounding plate (30), the grounding bar (50) and the braidings.

Claims

1. An electrical cable connector for connecting a flat ribbon coaxial multiconductor cable set with a mating connector, the flat ribbon coaxial multiconductor cable set having a flat ribbon coaxial multiconductor cable with a length of its core conductors and associated braidings bared and a conductive grounding bar electrically connected to the braidings, comprising:

an insulative housing having a body including a front wall, a pair of sidewalls, a top wall, and an opening therebetween, and a mating tongue extending forwardly from the front wall and defining in one side thereof a plurality of depressions communicating with the opening;

an insert including a dielectric base received in the opening and a plurality of conductive terminals secured to the base, the grounding bar of the coaxial multiconductor cable set being fit in the insert and the terminals electrically connecting with corresponding core conductors of the coaxial multiconductor cable set; and

a conductive grounding member received in the opening of the housing and including a mating portion and a contacting portion, the contacting portion contacting with the grounding bar, the mating portion extending into the depressions in the mating tongue for connection with an external grounding circuit of the mating connector;

wherein the grounding member defines a space between the contacting portion and the mating portion, the space functioning to avoid inadvertent short circuits between the core conductors and the grounding member;

wherein the contacting portion provides an embossment on a free end thereof for engaging with the grounding bar;

wherein the housing defines at least a notch in the top wall thereof corresponding to the location of the contacting portion;

further comprising a metal shield enclosing the housing, the shield providing at least a finger extending through the notch for touching with the contacting portion of the grounding member thereby establishing an electrical connection with the grounding member and the grounding bar;

wherein a bottom side of the base is coplanar with a bottom side of the sidewalls of the housing whereby the bottom side of the base acts as a bottom wall of the housing and a height of the housing is thus reduced.