Electrical connector with mechanically reinforced blind mating guides

• US 6,478,603 B1
• Filed: 12/24/2001
• Issued: 11/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Wu, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): PAUMEN, GARY F
• Application Number:
  US10/036,119
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 439/378, 439/79, 439/108, 439/101
• US Class Current: 439/378
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/7005 Guiding, mounting, polarizing or locking means; Extractors for printed circuit boards H05K
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle

Abstract

An electrical connector includes an elongate housing extending in a horizontal direction and contacts retained therein. The housing has a front mating face for engaging with a mating connector and an opposite rear face. The contacts extend beyond the rear face and form soldering tails extending in a vertical direction toward a circuit board. Two blocks are formed on opposite lengthwise ends and extend in a frontward direction. Each block defines a guide channel for receiving a corresponding guide post of the mating connector. A ground terminal is fixed in the channel and electrically connected to the circuit board for engaging and grounding a corresponding terminal formed on the guide post of the mating connector. Two partition walls extend from the lengthwise ends of the housing in a rearward direction, delimiting a space accommodating the soldering tails of the contacts. Each end of the housing forms a rib extending between a rear end of each block and the corresponding partition wall for mechanically reinforcing the block against an insertion force induced thereon by the mating engagement of the connector with the mating connector. The reinforcement effectively reduces the risk of breakage of the connection between the block and the housing itself.

Claims

1. An electrical connector comprising:

an insulative housing having front and rear faces and opposite ends, a block being connected to each end of the housing and extending frontward beyond the front face, guide means being formed on the block and adapted to engage counterpart guide means formed on a mating connector to guide mating engagement between the electrical connector and the mating connector;

conductive contacts being retained in the housing and partially extending beyond the rear face, each contact having a soldering tail perpendicularly extending therefrom;

wherein a reinforcement is formed between each block and the housing to at least partially counteract an insertion force caused by the mating engagement of the mating connector with the electrical connector;

wherein opposite partition walls rearwardly, extend from the ends of the housing to delimit a space therebetween for accommodating the tails of the contacts and wherein the reinforcement comprises a triangular rib extending between a rear end of each block and the corresponding partition wall;

wherein a spacer is attached to and extending between the partition walls for spacing the tails from each other;

wherein the guiding means of each block comprises a channel defined in the block for receiving a guiding post of the mating connector;

wherein a grounding terminal is arranged in the channel for electrically engaging a counterpart grounding terminal of the mating connector, a vertical tail of the grounding terminal being located under the rib.