Waterproof electrical connector and method for making the same

• US 9,130,301 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lu, Cen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchi T
• Application Number:
  US14/255,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20140315413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 439/374, 439/607.01, 439/701, 439/260, 439/626
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/521 Sealing between contact members and housing, e.g. sealing insert
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5219 Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6273 comprising two latching arms

Abstract

A waterproof electrical connector (100) includes a number of terminals (2), a metallic shell (1), and an insulating housing (3) molding outside of the metal shell (1) to define a passageway (10). The insulating housing (1) includes a base portion (33), a tongue portion (31) extending forwardly from the base portion (33), and a cover portion (32) extending forwardly from end edges of the base portion (33) for covering the metallic shell (1). The tongue portion (33) includes at least one mold slot (331), the metallic shell includes a mold cavity (124), and the cover portion (32) includes a mold hole (322). The mold slot (331) is aligned with the mold cavity (124) and the mold hole (322) for inserting a mold.

Claims

1. A waterproof electrical connector comprising:

a metallic shell;

a plurality of terminals partly received in the metallic shell, each terminal comprising a contacting portion, a retaining portion extending downwardly from a rear of the contacting portion, and a soldering portion extending rearwardly from the retaining portion, each contacting portion comprising a contacting region pressed against by a first mold; and

an insulative housing insert-molded with the metallic shell and the terminals, the insulative housing comprising a base portion, a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, and a cover portion extending forwardly from end edges of the base portion and at least partly covering the metallic shell, the tongue portion having at least one mold slot for positioning the first mold, the cover portion having at least one mold hole extending therethrough along a height direction and in communication and alignment with the mold slot along the height direction, the contacting region exposed outwardly via the at least one mold slot and the at least one mold hole along the height direction;

wherein,

the metallic shell includes a bottom wall, a top wall facing to the bottom wall, and

a pair of side walls connecting with the bottom wall and the top wall;

the insulative housing includes a base portion;

the tongue portion extends from the base portion;

the bottom wall, the side walls, the top wall, and the base portion together define a passageway;

the top wall includes a mold cavity extending therethrough along the height direction; and

the mold cavity is aligned with the at least one mold slot and in communication with the mold cavity and the passageway;

wherein

the tongue portion has a plurality of reinforcing posts each covering a middle of the contacting portion for reinforcing rigidity of the tongue portion, the reinforcing posts dividing the at least one mold slot into several parts.

2. The waterproof electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacting portion defines an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface, and the contacting region includes at least part of the upper surface and the side surface.

3. The waterproof electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein a front surface of the base portion constitutes an inner surface of the at least one mold slot.

4. The waterproof electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein each contacting portion includes a protrusion portion and defines a contacting surface exposed outwardly from the insulative housing, the contacting surface facing rearwardly for being pressed against by the first mold.

5. The waterproof electrical connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the contacting surface of the protrusion portion is perpendicular to a side surface of the terminal.

6. The waterproof electrical connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein the protrusion portion extends from the contacting portion along a width direction.

7. A method for making a waterproof electrical connector, comprising the steps of:

providing a metallic shell and a plurality of terminals, the metallic shell defining a passageway and having a mold cavity in communication with the passageway, each terminal defining a contacting region and comprising a contacting portion, a retaining portion extending downwardly of the contacting portion, and a soldering portion extending rearwardly from the retaining portion;

inserting the contacting portions of the terminals in the passageway from a rear end of the metallic shell along an extraction direction, each contacting portion of the terminal defining an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side surface;

inserting a first mold in the passageway along a height direction through the mold cavity to press against a rear portion of the contacting portion;

inserting a second mold in the passageway along an insertion direction to press against the lower surface of the contacting portion;

insert-molding an insulative housing, cutting off material strips of the metallic shell and the terminals, and removing the first mold and the second mold to define a mold slot and a mold hole, the insulative housing comprising a base portion, a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion, and a cover portion extending forwardly from end edges of the base portion and at least part covering the metallic shell, the contacting portion retained in the tongue portion and exposed outwardly from the tongue portion, the retaining portion retained in the base portion, the soldering portion extending outwardly from the insulative housing, the mold slot located at the tongue portion of the insulative housing, the contacting region exposed outwardly via the mold slot, the mold cavity, and the mold hole;

wherein

the step of inserting the first mold comprises pressing the first mold against an outwardly-exposing, protruding contacting surface of the contacting portion.

8. An electrical connector comprising:

a metallic shell defining a passageway surrounded by opposite top and bottom walls in a vertical direction, and opposite lateral side walls in a transverese direction perpendicular to said vertical direction;

an insulative housing unitarily forming a rear base portion, a tongue portion forwardly extending from the base portion in a front-to-back direction perpendicular to both said vertical direction and said transverse direction, and received in the passage, and a cover portion forwardly extending from the base portion and enclosing the shell therein; and

a plurality of contacts integrally formed with the tongue portion and the base portion, each of said contacts defining a horizontal section with a contacting sections exposed upon the tongue portion, a tail section extending out of the rear base portion for mounting to a printed circuit board, and a connecting sections linked between the horizontal section and the tail section and fully embedded within the base portion without exposure;

wherein

in alignment with a specific position of the contacting section of each of the contacts in a vertical direction, the cover portion forms a mold hole, the shell forms a mold cavity, and the tongue portion forms a mold slot so as to allow a mold piece to extend therethrough in the vertical direction with one end abutting against the contacting section of the corresponding contact during an insert molding process of integrally forming the housing with both the shell and the contacts;

wherein the shell further forms a pair of latch slots for locking with a pair of corresponding latches of a complementary plug connector, and the cover portion forms a pair of holes in alignment with the corresponding latch slots, respectively, in the vertical direction;

wherein

the mold slot is formed at a root of said tongue portion.

9. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein the specific position of each of said contacts is located at a same location in the front-to-back direction so that the mold holes of the cover portion are unified together in the transverse direction as a large one mold hole.

10. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein the specific position of each of said contacts is located at a same location in the front-to-back direction so that the mold cavities of the shell are unified together in the transverse direction as one large mold cavity.

11. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein the specific position of each of said contacts is located at a same location in the front-to-back direction so that the mold slots of the tongue are unified together in the transverse direction as one large mold slot.

12. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein the contacting section forms a rearward contacting surface communicating with the corresponding mold slot for abutment with the mold piece during the insert molding process to prevent rearward movement of the corresponding contact.

13. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein the connecting section forms an L-shape configuration.

14. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein the shell forms a pair of downward extending engaging sections exposed to an exterior for mounting to the printed circuit board, and a pair of retaining legs embedded with the base portion.

15. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the shell forms a pair of openings due to the pair of engaging sections, and said pair of openings are occupied by the covering portion.