Flippable electrical connector

• US 9,496,662 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2013
• 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: Little, Terrance F., Zhao, Jim, Cheng, Chih-Pi, Chang, Chun-Yi, Sedio, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchi T
• Application Number:
  US14/517,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20150126069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 439/600, 439/626, 439/374, 439/377, 439/79, 439/733
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/642 by position or shape of contact members
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6581 Shield structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/60 Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/184 Components including terminals inserted in holes through the printed circuit board and connected to printed contacts on the walls of the holes or at the edges thereof or protruding over or into the holes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10189 Non-printed connector

Abstract

A flappable plug connector and a complementary receptacle connector are provided wherein the plug connector defining a mating tongue, is made with a pair of insert molding housings which are associated with the contacts thereof, commonly sandwiching a paddle card therebetween with a pair of power contacts exposed on two opposite lateral sides to form a sub-assembly. The corresponding receptacle connector defines a receiving cavity to receive the mating tongue of the plug connector. The plug connector defines a V-Bus clip surrounding the mating tongue for power transfer and the receptacle connector includes a pair of deflectable power contacts by two sides of the receiving cavity.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly comprising:

a receptacle connector adapted for mounted on a printed circuit board, the receptacle connector including;

an insulative housing defining a horizontal mating tongue;

a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing with contacting sections exposed upon two opposite surfaces of the mating tongue; and

a monolithic horizontal metallic shielding plate disposed and extending substantially fully the mating tongue with two bulged sections exposed and outwardly protruding outsides of two lateral edges of the mating tongue, respectively;

a plug connector intending to mate with the receptacle connector, the plug connector defining an insulative housing with a center slot therein, a plurality of contacts disposed in the insulative housing by two sides of the slots, and a latch clip including a pair of side arms located by two opposite ends of the center slot in the horizontal transverse direction, wherein during mating, the bulged sections of the shielding plate are engaged with the two opposite side arms for retention;

wherein

the bulged sections are deflectable;

wherein

each of the side arms defines an inward pocket facing toward the mating tongue to receive the corresponding bulged section during mating.

2. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the side arms is fixed without deflection.

3. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shielding plate vertically shields most portions of said mating tongue.

4. An electrical connector assembly comprising:

a first connector including a mating tongue equipped with a plurality of first contacts on opposite surfaces of the mating tongue and a pair of metallic bulged sections exposed an outwardly protruding outside of two lateral edges of the mating tongue; and

a second connector adapted for mating with the first connector, the second connector including a plurality of second contacts and defining a center slot for receiving the mating tongue of the first connector and including a pair of latch side arms located by two opposite sides of the center slot in the horizontal transverse direction, each of said latch side arms defining a latch section with a configuration compliant with a contour of the corresponding bulged section, wherein

during mating, the bulged sections of the first connector are engaged with the latch section on the two opposite side arms for retention;

the bulged section is transversely deflectable;

wherein

the mating tongue defines a pair of lateral notches and the pair of bulged sections are respectively located in the corresponding notches.

5. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said latch section is fixed without traverse deflection thereof.

6. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first connector is connected with a cable and the second connector is mounted to a printed circuit board.

7. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pair of bulged sections are unitarily formed on a U-shaped structure surrounding a portion of a periphery of the mating tongue.

8. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pair of latch sections are unitarily formed on a U-shaped structure in an insulative housing of the second connector.

9. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the second housing defines a slot in a rear side to receive a front edge of a paddle card where tails of the second contacts are mounted.

10. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein a monolithic horizontal metallic shielding plate is embedded within the mating tongue and vertically shields most portions of said mating tongue, and said pair of metallic bulged sections are formed on two opposite lateral edges of the shielding plate.

11. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 10, wherein a contour of said shielding plate is similar to that of the mating tongue.

12. An electrical connector assembly comprising:

a plug connector defining a mating tongue with a plurality of stationary contacts on opposite surfaces thereon;

a pair of plug locking sections formed on opposite lateral sides of the mating tongue;

a cable located behind the mating tongue and mechanically and electrically connected to the stationary contacts;

a receptacle connector for mounting to a printed circuit board and including an insulative housing defining a receiving slot with a plurality of deflectable contacts located on two opposite sides of the receiving slot; and

a pair of receptacle locking sections disposed by two opposite lateral sides of the receiving slot for latching to the corresponding plug locking sections, respectively;

wherein

said mating tongue is fully exposed to an exterior without circumferential shielding therewith;

wherein said pair of plug locking sections are unitarily formed on a U-shaped structure surrounding a front edge and partially a pair of lateral side edges of the mating tongue.

13. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein said plug locking sections are deflectable.

14. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein said receptacle locking sections are deflectable.

15. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein said mating tongue includes an upper insulator and a lower insulator commonly sandwiching a printed circuit board therebetween in a vertical direction.

16. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein said mating tongue defines a pair of lateral side notches in which the plug locking sections are located, respectively.