# US 2017/0288326 A1 · Electrical connector having inetrengaged grounding contacts > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2017/0288326 A1 - Document ID: US20170288326A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/476,981 - Filed: 2017-04-01 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-01 - Assignees: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited - Applicants: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited - Inventors: YONG-QI WANG; JUN ZHAO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20170288326A1 ## CPC - H01R 13/6585: Shielding material individually surrounding or interposed between mutually spaced contacts - H01R 12/775: {Ground or shield arrangements} - H01R 13/6594: the shield being mounted on a PCB and connected to conductive members - H01R 24/60: Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement - H01R: ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS ## Abstract An electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a number of terminals and a metallic shielding plate s retained in the insulative housing, and a shielding shell attached to the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion along an insertion direction. The terminals define a number of first contacts and second contacts. The first contacts and second contacts respectively define a pair of grounding contacts located at two sides thereof. Each grounding contact of the second contacts has a hook portion bent upwardly and extending inwardly from outmost edge thereof and located above the grounding contact of the first contacts located at the same side. A free end of the hook portion is contacted with the grounding contact of the first contacts at same side physically and electrically. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electrical connector comprising: an insulative housing having a base portion and a tongue portion extending forwardly from the base portion along an insertion direction; a plurality of terminals retained in the insulative housing, the terminals defining a plurality of first contacts and second contacts located at two surfaces of the tongue portion, the first contacts and the second contacts respectively defining a pair of grounding contacts located at two sides thereof, each grounding contact of the second contacts having a hook portion, a free end of the hook portion being in contact with the associated grounding contact of the first contacts; a metallic shielding plate retained in the insulative housing; and a shielding shell attached to the insulative housing to form a receiving space to receive the insulative housing. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said hook portion is bent upwardly and extending inwardly from an outmost edge of the grounding contact and located above an associated grounding contact of the first contacts, the metallic shielding plate has a number of projections, and an upper surface of a free end of the hook portion of the grounding contact located in one side of the second contacts is contacted with a lower surface of the grounding contact of the first contacts in the same side to enclose the hook portion with the projection and contact the grounding contacts of the first contacts and the grounding contacts of the second contacts with the metallic shielding plate physically and electrically. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein said grounding contact of the first contacts has a hook portion bent downwardly and extending inwardly from outmost edge thereof and located below the grounding contact of the first contacts located at the same side, a lower surface of a free end of the hook portion of the grounding contact located in one side of the first contacts is contacted with an upper surface of the grounding contact of the second contacts in the same side to enclose the hook portion with the projection and contact the grounding contacts of the second contacts and the grounding contacts of the first contacts with the metallic shielding plate physically and electrically. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein said insulative housing has an upper housing, a lower housing, and an insulator over-molded with the upper housing and the lower housing, the upper housing has a first base portion and a first tongue portion extending forwardly from the first base portion and separated from the first base portion to form a first gap, and the lower housing has a second base portion and a second tongue portion extending forwardly from the second base portion and separated from the second base portion to form a second gap. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first contact has a first contacting portion, the second contact has a second contacting portion, the grounding contact has a tail portion bent backwardly therefrom, the tail portions are located at free ends of the first contacting portions and the second contacting portions of the grounding contacts, and the tail portions of the grounding contacts of the first contacts and the second contacts are located close to the metallic shielding plate and contacted with the metallic shielding plate. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein said tail portions are respectively embedded in the first tongue portion and the second tongue portion and aligned with inner surfaces of the first tongue portion and the second tongue portion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shielding shell is formed in a metal inject-molding process. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said metallic shielding plate is formed in a metal stamping process. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said metallic shielding plate is formed in a metal inject-molding process. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein the metallic shielding plate is insert-molded with the insulative housing and includes a pair of bulges located at two sides of the base portion, the shielding shell has an inner wall therein extending along a transverse direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the bulges with the base portion are located behind and resisted against by the inner wall. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shielding shell has a tubular main portion and a pair of side portions located at two sides of the main portion, the metallic shielding plate has a pair of soldering legs, and the side portions and the soldering legs are adapted for mounting upon a printed circuit board. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 11, wherein said side portion has an affixed leg extending downwardly therefrom and located in front of the soldering legs. ### Claim 13 An electrical connector comprising: a terminal module including an insulative housing with two rows of terminals and a metallic shielding plate therein, the terminals in each row arranged in a transverse direction while each of said terminals extending along a front-to-back direction perpendicular to said transverse direction, said shielding plate located between the two rows of terminals in a vertical direction perpendicular to both said transverse direction and said front-to-back direction; said shielding plate being made via a metal insert-molding process and having a pair of projections on two lateral sides in said transverse direction, each of said projections extending away from a flat supporting portion in said vertical direction; wherein in each row, said terminals include a pair outermost grounding contacts at two opposite ends in said transverse direction, and at least one of said pair of grounding contacts includes a hook structure to grasp the corresponding projection for both mechanical and electrical connection therebetween. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13, wherein each row of terminals are integrally formed with a corresponding housing unit to form a module unit, and the housing units sandwich the shielding plate to be commonly unified via an insulator to form the complete terminal module. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13, further including a metallic shielding shell enclosing said terminal module, wherein said shielding shell is made via a metal insert-molding process and includes a front capsular section with a pair of affixed legs thereon for mounting through a printed circuit board, and a rear rectangular section with a pair of seats for sitting upon the printed circuit board. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein said shielding plate includes a pair of soldering legs located beside the corresponding seats in the transverse direction, respectively. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 13, wherein said hook structure further electrically and mechanically connects to another grounding contact in the other row. ### Claim 18 An electrical connector comprising: a terminal module including an insulative housing with two rows of terminals and a metallic shielding plate therein, the terminals in each row arranged in a transverse direction while each of said terminals extending along a front-to-back direction perpendicular to said transverse direction, said shielding plate located between the two rows of terminals in a vertical direction perpendicular to both said transverse direction and said front-to-back direction; in each row, said terminals include a pair outermost grounding contacts at two opposite ends in said transverse direction, each of said grounding contacts having a hook structure to mechanical and electrical connect to either the shielding plate or another grounding contact opposite to said shielding plate in said vertical direction; and each row of terminals being integrally formed within a corresponding insulative housing unit vi an insert-molding process; wherein said hook structure of the grounding contact in one row of said terminals grasps the insulative housing unit integrally formed with the other row of terminals so as to have the two housing units associated with said two rows of terminals are assembled together with the shielding plate therebetween in the vertical direction. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18, 19) The electrical connector as claimed in claim 18, further including a metallic shielding shell made via a metal insert-molding process and including a front capsular section with a pair of affixed legs thereof for mounting through a printed circuit board, and a rear rectangular section with a pair of seats thereof for sitting upon the printed circuit board. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 19, wherein said shielding plate is made via another metal insert-molding process and has a pair of soldering legs on two lateral sides for mounting through the printed circuit board, and said soldering legs are intimately located beside the corresponding seats in the transverse direction, respectively.