Electrical connector having insert-molding contact module embedded wtihin a pair of over-molding covers
AssigneesFoxconn (Kunshan) Computer Connector Co., Ltd., Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited
InventorsYIN-CHAO XU, WEI ZHONG, JIAN-KUANG ZHU
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electrical connector includes a contact module enclosed within a pair of over-molding covers. The contact module includes one row of contacts retained in an insulator via an insert-molding process. Each cover includes a rear base part and a front tongue part extending forwardly from the base part. Each contact has a front contacting section exposed upon the tongue in a vertical direction, and a rear tail section exposed outside of the base. The contacts are exposed upon only one tongue part in the vertical direction.
Claims20
An electrical connector comprising:
- a contact module including a plurality of contacts integrally formed within an insulator via an insert-molding process, each of said contacts including a front contacting section, a rear tail section and a middle retaining section therebetween along a front-to-back direction;
- an insulative upper cover applied upon at least a top face of the contact module, via a first over-molding process, to form a subassembly while exposing the contacting sections upwardly to an exterior in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction;
- and
- an insulative lower cover applied upon said subassembly, via a second over-molding process, to cover at least a bottom face of the contact module;
- wherein
- no contacting sections of the contacts are downwardly exposed to the exterior around a bottom face of the lower cover.
A method of making an electrical connector, comprising steps of:
- providing a contact module with a plurality of contacts integrally formed within an insulator via an insert-molding process wherein each of said contacts includes a front contacting section, a rear tail section and a middle retaining section in a front-to-back direction;
- applying an upper cover upon the contact module via a first over-molding process to form a subassembly wherein the upper cover covers a top face of the contact module except the contacting sections of the contacts upwardly exposed to an exterior in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction;
- and
- applying a lower cover upon the subassembly via a second over-molding process to cover a bottom face of the insulator;
- wherein
- no contacting sections of the contacts are downwardly exposed to the exterior around a bottom face of the lower cover.
An electrical connector comprising:
- a contact module including a plurality of contacts integrally formed within an insulator via an insert-molding process, each of said contacts including a front contacting section, a rear tail section and a middle retaining section therebetween along a front-to-back direction;
- an insulative upper cover applied upon at least a top face of the contact module, via a first over-molding process, to form a subassembly while exposing the contacting sections upwardly to an exterior in a vertical direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction;
- and
- an insulative lower cover applied upon said subassembly, via a second over-molding process, to cover at least a bottom face of the contact module;
- wherein
- the upper cover and the lower cover are dimensioned similar to each other in all the front-to-back direction, the vertical direction and a transverse direction perpendicular to both the front-to-back direction and the vertical direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.