Shielding cover and connector assembly

Abstract

The present invention provides a shielding cover and a connector assembly. The shielding cover includes a metal housing and at least one conductive gasket. The metal housing has an end edge defining a front end opening, a plurality of fastening holes spaced from the end edge, and a plurality of fastening hole covering pieces integrally formed on the inner edges of the fastening holes respectively. The conductive gasket is disposed at the end edge of the metal housing defining the front end opening. The conductive gasket has at least one first elastic piece unit. The first elastic piece unit has a plurality of first elastic fingers. Each first elastic finger has a first finger portion and a hook portion formed on the first finger portion and assembled to the corresponding fastening hole. Wherein, before the hook portion of the first elastic finger is assembled to the fastening hole, the fastening hole covering piece does not cover the fastening hole so that the fastening hole is in an open state. After the hook portion is assembled to the fastening hole, the fastening hole covering piece is used to cover and close the fastening hole.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a shielding cover, and more particularly to a shielding cover and a connector assembly. Background Art

[0002] Chinese Utility Model Publication No. CN205621959U discloses a shielding cover, which includes a metal housing and at least one elastic module. The metal housing has an edge defining an opening and at least one fastening hole spaced from the edge. The elastic module is disposed at the edge of the metal housing and has a first elastic piece unit, a second elastic piece unit, a connecting unit and at least one positioning unit. The positioning unit has a hook portion extending from the first elastic piece unit and passing through the fastening hole, and two wings protruding from both sides of the hook portion. The two wings and the first elastic piece unit are located on opposite sides of the metal housing to abut against the metal housing to prevent the hook portion from disengaging from the fastening hole. However, even after the hook portions of the elastic module are assembled into the fastening holes on the metal housing, a plurality of fastening holes on the metal housing remain open, and these open holes will cause electromagnetic interference problems.

[0003] Chinese Invention Publication No. CN103928796 A (corresponding US Invention Publication No. US2014 / 0196943A1) discloses a shielding cover body, which includes a plurality of walls. The plurality of walls includes at least two opposite side walls and at least one top wall connecting the side walls together. The shielding cover body further includes a plurality of openings, and the openings are provided on one of the top wall and the side walls. These openings have a first shape, and a flexible conductive shielding element has a second shape, which is similar to the first shape but slightly larger than the first shape to provide an edge area extending around the periphery of the opening. The shielding element is bonded around the periphery of the opening to the shielding cover body to provide a barrier against electromagnetic interference leaking from the shielding cover body. However, the shielding element is an independent component and needs to be individually installed on each opening, which increases the assembly time and procedures. If the adhesion is not good, it is easy to fall off, and the patchy appearance is not beautiful. In addition, a plurality of small openings are continuously provided around the front end opening of the socket. These small openings are for installing a plurality of elastic fingers of a conductive gasket. In the prior art, the shielding element is only used for installing on larger openings and does not close these small openings for installing the elastic fingers. However, if each independent shielding element is used to close so many small openings one by one, it will be very laborious and time-consuming. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide a shielding cover and a connector assembly that can improve at least one drawback in the prior art.

[0005] Thus, in some embodiments, the shielding cover of the present invention includes a metal housing and at least one conductive gasket. The metal housing has an edge defining a front opening, a plurality of fastening holes spaced apart from the edge, and a plurality of fastening hole covering pieces integrally formed on the inner edges of the plurality of fastening holes respectively. The at least one conductive gasket is disposed at the edge of the metal housing defining the front opening. The conductive gasket has at least one first elastic piece unit. The first elastic piece unit has a plurality of first elastic fingers. Each first elastic finger has a first finger portion and a hook portion formed on the first finger portion and assembled in a corresponding fastening hole. Wherein, before the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces do not cover the plurality of fastening holes so that the plurality of fastening holes are in an open state. After the plurality of hook portions are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces are used to cover and close the plurality of fastening holes.

[0006] In some embodiments, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces are respectively integrally formed on the inner edges of the rear ends of the plurality of fastening holes, and the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers are hooked on the inner edges of the front ends of the plurality of fastening holes.

[0007] In some embodiments, before the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces stand outward relative to the metal housing and do not cover the plurality of fastening holes so that the plurality of fastening holes are in an open state, and the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces are located on the same plane.

[0008] In some embodiments, each first elastic finger further has two wing portions respectively protruding from both sides of the hook portion. After the plurality of hook portions are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the first finger portion, the hook portion and the two wing portions of each first elastic finger are respectively located on different sides inside and outside the metal housing and are used to abut against the metal housing to prevent the first elastic finger from disengaging from the fastening hole.

[0009] In some embodiments, the conductive gasket further has a second elastic piece unit and a connecting unit. One of the first elastic piece unit and the second elastic piece unit is located inside the metal housing, and the other is located outside the metal housing. The connecting unit is connected between the front ends of the first elastic piece unit and the second elastic piece unit and is adjacent to the edge of the metal housing.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first elastic piece unit is located inside the metal housing, the second elastic piece unit is located outside the metal housing, and the hook portions and the two wing portions of the first elastic fingers of the first elastic piece unit pass through the corresponding fastening holes from the inside of the metal housing and are bent back and fastened to the outside of the metal housing.

[0011] Thus, in some embodiments, the connector assembly of the present invention includes a shielding cover, a socket connector, and a pluggable module as described above. The socket connector is disposed at the rear section within the shielding cover. The pluggable module is configured to be inserted into the shielding cover through the front opening and dock with the socket connector.

[0012] In the present invention, the plurality of hole covering pieces integrally formed on the inner edges of the respective fastening holes can, after the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers of the conductive gasket are assembled into the plurality of fastening holes, cover each fastening hole to provide a better effect of shielding electromagnetic interference. Moreover, the plurality of hole covering pieces integrally formed on the inner edges of the respective fastening holes can be flush with the surface of the metal housing after covering and closing the plurality of fastening holes, presenting a more flat and aesthetic appearance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the connector assembly of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 2 is a partial exploded perspective view of a shielding cover of this embodiment;

[0016] Figure 3 is a partial perspective view of the shielding cover of this embodiment, in which the plurality of hole covering pieces of the shielding cover have not covered the plurality of fastening holes;

[0017] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a partial cross-sectional view of the shielding cover of the embodiment in;

[0018] Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the shielding cover of this embodiment, in which the plurality of hole covering pieces of the shielding cover cover the plurality of fastening holes; and

[0019] Figure 6 is Figure 5 a partial cross-sectional view of the shielding cover of the embodiment in.

[0020] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0021] 100 Connector assembly

[0022] 1 Shielding cover

[0023] 11 Metal housing

[0024] 111 Top wall

[0025] 112 Bottom wall

[0026] 113 Side wall

[0027] 114 Rear wall

[0028] 115 Pin

[0029] 116 Insertion space

[0030] 116a Front end opening

[0031] 116b Bottom opening

[0032] 117 Edge

[0033] 118 Buckle hole

[0034] 119 Buckle hole cover piece

[0035] 12 Conductive gasket

[0036] 121 First elastic piece unit

[0037] 121a First elastic finger

[0038] 121b First finger part

[0039] 121c Hook part

[0040] 121d Wing part

[0041] 122 Second elastic piece unit

[0042] 122a Second elastic finger

[0043] 123 Connection unit

[0044] 2 Socket connector

[0045] 21 Housing

[0046] 211 Insertion groove

[0047] 22 Terminal

[0048] 3 Pluggable module

[0049] 31 Housing

[0050] 311 Insertion part

[0051] 32 Insertion board

[0052] 321 Contact finger part

[0053] 33 Cable

[0054] D1 Front - rear direction

[0055] D2 Up - down direction

[0056] D3 Left - right direction Detailed implementation manner

[0057] Refer to Figure 1 , an embodiment of the connector assembly 100 of the present invention includes a shielding cover 1, a socket connector 2, and a pluggable module 3.

[0058] Refer to Figures 1 to 2 , the shielding cover 1 includes a metal housing 11 and a plurality of conductive gaskets 12. The metal housing 11 is formed by stamping and bending a metal sheet through a mold, for example, and is used to guide the pluggable module 3 and generate the function of shielding electromagnetic interference. The metal housing 11 is used to be disposed on a circuit board (not shown) and extends along a front-rear direction D1 (the arrow direction is forward and the reverse direction is backward). The metal housing 11 has a top wall 111, a bottom wall 112 spaced from the top wall 111 along an up-down direction D2 (the arrow direction is upward and the reverse direction is downward), two side walls 113 spaced along a left-right direction D3 (the arrow direction is right and the reverse direction is left) and connected between the top wall 111 and the bottom wall 112, a rear wall 114 connected to the rear edges of the top wall 111 and the two side walls 113, and a plurality of pins 115 extending downward from the two side walls 113 and adapted to be fixed on the circuit board and / or connected to a ground trace (not shown). In addition, the metal housing 11 further has a plugging space 116 defined by the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, the two side walls 113 and the rear wall 114 and located inside, a front end opening 116a located at the front end and communicating with the plugging space 116 for the pluggable module 3 to be inserted, and a bottom opening 116b located behind the bottom wall 112 and communicating with the plugging space 116.

[0059] Refer to Figures 2 to 6, the metal housing 11 has an end edge 117 defined by the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the two side walls 113 that defines the front opening 116a, a plurality of fastening holes 118 spaced apart from the end edge 117, and a plurality of fastening hole covering pieces 119 respectively integrally formed at the inner edges of the rear ends of the plurality of fastening holes 118. The plurality of conductive gaskets 12 are provided at the end edge 117 of the metal housing 11 that defines the front opening 116a and respectively correspond to the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the two side walls 113. Each conductive gasket 12 has a first elastic piece unit 121, a second elastic piece unit 122, and a connecting unit 123. In this embodiment, the first elastic piece unit 121 is located inside the metal housing 11, the second elastic piece unit 122 is located outside the metal housing 11, and the connecting unit 123 is connected between the front end of the first elastic piece unit 121 and the front end of the second elastic piece unit 122 and is adjacent to the end edge 117 of the metal housing 11. However, in other variant embodiments, the first elastic piece unit 121 may also be located outside the metal housing 11, and the second elastic piece unit 122 may be located inside the metal housing 11. It should be noted that the number of conductive gaskets 12 shown in this embodiment is four. However, in variant implementations, two adjacent conductive gaskets 12 may be formed integrally to form a total of two conductive gaskets, or the four conductive gaskets 12 may be integrally formed into a single conductive gasket, and this embodiment is not restrictive. In addition, in an embodiment where the shielding cover 1 only includes one or two conductive gaskets 12, the number of the first elastic piece unit 121 and the second elastic piece unit 122 of each conductive gasket 12 may also be multiple. For example, when the number of conductive gaskets 12 is one, the number of the first elastic piece unit 121 and the second elastic piece unit 122 of each conductive gasket 12 may each be four and respectively correspond to the top wall 111, the bottom wall 112, and the two side walls 113.

[0060] The first elastic piece unit 121 has a plurality of first elastic fingers 121a. Each first elastic finger 121a has a first finger portion 121b extending rearward from the connection unit 123, a hook portion 121c constructed at the end of the first finger portion 121b and assembled into the corresponding buckle hole 118, and two wing portions 121d protruding from both sides of the hook portion 121c respectively. Among them, before the hook portions 121c and wing portions 121d of the plurality of first elastic fingers 121a are assembled with the plurality of buckle holes 118, the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 do not cover the plurality of buckle holes 118, so that the plurality of buckle holes 118 are in an open state. Specifically, the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 stand upright outward relative to the metal housing 11 and do not cover the plurality of buckle holes 118, so that the plurality of buckle holes 118 are in an open state. At this time, the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 are in the same plane; after the hook portions 121c and wing portions 121d of the plurality of first elastic fingers 121a are assembled with the plurality of buckle holes 118, the first finger portion 121b of each first elastic finger 121a of the first elastic piece unit 121 is located inside the metal housing 11, and the hook portion 121c and the two wing portions 121d of each first elastic finger 121a of the first elastic piece unit 121 pass through the corresponding buckle hole 118 from the inside of the metal housing 11 and are folded back and buckled to the outside of the metal housing 11, and are used to abut against the metal housing 11 to prevent the first elastic finger 121a from detaching from the buckle hole 118. Moreover, the hook portions 121c of the plurality of first elastic fingers 121a are hooked on the inner edge of the front end of the plurality of buckle holes 118 adjacent to the first finger portion 121b. Importantly, at this time, the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 can be used to cover and seal the plurality of buckle holes 118. For example, it can be through a jig (not shown in the figure) to push the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 located in the same plane forward together, so that the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 are bent in the direction of the corresponding buckle holes 118, thereby covering and sealing the plurality of buckle holes 118. Specifically, however, due to the need to reserve space for the plurality of first elastic fingers 121a to pass through and tolerance considerations, the plurality of buckle hole covering pieces 119 only cover and seal most of the area of the plurality of buckle holes 118 as much as possible in this embodiment. In addition, the second elastic piece unit 122 has a plurality of second elastic fingers 122a respectively located outside the metal housing 11.

[0061] Refer to Figure 1 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6, the socket connector 2 is mechanically and electrically disposed on the circuit board. The socket connector 2 has an insulating housing 21 and a plurality of terminals 22. The housing 21 has a socket groove 211. The plurality of terminals 22 are disposed in the socket groove 211 and their tails (not shown in the figure) are electrically and mechanically connected to the circuit board. The socket connector 2 is covered by the shielding cover 1 through the bottom opening 116b, so that the socket connector 2 is disposed in the rear section of the socket space 116 in the shielding cover 1.

[0062] The pluggable module 3 includes a housing 31, a plug-in board 32, and a cable 33. The housing 31 includes a plug-in portion 311. The plug-in board 32 protrudes from the plug-in portion 311 and has a plurality of contact fingers 321 on the plug-in board 32. The cable 33 is disposed in the housing 31 and is mechanically and electrically connected to the plug-in board 32. After the pluggable module 3 enters the shielding cover 1 from the front end opening 116a, the plug-in board 32 at the end of the plug-in portion 311 of the pluggable module 3 can be inserted into the socket groove 211 of the socket connector 2, so that the contact fingers 321 of the plug-in board 32 contact the terminals 22 in the socket groove 211 of the socket connector 2, so that the pluggable module 3 and the socket connector 2 are docked with each other. In addition, a mounting hole of a chassis (not shown in the figure) can be provided at the front section of the shielding cover 1 adjacent to the front end opening 116a. The second elastic piece unit 122 of the conductive gasket 12 located outside is used to partially contact the peripheral edge of the mounting hole of the chassis, and the first elastic piece unit 121 of the conductive gasket 12 located inside is used to contact the pluggable module 3.

[0063] In summary, the plurality of hole covering pieces 119 integrally formed on the inner edge of each of the buckle holes 118 in the present invention can cover each buckle hole 118 to provide a better effect of shielding electromagnetic interference after the hook portions 121c of the plurality of first elastic fingers 121a of the conductive gasket 12 are assembled in the plurality of buckle holes 118. Moreover, the plurality of hole covering pieces 119 integrally formed on the inner edge of each of the buckle holes 118 can not protrude from the surface of the metal housing 11 after covering and closing the plurality of buckle holes 118, and the appearance is more flat and beautiful.

[0064] However, as described above, it is only an embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of implementation of the present invention cannot be limited thereby. All simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and the content of the specification of the present invention still fall within the scope covered by the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shielding cover, comprising: A metal housing having an end edge defining a front opening, a plurality of fastening holes spaced apart from the end edge, and a plurality of fastening hole covering pieces integrally formed on the inner edges of the plurality of fastening holes respectively; and At least one conductive gasket is disposed at the edge of the metal housing that defines the front opening. The conductive gasket has at least one first elastic piece unit, the first elastic piece unit has a plurality of first elastic fingers, each first elastic finger has a first finger portion, and a hook portion configured on the first finger portion and assembled in a corresponding buckle hole, wherein, Before the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces do not cover the plurality of fastening holes so that the plurality of fastening holes are in an open state. After the hook portions are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces are used to cover and close the plurality of fastening holes.

2. The shielding case according to claim 1, wherein, The plurality of fastening hole covering pieces are respectively integrally formed on the inner edges of the rear ends of the plurality of fastening holes, and the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers are hooked on the inner edges of the front ends of the plurality of fastening holes.

3. The shielding case according to claim 2, wherein, Before the hook portions of the plurality of first elastic fingers are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces stand outwardly relative to the metal housing and do not cover the plurality of fastening holes so that the plurality of fastening holes are in an open state, and the plurality of fastening hole covering pieces are located on the same plane.

4. The shielding case according to claim 3, wherein, Each first elastic finger further has two wings respectively protruding from both sides of the hook portion. After the hook portions are assembled with the plurality of fastening holes, the first finger portion, the hook portion and the two wings of each first elastic finger are respectively located on different sides inside and outside the metal housing, and are used to abut against the metal housing to prevent the first elastic finger from disengaging from the fastening hole.

5. The shielding case according to claim 4, wherein, The conductive gasket further has a second elastic sheet unit and a connecting unit. One of the first elastic sheet unit and the second elastic sheet unit is located inside the metal housing, and the other is located outside the metal housing. The connecting unit is connected between the front ends of the first elastic sheet unit and the second elastic sheet unit and is adjacent to the end edge of the metal housing.

6. The shielding case according to claim 5, wherein, The first elastic sheet unit is located inside the metal housing, the second elastic sheet unit is located outside the metal housing, and the hook portions and the two wings of the first elastic fingers of the first elastic sheet unit pass through the corresponding fastening holes from the inside of the metal housing and are bent back and fastened to the outside of the metal housing.

7. A connector assembly, comprising: The shielding cover according to any one of claims 1 to 6; A socket connector disposed at the rear section inside the shielding cover; and A pluggable module for being inserted into the shielding cover through the front opening to dock with the socket connector.

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