Module connector

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a module connector to which a module body, such as a memory module or a camera module, is firmly fitted.

2. Description of Related Art

With development of cellular mobile phones or the likes, a lot of additional functions, such as taking pictures etc., are added to the mobile phones or the likes. In order to achieve functions such as taking pictures etc., camera modules are furnished to the mobile phones or the likes in virtue of module connectors.

US Pat. Pub. No. 2004/0068868 disclosures a module connector to which a camera module can be fitted. The modular connector defines a chamber for accommodating the camera module and comprises a plurality of contacts disposed on sidewalls thereof with contacting portions exposed into the chamber. The camera module is provided with a plurality of electrical pads arranged on an outer periphery thereof corresponding to the contacting portions of the contacts of the module connector. When assembled, the camera module is downwardly inserted into the chamber of the module connector to achieve electrical connection between the electrical pads thereof and the contacts of the module connector.

However, because the camera module is directly received into the chamber of the module connector without the aid of additional holding appliance, reliable electrical connection between the pads of camera module and the contacts of the module connector can't assure when encountering vibration, thus affecting signal transmission.

Hence, an improved module connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a module connector which can firmly accommodate a camera module therein.

Accordingly, to achieve above-mentioned object, a module connector, to which a module body is electrically connected, comprises an insulating housing, a plurality of contacts received in the insulating housing, a shell and a holding member. The insulating housing defines a chamber for accommodating the module body. The contacts comprise a plurality of contacting portions exposed in the chamber of the housing for electrically connecting with the module body. The shell is assembled onto the insulating housing. The holding member cooperates with the shell to securely accommodate the module body in the insulating housing, thereby electrically connecting the contacting portions of the contacts with the module body accommodated in the chamber of the insulating housing.

The detailed features of the present invention will be apparent in the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an assembled, perspective view of a module connector in accordance with the present invention in which a camera module is accommodated;

FIG. 2 is an assembled, perspective view of the module connector shown in FIG. 1 , but from another aspect;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, perspective view of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view similar to FIG. 3 , but from another aspect; and

FIG. 5 is an assembled, perspective view of the module connector shown in FIG. 1 with a holding member not assembled;

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the module connector 100 in accordance with the present invention is adapted for electrically connecting a module body, such as a camera module 5 , with a wiring board (not shown). The module connector 100 comprises an insulating housing 1 , a plurality of contacts 2 received in the insulating housing 1 , a conductive shell 3 enclosing the insulating housing 1 and a holding member 4 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the camera module 5 comprises a cubic base portion 51 served as a lower portion and a column portion 52 served as an upper portion extending upwardly from the base portion 51 . The base portion 51 comprises a top face 511 , a bottom face 512 opposite to the top face 511 and a plurality of side faces 513 . The camera module 5 further comprises a plurality of contacting pads 510 arranged at connections between the bottom face 512 and the side faces 513 . In addition, the camera module 5 comprises a plurality of stand offs 514 formed on the bottom face 512 thereof.

The insulating housing 1 is approximately a square box-like body. The insulating housing 1 comprises front and rear walls 11 , a pair of right and left sidewalls 12 and a bottom wall 13 , which commonly define an upwardly-open chamber 14 for accommodating the camera module 5 . The bottom wall 13 is formed with a hole 131 in middle thereof. A plurality of cuts 132 are formed at corners between the sidewalls 12 and the bottom wall 13 and between the walls 11 and the bottom wall 13 , respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 , the insulating housing 1 is formed with protruding pieces 110 extending upwardly and outwardly from lower sides of the front and rear walls 11 to define slots (not labeled) between the protruding pieces 110 and the front and rear walls 11 , respectively. A pair of ribs 120 protrude outwardly from lower sides of the sidewalls 12 of the insulating housing 1 . Furthermore, the insulating housing 1 defines a plurality of recesses 15 on the front and rear walls 11 adjacent to the sidewalls 12 respectively to communicate with the chamber 14 thereof.

Each contact 2 comprises a vertical intermediate portion 22 , a horizontal soldering portion 21 extending from a bottom end of the intermediate portion 22 and a contacting portion 23 extending inversely and downwardly from a top end of the intermediate portion 22 . The insulating housing 1 defines a plurality of passages 121 communicating with the chamber 14 on the sidewalls 12 and the front and rear walls 11 along a top-bottom direction, respectively. The intermediate portion 22 is received in the corresponding passage 121 . The contacting portion 23 is exposed into the chamber 14 for electrically connecting with the contacting pads 510 of the camera module 5 . The soldering portion 21 is exposed into the cut 132 of the insulating housing 1 for soldering on the wiring board.

The shell 3 is stamped from a metal sheet. The shell 3 comprises opposite front and rear portions 31 and a pair of opposite side portions 32 , which define a cavity (not labeled). A plurality of holding pieces 310 extend downwardly into the cavity from top ends of the front and rear portions 31 adjacent to the side portions 32 , respectively. Each side portion 32 is formed with a protruding plate 320 extending upwardly therefrom. The protruding plate 320 is stamped with a pair of locking pieces 321 alignedly arranged along a front-rear direction and slantways protruding into the cavity.

When the shell 3 is assembled to and encircled the insulating housing 1 , the front and rear portions 31 of the shell 3 are held in the slots between the protruding pieces 110 and the front and rear walls 11 of the insulating housing 1 . Lower sides of the side portions 32 of the shell 3 collide with upper faces of the ribs 120 of the sidewalls 12 thereof. The holding pieces 310 of the shell 3 are held in the corresponding recesses 15 of the insulating housing 1 . Therefore, the shell 3 is assembled to the insulating housing 1 securely. In this situation, the locking pieces 321 of the side portions 32 slantways protrude towards the chamber 14 of the housing 1 .

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5 , the holding member 4 is a slightly arc plate configuration and defines a through hole 41 in middle thereof. The column portion 52 of the camera module 5 passes through the through hole 41 of the holding member 4 so that the base portion 52 thereof is accommodated in the chamber 14 of the insulating housing 1 . The column portion 52 locates beyond the chamber 14 . The contacting pads 510 contact with the contacting portions 23 of the contacts 2 . The stand offs 514 expose outside of the hole 131 of the insulating housing 1 .

Then, when the holding member 4 assembled, firstly, the column portion 52 of the camera module 5 fitly passes through the through hole 41 of the holding member 4 and the holding member 4 collides with the top face 511 of the camera module 5 . Then, to continue to press downwardly against the holding member 4 , the holding member 4 locates below the locking pieces 321 of the shell 3 and the locking pieces 321 presses against opposite edges of the holding member 4 so as to abut tightly against each other. Thus, the holding member 4 presses downwardly against the top face 511 of the camera module 5 . In addition, because of the resilient arc configuration of the holding member 4 , the holding member 4 presses tightly and downwardly against the top face 511 of the camera module 5 better to make the base portion 51 of the camera module 5 firmly accommodate in the chamber 14 of the insulating housing 1 securely.

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.