Abstract:
A stacked connector assembly ( 100 ) includes a pair of sub-connectors ( 1, 2 ), a numeral of contacts ( 3 ) received in the housing ( 10, 20 ) of the sub-connectors, a cable ( 4 ) terminated to the contacts, a cover ( 7 ) over-molded with the housing and the cable and defining a pair of receiving spaces ( 71, 72 ) therein, and a pair of latch arms ( 6 ) in a mirror-imaged arrangement. The latch arm includes a retaining portion ( 61 ) secured with the insulative housing of corresponding sub-connector, a supporting portion ( 64 ) engaged with the cover, a pressing portion ( 63 ) between the retaining portion and the supporting portion, and a pair of latch tabs ( 620 ) located close to the retaining portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to a stacked connector assembly, and more particularly to a stacked connector having a pair of latch arms. 
   2. Description of Prior Art 
   There exits in the art an electrical connector known as a serial Advanced Technology Attachment (serial ATA) connector which is generally used for disk drives and storage peripherals. Especially, the serial ATA connector according to the serial ATA standard are featured in fewer electrical contacts than other conventional electrical connectors and are relatively tiny in configuration. 
   Nowadays, not only are processor speeds increasing, but also the amount of space that a computer fits into is shrinking. Therefore, the motherboards or printed circuit boards (PCBs) that hold the electronics and other devices for a computer have limited space. In a computer which may contain multiple hard drives, multiple serial ATA connectors and serial ATA cable assemblies may need to be stacked with each other for saving the space. For ensuring each serial ATA connector retaining on the complementary connector, a latch is usually formed on the serial ATA connector. Suppose, the latch is assembled on the top wall of the stacked serial ATA connector, the complementary connector matching with the lower connector of the serial ATA connector can not be retained by the latch. The same problem should happen if the latch assembled on the lower wall of the stacked serial connector. 
   Hence, a stacked connector has an improved latch to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a stacked connector assembly having a latch for locking/unlocking the cable end connector assembly with/from a complementary connector more conveniently. 
   In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a stacked connector assembly comprises a cover defining at least two receiving spaces, a pair of sub-connectors each received in corresponding receiving spaces, each sub-connector connected with a cable. Each sub-connector further comprises a latch arm. The latch arms of the sub-connectors are arranged in a mirror-imaged arrangement. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded, perspective view of a stacked connector assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a view similar to  FIG. 1 , but taken from a different aspect; 
       FIG. 3  is an enlarged, perspective view of a latch arm shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is an assembled view of the cable end connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  5 — 5  of FIG.  4 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a stacked connector assembly  100  in accordance with the present invention comprises a first sub-connector  1  and a second sub-connector  2 , a cover  7 , a plurality of contacts  3 , two cables  4 , two spacers  5  and a pair of latch arms  6 . 
   The first sub-connector  1  comprises a first insulative housing  10 . The insulative housing  10  comprises a base portion  12 , and a pair of guiding posts  14  extending backwardly and vertically along the opposite sides of the base portion  12  and beyond the rear end of the base portion  12 . The base portion  12  comprises an upper wall  121 , a lower wall  122  opposite to the upper wall  121 , and a pair of sidewalls  123 ,  124  connecting with the upper wall  121  and the lower wall  122 . The upper wall  121 , the lower wall  122  and the sidewalls  123 ,  124  together define an L-shaped interface therebetween for matching with complementary connector (not shown). The lower wall  122  of the base portion  12  defines a plurality of passageways  15  extending therethrough along a front-to-back direction. The upper wall  121  of the base portion  12  defines a depression  126  in an upper surface thereof. A flat portion  125  protrudes upwardly and rearwardly from a middle portion of a front flange of the upper wall  121  into the depression  126 . A gap  128  is formed between the flat portion  125  and a bottom surface of the depression  126 . The upper wall  121  further defines a pair of first slots  129  and two pairs of second slots  130  in communication with the gap  128 . Each guiding post  14  defines a free end  141  with a cutout  1410  thereon. 
   The second sub-connector  2  comprises a second insulative housing  20  has the same structure as the first insulative housing  10 . 
   The cover  7  comprises a rectangular body portion  70 . The body portion  70  is formed with a top wall  700 , an opposite bottom wall  702 , a pair of side walls  703 ,  704  parallelly extending between the top and the bottom walls  700 ,  702 , and a rear wall  705  connecting the top, the bottom and the side walls. A first and a second receiving space  71 ,  72  are parallelly arranged in an upper and lower manner between the top and the bottom walls  700 ,  702  for receiving corresponding sub-connector  1 ,  2 . A pair of passages  75  are defined at opposite sides of the top wall  700  extending from the top wall  700  to the bottom wall  702  in communication with receiving spaces  71 ,  72  for receiving corresponding free end  141  of the guiding posts  14 . A first channel  74  and a second channel  76  are defined on the rear wall  705  of the body portion  70  and communicating with corresponding receiving space  71 ,  72 . The top wall  700  further comprises a holding bar  712 . The bottom wall  702  has the same structure as the top wall  700 . 
   The contacts  3  are respectively disposed in the passageways  15  of the first and the second insulative housing  10 ,  20 . Each of the contacts  3  comprises a curved contact portion  31  exposed in a corresponding passageway  15  of the insulative housing  10 ,  20 , a retention portion  32  engaged with interior sides of the corresponding passageway  15 , and a tail portion  33  perpendicularly bent from the retention portion  32 . 
   The cable  4  comprises a plurality of individual conductors  40  for being respectively soldered to the tail portions  34  of the contacts  3 . 
   The spacers  5  are respectively mounted to the rear end of the first and second insulative housings  10 ,  20  and each defines a plurality of through hole  51  only allowing the tail portions  33  of the contacts  3  passing therethrough. The spacer  5  can prevent plastic from seeping into the passageways  15  of the first and second insulative housing  10 ,  20  during the molding process of the cover  7 . The contacts  3  and the spacer  5  can be integrally formed before mounting to the first and second insulative housing  10 ,  20 , if desired. 
   Particularly referring to  FIG. 3 , each of the latch arm  6  is stamped and formed from a metallic plate and comprises a retaining portion  61 , a locking portion  62  extending upwardly and rearwardly from the retaining portion  61 , a pressing portion  63  extending rearwardly from the locking portion  62 , and a supporting portion  64  extending rearwardly and downwardly from the pressing portion  63 . The retaining portion  61  has two pairs of snap tabs  610  extending rearwardly and upwardly from a front end thereof, a pair of forwardly extending positioning tabs  611 , and a pair of upwardly protruding curved stopping portions  612 . The locking portion  62  has a pair of latch tabs  620  protruding upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. The pressing portion  63  is formed with two holding ribs  630  on a top surface thereof, and a pair of side beams  631  extending downwardly from opposite ends thereof. Each side beam  631  is stamped with a spring tab  6310  extending outwardly therefrom. 
   In assembly, the individual conductors  41  of the cable  4  are soldered to the tail portions  33  of the contacts  3 , and extend through the first channel  74  and the second channel  76  into the first and second receiving spaces  71 ,  72 . The guiding posts  14  of the first and second housings  10 ,  20  are partially and respectively received in corresponding receiving spaces  71 ,  72 , and the free ends  141  partially exposed beyond the passages  75 . 
   Particularly referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , one of the latch arms  6  is mounted onto the first sub-connector  1  and the top wall  700  of the cover  7 . The latch arm  60  is then assembled to the cover  7  and the first insulative housing  10  under a pressing force, with the side beams  631  thereof respectively partially inserted into the rear portions of the passages  75  and pushed adjacent to the free end  141  of the first insulative housing  10 , with the positioning tabs  611  and the snap tabs  610  of the retaining portion  61  respectively pushed into the gap  182  and received in the corresponding first and second slots  129 ,  130  of the first insulative housing  10 , and with the supporting portion  64  abutting against the top surface of the top wall  121  of the first insulative housing  10 . The spring tabs  6310  of the pressing portion  63  are pressed into the cutouts  1410  of the guiding posts  14  and are slideable therealong. The latch arm  6  assembled on the bottom wall  702  of the cover  7  follows the same means of the latch arm  6  assembled on the top wall  700  of the cover  7 . 
   It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.