Abstract:
A cable connector assembly ( 100 ) comprises: an insulative housing ( 1 ); a number of first and second types of connectors ( 21, 22 ) disposed in the insulative housing. Each of the first type connectors ( 21 ) is arranged in an upstanding manner. Two second type of connectors ( 22 ) are arranged along a vertical direction and perpendicular to each other to form two mating ports ( 26 ) for mating with two complementary connectors simultaneously. A metallic shell ( 4 ) surrounds and engages the insulative housing. And a number of cables ( 3 ) extend into the insulative housing and electrically connect with the first and second types of connectors.

Description:
This application is a continuation application of application Ser. No. 12/829,407 filed on Jul. 2, 2009. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to cable connector assembly, more particularly to cable connector assembly with a small volume. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Nowadays, a plurality of connectors, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, Audio jack, Print ports, are set in computers for transmitting data signals. In general, the connectors are arranged at a rear side of the computers for preventing a mating connector from being hit and departed from the connectors, and consumers must turn the computer to front for inserting the mating connector and return the computer when the connectors are inserted completely, which is inconvenient to consumers when some connectors are inserted frequently. 
     For solving the above problems, some computer designers design a computer with some connectors which are used frequently, such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors and Audio jacks, at a front side thereof. And, with a miniature development of the electrical industry, the computer has a small room with a limited width and height to receiving a front I/O connector. So, a plurality of USB connectors and Audio jacks formed in the front I/O connectors are needed to be arranged rationally to take full advantage of the small room. TW Pat. No. M346200 issued on Dec. 1, 2008 discloses a front I/O connector having a housing, and two stacked Audio jacks and two stacked USB connectors received into the housing. The front I/O connector further comprises a retainer disposed in the housing and spaced apart two USB connectors and two Audio jacks to meet a proper distance between two Audio jacks. However, an assembling process of the front I/O is more complicated due to the retainer. And, a manufacturing cost of the front I/O is also increased due to the retainer. 
     Hence, an improved cable connector assembly with small room and a simple structure is desired to overcome the above problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a cable connector assembly comprises: A cable connector assembly comprising: an insulative housing comprises a lower housing and an upper housing engaged with each other along an up to down direction; a plurality of first type of connectors disposed in the insulative housing and paralleled with each other along a transversal direction, each of the first type of connectors arranged in an upright direction; two second type of connectors disposed in the insulative housing and located adjacent to the plurality of first type of connectors, the two second type of connectors arranged along a vertical direction and perpendicular to each other to form two mating ports for mating with two complementary connectors simultaneously; a metallic shell surrounding the insulative housing and engaged with the insulative housing; and a plurality of cables extending into the insulative housing and electrically connected with the first and second type connectors. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, a cable connector assembly comprises: an insulative housing formed by a lower housing and an upper housing, the insulative housing defining a plurality of rectangular receiving rooms and a T-shaped receiving room extending rearwardly form a front surface of the insulative housing, the plurality of rectangular receiving rooms arranged along a transversal direction and spaced apart with each other, the T-shaped receiving room located on a lateral side of the plurality of rectangular receiving rooms; a plurality of first type of connectors received into corresponding rectangular receiving rooms; two second type of connectors received into the T-shaped receiving room and perpendicular with each other; a plurality of cables electrically connecting with the first and second type of connectors; and a metallic shell enclosing the insulative housing. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cable connector assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially perspective view of the cable connector assembly with a metal shell being separated therefrom; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially perspective view of the cable connector assembly with the metal shell and an upper housing being separated therefrom; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the cable connector assembly; and 
         FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4 , while taken from a different aspect. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. For the most part, details concerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. 
     Reference will be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail, wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by same or similar reference numeral through the several views and same or similar terminology. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , a cable connector assembly  100  according to the present invention comprises an insulative housing  1 , a plurality of connectors  2  retained in the insulative housing  1 , a plurality of cables  3  connected with the connectors  2  and an outer shell  4  covering the insulative housing  1 . 
     The insulative housing  1  consists of an upper housing  11  and a lower housing  12  retained with each other along an up to down direction. The upper housing  11  has a top wall  111 , a pair of first side walls  112  at two sides thereof, and a first front wall  113  and a first rear wall  114  at front and rear sides thereof respectively. The lower housing  12  has a bottom wall  121 , a pair of second side walls  122  at two sides thereof and corresponding to the first side walls  112  along the up to down direction, and a second front wall  123  and a second rear wall  124  at front and rear sides thereof and aligned to the first front wall  113  and the first rear wall  112  along the up to down direction respectively. The upper housing  11  is structured in an upper cover. 
     The lower housing  12  defines a left part and a right part adjacent to each other along the transverse direction. The left part defines a plurality of first cavities  126  opening upwardly and forwardly, and a plurality of openings  127  at the second rear wall  124  for retaining the cables  3 . The first cavities  126  are arranged in a row along a transverse direction of the insulative housing  1 . The openings  127  communicate with the first cavities  126  along the front to back direction thereof. The right part defines a second cavity  128  opening upwardly and forwardly. The upper housing  11  defines a third cavity  116  opening downwardly and forwardly. The third cavity  116  is aligned to the second cavity  128  and communicates with the second cavity  128  along the up to down direction. Thus, a T-shaped receiving room, defined by the third cavity  116  at an upper part and the second cavity  128  at a lower part, is formed in the insulative housing  1  when the upper housing  11  and the lower housing  12  are engaged with each other and such room extends rearwardly from a front surface of the insulative housing  1 . A plurality of rectangular receiving rooms are also formed in the housing  1  when the upper housing  11  and the lower housing  12  are engaged with each other and also extends rearwardly from the front surface of the insulative housing  1 . A width of the rectangular receiving room is shorter than a height of the rectangular receiving room. The lower housing  12  can be also defined as a lower base or a lower cover. 
     The top wall  111  and bottom wall  121  each define a plurality of slots  13  extending along a front to back direction and arranged in a row along a transverse direction of the insulative housing  1 , and a pair of recesses  14  between the slots  13 . The first front wall  113  and the first rear wall  114  are formed with a plurality of latches  115  extending downwardly from a lower end thereof. The second front wall  123  and the second rear wall  124  are formed with a plurality of projections  125  to lock with the latches  115 . The first side walls  112  and the second side walls  122  has a plurality of protrusions  15  extending outwardly to lock with the outer shell  4 . One of the first side wall  112  has a pair of posts  1121  extending downwardly from a lower end thereof. One of the second side wall  122  defines a pair of holes  1221  to engage with the posts  1121 , and another second side wall  122  is formed with an ear portion  1222  extending outwardly to lock with the outer shell  4 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-5 , the connectors  2  comprise four USB connectors  21  and two Audio jacks  22 . Each connector  2  has a mating end  26  forwardly extending out of the first cavity  126  and a connecting end connecting with the cable  3 . Each USB connector  21  has a contact module  211  and an inner shell  212  covering the contact module  211 . Each inner shell  212  has a plurality of flanges  2121  extending outwardly from a front end thereof. The contact module  211  comprises a housing  213  and a plurality of contacts  214  retained in the housing  213  and extending out of the housing  213  to electrically connect with the cable  3 . Each USB connector  21  has a pair of first side surfaces  215  parallel to a tongue thereof and a pair of second side surfaces  216  between the first side surfaces  215 . The second side surfaces  216  are narrower than the first side surface  211 . All the USB connectors  21  are downwardly assembled into the first cavities  126  from a top end of the lower housing  12 , and uprightly retained in the first cavities  126 . Thereby the first side surfaces  215  are parallel to the side walls  112 ,  122 , and the second side surfaces  216  are parallel to the bottom wall  121  for making the four USB connectors  21  occupy a small area of the bottom wall  121 , which can decrease a width of the cable connector assembly  100 . 
     The Audio jacks  22  are flat for decreasing a height thereof and manufacture material. The Audio jacks  22  are stacked with each other along the up to down direction, thereby the Audio jacks  22  comprise an upper Audio jack  223  and a lower Audio Jack  224 . Each Audio jack  22  has a pair of third side surfaces  221  and a pair of fourth side surfaces  222  between the third side surfaces  221 . The fourth side surfaces  222  are narrower than the third side surfaces  221 . The lower Audio jack  224  is downwardly assembled into the second cavity  128  from the top end of the lower housing  12  and uprightly retained in the second cavity  128 . The third side surfaces  221  of the lower Audio jack  224  are parallel to the side walls  112 ,  122 , and the fourth side surfaces  222  of the lower Audio jack  224  are parallel to the bottom wall  121  for decreasing the width of the cable connector assembly  100 . Thereby the USB connectors  21  are parallel to the lower Audio jack  224 . 
     The upper Audio jack  223  is upwardly assembled into the third cavity  116  from a lower end of the upper housing  11  and horizontally retained in the third cavity  116 . The third side surfaces  221  of the upper Audio jack  223  are parallel to the top wall  111 , and the fourth side surfaces  222  are parallel to the side walls  112 ,  122 . Then when the upper housing  11  and lower housing  12  are retained with each other, the upper Audio jack  223  is perpendicular to the lower Audio jack  224  and presses a top end of the lower Audio jack  224  for preventing the lower Audio jack  224  from moving upwardly, besides, a distance between the mating ends  26  of the two Audio jacks  22  can be increased for simultaneously inserting two Audio plugs (not shown) into the mating ends  26 . The mating ends  26  of the two Audio jacks  22  are aligned with each other along the up to down direction. In addition, a front surface of the upper Audio jack  223  is located at a rear side of a front surface of the lower Audio jack  224 , and the mating ends  26  of the Audio jacks  22  extend from the front surface thereof. Finally, the insulative housing  1  just comprises the upper and lower housings  11 ,  12  to retain the connectors  2  together, which make the cable connector assembly  100  of the present invention has a simple structure and be assembled conveniently. 
     The cable  3  has a retaining portion  31  protruding outwardly at a front side thereof. The retaining portion  31  locks with an inner side of the second rear wall  124  for preventing the cable  3  from being pulled to be separated from the insulative housing  1 . Each cable  3  has a plurality of wires (not shown) therein for electrically connecting with the contacts  214 . 
     The outer shell  4  is stamped by a metal sheet. The outer metal shell  4  has a front wall  41  covering a front side of the insulative housing  1 , a pair of side walls  42  extending backwardly from two sides of the front wall  41 , and an upper wall  43  and a lower wall  44  extending backwardly from upper and lower ends of the front wall  41 . The front wall  41  defines a plurality of hollows  410  extending therethrough and corresponding to the cavities  126 ,  128 ,  116 , and a plurality of tabs  411  extending backwardly from an inner edge of the hollows  410  to contact with the flanges  2121  and the mating ends  26  of the Audio jacks  22  for grounding. The upper and lower walls  43 ,  44  are formed with a plurality of retaining strips  45  at a rear end thereof to engage with a rear end of the slots  13  of the insulative housing  1 , a plurality of springs  47  extending outwardly to engage with a shell of computer (not shown), and two pairs of barbs  48  extending inwardly to engage with the recesses  14 . The side walls  42  defines a plurality of locking holes  421  extending therethrough to lock with the projections  125  of the insulative housing  1 . The outer shell  4  has a metal ear  422  extending outwardly from a rear end of one side wall  42  to joint with the ear portion  1222  of the insulative housing  1 . 
     As fully described above, the USB connectors  21  and the flat lower Audio jack  224  are slim and uprightly retained in the insulative housing  1 , therefore, the cable connector assembly  100  of the present invention has a small width and merely occupies a small area of the computer along a transverse direction thereof. Besides, the flat upper Audio jack  223  is perpendicular to the flat lower Audio jack  224 , which make the distance between two front mating ends  26  of the two Audio jacks  22  be increased for simultaneously inserting two Audio plugs (not shown) into the mating ends  26 . Two mating ends  26  of the two Audio jacks  22  are arranged in a line along a vertical direction. In addition, the insulative housing  1  in the present invention consists of the upper housing  11  and the lower housing  12 , which make the cable connector assembly  100  has a simple structure and is assembled conveniently. Finally, the upper Audio jack  223  is fat and has a small height, which can decrease a height of the cable connector assembly  100 . 
     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.