Abstract:
An electrical connector, which is adapted to a printed circuit board (PCB) with a first connection port, comprises a bottom having a base and a conductive element mounted in an opening of the base, a second connection port disposing on the base, and a housing covering the bottom. When the bottom is disposed on the PCB, the first connection port is accommodated in the opening of the base, and an elastic strip of the conductive element presses on the first connection port toward a direction parallel to the PCB for combining the electrical connector and the first connection port on the PCB, and preventing the separation or loose connection of the electrical connector from the first connection port or the PCB.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Taiwan Patent Application No. 101101029, filed on Jan. 11, 2012, in the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to an electrical connector; more particularly, to a stacked electrical connector. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Recently, as the computer moves towards a thin and compact product, the size of motherboard in the computer is reduced, resulting in a limited space on the motherboard for the electrical components. Therefore, similar or different types of connectors or connection ports are assembled on the motherboard in a stacked way in order to optimize the space utilization. For example, multiple universal serial bus (referred to as USB hereinafter) (connection) ports may be arranged collectively on an insulator; alternatively, a number of different types of connection ports, such as USB ports, RJ45 ports, IEEE 1394 ports and high definition multimedia interface (referred to as HDMI hereinafter) ports, may be grouped together on a single insulator to form a stacked connector with multiports. 
     However, due to the property of high transmission rate of the connection port, high frequency electromagnetic wave (known as “electromagnetic (EM) radiation”) is emitted during the signal transmission process, by which the digital signal transmitted through the connector and further the operation of other electrical components in the computer will be affected adversely (known as “electromagnetic interference”, EMI). As a common solution, a conductive metal shell is formed to cover the insulator on which the connector is located and to secure to the motherboard at the same time. In this way, effective EM shielding can be provided because of the contact between the metal shell and the motherboard. 
     A stacked connector has been developed in which an open accommodating space is additionally formed in the insulator where multiple connection ports are located. The open accommodating space is for a single connection port that has been previously disposed on the motherboard. Thus, the single connection port such as a HDMI port, USB port, or display port on the motherboard may be housed in the accommodating space of the stacked connector when connected to the stacked connector and then becomes a unity with the stacked connector. 
     On the other hand, a conductive elastic strip is located in the accommodating space of the stacked connector to be in contact with the metal shell for the EMI shielding of the connection port on the motherboard. When the stacked connector is connected with the connection port on the motherboard, the conductive elastic strip will be pressed against a top surface of the connection port, which is away from the motherboard, to connect the connection port to the ground or to shield the connection port from the EMI by a contact relationship between the conductive elastic strip, the metal shell, and the motherboard. 
     However, some problems are involved in the above process. In general, the connection port of the circuit board is covered by the stacked connector such that pins of the stacked connector penetrate through the motherboard. Next, the pins of the stacked connector are welded to the motherboard by for example reflow soldering. Particularly, since the conductive elastic strip in the connection port on the motherboard in contact with the stacked connector is resilient in nature and therefore easy to be separate from or in loose connection with the connection port owing to any vibration or shake during the process, not all of the pins of the stacked connector can penetrate through the motherboard to a sufficient extent. As a result, part of the pins of the stacked connector will not be welded to the motherboard firmly and stably, thus forming some soldering defects like solder skip and solder short and after all affecting negatively the defective rate and quality and stability of digital signal transmission of the electrical connector. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the forgoing problems, the present invention provides an electrical connector that can ensure a low defective rate and a high quality of the digital signal transmission of the electrical connector. 
     The present invention discloses an electrical connector that is adapted to a circuit board having a first connection port. The electrical connector comprises a base, a second connection port disposed on the base, a housing and a conductive element. The base is provided with a trough formed on one surface of the base, which forms a breach on an adjacent surface of the base, a first sidewall and a second sidewall are located in the trough and opposed each other, and the breach is formed between the first and the second sidewalls. The housing covers the base and the second connection port, and the trough of the base and the second connection port are exposed from the housing. The conductive element is disposed in the trough of the base, the conductive element comprises a body and a first elastic strip, the body penetrates the base and contacts with the housing, one end of the first elastic strip is connected to the body and located adjacent to the first sidewall of the base, and the other end of the first elastic strip extends toward the breach of the base and is capable of reciprocating between the first and the second sidewalls of the base arbitrarily. 
     Wherein, when the electrical connector is combined with the circuit board, the first connection port of the circuit board is accommodated in the trough of the base and exposed from the breach, the housing is contacted with the circuit board, the second connection port is located above the first connection port, and the first elastic strip of the conductive element is pressed against the first connection port. 
     The present invention further discloses an electrical connector comprising a base, a first connection port, a second connection port, a housing and a conductive element. The base is provided with a trough formed on one surface of the base, which forms a breach on an adjacent surface of the base, and a first sidewall and a second sidewall are located in the trough and opposed each other, and the breach is formed between the first and the second sidewalls. The first connection port is located in the trough of the base and exposed from the breach. The second connection port is disposed on the base and stacked on the first connection port. The housing covers the base and the second connection port, wherein the trough of the base and the second connection port are exposed from the housing. The conductive element is located in the trough of the base and comprises a body and a first elastic strip. The body penetrates the base and contacts with the housing. One end of the first elastic strip is connected to the body and located adjacent to the first sidewall of the base; and the other end of the first elastic strip extends toward the breach of the base and is capable of reciprocating between the first and the second sidewalls of the base arbitrarily, wherein the first elastic strip is normally pressed against the first connection port. 
     In addition, the present invention discloses a bottom of an electrical connector, too. The bottom of the electrical connector comprises a base provided with a trough, and a conductive element, The trough is formed on one surface of the base and forms a breach on an adjacent surface of the base, and a first sidewall and a second sidewall are located in the trough respectively and opposed to each other, and the breach is formed between the first and the second sidewalls. The conductive element is disposed in the trough of the base, and comprises a body and a first elastic strip, wherein the body penetrates the base and exposed from the base, one end of the first elastic strip is connected to the body in the trough and located adjacent to the first sidewall of the base, and the other end of the first elastic strip extends toward to the breach of the base and is capable of reciprocating between the first and the second sidewalls of the base arbitrarily. 
     The effect of the present invention is achieved in the following way. The electrical connector is stably combined with the connection port on the circuit board by the elastic strip of the conductive element that provides an elastic restoring force between the first and the second sidewalls of the base. In addition, when the circuit board combined with the electrical connector and the connection port is given transportation, the reacting force between the first connection port and the electrical connector vertical to the circuit board is reduced or eliminated because the elastic strip is pressed against the connection port along a direction parallel to the circuit board under the elastic restoring force. Therefore, some soldering defects that will probably occur afterward, such as solder skip and solder short, may be prevented, and the defective rate is reduced and quality and stability of digital signal transmission of the electrical connector are improved effectively. 
     The characteristics, realization and functions of the invention are disclosed in the following description with reference to the preferred exemplified embodiments and the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic assembly view of the connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a base view of the connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 4-6  are exemplary state diagrams for using the connector of the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic assembly view of a connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of a connector according to a third embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , the electrical connector  10  of the first embodiment is adapted to a circuit board  30  having a first connection port  20 . The first connection port  20  may be but not limited to a HDMI port, a display port, or a network interface card (NIC) port or the like. The electrical connector  10  includes a bottom  100 , a second connection port  200 , a third connection port  300  and a housing  400 . The bottom  100  includes a base  110  having a first surface  111  and a second surface  112  that are adjacent to each other with an angle therebetween and a conductive element  120 . A trough  114  is formed on the second surface  112  of the base  110  and forms a breach  113  on the first surface  111  of the base  110 . The trough  114  has a first sidewall  115  and a second sidewall  116  that are opposed each other and located on two opposite sides of the breach  113 . A third sidewall  117  and a fourth sidewall  118  are formed and connected between the first and the second sidewalls  115  and  116 . 
     In this embodiment, the first and the second sidewalls  115  and  116  are perpendicular to the first and the second surfaces  111  and  112 , the third sidewall  117  is opposite to the breach  113 , parallel to the first surface  111 , and perpendicular to the second surface  112 , and the fourth sidewall  118  is connected to the first, second, and third sidewalls  115 ,  116 , and  117 , parallel to the second surface  112  and perpendicular to the first surface  111 . However, it is to be noted that the above configuration is only illustrative and the invention is not limited thereto. 
     The conductive element  120  is located in the trough  114  and made of a conductive, flexible, and deformable material such as metal like copper or aluminum. The conductive element  120  includes a body  121 , a first elastic strip  122  and a second elastic strip  123 . The body  121  at both sides thereof has an engagement portion  1211  together with a bending portion  1212  connected to the engagement portion  1211  and is located in the trough  114  next to the third sidewall  117 . It is to be noted that the engagement portion  1211  is formed by extending from the body  121 , while the bending portion  1212  is formed by bending and extending from the engagement portion  1211 . Besides, a trench  119  is respectively formed on the second surface  112  near the border with the third sidewall  117  at two opposite sides of the trough  114 . The conductive element  120  is combined detachably with the connector  10  occupying the trough  114  by inserting both engagement portions  1211  of the body  121  into the trench  119  with the bending portion  1212  outside of the base  110  and approximate to the outer surface of the base  110 . 
     The first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  may be disposed for example respectively at two opposite sides of the body  121 , and the engagement portions  1211  are also located correspondingly thereto. However, it is to be understood that the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  may be connected to the body  121  in other positions. The first elastic strip  122  has a free part  1222  and a binding part  1221  connected between the body  121  and the free part  1222 . The binding part  1221  and the free part  1222  are connected with an angle therebetween such that an inflection piece  1223  is formed at the interface of both parts  1221  and  1222 . In other words, in a three-dimensional view, the first elastic strip  122  is formed to be V-shaped with the apex (the inflection piece  1223 ) thereof projecting towards the second elastic strip  123 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     Particularly, since the first elastic strip  122  is made of a flexible material and connected to the body  121  only via the binding part  1221 , when the electrical connector  10  and the conductive element  120  are combined together, it is allowed to move along the first sidewall  115  in the direction out of the housing  400  towards the breach  113  of the base  110  once the inflection piece  1223  is subject to force. That is, the first elastic strip  122  is allowed to reciprocate in a direction from the first/second to the second/first sidewall of the base  110  arbitrarily. In addition, the first elastic strip  122  further includes a guiding piece  1224  which is located on one side thereof that when the conductive element  120  is combined with the electrical connector  10 , the guiding piece  1224  is farther away from the fourth sidewall  118 . The guiding piece  1224  serves to facilitate the smooth movement (reciprocation) of the first elastic strip  122 . It is noted that the guiding piece  1224  may be extended from the binding part  1221  and/or the free part  1222 , and this is for illustration only rather than limitation. 
     Similarly, the second elastic strip  123  also has a binding part  1231 , a free part  1232 , an inflection piece  1233 , and a guiding piece  1234 . Since the second elastic strip  123  is made of a flexible material and connected to the body  121  only via the binding part  1231 , when the electrical connector  10  and the conductive element  120  are combined together, it is allowed to move along the second sidewall  116  in the direction out of the housing  400  towards the breach  113  of the base  110  once the inflection piece  1233  is subject to force. The guiding piece  1234  of the second elastic strip  123  is located at one side thereof that when the conductive element  120  is combined with the electrical connector  10 , the guiding piece  1234  is farther away from the fourth sidewall  118 . It is noted that the guiding piece  1234  may be extended from the binding part  1231  and/or the free part  1232 . 
     The binding part  1231  is connected between the body  121  and the free part  1232  and forms an angle with the free part  1232  so that the inflection piece  1233  is formed at the interface of both parts  1231  and  1232 . In other words, in a three-dimensional view, the second elastic strip  123  is formed to be V-shaped with the apex (the inflection piece  1233 ) thereof projecting towards the first elastic strip  122 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     Besides, as described above, because the first and the second elastic strip  122  and  123  are both three-dimensionally V-shaped, once the inflection pieces  1223  and  1233  are subject to force, the elastic strips  122  and  123  are deformed first and then allowed to move respectively along the first sidewall  115  and the second sidewall  116  in the direction out of the housing  400  towards the breach  113  of the base  110  under the condition that the electrical connector  10  and the conductive element  120  are combined together. Therefore, the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  are designed to have length and width which will be equal to or less than length and width of the trough  114  of the base  110  when their respective inflection pieces  1223  and  1233  are subject to force, so that they won&#39;t overstep the base  110 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the second and the third connection ports  200  and  300  of the electrical connector  10  are provided in stack on the base  110  of the bottom  100  above the trough  114 . The second and the third connection ports  200  and  300  may be for example USB ports, NIC ports, display ports or HDMI ports or the like. Also, the second and the third connection ports  200  and  300  have respectively sockets  210  and  310  exposed from the first surface  111  of the base  110  and a plurality of conductive terminals  220  and  320  each having one end located within the socket and the other end exposed from the base  110 . 
     The housing  400  of the electrical connector  10  covers the base  110  of the bottom  100  and is made of conductive material such as metal like copper or aluminum. The bending part  1212  of the body  121  is clipped between the housing  400  and the base  110 , by way of which the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  of the conductive element  120  is connected to the housing  400 . Besides, a plurality of first holes  410  corresponding to the second and the third connection ports  200  and  300  and a second hole  420  corresponding to the second surface  112  and the breach  113  of the base  110  are defined on the housing  400 . The respective sockets  210  and  310  of the second and the third connection ports  200  and  300  are exposed from the electrical connector  10  at one side via the first holes  410  of the housing  400 , while the second surface  112 , the trough  114  of the base  110  are exposed from the electrical connector  10  via the second hole  420  of the housing  400 . 
     Also, a plurality of fasteners  430  are provided to the housing  400  at the side of the second surface  112  and along the first and the second sidewalls  115  and  116 . The fastener  430  may be, for example, a hook formed integrally extending from the housing  400 , while the invention is not limited thereto. 
     In the first embodiment of the invention, by referring to FIGS.  1  and  4 - 6 , the first connection port  20  is electrically provided to the circuit board  30  first, then the electrical connector  10  is plugged in the circuit board  30  together with the first connection port  20 . However, it will be understood that the above assembling process is simply illustrative, and the electrical connector  10 , the first connection port  20 , and the circuit board  30  may be joined together in other ways. For example, as the first step, the first connection port  20  is combined with the electrical connector  10 , next, the combination is connected to the circuit board  30 . 
     The circuit board  30  is provided with a plurality of the first and the second electrical holes  301  and  302  and a plurality of positioning holes  303 . The first connection port  20  can be connected to the circuit board  30  by inserting the plurality of conductive terminals  201  into the plurality of the first electrical holes  301  on the circuit board  30 . When the electrical connector  10  and the circuit board  30  are connected, the first connection port  20  is received in the trough  114  of the base  110  of the electrical connector  10 , the conductive terminals  220  of the second connection port  200  and the conductive terminals  320  of the third connection port  300  are inserted respectively in the second electrical holes  302  of the circuit board  30 , and the fasteners  430  are inserted into the positioning holes  303  correspondingly. In particular, since the fasteners  430  are pressed against the inner wall of the positioning holes  303 , the electrical connector  10  is secured firmly to the circuit board  30 . 
     In more detail, the first connection port  20  is received in the trough  114  and exposed from the breach  113  of the base  110  as follows. First, the guiding piece  1224  of the elastic strip  122  and the guiding piece  1234  of the second elastic strip  123  both reach against a surface of the first connection port  20 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Next, the first connection port  20  is clasped tightly between the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  by compressing the guiding pieces  1224  and  1234  thereof to make the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  deformed and then move respectively along the first sidewall  115  and the second sidewall  116  in the direction out of the housing  400  towards the breach  113  of the base  110 . Thus, the base  110  will slip towards the circuit board  30  under the guide of the guiding pieces  1224  and  1234  and engaged properly with the first connection port  20 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     In addition, when the first connection port  20  touches and pushes the inflection piece  1223 / 1233  of the first/second elastic strips  122 / 123  such that the first/second elastic strips  122 / 123  deform, an elastic restoring force for the first/second elastic strips  122 / 123  is generated toward the second/first sidewall  116 / 115 . Such elastic restoring force serves as “clamping force” parallel to the circuit board  30  for fixing firmly the first connection port  20  to the electrical connector  10 . Also, since the first connection port  20  is electrically connected with the housing  400  of the electrical connector  10  via the conductive element  120 , it can be shielded from the electromagnetic interference. 
     Further, the design of the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123  is efficacious in preventing the separation or loose connection of the electrical connector  10  from the first connection port  20  or the circuit board  30  by reducing or eliminating the reacting force between the first connection port  20  and the fourth sidewall  118  of the base  110 , when the electrical connector  10  and the first connection port  20  are plugged into the circuit board  30  before the welding process. Based on the above mentioned structure, the soldering defects like solder skip and solder short frequently occurred during the welding process are avoided between the electrical connector  10  and the circuit board  30 , so the defective rate is decreased and quality and stability of the digital signal transmission of the electrical connector  10  is improved. 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic assembly view of the electrical connector of the second embodiment. The electrical connector  10  of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment in structure except in the former, the first connection port  20  is regarded as a constituent of the electrical connector  10  and has been disposed in the trough  114  of the base  110  beforehand, and the third connection port  300  is removed from the electrical connector  10 . Similar to the first embodiment, the first connection port  20  is firmly secured on the base  110  of the electrical connector  10  by (the elastic restoring force of) the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123 . In this way, when the electrical connector  10  is connected with the circuit board  30 , loose connection or separation of the first connection port  20  from the base  110  of the electrical connector  10  can be prevented effectively. 
     In addition, the first connection port  20  is detachably disposed into the trough  114  of the base  110  through the clamping effect provided by the first and the second elastic strips  122  and  123 , so the type of the first connection port  20  may be selected as desired. That is, the assembly and application of the electrical connector  10  will be more flexible. 
       FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the electrical connector  10  of the third embodiment, which is similar to that of the first embodiment in structure except in the former, the conductive element  120  does not include a second elastic strip  123 , and the body  121  has an engagement portion  1211  together with a bending portion  1212  connected thereto only at one side. When the electrical connector  10  is connected to a circuit board having a first connection port (not shown), similar to the first embodiment of the invention, the first connection port can be clamped and held spatially between the first elastic strip  122  and the second sidewall  116  by means of the elastic restoring force from the first elastic strip  122  of the conductive element  120 . Also, since the first connection port  20  is electrically connected with the housing  400  of the electrical connector  10  via the conductive element  120 , it can be shielded from the electromagnetic interference. 
     However, it is to be noted that a skilled person in the art may modify the structure of the elastic strip(s) of the conductive element and the number of the connection ports of the electrical connector as required. 
     In the present invention, because the elastic strip of the conductive element provides an elastic restoring force that facilitates reducing or eliminating the reacting force between the first connection port and the electrical connector which is vertical to the circuit board, the separation or loose connection of the electrical connector from the connection port is prevented. This ensures successful welding of conductive terminals of the electrical connector to the circuit board, and thus a reduced defective rate and an improved quality and stability of the digital signal transmission of the electrical connector. 
     From the above description of the invention, it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Moreover, while the invention has been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skills in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. It is intended that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.