Method of retaining magnets to insulative housing of connector

A connector assembly has an insulative housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a side wall, and a receiving cavity enclosed by these walls. A slot and some passageways are formed on the top wall and communicating to the receiving cavity along a vertical direction. A printed circuit board is received within the receiving cavity. A plurality of contacts connected to the printed circuit board have moveable contacting portions extending through the corresponding passageways and upwardly beyond a top face of the top wall. A magnet includes a top section received within the slot and a bottom section bonded to the bottom wall through melting a part of the bottom wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector assembly having an insulative housing and a magnet retained therein.

2. Description of Related Arts

Portable devices are often powered by rechargeable batteries. Some portable devices, such as a wearable device, notebook, tablet, mobile phone, etc., have a female connector with a magnetic element mounted therein. A male connector assembly with a cable has a housing, a plurality of moveable contacts extending out of the housing, and a magnet installed within the housing. The magnet of the male connector assembly could be attracted by the magnetic element of the female connector to guide the male connector assembly to mate the female connector and maintain the connection. The magnet is usually bonded to the housing by applying liquid glues.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0349457 discloses a data and power connector having a top housing half, a bottom housing half, and a pair of magnets received within the bottom housing half. The bottom housing half has a plurality of ribs formed on a bottom wall thereof. The magnets are mounted upon the ribs. Each magnet has a shoulder structure on its top section. Rib or bar like structures are also formed on peripheral rims of the top and bottom housing halves for retaining purpose, e.g., bonding or hot melting.

A connector assembly with stable magnet is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for making a connector assembly, comprising the following steps:(1) providing an upper case, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) with a set of contacts, and a magnet, the upper case including a top wall, four peripheral walls extending upwardly, and a top receiving cavity surrounded therebetween, the top wall including a slot and a plurality of passageways extending therethrough along a vertical direction;(2) assembling the PCBA and the magnet into the upper receiving as a top assembly;(3) providing a lower case having a bottom wall, four peripheral walls extending upwardly, and a bottom receiving cavity surrounded therebetween;(4) assembling the top assembly to the lower case with the contacts going through the corresponding passageways and the magnet having a top section mounted into the slot and a bottom section abutting against the lower wall of the bottom case;(5) heating the top section of the magnet through the slot and bonding the bottom section of the magnet to the lower case through hot melting a part of the bottom wall of the bottom case.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly having an insulative housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, a side wall, and a receiving cavity enclosed by these walls. A slot and some passageways are formed on the top wall and communicating to the receiving cavity along a vertical direction. A printed circuit board (PCB) is received within the receiving cavity. A plurality of contacts connected to the PCB have moveable contacting portions extending through the corresponding passageways and upwardly beyond a top face of the top wall. A magnet includes a top section received within the slot and a bottom section bonded to the bottom wall through melting a part of the bottom wall. Notably, the coupling between the magnet and the insulative housing through hot melting is more stable than the coupling between the magnet and the insulative housing through liquid glue.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to some preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 6, a connector assembly100includes an insulative housing110having a top wall112, a bottom wall113, a side wall114disposed therebetween, and a receiving cavity115surrounded by the walls.

A row of passageways116are formed on the top wall112and communicating to the receiving cavity115along a vertical direction. The passageways116are disposed in a side-by-side manner along a transverse direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. A pair of slots117are disposed at two opposing lateral sides of the passageways116, respectively. Each slot117extends through the top wall112along the vertical direction and communicates to the receiving cavity115. The passageways116and the slots117are disposed in a side-by-side manner.

A seam118bisects the insulative housing110along the vertical direction, and the insulative housing110includes a lower case120and an upper case140jointed integrally through hot melting. The upper case140has the top wall112, a front wall150, a rear wall151, two side walls152, and a half top receiving cavity115surrounded by these wall and opening downwardly. A stage141located between the slots117protrude upwardly from an upper surface of the top wall112. The passageways116extend through the stage141along the vertical direction. A plurality of guiding protrusions142located around the corresponding slots117extend downwardly from an inner surface of the top wall112. A mounting room143is defined by the guiding protrusions142and communicated to the corresponding slots117along the vertical direction. Four positioning holes144located at four corners of the upper case140extend downwardly therethrough. The upper case140has a row of spaced strips145protruding downwardly from the inner surface of the top wall112and extending along a front-to-back direction perpendicular to the vertical direction and the traverse direction. Each passageway116is located between two neighbored strips145along the transverse direction. Two mounting holes146are disposed around the rear wall147of the top case140. The rear wall146forms a half hole148extending there through along the front-to-back direction.

The lower case120has the bottom wall113, a front wall122, a rear wall123, two side walls124, and a bottom half receiving cavity115opening upwardly. The bottom wall121includes a rib126protruding upwardly from an inner surface thereof before a magnet510is bonded to the bottom wall121. The rib126is melted to bond the magnet510and the bottom wall121, when the magnet is bonding to the bottom wall through an ultrasonic hot melting process. Two slits127are formed along two lateral sides of the rib126to receive a part of the melted rib126, respectively. The rib126includes a strip portion134and a triangular pyramid portion135extending upwardly therefrom. The triangular pyramid portion135is melted to bond the magnet510and the bottom wall121. Four positioning posts128inserted into the corresponding positioning holes144are located at four corners of the lower case120. Each positioning post128has a top face located above the side walls124. Each side wall124has a bar129protruding upwardly therefrom before the upper case140bonded to the lower case120. The upper case140and the lower case120are jointed integrally by melting the bar129with an ultrasonic hot melting process. The rib126has a first section131extending along the front-to-back direction, and two second sections132disposed at two opposing sides of the first section131and extending along the transverse direction. The rear wall123forms a half hole133incorporated with the half hole148of the upper case140to define a circle hole.

A printed circuit board (PCB)210received in the receiving cavity115has a top face211and a bottom face212opposite to the top face211. The PCB210includes a row of conductive pads213disposed on the top face211, a row of conductive pas214exposed on the bottom face212, and a plurality of electrical components215mounted thereon. The PCB210forms two circle holes216extending therethrough along the vertical direction and located at a rear region of the PCB210.

A contact module310partly received within the receiving cavity115has a retainer311and a row of contacts312retained thereto. The retainer311received in the receiving cavity115has a row of spaced ribs313protruding backwardly and a plurality of retaining hole314each defined by two neighboring ribs313. Each contact312has a mounting portion315soldered to the corresponding conductive pad213of the top face211, a moveable contacting portion316extending through the corresponding passageway116and upwardly beyond a top face of the top wall112, and a middle portion received within respective retaining hole314. The contacting portion316of the contact312is deformed producing a triangular peak that is biased to protrude to the top wall112and is moveable toward the top wall112responsive to a force applied to the triangular peak.

A cable410includes an insulative sleeve411, a plurality of electrical wires412received therein, and a strain relief413. The strain relief413located at a front side of the cable410has a large dimension portion414received into the receiving cavity115and a small dimension portion415located out of the insulative housing110. Each wire412includes a conductor416and an insulative sheath417enclosing therein. The front portions of the wires412extend out of the strain relief413to solder on the corresponding conductive pad214of the bottom face212.

A pair of magnets510are disposed at two lateral sides of the PCB210along the transverse direction. The magnets510are installed to the mounting room143along the guiding protrusions142. The magnets510are retained to the guiding protrusions142in an interference-ft manner. Each magnet510has a top section511inserted in the slot117and a bottom section512bonded to the bottom wall121through melting a part of the bottom wall121. The magnet510forms two shoulders513abutting against the inner face of the top wall112and located at two sides of the top portion511along the front-to-back direction.

A pair of screws610are inserted through the circle holes216and screwed into the mounting holes146to retain the PCB210to the upper case140.

A film710adhered to an upper surface of the top wall112has a central hole711extending therethrough along the vertical direction to receive the stage141therein. The stage141protrudes upwardly beyond the film710. The magnets510located below the film710are shielded from exterior along the vertical direction.

The recapitulative step of assembling the plug connector assembly100includes following steps: (1) soldering the contact module310and the cable410to the PCB210to form a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA); (2) mounting the PCBA and the magnets510into the top half receiving cavity115of the top case140as a top assembly; (3) assembling the top assembly to the lower case120with the contacts312going through the corresponding passageways116and the top sections511mounted into the slot117and a bottom sections512abutting against bottom wall121of the lower case120; (4) heating the top sections511of the magnets510through the slot117and bonding the bottom end512of the magnet510to the lower case120through hot melting a part of the lower wall of the bottom case; (5) bonding the upper case140to the lower case120through hot melting one part of the upper and lower cases; (6) assembling the film710to the top wall112of the upper case140. The hot melting process is an ultrasonic hot melting process.