Plug connector

A plug connector includes an insulative housing, a locking member located at an upper end of the insulative housing, and a pulling tape connected with the locking member, wherein the insulative housing includes an insertion member for the pulling tape to pass through, the pull tape includes a horizontal portion connected with the locking member, a handle portion for manual pulling, and a vertical portion located between the horizontal portion and the handle portion, and the handle portion is operable to pull horizontally backwards to move the locking member downwards to unlock the plug connector from a socket connector.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a plug connector, in particular to a plug connector for easy insertion and removal.

2. Description of Related Arts

China patent No. 208797273U discloses a pull tape unlock type cable connector which includes an insulative housing, a circuit printed board, a cable, a locking member, and a pull tape. The housing is provided with a tape hole on one side close to the cable. One end of the pull tape passes through the pull tape hole and is fixedly connected to an extension portion of the locking member.

Therefore, an improved plug connector is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Accordingly, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a plug connector for easy insertion and removal.

To achieve the above object, a plug connector comprises an insulative housing; a locking member located at an upper end of the insulative housing; and a pulling tape connected with the locking member, wherein the insulative housing includes an insertion member for the pulling tape to pass through, the pull tape includes a horizontal portion connected with the locking member, a handle portion for manual pulling, and a vertical portion located between the horizontal portion and the handle portion, and the handle portion is operable to pull horizontally backwards to move the locking member downwards to unlock the plug connector from a socket connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIGS. 1-7, a plug connector100used to mate with the socket connector includes an insulative housing1, a circuit printed board2received in the insulative housing1, a cable3electrically connected with the circuit printed board2, a locking spring member4, a pull tape5connected with the locking spring member4and an insertion member6disposed on the rear end of the insulative housing1.

The insulative housing1includes a front housing11and a rear housing12assembled with the front housing11. The front housing11includes a body portion111, a mating portion112protruding forward from the body portion111, a pair of side baffle plates113on the left and right sides of the body portion111, a lower baffle plate114located on the lower side of body portion111, an opening115at the front end of the body portion111and a passage116communicating with opening115. The upper end of the mating portion112is provided with a step1121for fixing the locking spring member4and square holes1122located on both sides of the step1121. The rear housing12includes a front end121and a rear wall122located behind the front end121. The front end121is U-shaped and includes blocks1211matched with the square holes1122and the groove1212for the circuit printed board2to pass through. The rear wall122includes a transverse groove1221communicating with the groove1212.

The circuit printed board2passes through the transverse groove1221and is inserted into the rear housing12. The circuit printed board2includes an insertion portion21extending out of the opening115. The upper and lower surfaces of the insertion portion21are provided with a plurality of metal plates or pads211functioning as mating contacts.

The front end of the cable3is connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit printed board2, and the rear end extends backwards out of the insulative housing12.

The locking spring member4is forwardly assembled upon the top face of the housing and includes downwardly deflectable part having an elastic piece41moveable around the step1121and a connecting piece42provided at the rear end of the elastic piece41, and an immovable retaining section43having barbs431on two sides and locking holes432therein to secure the locking spring member4upon the housing1. The upper surface of the elastic piece41is provided with a locking protrusion411for cooperating with the locking hole of the socket connector. The elastic piece41can drive the locking protrusion411to swing elastically up and down. The connecting piece42is provided with a positioning hole421for connecting with the pulling tape5.

The pull tape5includes a horizontal portion or a front section51, connected with the locking spring member4at one end, a handle portion or a rear section53at the other end for manual pulling, and a vertical portion or a middle section52located between the horizontal portion51and the handle portion53. The horizontal portion51passes through the positioning hole421to form a closed ring to realize the connection with the locking spring member4. The vertical portion52includes a tape hole521for the insert6to pass through. Wherein the width of the tape hole521is smaller than the width of the connecting portion62. Pulling the pull tape5horizontally backwards drives the locking spring member4to move downwards to unlock the plug connector100and the socket connector.

The insertion member6is integrally formed with the rear housing12and is located on the upper side of the transverse groove1221. The insertion member6includes an extension portion61extending rearward from the rear wall122, a connecting portion62extending in the left and right direction from both ends of the extension portion61, and a limiting groove63located between the rear wall122and the connecting portion62. Therefore, in a top view the insertion member6forms a T-shaped structure. The insertion member6further includes chamfers64extending into the limiting groove and respectively located on both sides of the connecting portion in another embodiment of the present invention. By arranging the insertion member6on the insulative housing1, the direction of pulling tape5is converted from vertical downward to horizontal backward to facilitate the user to pull out. Understandably, it is desired to have the chamfered structure on a lower sides of the connecting portion62so as to smoothly convert the rearward horizontal movement of the pull tape5to the downward movement of the pull tape5during rearwardly pulling the pull tape5for unlocking the plug connector100from the complementary receptacle connector.

Notably, one feature of the invention is to have the tape/through hole521being of a rectangular configuration with a long side dimensioned larger than the transverse dimension of the connecting portion62and a short side dimensioned larger than the vertical dimension of the connecting portion62so as to allow the connecting portion62to forwardly pass through the tape hole521when the pull tape5is arranged to extend in a transverse direction and in a horizontal position during assembling the pull tape5to the rear housing12. Understandably, once the connecting portion62passes through the tape hole521and the extension portion61is located in the tape hole521, the pull tape5is rotated from the horizontal position to a vertical position.

On one hand, because the dimension of the connecting portion62in the transverse direction is much larger than that of the short side of the tape hole521, there is no possibility for the pull tape5to rearwardly escape from the insertion member6in the front-to-back direction. On the other hand, because the extension portion61is received within the tape hole521, there is no possibility for the pull tape5to escape from the insertion member6in the transverse direction or the vertical direction. Therefore, when the rear end of the pull tape5is pulled rearwardly, the pull tape5will move relative to the insertion member6with the extension portion61relatively move within/along the tape hole521. It is also noted that when assembled, the extension portion61is snugly received within the tape hole521in the transverse direction, thus assuring no improper tilting of the pull tape5with regard to the insertion member6but essentially in a vertical position in a rear view.

When the plug connector100is mated with the socket connector, the plug connector100is inserted forward into the opening of the socket connector until the metal plates211of the circuit printed board2is electrically connected to the conductive terminals of the socket connector, while the locking protrusion411of the elastic piece41protrudes into the locking hole of the socket connector. When the plug connector100and the socket connector are unlocked, the external force pulls the pull tape5horizontally, so that the entire connecting piece42inclines downwards, and drives the locking protrusion411to move downwards, thereby exiting the locking hole of the socket connector, and releasing the lock between the plug connector100and the socket connector. When the external force is removed, under the action of the elastic restoring force of the connecting piece42itself, the locking protrusion411returns to its original position.