Abstract:
An electrical connector ( 100 ) for mating with a mating connector ( 700 ) along a mating direction includes an insulative housing ( 1 ) defining a passageway and a pair of latching members ( 2 ) inserted in the passageway. Each latching member has a resisting portion ( 21 ) and a latching portion ( 22 ) extending forwardly from the resisting portion and deformable from a first position to a second position for latching with the mating connector. The resisting portion includes an upper section ( 211 ) and a lower section formed at opposite sides of the latching portion and respectively abutting against the insulative housing along the mating direction when the latching portion is located in the second position.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application is a related application of a copending application entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING IMPROVED LATCHING MEANS”, which is invented by the same inventor as this patent application and assigned to the same assignee with this application. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector having a pair of latching members protected from being destroyed. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,496 issued to Takeuchi et al. on Oct. 20, 2009 discloses an electrical connector comprising an insulative housing having a base and a tongue portion, a plurality of contact terminals assembled to the insulative housing, a pair of latching members mounted at opposite sides of the insulative housing, a cable assembly electrically connected with the contact terminal, and a shielding shell attached to the insulative housing. The latching member is formed with a body portion, a cantilevered arm extending forwardly from an upper portion of the body portion, a fixing portion extending forwardly from a lower portion of the body portion, and a regulating portion extending rearwardly then upwardly from a rear portion of the body portion and resisting against the insulative housing at a height direction. 
         [0006]    When the mating connector is mating with the electrical connector, the force generated in the mating process would be transmitted through the cantilevered arm to the body portion and the regulating portion. Providing such a regulating portion on the latching member is a hard job. 
         [0007]    Hence, an electrical connector having improved latching members is highly desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector having a latching member protected from being destroyed and easy to be configured. 
         [0009]    In order to achieve the object set forth, an electrical connector mating with a mating connector along a mating direction in accordance with the present invention includes an insulative housing defining a passageway and a pair of latching members inserted in the passageway of the insulative housing. Each latching member has a resisting portion and a latching portion extending forwardly from the resisting portion and deformable from a first position to a second position for latching with the mating connector. The resisting portion includes an upper section and a lower section formed at opposite sides of the latching portion and respectively abutting against the insulative housing along the mating direction when the latching portion is located in the second position. 
         [0010]    A force generated in the mating process is transmitted through the cantilevered beam to the upper section above the cantilevered beam and the lower section below the cantilevered beam. Compared to the latching member having the lower section only, the force generated in the instant invention could be dispersed to opposite sides of the cantilevered beam and has been weakened. The latching portion of the latching member is protected from being broken off from the resisting portion under a weakened force. Such an upper section and a lower section of the resisting portion are easy to form. 
         [0011]    Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is an assembled perspective view showing an electrical connector and a mating connector in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the assembled electrical connector and the mating connector separating from the electrical connector; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a partially exploded perspective view showing the electrical connector, with a shielding shell being removed; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view showing the electrical connector; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector, taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 , when a mating connector has not been mated with the electrical connector; and 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view similar to  FIG. 5 , when the mating connector is mating with the electrical connector. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0018]    Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIGS. 1-4 , an electrical connector  100  mating with a mating connector  700  comprises an insulative housing  1 , a pair of latching members  2  mounted in the insulative housing  1 , a cable assembly  30  assembled to the insulative housing  1 , and a shielding shell  6  attached to the insulative housing  1 . The mating connector  700  comprises a housing (not labeled) defining a pair of latching recesses  71  and plurality of mating contacts  72  received in the housing. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , the insulative housing  1  comprises a base portion  11  and a tongue portion  12  extending forwardly from the base portion  11 . The base portion  11  comprises a pair of resisting walls  113  and a plunging recess  112  defined between the pair of resisting walls  113 . Each resisting wall  113  has a securing recesses  111  defined along a rear surface thereof and a protrusion  114  protruding from a side face thereof. In conjunction with  FIG. 5 , the base portion  11  has a resisting face  115  formed in each securing recess  111  and facing toward the securing recess  111 . The base portion  11  has a block  1121  formed in the plunging recess  112  and connected with the pair of resisting walls  113 . 
         [0020]    The tongue portion  12  has a pair of ribs  121  formed at a lower surface of the tongue portion  12 , a stepped portion  125  between the pair of ribs  121 , and a concave portion  124  defined at a front portion of the stepped portion  125 . Each rib  121  is formed with an elongated inserting recess  122 . The tongue portion  12  has a plurality of contact recesses  123  defined at the concave portion  124  and the stepped portion  125 . 
         [0021]    Each latching member  2  comprises a vertical resisting portion  21 , a latching portion  22  substantially perpendicular to the resisting portion  21 , and a barb portion  23  substantially parallel with the latching portion  22 . The resisting portion  21  has a body portion  212  and a thumb portion  211  formed at a top end of the body portion  212 . The latching portion  22  is connected to the resisting portion  21  at a root portion  223  between the body portion  212  and the thumb portion  211 . The latching portion  22  is formed with a resilient beam  221  and a hook portion  222  formed at a free end of the resilient beam  221 . 
         [0022]    The cable assembly  30  comprises an organizer  4 , a plurality of contact terminals  3 , and a cable  5  having a plurality of conductive portions  51 . The contact terminals  3  and the conductive portions  51  of the cable  5  are connected with each other in the organizer  4 . Each contact terminal  3  is formed with a contact portion  31 . The organizer  4  has a opening  41  defined therein. Each contact terminal  3  comprises a contact portion  31 , a soldering portion  33  and an intermediate portion between the contact portion  31  and the soldering portion  33 . 
         [0023]    The shielding shell  6  comprises an upper shell  61  and a lower shell  62  cooperated with each other. The upper shell  61  comprises an upper wall  610  and a capsulate portion  611  connected with the upper wall  610 . The upper wall  610  is formed with a pair of downwardly extending upper blocking plates  613 . The capsulate portion  611  has a pair of channels  614  defined thereon. 
         [0024]    The lower shell  62  comprises a bottom wall  626  and a pair of side walls  627 . The lower shell  62  is formed with a pair of upwardly extending lower openings  625 . The side wall  627  has a pair of locking holes  622  formed thereon. 
         [0025]    Referring to  FIGS. 2-5 , in assembling of the electrical connector  100 , the organizer  4  is received in the plunging recess  112  of the insulative housing  1 , with the block  1121  plunged in the opening  41  of the organizer  4 . The contact terminals  3  are inserted in the contact recesses  123 , with the contact portions  31  exposed in the concave portion  124  of the insulative housing  1 . The pair of latch members  2  are received in the inserting recesses  122  of the insulative housing  1 . The resisting portion  21  of the latching member  2  is disposed in the securing recess  111  of the insulative housing  1  and the barb portion  23  has an interference with an interfering hole  13  defined in the base portion  11 . 
         [0026]    The upper shell  61  and the lower shell  62  are cooperated with each other to enclose the insulative housing  1 , with the capsulate portion  611  enclosing the tongue portion  12 . The upper blocking plate  613  and the lower blocking plate  613  are respectively positioned behind the thumb portion  211  and the root portion  212 . The hook portions  222  tilt upwardly from the inserting recesses  122  and are slidable in the channels  614  of the upper shell  61 . The protrusions  114  of the insulative housing  1  engage with the locking holes  622  of the lower shell  62 . 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 5 , when the mating connector  700  has not been matted with the electrical connector  100 , the thumb portion  211  of the latching member  2  is received in the securing recess  111 . 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , when the mating connector  700  is matting with the electrical connector  100  in a mating process, the hook portion  222  of each latching member  2  is depressed by the mating connector  700  under an exerted force. The cantilevered beam  221  of the each latching member  2  moves downwardly. The thumb portion  211  abuts against the resisting face  115 . 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 5 , when the mating connector  700  is completely mated with the electrical connector  100 , the hook portion  222  of the latching member  2  engages with the latching recess  71  of the mating connector  700 . The cantilevered beam  221  restores upwardly. The thumb portion  211  has a rearwardly moving trend and is blocked by the upper blocking plate  613 . 
         [0030]    During the mating process, the thumb portion  211  abuts against the resisting face  115  and the exerted force is transmitted through the cantilevered beam  221  to the body portion  212  and the thumb portion  211 . The force is dispersed to the body portion  212  below the cantilevered beam  221  and the thumb portion  211  above the cantilevered beam  221 , rather than be concentrated in the root portion  223  of the cantilevered beam  221 . The latching portion  22  of the latching member  2  is protected from being broken off from the resisting portion  21  under a weakened force. 
         [0031]    Optionally, the thumb portion  211  could be formed on a middle portion of the cantilevered beam  221 . The resisting face  115  is formed in the inserting recess  122  in front of the thumb portion  211 . The thumb portion  211  abuts against the resisting face  115 . 
         [0032]    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.