Abstract:
An electrical connector assembly comprises a first connector ( 1 ) and a second connector ( 1 ′) having a same configuration with a housing ( 30, 30 ′) and a mounting face ( 34, 34 ′) adapted for mounting onto a printed circuit board PCB ( 100 ) except for a distinguishable portion ( 353, 353 ′) provided on the housing ( 30, 30 ′) adjacent to the mounting face ( 34, 34 ′) thereof. The first connector ( 1 ) is not able to be regarded as the second connector ( 1 ′) to be mounted onto the PCB ( 100 ) due to the different distinguishable portions ( 353, 353 ′) of the first and second connectors ( 1,1 ′).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector assembly, and in particular to an electrical connector assembly having an erroneous installation prevention function to prevent each electrical connector from being mounted to an incorrect position. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Today there are different categories of electrical connectors, so it is possible to mount two or more categories of connectors on a printed circuit board, it is also possible to mount two or more connectors, which are of a category and have similar configuration, just different from functions on a printed circuit board. In condition of the latter, it is very difficult to mount the connectors to right positions by virtue of configuration, so a general method is to distinguish the connectors by their colors. 
     However, in pipelining, a factory worker repeats continuously the same action of mounting connectors on a printed circuit in a day, therefore, he is too tied to distinguish connectors by their colors, that is, mount a connector on a position, which is the right position for the other connector having similar configuration to the connector but different colors and functions from the connector. As a result, the connectors need remount on the printed circuit, sometimes, the connectors may be destroyed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an objection of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly having an erroneous installation prevention function to prevent each electrical connector from being mounted to an incorrect position. 
     In order to achieve the objection set forth, an electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises a first connector and a second connector having a same configuration with a housing and a mounting face adapted for mounting onto a printed circuit board except for a distinguishable portion provided on the housing adjacent to the mounting face thereof. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first connector of an electrical connector assembly according to the invention as seen from the back side; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective exploded view of the first connector as seen from the frontal side; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the first connector; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a second connector of the electrical connector assembly as seen from the back side; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an electrical system comprising the electrical connector assembly and a printed circuit board as seen from the back side; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the electrical system showing the electrical connector assembly assembled to the printed circuit board as seen from the back side. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     An electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention includes a first connector  1  and a second connector  1 ′. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the first connector  1  comprises a first shielding  10 , a second shielding  20 , a housing  30 , a first grounding contact  40 , a second grounding contact  50  and an electrical contact  60 . 
     A hole  11  is defined in a center of the first shielding  10  and some pieces  110  are extending backwards from the edge of the hole  11 . A top, bottom wing  12  and a left, right wing  13  are respectively extending backwards from the top, bottom and left, right side of the first shielding  10 . Otherwise, a gap  130  is defined at top, bottom edge of the left, right wing  13 . 
     The second shielding  20  has a pair of sides  21  and a top  22 . The side  21  is formed with a first soldering portion  211 , a securing portion  213  and a second soldering portion  212  in the sequence from the front to back thereof. A curved edge  2131  is provided at a free end of the securing portion  213  and curves entad. And the securing portion  213  is provided with an aperture  2132  in the center thereof. Furthermore, a recess  23  is defined at the back of the side  21  and close to the top  22 . 
     The housing  30  has a frontal face  31 , a rear face  32 , a top face  33 , a mounting face  34  and a pair of side faces  35  parallel to each other. The frontal face  31  is defined a receiving cavity  36  extending backwards and matching the hole  11  of the first shielding  10 . The receiving cavity  36  is provided with some grooves  360  arranging at intervals and extending backwards from a perimeter thereof to match the pieces  110  of the hole  11 . The top face  33  is defined an opening  37  communicating with the receiving cavity  36  for dispersing heat while transferring electric current. Combining with  FIGS. 1 and 3 , the rear face  32  is formed with a projection  38  and a receiving hole is defined from the receiving cavity  36  to the projection  38 . The receiving hole includes a frontal hole  361  having a diameter of d 1  and a rear hole  362  having a diameter of d 2 , bigger than d 1 , accordingly a step is formed between the frontal hole  361  and the rear hole  362 . The receiving cavity  36 , the frontal hole  361  and the rear hole  362  is of the same axis. Further, the rear hole  362  going vertically through the bottom of the projection  38  that forms a pair of arms extending vertically at the rear end of the projection  38 . In addition, the frontal hole  361  is formed with a guiding portion  3610  at the frontal end thereof. 
     The top face  33  of the housing  30  is formed with a top step  331  at the frontal end thereof and the mounting face  34  is formed with a bottom step  341  at the frontal end thereof. The top step  331  and the bottom step  341  respectively match the top and bottom wing  12 . The two opposite side faces  35  are provided with a pair of L-shaped protuberances  351  matching the left and right wings  13  of the first shielding  10  so as to secure the first shielding  10  on the housing  30 . The second shielding  20  is secured on the housing  30  by the pair of curved edges  2131  matching a pair of slots  342  respectively defined on opposite sides of the mounting face  34  and the pair of apertures  2132  matching a pair of trapeziform projections  352  respectively formed at the centers of two opposite side faces  35  of the housing  30 . A first recess  353  is defined at the corner which the right side face  35  (in the direction from the frontal face  31  to the rear face  32 ) joins the rear face  32 . 
     The first grounding contact  40  has a base  41 , a first curved portion  42 , which are received in the housing  30 , and a first soldering portion  43  protruding from the side face  35  of the housing  30 . 
     The second grounding contact  50  has a U-shaped base  51 , a second curved portion  52 , which are received in the housing  30 , and a second soldering portion  53  protruding from the opposite side face  35  of the housing  30 . 
     The electrical contact  60  has a mating portion  61  mating with a mating connector (not shown), a fixing portion  62  and a connecting portion  63  connecting with a printed circuit board. At the embodiment, the mating portion  61 , the fixing portion  62  and the connecting portion  63  is columned. The diameter of the fixing portion  62  equal to d 1  is bigger than that of the mating portion  61 . More, the diameter of the mating portion  61  is bigger than that of the connecting portion  63  equal to d 2 . Otherwise, the mating connector can be a power supply connector. 
     At the embodiment, referring to  FIG. 4 , the second connector  1 ′ corresponding to the first connector  1  comprises a first shielding  10 ′, a second shielding  20 ′, a first grounding contact  40 ′, a second grounding contact  50 ′ and an electrical contact  60 ′, which have the same configurations with the first shielding  10 , the second shielding  20 , the first grounding contact  40 , the second grounding contact  50  and the electrical contact  60  of the first connector  1 . The second connector  1 ′ also has a housing  30 ′, which has the same configuration with the housing  30  of the first connector  1 , with the exception that a second recess  353 ′ is defined at the corner which the left side face  35 ′ (in the direction from the frontal face  31 ′ to the rear face  32 ′) joins the rear face  32 ′. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , an electrical system  1000  is provided by assembling the first connector  1  and the second connector  1 ′ to a printed circuit board (PCB)  100 . Concretely, the first connector  1  and the second connector  1 ′ are respectively assembled in a first cutout  101  and a second cutout  101 ′ defined at a brim of the PCB  100 . The first cutout  101  is provided with a protuberance  102  at the top right-hand corner thereof (in the direction from the first cutout  101  to the inside, that is from the front to the back thereof). The protuberance  102  is engageable with the first recess  353  of the first connector  1 . The first soldering portion  211 , the first soldering portion  43  and the second soldering portion  53 , the second soldering portion  212  of the first connector  1  are respectively inserted in a series of first mounting holes  103 ,  104 ,  105  arranging in sequence from the front to the back of the first cutout  101  on the PCB  100 . Otherwise, the connecting portion  63  of the electrical contact  60  of the first connector  1  is inserted in a first back mounting hole  106  defined at the back of the first cutout  101  on the PCB  100 . On the other hand, the second cutout  101 ′ is provided with a protuberance  102 ′ at the top left-hand corner of (in the direction from the second cutout  101 ′ to the inside, that is from the front to the back thereof). The protuberance  102 ′ is engageable with the second recess  353 ′ of the second connector  1 ′. The first soldering portion  211 ′, the first soldering portion  43 ′ and the second soldering portion  53 ′, the second soldering portion  212 ′ of the second connector  101 ′ are respectively inserted in a series of second mounting holes  103 ′,  104 ′,  105 ′ arranging in sequence from the front to the back of the second cutout  101 ′ on the PCB  100 . Otherwise, the connecting portion  63 ′ of the electrical contact  60 ′ of the second connector  1 ′ is inserted in a second back mounting hole  106 ′ defined at the back of the second cutout  101 ′ on the PCB  100 . 
     Therefore, if assembling the first connector  1  to the second cutout  101 ′ of the PCB  100 , the protuberance  102 ′ resists the housing  30 . Accordingly, if assembling the second connector  1 ′ to the first cutout  101 , the protuberance  102  resists the housing  30 ′, so as to prevent from being mounted to an incorrect position. 
     A second embodiment is that the first recess  353  of the first connector  1  is substituted by a protuberance and correspondingly the protuberance  102  of the PCB  100  is substituted by a recess. A third embodiment is that the recess  353 ,  353 ′ of the first and second connector  1 ,  1 ′ are substituted by protuberances and correspondingly the protuberances  102 ,  102 ′ are substituted by recesses. Where the key is that the distinguishable portions on the first and second connectors  1 , 1 ′ have different positions or different sizes. 
     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.