Abstract:
An electric connector assembly includes a plug connector and a mating socket connector, and the plug connector includes a base, a tongue plate protruding forwardly from the base and a plurality of electrical contacts. The tongue plate defines two relative surfaces and the tongue plate includes a terminal holder and a side portion beside the terminal holder in a transverse direction. The side portions define at least a pair of clamping portions recessed from the surface of the tongue plate, and the socket connector defines at least a pair of elastic arms for engaging with said clamping portions for enhancing the stability when the electric connector inserted into a mating connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly, and particularly to an electrical connector assembly with a reliable locking device. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     TW Patent No. M471049U, published on Jan. 20, 2014, discloses an electrical connector with a tongue plate. The tongue plate includes an assembly of a set of first terminals and a set of second terminals, and a shielding shell fixing the assembly. Both side walls of the tongue plate define a notch respectively. The notches could mate with a mating connector for protecting the electrical connector from falling off from the mating electrical connector. 
     However, while the tongue plate becomes miniature and flattening, the notches in the side walls of the tongue plate could not afford enough interference surface for retaining the tongue plate. It reduces the stability of the assembly of the electrical connector and a mating connector. 
     Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the related art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly with a reliable locking device. 
     In order to achieve the object reminded above, a plug connector and a socket connector is provided. The plug connector includes a base, a mating tongue plate being panel-liked and protruding forwardly from the base, and the mating tongue plate defining two opposite surface in an up and down direction and including at least a contact carrier and two side portions at two lateral sides of the contact carrier in a cross direction perpendicular to said up and down direction; and a plurality of contacts including contact portions exposed onto the two contact carriers. Each of the side portions defines at least a clamping portion recessed from the surface of the mating tongue plate. And the socket connector includes an insulative housing with a cavity for receiving the said mating tongue plate; a metal shell covering the insulative housing; and a plurality of second contacts retained in the insulative housing. The metal shell defines two pairs of elastic arms at opposite thereof and protruding into the cavity to latch into the respective clamping portions of the mating tongue plate. 
     What is different, the clamping portion is defined in the upper and lower surface of the mating tongue plate, not only changes the number of the clamping portions from one pair to two pair for a better retaining force, but also when the mating tongue plate becomes miniature and flattening, it could guarantee an enough interference area between the metal elastic arm and the clamping portion to keep the stability between two mated plug connector and socket connector. On the other hand, the interference points of the second contacts of the socket connector with the mating tongue and another set of the interference points of the metal elastic arms with the mating tongue is nonlinear, and which would reduce the inserting force for a more convenience using. 
     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 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a plug connector of the electrical connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1  ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the plug connector shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view in another angle of the plug connector shown in  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of a socket connector of the electrical connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 , the electrical connector assembly according to the present invention includes a plug connector  1  and a socket connector  2 . Which is need to be noticed, the electrical connector assembly could be set or mated in different station, such as in horizontal or perpendicular or inclined station, and the electrical connector assembly would be described in the horizontal station. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the plug connector  1  includes a base  10 , a mating tongue plate  11  extending forwardly from the base  10  and a plurality of contacts  12 . The mating tongue plate  11  defines a pair of opposite surfaces, and the mating tongue plate  11  includes a pair of insulating contact carriers  111  and a pair of side portions  112  at two lateral sides of the contact carrier  111 . The side portion  112  defines a pair of clamping portions  113  recessed from both side surfaces thereof. Each of the contacts  12  includes a contact portion  121  which are set in a row in the contact carrier  111  and a tail portion  122  extending out of the base  10 . 
     According the present invention, the contact portion  121  of the contact  12  is block-shaped and defines a contacting face flush with the surface of the mating tongue plate  11 . The plug connector  1  defines an inserting direction, and in the inserting direction, the clamping portion  113  locates behind the contact portion  121  of the contact  12 . 
     The base  10  includes a vertical main portion  101  and a pair of fixing portions  102 , and the tail portions  122  of the contacts  12  extend out of base  10  and are arranged between the pair of fixing portion  102 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , an introduction of the structure of the plug connector  1  is made below. The plug connector  1  includes a metal frame  14 , two contact assemblies  15  and an insulative housing  16  insert-molding between the contact assemblies  15  and the metal frame  14 . The contacts  12  are arranged in two rows and received in the two contact assemblies  15  respectively. The metal frame  14  defines a upper and a lower surface, and includes a main portion  140 , a pair of side portions  112  protrude from the upper and the lower surface at two lateral sides of the metal frame  14  in the cross direction, and two fixing portion  102  extending backwardly from the side portions  112  respectively. The main portion  140  and the insulative housing  16  make of the foregoing contact carrier  111 . 
     The aforementioned two contact assemblies  15  could be divided into a first contact assembly  15   a  and a second contact assembly  15   b , and each of the first and the second contact assembly  15   a ,  15   b  includes a row of block-shaped contact portions  121  in the cross direction. The contact portions are exposed onto the mating tongue plate  11  for an electrical communication with the aforementioned socket connector  2 . Each of the contact assemblies  15   a ,  15   b  has at least a positioning pillar  123 ,  124  facing the metal frame  14  respectively. Furthermore, each of the contact assemblies defines several through holes  125  for sealant irrigation or injection molding between the contact assemblies and the metal frame  14 . 
     According to present aspect of the invention, two receiving space is formed by the side portion  112  and the metal frame  14  for receiving the first and the second contact assembly respectively. The metal frame  14  defines several position holes  141 ,  142  corresponding with the aforesaid positioning pillars  123 ,  124  for mating the first and the second contact assembly and the metal frame as a whole. The metal frame  14  also defines a set of through slot  143 , and when the whole of the contact assemblies and metal frame is been insert-molded, the plastic could pass through the through slot  143  and bond the contact assemblies  15  and the metal frame  14  closer. 
     The insulative housing  16  is formed out of the integrality of the contact assemblies  15  and the metal frame  14  by insert-molding. Particularly, the insulative housing  16  covers the front-end of the integrality for preventing direct short between the contacts of the plug connector  1  or the socket connector  2  when the plug connector  1  is being inserted into the socket connector  2 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , an introduction of the structure of the socket connector  1  is made below. The socket connector  2  includes an insulative housing  22 , a metal shell  21  mated out of the insulative housing  22  and a plurality of second contacts  23  retained in the insulative housing  22 . The insulative housing  22  defines a (mating) cavity  220  for receiving the plug connector  1 . The side portion  112  of mating tongue plate  11  of the plug connector  1  includes an upper surface, a lower surface parallel with the upper surface, a side surface vertical to the upper surface and a guiding incline  17  connecting the side surface and the lower surface, and corresponding to the side portion  112 , the inner wall of the cavity  220  includes an upper wall, a lower wall parallel with the upper wall, two side walls vertical to the upper wall and at least a guarding incline wall  224  connecting the side wall and the lower wall. The guarding incline wall  224  is mated with the guarding incline surface  17  for avoiding any mis-mating. 
     The metal shell  21  defines several metal elastic arms  211  protruding into the cavity  220 , and the insulative housing  22  also defines several channels or slots  225  for the metal elastic arms  211  to extend therethrough and further into the cavity  220  in the upper and lower wall. The channels  225  locate outside of the second contacts  23 . Every the channel  225  extends backwardly and forms an opening backwardly for mating the metal elastic arms  211 , and further, the channel  225  defines at least a step-liked guiding portion facing the metal elastic arms  211  for preventing the metal elastic arms  211  from being surrendered when the elastic arms mated. The metal elastic arms  211  mates with the clamping portion  113  of the mating tongue plate  11  for providing a retaining force to keep the stability between the plug connector  1  and the socket connector  2  when they are jointed. 
     The second contacts  23  are arranged in two rows and received in the upper and lower wall respectively, and each of them defines a contact portion  230  protruding into the cavity  220 . The metal elastic arms  211  defines an interference portion  212  for interfering with the clamping portion  113 , and in the inserting direction of the plug connector  1 , the interference portion  212  locates ahead of the contact portions  230  of the second contacts  23 . When the plug connector  1  is being inserted into the socket connector  2 , the interference portion  212  of the metal elastic arm  211  contacts the mating tongue plate  11  first, and after that, the contact portions  230  of the second contacts  23  start to interfere with the mating tongue plate  11 , and by which the force a user need in the insertion would be reduced. That is to say, it would be more convenience for using. 
     What is different from defining clamping portion in the side surface of the mating tongue plate  11 , the present aspect of the invention defines clamping portion  113  in the upper and lower surface of the mating tongue plate  11 , not only changes the number of the clamping portions from one pair to two pair for a better retaining force, but also when the mating tongue plate becomes miniature and flattening, it could guarantee an enough interference area between the metal elastic arm  211  and the clamping portion  113  to keep the stability between two mated plug connector  1  and socket connector  2 . On the other hand, the interference points of the second contacts  2  of the socket connector  2  with the mating tongue  11  and another set of the interference points of the metal elastic arms  211  with the mating tongue  11  is nonlinear, and which prevents the mating tongue plate  11  shaking in the cavity of the socket connector  2 . It is noted that in this embodiment the insulative housing  16  forms a plurality of openings (not labeled) in which the contact portion  121  is received. Similarly, the insulative housing  22  forms a plurality of openings (not labeled) in which the contact portion  230  is moveably received. Understandably, an outward deflection of the contact portion  230  should not result in any portion of the contact portion  230  reaching an exterior surface of the housing  22  because it will bring about shorting between the contact portion  230  and the shell which intimately surrounds the housing  22 . Anyhow, an insulative tape may be optionally applied upon an exterior surface of the housing  22  to cover those opening for preventing risks of shorting between the contact portion  230  and the shell  21 . 
     In brief, the invention is to provide the plug connector with a mating tongue having a contact region and a pair of retention regions at two ends in the transverse direction wherein in each retention region a pair of clamping portions  113  are formed on two opposite surfaces in the vertical direction, and the receptacle connector with corresponding pairs of elastic arms  211  of the metallic shell  21  extending through the corresponding slots in the housing and into the mating cavity  220  formed in the housing of the receptacle connector. The elastic arm  211  is deflected in the vertical direction same with the deflection direction of the contacts of the receptacle connector which are disposed in the housing of the receptacle connector. 
     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.