Abstract:
A small form-factor pluggable connector is disclosed. A locking and unlocking mechanism of the SFP connector includes a rotating member rotatable mounted on a cover, a fastening shaft pivoting the rotating member on the cover, a spring member providing an elastic force for locking and unlocking, an actuator slideably mounted on the cover, and an U-shaped connecting member connecting the rotating member and the actuator. The spring member is located under a latching arm of the rotating member. When the latching arm is forced to rotate downward under an external force, the spring member is compressed. When the external force is removed, the spring member can be restored to its original state and push the latching arm upward. The SFP connector of the present invention is easy to be operated and can efficiently realize the locking and unlocking functions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a plug connector and more particularly to a small form-factor pluggable connector. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0004]    A small form-factor pluggable (SFP) connector is used in a common high-speed direct attach cable and a high-speed optical fiber cable. Generally, the SFP connector disposes a locking mechanism. When the SFP connector needs to be connected to a receptacle connector, the SFP connector is firstly inserted into a shielding case and is fixed in the shielding case by the locking mechanism, thereby ensuring the connection safety between the SFP connector and the receptacle connector. When needing to disconnect the SFP connector from the receptacle connector, the SFP connector is firstly detached from the shielding case by an unlocking mechanism, so the SFP connector can be fast pulled out from the receptacle connector. 
         [0005]    However, the connector is becoming smaller and smaller, and the intensive degree of the receptacle connector in an electronic equipment is gradually increased. Therefore, the mechanism attaching or detaching the SFP connector from the shielding case becomes more complex, and the operation thereof also becomes more difficult. 
         [0006]    Hence, it is necessary to provide a new SFP connector to simplify the lock and unlocking mechanism and further simplify the operation thereof 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    An object of the present invention is to provide a small form-factor pluggable connector, which can be efficiently locked and unlocked, and the locking and unlocking operation of which is extremely convenient and fast. 
         [0008]    To achieve the above object or other objects of the present invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solution. 
         [0009]    The present invention provides a small form-factor pluggable connector, comprising a base, a cover and a locking and unlocking mechanism. The cover is mounted on the base and having a top surface, which forms a concave chamber and a retaining passage located in rear of the concave chamber. The retaining passage forms a through hole, which is located on two sides of the retaining passage and passes through two sides of the cover. The locking and unlocking mechanism includes a rotating member, a fastening shaft, a spring member, an actuator and an U-shaped connecting member. The rotating member is rotatable mounted on the cover. The rotating member has a main body received in the retaining passage, a shaft hole formed on the main body and passing through two sides of the main body, a latching arm located in front of the shaft hole and extending forward from a front surface of the main body into the concave chamber, a hook disposed on the top of the latching arm and protruding out of the concave chamber, and an inner concave portion located in rear of the shaft hole and formed on a bottom surface of the main body. The fastening shaft is inserted into the through hole of the cover and the shaft hole of the rotating member, and the rotating member is pivoted on the cover by the fastening shaft. The spring member is used to provide an elastic force for locking and unlocking. The spring member is mounted on the concave chamber of the cover and located under the latching arm of the rotating member. When the latching arm is forced to rotate downward under an external force, the spring member is compressed. And when the external force is removed, the spring member is restored to an initial state and lifts the latching arm. The actuator is slideably mounted on the cover and comprises a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is mounted in the retaining passage and is inserted between the main body of the rotating member and the bottom of the retaining passage. And the second portion extends backward from the first portion and is used to pulling the first portion backward. The U-shaped connecting member is used to connect the actuator and the rotating member. The U-shaped connecting member has two free edges, one free edge of which is rotatable fixed on the first portion of the actuator, and the other free edge of which leans on the inner concave portion of the rotating member. 
         [0010]    In one embodiment, the retaining passage disposes a block on the bottom of the retaining passage. The main body of the rotating member forms a notch engaged with the block. The first portion of the actuator forms an opening receiving the block. And the length of the block is greater than that of the block. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the top surface of the cover has a first surface in the front thereof and a second surface in the rear thereof. The second surface is higher than the first surface. There forms a shoulder between the first and second surfaces. The concave chamber is formed on the first surface and next to the shoulder. The retaining passage is formed on the second surface and passes through the shoulder and a rear surface of the cover. The bottom of the concave chamber is tilted upward to the bottom of the retaining passage. The through hole is adjacent to the shoulder and is divided into two parts by the retaining passage. And the concave chamber disposes a spring receiving recess on the bottom thereof. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment, the main body further disposes a protrusion on the bottom of the latching arm. The inner concave portion has a tilted front sidewall and an upright rear sidewall. 
         [0013]    In one embodiment, the spring member is a cylinder spring, a top end is set on the protrusion of the latching arm, and a bottom end of which is placed in the spring receiving recess. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, the first portion disposes a hump on the top thereof; the hump is held in the inner concave portion of the rotating member and forms a retaining hole thereon. 
         [0015]    In one embodiment, the one free edge of the U-shaped connecting member is rotatable fixed in the retaining hole of the actuator, and the other free edge thereof leans on the rear sidewall of the inner concave portion of the rotating member. 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, the U-shaped connecting member is a U-shaped ring. 
         [0017]    In one embodiment, a top surface of the main body is planar, but the bottom surface of the main body is ladder-shaped. When the rotating member is mounted on the cover, the top surface of the main body is align with the second surface of the cover. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment, the small form-factor pluggable connector further comprises a grounding shell surrounding and being fixed on the base and the cover. The grounding shell is located next to the shoulder, and forms a plurality of elastic pieces being bent outward and extending toward the shoulder on the rear of the grounding shell. 
         [0019]    In comparison with the prior art, the connector with a lock and unlock mechanism of the present invention can be efficiently locked in a shielding case by disposing the vertical stop wall on the case, can be efficiently unlocked by the bending end of the unlocking member, and can be restored to the initial state under the function of the spring member. It can be seen that the locking and unlocking way of the connector is very convenient and fast. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective schematic view of a SFP connector of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the SFP connector of the present invention, wherein a lock and unlocking mechanism is disassembled from a cover and a base; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the lock and unlocking mechanism, and shows detail structures of every component of the lock and unlocking mechanism; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a perspective schematic view of the lock and unlocking mechanism after assembled together; 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a partial section view showing a position relation of every component of the lock and unlocking mechanism; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  is a perspective schematic view of a shielding case, which is used to receive the SFP connector of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    The following description of every embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings is used to exemplify a specific embodiment, which may be carried out in the present invention. Directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, “top”, “bottom” etc., are only used with reference to the orientation of the accompanying drawings. For example, the following description may refer to the orientation of  FIG. 1 . Therefore, the used directional terms are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the present invention. 
         [0027]    Please refer to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a small form-factor pluggable (SFP) connector  1  mainly comprises a base  10 , a cover  20  mounted on the base  10 , a grounding shell  30  surrounding and being fixed on the base  10  and the cover  20 , and a locking and unlocking mechanism  40  mounted on the cover  20 . 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the cover  20  has a first surface  21  next to a front end and a second surface  22  next to a rear end. The second surface  22  is higher than the first surface  21 , so there forms a shoulder  23  between the first surface  21  and the second surface  22 . In the embodiment, the first surface  21  and the second surface  22  constitute a top surface of the cover  20 , and the SFP connector  1  is divided into a front portion and a rear portion by the first surface  21  and the second surface  22 . Generally, the front portion having the first surface  21  can be inserted into a shielding case  9  shown in  FIG. 6  for being connected with a receptacle connector (now shown), and the rear portion having the second surface  22  is exposed to the outside of the shielding case  9 . The grounding shell  30  surrounds the front portion of the SFP connector  1  and is located next to the shoulder  23 . The grounding shell  30  forms a plurality of elastic pieces  31  being bent outward and extending toward the shoulder  23 . When the SFP connector  1  is inserted into the shielding case  9  shown in  FIG. 6 , the elastic pieces  31  of the grounding shell  30  can elastically contact with an inner wall of the shielding case  9  to form a complete grounding path. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the cover  20  forms a rectangular concave chamber  24  on the first surface  21  and next to the shoulder  23  for being used to receive one part of the locking and unlocking mechanism  40 . The cover  20  also forms a retaining passage  25 , which is formed on the second surface  22  and passes through the shoulder  23  and a rear surface of the cover  20 . The retaining passage  25  and the concave chamber  24  are located on a centre line along the length direction of the cover  20 , and the retaining passage  25  and the concave chamber  24  are connected together. The retaining passage  25  is used to hold the other part of the locking and unlocking mechanism  40 . Specifically, the concave chamber  24  forms a spring receiving recess  240  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) on the bottom of the concave chamber  24 . The bottom of the concave chamber  24  is tilted upward to the bottom of the retaining passage  25 . The retaining passage  25  disposes a block  250  on the rear of the bottom thereof. In the embodiment, the concave chamber  24  and the retaining passage  25  are formed on the top surface of the cover  20 . 
         [0030]    Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 2 , there forms a through hole  251  located on two sides of the retaining passage  25  and passing through two sides of the cover  20 . The through hole  251  is adjacent to the shoulder  23  and is divided into two parts by the retaining passage  25 . 
         [0031]    Please refer to  FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 , the locking and unlocking mechanism  40  includes a rotating member  41 , a fastening shaft  42 , a spring member  43 , an actuator  44  and an U-shaped connecting member  45 . 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , the rotating member  41  can be rotatable mounted on the cover  20  shown by  FIG. 2 . The rotating member  41  has a main body  410 , a shaft hole  411  formed on the main body  410  and passing through two sides of the main body  410 , a latching arm  412  located in front of the shaft hole  411  and protruding forward from a front surface of the main body  410 , a hook  413  disposed on the top of the latching arm  412 , and an inner concave portion  414  located in rear of the shaft hole  411  and formed on a bottom surface  416  of the main body  410 . In the embodiment, a top surface  415  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) of the main body  410  is planar, but the bottom surface  416  thereof is ladder-shaped and uneven. The main body  410  also forms a notch  417  on the rear thereof to be engaged with the block  250  within the retaining passage  25 . The main body  410  further disposes a protrusion  418  on the bottom of the latching arm  412 . The inner concave portion  414  has a tilted front sidewall  4140  and an upright rear sidewall  4142 . 
         [0033]    Please refer to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , when the rotating member  41  is mounted on the cover  20 , the main body  410  can be just received in the retaining passage  25  of the cover  20 , the top surface  415  of the main body  410  is horizontal to the second surface  22  of the cover  20 , the shaft hole  411  is aligned with the through hole  251  of the cover  20 , the latching arm  412  and the protrusion  418  enter into the concave chamber  24  of the cover  20 , the hook  413  on the top of the latching arm  412  is located outside of the concave chamber  24  and protrudes out of the first surface  21  of the cover  20 , and the notch  417  on the rear of the main body  410  is just engaged with the block  150 . 
         [0034]    Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the fastening shaft  42  can be inserted into the through hole  251  of the cover  20  and the shaft hole  411  of the rotating member  41 , so the rotating member  41  can be pivoted on the cover  20 . 
         [0035]    Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the spring member  43  is located in the concave chamber  24  of the cover  20  and mounted under the latching arm  412  of the rotating member  41  to provide an elastic force for locking and unlocking. Specifically, the spring member  43  is placed into the spring receiving recess  240  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) of the cover  20 . When the latching arm  412  is forced to rotate downward under an external force, the spring member  43  will be compressed. And when the external force is removed, the spring member  43  will be restored to an initial state and lift the latching arm  412  upward. In detail, usually, the spring member  43  is in a free extension state, and the hook  413  on the latching arm  412  protrudes out of the first surface  21  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) of the cover  20 . When the SFP connector  1  enters into the shielding case  9  (shown in  FIG. 6 ), the hook  413  will be pressed downward by the inner wall of the shielding case  9 . But the spring member  43  is located under the latching arm  412 , and the latching arm  412  can compress the spring member  43  downward, so the hook  413  can move downward together with the spring member  43  to smoothly enter into the shielding case  9 . After the SFP connector  1  completely enters into the shielding case  9 , the hook  413  can automatically enter into a holding hole  90  of the shielding case  9 . Therefore, the SFP connector  1  can be fixed in the shielding case  9  and be prevented from leaving away the shielding case  9 . 
         [0036]    In the embodiment, referring to  FIG. 3 , the spring member  43  is a cylinder spring, a top end  430  of which is set on the protrusion  418  of the latching arm  412 , and a bottom end  431  of which is placed in the spring receiving recess  240  (shown in  FIG. 5 ) of the cover  20 . 
         [0037]    Please refer  FIG. 2 , the actuator  44  can be slideably mounted on the cover  20  and includes a first portion  440  and a second portion  441 . The first portion  440  is mounted in the retaining passage  25  of the cover  20  and is inserted between the main body  410  and the bottom of the retaining passage  25 . The second portion  441  extends backward from the first portion  440  to form a long drawstring for pulling the first portion  440  backward during locking. In the embodiment, the first portion  440  forms an opening  442  engaged with the block  250 . The length of the opening  442  is greater than that of the block  250 , and the widths of the both are generally same as each other. When the actuator  44  is mounted on the cover  20 , the block  250  of the cover  20  can enter into the opening  442  of the actuator  44 , and the actuator  44  may move back and forth within an allowable range of the opening  442 . Moreover, the first portion  440  disposes a hump  443  on the top thereof. The front structure of the hump  443  is same as the structure of the front sidewall  4140  of the inner concave portion  414  of the rotating member  41 , so the hump  443  may be held in the inner concave portion  414  of the rotating member  41 . Further, there forms a retaining hole  444  in the hump  443 , wherein the numeral  444  can be seen in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0038]    Please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the U-shaped connecting member  45  is used to connect the actuator  44  and the rotating member  41 . The U-shaped connecting member  45  has a first free edge  450  and a second free edge  451 , which are generally parallel to each other. The first free edge  450  is inserted into and is rotatable fixed in the retaining hole  444  of the actuator  44 , and the second free edge  451  leans on the rear sidewall  4142  of the inner concave portion  414  of the rotating member  41 . In the embodiment, the U-shaped connecting member  45  is a U-shaped ring. 
         [0039]    Please refer to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , in practical use, the SFP connector  1  is inserted into the shielding case  9 , and the top surface of the SFP connector  1  faces down. The hook  413  enters into the holding hole  90  of the shielding case  9  and is blocked to move backward by an inner edge  901  of the holding hole  90 , thereby preventing the SFP connector  1  from leaving away the shielding case  9 . When unlocking, the second portion  441  (seen in  FIG. 2 ) of the actuator  44  may be pulled backward, the first portion  440  and the first free edge  450  of the U-shaped connecting member  45  moves backward together with the second portion  441 . Because the second free edge  451  of the U-shaped connecting member  45  can not move backward due to being stopped by the rear sidewall  4142  of the inner concave portion  414 , the second free edge  451  can only rotate upward on the first free edge  450 , which is used as a pivot, to lift a rear part of the rotating member  41  located in rear of the shaft hole  411 , and a front part (such as the latching arm  412 ) of the rotating member  41  located in front of the shaft hole  411  will rotate downward on the fastening shaft  42 , which is used as a pivot. Now, the latching arm  412  can press the spring member  43  downward, the hook  413  may enter into the concave chamber  24  of the cover  20  and withdraw from the holding hole  90  of the shielding case  9 , therefore the SFP connector  1  may be pulled out of the shielding case  9 . When the SFP connector  1  is pulled out, the locking and unlocking mechanism  40  may return to the initial state under the function of the spring member  43 . 
         [0040]    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.