Abstract:
A power connector comprises a housing ( 20 ), a metal pin ( 30 ) accommodated in a passage ( 13 ) of the housing, a number of terminals ( 60 ) secured in the housing and abutting against the pin, and a dielectric cover ( 40 ) attached to the housing. The cover forms opposite cross blocks ( 43 ) which have arcuate lower ends ( 431 ) tightly engaging with corresponding recesses ( 32, 34 ) defined in the pin, thereby prohibiting the pin from moving longitudinally relative to the housing. The connector forms a plug type power connector with the pin inserted, and forms a receptacle type power connector with the pin removed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a power connector which can be easily converted between a receptacle connector and a plug connector.  
           [0003]    2. Brief Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,055, shown in FIG. 9, discloses a conventional power connector  700 . The power connector  700  comprises a conductive body  717 , a dielectric shell  715  surrounding the conductive body  717 , a plurality of contacts, a metal band  716 , and a metallic pin  718  retained in the conductive body  717 .  
           [0005]    A passage  722  longitudinally extends through the conductive body  717  for receiving the metal band  716 . The metal band  716  surrounds and inwardly presses against a portion of the pin  718 , which together with the metal band  716  is received in the passage  722 . Since the metal band  716  is resilient, the pin  718  is allowed to float within the metal band  716 . The conventional power connector  700  is a plug type power connector. However, the power connector  700  cannot be changed to become a receptacle type power connector by simple means, such as by merely removing the pin  718  from the power connector  700 .  
           [0006]    Hence, an improved power connector is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    A first object of the present invention is to provide a power connector which facilitates modification between a plug type power connector and a receptacle type power connector;  
           [0008]    A second object of the present invention is to provide an easily assembled power connector.  
           [0009]    To achieve the above-mentioned objects, a power connector in accordance with the present invention includes an insulative housing, a metal pin, two rows of terminals received in the housing, and a cover attached to the housing.  
           [0010]    The housing has a front wall and a rear wall each defining an opening, and lateral sidewalls separated by a passage in communication with the openings of the front and rear walls, for extension of the pin. Each sidewall defines a row of passageways communicating with the passage and also defines a slot located at lower, outer sides of the passageways.  
           [0011]    Each terminal includes a retention section at which the terminals are interconnected, a plurality of soldering tails, and a plurality of mating sections. The rows of terminals are secured in the housing in a way that the retention sections are fit in the corresponding slots and the mating sections are received in the corresponding passageways and protrude into the passage.  
           [0012]    The cover forms two opposite cross blocks at longitudinal ends thereof and a rib bedded between the cross blocks. Each cross block forms an arcuate lower end which extends into the passage and is adapted to wedge into a corresponding recess defined in the pin inserted in the passage, thereby limiting a longitudinal movement of the pin relative to the housing.  
           [0013]    The power connector is of a plug type when the pin is inserted into the passage and is of a receptacle type when the pin is removed.  
           [0014]    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  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a power connector in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a housing and pin of the power connector of FIG. 1 from a different aspect;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bottom side of a cover of the power connector of FIG. 1;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4A is a partially assembled view of the power connector of FIG. 1;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4B is a reversed view of the power connector of FIG. 4A;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is an assembled view of the power connector of FIG. 1;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the power connector taken along the line  6 - 6  of FIG. 5;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the power connector taken along the line  7 - 7  of FIG. 5;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the power connector of the present invention configured as a receptacle e connector; and  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a conventional power connector.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]    Referring to FIG. 1, a plug type power connector  1  of the present invention comprises a dielectric housing  20 , an insulative cover  40 , a metallic pin  30 , and a plurality of terminals  60  arranged in two rows.  
         [0026]    Further referring to FIG. 2, the box-like housing  20  includes a front wall  21 , a rear wall  23  opposite the front wall  21 , a top wall  25 , a bottom wall  26  opposite the top wall  25 , and a pair of sidewalls  27 . The front wall  21  and the rear wall  23  respectively define an opening  211 ,  231 , each opening  211 ,  231  aligning with the other opening  231 ,  211 . The top wall  25  defines a window  251  symmetrically located therein. A U-shaped passage  13 , communicating with and aligned with openings  211 ,  231 , descends from the window  251  and therefore separates the sidewalls  27  from each other. A dam  19  underlies the passage  13  and is parallel to the sidewalls  27 . Each sidewall  27  defines a row of passageways  273  in an inner surface thereof, each passageway  273  extending downwardly through the bottom wall  26 . A slot  272  extends upwardly from the bottom wall  26  and communicates with an outer, lower side of each passageway  273  in a given sidewall  27 . The sidewalls  27  further define four apertures  275  symmetrically located at edges of the window  251  of the top wall  25 . Each aperture  275  communicates with the window  251 .  
         [0027]    The cover  40  comprises a planar base  41  having a bottom surface  415 , a pair of cross blocks  43  depending from the bottom surface  415 , an elongate rib  45  bedded between the cross blocks  43 , and two pairs of inwardly facing latches  47  formed at lateral sides of the bottom surface  415 . The cross blocks  43  are located at middle portions of opposite longitudinal ends of the bottom surface  415  and each has an arcuate lower end  431  extending beyond the rib  45 . As is shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the bottom surface  415  of the base  41  and a lower surface of the rib  45  is shorter than that between the bottom surface  415  and an apex  432  of the arcuate lower end  431 . The rib  45  has five cutouts  452  arranged at intervals between projections  451 .  
         [0028]    The pin  30  includes a front section  31 , an intermediate section  33 , and a rear section  35 . An annular recess  32  is defined between the front section  31  and intermediate section  33 . Similarly, an annular recess  34  separates the rear section  35  from the intermediate section  33 .  
         [0029]    Each terminal  60  comprises a retention section  61 , five soldering tails  63  depending from the retention section  61  for soldering into a printed circuit board (not shown), and five mating sections  62  projecting upwardly and inwardly from the retention section  61 . Each mating section  62  is fork shaped with a reversed free end  622 . The free end  622  of each mating section  62  has a contacting section  621 , at which the free end  622  bends.  
         [0030]    In assembly, referring to FIGS. 4A, 4B and  5 , the pin  30  is first inserted into the passage  13  of the housing  20 . The terminals  60  are subsequently inserted into the housing  20  upwardly from the bottom wall  26 . The cover  40  is then pressed onto the top wall  25  of the housing  20 .  
         [0031]    The pin is supported by the dam  19  of the housing  20  with the rear section  35  fitted in the opening  231  of the rearwall  23  and the front section  31  protruding from the front wall  21  of the housing  20  for mating with a complementary connector (not shown). Each terminal  60  is retained in the housing  20  so that the retention section  61  is fixed within the slot  272  of the corresponding sidewall  27 , with dimples  611  of the retention section  61  interferingly engaging with a side of the slot  272 , and the mating sections  62  being received within the corresponding passageways  273  of the corresponding sidewall  27 . The contacting section  621  of each mating section  62  resiliently abuts against an upper portion of the inserted pin  30  for establishing an electrical path therebetween.  
         [0032]    As is best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cover  40  is firmly attached to the housing  20  by the latches  47  snappingly engaging with the corresponding apertures  275  of the sidewalls  27 . The base  41  of the cover  40  fits into the window  251  of the housing  20  while the cross blocks  43  and rib  45  extend into the passage  13 . The lower ends  431  of the cross blocks  43  wedge into the corresponding recesses  32 ,  34  of the pin  30 . Since the lower ends  431  are arcuate, the cross blocks  43  tightly mate with the recesses  32 ,  34  and eliminate longitudinal movement of the pin  30  with respect to the housing  20 . The rib  45  extends into the passage  13  such that each cutout  452  aligns with a pair of corresponding passageways  273 , allowing the free ends  622  of the terminals  60  to laterally move within the passage  13 . The projections  451  are interposed between adjacent free ends  622 , preventing the free ends  622  from inadvertently contacting each other.  
         [0033]    A receptacle type power connector  1 ′ in accordance with the present invention is provided in FIG. 8. The receptacle type power connector  1 ′ is essentially the same as the plug type power connector  1  except that the pin  30  of the power connector  1  is omitted and a cover  40 ′ of the power connector  1 ′ provides two opposite cross blocks  43 ′ whose lower ends are flush with the projections  451 ′ as shown in FIG. 8. Accordingly, the cross blocks  43 ′ permit insertion of a pin of a complementary power connector.  
         [0034]    It is a feature of the present invention that the plug type power connector  1  can be easily converted to a receptacle type power connector  1 ′. The pin  30  of the plug type power connector  1  is removeable from the housing  20  and the cover  43  of the plug type power connector  1  is replaceable with the cover  43 ′ of the receptacle type power connector  1 ′, thereby converting the plug type power connector  1  to a receptacle power connector  1 ′ andallowing insertion of a pin of a complementary connector.  
         [0035]    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.