Abstract:
A hermaphroditic electrical connector assembly comprises a first connector ( 10   a ) and an identical second connector ( 10 ) to mate with each other, each connector comprising: an insulating housing ( 20 ) having a base portion ( 21 ), a pair of fixing arms ( 24 ) molded two side of the base portion and locating two ends of the diagonal of the base portion separately. and several terminal slots ( 22 ) on the base portion; and a number of terminals ( 5 ) retained in the terminal slots of the insulating housing; the fixing arms of the first connector engaging with same side fixing arms of the second connector.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to a board-to-board connector assembly. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Nowadays, connectors play an important role to transmit signals between different electrical devices. Usually, a connector assembly includes a first connector and a second connector for matching with each other, and each connector has different standards and different sizes. Company needs to design different connectors and two different matching molds, and each connector needs different components (such as terminals) involving different suppliers. Therefore, costs of design and manufacture are increased. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,167 issued on Mar. 12, 1996 discloses a hermaphroditic board-to-board connector assembly. The connector assembly includes a first connector to mate with an identical second connector, and each connector includes a housing and at least one pair of male and female terminals held in the housing to mate with corresponding second pair of terminals of the second connector. Since the male terminal is different from the matching female terminal, two kinds of different terminals are needed. Besides, the first connector may not be inserted into the second connector accurately and be secured with each other tightly. 
     Hence, an improved electrical connector assembly is highly desired to overcome the aforementioned problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly with two identical connectors to mate with each other. 
     In order to achieve the object set forth, a hermaphroditic electrical connector assembly comprises a first connector and an identical second connector to mate with each other, each connector comprising: an insulating housing having a base portion, a pair of fixing arms molded on two sides of the base portion and located at two ends of the diagonal of the base portion separately, and several terminal slots slotting on the base portion; and a plurality of terminals retained in the terminal slots of the insulating housing; the fixing arms of the first connector engaging with the same side fixing arms of the second connector. 
     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 an assembled, perspective view of the connector assembly; 
         FIG. 2  is a partially exploded view of the connector assembly; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded, perspective view of the connector assembly; 
         FIG. 4  is a matched, perspective view of the signal terminals; 
         FIG. 5  is a matched, perspective view of the power terminals; 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-section view of  FIG. 1  taken along line  6 - 6 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-section view of  FIG. 1  taken along line  7 - 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , a hermaphroditic connector assembly  100  comprises a first connector  10  and a second connector  10   a . The first and second connectors  10 , 10   a  have identical structure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2-3 , each connector  10 ,  10   a  comprises a rectangular insulating housing  20  and a plurality of terminals  5  mounted on the insulating housing  20 . The insulating housing  20  includes a base portion  21  and a pair of fixing arms  24  integrally molded with the base portion  21  and located at two sides of the base portion  21 . The base portion  21  includes a plurality of terminal slots divided into a pair of signal terminal slots  22  and a pair of power terminal slots  23 . The signal terminal slots  22  are located at the middle of the base portion  21  while the power terminal slots  23  are located at two sides of the signal terminal slots  22 , respectively. The signal terminal slots  22  have openings in one direction and the power terminal slots  23  have openings in an opposite direction. Each signal terminal slot  22  has a block  221  distal from opening direction thereof and each power terminal slot  23  has a block  231  distal from opening direction thereof. The fixing arms  24  extend partly from two sides of the base portion  21  and are arranged in two ends of the diagonal direction of the base portion  21 . The fixing arm  24  extends upwardly and forms a bump  241  higher than the exterior of the base portion  21 . Interior ends of the two bumps  241  extend oppositely toward the middle level of the base portion  21  and form tabs  243  and keeping rooms  244  below the tabs  243 . A pair of upper and lower inclined guiding surfaces  242  are defined at the distal end of each tab  243 . 
     The terminals  5  include signal terminals  30  and power terminals  40  assembled in the signal terminal slots  22  and power terminal slots  23 , respectively. The signal terminal  30  includes a fastening portion  32 , a soldering portion  31 , and a contact arm  33  extending upwardly from an edge of the fastening portion  32 . The contact arm  33  includes a vertical arm  331  extending from the fastening portion  32 , a top portion  334  bending and sidewardly extending from a top end of the vertical arm  331 , an arcuate portion  332  extending downwardly toward the fastening portion  32  from the end of the top portion  334 , and a concavity  333  defined on the end of the arcuate portion  332 . 
     The power terminal  40  includes a fastening portion  41 , a soldering portion  42 , and a contact arm  43  extending from an edge of the fastening portion  41 . The contact arm  43  has a vertical arm  431 , a top portion  434 , an arcuate portion  432  and a concavity  433 , which are the same as the contact arm  33  of the signal terminal  30 . The power terminal  40  has a pair of second contact arms  44  and a pair of third contact arms  45  extending upwardly from two sides of the contact arm  43 . The second arms  44  extend upward from a top edge of the fastening portion  41  and are located in a vertical plane which is defined by the vertical arm  431 . The third contact arm  45  splits partly and extends upward from the middle of the fastening portion  41  and has an inclined plane  451  on the end thereof. The second contact arms  44  and the third contact arms  45  define two parallel straight lines. 
     Following will detail how the identical male and second connectors  10 ,  10   a  mate with each other and how to assemble the terminals  5  in the insulating housing  20 . Referring to  FIGS. 3-7 , firstly, the signal terminals  30  and the power terminals  40  are assembled in the signal terminal slots  22  and the power terminal slots  23  of the insulating housing  20 , respectively, along opposite directions. The contact arms  33 ,  43  of the signal terminals  30  and the power terminals  40  are exposed out of surface of the base portion  21  and lean against the blocks  221 ,  231 . And then, the first connector  10   a  is inserted into the second connector  10  to mate with each other so that the signal terminals  30  of the first connector  10   a  mate with the identical signal terminals  30  of the second connector  10 , and the power terminals  40  of the first connector  10   a  mate with the identical power terminals  40  of the second connector  10 . The arcuate portion  332  of the signal terminal  30  of the first connector  10   a  is retained in the concavity  333  of the corresponding signal terminal  30  of the second connector  10  to integrate the two mating signal terminals  30  together. The top portion  334  of the first connector  10   a  connects with the surface of the fastening portion  31 . The contact arm  43  of the power terminal  40  of the first connector  10   a  mates with the contact arm  43  of the second connector  10  in a same way as the mating means of the signal terminal  30 . The second contact arm  44  of the first connector  10   a  (or second connector  10 ) contacts with the third contact arm  45  of the second connector  10  (or first connector  10   a ) via the inclined plane  451  of end of the third contact arm  45 . In this way, several contacting points are made between the identical terminals  5  to meet the needs of high current. The fixing arm  24  of the first connector  10   a  (or second connector  10 ) engages or locks with other fixing arm  24  of the second connector  10  (or first connector  10   a ) by one side of the base portion  21  separately. The tabs  243  of the first connector  10   a  (or second connector  10 ) are received in and fix with the corresponding keeping rooms  244  of the second connector  10  (or first connector  10   a ) to integrate the male and second connectors  10 , 10   a  together. 
     The set of first terminals  21  have four contact members arranged in a row along the transversal direction. Each first terminal  21  substantially includes a planar retention portion  212  supported by a bottom surface of the recess  113 , a mating portion  211  raised upwardly and extending forwardly from the retention portion  212  and received in the corresponding first terminal groove  127 , and a tail portion  213  extending rearward from the retention portion  212 . 
     The present invention reduces costs in design and manufacturing processes and reduces the inventory stocks by the hermaphroditic connector assembly  100  and identical mating terminals  5 . 
     It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.