Patent Publication Number: US-9425555-B1

Title: Plug connector

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly to a plug connector adapted for normal insertion and reverse insertion into a receptacle connector. 
     2. The Related Art 
     With the development of the electronics industry, a USB 2.0 plug adapted for normal insertion and reverse insertion has emerged. A usual means for realizing the normal insertion and reverse insertion of the USB 2.0 plug is to add a group of conductive terminals in a reverse side of the USB plug connector. However, this will cause a series of problems, such as the strength of the USB plug connector is poorer, the conductive terminals are not convenient to assemble or molded in a housing of the USB 2.0 plug which brings a high manufacturing cost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a plug connector mounted on a printed circuit board. The plug connector includes a lower terminal module, an upper terminal module and an insulating housing. The lower terminal module includes a lower insulator and a plurality of lower terminals, each of the lower terminals has a lower fixing portion, a front of the lower fixing portion is drawn downward to form a lower contact portion beyond a bottom face of the lower fixing portion, the lower fixing portions of the lower terminals are integratedly molded in the lower insulator and arranged transversely, each lower contact portion is beyond a bottom face of the lower insulator, a rear of each lower fixing portion extends rearwards to form a lower solder portion beyond a rear of the lower insulator. The upper terminal module is engaged with the lower terminal module, the upper terminal module includes an upper insulator and a plurality of upper terminals, each of the upper terminals has an upper fixing portion, a front of the upper fixing portion is drawn upwards to form an upper contact portion beyond a top face of the upper fixing portion, the upper fixing portions of the upper terminals are integratedly molded in the upper insulator and arranged transversely, each upper contact portion is beyond a top face of the upper insulator, a rear of each upper fixing portion extends rearwards to form a upper solder portion beyond a rear of the upper insulator. An insulating housing is integratedly molded outside the lower terminal module and the upper terminal module, each lower contact portion is exposed from a bottom face of the insulating housing, each upper contact portion is exposed from a top face of the insulating housing. 
     As described above, the lower fixing portions of the lower terminals are integratedly molded in the lower insulator, the lower contact portions are beyond the bottom face of the lower insulator. The upper fixing portions of the upper terminals are integratedly molded in the upper insulator, the upper contact portions are beyond the top face of the upper insulator. The upper terminal module and the lower terminal module are engaged with each other and then integratedly molded in the insulating housing. Therefore, the plug connector is adapted for normal insertion and reverse insertion into a receptacle connector (not shown) to facilitate users&#39; usage, at the same time, the lower terminals and the upper terminals are convenient to molded in the lower insulator and the upper insulator, the plug connector has strong structure and low manufacturing cost. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a plug connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another perspective view of the plug connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the plug connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an insulating housing of the plug connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a lower terminal module of the plug connector of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an assembly of the lower terminal module and an upper terminal module of the plug connector of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , an embodiment of the invention is embodied in a plug connector  100 . The plug connector  100  is mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown), includes a lower terminal module  10 , an upper terminal module  20  and an insulating housing  30 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the lower terminal module  10  includes a lower insulator  11 , a plurality of lower terminals  12  and two lower reinforcing plates  13 . The lower insulator  11  has a rectangular shaped lower base portion  111 , a rear face of the lower base portion  111  defines a lower gap  112 . A top of a front face of the lower base portion  111  extends frontward to form a lower extending portion  113 , a front face of the lower extending portion  113  extends frontward to form a lower docking portion  114 . Top faces of the lower base portion  111 , the lower extending portion  113  and the lower docking portion  114  are in the same plane. The top face of the lower base portion  111  defines two lower guide grooves  115  communicated with two sides of the lower gap  112 , respectively. 
     Each of the lower terminals  12  has a plate-shaped lower fixing portion  121 , a front of the lower fixing portion  121  is drawn downward to form a lower contact portion  122  beyond a bottom face of the lower fixing portion  121 , a rear of the lower fixing portion  121  extends rearwards to form a lower solder portion  123 . 
     Each of the lower reinforcing plates  13  has a strip-shaped lower base plate  131 , a bottom of a rear end of the lower base plate  131  extends and bends inwards perpendicularly to form a lower fixing foot  132 . 
     The upper terminal module  20  is engaged with the lower terminal module  10 , the upper terminal module  20  includes an upper insulator  21 , a plurality of upper terminals  22  and two upper reinforcing plates  23 . The upper insulator  21  has a rectangular shaped upper base portion  211 , a rear face of the upper base portion  211  defines an upper gap  212  engaged with the lower gap  112 . A bottom of a front face of the upper base portion  211  extends frontward to form an upper extending portion  213 , a front face of the upper extending portion  213  extends frontward to form an upper docking portion  214 . Bottom faces of the upper base portion  211 , the upper extending portion  213  and the upper docking portion  214  are in the same plane. The bottom face of the upper base portion  211  defines two upper guide grooves  215  communicated with two sides of the upper gap  212 , respectively. 
     Each of the upper terminals  22  has a plate-shaped upper fixing portion  221 , a front of the upper fixing portion  221  is drawn upward to form an upper contact portion  222  beyond a top face of the upper fixing portion  221 , a rear of the upper fixing portion  221  extends rearwards to form an upper solder portion  223 . 
     Each of the upper reinforcing plate  23  has a strip-shaped upper base plate  231 , a top of a rear of the upper base plate  231  extends and bends inwards perpendicularly to form a upper fastening foot  232 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the insulating housing  30  has a body portion  31 , a middle of a front face of the body portion  31  extends frontward to form a tongue board  32 , a rear face of the body portion  31  defines a retaining opening  33 . A front wall of the retaining opening  33  defines an inserting hole  34  extending into the tongue board  32 . A bottom face of the tongue board  32  has a plurality of first grooves  35  extending into the inserting hole  34 , a top face of the tongue board  32  has a plurality of second grooves  36  extending into the inserting hole  34 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6 , in assembly, the lower fixing portions  121  of the lower terminals  12  are integratedly molded in the lower insulator  11  and arranged transversely, the lower contact portions  122  are beyond a bottom face of the lower insulator  11 , the lower solder portions  123  are beyond a rear of the lower insulator  11 . In detail, the lower fixing portions  121  of the lower terminals  12  are integratedly molded in the lower base portion  111 , the lower extending portion  113  and the lower docking portion  114 , the lower contact portions  122  of the lower terminals  12  exceeds a bottom face of the lower docking portion  114 , the lower solder portions  123  are exposed in the lower gap  112 , top faces of the lower solder portions  123  and bottom walls of the lower guide grooves  115  are substantially in the same plane. A rear of the lower base plate  131  and the lower fastening foot  132  are integratedly molded in the lower base portion  111  and the lower extending portion  113 . A front of the lower base plate  131  is beyond a front face of the lower extending portion  113  and attached on a sidewall of the lower docking portion  114 . 
     The upper fixing portions  221  of the upper terminals  22  are integratedly molded in the upper insulator  21  and arranged transversely, the upper contact portions  222  are beyond a top face of the upper insulator  21 , the upper solder portions  223  are beyond a rear of the upper insulator  21 . In detail, the upper fixing portions  221  of the upper terminals  22  are transversely molded in the upper base portion  211 , the upper extending portion  213  and the upper docking portion  214 , the upper contact portions  222  of the upper terminals  22  exceeds a top face of the upper docking portion  214 , the upper solder portions  223  are exposed in the upper gap  212 , bottom faces of the upper solder portions  223  and top walls of the upper guide grooves  215  are substantially in the same plane. A rear of the upper base plate  231  and the upper fastening foot  232  are integratedly molded in the upper base portion  211  and the upper extending portion  213 . A front of the upper base plate  231  is beyond a front face of the upper extending portion  213  and attached on a sidewall of the upper docking portion  214 . 
     The upper terminal module  20  is engaged with the lower terminal module  10 . In detail, the top faces of the lower base portion  111 , the lower extending portion  113  and the lower docking portion  114  are engaged with the bottom faces of the upper base portion  211 , the upper extending portion  213  and the upper docking portion  214 . The lower gap  112  is engaged with the upper gap  212 . The two lower guide grooves  115  and the two upper guide grooves  215  are engaged with each other to form two guide grooves  40 . 
     The insulating housing  30  is integratedly molded outside the lower terminal module  10  and the upper terminal module  20 . In detail, the body portion  31  of the insulating housing  30  is integratedly molded outside the lower extending portion  213  and the upper extending portion  113 . The tongue board  32  is integratedly molded outside the lower docking portion  114 , the upper docking portion  214  and the fronts of the lower base plates  131  and the upper base plates  231 . The upper extending portion  213  and the lower extending portion  113  are molded in the retaining opening  33 , the upper docking portion  214  and the lower docking portion  114  are molded in the inserting hole  34 , the lower contact portions  122  are molded in the first grooves  35  and exposed from a bottom face of the tongue board  32  of the insulating housing  30 , the upper contact portions  222  are molded in the second grooves  36  and exposed from a top face of the tongue board  32  of the insulating housing  30 . The printed circuit board is installed in the two guide grooves  40 , the top faces of the lower solder portions  123  are soldered on a bottom face of the printed circuit board, the bottom faces of the upper solder portions  223  are soldered on a top face of the printed circuit board. 
     As described above, the lower fixing portions  121  of the lower terminals  12  are integratedly molded in the lower insulator  11 , the lower contact portions  122  are beyond the bottom face of the lower insulator  11 . The upper fixing portions  221  of the upper terminals  22  are integratedly molded in the upper insulator  21 , the upper contact portions  222  are beyond the top face of the upper insulator  21 . The upper terminal module  20  and the lower terminal module  10  are engaged with each other and then integratedly molded in the insulating housing  30 . Therefore, the plug connector  100  is adapted for normal insertion and reverse insertion into a receptacle connector (not shown) to facilitate users&#39; usage, at the same time, the lower terminals  12  and the upper terminals  22  are convenient to molded in the lower insulator  11  and the upper insulator  21 , the plug connector  100  has strong structure and low manufacturing cost.