Patent Publication Number: US-2023155315-A1

Title: Electric connector with unlatching mechanism

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The disclosure relates to an electric connector, particularly to an electric connector with an unlatching mechanism. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Some electric connectors are provided with a movable hook on its male connector. When connecting a female connector, the male connector is hooked to the female connector by the hook so as to make a firm connection to avoid separation. However, the electric connector with a hooking function still has some problems in usage. 
     Because the structure is relatively complicated, the problem is not only the components being difficult to be assembled, but also the relatively high processing costs of the components. 
     In view of this, the inventors have devoted themselves to the above-mentioned related art, researched intensively and cooperated with the application of science to try to solve the above-mentioned problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the disclosure is to provide an electric connector with an unlatching mechanism, which effectively simplify the overall structure to accomplish easy assembling and low costs. 
     To accomplish the above object, the disclosure provides an electric connector with an unlatching mechanism, which includes a base, a cover, and an elastic member. The base includes an insulative seat, a circuit board, and a cable. An end of the circuit board and an end of the cable are embedded in the insulative seat. The circuit board has multiple printed terminals. The cable is electrically connected with each printed terminal. The cover covers the base. A chamber is defined between the insulative seat and the cover. The cover is disposed with a key and a trough, and the trough is respectively located on two sides of the key and communicates with the chamber. The elastic member is received in the chamber and includes a lower plate, an upper plate and at least one flexible arm. The lower plate is fixed on the insulative seat. The upper plate is formed above the lower plate. The flexible arm is connected between the lower plate and the upper plate. Each of two ends of the upper plate is extended with a hook. Each hook movably enters or leaves each trough. The upper plate is disposed with a pressed portion corresponding to the key in position. The pressed portion drives each hook to move out from each trough through the pressing of the key to unlatch the electric connector. 
     The disclosure further has the following functions. The base and the cover are connected by melting to save screwing time in the related art. Regardless of using the key or the pulling belt assembly, the flexible arms are used for restoring the structure to initial status, and thus the overall structure of the elastic member is simplified. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective assembled view of the electric connector of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective exploded view of the electric connector of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is an exploded view of the elastic member separating from the insulative seat; 
         FIG.  4    is a perspective view of the elastic member of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view of the base of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of the electric connector of the disclosure in use; 
         FIG.  7    is another cross-sectional view of the electric connector of the disclosure in use; and 
         FIG.  8    is still another cross-sectional view of the electric connector of the disclosure in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The technical contents of this disclosure will become apparent with the detailed description of embodiments accompanied with the illustration of related drawings as follows. It is intended that the embodiments and drawings disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. 
     Please refer to  FIGS.  1 - 5   . The disclosure provides an electric connector with an unlatching mechanism, which includes a base  10 , a cover  20  and an elastic member  30 . The base  10  includes an insulative seat  11 , a circuit board  12  and a cable  13 . An end of the circuit board  12  and an end of the cable  13  are embedded in the insulative seat  11 . An area of the circuit board  12 , which is not covered by the insulative seat  11  and is far away from the insulative seat  11 , has multiple printed terminals  121 . The cable  13  is composed of multiple core wires. Each core wire is separately electrically connected to the printed terminals  121  by a printed circuit (not shown in figures) of the circuit board  12 . 
     In an embodiment, the top of the insulative seat  11  is upward extended with multiple positioning bars including two first positioning bars  111  and seven second positioning bars  12 . The first positioning bars  111  and the second positioning bars  12  are arranged spacedly. A portion of the insulative seat  11 , which is between the first positioning bars  111  and the second positioning bars  112 , is provided with a platform  113 . The front middle of the platform  113  is formed with a recess  114 . Each of lateral sides of the insulative seat  11  is formed with multiple latching blocks  115 . 
     The cover  20  covers the base  10 . A chamber A is formed between the insulative seat  11  and the cover  20  as shown in  FIG.  6   . The middle of the cover  20  is disposed with a key  21 . A trough  22  is respectively disposed on two sides of the key  21  (that is, two trough  22  on each side) with a proper distance from the key  21  and communicates with the chamber A. An end of the key  21  on the side toward the insulative seat  11  is provided with a pressing block  211 . 
     In an embodiment, the cover  20  is disposed with multiple through holes  23 . Each through hole  23  is correspondingly passed by each first positioning bar  111  and each second positioning bar  112 , and each first positioning bar  111  and each second positioning bar  112  are treated with melting to make the cover  20  be firmly connected with the insulative seat  11 . The cover  20  is further disposed with multiple latching slots  24  separately corresponding to each latching block  115  in position so as to make the cover  20  and the insulative seat  11  be connected with each other. 
     The elastic member  30  is received in the chamber A and includes a lower plate  31 , an upper plate  32  and at least one flexible arm  33 . The upper plate  32  and the lower plate  33  are of a flat strip shape. The flexible arm  33  is of a U-shape. Two ends of the lower plate  31  are respectively formed with a positioning hole  311 . Each positioning hole  311  is passed by each first positioning bar  111  to fix the lower plate  31  on the insulative seat  11 . 
     The upper plate  32  is formed above the lower plate  31  and is substantially parallel with the lower plate  31 . Two ends of the upper plate  32  are respectively extended with a hook  321 . Each hook  321  is parallel to each other and perpendicular to the upper plate  32 . Each hook  321  movably enters or leaves each trough  22 . The upper plate  32  is disposed with a pressed portion  322  corresponding to the key  21  in position. Also, the front edge of the upper plate  32  is downward extended with a pressed slant  323 . 
     The flexible arm  33  is connected between the lower plate  31  and the upper plate  32 . The flexible arm  33  of the embodiment is, but not limited to, three in number. The flexible arm  33  in the middle is correspondingly engaged with the recess  114 . Each flexible arm  33  and each hook  321  are extended from the upper plate  32  toward opposite directions. 
     In an embodiment, the electric connector of the disclosure further includes a pulling belt assembly  40  disposed in the chamber A and projecting to outside of the base  10  and cover  20 . The pulling belt assembly  40  includes an actuator  41  and a pulling belt  42 . The actuator  41  is disposed in the chamber A. The lower side of the actuator  41  has a pressing slant  411 . The pressing slant  411  operatably presses the pressed slant  323  as shown in  FIG.  7   . An end of the pulling belt  42  is connected to the actuator  41 , attached on the top of the platform  113  and further extended to outside of the base  10  and the cover  20 . 
     Please refer to  FIG.  6   . When using, the pressed portion  322  of the upper plate  32  is pressed by the pressing block  211  through the pressing of the key  21  to make the upper plate  32  be downward bent and slanted so as to drive each hook  321  to move out from each trough  22 . At the same time, a connector (not shown in figures) connected to the electric connector may be taken out to unlatch the electric connector. On the contrary, after releasing the key  21 , the upper plate  32  and each hook  321  may return to the initial status through the elastic deformation of each flexible arm  33 . 
     Please refer to  FIGS.  7  and  8   . Apart from the above operation, the electric connector of the disclosure may also implement unlatching by the operating of the pulling belt assembly  40 . When using, the pulling belt  42  is pulled to move away from the elastic member  30 , and the pressing slant  411  of the actuator  41  presses the pressed slant  323  to make the upper plate  32  be downward bent and slanted so as to drive each hook  321  to move out of each trough  22  to unlatch the electric connector. 
     While this disclosure has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure set forth in the claims.