Patent Publication Number: US-10784611-B2

Title: Electrical connector assembly and plug with guide surface for insertion into socket connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION 
     This non-provisional application claims priority to and the benefit of, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(a), patent application Serial No. CN201811171575.4 filed in China on Oct. 9, 2018. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     Some references, which may include patents, patent applications and various publications, are cited and discussed in the description of this disclosure. The citation and/or discussion of such references is provided merely to clarify the description of the present disclosure and is not an admission that any such reference is “prior art” to the disclosure described herein. All references cited and discussed in this specification are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties and to the same extent as if each reference were individually incorporated by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly and a plug, and particularly to an electrical connector assembly allowing a plug to be smoothly inserted into a socket connector, and a plug thereof. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. 
     An existing electrical connector assembly includes: a plug, including a body and multiple pins accommodated in the body, where each pin has an insertion portion extending downward out of the body, and two opposite sides of a bottom end of the insertion portion are provided with two symmetrical chamfers; and a socket, including an insulating body and multiple terminals accommodated in the insulating body. Each terminal is provided with two contact portions. The chamfers guides a corresponding pin to be inserted downward into the insulating body. When each pin is inserted downward to a final position, the insertion portion is located between the two contact portions and clamped by the two contact portions. 
     However, since the two chamfers are symmetrically provided, the guiding path provided by the chamfers is shorter. When the pins are inserted downward, each pin may be inserted away from the correct insertion position, causing the pin to press the corresponding terminal or the insulating body downward, thereby damaging the terminal or the insulating body, and affecting the performance of the socket. 
     Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need to design a new electrical connector assembly and plug exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is directed to an electrical connector assembly and a plug, to provide better guidance for the plug to be smoothly inserted into a socket connector. 
     In order to achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: 
     An electrical connector assembly includes: a plug, comprising a body and a plurality of pins positioned on the body, wherein each of the pins has an insertion portion extending downward out of the body, the insertion portion is provided with a guide surface, the guide surface passes through a vertical center line of the insertion portion, and the insertion portion is further provided with two contact regions being higher than the guide surface; and a socket connector, comprising an insulating body, wherein the insulating body is provided with a plurality of accommodating holes running through the insulating body vertically, a plurality of terminals are correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating holes respectively, each of the terminals is provided with two clamping portions, and the guide surfaces of the pins guide the pins to be inserted downward into the accommodating holes; wherein when each of the pins is inserted downward to a final position, the insertion portion is located between the two clamping portions, the two clamping portions are correspondingly in contact with the two contact regions, and the guide surface is located below the two clamping portions. 
     In certain embodiments, the guide surfaces of a portion of the pins are provided opposite to the guide surfaces of another portion of the pins. 
     In certain embodiments, a side surface of the insertion portion has two first flat surfaces opposite to each other and a second flat surface connecting the two first flat surfaces, the two contact regions are respectively provided on the two first flat surfaces, an upper end of the guide surface is connected to a bottom end of the second flat surface, and two opposite sides of the guide surface are connected to the two first flat surfaces. 
     In certain embodiments, an oblique surface is connected to a lower end of the guide surface, and an upper end of the oblique surface is lower than the upper end of the guide surface. 
     In certain embodiments, a horizontal distance from the upper end of the guide surface to the vertical center line is equal to a horizontal distance from the lower end of the guide surface to the vertical center line. 
     In certain embodiments, each of the terminals is provided with a base, two connecting portions are formed by bending and extending from two opposite sides of the base, the two clamping portions are formed by extending downward from the two connecting portions and close to each other, and when the pins are inserted downward, the guide surfaces of the pins match with the bases of the terminals to guide the pins to move downward. 
     In certain embodiments, each of the accommodating holes has two covering portions opposite to each other, an upper end of the base of each of the terminals is exposed upward to a corresponding one of the accommodating holes, and the covering portions cover upper ends of the connecting portions. 
     In certain embodiments, in an upward-from-bottom direction, the base is inclined toward the two clamping portions, and when each of the pins is inserted downward to the final position, the base of a corresponding one of the terminals is in contact with each of the pins. 
     In certain embodiments, the base is provided with a through hole, a mating portion is formed by bending from an upper end of the through hole toward the two clamping portions and extending downward, and when each of the pins is inserted downward to the final position, the mating portion of a corresponding one of the terminals is in contact with each of the pins. 
     A plug is configured to be inserted downward into a socket connector having a plurality of terminals. The plug includes a body, and a plurality of pins positioned on the body, wherein each of the pins has an insertion portion extending downward out of the body, the insertion portion is provided with a guide surface, the guide surface passes through a vertical center line of the insertion portion, the insertion portion is further provided with two contact regions being higher than the guide surface, and the guide surfaces of the pins guide the pins to be inserted downward into the socket connector; wherein when each of the pins is inserted downward to a final position, the contact regions are in contact with a corresponding one of the terminals, and the guide surface is not in contact with the corresponding one of the terminals. 
     In certain embodiments, the pins are divided into two groups, the guide surfaces of the pins in a same group of the two groups extend in a same direction, and the guide surfaces of two pins in the two different groups extend in opposite directions. 
     In certain embodiments, a side surface of the insertion portion has two first flat surfaces opposite to each other, and a second flat surface and a third flat surface opposite to each other and located at two opposite sides of the first flat surfaces, wherein a bottom end of the second flat surface is higher than a bottom end of the third flat surface, the two contact regions are respectively provided on the two first flat surfaces, and an upper end of the guide surface is connected to the bottom end of the second flat surface. 
     In certain embodiments, an oblique surface extends downward from the bottom end of the third flat surface, and the oblique surface is connected to the guide surface. 
     In certain embodiments, a lower end of the guide surface is connected to the bottom end of the third flat surface. 
     In certain embodiments, the second flat surface is provided with a mating region, and when each of the pins is inserted downward to the final position, the mating region is in contact with the corresponding one of the terminals. 
     In certain embodiments, the guide surface is connected to the two first flat surfaces. 
     Compared with the related art, the electrical connector assembly and plug according to certain embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: 
     The guide surface passes through the vertical center line of the insertion portion, prolonging the guiding path of the guide surface for guiding each pin to be inserted downward, such that the pins can be smoothly and correctly inserted, the terminals are not easily damaged, and each pin is more accurately in contact with the two clamping portions. 
     These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the following drawings, although variations and modifications therein may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of the disclosure and together with the written description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like elements of an embodiment, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective sectional view of a socket connector and a plug of the electrical connector assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a planar sectional view of the socket connector and the plug of the electrical connector assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective sectional view of the socket connector of the electrical connector assembly in  FIG. 1  according to the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  is a top view of a socket connector of the electrical connector assembly in  FIG. 3  according to the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the plug of the electrical connector assembly in  FIG. 1  being guided to be inserted into the socket connector along one direction according to the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the plug of the electrical connector assembly in  FIG. 5  being inserted to the final position and the socket connector along one direction according to the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the plug of the electrical connector assembly in  FIG. 6  being inserted to the final position with the socket connector along another direction according to the first embodiment. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a pin of the electrical connector assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a terminal of the electrical connector assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The present invention is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Various embodiments of the invention are now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Moreover, titles or subtitles may be used in the specification for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present invention. 
     It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom” and “upper” or “top,” may be used herein to describe one element&#39;s relationship to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the “lower” side of other elements would then be oriented on “upper” sides of the other elements. The exemplary term “lower”, can therefore, encompasses both an orientation of “lower” and “upper,” depending of the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below. 
     As used herein, “around”, “about” or “approximately” shall generally mean within 20 percent, preferably within 10 percent, and more preferably within 5 percent of a given value or range. Numerical quantities given herein are approximate, meaning that the term “around”, “about” or “approximately” can be inferred if not expressly stated. 
     As used herein, the terms “comprising”, “including”, “carrying”, “having”, “containing”, “involving”, and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. 
     The description will be made as to the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in  FIGS. 1-9 . In accordance with the purposes of this invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, this invention, in one aspect, relates to an electrical connector assembly and a plug. 
       FIG. 1  to  FIG. 7  show an electrical connector assembly  100  according to a first embodiment of the present invention, which includes a plug  200  and a socket connector  300  mated with the plug  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the plug  200  includes a body  1 , multiple pins  2  positioned on the body  1 , and multiple tin balls  3  correspondingly fixed to the pins  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the body  1  has a top surface  11  and a bottom surface  12  opposite to each other vertically, and multiple through slots  13  running through the top surface  11  and the bottom surface  12  vertically. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , each pin  2  is in a flat shape, and is accommodated in a corresponding through slot  13 . A recess  21  is downward concavely formed on a top end of the pin  2  to fix a corresponding tin ball  3  to be connected to an external electronic component (not shown). A bottom surface of the recess  21  is an arc-shaped surface matching the surface of the tin ball  3 . Two opposite sides of the pin  2  are provided with multiple barbs  22 , and the barbs  22  are in interference fit with the through slot  13  to fix the pin  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , each pin  2  has an insertion portion  23  extending from the bottom surface  12  of the body  1 . The side surface of the insertion portion  23  has two first flat surfaces  231  opposite to each other, and a second flat surface  232  and a third flat surface  233  opposite to each other, located on two opposite sides of the two first flat surfaces  231  and respectively connected to the two first flat surfaces  231 . A bottom end of the second flat surface  232  is higher than a bottom end of the third flat surface  233 . Each of the two first flat surfaces  231  is respectively provided with a contact region  2311 , and the second flat surface  232  is provided with a mating region  2321 . The insertion portion  23  defines a vertical center line  234 , which is a virtual line passing the center of the insertion portion  23 , and a horizontal distance from the vertical center line  234  to the second flat surface  232  is equal to a horizontal distance from the vertical center line  234  to the third flat surface  233 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 7 , the insertion portion  23  is provided with a guide surface  235  extending to a lowest position of the insertion portion  23 . The guide surface  235  is an oblique surface (or may alternatively be an arc surface in other embodiments). An upper end A of the guide surface  235  is connected to the bottom end of the second flat surface  232 , a lower end B of the guide surface  235  is connected to the bottom end of the third flat surface  233 , and two opposite sides of the guide surface  235  are connected to the two first flat surfaces  231 . The guide surface  235  passes through the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23 , and a horizontal distance from the upper end A of the guide surface  235  to the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23  is equal to a horizontal distance from the lower end B of the guide surface  235  to the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the pins  2  are equally divided into two groups. The guide surfaces  235  of the pins  2  in a same group extend in the same direction, and the guide surfaces  235  of two pins  2  in different groups extend in opposite directions. That is, the guide surfaces  235  of the two pins  2  in different groups are provided opposite to each other. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the socket connector  300  includes an insulating body  5  and multiple terminals  4  accommodated in the insulating body  5 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , each terminal  4  is provided with a base  41 . Two connecting portions  42  are formed by bending and extending from two opposite sides of the base  41 , and two clamping portions  421  are formed by extending downward from the two connecting portions  42  and close to each other. In an upward-from-bottom direction, the base  41  is inclined toward the two clamping portions  421 , such that when each pin  2  is inserted downward to the final position, the base  41  is in contact with the mating region  2321  of the pin  2 . A soldering portion  43  is connected to the bottom end of the base  41 . The soldering portion  43  is approximately in a C shape. Two stopping portions  431  extends upward from the soldering portion  43 . The two stopping portions  431  approach to each other along the upward-from-bottom direction. The soldering portion  43  clamps a solder  6  to be soldered with a circuit board (not shown), and the stopping portions  431  are configured to stop the solder  6  from excessively moving upward. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 6 , the terminals  4  are equally divided into a first group and a second group, and an inclination direction of the bases  41  of the terminals  4  in the first group is opposite to an inclination direction of the bases  41  of the terminals  4  in the second group. Therefore, when the pins  2  are in contact with the terminals  4 , a horizontal component force of the base  41  of a terminal  4  in the first group acting on the mating region  2321  of the corresponding pin  2  is offset by a horizontal component force of the base  41  of a terminal  4  in the second group acting on the mating region  2321  of the corresponding pin  2 , thereby preventing the pins  2  from being only subjected to a horizontal acting force in one direction during insertion, and ensuring the plug  200  to be smoothly inserted. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the insulating body  5  has an upper surface  51  and a lower surface  52 . The insulating body  5  is provided with multiple accommodating holes  53 , and the accommodating holes  53  run through the upper surface  51  and the lower surface  52  of the insulating body  5 . The terminals  4  are accommodated in the accommodating holes  53 . Each of the accommodating holes  53  has two opposite covering portions  531 . The upper end of the base  41  is exposed upward to the corresponding accommodating hole  53 , and the covering portions  531  cover the upper ends of the connecting portions  42 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , when the pins  2  are inserted downward into the accommodating holes  53 , the guide surface  235  of each pin  2  matches with and abuts the upper end of the base  41  of the corresponding terminal  4  and guides the pin  2  to move downward. The base  41  moves toward a side wall  532  of the corresponding accommodating hole  53  under the acting force of the pin  2 , such that a clearance between the base  41  and the side wall  532  of the corresponding accommodating hole  53  is reduced. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , when each pin  2  moves downward to the final position, the insertion portion  23  is completely accommodated in the corresponding accommodating hole  53 . The base  41  is in contact with the mating region  2321 , and the two clamping portions  421  clamp the two first flat surfaces  231  of the insertion portion  23  and are in contact with the two contact regions  2311 . The guide surface  235  is located below the contact regions  2311  and is not in contact with the corresponding terminal  4 . The pin  2  forms a three-point contact with the corresponding terminal  4  such that signal transmission becomes more stable. 
       FIG. 8  shows a pin  2  according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is different from the pin  2  in the first embodiment mainly in that the insertion portion  23  is provided with an oblique surface  236 . An upper end of the oblique surface  236  is connected to the bottom end of the third flat surface  233 , a lower end of the oblique surface  236  is connected to the lower end B of the guide surface  235 , and two opposite sides of the oblique surface  236  are connected to the two first flat surfaces  231 . The upper end of the oblique surface  236  is lower than the upper end A of the guide surface  235 , and the extension direction of the oblique surface  236  is opposite to the extension direction of the guide surface  235 . The guide surface  235  passes through the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23 , and a horizontal distance from the upper end A of the guide surface  235  to the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23  is greater than a horizontal distance from the lower end B of the guide surface  235  to the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23 . 
       FIG. 9  shows a terminal  4  according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is different from the terminal  4  in the first embodiment in that the base  41  of the terminal  4  is vertical, and is not in direct contact with the mating region  2321  of the corresponding pin  2 . Instead, the base  41  is provided with a through hole  411 , and a mating portion  44  is formed by bending from the upper end of the through hole  411  toward the two clamping portions  421  and extending downward, such when the corresponding pin  2  is inserted downward to the final position, the mating portion  44  is mated with the mating region  2321 . 
     In certain embodiments, the terminal  4  and the pin  2  as described in each of the embodiments as described above may be used to match with each other in any combination thereof. For example, the pin  2  as shown in  FIG. 8  may be matched with the terminal  4  as described in the first embodiment. Alternately, the terminal  4  as shown in  FIG. 9  may be matched with the pin  2  as described in the first embodiment. Alternately, the pin  2  as shown in  FIG. 8  may be matched with the terminal  4  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     To sum up, the electrical connector assembly  100  according to certain embodiments of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 
     (1) The guide surface  235  passes through the vertical center line  234  of the insertion portion  23 , prolonging the guiding path of the guide surface  235  for guiding each pin  2  to be inserted downward, such that the pins  2  can be smoothly and correctly inserted, the terminals  4  are not easily damaged, and each pin  2  is more accurately in contact with the two clamping portions  421 . 
     (2) The covering portions  531  cover the upper ends of the connecting portions  42 , preventing the pin  2  from colliding with the upper end of the connecting portions  42  and causing the damage of the connecting portions  42 . 
     (3) When each pin  2  is inserted downward to the final position, the two contact regions  2311  and the mating region  2321  of the pin  2  form a three-point contact with the corresponding terminal  4  such that the transmission signal becomes more stable. 
     The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. 
     The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and their practical application so as to activate others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein.