Patent Publication Number: US-9407028-B2

Title: Electrical connector housing having a protrusion with a recess to engage a fastener

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) to Chinese Patent Application No. 201320848522.8, dated Dec. 20, 2014, and to Chinese Patent Application No. 201420512075.3, dated Sep. 5, 2014. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more specifically, to an electrical connector assembly having a radiator. 
     BACKGROUND 
     During the operation of an electronic device, such as a high-speed electrical connector, generated heat often adversely affects the electrical performance of the electronic device. Conventionally, a radiator is mounted on a housing of the electronic device, so as to reduce the temperature of the electronic device by dissipating the generated heat. Often, the radiator is mounted on the connector housing through a fastening member, two ends of which are engaged to the connector housing in a hanging manner, so as to simplify the mounting operation. However, since the fastening member is engaged to the connector housing in a hanging manner, the radiator may be readily separated from the connector housing due to vibrational forces. Consequently, upon separation, the efficiency of heat dissipation is greatly reduced. 
     There is a need for an electrical connector assembly having a radiator connected to a connector housing, that is resistant to vibrational forces. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electrical connector assembly having a connector housing and a radiator securing member. The connector housing has at least one first protrusion formed with a locking tab receiving recess on a first stopping surface thereof. The radiator securing member has at least one first fastener engaged with the locking tab receiving recess of the first protrusion to connect the connector housing with the radiator securing member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector assembly; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of portion A in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a rear side of the connector assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of portion B in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view a housing of the connector assembly; 
         FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of portion C in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of portion D in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a radiator securing member; 
         FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of portion E in  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged view of portion B in  FIG. 3 , without the radiator; 
         FIG. 11  is an enlarged view of portion D in  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a radiator securing member; and 
         FIG. 13  is an enlarged view of portion E′ in  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
     Further, in the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Further, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an electrical connector assembly  100  includes: a connector housing  1  and a radiator securing member  3 . The connector housing  1  may be formed from stainless steel material or hard plastic material. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 4 and 7 , the connector housing  1  has at least one first protrusion  12  formed with a first stopping surface on which a locking tab receiving recess  121  is formed. In the embodiments of  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the radiator securing member  3  has at least one first fastener  33  with a protrusion, which engages the first stopping surface of a corresponding first protrusion  12  to connect the connector housing  1  to the radiator securing member  3 . In this way, the locking tab receiving recess  121  of the first protrusion  12  is engaged with the first fastener  33  to prevent the first fastener  33  from being separated from the first protrusion  12 . Therefore, the first fastener  33  is securely connected to the first protrusion  12  of the connector housing  1 , and the reliable connection between the connector housing  1  and the radiator securing member  3  is established. 
     In an embodiment, the connector housing  1  includes a second protrusion  14  positioned a distance from the first protrusion  12  on the same side of the connector housing  1 . When the radiator securing member  3  is connected to the connector housing  1 , a portion of the first fastener  33  is positioned between the first protrusion  12  and the second protrusion  14 . The second protrusion  14  has a second stopping surface  141  facing the first stopping surface, and being positioned to prevent the first fastener  33  from being separated from the locking tab receiving recess  121 . 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 4 and 7-9 , the first fastener  33  has a locking tab  333 , which may be inserted into the locking tab receiving recess  121 , with the second stopping surface  141  being positioned so as to prevent the locking tab  333  from being separated from the locking tab receiving recess  121 . In this way, the first fastener  33  is securely connected to the first protrusion  12  of the connector housing  1 , and a reliable connection between the connector housing  1  and the radiator securing member  3  is established. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the connector housing  1  forms a housing of an electronic device. 
     In an embodiment, the electrical connector assembly  100  includes a radiator  2  positioned on an outside of the connector housing  1 . The radiator securing member  3  connects the radiator  2  to the connector housing  1 . 
     In an embodiment, the connector housing  1  includes a plurality of first fixtures  11 . In an embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the radiator securing member  3  further comprises at least one securing member body  31 , the first fastener  33  being positioned at a first end of the securing member body  31  when the radiator securing member  3  is engaged with the connector housing  1 ; and at least one second fastener  32  positioned on a second end of the securing member body  31 , opposite to the first fastener  33  and engaged to the corresponding first fixture  11 . In an embodiment, the radiator securing member  3  has two securing member bodies  31  extending approximately parallel from a front side end proximate to a second fastener  32  to a rear side end proximate to the first fastener  33 . One portion of each radiator  2  is engaged to the connector housing  1  between the second fastener  32  and the first fastener  33 . In this way, unless the locking tab  333  is disengaged from the locking tab receiving recess  121 , the first fastener  33  cannot be separated from the first protrusion  12 . Thus, the first fastener  33  and the first protrusion  12  are securely engaged with each other in locking manner. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 1 and 5 , when the electronic device is an electrical connector, the connector housing  1  has a substantially cuboid shape, with a plurality of mating connector receiving spaces positioned on a front side for receiving a mating electrical connector, and a housing base thereof includes a plurality of pins  13  mounted to a mounting apparatus, such as a circuit board. 
     In an embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an electrical connector assembly  100  includes the first fixture  11  positioned on a upper surface of the connector housing  1 , for example, at a position proximate to the front side end of the upper surface of the connector housing  1 . 
     In an embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the first protrusion  12  is positioned on a side surface of the connector housing  1 , for example, at the rear side surface opposite to the front side surface. The radiator  2  is firstly placed on the upper surface of the connector housing  1 . The radiator  2  is then secured to the upper surface of the connector housing  1  by the securing member body  31  of the radiator securing member  3 , where the second fastener  32  engages the first fixture  11 . The second fastener  32  is formed by bending a portion of the securing member body  31  towards the connector housing  1  to form, for example, a barb-like shape. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 2 and 6 , the first fixture  11  is elastically deformable, and protrudes outward from the upper surface of the connector housing  1 . The second fastener  32  is connected to the elastic first fixture  11 , such that the first fixture  11  is securely connected to the second fastener  32  of the radiator securing member  3 . 
     In an embodiment, the first fixture  11  may be an opening formed on the upper surface of the connector housing  1 , and the second fastener  32 , as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , may be directly positioned in the first fixture  11  opening. In another embodiment, the second fastener  32  engages an edge of the first fixture  11  opening, which is positioned on the upper surface of the connector housing  1 , proximate to the front side. 
     In an embodiment of  FIG. 7 , the first protrusion  12  extends outward from the rear side surface of the connector housing  1 , and includes the locking tab receiving recess  121  facing away from the upper surface of the connector housing  1 . In the embodiments of  FIGS. 3, 8 and 9 , the first fastener  33  of the radiator securing member  3  extends downwards perpendicular to the securing member body  31  along, for example, the rear side surface of the connector housing  1 . The first fastener  33  further includes a locking tab  333 , which may be inserted into the locking tab receiving recess  121 . 
     In an embodiment, the first fastener  33  includes a substantially flat portion  331  orthogonally extending from the rear facing end of the securing member body  31 , a projection receiving opening  332  is formed on the flat portion  331  and having a substantially rectangle shape with closed periphery, and a terminating end portion  334  extending from the projection receiving opening  332 . The locking tab  333  is positioned on a flat portion facing edge of the terminating end portion  334 , and extends into the projection receiving opening  332 . 
     The distance between the first stopping surface and the second stopping surface  141  is less than a total width W of the terminating end portion  334 . The total width W comprises the width of the terminating end portion  334  plus a length by which the locking tab  333  extends into the projection receiving opening  332  from the edge of the terminating end portion  334 . In this way, the second stopping surface  141  of the second protrusion  14  may prevent the locking tab  333  from being disengaged from the locking tab receiving recess  121  of the first protrusion  12 . When the first fastener  33  is engaged to the first protrusion  12 , the first fastener  33  may slightly deform so as to engage the locking tab  333  to the locking tab receiving recess  121  in snap-fitting manner. 
     In an embodiment, the terminating end portion  334  is a notch formed on the substantially flat portion  331  of the first fastener  33  and recessed inwards from one side of the flat portion  331 . 
     In an embodiment of  FIG. 8 , the securing member body  31  includes elastic flanges  311  extending towards the upper surface of the connector housing  1  when the securing member body  31  is connected to the connector housing  1 . In this way, when the radiator  2  is mounted on the connector housing  1  by the radiator securing member  3 , the securing member body  31  may produce an elastic force so as to tightly hold the radiator  2  on the connector housing  1 . Furthermore, the radiator securing member  3  also includes a securing member connecting arm  34  connected to the rear side ends of two parallel securing member bodies  31 , and a securing member connecting arm  34  connected to the front side ends of the two parallel securing member bodies  31 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , a plurality of fins  21  of the radiator  2  are positioned between the two securing member bodies  31 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , a substantially rectangle frame with a central radiator fin receiving opening is formed between the two adjacent securing member bodies  31  and two securing member connecting arms  34 . One of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the radiator securing member  3  may be constructed as the rectangle frame with one opening, as shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 8 , or may be constructed as the rectangle frame with a plurality of openings, or may be constructed as a strip-type structure only including one securing member body  31 , one second fastener  32  and one first fastener  33 . 
     To mount the radiator  2  on the connector housing  1 , firstly, the radiator  2  is positioned on the upper surface of the connector housing  1 . Next, the second fastener  32  of the radiator securing member  3  engages the elastic portion of the first fixture  11  of the connector housing  1 . The securing member bodies  31  of the radiator securing member  3  extend over a edge portions of the radiator  2 , and the flat portion  331  of the first fastener  33  is positioned along the rear side surface of the connector housing  1 . The securing member body  31  of the radiator securing member  3  is then pressed downward towards the connector housing  1 , such that the projection receiving opening  332  and the locking tab  333  of the first fastener  33  pass over the first protrusion  12 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the locking tab  333  slightly deforms as it passes over the first protrusion  12 . The locking tab  333  is then received into the locking tab receiving recess  121  of the first protrusion  12  in the snap-fitting manner, due to the elastic force of the elastic flanges  311  of the securing member bodies  31 . Since the predetermined distance between the first stopping surface and the second stopping surface  141  is slightly less than the total width W of the terminating end portion  334 , the locking tab  333  will not disengage from the locking tab receiving recess  121 . In this way, even in the presence of vibrational forces, the first fastener  33  will remain connected to the first protrusion  12 . Consequently, the radiator  2  is reliably fixed and connected to the connector housing  1  of the electronic device, ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency of the radiator  2 . 
     To remove a fixed radiator  2  from the connector housing  1 , the securing member body  31  of the radiator securing member  3  first is pressed downward towards the connector housing  1 . The securing member body  31  elastically bends downward at the location where it is pressed, with the rear and front end sides consequently being deflected upward. As the rear side end of the radiator securing member  3  deflects upward, the locking tab  333  disengages from the locking tab receiving recess  121  as the flat portion  331  of the first fastener  33  moves away from the rear side surface of the connector housing  1 . The first fastener  33  is therefore disengaged from the first protrusion  12 , thus detaching the radiator securing member  3  from the connector housing  1 . The radiator  2  can subsequently be removed. 
     In the embodiments of  FIGS. 10-13 , a connection between a first fastener  33 ′ and the first protrusion  12  are shown. Components in  FIGS. 10-13  which are the same as those of  FIGS. 4 and 7-9  are indicated by the same reference number. Hereinafter, only the structures different from  FIGS. 4 and 7-9  will be described in reference to  FIGS. 10-13 . Referring to  FIGS. 10-13 , the locking tab receiving recess  121  of the first protrusion  12  includes a stopping portion  122  extending perpendicular to the first stopping surface of the first protrusion  12 , from a top portion of the first stopping surface to the first fastener  33 ′. 
     The first fastener  33 ′ includes the substantially flat portion  331  and the projection receiving opening  332  formed on the flat portion  331 . The first protrusion  12  is inserted through the projection receiving opening  332  and the first stopping surface of the first protrusion  12  abuts a lower side edge of the projection receiving opening  332 . A terminating end portion  334 ′ extends from the flat portion  331 , from the lower side edge of the projection receiving opening  332 . The stopping portion  122  extending over the upper portion of the terminating end portion  334 ′ so as to prevent the terminating end portion  334 ′ from being separated from the stopping portion  122  of the first protrusion  12 , thereby securely engaging the first fastener  33 ′ and the first protrusion  12 . 
     In an embodiment, the connector housing  1  includes the second protrusion  14 , wherein, the terminating end portion  334 ′ of the first fastener  33  is positioned between the first protrusion  12  and the second protrusion  14 . The second protrusion  14  includes a second stopping surface  141  facing the first stopping surface  121  to prevent the terminating end portion  334 ′ from being separated from the stopping portion  122 . In an embodiment, a predetermined distance between the end of the stopping portion  122  and the second stopping surface  141  is slightly smaller than the width of the terminating end portion  334 ′ (see width W in the embodiment of  FIG. 9 . In this way, the second stopping surface  141  of the second protrusion  14  may reliably prevent the terminating end portion  334 ′ from becoming separated from the stopping portion  122 . When the first fastener  33 ′ is engaged to the first protrusion  12 , the terminating end portion  334 ′ of the first fastener  33 ′ and/or the stopping portion  122  may slightly deform, such that the terminating end portion  334 ′ is engaged to the lower portion of stopping portion  122  in a snap-fit manner. 
     To mount the radiator  2  to the connector housing  1 , firstly, the radiator  2  is positioned on the upper surface of the connector housing  1 . Next, the second fastener  32  of the radiator securing member  3  engages the elastic portion the first fixture  11  of the connector housing  1 . The securing member bodies  31  of the radiator securing member  3  extend over edge portions of the radiator  2 , and the flat portion  331  of the first fastener  33 ′ is positioned along the rear side surface of the connector housing  1 . The securing member body  31  of the radiator securing member  3  is then pressed downward towards the connector housing  1 , such that the projection receiving opening  332  and the terminating end portion  334 ′ of the first fastener  33 ′ pass over the first protrusion  12 . 
     In an embodiment of  FIG. 10 , the terminating end portion  334 ′, as well as the stopping portion  122 , slightly deform as they pass over the first protrusion  12 . The first protrusion  12  then rests against the lower portion of the stopping portion  122 , and the radiator securing member  3  is accordingly secured to the connector housing  1  in the snap-fitting manner due to the elastic force exerted by the elastic flanges  331 . Since the predetermined distance between the end of the stopping portion  122  and the second stopping surface  141  is slightly less than the total width W of the terminating end portion  334 ′, the terminating end portion  334 ′ will not disengage from the stopping portion  122 . In this way, even in the presence of vibrational forces, the first fastener  33 ′ will remain connected to the first protrusion  12 . Consequently, the radiator  2  is reliably fixed and connected on the connector housing  1  of the electronic device, ensuring the heat dissipation efficiency of the radiator  2 . 
     To remove a fixed radiator  2  from the connector housing, the securing member body  31  of the radiator securing member  3  is first pressed downwards toward the connector housing  1 . The securing member body  31  elastically bends downward at the location where it is pressed, with the rear and front end sides consequently being deflected upward. As the rear side end of the radiator securing member  3  deflects upward, the terminating end portion  334 ′ disengages from the stopping portion  122  as the flat portion  331  of the first fastener  33 ′ is displaced away from the rear side surface of the connector housing  1 . The first fastener  33 ′ is therefore disengaged from the first protrusion  12 , thus detaching the radiator securing member  3  from the connector housing  1 . The radiator  2  can subsequently be removed. 
     Although the above described embodiments disclose an electric connector as an electronic device, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the electronic device may be any kind of device generating heat, such as a photoelectric transducer, a reader for reading a memory device, an electronic assembly for packaging electronic components, such as CPU, amplifier, and the like. 
     It should be appreciated for those of ordinary skill in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle, so as to implement many kinds of connector assemblies on the basis of solving the technical problems of the present invention. 
     Further, one of ordinary skill in the art can readily understand that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the attached claims and their equivalents. The present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth in the description.