Patent Publication Number: US-2015064973-A1

Title: Connector assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201310386717.X filed on Aug. 30, 2013 in the China Intellectual Property Office, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     FIELD 
     The subject matter herein generally relates to a connector assembly with a protecting cover. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Connectors are widely used on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and cable assemblies. A connector can include an inserting portion and multiple connecting lines extending from the inserting portion. The multiple connecting lines can be exposed from the connector. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a connector assembly, the connector assembly comprising a protecting cover. 
         FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but viewed from another aspect. 
         FIG. 3  is an isometric perspective view of the protecting cover of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is an assembled perspective view of the connector assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is an assembled perspective view of the connector assembly of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features. The description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. 
     Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented. 
     The term “coupled” is defined as connected, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and is not necessarily limited to physical connections. The connection can be such that the objects are permanently connected or releasably connected. The term “outside” refers to a region that is beyond the outermost confines of a physical object. The term “inside” indicates that at least a portion of a region is partially contained within a boundary formed by the object. The term “substantially” is defined to be essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape or other word that substantially modifies, such that the component need not be exact. For example, substantially cylindrical means that the object resembles a cylinder, but can have one or more deviations from a true cylinder. The term “comprising” means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in a so-described combination, group, series and the like. 
     The present disclosure is described in relation to a connector assembly including a connecting body and a protecting cover. The connecting body includes an accommodating portion. The accommodating portion defines a number of accommodating holes. The accommodating portion includes an accommodating body. The accommodating body includes two first sidewalls and two second sidewalls. At least one of the two first sidewalls defines a number of receiving openings. The protecting cover includes a top plate, a front plate extending from the top plate, and two side plates. The top plate, the front plate, and the two side plates cooperatively define an accommodating space. A number of cutouts are defined in the front plate. When the protecting cover covers the accommodating body, the cutouts are aligned to the receiving openings of one side of the accommodating space, and a number of cables can pass through the connector assembly via the number of cutouts and the number of receiving openings. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate an embodiment of a connector assembly. The connector assembly includes a connecting body  10 , and a protecting cover  50  mounted to the connecting body  10 . 
     The connecting body  10  includes an accommodating portion  30  and an inserting portion  40 . The accommodating portion  30  includes an accommodating body  31 , two clamping blocks  32 , two locking blocks  33 , and a stopping block  35 . The accommodating body  31  includes two first sidewalls  310 , and two second sidewalls  312  substantially perpendicularly connected to the two first sidewalls  310 . One clamping block  32  and one locking block  33  are located on one second sidewall  312 , and the other clamping block  32  and the other locking block  33  are located on the other second sidewall  312 . The stopping block  35  protrudes from one of the two first sidewalls  310 . In one embodiment, the two first sidewalls  310  are substantially parallel to each other, and the two second sidewalls  312  are substantially parallel to each other. 
     A number of receiving openings  311  and a number of accommodating holes  316  are defined in the accommodating portion  30 . The accommodating holes  316  extend all the way through opposite ends of the accommodating portion  30 , and the receiving openings  311  are defined in top portions of the two first sidewalls  310 . The receiving openings  311  extend to the corresponding accommodating holes  316 . In the illustrated embodiment, two receiving openings  311 , one defined in each sidewall  310 , correspond to each accommodating hole  316 . The accommodating holes  316  are configured to receive a number of cables  20 . 
     Each clamping block  32  includes an elastic portion  320  substantially perpendicularly extending from the corresponding second sidewall  312 , a connecting portion  322  substantially perpendicularly connected to the elastic portion  320 , a hook portion  324  extending toward the corresponding second sidewall  312  from the connecting portion  322 , and an operation portion  326  extending from the connecting portion  322 . In one embodiment, the connecting portions  322  are substantially parallel to the two second sidewalls  312 . A receiving slot  328  is defined between the connecting portion  322  and the corresponding second sidewall  312 . 
     The inserting portion  40  includes a connecting body  41 , and two resisting blocks  43  extending from the connecting body  41 . One resisting block  43  extends from one side of the connecting body  41 , and the other resisting block  43  extends from the other side of the connecting body  41 . A receiving space  42  is defined in the connecting body  41 . The receiving space  42  extends all the way through opposite ends of the connecting body  41 . A resisting opening  44  is defined in an upper portion of one side of the connecting body  41 . The resisting opening  44  extends to the receiving space  42 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates that the protecting cover  50  includes a top plate  51 , a front plate  52 , a back plate  53  substantially perpendicularly connected to the top plate  51 , and two side plates  54  substantially perpendicularly connected to the front plate  52  and the back plate  53 . A number of cutouts  55  is defined in the front plate  52 . Each cutout  55  corresponds to one of the receiving openings  311 . A locking hole  56  is defined in each side plate  54 . Each locking hole  56  corresponds to one of the two locking blocks  33 . An accommodating space  57  is defined between the front plate  52  and the back plate  53 . Each cutout  55  extends to the accommodating space  57 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , in assembly, the accommodating body  31  of the accommodating portion  30  is first partially received into the receiving space  42  of the inserting portion  40 . The operation portions  326  of the two clamping blocks  32  are pressed toward the two second sidewalls  312 , causing the elastic portions  320  to elastically deform and move the hook portions  324  away from the two second sidewalls  312 . The accommodating body  31  is further received into the receiving space  42  until the hook portions  324  pass over the corresponding resisting blocks  43 . The resisting blocks  43  are received in the corresponding receiving slots  328 . The operation portions  326  are released, causing the elastic portions  320  to elastically return to the original positions. When the elastic portions  320  elastically return, the hook portions  324  latch to the corresponding resisting blocks  43 . 
     The stopping block  35  is received in the resisting opening  44  and resists against a bottom edge of the resisting opening  44 . The cables  20  are inserted into the corresponding accommodating holes  316 . The cables  20  are bent to pass through the corresponding receiving openings  311 . The protecting cover  50  covers the accommodating portion  30 , such that a portion of the accommodating portion  30  is received in the accommodating space  57 . 
     The locking blocks  33  protrude through the corresponding locking holes  56  of the protecting cover  50 , thereby latching the protecting cover  50  to the accommodating portion  30 . When the protecting cover  50  is assembled to the accommodating portion  30 , the cutouts  55  are aligned to the receiving openings  311  of one first sidewall  310 . The cables  20  extend out of the protecting cover  50  via the corresponding receiving openings  311  and the corresponding cutouts  55 . 
     The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the detail, including in matters of shape, size and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure up to, and including, the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims.