Patent Publication Number: US-9431735-B2

Title: Plug connector, receptacle connector and electrical connector assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates to a plug connector, a receptacle connector and an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to a plug connector and a receptacle connector being mated together and to an electrical connector assembly having improved components, being capable of providing a stable hold. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     At present, a connector mainly includes a housing and a plurality of terminals. The connector is mounted on a circuit board for being mated with a complementary connector. By the terminals of the two connectors contacting with each other, the two connectors form an electrical transmission therebetween. Sometimes, the connector is assembled with a hollow waterproof ring ringing at outside of the mating position thereof. The hollow waterproof ring is provided to prevent water from being flow into the circuit board. However, when the two connectors do not contact with each other stably, the waterproof ring cannot be in effect valid effective. 
     It is desirable to provide an improved plug connector, receptacle connector and electrical connector assembly for solving above problems. 
     SUMMARY 
     In one aspect, the present invention includes a plug connector for mating with a receptacle connector. The plug connector comprises a plug housing and a plurality of plug contacts retained in the plug housing. The plug housing has a mating portion with a mating surface. The mating portion is formed with a ring-like projection forwardly protruding from the mating surface, and the extension length of the ring-like projection is different from top to bottom. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a receptacle connector for mating with a plug connector, comprises a receptacle housing and a plurality of receptacle contacts retained in the receptacle housing. The receptacle housing defines a receiving space opening forwardly and a jointing surface at an inner side of the receiving space. Besides, the receptacle connector further includes a waterproof plate received in the receiving space and keeping close to the joint surface. 
     In a third aspect of the present invention, a connector assembly includes a plug connector and a receptacle. The plug connector includes a plug housing and a number of plug contacts retained in the plug housing. The plug housing has a mating portion with a mating surface. The receptacle connector includes a receptacle housing and a plurality of receptacle contacts retained in the receptacle housing. The receptacle housing defines a receiving space opening forwardly and a jointing surface at an inner side of the receiving space. Besides, the connector assembly further includes a waterproof plate sandwiched between the mating surface and the jointing surface as the plug connector mating with the receptacle connector. 
     The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The components in the drawing are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the described embodiments. In the drawings, reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout various views, and all the views are schematic. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a connector assembly in accordance with an illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a back view of the connector assembly as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly taken along line A-A of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a plug connector of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a similar to  FIG. 4 , but viewed from another aspect; 
         FIG. 6  is a plug contact of the plug connector shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a receptacle connector of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a similar to  FIG. 7 , but viewed from another aspect; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly taken along line B-B of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a partially exploded view of the receptacle connector shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a waterproof plate of the receptacle connector shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail. In the following description, the same drawing reference numerals are used for the same elements in different drawings. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 7 , an illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a connector assembly  100  comprises a plug connector  10  and a receptacle connector  20  mating with each other, and a waterproof plate  30  retained in the receptacle connector  20 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 , the plug connector  10  comprises a plug housing  1  and a plurality of plug contacts  201  retained in the plug housing  1 . The plug housing  1  has a body  11 , a plug spacer  12  attached to the plug housing  1 , a mating portion  13  forwardly extending from the body  11  and a latch  14  formed on an upper side of the mating portion  13 . 
     The body  11  has a main portion  111 , a pair of side walls  112  backwardly extending from two sides of the main portion  111 , and a retaining room  113  formed between the main portion  111  and the side walls  112 . The plug spacer  12  is assembled in a lower side of the retaining room  113 , and defines a plurality of holes  122  to position the plug contacts  201 . The side walls  112  define a pair of elongated slots  115  to receive and retain two sides of the plug spacer  12 . 
     The mating portion  13  has a mating surface  131  toward the receptacle connector  20 , a ring-like projection  133  forwardly protruding from edges of the mating surface  131 , a pair of side surfaces  132 , an upper surface  136 , a lower surface  137 , a plurality of blocks  135  outwardly extending from the side surfaces  132  and lower surface  137 , and a pair of guiding ribs  1361  upwardly from two sides of the upper surface  136 . The guiding ribs  1361  extend along a front to back direction. 
     The extension length of the ring-like projection  133  is different from top to bottom, and concretely, in the present embodiment, The extension length of the ring-like projection  133  is increased from top to bottom, which can balance out stress between the plug connector  10  and the receptacle connector  20  when they are mated with each other, and provide a stable connection between the plug connector  10  and the receptacle connector  20 . The ring-like projection  133  has front end surface  1331 , inner surface  1332  and transitional inclined surface  1333  connecting the front end surface  1331  and the inner surface  1332 . The inclined surface  1333  has an upper portion  1334  and a lower portion  1335  facing to each other, and a middle portion  1336  connecting two sides of the upper portion  1334  and the lower portions  1335 . The angle between the upper portion  1334  and the inner surface  1332  is different from that between the lower portion  1335  and the inner surface  1332 , and concretely, in the present embodiment, the angle between the upper portion  1334  and the inner surface  1332  is larger than that between the lower portion  1335  and the inner surface  1332 . 
     Besides, the mating portion  13  defines a plurality of contact slots  134  extending along the front to back direction, and a number of heat dissipation holes  139  corresponding to the contact slots  134 . The heat dissipation holes  139  extend through the mating surface  131  and communicate with the contact slots  134 . 
     The latch  14  is located between the guiding ribs  1361 , and has a pair of spring arms  141  located above the upper surface  136 , a pair of connection portions  142  connecting front ends of the spring arms  141  and the upper surface  136 , and a cantilever  143  connecting rear ends of the pair of spring arms  141 . The spring arms  141  parallel to each other, and space apart to the upper surface  136  along an up to down direction. The floating space between the spring arm  141  and the upper surface  136  is increased from front to back. The upper surface  136  defines a depression  138  under the spring arms  141  to increase the floating space to the spring arms  141 . The spring arms  141  define a space  145  therebetween. Each spring arm  141  is formed with a limiting block  1412  at top thereof, a locking protrusion  1411  at internal of the limiting block  1412 , and a gap  1413  between the limiting block  1412  and the locking protrusion  1411 . The limiting block  1412  extends along the front to back direction. The locking protrusion  1411  has an inclined guiding surface  1414  at a front side thereof. The cantilever  143  has a first ladder portion  1431  and a second ladder portion  1432 . The second ladder portion  1432  is located behind the first ladder portion  1431  and higher than the first ladder portion  1431 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3, 5 and 6 , each plug contact  201  has a first retaining portion  2011 , a first contact portion  2012  forwardly extending from a front end of the first retaining portion  2011  and a first soldering portion  2013  extending from a rear end of the first retaining portion  2011 . The retaining portion  2011  has a spring tab  2014  backwardly extending from a lower side thereof. Each of the heat dissipation holes  139  is formed with a projection  1391  upwardly extending to abut against a rear end of the spring tab  2014 . The first contact portion  2012  is rectangular and exposed in the contact slot  134  to electrically connect with the receptacle connector  20 . The first soldering portions  2013  are positioned by the plug spacer  12 , which can prevent adjacent first soldering portions  2013  from contacting with each other. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1, 3, 7 to 10 , the receptacle connector  20  comprises a receptacle housing  21 , a plurality of receptacle contacts  230  retained in the receptacle housing  21 , and a receptacle spacer  22 . 
     The receptacle housing  21  defines a receiving space  211  surrounded by an upper wall  213 , a lower wall  214 , a pair of side walls (not labeled) and a rear wall  210 , three extension blocks  215  downwardly extending from the upper wall  213 , and two resisting blocks  216  between adjacent extension blocks  215 . The receiving space  211  opens forwardly. The resisting blocks  216  are thinner than the extension blocks  215  along the up to down direction. Each of the resisting blocks  216  defines a locking groove (not labeled) at a lower side thereof. The rear wall  210  has a jointing surface  212  at a rear inner side of the receiving space  211  and exposed to the receiving space  211 , and a rear surface  218  opposite to the jointing surface  212 . The rear wall  210  defines a plurality of contact holes  219  extending through the jointing surface  212  and the rear surface  218 . 
     When the receptacle connector  20  mates with the plug connector  10 , two external extension blocks  215  are received between the spring arms  141  and the guiding ribs  1361 , and one internal extension block  215  is received in the space  145  between two spring arms  141 , the locking protrusion  1411  locks with the locking groove of the resisting block  216 . 
     The receptacle housing  21  defines a rear cavity  24  at a rear side of the rear wall  210 . The receptacle spacer  22  is retained in the rear cavity  24 . The receptacle spacer  22  has a platy portion  222  and a plurality of position posts  223  forwardly extending from the platy portion  222 . The platy portion  222  defines a number of through holes  221  corresponding to the contact holes  219 . The position posts  223  are positioned to the rear wall  210 . 
     Each receptacle contact  230  has a second contact portion  231  received in the receiving space  211 , a second retaining portion  232  backwardly extending from a rear end of the second contact portion  231  and a second soldering portion  233  extending from the second retaining portion  232 . The second retaining portions  232  extend through the contact holes  219  and the through holes  221 , and are retained therein. The second retaining portions  232  are formed with barbs  234  sandwiched between the rear wall  210  and the receptacle spacer  22 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 11 , the waterproof plate  30  is retained in the receiving space  211  and keep close to the jointing surface  212  in the present embodiment. The waterproof pate  30  is made of elastic material, and has a base  32  and a plurality of protrusions  33  outwardly extending from the base  32 . The upper wall  213 , lower wall  214  and side walls define a plurality of recesses  25  to engage with the protrusions  33 . The base  32  defines a plurality of holes  34  provided for the second contact portions  231  extending there through. When the receptacle connector  20  mates with the plug connector  10 , the waterproof plate  30  is sandwiched between the jointing surface  212  and the mating surface  131 . 
     As described above, when the plug connector  10  mates with the receptacle connector  20 , the ring-like projection  133  with different extension length from top to bottom or the waterproof plate  30  with different thickness can balance out the stress between the latch  14  and the resisting blocks  216 , which can assure the stable connection between the plug connector  10  and the receptacle connector  20 . Of course, in an alternative embodiment, either the ring-like projection  133  with different extension length from top to bottom or the waterproof plate  30  with different thickness is selected to be provided on the plug connector  10  or the receptacle connector  20  only, which also can be achieve above effect. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of preferred and exemplary embodiments have been set out in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only; and that changes may be made in detail within the principles of present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broadest general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.