Patent Publication Number: US-8123570-B2

Title: Displayport structure

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a connector, in particular to a DisplayPort structure capable of transmitting high-resolution digital audio and video signals to a display device. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The VESA DisplayPort standard was developed by the PC and digital electric appliance industries as the next generation digital image transmission interface to replace the present existing PC image transmission interfaces such as the low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), DVI and VGA and provide an internal/external high-bandwidth digital image (including audio and video) transmission function. 
     In general, a DisplayPort connector includes a base, a plurality of conductive pins, and a metal casing. In a manufacturing process, a thin metal sheet is stamped to produce the conductive pins. After the base made of a plastic material is formed in an injection molding process, the conductive pins are combined with the base, or the conductive pins are placed into a mold and then integrally formed with the base by the injection molding process, such that an end of each conductive pin is fixed onto a tongue plate of the base, and another end of each conductive pin is extended to the exterior of the metal casing after the base is assembled with the metal casing. 
     Since the base and the conductive pins of the DisplayPort connector are manufactured separately, small flexible pillar-shaped objects will be produced after the conductive pins are formed by the stamping process, and thus it is uneasy to install the DisplayPort connector into a pin slot of the base. If the conductive pins are placed into the mold and integrally formed with the base by the injection molding process, and the conductive pins and the base are not connected closely enough, ends of the conductive pins may be warped slightly, such that after a plug of an external DisplayPort transmission line is inserted, the conductive pins may be crooked or unable to contact with the pins in the plug of the DisplayPort transmission line, and thus resulting in a failure of transmitting electric signals. 
     If an electronic component is installed or added inside the DisplayPort connector or an electronic circuit (including a circuit board) is expanded inside the DisplayPort connector, the conventional DisplayPort connector has very limited internal space, such that the electronic component or electronic circuit cannot be added, or after the electronic circuit (including a circuit board) is added into the DisplayPort connector directly, the DisplayPort connector becomes larger and incompatible with the use of other mainboards. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In view of the aforementioned shortcomings, the present invention adopts the design of using the copper foil circuits on the circuit board to replace the conventional conductive pins formed by the stamping process and allowing manufacturers to add electronic components or electronic circuits by manufacturing them on the same circuit board to make the manufacture of the DisplayPort connector easier and simpler. 
     To achieve the foregoing objective, the present invention provides a DisplayPort structure comprising: 
     a base, having a containing space defined therein, a retaining wall formed at a front end of the containing space, and an opening formed on the retaining wall, and the base further including two symmetric support arms extended from the retaining walls on both side of the opening separately, two ribs formed on both sidewalls of the containing space separately, and a slideway formed between the two ribs, and the base further including a bottom tray extended from the bottom of the retaining wall, a gap formed between the retaining wall and the bottom tray, a protruding pillar disposed on a back side of the bottom tray, and an engaging portion disposed at the bottom of both sidewalls of the containing space separately; 
     a circuit board, installed in the containing space, and having a plurality of conductive pins made of copper foils, a transmission line segment extended from an end of the conductive pin, and a soldering hole formed at an end of the transmission line segment and provided for soldering the conductive terminal; 
     a chassis, having a tray portion coupled onto the base, a retaining portion bent from an end of the tray portion and coupled to a rear side of the base, a plurality of through holes formed on the tray portion and provided for passing the conductive terminals out of the through holes respectively, and a bump formed separately on both lateral sides of the tray portion and coupled to the engaging portion; 
     a casing, mounted onto the exterior of the base, and having a hollow main body, a port formed at a front end of the main body, a plurality of arc-shaped retaining plates coupled to the periphery of the port, a folding plate disposed at an end of the hollow main body for preventing the base from being loosened after the base is assembled into the main body and the folding plate is bent, and a group of pins extended from a lateral side of the main body and provided for electrically coupling or fixing the main body with a mainboard of an electronic device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is another bottom view of a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic view of using a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is another schematic view of using a DisplayPort of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of using a DisplayPort of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic view of using a DisplayPort of another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The technical characteristics and contents of the present invention will become apparent with the following detailed description accompanied with related drawings. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 3  for an exploded view and bottom views of a DisplayPort structure of the present invention respectively, the DisplayPort structure comprises a base  1 , a circuit board  2 , a chassis  3  and a casing  4 . 
     The base  1  is made of an insulating material and includes a containing space  11 , a retaining wall  12  formed at a front end of the containing space  11 , an opening  13  formed on the retaining wall  12 , and two symmetric support arms  14  extended outwardly from the retaining wall  12  on both sides of the opening  13 . In addition, two ribs  15  are formed on each of both sidewalls of the containing space  11 , and a slideway  16  is formed between the two ribs  15  and provided for inserting the circuit board  2  and sliding the circuit board  2  out of the opening  13 , and the circuit board  2  passed out of the opening  13  is supported by the two support arms  14 . A bottom tray  17  is extended from the bottom of the retaining wall  12 , and a gap  18  is formed between the retaining wall  12  and the bottom tray  14  and provided for inserting the bottom of the port  42  of the casing  4 . A protruding pillar  19  is disposed on the back side of the bottom tray  17  and provided for fixing the connection port on a mainboard (not shown in the figure) of an electronic device. An engaging portion  10  is disposed on both sidewalls of the containing space  11  separately and provided for assembling and coupling the chassis  3 . 
     The circuit board  2  is installed in the containing space and has a front side  21 , a back side  22 , and a plurality of conductive pins (or goldfingers)  23  made of copper foils and disposed between the front side  21  and the back side  22 , wherein a transmission line segment  24  is extended from an end of the conductive pin  23 , and a soldering hole  25  is formed at an end of the transmission line segment  24  and provided for soldering with the conductive terminal  26 . 
     The chassis  3  is an L-shaped object made of an insulating material and includes a tray portion  31  coupled to the base  1 , and a retaining portion  32  is bent from an end of the tray portion  31  and coupled to a rear side of the base  1 . In addition, the tray portion  31  includes a plurality of through holes  33  for passing the conductive terminal  26  out of the through holes  33 , and a bump  34  formed on both sides of the tray portion  31  separately and coupled to the engaging portion  10 . 
     The casing  4  is made of a metal material and includes a hollow main body  41 , a port  42  formed at a front end of the main body  41  and provided for inserting a plug (not shown in the figure) of a transmission line, a plurality of arc-shaped retaining plates  421  coupled to the periphery of the port  42 . In addition, a folding plate  43  is disposed at an end of the hollow main body  41 , and can be bent to prevent the base  1  from being loosened after the base  1  is assembled to the interior of the main body  41 . A group of pins  44  is extended from a lateral side of the main body  41  and provided for electrically coupling and fixing the main body  41  to a mainboard of an electronic device (not shown in the figure). 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5  for a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a DisplayPort in accordance with the present invention, in the process of assembling the DisplayPort, the base  1  and the casing  4  are assembled first, and then the circuit board  2  is passed from the containing space  11  through the opening  13 , such that the front end of the circuit board  2  is disposed on the support arms  14 , or the circuit board  2  is passed from the containing space  11  through the opening  13 , such that the front end of the circuit board  2  is disposed on the support arms  14 . 
     After the base  1 , the circuit board  2  and the casing  3  are assembled, the conductive terminal  26  is passed through the through hole  33  of the chassis  3 , such that the chassis  3  is mounted onto the base  1 , and then the folding plate  43  is bent to complete assembling the whole DisplayPort. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 6 and 7  for schematic views of using a DisplayPort of the present invention, during the use of the DisplayPort, the pins  44  of the casing  4  are passed through (for example, fixed to or electrically coupled to) the mainboard  51  of the electronic device  5 , and the conductive terminal  26  is also electrically coupled to the mainboard  51 . 
     After the DisplayPort is electrically coupled to the mainboard  51 , the port  42  of the DisplayPort is provided for inserting a plug  61  of a DisplayPort transmission line  6 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 8  for a schematic view of a DisplayPort in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention uses the copper foils on the circuit board  2  as the conductive pins  23  of the DisplayPort, and directly install electronic components  7  on the circuit board  2  during the production and manufacturing process, if it is necessary to add some circuits or electronic components  7  including a chip of a protection circuit, a memory, a microprocessor, or a transceiver circuit, so that the DisplayPort no longer requires an additional circuit board, and the manufacture becomes easier and simpler. 
     With reference to  FIG. 9  for a schematic view of a DisplayPort in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the soldering hole  25  is not formed on the circuit board  2 , but the conductive terminals  26  are soldered together with the transmission line segment  24  to save the manufacture of the soldering hole  25 . 
     While the invention 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 the invention set forth in the claims.