Patent Publication Number: US-2006009072-A1

Title: Connector assembly

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention generally relates to connectors, and more particularly to a connector assembly that can lower its production cost and improve the convenience of its assembling.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conventional connector assembly is illustrated. The connector assembly comprises a base  1 , an accommodating space  10  disposed on a side of the base  1 , at least one first latch member  12  installed in the accommodating space  10 , at least one port  2 , a ground terminal  20  disposed at a distal end of the port  2 , a second latch member  22  disposed on another distal end, and a protruded end  24  disposed on a side of the port  2 , such that when the connector is assembled, the second latch member  22  on the port  2  is embedded into the first latch member  12  of the base  1 , and then the base  1  is installed onto a main board (not shown in the figure), and an electronic device is connected through the protruded end  24  on the port  2  for transmitting signals.  
      To prevent electromagnetic interference, a metal panel  3  is installed on a surface with the installed port  2  and the back of the surface faces the base  1 . The metal panel  3  has a connecting plate  30  disposed on both sides of the metal panel  3  separately and an opening  32  disposed at a position corresponding to the protruded end  24  of the port  2 , and a groove  25  disposed on the base  1  at a position corresponding to the connecting plate  30 . When the connecting plate  30  is embedded into the groove  25 , the metal panel  3  can be fixed onto the base  1  and the protruded end  24  of the port  2  is exposed from the metal panel  3 .  
      However, if the quantity of ports  2  on the base  1  is increased or decreased, then it is necessary to build new molds to produce another base and build another new metal panel to fit the installation positions of the ports  2 , and thus will greatly increase the cost.  
      Further, if the quantity of ports  2  disposed on the new base is large, then the new metal panel has to vary according to the length of the new base to fit the new base, and more openings  32  are needed on the new metal panel, so that the protruded ends  24  of the ports  2  can be exposed to the outside. Since the metal panel is a thin metal sheet, the strength of the structure will be weakened if there are too many holes (openings) on the metal panel. If the length of the metal panel is too long, the strength of the structure will be insufficient to hold the panel, and the new metal panel will be bent or deformed easily.  
      Since the new metal panel may be damaged easily by the collision resulted in its transportation and cannot be used anymore before its installation, therefore it will cause a waste of components and an increase of production cost. Furthermore, there are too many openings  32  to correspond to the protruded ends  24  of the ports  2 , and thus the new metal panel usually cannot be inserted into the base  1  at the first time, which makes the assembly more difficult and increases the assembling time and lower production efficiency. Thus, it is necessary to develop a metal panel with sufficient structural strength and a minimum cost of developing the molds as well as a connector assembly convenient to be assembled.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      In view of the shortcomings of the prior-art connector assembly causing a waste of components, increasing the production cost and assembling time, and lowering the production efficiency, the inventor of the present invention focused on finding feasible solutions and conducted extensive research and experiment to overcome the shortcomings of the prior arts and finally invented a connector assembly.  
      It is therefore a primary objective of the present invention to provide a connector assembly that can lower the production cost and improve the convenience of assembling.  
      To achieve the foregoing objective, the connector assembly comprises: a frame having at least two installing sections, each installing section installing a connector; a shelter panel disposed around each connector; at least one embedding latch disposed on both sides of an end of the shielded panel facing the frame and at least one embedding hook disposed on both sides of another end; an embedding groove disposed on the installing section at the position corresponding to the embedded latches; and another embedding groove disposed at the position corresponding to the embedded hook. Therefore, when the connectors are installed to the installing sections, the embedding latch are embedded into the embedding grooves, and the embedding hooks are embedded into another embedding grooves respectively so as to secure the connectors onto the frame.  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an assembly view of a connector assembly of a prior art;  
       FIG. 2  is an assembly view of a connector assembly of the invention; and  
       FIG. 3  an assembly view of a connector and a panel of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , a connector assembly in accordance with the present invention is illustrated. The connector assembly comprises: a frame  2 , having at least two installing sections  21 , said each installing section  21  installing a connector  31 ; at least one connector  31 , each comprising an inserting section  32  disposed at a front end, a plurality of terminals  33  disposed on a side of a bottom, and an electromagnetic shielded panel  41  disposed on a surface of each connector  31 , and the terminals  33  and inserting sections  32  of the connector  31  are exposed out of the shielded panel  41 , such that the terminals  33  are connected to a circuit board of an electronic device, and the inserting section  32  is connected to another corresponding connector, and the shielded panel  41  includes at least one embedding latch  42  on both ends of the shielded panel  41  facing an end of the frame  2  and at least one embedding hook  43  on both sides of another end, and the installing section  21  includes an embedding groove  22  disposed on the installing section  21  at a position corresponding to the embedding latch  42  and another embedding groove  23  disposed at a position corresponding to the embedding hook  43 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , when the connectors  31  are installed in the installing sections  21 , the embedding latches  42  are coupled to the embedded grooves  22  respectively and the embedding hooks  43  are embedded into another embedding groove  23  respective to secure the connectors  31  onto the frame  2 . The connector assembly installed on other installing section of the frame  2  is a prior art, and thus will not be described here.  
      Referring to  FIG. 2  again, the installing section  21  is a frame having an accommodating space slightly larger than the connector  31 , and the embedded grooves  22  and another embedded grooves  23  are longitudinal sliding grooves respectively disposed on both sides of the frame, such that the embedding latches  42  and the embedding hooks  43  slide on the embedding grooves  22  and another embedding grooves  23  and then are embedded so as to install and secure the connectors  31  into the installing sections  21  from the bottom of the installing sections  21 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2  again, the shielded panel  41  includes a plurality of fixed pins  44  disposed at appropriate positions corresponding to a side of the terminals  33 , so that when the connectors  31  are connected to predetermined installing positions of a circuit board, the fixed pins  44  can be connected onto the circuit board at corresponding predetermined positions to fix the connector  31  onto the circuit board by the fixed pins  44 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , the shielded panel  41  is installed on a surface of the connector  31  and the shielded panel  41  has a front casing  45  and a rear casing  46 , and the front casing  45  has an opening  47  separately disposed at a front end and a bottom, such that the terminal  33  and the inserting section  32  of the connector  31  are exposed from the opening  47  out of the shielded panel  41 , and the front casing  45  includes at least one inwardly protruded latch  48  disposed on both sides and a top surface of the front casing  45 , and the rear casing  46  is installed at an open groove at a rear side of the front casing  45 , and the rear casing  46  includes an installing section  461  perpendicularly disposed on both sides and each installing section  461  includes a latch piece  462 , and the front casing  45  includes another latch piece  451  disposed on a corresponding position of the latch piece  462 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 3 , when the shielded panel  41  is installed on a surface of the connector  31 , the front casing  45  is installed on a surface at a front end of the connector  31 , so that the latches  48  are latched on both sides and a top side of the connector  31  and the front casing  45  is fixed onto a surface at a front end of the connector  31 , and then the rear casing  46  is installed at an open groove at a rear end of the front casing  45  to latch the latch piece  462  to another latch piece  451  to fix the rear casing  46  to a rear end of the connector  31 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 2 , the connector  31  is a shielded double mini DIN, a USB B serial female socket, or a USB 1394 Jack.  
      In view of the description above, the connector  31  includes a shielded panel  41 , such that the quantity of holes disposed on the shielded panel  41  is decreased drastically, and the quantity of related components installed on the frame  2  is decreased, and thus the components can be installed onto the frame  2  one by one quickly. Regardless of increasing or decreasing the quantity of connectors on the installing section  21  of the frame  2 , it only needs to produce one frame  2  that meets the requirements, and then installs the connectors  31 . The present invention makes the assembling simple and convenient, greatly reduces the assembling time, saves the cost for developing the mold of the shielded panel  41 , and provides a structure with sufficient strength to the shielded panel  41 .  
      While the invention herein disclosed 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.