Patent Publication Number: US-8540533-B2

Title: USB connector and USB device

Description:
This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No. 13/110,605, filed on May 18, 2011, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/911,214, filed on Oct. 25, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,075,318, issued Dec. 13, 2011, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 12/391,612, filed on Feb. 24, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,828,599, issued Nov. 9, 2010, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application 200810006325.5 filed on Feb. 26, 2008, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to the field of communication, in particular to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector and a USB device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     With the rapid development of communication technology, USB products play a more and more important role in people&#39;s life and work. Conventional USB products generally use special USB connectors. A special USB connector is provided at a front end of the USB products, and the USB products connect with a USB port through the USB connector. 
     During the implementation of the present invention, the inventor has found that with regard to the USB products commonly available in the market, its USB port connects longitudinally with the USB body. Therefore, the length of the USB port adds to the length of the USB body which makes the USB products longer. As a result, such USB products are neither easy to carry nor up to people&#39;s standards for exquisiteness and compactness. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a USB connector and a USB device. The USB connector has a reduced thickness, thereby decreasing the thickness of the USB device. 
     The present invention provides a USB connector for connecting with a USB female comprising a rotating shaft assembly which is capable of rotating, metal legs, a connecting line, and a substrate, wherein one end of the metal legs connects with one end of the connecting line, the metal legs are formed on a surface of the substrate, the connecting line is fixed to the surface of the substrate, and said rotating shaft assembly includes a rotating shaft, a rotating shaft sleeve and a rotating shaft support, the rotating shaft is disposed in the rotating shaft sleeve and is capable of rotating relative to the rotating shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft sleeve is located in a support hole of the rotating shaft support, and the rotating shaft assembly with the rotating shaft support is fixed on the surface of the substrate by the rotating shaft support. 
     The present invention also provides a USB device comprising a USB connector, a housing and a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) wherein the USB connector comprises metal legs, a connecting line, and a substrate, wherein one end of the metal legs connects with one end of the connecting line, the metal legs are formed on a surface of the substrate, the connecting line is fixed to the surface of the substrate, the USB connector is installed at an end of the housing by a rotating shaft assembly, the rotating shaft assembly includes a rotating shaft, a rotating shaft sleeve and a rotating shaft support, the rotating shaft is disposed in the rotating shaft sleeve and is capable of rotating relative to the rotating shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft sleeve is located in a support hole of the rotating shaft support, and the rotating shaft assembly with the rotating shaft support is fixed on the surface of the substrate by the rotating shaft support; the PCB is disposed inside a cavity of the housing and an end of the PCB connects with other end of the connecting line; and a receptacle for accommodating the USB connector is provided on a surface of the housing. 
     According to the USB connector and the USB device of the present invention, the metal legs are formed on the surface of the substrate so as to ensure the connecting strength of the metal legs. Since the size of the USB connector depends mainly on the substrate and as long as the thickness meets a requirement of inserting the USB connector into the USB female, the thickness of the USB connector and further, the thickness of the USB device are reduced without compromising the function of the USB connector. Compared with the conventional USB products, the thickness of the USB device according to the present invention is greatly reduced so that the USB device becomes smaller and easy to carry. It not only meets the people&#39;s requirement for exquisite and compact electronic products, but also improves the practicality and aesthetics of the USB device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded schematic view of a USB connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2   a  is a first structural schematic view of the USB connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2   b  is a second structural schematic of the USB connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded schematic of a rotating shaft assembly shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a structural schematic of the rotating shaft assembly shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5   a  is a first partially exploded schematic view of a USB device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5   b  is a second partially exploded schematic view of the USB device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a first structural schematic view of the USB device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a second structural schematic view of the USB device according to the second embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of the USB connector in use in the USB device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     The embodiments of the present invention are detailed as below. 
     In the first embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a USB connector  51  for connecting with a USB female comprises metal legs  11 , a connecting line  12  and a substrate  13 . One end of the metal legs  11  connects with one end of the connecting line  12 . Another end of the connecting line  12  is used to connect with a PCB. The metal legs  11  are formed on a surface of the substrate  13 . The connecting line  12  is fixed to the surface of the substrate  13 . The thickness of the USB connector depends mainly on the thickness of the substrate  13 . As long as the thickness of the substrate  13  meets a requirement of inserting the USB connector into the USB female, the thickness of the USB connector and further, the thickness of the USB device are reduced without compromising the function of the USB connector. Compared with the conventional USB products, the thickness of the USB device according to the present invention is greatly reduced, making the USB device smaller and easy to carry, which not only meets the people&#39;s requirement for exquisite and compact electronic products, but also improves the practicality and aesthetics of the USB device. 
     Furthermore, when the thickness of the substrate  13  is more than 2.45 mm, it may be difficult to insert the USB connector into the USB female. When the thickness of the substrate  13  is less than 2.2 mm, a gap between the USB connector and the USB female may be too large after insertion of the USB connector into the USB female. As a result, the stability of connection between the USB connector and the USB female is reduced. Therefore, the thickness of the substrate  13  is preferably in the range of 2.2 mm to 2.45 mm. 
     The metal legs  11  may be fixed to the surface of the substrate  13  by means of In Mold Decoration (IMD) molding or hot-inserting. Furthermore, in order to improve the connecting strength of the metal legs  11 , slots may be set on the surface of the substrate  13  and the metal legs  11  are embedded in the surface of the substrate  13  so as to integrate with the substrate  13 . Alternatively, the metal legs  11  may be formed on the surface of the substrate  13  by corrosion methods. For example, the metal legs  11  are formed by copper exposure on the surface of the substrate  13 . 
     Further, in order to ensure the electrical connecting performance between the metal legs and the USB female, the surface of the metal legs  11  is not below the surface of the substrate  13 . However, when the metal legs  11  exceed the surface of the substrate  13  by a height of more than 0.2 mm, it may be difficult to insert the USB connector into the USB female. So, the metal legs exceed the surface of the substrate  13  by the height of between 0 and 0.2 mm. 
     Further, in order to prolong the life of the USB connector, the surface of the metal legs  11  is plated with gold or silver to prevent the metal legs  11  from being oxidized by the contaminants in the air and prevent the metal legs  11  from being eroded when a user contacts them. 
     Further, in order to improve the Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) protection for the USB connector, the connecting line  12  also includes a ground terminal  121  for connecting with the ground of the PCB. A metal layer  14  is provided at other surface of the substrate  13  opposite to the metal legs  11 . The metal layer  14  connects with the ground terminal  121  through a metal sheet  15  to realize the ESD protection. Further, the metal layer  14  may be a layer of stainless steel so as to improve its anticorrosion, thereby prolonging the life of the USB connector. Further, the metal sheet  15  extends through the substrate  13  so that one end of the metal sheet  15  connects with the ground terminal  121  of the connecting line  12  and the other end connects with the metal layer  14 . Thus, the metal sheet  15  is invisible from the outside of the assembled USB connector, thereby improving the aesthetics of the USB connector. The metal layer  14  may be fixed to the substrate  13  by means of ultrasonic welding, bonding or other methods so that a good contact between the metal layer  14  and the metal sheet  15  is ensured. 
     Further, in order to enhance the stability of the USB connector, a retainer  16  for the connecting line is provided to cover the connecting line  12 . The retainer  16  for the connecting line fixes the connecting line  12  onto the substrate  13 . The retainer  16  for the connecting line may be made of plastic or hot-melt rubber by means of injection molding. The heated plastic or hot-melt rubber is filled into the gap between the connecting line  12  and the substrate  13  and forms the retainer  16  for the connecting line after cooling. 
     Further, in order to improve the practicability of the USB connector, one or more fool-proof structure  17  is provided on the surface of the substrate  13  to prevent the USB connector from being inserted reversely. When the user inserts the USB connector  51  into the USB female, the surface with the fool-proof structure  17  is set upward so as to form a good contact between the metal legs  11  and the USB female  1 , thereby preventing the USB connector from being inserted reversely into the USB female and from causing a short circuit or no function by means of the fool-proof structure  17 . Since a gap is formed between the surface of the substrate  13  and the inner wall of the USB female when the substrate  13  engages with the USB female, the fool-proof structure  17  may be accommodated into the gap. Thus, a universal USB female may engage with the USB connector  51  according to this embodiment. In addition, the fool-proof structures  17  can be disposed symmetrically or asymmetrically on the surface of the substrate  13 . Preferably, the fool-proof structures  17  are disposed symmetrically on the surface of the substrate  13  to improve the aesthetics of the USB connector and facilitate manufacturing. Alternatively, the fool-proof structures  17  may be the projections disposed on one side of the surface of the substrate  13  or symmetrically on both sides of the surface of the substrate  13 . 
     Further, in order to ensure flexibility when the USB connector is in use, as shown in  FIG. 2   a , a rotating shaft assembly  18  is fixed to the surface of the substrate  13 . The rotating shaft assembly  18  may be fixed to the surface of the substrate  13  by means of ultrasonic welding, bonding and so on. See  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b , when the USB connector  51  is installed to other components by the rotating shaft assembly  18  to form a USB device such as a U-disk or a wireless network adaptor, the USB connector  51  may rotate relative to other components by means of the rotating shaft assembly  18 . Further, see  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the rotating shaft assembly  18  may include a rotating shaft  181  and a rotating shaft sleeve  182 . The rotating shaft sleeve  182  is fixed on the surface of the substrate  13  and the rotating shaft  181  may rotate in the rotating shaft sleeve  182 . The rotating shaft  181  has a first positioning structure  1811  thereon, and the rotating shaft sleeve  182  has a second positioning structure  1821  therein. The first positioning structure  1811  works with the second positioning structure  1821  to realize the positioning function. The rotating shaft assembly  18  with the first positioning structure  1811  and the second positioning structure  1821  could realize positioning when the USB connector  51  is rotating. For example, the USB connector  51  may stop when rotating every 45° or every 90°. The first positioning structure  1811  and the second positioning structure  1821  may adopt the conventional positioning structure. For example, the first positioning structure  1811  includes elastic projections, and the second positioning structure  1821  includes positioning holes or positioning grooves distributed regularly within the rotating shaft sleeve  182  according to the positioning requirements when the USB connector  51  rotates. When the rotating shaft  181  rotates relative to the rotating shaft sleeve  182  and the first location structure  1811  meets the second location structure  1821 , the elastic projections insert into the positioning holes or the positioning grooves, thereby stopping and positioning the USB connector  51 . When a force for continuously rotating the USB connector  51  has effect on the USB connector  51 , the elastic projections deform under extrusion of the inner wall of the positioning holes or the positioning grooves and disengage from the positioning holes, so that the USB connector may continue to rotate in an original direction or an opposite direction. 
     In order to facilitate mounting the USB connector  51  to other components to form the USB device, the rotating shaft assembly  18  may also include a rotating shaft support  183 . Unlike the way in which the rotating shaft sleeve  182  is fixed on the surface of the substrate  13 , the rotating shaft assembly  18  with the rotating shaft support  183  is fixed on the surface of the substrate  13  by the rotating shaft support  183 . As shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , the rotating shaft assembly provided with a rotating shaft support is fixed on the surface of the substrate in the following way: the rotating shaft support  183  is nested in the surface of the substrate  13 , a portion of the rotating shaft support  183  which comes into contact with the surface of the substrate  13  is fixedly connected, a first support hole  1831  and a second support hole  1832  are provided at either side of the rotating shaft support  183  respectively, the other end of the connecting line  12  passes through the first support hole  1831  to connect with the PCB; the rotating shaft sleeve  182  passes through the second support hole  1832 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , five wires are twisted together to form the connecting line  12 , one end of the five wires connects with the metal legs  11  and the other end passes through the first support hole  1831 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the USB connector has been installed to other components to form a USB device, the USB connector may rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise relative to other components by means of the rotating shaft assembly  18 . During rotation, the connecting line  12  twists or untwists like a fried-dough-twist. Further, the rotating shaft sleeve  182  includes a first sleeve part  1822 , a second sleeve part  1823  and an elastic part  1824 . The first sleeve part  1822  has a through hole thereon. The second sleeve part  1823  has a cavity  28231  therein and a hole  18232  formed in the side wall of the second sleeve part  1823 . The elastic part  1824  may be a spring and so on. The rotating shaft  181  comprises an elastic square head  1811  and a trailing end  1812  which connects with the elastic square head. The trailing end  1812  passes through the first sleeve part and cooperates with the second sleeve part  1823  of the rotating shaft sleeve  182  to press the elastic part  1824 . After the trailing end  1812  is fitted into the cavity  18231  of the second sleeve part, the elastic deformation of the elastic part  1824  resumes so that the elastic square head  1811  is ejected out of the hole  18232  of the side wall of the second sleeve part. 
     In the second embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 5   a ,  5   b  and  6 , a USB device such as a U-disk or a wireless network adaptor and so on comprises the USB connector  51  as described in the first embodiment, a housing  52  and a PCB. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment. The USB connector  51  comprises metal legs  11 , a connecting line  12 , a substrate  13  and a rotating shaft assembly  18 . One end of the metal legs  11  connects with one end of the connecting line  12 . The metal legs  11  are formed on the surface of the substrate  13 . The rotating shaft assembly  18  is fixed to the surface of the substrate  13 . The USB connector is installed at the end of the housing  52  by the rotating shaft assembly  18 . The PCB is disposed inside the cavity of the housing and the end of the PCB connects with other end of the connecting line  12 . A receptacle  521  for accommodating the USB connector is provided in the surface of the housing. 
     In order to facilitate assembling, the housing generally includes a first housing  522  and a second housing  523 . The first and second housings join together to form a cavity in which the PCB is disposed. When assembled, each of both ends of the USB connector is fitted into one corresponding hole which is provided at either side of one end of the first housing. The USB connector is thus installed at one end of the first housing by the rotating shaft assembly  18 ; then the first housing is covered with the second housing to form the USB device. The USB connector may rotate with respect to the housing and ensures the continuity of the connecting line  12 . Mounting the USB connector at one end of the first housing by the rotating shaft assembly  18  may be implemented in the following ways: the rotating shaft assembly comprises a rotating shaft sleeve and a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft may rotate in the shaft sleeve, the rotating shaft sleeve is fixed to the surface of the substrate, and each of both ends of the rotating shaft is fitted into the corresponding hole of either side of the one end of the first housing; alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b , the rotating shaft assembly  18  comprises a rotating shaft sleeve  182 , a rotating shaft  181  and a rotating shaft support  183 ; the rotating shaft support  183  is fixed to the surface of the substrate  13 ; the rotating shaft sleeve  182  passes from inside through the second support hole  1832  at one side of the rotating shaft support  183  and a hole  5221  formed at one side of the one end of the first housing; the rotating shaft  181  may rotate in the rotating shaft sleeve  182 ; a first supporting portion which is coaxial with the rotating shaft  181  is provided on the rotating shaft support  183 , and a second supporting portion corresponding to the first supporting portion is provided at the first housing; the first supporting portion cooperates with the second supporting portion so as to connect pivotably the USB connector with the first housing. The first supporting portion may be a projection  1831  protruding outward from the rotating shaft support  183 , and the second supporting portion may be a hole  5222  formed at other side of the one end of the first housing, and the projection is nested into the hole. Alternatively, the first supporting portion may be a groove formed on the rotating shaft support  183 , the second supporting portion may be a projection protruding inward from other side of the one end of the first housing, and the projection is nested into the groove. 
     The receptacle  521  on the surface of the housing accommodates the USB connector in such a way that the metal legs face to the receptacle. Thus, when the USB device is unused, the USB connector is accommodated into the receptacle and the metal legs face to the receptacle. Viewed from outside of the USB device, only the other surface of the substrate opposite to the metal legs exposes to the outside, thereby preventing the metal legs from being contaminated or damaged by the environment. 
     Further, as shown in  FIG. 7 , from the perspective of aesthetics and psychology, there is a smooth transition between an outside surface of the USB connector and an outside surface of the housing when the USB connector is accommodated in the receptacle. Thus, when the USB device is unused, the USB connector and the housing appear to have the same surface so that the appearance of the USB device is aesthetic, simple and smooth, thereby meeting the user&#39;s requirements for exquisite products. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , in practice, the USB connector may rotate with respect to the housing in a direction or in an opposite direction so that it may rotate freely and is easy to store. The USB device according to the present invention eliminates the disadvantage of conventional USB device in which the USB connector is arranged in a line with the housing and cannot be bent. 
     The description above is merely a special embodiment of the present invention. It is noted that it is possible for a person skilled in the art to make various modifications and variations without departing from the principles of the present invention and those modifications and variations will fall within the scope of the present invention.