Patent Publication Number: US-7708568-B1

Title: Connector assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a connector assembly, and more particularly to a connector assembly having a socket connector and a printed circuit board. 
     2. The Related Art 
     In general, a conventional connector assembly includes a printed circuit board (PCB) and a socket connector soldered on the PCB. The socket connector has an insulating housing and a plurality of terminals mounted in the insulating housing. Each of the terminals has a soldering plate extending outside the insulating housing for being soldered on the PCB. Conventionally, the socket connector is positioned on a top of the PCB, and the soldering plates are attached to and soldered on the PCB for forming the electrical connection between the socket connector and the PCB. Nevertheless, with the electronic devices developing toward miniaturization and multifunction, such assembling structure between the PCB and the socket connector is not flexible and even restricts the renewal and advance of the electronic device. So there is a need to provide a connector assembly that overcomes the above-mentioned problem. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly adapted for electrically connecting with a mating plug connector. The connector assembly includes a socket connector and a printed circuit board. The socket connector has an insulating housing defining a front surface, a rear surface opposite to the front surface, and a lateral surface connecting with the front surface and the rear surface. The front surface is formed with an inserting recess for receiving the mating plug connector. The lateral surface has a receiving groove communicating with the inserting recess. The rear surface has a receiving slot communicating with the inserting recess. A first terminal has a base plate received in the receiving groove, a contacting portion projecting into the inserting recess, and a first soldering plate exposing outside the insulating housing. A second terminal has a fixing plate fixed in the receiving slot, a center pin prolonging into the inserting recess, and a second soldering plate exposing outside the insulating housing. The printed circuit board defines two soldering portions. Two conductors are adapted for connecting the first soldering plate and the second soldering plate with the two soldering portions respectively, and capable of altering the relative position between the socket connector and the printed circuit board. 
     As described above, the socket connector is soldered on the printed circuit board by the conductors, without stacking the socket connector on a top of the printed circuit board, which makes the printed circuit board dispose at any wanted position in an electronic device. So the assembling structure is simple and flexible and meets the tendency towards miniaturization and multifunction of the electrical device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art by reading the following description of an embodiment thereof, with reference to the attached drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is an assembled, perspective view of a socket connector of a connector assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a an exploded, perspective view of the socket connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of an insulating housing of the socket connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a printed circuit board of the connector assembly; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the connector assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , a connector assembly according to the present invention includes a socket connector  1 , two conductors  2 , and a printed circuit board (PCB)  3 . 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1-4 , the socket connector  1  has a substantial rectangular insulating housing  10 , a first terminal  20  and a second terminal  30 , which terminals are both mounted into the insulating housing  10 . The insulating housing  10  defines a front surface  11 , a rear surface  12  opposite to the front surface  11 , a lateral surface  13  and a top surface  14 . The top surface  14  is an arch shape and connects with the front surface  11 , the rear surface  12  and the lateral surface  13 . 
     The front surface  11  has an inserting recess  111 , with a circular cross-section, at an upper portion thereof, for receiving a mating plug connector (not shown). The inserting recess  111  defines a bottom surface  112 , which has a through hole  113  at a substantial center thereof. The through hole  113  extends rearwards and passes through the rear surface  12  of the insulating housing  10 . The lateral surface  13  has a receiving groove  131  communicating with the inserting recess  111 . The receiving groove  131  includes a fixing slot  1311  extending perpendicularly to the front surface  11  and a connecting groove  1312  above and communicating with the fixing slot  1311 . The connecting groove  1312  defines a first surface  1313  perpendicular to an extending direction of the fixing slot  1311 , and a second surface  1314  facing the first surface  1313  and extending obliquely and upwardly toward the first surface  1313 . The first surface  1313  has a lower portion extended opposite to the second surface  1314  to form a stopping recess  1315 . 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1-4  again, the insulating housing  10  has a projecting block  15  extended downwards from a bottom surface thereof. A lateral surface  151  and a rear surface  152  of the projecting block  15  are substantially flush with the lateral surface  13  and the rear surface  12  of the insulating housing  10 , respectively. The lateral surface  151  of the projecting block  15  is formed with a first soldering recess  153  at a substantial middle portion thereof. The first soldering recess  153  penetrates a bottom of the projecting block  15 , and passes through the lateral surface  13  to reach a bottom of the fixing slot  1311 . Herein, the first soldering recess  153  is substantially T-shaped. The rear surface  12  of the insulating housing  10  has a substantial rectangular receiving slot  121  extending perpendicularly to the lateral surface  13  and communicating with the through hole  113 , and a second soldering recess  122 . The second soldering recess  122  extends perpendicularly downwards from a side of the receiving slot  121  adjacent to the lateral surface  13  to show an inverted L shape. The second soldering recess  122  passes through a rear portion of the lateral surface  151  and is spaced away from the first soldering recess  153 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , the first terminal  20  has a substantial rectangular base plate  21 . The base plate  21  has a rectangular hole  22  at a substantial middle portion thereof and passing therethrough. A front side of the hole  22  is extended rearward and upwardly to form a connecting arm  23 . The connecting arm  23  has a free end arched to form a contacting portion  24  of inverted C-shape. A free end of the contacting portion  24  extends rearwards to form a resting patch  25 , with a free end thereof spaced away from a rear side of the hole  22 . A side of the base plate  21  has a portion concaved inwards to form a gap  26 . The gap  26  has a first soldering plate  27  extended downwards from a middle of an inmost side thereof, corresponding to the first soldering recess  153 . 
     The second terminal  30  has a substantial rectangular fixing plate  31  and a cylindrical center pin  36  disposed at a middle of a front end of the fixing plate  31 . The fixing plate  31  is punched with two buckling tabs  32  spaced away from each other. The fixing plate  31  has two opposite lateral edges  33 . Each of the lateral edges  33  has a middle portion protruded laterally to form a protrusion  34 . A second soldering plate  35  is bent downwards and perpendicularly from a rear end of one of the lateral edges  33 , spaced away from the protrusion  34 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5 , in assembly, the first terminal  20  is received into the receiving groove  131 . The base plate  21  inserts into the fixing slot  1311 , and the resting patch  25  abuts against the stopping recess  1315 , which makes the first terminal  20  steadily positioned in the receiving groove  131 . The contacting portion  24  is received in the connecting groove  1312  and partially projects into the inserting recess  111 . The first soldering plate  27  is restrained in the first soldering recess  153 . The center pin  36  of the second terminal  30  is inserted into the through hole  113  from a rear direction, with a free end thereof extending into the inserting recess  111 . The fixing plate  31  is fixed in the receiving slot  121  of the insulating housing  10  by the buckling tabs  32  and the protrusions  34  buckled with the receiving slot  121 . The second soldering plate  35  is received in the second soldering recess  122 , with a lower portion thereof exposed outside. 
     With reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5 , the printed circuit board (PCB)  3  is a rectangular shape and has two soldering portions  40  at a front end thereof and spaced away from each other. Each of the soldering portions  40  is provided with a soldering hole  41 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , when the socket connector  1  is connected with the PCB  3 , two free ends of the two conductors  2  are soldered on the first soldering plate  27  of the first terminal  20  and the second soldering plate  35  of the second terminal  30 , and the other two opposite ends of the conductors  2  are soldered into the soldering holes  41  of the soldering portions  40 , respectively. Thus the socket connector  1  and the PCB  3  are connected by the conductors  2  therebetween. In this embodiment, the column-shaped conductors  2  are rigid and flexible. 
     As described above, the socket connector  1  is soldered on the PCB  3  by the conductors  2 , without stacking the socket connector  1  on a top of the PCB  3 , which makes the PCB  3  dispose at any required position in an electronic device (not shown). So the assembling structure is simple and flexible and meets the tendency towards miniaturization and multifunction of the electrical device. 
     The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.