Patent Publication Number: US-6910917-B2

Title: Electric connector combination

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention is related to an electric connector combination, and especially to an electric connector combination composed of an RJ45 and a USB electric connector assembled with each other in a stacking mode. The RJ45 electric connector has a conversion device and two signal displays; an electronic element is provided on a circuit board of the conversion device. The electric connector combination comprises an insulation main body, the RJ45 electric connector (first electric connector), the USB electric connector (second electric connector), the two signal displays, a rear lid and an obscuring housing; wherein the upper portion of the insulation main body can be used as a pin seat for the first electric connector, the lower portion of the insulation main body can be used as a fixing seat of the second electric connector. This can reduce the composing elements, and can lower the cost of mould making. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   Generally, a conventional electric connector combination is assembled by stacking a plurality of electric connectors to reduce the space occupancy of the electric connectors on a main board. Therefore, the structure of conventional stacked electrical connector assembly mainly comprises an insulation housing, a first electric connector, a second electric connector, an insulation plate, a light-emitting device and an obscuring housing. The first electric connector has an insulation main body for providing a modular jack, which further has two seats and a connecting portion for providing with a conversion device. 
   Because the insulation housing, the insulation main body, the two seats, the connecting portion and the insulation plate are all housings formed by injection molding of plastic, and the second electric connector also has a housing formed by injection molding of plastic, the composing elements are more complicated. This not only renders assembling uneasy, but also causes higher cost of production due to the larger amount of mould to be made. 
   In view of this, the present invention was developed to get rid of the defects. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The main object of the present invention is to provide an electric connector combination. It directly uses an insulation main body concurrently as a pin seat for the first electric connector and a fixing seat of the second electric connector. This can reduce composing elements, and can lower the cost of mould making for the housings formed by injection molding of plastic. 
   To achieve the above stated object, an electric connector combination provided for the present invention mainly comprises: an insulation main body, a first electric connector, a second electric connector, two signal displays, a rear lid and an obscuring housing. 
   The insulation main body has two lateral walls and a top wall. The interior space between the two lateral walls is partitioned into a first receiving space and a second receiving space with an L-shaped partition. The partition has a step portion with a U-shaped cross-section on an end thereof, wherein the step portion has a plurality of mutually spaced receiving slits forming the shape of a fence. A long rib member is provided between the partition and the top wall. The long rib member has therein a plurality of slits with trapezoidal walls. The long rib member has positioning notches on the two lateral ends thereof, and a passage extending rearwards is provided on each of the junctions between the top wall and the two lateral walls. 
   The first electric connector is composed of circuit board, a plurality of electric conductive pins and a modular jack. The circuit board has an electronic element thereon. The electric conductive pins are provided by welding on the front end of the circuit board and at one side of the electronic element. The modular jack is provided by welding on the rear end of the circuit board and at the other side of the electronic element. The circuit board is inserted in the two positioning notches of the long rib member of the insulation main body, while the tailing ends of the electric conductive pins are limited in the slits with trapezoidal walls. The electric conductive pins have bends that are embedded in the receiving slits on the partition of the insulation main body. 
   The second electric connector has two USB ports able to be embedded in the second receiving space of the insulation main body. 
   The two signal displays are light-emitting diodes each having a light-emitting portion. These light-emitting portions can be embedded in the passages of the insulation main body, and are extended to have two L-shaped pins each. 
   The rear lid has positioning insertion-holes and insertion grooves on the two lateral sides thereof for insertion of the L-shaped pins of the signal displays. The rear lid can be fixed on the rear of the insulation main body. 
   The obscuring housing is integrally formed of electric conductive material for slipping over and enveloping the insulation main body. 
   Thereby, the insulation main body can be simultaneously used as a pin seat for the first electric connector and a fixing seat of the second electric connector. This can reduce composing elements, and can lower the cost of mould making. 
   The present invention will be apparent after reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof in reference to the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the appearance of an embodiment of the present invention after assembling of all its elements; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 3  is a sectional perspective view of an insulation main body of the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional perspective view of the insulation main body of the present invention shown in another direction of viewing; 
       FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of a modular jack of the present invention; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing the appearance of a first electric connector of the present invention after assembling; 
       FIG. 7  is a partial sectional view taken from  FIG. 1  of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1-7  showing an embodiment of an electric connector combination of the present invention, the connector comprises: an insulation main body  2 , a first electric connector  3 , a second electric connector  4 , two signal displays  5 , a rear lid  6  and an obscuring housing  7 . 
   The insulation main body  2  is integrally formed and has two mutually parallel lateral walls  21 ,  22  and a top wall  23 . An L-shaped partition  24  is provided between and connected with the two lateral walls  21 ,  22 , so that the interior of the insulation main body  2  forms a first receiving space  25  and a second receiving space  26 . Hence the upper portion of the insulation main body  2  can be used as a pin seat for the first electric connector  3 , while the lower portion of the insulation main body  2  can be used as a fixing seat of the second electric connector  4 . The partition  24  has a surface parallel to the top wall  23  of the insulation main body  2 , which surface has a step portion  241 , and has a step portion  242  with a U-shaped cross-section on an end thereof, wherein the step portion has a plurality of mutually spaced receiving slits  243  forming the shape of a fence. There are two platforms  244  respectively disposed on the two lateral sides of the receiving slits  243 . A long rib member  27  is provided between the partition  24  and the top wall  23 , it has two ends connecting with the two lateral walls  21 ,  22 . One end of the long rib member  27  has a positioning notch  274 , a plurality of slits  271  with trapezoidal walls are provided by cutting between the positioning notch  274  and the other end of the long rib member  27 . Shorter edges  272  of the slits  271  are opposite to the receiving slits  243 , and a passage  28  extending rearwards is provided on each of the junctions between the top wall  23  and the two lateral walls  21 ,  22 . 
   The first electric connector  3  (that is an RJ45 electric connector) is composed of a circuit board  31 , a plurality of electric conductive pins  32  and a modular jack  34 . The circuit board  31  has an electronic element  33  thereon as a conversion device. The electric conductive pins  32  are provided by welding on the front end of the circuit board  31  and at one side of the electronic element  33 ; the modular jack  34  is provided by welding on the rear end of the circuit board  31  and at the other side of the electronic element  33 . While the electric conductive pins  32  and the modular jack  34  can be connected electrically with each other by using the circuit and the electronic element  33  of the circuit board  31 . 
   The circuit board  31  is provided with front pin-holes  311  on the front area thereof, and is provided with rear pin-holes  312  and a pair of fixing holes  313  on the rear area thereof. 
   The electric conductive pins  32  have pin ends  321  for welding to the front pin-holes  311  of the circuit board  31 , and have bends  322  which are bended into sharp angles. If it is desired to increase the strength in durability for insertion and drawing, the front pin-holes  311  and the pin ends  321  can be both in two rows. 
   The modular jack  34  is comprised of a plurality of long pins  341  and short pins  342  alternately arranged on a carrier  343 . The pin ends  340  for welding of the long and short pins  341 ,  342  can be welded fixedly to the rear pin-holes  312  of the circuit board  31 , and a pair of fixing posts  345  on the top surface of the carrier  343  can be fixed on the pair of fixing holes  313  on the circuit board  31 . 
   When the first electric connector  3  is placed in the first receiving space  25  of the insulation main body  2 , the tailing ends of the pins  32  are limited in the slits  271  with trapezoidal walls and are abutted against a plurality of bevel edges  273 . The bends  322  of the electric conductive pins  32  are embedded in the receiving slits  243 . The circuit board  31  is inserted and flatly placed on the platforms  244 , and is clamped and framed by the positioning notch  274  on one end of the long rib member  27  and the step portion  242  with a U-shaped cross-section. 
   The second electric connector  4  is composed of two sets of USB type electric connector units  41  stacking with each other to be received in the second receiving space  26  of the insulation main body  2 . 
   The two signal displays  5  are light-emitting diodes each having a light-emitting portion  51 . These light-emitting portions  51  are extended to have L-shaped pins  52  each. The signal displays  5  can be embedded in the passages  28  of the insulation main body  2 . 
   The rear lid  6  has positioning insertion-holes  61  and insertion grooves  62  on the two lateral sides thereof for insertion of L-shaped pins  52  of the signal displays  5  by the positioning insertion-holes  61  and the insertion grooves  62  being fixed on the rear of the insulation main body  2  to prevent the circuit board  31  and the carrier  343  being forcedly back and further to help fix the first electric connector  3 . 
   The obscuring housing  7  is integrally formed of electric conductive material for slipping over and enveloping the insulation main body  2 . 
   Thereby, the electric conductive pins  32  of the first electric connector  3  are received in the receiving slits  243  and the slits  271  with trapezoidal walls respectively of the partition  24  and the long rib member  27 , so that the first electric connector  3  can be tightly and firmly received in the insulation main body  2 . 
   And more, as shown in  FIG. 5 , in the modular jack  34 , the carrier  343  has a first row of pin holes  346  for insertion therein of the long pins  341 , and has a second row of pin holes  347  for insertion therein of the short pins  342 . The pin ends  340  for welding of the long and short pins  341 ,  342  can be fixed in embedding grooves  348  and aligned in a line, so that most of the long and short pins  341 ,  342  of the modular jack  34  can be enveloped and fixed in the carrier  343 . 
   When in assembling, referring to  FIGS. 3-7 , the pin ends  321  for welding on one side of the electric conductive pins  32  are sequentially welded at one side of the electronic element  33  of the circuit board  31  (as shown in FIG.  6 ), and the modular jack  34  is welded to the other side of the electronic element  33  to form the first electric connector  3  (RJ45), then the first electric connector  3  is pushed from the location behind the insulation main body  2  into the first receiving space  25 . The circuit board  31  of the first electric connector  3  is moved forward on the L-shaped partition  24  to render the circuit board  31  to be pushed into the step portion  242  with a U-shaped cross-section on an end of the partition  24 , so that the bends  322  of the electric conductive pins  32  at one side of the circuit board  31  can be received in the mutually spaced receiving slits  243  forming the shape of a fence in the step portion  242 . And the ends on the other side of the electric conductive pins  32  are sequentially abutted against the bevel edges  273  of the slits  271  with trapezoidal walls of the long rib member  27 . So that the circuit board  31  can be flatly placed on the platforms  244 , and clamped and framed by the positioning notch  274  on one end of the long rib member  27  and the step portion  242  with a U-shaped cross-section. Therefore, the first electric connector  3  can be tightly and firmly received in the first receiving space  25 . Then the two signal displays  5  are pushed from the location behind the insulation main body  2  forwards to the front end of the two passages  28 , and the second electric connector  4  is received in the second receiving space  26  from the front side the insulation main body  2 . Lastly, the rear lid  6  is fixed on the rear side of the insulation main body  2 , and the obscuring housing  7  is slipped over to envelop the insulation main body  2 . Thereby the electric connector combination composed of an RJ45 and a USB electric connector is completed (as shown in FIG.  1 ). 
   Therefore, the present invention has the following advantages:
     1. The present invention directly uses an insulation main body concurrently as a pin seat for the first electric connector (RJ45) and a fixing seat of the second electric connector (USB). This can reduce composing elements, and can lower the cost of mould making for the housings formed by injection molding of plastic.   2. When in assembling the first electric connector of the present invention, the tailing ends of the electric conductive pins limited in the slits with trapezoidal walls and are abutted against a plurality of bevel edges. The bends of the electric conductive pins are embedded in the receiving slits. The circuit board is inserted between the platforms and the positioning notch.   3. In the modular jack, the carrier has a first and a second row of pin holes for insertion therein of the long pins and short pins; and the pin ends for welding of the long and short pins can be fixed in the embedding grooves and aligned in a line, so that most of the long and short pins can be enveloped and fixed in the carrier.   

   In conclusion, the present invention surely can achieve its expected object to provide an electric connector combination with industrial value; the description above is only for illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and not for giving any limitation to the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various modifications or changes without departing from the spirit of this invention shall also fall within the scope of the appended claims.