Patent Publication Number: US-9431746-B2

Title: USB connector assembly

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) plug connector, and more particularly to a USB connector assembly that protects its plug housing from damage during mating. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     Chinese Pat. No. CN203193000, issued on Sep. 11, 2013, discloses a reversible plug connector for inserting into a mating receptacle connector in two orientations. The plug connector has an insulative body, a plurality of terminals retained in the insulative body, a printed circuit board connected with the terminals, a shell attached to the insulative body, and an insulative housing insert-molded with the shell. The housing has a tongue portion exposed from the shell to mate with the receptacle connector. After repeated insertion and withdrawal in use between the plug connector and the receptacle connector, the tongue portion is apt to damage. 
     A USB plug connector avoiding damage to its housing in use is desired. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a USB plug connector avoiding damage to its housing in use. 
     To achieve the above object, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) plug connector comprises: an insulative housing defining an upper surface, a bottom surface, a pair of side surface, and a front surface; a plurality of terminals retained in the insulative housing; and a protector enclosing the insulative housing, the protector defining a front wall, a pair of side walls extending backwardly from two edges of the front wall, and a plurality of affixed portions extending backwardly from the front wall and located between the two side walls, the affixed portions received in the insulative housing, the front wall of the protector enclosing the front surface of the insulative housing, the side walls of the protector respectively enclosing the side surfaces of the insulative housing, whereby the protector prevents the insulative housing from physically contacting with a mating USB receptacle connector. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective, assembled view of a USB plug connector; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective, exploded view of the USB plug connector of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but taken from a different view; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective, assembly view of the electrical connector and a receptacle connector; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of  FIG. 4  when taken along line  5 - 5 . 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector and the plug connector of  FIG. 4  in an unmated manner. 
         FIG. 7  is another cross-sectional view of the receptacle connector and the plug connector of  FIG. 4  in an unmated manner. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 to 5 , a USB (Universal Serial Bus) plug connector  100  of the present invention, used for engaging with a USB receptacle connector  200 , includes an insulative housing  1 , a protector  2  at least part of which is attached to the insulative housing  1 , a plurality of terminals  3  retained in the insulative housing  1 , a printed circuit board  4  soldered with the terminals  3  and the insulative housing  1 , a cable  5  soldered with the printed circuit board  4  and the terminals  3 , and an insulative cover  6  partly covering the insulative housing  1  and the printed circuit board  4 . Defining a mating direction, a transverse direction is perpendicular to the mating direction, and a vertical direction is orthogonal to the mating direction and the transverse direction. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the insulative housing  1 , shaped as a panel, defines an upper surface  11 , a bottom surface  12  faced to the upper surface  11 , a pair of side surfaces  13  connected with the upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12 , a front surface  14 , and a rear surface  15  facing the front surface  14 . The upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12  respectively define a pair of orienting slots  111  projecting downwardly and a plurality of receiving slots  112  projecting backwardly. Each orienting slot  111  extends rearward from the front surface  14  and is in fluid communication with the receiving slot  112 . The front surface  14  has a first slider  141  in the middle thereof and each side surface  13  has a first slider  131 . 
     The protector  2  defines a number of frames. The frames include a front wall  21  extending transversely, a pair of side walls  22  extending along the mating direction from two edges of the front wall  21  and four affixed portions  23  extending along the mating direction and poisoned between the two side walls  22 . Each affixed portion  23  has a stepped portion  231  at a free end thereof and a plurality of projections  232  at an upper surface and a bottom surface thereof The front wall  21  has a first sliding groove  24  in an inner surface thereof. The four affixed portions  23  are arranged in two rows along the vertical direction and the affixed portions  23  in one row face those in the other row. Each side wall  22  of the protector  2  has a top edge  25  and a bottom edge  26  extending inwardly and a depression  27  located at the outer surface. The top edge  25  and the bottom edge  26  in the same side wall  22  define a second sliding groove  221  therebetween. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the protector  2  is assembled to the insulative housing  1 , the affixed portions  23  are received in the orienting slots and the stepped portions  231  of the affixed portions  23  are received in the receiving slots  112 . The second sliders  131  of the insulative housing  1  are received in the second sliding grooves  221  of the protector  2 . The first sliders  141  of the insulative housing  1  are received in the first sliding grooves  24  of the protector  2 . The upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12  of the insulative housing  1  are exposed to the protector  2 , the upper surface  11  is located at the same plane with the top edge  25 , and the bottom surface  12  is located at the same plane with the bottom edge  26 , so that the USB plug connector  100  electrically and physically mate to a corresponding USB receptacle connector  200 , irrespective of whether the first or second side is oriented to mate with the contacts of the USB receptacle connector  200 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4-7 , the USB receptacle connector  200  has a metallic shield  205  essentially composed of an upper board, a bottom board, and a pair of side boards commonly defining a mating cavity  203 . The USB receptacle connector  200  has a plurality of contacts  202  in the mating cavity  203 , and latches  201  formed on the upper/bottom board and the side boards. When the USB plug connector  100  is inserted into the USB receptacle connector  200 , the contacts  202  of the USB receptacle connector  200  are electrically contacted with the terminals  3  of the upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12 . The latches  201  on the upper board of the USB receptacle connector  200  are interfered with the projection  232  and the latches  201  in the side boards of the USB receptacle connector  200  are interfered with the depression  27  of the protector  2  for a stable mating. It is noted that in this embodiment the receptacle connector  200  includes an insulating housing  204  enclosed within the metallic shield  205 , and a mating tongue  2041  of the housing extends forwardly in the mating cavity  203  wherein the mating tongue  2041  is offset in the mating cavity  203  in the vertical direction to form a large space  2031  and a small space  2032  beside the opposite surfaces of the mating tongue  2041  and the contacts  202  face the large space  2031 . The latch  201  on the upper board is not aligned with any contacts in the vertical direction but in an offset manner in the transverse direction so during mating the latch  201  on the upper board only engages the corresponding projection  232  while being spaced from the adjacent terminals  3  in the transverse direction for avoiding shorting. 
     In this embodiment, the terminals  3  are respectively located at the upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12 . The insulative housing  1  is integrated with the protector  2  by means of the second slider  131  sliding into the first sliding groove  24  so that the insulative housing  1  is firmly cooperated with the protector  2 . Therefore, it is easy for the insulative housing  1  and the terminals  3  to orientate with respect to the protector  2  through a much more convenient manufacture. The affixed portions  23  are received in the orienting slots  22  and the stepped portions  231  are received in the receiving slots  112  to prevent the affixed portions  23  from warping in use. The terminals  3  are soldered to the printed circuit board  4  and the cable  5  is soldered to the printed circuit board  4  to electrically contact with the terminals  3 . The insulative shell  6  is attached to the protector  2  and partly covers the protector  2  and the insulative housing  1 . The terminals  3  on the upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12  are positioned on the insulative housing  1  to have a 180-degree symmetry such that the USB plug connector  100  can be inserted and operatively coupled to a corresponding USB receptacle connector  200  in either of two orientations. The USB plug connector  100  is protected by the protector  2  enclosing the insulative housing  1 . 
     In other embodiment, the manufacture method is that the terminals  3  are soldered to the printed circuit board  4  at first, and then, the terminals  3 , the printed circuit board  4 , and the protector  2  are received in a mould to insert-mold with the insulative housing  1 . 
     In other embodiment, the second sliding groove  221  is defined in two sides of the insulative housing  1  and the second slider  131  is defined in the two side walls  22  of the protector  2 . 
     Notably, as shown in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,717, the traditional USB plug connector includes a metallic shell enclosing the insulative housing circumferentially and snugly received within the metallic shield of the receptacle connector. In other words, in the traditional mated connectors, the mating tongue of the receptacle connector is fully circumferentially surrounded in a receiving space formed between the metallic shell and the mating plate of the plug connector. Differently, in the instant invention, no circumferential metallic shell is provided but only the housing  1  with the protector  2  is received in the mating cavity of the receptacle connector  200 . In other words, the mating tongue of the receptacle connector  200  is not enclosed within the plug connector. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the deflectable latch  201  on the bottom board may upwardly press against a bottom face of the mating tongue for reinforcing the mating tongue to resist the possible downward applied forces. Anyhow, the receptacle connector  200  is still adapted to be mated with the traditional plug connector wherein the latch  201  on the bottom board is downwardly deflectable when the metallic shell of the traditional plug connector is mated to occupy the space between the mating tongue and the bottom board of the metallic shield of the receptacle connector  200 . 
     On the other hand, in the instant invention the dimension of the plug connector  100  including the housing  1  and the protector  2 , should be compliant with a large space  2031  formed between the mating tongue and the metallic shield of the receptacle connector  200  as shown in  FIG. 5  in both the mutually perpendicular vertical direction and the transverse direction. Thus, during mating the plug connector  100  is only occupies the large space  1031  while leaving the small space  2031  empty. One feature of the invention is to provide availability of coupling the plug connector  100  into the receptacle connector  200  in a flippable way without the specific orientation. Understandably, because the traditional USB plug connector and receptacle connector may not allow the flippable mating way, the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,717 uses a thinner double sided mating plate in the existing metallic shell of the plug connector for the flippable mating, thus jeopardizing the structural strength of the mating plate of the plug connector. In the instant invention, the traditional metallic shell of the plug connector is removed but being replaced with the protector. This arrangement may avoid the strength defects of the plug connector derived from the thinned mating plate thereof disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,717. One feature of the invention is to have the contacting/exterior surface of the terminal  3  is inwardly recessed, in the vertical direction, from the exterior surface of the housing  1 , i.e., the upper surface  11  and the bottom surface  12 , with a tiny gap so as to avoid any improper contact between the terminals  3  and the upper board of the shield  205  during mating. 
     While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention has been shown and described, equivalent modifications and changes known to persons skilled in the art according to the spirit of the present invention are considered within the scope of the present invention as described in the appended claims.