Abstract:
An electrical connector ( 1 ) formating with a complementary connector includes a main housing, a terminal insert ( 60 ), a pull tab ( 80 ) and a pair of latch springs ( 70 ). The main housing includes a bottom housing ( 10 ) and a top housing ( 20 )assembled onto the bottom housing, a mating frame ( 13 ) formed on a front end thereof. The terminal insert is assembled into the mating frame and has a plurality of terminals ( 64 ) received therein. The pull tab ( 80 ) received in the connector has an operation portion ( 81 ) and a pair of latch releasing portions ( 83 ) at a free end thereof. The latch springs ( 70 ) cooperates with the pull tab. When the connector is mated with the complementary connector, the operation portion abuts against a surface of the main housing; when the pull tab is pulled rearwardly by gripping the operation portion in a longitudinal direction, the latch releasing portions deflect the latch springs in a lateral direction for separating from a hook of the complementary connector, thereby the connector is released.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/209,553 filed on Jul. 30, 2002 and entitled “ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING A LATCH MECHANISM”, and the content of which is incorporated herein by reference now. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having latch springs for engaging with and releasing from a mated complementary connector. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,939 issued on Oct. 15, 1996 to Maitani, et al. A conventional electrical connector disclosed in the patent has a pair of latch springs  22  and  22 A respectively attached on opposite sides of a housing  21  of the connector. An operating member  23  has a pair of latch releasing cams  23 - 4  located below angled portions  22 - 4  of the latch springs  22 ,  22 A. When an operator pulls a pull tab  23 - 8  of the operating member  23  backwardly, the latch releasing cams  23 - 4  exert outward forces on the angled portions  22 - 4  and U-shaped claws  22 - 1  slip out to release a mated complementary connector. Because the operating member  23  is positioned outside of the housing  21 , they are very easy to be damaged when a force is exerted thereon. When two or more such connectors are arranged, a relatively large space is needed between every two connectors and this adversely affects the compact design of an electronic system including such connectors. To overcome the above mentioned disadvantages, an electrical connector is needed which has a pull tab which will not increase the length of the connector, and a better protection is provided to the pull tab to prevent them from damage by an external force. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide an electrical connector having a pull tab assembled therein for engaging with and releasing from a mated complementary connector; the pull tab will not increase the length of the connector and it is protected from an external force to act thereon whereby a damage of the pull tab by the external force can be prevented. 
     In order to achieve the object above-mentioned, an electrical connector for mating with a complementary connector includes a main housing, a terminal insert, a pull tab and a pair of latch springs. The main housing includes a bottom housing and a top housing assembled onto the bottom housing, a mating frame formed on a front end thereof. The terminal insert is assembled into the mating frame and has a plurality of terminals received therein. The pull tab received in the connector has an operation portion and a pair of latch releasing portions at a free end thereof. The latch springs cooperates with the pull tab. When the connector is mated with the complementary connector, the operation portion abuts against a surface of the main housing; when the pull tab is pulled rearwardly by gripping the operation portion in a longitudinal direction, the latch releasing portions deflect the latch springs in a lateral direction for separating from a hook of the complementary connector, thereby the connector is released. 
    
    
     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 an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged-perspective view of a bottom housing shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a bottom housing shown in FIG. 1 from a bottom aspect; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a top housing shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of latch springs and a pull tab shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is an assembled view of the electrical connector shown in FIG. 1 with a cable end; 
     FIG. 7 is a top planar view of the electrical connector in FIG. 6, wherein the top housing and the cable end of the electrical connector are removed, and latch springs are located at a close position; and 
     FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, except that latch springs are moved to an open position. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, an electrical connector  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises a main housing which comprises a bottom housing  10  and a top housing  20  for being assembled to the bottom housing  10 , a terminal insert  60 , a pair of latch springs  70 , and a pull tab  80 . 
     The bottom housing  10  and the top housing  20  are formed by die casting metallic material, for example, aluminum alloy. Referring to FIG. 2, the bottom housing  10  comprises a base plate  11  and a pair of sidewalls  12  upwardly extending from opposite lateral sides of the base plate  11 . Each sidewall  12  defines an elongated channel  121  from a rear end  14  toward a front end  15  of the bottom housing  10  and through a top engaging face  16  thereof. Each sidewall  12  is divided into an outer wall  122  and an inner wall  123  by the channel  121 . The outer wall  122  has an inclined protrusion  120  formed on an outer surface thereof. The inner walls  123  each have a higher shoulder portion  124  adjacent to the front end  15 . The shoulder portions  124  each define a vertical slit  125  at a rear end thereof. The outer walls  122  each define a cutout  1211  adjacent to the front end  15 . A pair of blocks  126  is formed on inner sides of the shoulder portions  124  of the inner walls  123 . Each block  126  defines a step portion  1261 . The base plate  11  defines a pair of grooves  111  each being located between the shoulder portion  124  of a corresponding inner wall  123  and a corresponding cutout  1211 . A mating frame  13  is formed at the front end  15  of the bottom housing  10 . The mating frame  13  defines an opening  133  through the front end  15 . A pair of engaging ears  131  is formed on opposite sides of a top of the mating frame  13  and extends laterally. A pair of engaging spaces  132  is defined in opposite sides of the mating frame  13  and between the engaging ears  131  and the base plate  11 . A pair of bars  130  projects sideward from the shoulder portion  124  adjacent to the mating frame  13 . The bottom housing  10  has a first substantially semicircular opening  17  at the rear end  14 . A pair of posts  18  protrudes upwardly from the engaging face  16 , located respectively at opposite sides of the first opening  17 . Each post  18  defines a screw hole  181  therein and has four ribs  182  on a circumferential periphery thereof. A recess  19  (shown in FIG. 3) is defined in a bottom face of the bottom housing  10  adjacent to the rear end  14 . 
     Referring to FIG. 4, the top housing  20  comprises a top housing plate  21  and a pair of sidewalls  22  downwardly extending from opposite lateral sides of the top housing plate  21 . Each sidewall  22  defines an elongated channel  221  corresponding to the channel  121  of the bottom housing  10 . Each sidewall  22  is divided into an outer wall  222  and an inner wall  223  by the channel  221 . The outer wall  222  has an inclined protrusion  220  formed on outer surface thereof corresponding to the inclined protrusion  120 . A pair of blocks  211  extends downwardly from the top housing plate  21  corresponding to the blocks  126 . A pair of grooves  212 , corresponding to the grooves  111  in the bottom housing  10 , is defined in the top housing plate  21  in inner sides of a pair of cutouts  2221  which is corresponding to the cutouts  1211  in the bottom housing  10 . A pair of projections  23  extends forwardly from opposite sides of a front end the top housing plate  21 . A semicircular second opening  27  is defined in a rear end  24  of the top housing plate  21  corresponding to the first opening  17  of the bottom housing  10 . A pair of holes  28  is defined in opposite sides of the second opening  27 . Each hole  28  has a diameter generally equal to an outer diameter of each of the posts  18 . 
     Referring to FIG. 5, each of the latch springs  70  is formed by stamping a metal sheet and has a body portion  71 , a U-shaped claw portion  72  formed at a rear end of the body portion  71 , and an L-shaped claw portion  73  formed at a front end of the body portion  71 . An elongated cutout  74  is defined in the body portion  71  in a front to rear direction. The body portion  71  comprises a rear portion  711 , a middle portion  712 , and a front portion  713  extending parallelly to the rear portion  711  from the middle portion  712 . The middle portion  712  comprises a front slope portion  714 , a rear slope portion  715 , and an intermediate portion  716  between the front and rear slope portions  714 ,  715 . 
     The pull tab  80  comprises an operation portion  81 , a pair of arms  82  extending forwardly from opposite sides of the operation portion  81 , and a pair of latch releasing portion  83  formed at front ends of the arms  82 , respectively. The operation portion  81  comprises an operating tongue  84  projecting forwardly from the operation portion  81  corresponding to the recess  19 . A plurality of steppers  840  are formed on the operating tongue  84 . Each latch releasing portion  83  has upper and lower tip ends  832 ,  833 , and a protrusion  831  protruding outwardly from an outside face thereof. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the terminal insert  60  comprises an insulating body  61 , a tongue portion  62  extending forwardly from the body  61 , a printed circuit board (PCB)  63  assembled to a rear side of the body  61 . A plurality of passageways  65  are defined in upper and lower surfaces of the tongue portion  62 . A plurality of terminals  64  are received in the passageways  65  of the tongue portion  62  and extend through the body  61  to electrically connect the PCB  63 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 5-7 in conjunction with FIGS. 1-2, in assembly, the terminal insert  60  is assembled to the bottom housing  10  with the tongue portion  62  received in the opening  133 . The PCB  63  is received in the bottom housing  10  between the two sidewalls  12  and positioned upon the step portions  1261  of the blocks  126 . The two latch springs  70  are respectively assembled to the pull tab  80  by extending the protrusions  831  into the cutouts  74  from inner faces of the latch springs  70 , whereby the latch releasing portions engage with the inner faces of the latch springs  70 , respectively. The latch releasing portions  83  are positioned at the inner faces of the front portions  713  and the protrusions  831  are fitted into front portions of the cutouts  74 . Then, the latch springs  70  together with the pull tab  80  are assembled to the bottom housing  10 . The arms  82  are placed into the channels  121  and the operating tongue  84  of the pull tab  80  is received in the recess  19  with the operation portion  81  abutting against the rear end  14  of the bottom housing  10 . The U-shaped claw portions  72  are received into the slits  125  and engaged with rear ends of the shoulder portions  124  to secure the latch springs  70  to the bottom housing  10 . The PCB  63  is located in the gap  723  between the upper and lower U-shaped claw portions  721 ,  722 . The lower tip ends  833  of the latch releasing portions  83  are placed in the grooves  111  with the protrusions  831  extending into the cutouts  1211 . The L-shaped claw portions  73  extend into the engaging spaces  132  for latching with a complementary connector (not shown). The top housing  20  is assembled to the bottom housing  10  by placing the projections  23  beneath the pair of engaging ears  131 . Then a rear portion of the top housing  20  is rotated downwardly about the pair of engaging ears  131  until a bottom face of the top housing  20  intimately abuts the top engaging face  16  of the bottom housing  10 . Upper portions of the arms  82  are received in the channels  221  and the upper tip ends  832  of the latch releasing portions  83  are received into the grooves  212  of the top housing  20 . The blocks  211  abut a top face of the PCB  63  above the step portions  1261  of the blocks  126  to secure the PCB  63  in position. The posts  18  are received into the holes  28  with the four ribs  182  engaging with inner surfaces of the holes  28 . The first and second openings  17  and  27  together form a cable receiving opening for extension of a cable (shown in FIG. 6) therethrough. Finally, a pair of screws (not shown) are screwed into the screw holes  181  to securely fasten the top housing  20  and the bottom housing  10  together, whereby the electrical connector  1  in accordance with the present invention is obtained. 
     An operation of the electrical connector  1  in introduced below. 
     Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, when the complementary connector is mated with the electrical connector  1  of the present invention, the bars  130  engaging with inner faces of the front portions  713  and the L-shaped claw portions  73  engage with corresponding hooks of the complementary connector. The electrical connector  1  is unmated with the complementary connector by the following operation. An operator grips the operation portion  81  of the pull tab  80  and pulls it rearwardly in a longitudinal direction, the upper and lower tip ends  832 ,  833  slide in the grooves  111 ,  212  and the protrusions  831  slide in the cutouts  74 , and the bars  130  separate from inner sides of the front portions  713 . When the latch releasing portions  83  come into contact with the front slope portions  714 , they exert an outward force on inner faces of the front slope portions  714 . The latch springs  70  are elastically deformed and the front portion  713  is pushed out. Thus, the L-shaped claw portions  73  are driven to move out of the engaging portions of the complementary connector. When the latch releasing portions  83  slide on the intermediate portions  716 , the intermediate portions  716  have an inward force exerted on the latch releasing portions  83  in a lateral direction vertical to the mating direction. When the operator exerts a rearward force to the inclined protrusions  120 ,  220 , the connector  1  is pulled rearward until the connector  1  separates from the complementary connector. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.