Abstract:
The connector and the connecting structure thereof includes an isolation main body having a through hole and an opening. A conducting terminal is disposed in the through hole and protrudes out of the opening. A holding element extends from one end of the conducting terminal. A connecting element has one end connected to the holding element and has the other end connected to a circuit board in an electronic device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to a connector and a connecting structure thereof, and more particularly to a connector and a connecting structure thereof applied to an electronic device, such as an adapter. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Please refer to  FIGS. 1(   a ) and  1 ( b ), which are schematic views showing a conventional AC connector. The conventional AC connector  10  mainly includes an isolation main body  101  having a through hole  102  formed therein, and the through hole  102  further includes a first conducting terminal  103  and a second conducting terminal  104  mounted thereinside, wherein the first conducting terminal  103  and the second conducting terminal  104  pass through openings (not shown) located at the rear of the main body  101  and are connected to a first pin  105  and a second pin  106  respectively by a welding or riveting manner. Moreover, a supporting rod with a protruding structure  107  is further mounted at the bottom of the main body  101  of the AC connector  10 . Thus, through engaging the protruding structure  107  of the supporting rod with the plugging holes  111  and  112  on the circuit board  11  disposed inside the adapter, the AC connector  10  can be fixed on the circuit board  11 . Besides, the first pin  105  and the second pin  106  can extend downwardly to be plugged into pin holes  113  and  114  on the circuit board  11  and then welded on the circuit board  11 , so that the AC power received by the first conducting terminal  103  and the second conducting terminal  104  can be conducted to the circuit board  11 . 
   However, the AC connector described above actually has some unavoidable defects. First of all, because the first pin and the second pin are downwardly extended into the pin holes on the circuit board, the distance between the two pin holes should be matched with that between the first and the second pins, and it is therefore disadvantageous for the AC connector to be applied to other circuit boards with different standards. Furthermore, because the first and the second pins are made of metal material and must be perpendicularly and directly plugged into the circuit board as assembling and then welded on the circuit board, the first and the second pins are actually inflexible. Therefore, they cannot eliminate the heat stress produced by electronic elements on the circuit board as being operated. 
   To overcome the problem of narrow applicability, a design that connects the AC connector and the circuit board inside the electronic device through a connecting wire is developed. Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which is a schematic view showing an AC connector in the market. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the AC connector  20  at least includes an isolation main body  201 , a first conducting terminal  203 , a second conducting terminal  204 , a first conducting piece (not shown), and a second conducting piece  205 , wherein a through hole  202  is formed in the main body  201  and the first conducting terminal  203  and the second conducting terminal  204  are disposed thereinside. The first conducting terminal  203  and the second conducting terminal  204  pass through openings (not shown) at the rear of the main body  201  and are connected to the first conducting piece (not shown) and the second conducting piece  205  respectively. Finally, one end of a connecting wire  206  is connected to a hole of the conducting piece  205  by welding and fixed by the solder ball, and the other end of the connecting wire  206  is connected to the circuit board inside the electronic device (not shown), so as to electrically connected the AC connector  20  and the electronic device. 
   Many defects existed in the conventional AC connector can be solved by means of the connecting wire used in this design and the AC connector can thus be applied to all kinds of circuit boards. However, since the connecting wire needs to be connected and fixed to the hole at the terminal of the conducting piece by welding and the connecting position is quite close to the main body of the AC connector, it is unavoidable to destroy the structure of the main body during the welding process. 
   Therefore, how to improve the whole structure of the AC connector for avoiding the defects described above and further reducing the manufacturing cost has become a challenge for the manufacturer. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The object of the present invention is to provide a connector and a connecting structure thereof, which uses the conducting terminal directly and the holding element to electrically connect the connector and the electronic device, to reduce the possible influences on the isolation main body of the connector caused by the welding or riveting process. On the other hand, using a connecting wire to connect the connector and the electronic device can solve the problem of narrow applicability of the connector so as to be applied to all kinds of circuit boards. 
   In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the connector and the connecting structure thereof comprises an isolation main body having a through hole and an opening, at least a conducting terminal disposed in the through hole and protruding out of the opening, a holding element extended from one end of the conducting terminal, and a connecting element having one end connected to the holding element, and the other end connected to a circuit board in an electronic device. 
   For example, the electronic device is an adaptor, a power supply, or a transformer. 
   For example, the circuit board is a printed circuit board. 
   In an embodiment, the holding element is a circuit board with plural holes thereon. 
   In an embodiment, the holding element comprises a clip. 
   Preferably, the connecting element is a connecting wire. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the electronic device comprises a circuit system disposed inside the electronic device, an opening disposed at a side of the electronic device, and a connector disposed in the opening. The connector comprises an isolation main body having a through hole and an opening, at least a conducting terminal disposed in the through hole and protruding out of the opening, a holding element extended from one end of the conducting terminal, and a connecting element having one end connected to the holding element, and the other end connected to the circuit system inside the electronic device so as to electrically connect the connector and the electronic device. 
   The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed descriptions and accompanying drawings, in which: 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIGS. 1(   a ) and  1 ( b ) are schematic views showing a conventional AC connector; 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view showing an AC connector in the market; 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view showing the connector and the connecting structure thereof according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention; and 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view showing the connector and the connecting structure thereof according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention relates to a connector and a connecting structure thereof that can be applied to an electronic device, such as an adapter, a power supply or a transformer. The connector of the present invention uses a holding element and a connecting element to electrically connect the conducting terminal with its applicative electronic device, so as to overcome the drawbacks of the connecting structure of the conventional connectors, and further reduce the manufacturing cost and increase the production yield. The embodiments below will further explain the details of the connector and the connecting structure thereof of the present invention, which is applied to an adapter for example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and other techniques or designs applicable to the present invention are also incorporated herein for reference. 
   Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which is a schematic view showing the connector and the connecting structure thereof according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the connector and the connecting structure thereof  30  mainly comprises an isolation main body  301 , a conducting terminal  302 , a holding element  303  and a connecting element  304 . The main body  301  has a through hole  3011  and an opening (not shown) at the rear of the main body  301  for receiving the conducting terminal  302  and allowing the conducting terminal  302  to protrude out of the opening. The holding element  303  is a circuit board and the conducting terminal  302  protruding out of the opening can be mounted directly into the corresponding hole  3031  of the holding element  303  and fixed therein. Moreover, the connecting element  304  is mounted into another hole  3031 , and a welding process is performed on the holding element  303  on the surface facing backward the connector  30  to fix the conducting terminal  302  and the connecting element  304  thereon at the same time, and electrically connect the conducting terminal  302  and the connecting element  304 . In addition, the other end of the connecting element  304  is connected to the circuit board  31  in the electronic device. 
   Obviously, according to the present invention, the conducting terminal needs not to be welded or riveted with the conducting piece or pin, and the holding element is used as a shelter to fix and electrically connect the conducting terminal and the connecting element thereon by welding on the surface that does not face the connector. Therefore, the structure of the isolation main body of the connector will not be influenced by the welding process. Furthermore, the present invention uses a connecting wire as a connecting element, so the problem of the narrow applicability of the connector can be solved, and the connector and the electronic device can be connected easily. Moreover, the holding element can further block the impedance interference between the connector and the electronic device and prevent the heat produced during the operation of the electronic device from being directly conducted to the connector and influencing the temperature of the connector. 
   Certainly, the holding element of the present invention is not confined to the circuit board shown in the  FIG. 3 . Please refer to the  FIG. 4 , which is a schematic view showing the connector and the connecting structure thereof according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the holding element is connected with a connecting element  405  in advance, and the connecting element  405  is mounted and fixed in a clip  404  of the holding element. The conducting terminal  402  is mounted in the through hole  403  of the connector  40 , and then riveted with the holding element  404 . As a result, through the design of the clip  404  and the specific height of the holding element  404 , the connecting element  405  can be electrically connected with the conducting terminal  402  firmly; besides, a preferred connector can be manufactured in the situation that the structure of the isolation main body  401  of the connector  40  is not affected. 
   In the embodiments of the present invention, the material of the conducting terminal is metal, and the metal is shaped into a solid stick-like form. Additionally, the shape, size, structure, and holding manner of the holding element are also not limited. The shapes of holes on the holding element as shown in the  FIG. 3  can be varied in accordance with actual requirements as long as the conducting terminal can be surely fixed on the holding element. 
   In conclusion, the connector and connecting structure thereof of the present invention uses the conducting terminal to accomplish the assembling of the connector to the electronic device. In comparison with the prior art, the conducting piece or pin is not required, and the holding element can be used to extend the distance between the isolation main body and the welding or riveting position, so as to reduce the possible influences to the isolation main body of the connector caused by the welding or riveting process. Moreover, the holding element can be used to further block the impedance interference between the connector and the electronic device, and further prevent the heat produced during the operation of the electronic device from being directly conducted to the connector and influencing the temperature of the connector. Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present invention, the connecting element can be securely fixed and protected, and the wiring area on the printed circuit board can even be enlarged to conform to the trend of minimizing the electronic device. Therefore, the present invention indeed possesses progressiveness and industrial value. 
   While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.