Socket connector and connector assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11611166-B2
Application number	US-202117143522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2021
Priority date	Jan 15, 2020
Publication date	Mar 21, 2023
Grant date	Mar 21, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a socket connector including an insulating base and a number of socket terminals. The insulating base includes an outer plastic frame defining a receiving channel and an inner plastic block received in the receiving channel. The inner plastic block includes two sidewalls opposite to each other in a left-and-right direction. The socket terminals are arranged in two rows by positioning symmetrically and respectively on the two sidewalls of the inner plastic block. The socket terminals of each row are arranged in an upper-and-lower direction and spaced away from each other in the upper-and-lower direction. Each socket terminal extends along a front-and-back direction perpendicular to both the left-and-right direction and the upper-and-lower direction. A connector assembly including the socket connector and the mated plug connector is also disclosed in the present disclosure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector assembly, comprising:
a plug connector comprising:
an insulating housing having a width direction extending along a left-and-right direction;
a plurality of plug terminals retained by the insulating housing and arranged in two rows in the width direction of the insulative housing, the plug terminals of each row being arranged in an upper-and-lower direction and spaced away from each other in the upper-and-lower direction, each plug terminal extending along a front-and-back direction perpendicular to both the left-and-right direction and the upper-and-lower direction; and
a cable comprising a plurality of core wires correspondingly and electrically connected with the plug terminals; and
a socket connector mated with plug connector, comprising:
an insulating base; and
a plurality of socket terminals retained by the insulating base and also arranged to in rows in the width direction, the socket terminals of each row being arranged in the upper-and-lower direction and spaced away from each other in the upper-and-lower direction, each socket terminal extending along the front-and-back direction, too;
wherein the plug connector comprises a butting assembly, an outer shell and a light guiding element, the butting assembly comprises a first opening facing towards the socket connector, the outer shell comprises a second opening far away from the socket connector, the light guiding element extends from the first opening to the second opening for connecting the first opening with the second opening.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating housing comprises a first insulating body, a second insulating body and a third insulating body, the first insulating body comprises two opposite vertically-extending surfaces, each of the vertically-extending surfaces includes a plurality of passages, the second insulating body and the third insulating body are arranged face to face along the left-and-right direction for defining a receiving space therebetween, each plug terminal comprises a retaining arm fixed in the passage and a contacting arm extending forward from the retaining arm into the receiving space.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 2 , further comprising a securing assembly enclosing the first insulating body, the plug terminals and the core wires; wherein the securing assembly comprises a left plate and a right plate, the left plate and the right plate respectively and oppositely located beside the first insulating body, the second insulating body and the third insulating body are exposed outside of the securing assembly.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the second insulating body and the left plate are located at the same left side of the first insulating body, the second insulating body is positioned at the front of the left plate, the third insulating body and the right plate are located at the same right side of the first insulating body, the third insulating body is positioned at the front of the right plate.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the first insulating body comprises a plurality of protrusions, each of the left plate and the right plate comprises a plurality of receiving holes correspondingly engaging with the protrusions.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the protrusions are non-circular protrusions and the receiving holes are non-circular holes, each of the left plate and the right plate comprises a first front end and a second back end, due to cooperation between the non-circular protrusions and the non-circular holes, the first front ends and the second back ends are capable of being installed on the first insulating body synchronously.

7. The connector assembly according to claim 5 , wherein the protrusions are cylinders and the receiving holes are round holes, each of the left plate and the right plate comprises a first front end and a second back end, due to cooperation between the cylinders and the round holes, the first front ends are firstly installed on a front part of the first insulating body, the second back ends are capable of being rotated around the first front end and then installed on a back part of the first insulating body subsequently.

8. The connector assembly according to claim 5 , wherein each of the left plate and the right plate comprises a plastic piece and a metal piece, the metal piece comprises a base portion and a plurality of first fastening portions, the base portion is embedded in the plastic piece and the first fastening portions laterally outwardly bend from the upper and lower ends of the base portion, the plurality of receiving holes are formed on the first fastening portions.

9. The connector assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the plastic piece comprises an inner side facing to the first insulating body and a plurality of grooves extending along the front-and-back direction, the grooves are formed on the inner side of the plastic piece, the core wires are accommodated in the grooves.

10. The connector assembly according to claim 9 , wherein each groove comprises a shrink end fixed with the front part of each core wire, each plug terminal comprises a tail portion laterally bending from a rear end of the retaining arm and snapped with a middle part of each core wire, the first insulating body comprises a plurality of lumps which are symmetrically positioned on the left and right surfaces of the insulative body, a rear part of each core wire is fixed by the adjacent two lumps.

11. The connector assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the plug connector comprises a latch, the butting assembly wraps the second insulating body and the third insulating body, the outer shell wraps the securing assembly, and the latch pivotally connects to the butting assembly and is movable on the outer shell.

12. The connector assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the plug connector comprises a pin member, the butting assembly comprises a flexible beam and a first securing portion at a free end of the flexible beam, the first securing portion comprises a first hole, the latch comprises a second securing portion, the second securing portion comprises a second hole corresponding to the first hole, and the pin member passes through the first hole and the second hole.

13. The connector assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the outer shell forms a pair of blocks on the top thereof and the blocks press against the latch.

14. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the insulating base comprises an outer plastic frame defining a receiving channel and an inner plastic block received in the receiving channel, the inner plastic block comprises two sidewalls opposite to each other in the width direction.

15. The connector assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the outer plastic frame comprises a bottom wall, a top wall, a left wall, a right wall and a rear wall, the bottom wall, the top wall, the left wall, the right wall and the rear wall cooperatively defining the receiving channel, the inner plastic block extends from the rear wall into the receiving channel, the sidewalls comprises a left sidewall opposite to the left wall of the outer plastic frame and a right sidewall opposite to the right wall of the outer plastic frame.

16. The connector assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the socket terminals comprise a plurality of first contacting portions and a plurality of second contacting portions, the first contacting portions protrude from the left sidewall of the inner plastic block and face towards the left wall of the ou

Assignees

• Dongguan Luxshare Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• He Yunfeng
• Chen Hongji
• Chen Haohan

Classifications

• H01R24/60

  Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement · CPC title

• H01R13/6272

  comprising a single latching arm · CPC title

• H01R13/629

  Additional means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts, e.g. aligning or guiding means, levers, gas pressure {electrical locking indicators, manufacturing tolerances (separate tools or apparatus H01R43/26)} · CPC title

• H01R13/41

  by frictional grip in grommet, panel or base · CPC title

• H01R13/40

  Securing contact members in or to a base or case; Insulating of contact members · CPC title