Cable connector assembly having improved LED structure for indication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9515427-B2
Application number	US-201615141846-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2016
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A cable connector assembly includes a cable and an electrical connector electrically connected with the cable, the electrical connector including a mating member, a printed circuit board (PCB) electrically connected with the mating member, a light emitting element mounted on the PCB, a light pipe to pass the light emitted by the light emitting element therethrough, a metal shell enclosing the PCB, and an outer case covering the metal shell, the light pipe mounted to the PCB, wherein the light pipe defines a first step portion and a second step portion on the bottom side of the first step portion, the first step portion defines a first surface exposing to a light-transmissive region of the outer case, the second step portion defines a second surface, and the metal shell bears against the second surface to press the light pipe against the PCB.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable connector assembly comprising:
a cable including a plurality of wires; and
an electrical connector electrically connected with the cable, the electrical connector including a mating member, a printed circuit board (PCB) electrically connected with the mating member, a light emitting element mounted on the PCB, a light pipe to pass the light emitted by the light emitting element therethrough, a metal shell enclosing the PCB, and an outer case covering the metal shell, the light pipe mounted to the PCB; wherein
the light pipe defines a first step portion and a second step portion on a bottom side of the first step portion, the first step portion defines a first surface exposing to a light-transmissive region of the outer case, the second step portion defines a second surface, and the metal shell bears against the second surface to press the light pipe against the PCB.

2. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a bottom sidewall of the light pipe is recessed inwardly to form a receiving portion for receiving the light emitting element.

3. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the light pipe further includes a third step portion disposed between the first step portion and the third step portion.

4. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a thickness of the metal shell is equal to a height of the third step portion.

5. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 4 , wherein:
the PCB includes a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface; and
the light pipe includes a first light pipe mounted on the top surface and a second light pipe mounted on the bottom surface, the first light pipe and the second light pipe having a same structure.

6. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 5 , wherein:
the first light pipe defines a pair of outwardly projecting first mounting posts;
the second light pipe defines a pair of outwardly projecting second mounting posts; and
the PCB defines a plurality of mounting holes receiving the first mounting posts and the second mounting posts.

7. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the pair of first mounting posts determine a first straight line perpendicular to a second straight line determined by the pair of second mounting posts.

8. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 1 , further including a covering member assembled between the metal shell and the outer shell.

9. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the covering member includes a groove extending from a rear end thereof along a mating direction to expose the light pipe.

10. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 1 , further including an inner mold molded in the metal shell.

11. A cable connector assembly comprising:
an insulative housing defining a receiving room forwardly communicating with an exterior along a front-to-back direction;
a metallic first shell surrounding said housing;
a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing, each of said contacts including, along said front-to-back direction, a front mating portion exposed in the receiving room, and a rear mounting portion mechanically and electrically connected to a front region of a printed circuit board which is located behind the housing in said front-to-back direction and defines two opposite first and second surfaces thereon;
a cable including a plurality of wires mechanically and electrically connected to a rear region of the printed circuit board;
at least one LED (laser Emitting Diode) mounted upon one of said first and second surfaces;
a light pipe covering the LED;
a metallic second shell assembled to a rear end of the first shell and enclosing the printed circuit board; and
a metallic third shell enclosing a front portion of the second shell; wherein the second shell includes two discrete halves assembled to each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to said front-to-back direction while each of the first shell and the third shell is of one piece made by drawing without seam along the front-to-back direction.

12. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each of said second shell and said third shell forms an opening through which the light pipe extends outwardly in the vertical direction.

13. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the opening of the third shell defines a U-shaped boundary while the opening of the second shell defines a closed type boundary.

14. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 12 , further including an insulative outer jacket applied upon exterior surfaces of said second shell and said third shell, wherein an exterior surface of said jacket is flush with an exposed external surface of the light pipe.

15. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said light pipe further forms a step structure inward of the exposed external surface of the light pipe in the vertical direction, and said step structure abuts against at least one of the outer jacket and the third shell in the vertical direction.

16. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 15 , wherein said step structure outwardly abuts against both said outer jacket and said third shell in the vertical direction.

17. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 15 , wherein said light pipe further includes another step structure inward of said step structure to outwardly abut against the second shell in the vertical direction.

18. A cable connector assembly comprising an insulative housing defining a receiving room forwardly communicating with an exterior along a front-to-back direction;
a metallic first shell surrounding said housing;
a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing, each of said contacts including, along said front-to-back direction, a front mating portion exposed in the receiving room, and a rear mounting portion mechanically and electrically connected to a front region of a printed circuit board which is located behind the housing in said front-to-back direction and defines two opposite first and second surfaces thereon;
a cable including a plurality of wires mechanically and electrically connected to a rear region of the printed circuit board;
at least one LED (laser Emitting Diode) mounted upon one of said first and second surfaces;
a light pipe covering the LED;
a metallic second shell assembled to a rear end of the first shell and enclosing the printed circuit board; and
an insulative outer jacket applied upon the second shell; wherein
each of said outer jacket and said second shell forms an opening through which a first step structure of the light pipe extends outwardly in the vertical direction; wherein
said light pipe further includes a second step structure outwardly abut against the second shell in the vertical direction.

19. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 18 , further including another LED mounted upon the other of said first and second surface and another light pipe covering said another LED, wherein said light pipe and said another light pipe essentially are same with each other each with a pair of diagonally arranged mounting posts extending through the printed circuit board in an intersecting manner.

20. The cable connector assembly as claimed in claim 18 , further including a metallic third shell made via a drawing process to enclose the second shell for reinforcement.

Assignees

• Foxconn Interconnect Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Wu Jerry
• Chen Jun
• Meng Fan-Bo

Classifications

• H01R13/6581

  Shield structure · CPC title

• H01R13/502

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R24/62

  Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices · CPC title

• H01R13/6583

  with separate conductive resilient members between mating shield members · CPC title

• H01R13/6593

  the shield being composed of different pieces · CPC title