TWI459647B - Open/close type socket connector - Google Patents

Description

Clamshell socket connector

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a clamshell receptacle connector.

The peripherals of the notebook computer are usually provided with various configurations of I/O interfaces to meet the needs of different applications, such as: USB interface, RJ 45 interface, VGA interface and some memory card interfaces. As notebook PCs become thinner and lighter in size, the design of the I/O connectors used is even thinner.

The conventional RJ45 connector has a generally square shape and generally includes a plastic body, a terminal mounted on the plastic body, and a metal casing. The plastic body usually has a receiving space for the insertion and cooperation of the crystal plug. Obviously, such conventional RJ45 connectors are integrally formed by the plastic body, so that it is difficult to reduce and control in height. Therefore, it is necessary to design a low-profile socket connector to improve the situation, and the overall structure of the low-profile socket connector is stable.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a flip-top receptacle connector that has a low overall configuration and high structural strength.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a clamshell socket connector mounted on a notebook computer and used for connecting a plug connector, comprising: a seat body, a plurality of conductive terminals received in the seat body, and pivotally mounted a cover plate of the aforementioned seat body and a support member for supporting and restraining the rotation of the cover plate; when the cover plate is rotated around the pivot to a predetermined At the angle, the clamshell socket connector is in an open state. At this time, a receiving space is formed between the cover plate and the seat body, and the receiving space is for receiving the plug connector; wherein the cover plate is provided with a metal buckle The front end of the cover plate is provided with an opening, and the metal buckle piece is provided with a pair of elastic pieces, and the pair of elastic pieces extend in the opening.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the two sides of the cover plate are provided with a pivot shaft, and the base body is provided with a pivot slot. The pivot shaft is received in the pivot slot and can rotate in the pivot slot to drive the cover. The plate rotates between open and closed states.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the aforementioned metal clasp is die-cast.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the front end of the cover plate is provided with an opening, and the metal cleat is provided with a pair of elastic pieces, and the pair of elastic pieces extend in the opening.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the cover plate is provided with the aforementioned pivot shaft, and the other end of the cover plate is provided with a pivot hole for the pivot shaft to pass through.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the seat body is provided with a pivot slot, and the pivot shaft is disposed in the pivot slot and rotatable in the pivot slot to rotate the cover plate between open and closed states. .

As a further improvement of the present invention, the seat body is further provided with an inverted U-shaped pivot groove, and the inverted U-shaped pivot groove is disposed outside the aforementioned pivot groove for the aforementioned pivot to pass through.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the cover plate further includes a stopper piece, and the stopper piece is disposed outside the inverted U-shaped pivot groove and sleeved on the pivot shaft for fixing the pivot axis.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the support member is a pair of metal brackets, and the pair of metal brackets are respectively provided with elongated openings.

As a further improvement of the present invention, wherein the cover plate is respectively formed with a cylindrical protrusion adjacent to the pivot shaft, the cylindrical protrusion can be matched to extend into the long opening, and can slide in the long opening. The borrowing is used to control the extent to which the aforementioned cover is opened.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the seat body has a main body portion and a pivot portion, and the pivot groove is formed in the pivot portion.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the main body portion of the base body is provided with an engagement groove, a plurality of terminal receiving grooves which are the same as the engagement groove, and a bracket groove which is spaced apart from the engagement groove, and the bracket groove is for respectively housing the pair Metal bracket.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, a protruding shaft is formed in the bracket slot, and the pair of metal brackets are respectively formed with a circular hole, and the protruding shaft is cooperatively received in the circular hole, thereby fixing and making the pair of metal brackets relative to the foregoing The convex shaft rotates.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the side walls of the main body portion of the seat body are provided with a notch on the side wall and adjacent to the bracket groove; when the cover plate is in the closed state, the notch can accommodate the cylindrical shape of the cover plate. Bump.

According to a further improvement of the present invention, the conductive terminal has a contact portion and a tail portion, the contact portion is partially exposed in the engaging groove, and the tail portion extends from the rear wall of the seat body and is disposed in the pair of pivot grooves. between.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the aforementioned clamshell socket connector is an RJ45 connector.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the color of the aforementioned cover plate can be matched with the color of the aforementioned notebook computer.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the outer side of the metal buckle is covered with a plastic layer Used to match the color of the aforementioned notebook computer.

In summary, the clamshell socket connector of the present invention utilizes the metal clasp provided on the cover plate, so that the clamshell socket connector has a firm overall structure and high structural strength.

Referring to the first and second figures, the clamshell receptacle connector 100 of the present invention is mounted on a notebook computer (not shown) and is adapted to receive a matable plug connector (not shown). The base body 10 includes a plurality of conductive terminals 20 received in the base body 10, a cover plate 30 pivotally mounted to the seat body 10, and a support member 40 for supporting and restraining the rotation of the cover plate 30. In the preferred embodiment, the present clamshell receptacle connector 100 is an RJ45 type connector.

Referring to the third and fourth figures, in the preferred embodiment, the seat body 10 is made of an insulating material, and the insulating base 10 has a main body portion 11 and a pivot portion 12. The main body portion 11 has a front wall 110, a rear wall 111, and two side walls 112 connecting the front wall 110 and the rear wall 111. An end wall 113 is formed adjacent to each of the two side walls 112, and the two end walls 113, the front wall 110, and the rear wall 111 are collectively formed as an engagement groove 114. The main body portion 11 is further provided with a plurality of terminal receiving grooves 115, and the terminal receiving grooves 115 communicate with the engaging grooves 114. A bracket groove 116 is formed between the side wall 112 and the end wall 113 adjacent thereto, and the bracket groove 116 is spaced apart from the engagement groove 114. A notch 117 is disposed on the side wall 112 at a position adjacent to the bracket groove 116, and the notch 117 communicates with the bracket groove 116. The pivoting portion 12 has a pair of pivoting arms 120, and the pivoting arms 120 are respectively formed with pivot grooves 121. In the preferred embodiment, the foregoing The pivot groove 121 has a substantially semi-circular cross section to fit the pivot 31 of the cover plate 30. Details will be described later.

Each of the conductive terminals 20 has a contact portion 21, a connecting portion 22, and a tail portion 23 connected to the rear end of the connecting portion 22. The contact portion 21 is received in the terminal receiving groove 115 and partially exposed in the engaging groove 114 for electrically mating with the inserted plug connector. The connecting portion 22 is housed in the terminal receiving groove 115. The tail portion 23 extends from the rear wall 111 of the main body portion 11 of the insulating base 10 for mechanically and electrically connecting to a printed circuit board (not shown). In the preferred embodiment, the tail portions 23 are arranged just between the two pivoting arms 120 of the pivoting portion 12 .

Referring to the third and fourth figures, in the preferred embodiment, the cover plate 30 has a substantially rectangular body structure and is mainly made of an insulating material. A pivot 31 extends outwardly from the sides of the cover plate 30 adjacent to the rear portion. The aforementioned pivot shaft 31 is formed by superimposing two cylinders concentric. The pivot structure is the same as the conventional pivot structure, and details are not described herein again, and are collectively referred to as a pivot. A cylindrical projection 32 is also formed at a position adjacent to the aforementioned pivot 31. The insulating cover 30 is further provided with an opening 33 at its front end, the opening of which is opened toward the front end of the clamshell receptacle connector 100 and the plug connector insertion direction. In the preferred embodiment, the cover plate 30 further includes a metal cleat 50 that is injection molded therein. The metal clasp 50 has a substantially rectangular structure and includes a pair of oppositely extending elastic pieces 51. The second opening 52 formed between the pair of elastic pieces 51 can communicate with the opening 33 of the insulating cover 30. After the metal clasp 50 is injection molded into the insulating cover 30, the pair of elastic pieces 51 are partially exposed to the opening 33. The metal clad 50 is further provided with a plurality of through holes 53 for providing an injection molding and an insulating cover. The grip of each other. More specifically, the color of the aforementioned cover 30 can be matched to the color of the aforementioned notebook computer to make the overall appearance of the final product more uniform.

In the preferred embodiment, the support member 40 is a pair of metal brackets. The support member 40 has a long flat shape, and has a long opening 41 at one end and a circular hole 42 at the other end. In the first preferred embodiment, the elongated opening 41 has an oblong hole configuration. The long opening 41 is used to match the cylindrical protrusion 32 of the insulating cover 30. The cylindrical projection 32 can be slid along the elongated opening 41, and the amplitude of the opening of the insulating cover 30 relative to the insulating base 10 can be controlled. The circular hole 42 can receive the protruding shaft 118 provided in the bracket groove 116, thereby fixing the support member 40 to the insulating base 10 in a relatively fixed manner. Moreover, the aforementioned support member 40 is rotatable around the aforementioned convex shaft, thereby cooperating with the insulating cover 30, so that the insulating cover 30 can be rotated between an open state and a closed state. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the protruding shaft may be formed on the metal bracket, and the circular hole may be formed in the bracket groove. Any such structure that cooperates with each other can be applied to the present embodiment.

The sixth and seventh figures show another embodiment of the clamshell receptacle connector 100' cover 30' of the present invention. In the embodiment, the cover plate 30' has the metal buckle 50' and the plastic layer 60' covering the metal buckle 50'. The metal buckle 50' is die-cast. When it is required to match the color of the installed notebook computer case, the plastic layer 60' having a corresponding color may be overlaid on the outside of the metal clasp 50'. The front end of the cover plate 30' is provided with an opening 33', and a pivot hole 301' is opened at the other end of the opening 33'. The cover plate 30' includes a pivot 31' that is independently threaded through the aforementioned pivot hole 301'. The aforementioned seat 10' is also provided with a pivot slot 121'. The pivot shaft 31' is disposed in the pivot slot 121' and is rotatable in the pivot slot 121' to rotate the cover plate between open and closed states. . An inverted U-shaped pivot groove 122' is further defined in the seat body 10'. The inverted U-shaped pivot groove 122' is disposed outside the pivot groove 121' for the passage of the pivot 31'. The cover plate 30' further includes a stop piece 34'. The stop piece 34' is disposed outside the inverted U-shaped pivot groove 122' and sleeved on the pivot 31' to fix the pivot 31'. Other structures in this example are substantially identical to the structures of the first to fifth embodiments, and details are not described herein again.

Referring to the first figure and referring to the fifth figure and the sixth figure, when the front cover 30, 30' is in the closed state, that is, when the plug connector is not plugged in, the cover socket connector of the present invention The 100, 100' overall structure tends to be flat. At this time, the cover plates 30, 30' are fastened to the seat body 10, 10' in a substantially parallel manner; when the cover plates 30, 30' are closed from the closed state When the clockwise rotation is opened, the pivots 31, 31' rotate correspondingly in the pivot slots 121, 121', and the support member 40 also rotates counterclockwise around the convex shaft 118. At this time, the cylindrical projection 32 Sliding in the long opening 41 and displacing in a direction away from the circular hole 42 of the support member 40 until reaching one end of the elongated opening 41, the cover plate 30, 30' enters the fully open state at this time; In the open state, a receiving space 90 is formed between the cover plates 30, 30' and the seat body 10, 10' for receiving the plug connector.

In the present invention, the aforementioned metal clasps 50, 50' reinforce the overall structural strength of the cover of the snap-fit plug connector, thereby preventing the user from causing damage to the snap-fit structure due to accidental pulling of the plug connector. The foregoing support member 40 (the metal bracket in this embodiment) can provide the support and limitation of the aforementioned cover plates 30, 30', so that the cylindrical projection of the cover plate is restricted It can only slide along the oblong hole, thus preventing the swaying of the aforementioned cover plate from rotating, and at the same time, limiting the opening extent of the aforementioned cover plate, preventing the angle opening from being too large and causing structural damage.

In summary, the clamshell socket connector 100, 100' of the present invention utilizes a metal clasp in the cover plate, so that the clamshell socket connector has a low overall configuration and high structural strength.

It is to be understood that the equivalents of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as claimed.

100, 100'‧‧‧Clamshell socket connector

10, 10'‧‧‧ body

11‧‧‧ Main body

110‧‧‧ front wall

111‧‧‧Back wall

112‧‧‧ side wall

113‧‧‧End wall

114‧‧‧ Engagement slot

115‧‧‧Terminal receiving slot

116‧‧‧ bracket slot

117‧‧ ‧ gap

118‧‧‧Shaft axis

12‧‧‧ pivotal department

120‧‧‧ pivot arm

121, 121'‧‧‧ pivot slot

122'‧‧‧Inverted U-shaped pivot slot

20‧‧‧Electrical terminals

21‧‧‧Contacts

22‧‧‧Connecting Department

23‧‧‧ tail

30, 30'‧‧‧ cover

301'‧‧‧ pivot hole

31, 31'‧‧‧ pivot

32‧‧‧ cylindrical bumps

33, 33'‧‧‧ openings

34'‧‧‧stop film

40‧‧‧Support members

41‧‧‧Long opening

42‧‧‧ round hole

50, 50'‧‧‧metal clasps

51‧‧‧Shrap

52‧‧‧second opening

53‧‧‧through hole

60'‧‧‧Plastic layer

90‧‧‧ accommodating space

The first figure is a perspective view of the clamshell socket connector of the present invention in a closed state.

The second figure is another perspective view of the clamshell socket connector shown in the first figure.

The third figure is an exploded perspective view of the clamshell socket connector shown in the first figure.

The fourth figure is another perspective exploded view of the clamshell socket connector shown in the first figure.

The fifth figure is a perspective view of the clamshell socket connector shown in the first figure in an open state.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the clamshell receptacle connector of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the clamshell socket connector insulating cover shown in Figure 6.

The eighth figure is a perspective view of the clamshell socket connector body shown in the sixth figure.

100‧‧‧掀Cover socket connector

10‧‧‧ body

20‧‧‧Electrical terminals

30‧‧‧ Cover

31‧‧‧ pivot

32‧‧‧ cylindrical bumps

40‧‧‧Support members

50‧‧‧Metal clasps

Claims (18)

A clamshell socket connector is mounted on a notebook computer and is used for connecting a plug connector, comprising: a seat body, a plurality of conductive terminals received in the seat body, a cover plate pivotally mounted to the seat body, and a support member for supporting and restricting rotation of the cover plate; when the cover plate is rotated about the pivot to a predetermined angle, the clamshell socket connector is in an open state, and between the cover plate and the seat body Forming a receiving space, wherein the receiving space is for accommodating the plug connector; wherein the cover plate is provided with a metal buckle piece, the cover plate is injection molded on the metal buckle piece, and the front end of the cover plate is provided with an opening, and the metal buckle piece is provided There is a pair of elastic pieces, and the pair of elastic pieces extend in opposite directions in the aforementioned opening. The clamshell socket connector of claim 1, wherein the cover plate is provided with a pivot shaft on both sides thereof, the seat body is provided with a pivot slot, and the pivot shaft is received in the pivot slot and can be The pivot slot rotates to drive the cover plate to rotate between the open and closed states. The clamshell socket connector of claim 1, wherein the metal clasp is die-cast. The clamshell socket connector of claim 3, wherein the front end of the cover plate is provided with an opening. The clamshell socket connector of claim 4, wherein the cover plate is provided with the aforementioned pivot shaft, and the other end of the cover plate is provided with a pivot hole for the pivot shaft to pass through . The clamshell socket connector of claim 5, wherein the aforementioned seat body A pivot slot is disposed, and the pivot shaft is disposed in the pivot slot and rotatable in the pivot slot to rotate the cover plate between an open state and a closed state. The clamshell socket connector of claim 6, wherein the seat body is further provided with an inverted U-shaped pivot groove, and the inverted U-shaped pivot groove is disposed outside the pivot groove for the foregoing pivot The shaft passes through. The clamshell socket connector of claim 7, wherein the cover plate further comprises a stop piece, the stop piece is disposed outside the inverted U-shaped pivot groove and sleeved on the pivot shaft for Fix the aforementioned pivot axis. The clamshell socket connector of claim 2, wherein the support member is a pair of metal brackets, and the pair of metal brackets are respectively provided with elongated openings. The clamshell socket connector of claim 9, wherein the cover plate is respectively formed with a cylindrical protrusion adjacent to the pivot shaft, and the cylindrical protrusion can be matched to extend into the long opening. And sliding in the long opening to control the extent of the opening of the cover. The clamshell socket connector of claim 10, wherein the base body has a main body portion and a pivot portion, and the pivot groove is formed in the pivot portion. The clamshell socket connector of claim 11, wherein the body portion of the seat body is provided with an engagement groove, a plurality of terminal receiving grooves identical to the engagement groove, and a bracket groove spaced apart from the engagement groove, The bracket groove is configured to respectively receive the pair of metal brackets. The clamshell socket connector of claim 12, wherein the foregoing branch A protruding shaft is formed in the frame groove, and the pair of metal brackets are respectively formed with a circular hole, and the protruding shaft is cooperatively received in the circular hole, thereby fixing and rotating the pair of metal brackets relative to the protruding shaft. The clamshell socket connector of claim 13, wherein the two side walls of the main body of the seat body are provided with a notch on the side wall adjacent to the bracket groove; when the cover plate is in a closed state, The aforementioned notch can accommodate the cylindrical projection of the aforementioned cover plate. The clamshell socket connector of claim 14, wherein the conductive terminal has a contact portion and a tail portion, the contact portion is partially exposed in the engagement groove, and the tail portion extends from the rear wall of the seat body. And placed between the aforementioned pair of pivot slots. The clamshell receptacle connector of claim 1, wherein the clamshell receptacle connector is an RJ45 connector. The clamshell socket connector of claim 1, wherein the color of the cover plate is matched to the color of the notebook computer. The clamshell socket connector of claim 8, wherein the outer side of the metal clad is covered with a plastic layer for matching the color of the notebook computer.