Connector structure

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector structure, comprising an insulating body, a plurality of terminals, at least one stopper, and a housing. The terminals are disposed in the insulating body. The housing accommodates the insulating body and the terminals. A part of the insulating body abuts between the housing and the stopper, and the mutually contacting portions of the housing and the stopper are structurally combined together.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector structure. Background Art

[0002] With the development of technology, various connectors for different electronic products have emerged. The USB connector is one of the most widely used and popular connectors in electrical connectors, and most electronic devices are equipped with USB connectors. Currently, the USB Type-C connector, as a connector that can be inserted in either direction, has been widely used.

[0003] However, during the miniaturization process of products, some components or structures are unable to maintain their structural strength or original required functions when their sizes are reduced. For example, some structural features required for the combination of some components, such as hooks or snap holes, etc., cannot be successfully manufactured during the miniaturization process. Therefore, some existing connectors abandon some combination structures, and thus related problems are exposed, resulting in defects in the connectors. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a connector structure that still maintains its structural strength during the miniaturization process to prevent component detachment.

[0005] The connector structure of the present invention includes an insulating body, a plurality of terminals, at least one stopper, and a housing. The terminals are disposed on the insulating body. The housing accommodates the insulating body and the terminals. A part of the insulating body abuts between the housing and the stopper, and the mutually contacting parts of the housing and the stopper are structurally combined together.

[0006] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned insulating body has a base portion and a tongue portion. The above-mentioned terminals respectively extend from the base portion to the tongue portion. The tongue portion penetrates through the housing. The base portion stands at the side opening of the housing, and a part of the base portion is clamped between the housing and the stopper.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing has a first groove. The insulating body has a tongue portion, a first base portion, and a second base portion. The tongue portion extends from the first base portion. The second base portion is stacked on the side of the first base portion opposite to the tongue portion. The tongue portion extends into the housing, and the first base portion is received in the first groove.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned first base portion and the side surface of the housing are coplanar, and the stopper is stacked on the plane.

[0009] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned stopper exposes the second base portion.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing further has at least one convex portion located at the edge of the side surface, and the stopper has at least one second groove for receiving the convex portion.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned insulating body has at least one groove, and the stopper has at least one protrusion that extends into the groove and contacts the housing.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned stopper has a plate body that abuts against the insulating body, and the protrusion extends from the plate body. Another connector is adapted to be axially docked to the connector structure, and the extending direction of the protrusion is parallel to the axial direction.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned insulating body is flush with one side of the housing, and the plate body protrudes from one side of the housing.

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing has at least one groove, and the stopper has at least one protrusion that fits and contacts the groove.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned insulating body has at least one other protrusion. The protrusion of the stopper and the other protrusion of the insulating body are received in the groove, and the other protrusion of the insulating body is clamped between the housing and the protrusion of the stopper.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned stopper and the insulating body are flush with the same side of the housing.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing has at least one groove, and the whole of the stopper is received in the groove and contacts the housing.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned connector structure includes a pair of stoppers that contact the housing from opposite sides of the insulating body and clamp the insulating body between the stoppers and the housing.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the surfaces of the above-mentioned stopper and the housing that contact each other form a welding portion and are structurally joined together.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned stopper and the insulating body are integrally formed by fitting together.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned housing and the stopper are thin shells joined by metal welding to accommodate the insulating body and the terminals and fix the insulating body to the thin shell.

[0022] Based on the above, in addition to accommodating the insulating body and the terminals in the housing, the connector structure structurally combines the parts where the stopper contacts the housing together, so that the insulating body can be abutted or clamped between the housing and the stopper. Accordingly, the required fixing effect is provided for the insulating body by the combination of the stopper and the housing. At the same time, during the process of docking with another connector, this fixing effect can further prevent the relative displacement or even detachment between the insulating body and the housing, facilitating the abandonment of some structural features of the connector structure during the miniaturization process, enabling it to smoothly miniaturize, and endowing the connector structure with the effects in terms of both size and structural strength. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1B shown from another perspective Figure 1A of the connector structure.

[0025] Figure 1C is Figure 1B an exploded view of the connector structure.

[0026] Figure 1D is Figure 1B a schematic diagram of some components of the connector structure.

[0027] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2B shown from another perspective Figure 2A of the connector structure.

[0029] Figure 3A is Figure 1A an exploded view of the connector structure.

[0030] Figure 3B shown from another perspective Figure 3A of the connector structure.

[0031] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 is Figure 4 an exploded view of the connector structure.

[0033] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7 is Figure 6 an exploded view of the connector structure.

[0035] Symbolic Explanation

[0036] 100, 200, 300, 400: Connector Structure

[0037] 110, 210, 310, 410: Insulating Body

[0038] 112, 212, 312, 412: Base

[0039] 114, 214, 314, 414: Tongue

[0040] 120, 220, 320, 420: Terminal

[0041] 130, 230, 330A, 330B, 430: Stopper

[0042] 132: Plate

[0043] 140, 240, 340, 440: Housing

[0044] 212a, 212b, 212c, 231, 232, 312a, 312b, 312c: Protrusion

[0045] 241, 242, 243, 341, 342, 343, 344a, 344b: Groove

[0046] 412a: First Base

[0047] 412b: Second Base

[0048] 441: Side

[0049] A1: Plane

[0050] P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7: Protrusion

[0051] R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6: Groove

[0052] R7: First Groove

[0053] R8: Second Groove

[0054] X - Y - Z: Rectangular Coordinates. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0055] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a connector structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1B Shown from another perspective Figure 1A of the connector structure. Figure 1C Viewed Figure 1BExploded view of the connector structure. Cartesian coordinates X - Y - Z are provided here for ease of component description. Please also refer to Figures 1A to 1C , in this embodiment, the connector structure 400 includes an insulating body 410, a plurality of terminals 420, at least one stopper (taking the stopper 430 as an example), and a housing 440. The terminals 420 are disposed in the insulating body 410 and are exposed on opposite sides of the insulating body 410 along the Y - axis. The housing 440 houses the insulating body 410 and the terminals 420 therein. A part of the insulating body 410 abuts between the housing 440 and the stopper 430, and the mutually contacting parts of the housing 440 and the stopper 430 are structurally joined together.

[0056] Figure 1C is Figure 1B Exploded view of the connector structure. Figure 1D is Figure 1B Schematic diagram of some components of the connector structure. Please also refer to Figures 1B to 1D , in this embodiment, the insulating body 410 includes a tongue portion 414 and a base portion 412. Here, the base portion 412 is further divided into a first base portion 412a and a second base portion 412b, where the terminals 420 extend from the second base portion 412b and the first base portion 412a to the tongue portion 414 and are exposed from the tongue portion 414. The tongue portion 412 passes through the housing 440, the first base portion 412a and the second base portion 412b stand at the side opening of the housing 440, and the first base portion 412a is clamped between the housing 440 and the stopper 430. Here, the tongue portion 414 extends from the first base portion 412a, and the second base portion 412b is stacked on the side of the first base portion 412a opposite to the tongue portion 414. Thus, when the tongue portion 414 extends into the housing 440, the first base portion 412a will be received in the first groove R7 of the housing 440.

[0057] As Figure 1D shown, when the insulating body 410 and the housing 440 are assembled together, the first base portion 412a is received in the first groove R7 and forms a plane A1 with the side surface 441 of the housing 440, and the stopper 430 is substantially stacked on the plane A1 and thus exposes the second base portion 412b. In addition, the housing 440 also has a pair of convex portions P7 located at the edge of the side surface 441, and the stopper 430 has a pair of second grooves R8 so that after the stopper 430 is assembled to the housing 440, the convex portions P7 can be received in the second grooves R8. Accordingly, after the above components are assembled, further, the mutually contacting parts of the stopper 430 and the housing 440 are joined together by means of laser welding to achieve structural joining and thus enable the stopper 430 to provide a stopping effect on the insulating body 410.

[0058] Figure 2A Schematic diagram of a connector structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 2B Shown from another perspective Figure 2A is the connector structure of Figure 3A is Figure 2A the exploded view of the connector structure of. Please also refer to Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 3A , in this embodiment, the connector structure 100 includes an insulating body 110, a plurality of terminals 120, at least one stopper (taking the stopper 130 as an example), and a housing 140. The terminals 120 are disposed in the insulating body 110 and are respectively exposed on opposite sides of the insulating body 110 along the Y-axis. The housing 140 houses the insulating body 110 and the terminals 120 therein. A part of the insulating body 110 abuts between the housing 140 and the stopper 130, and the mutually contacting portions of the housing 140 and the stopper 130 are structurally combined together.

[0059] Figure 3B Shown from another perspective Figure 3A is the connector structure of. Please also refer to Figure 3A and Figure 3B , specifically, the insulating body 110 includes a base portion 112 and a tongue portion 114. Parts of the terminals 120 are respectively exposed from the tongue portion 114, and another part of the terminals 120 extends from the base portion 112. Furthermore, the insulating body 110 also has grooves R1, R2, R3 and protrusions P4, P5, P6 located on the base portion 112. The stopper 130 has a plate body 132 and protrusions P1, P2, P3 extending from the plate body 132, and the housing 140 has grooves R4, R5, R6. Accordingly, when the housing 140, the insulating body 110 and the stopper 130 are mutually combined, the protrusions P4, P5, P6 of the insulating body 110 are correspondingly fitted into the grooves R4, R5, R6 of the housing 140, and the protrusions P1, P2, P3 of the stopper 130 respectively extend into the grooves R1, R2, R3 of the insulating body 110 and will also contact the inner wall of the housing 140 after extending in.

[0060] In this embodiment, the mutually contacting surfaces of the stopper 130 and the housing 140 will form a welding portion and be structurally combined with each other. That is to say, the contacting portions of the protrusions P1, P2, P3 extending into the grooves R1, R2, R3 and the inner wall of the housing 140 can be combined together by means of, for example, laser welding, so as to weld the housing 140 and the stopper 130, which are both made of metal materials, into a thin shell for housing the insulating body 110 and the terminals 120, and at the same time, the insulating body 110 can be fixed to the thin shell.

[0061] In other words, the insulating body 110 of the present embodiment provides grooves at its base 112 for the protrusions P1, P2, and P3 to pass through, and then uses the internal space of the housing 140 for the combination of the stopper 130 and the housing 140. In this way, the size of the connector structure 100 can be effectively reduced to achieve the effect of miniaturization. The size mentioned here is the length of the connector structure 100 along the Y-axis, as Figure 2B shown, one side of the insulating body 110 is flush with one side of the housing 140, and the plate body 132 protrudes from this side of the housing 140. However, due to the aforementioned use of the internal space of the housing 140, the length of the housing along the Y-axis has been able to be reduced compared to the existing connector structure. At the same time, the welding parts formed by the contact of the protrusions P1, P2, and P3 with the inner wall of the housing 140 can maintain the required structural strength due to their structural combination, and then the insulating body 110 can be firmly fixed between the stopper 130 and the housing 140. Furthermore, by the stopping effect provided by the stopper 130 on the insulating body 110, the situation where the insulating body 110 is displaced or even detached relative to the housing 140 can be prevented. Here, the protrusions P1, P2, and P3 extend along the Y-axis relative to the plate body 132, and another connector is also docked with the connector structure 100 along the Y-axis, that is, the extending direction of the protrusions P1, P2, and P3 is parallel to the docking axis (Y-axis) of the connector structure 100.

[0062] In another embodiment not shown, in order to simplify the assembly process of the connector structure 100, the insulating body 110 and the stopper 130 can also be integrally formed by the fitting effect of the protrusions P1, P2, and P3 and the grooves R1, R2, and R3. That is, for example, by using the method of insert molding, the stopper 130 and the insulating body 110 are first combined into a semi-finished product, and then only the housing 140 needs to be combined and welded with the semi-finished product to complete the production of the connector structure 100. However, the present invention does not limit the manufacturing process of the connector structure because of this.

[0063] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a connector structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is Figure 4 an exploded view of the connector structure. Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5, in this embodiment, the connector structure 200 includes a housing 240, an insulating body 210, terminals 220, and a stopper 230. The terminals 220 are the same as the aforementioned terminals 120 and will not be elaborated further. Different from the previous embodiment, the housing 240 of this embodiment has grooves 241, 242, 243, the stopper 230 has protrusions 231, 232, and the insulating body 210 includes a base 212 and a tongue 214, and also has protrusions 212a, 212b, 212c located on the base 212. Accordingly, when the housing 240, the insulating body 210, and the stopper 230 are combined with each other, the protrusions 212a, 212b, 212c are correspondingly received in the grooves 242, 243, 241, and the protrusions 231, 232 are correspondingly received and adapted to the grooves 243, 242, thus causing the stopper 230 to be in surface contact with the housing 240.

[0064] At the same time, since the protrusions 231, 232 and the protrusions 212b, 212a are correspondingly received in the grooves 243, 242, when the stopper 230 and the housing 240 are welded on the contact surface, the insulating body 210 can be fixed in the thin shell formed by the housing 240 and the stopper 230 because the protrusions 212a, 212b are clamped between the protrusions 232, 231 of the housing 240 and the stopper 230. Here, the stopper 230 and the insulating body 210 are flush with the same side of the housing 240, and the whole of the stopper 230 is substantially received in the groove of the housing 240 and contacts the housing 240.

[0065] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is Figure 6 an exploded view of the connector structure. Please also refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , in the connector structure 300 of this embodiment, it includes a housing 340, an insulating body 310, terminals 320, and a pair of stoppers 330A, 330B, which are substantially as Figure 4 , Figure 5 shown, and the difference is that the stoppers 330A, 330B are provided on the opposite sides of the insulating body 310 along the X-axis to contact the housing 340 along the Y-axis and clamp the insulating body 310 between the stoppers 330A, 330B and the housing 340.

[0066] Furthermore, as Figure 7As shown, the housing 340 has grooves 341, 342, 343, 344a, 344b. The insulating body 310 includes a base 312 and a tongue 314, and the insulating body 310 further includes protrusions 312a, 312b, 312c located on the base 312. When the stoppers 330A, 330B, the insulating body 310 and the housing 340 are combined with each other, the protrusions 312a, 312b, 312c are correspondingly received in the grooves 342, 343, 341, and the stoppers 330A, 330B are integrally received in the grooves 344a, 344b respectively. Thus, the protrusion 312a is clamped between the stopper 330A and the housing 340, and the protrusion 312b is clamped between the stopper 330B and the housing 340.

[0067] Similar to the foregoing Figure 4 、 Figure 5 embodiment, the stoppers 330A, 330B are in surface contact with one side of the housing 340, and the insulating body 310 and the stoppers 330A, 330B are flush with one side of the housing 340 at the same time. Therefore, by means of subsequent welding, the stoppers 330A, 330B can be structurally combined with the housing 340, and the insulating body 310 can be fixed in the thin shell structure after welding.

[0068] In summary, in the above embodiments of the present invention, in addition to accommodating the insulating body and the terminals in the housing, the connector structure is structurally combined with the part where the stopper contacts the housing, so that the insulating body can be abutted or clamped between the housing and the stopper. Accordingly, the required fixing effect is provided for the insulating body by the combination of the stopper and the housing. At the same time, during the process of docking with another connector, the fixing effect can further prevent the possibility of relative displacement or even detachment between the insulating body and the housing, which is beneficial to the deletion of some structural features of the connector structure during the miniaturization process, so that it can be miniaturized smoothly, and the connector structure has the effects of both size and structural strength.

Claims

1. A connector structure, the connector structure comprising: An insulating body, a plurality of terminals, at least one stopper, and a housing, characterized in that: each of the terminals is disposed on the insulating body, the housing accommodates the insulating body and each of the terminals, wherein a part of the insulating body abuts between the housing and the stopper, and the mutually contacting parts of the housing and the stopper are structurally combined together, the housing and the stopper are thin shells joined by metal welding to accommodate the insulating body and each of the terminals, and fix the insulating body to the thin shell, wherein the housing has a first groove, the insulating body has a tongue, a first base, and a second base, the tongue extends from the first base, the second base is stacked on a side of the first base facing away from the tongue, the tongue extends into the housing, and the first base is accommodated in the first groove.

2. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein: The insulating body has a base and a tongue, each of the terminals extends from the base to the tongue respectively, the tongue penetrates through the housing, the base stands at an opening on one side of the housing, and a part of the base is clamped between the housing and the stopper.

3. The connector structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first base and a side surface of the housing are coplanar, and the stopper is stacked on the plane.

4. The connector structure according to claim 3, wherein: The stopper exposes the second base.

5. The connector structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The housing further has at least one convex portion located at an edge of the side surface, and the stopper has at least one second groove, and the second groove accommodates the convex portion.

6. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein: The insulating body has at least one groove, and the stopper has at least one convex portion, and the convex portion extends into the groove and contacts the housing.

7. The connector structure according to claim 6, wherein: The stopper has a plate body that abuts against the insulating body, and the convex portion extends from the plate body, and another connector is adapted to be docked to the connector structure along an axial direction, and the extending direction of the convex portion is parallel to the axial direction.

8. The connector structure according to claim 7, wherein: The insulating body and one side of the housing are flush with each other, and the plate body protrudes from one side of the housing.

9. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein: The housing has at least one groove, and the stopper has at least one convex portion, and the convex portion fits the groove to make the stopper in surface contact with the housing.

10. The connector structure according to claim 9, wherein: The insulating body has at least one other convex portion, the convex portion of the stopper and the other convex portion of the insulating body are accommodated in the groove, and the other convex portion of the insulating body is clamped between the housing and the convex portion of the stopper.

11. The connector structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stopper and the insulating body are flush with the same side of the housing.

12. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein: The housing has at least one groove, and the whole of the stopper is accommodated in the groove and contacts the housing.

13. The connector structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It includes a pair of stoppers that contact the housing from opposite sides of the insulating body and clamp the insulating body between the pair of stoppers and the housing.

14. The connector structure according to claim 1, wherein: The surfaces of the stopper and the housing that contact each other form a welded part and are structurally combined with each other.

15. The connector structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stopper and the insulating body are mutually fitted to form an integrally molded structure.

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