Multifunctional electric connector

Abstract

An insulation body of the multifunctional electric connector is provided with a base portion and an installation portion extending forwards from one end of the base portion, the base portion is provided with a butt joint tongue plate protruding forwards, and a metal shell of the electric connector surrounds the periphery of the butt joint tongue plate and forms a butt joint frame opening. The multifunctional electric connector also comprises a rotating assembly, and the rotating assembly comprises a spring part fixed on the installation part, a movable door plate connected to the outer side of the spring part in a pressing manner, and a shielding part which covers the outer side of the movable door plate and is matched with the top cover and the bottom cover. The movable door plate is located on the inner side of the butt joint frame opening and located on one side of the butt joint tongue plate. Compared with the prior art, the multifunctional electric connector has the advantages that through the use of the rotating assembly, the movable door plate of the rotating assembly is overturned back and forth to realize two different butt-joint frame openings, so that the insertion of two different butt-joint end connectors is met, and multifunctional insertion is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrical connections, and more particularly to a multifunctional electrical connector. Background Technology

[0002] With the trend towards miniaturization and thinner designs in consumer electronics such as laptops, tablets, and mobile phones, the requirements for the design and manufacturing processes of their components are becoming increasingly stringent. As these products become thinner and lighter, their internal space becomes extremely limited, necessitating a denser internal layout. The size of each electronic component is also decreasing, leading to higher demands on manufacturing processes and the reliability of product connections. Faced with increasingly limited space on circuit boards, how to accommodate the mating of multiple electrical connectors within a confined space has become a crucial research topic in electrical connector design. This has created a demand for multi-functional mating electrical connectors—connectors that can accommodate the mating of two or more different types of electrical connectors. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a multifunctional electrical connector to improve the problem that two different electrical connectors cannot be plugged into the prior art.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a multifunctional electrical connector, comprising an insulating body, terminals housed within the insulating body, and a metal shell covering the insulating body. The insulating body has a base and a mounting portion extending forward from one end of the base. The base has a forward-protruding mating tongue. The metal shell surrounds the mating tongue and has a top cover, a bottom cover, and a pair of side covers. A mating frame opening is formed between the top cover, the bottom cover, and the side covers. The multifunctional electrical connector further includes a rotating assembly. The rotating assembly includes a spring fixed to the mounting portion, a movable door plate pressed against the outside of the spring, and a shielding member covering the outside of the movable door plate and cooperating with the top cover and the bottom cover. The movable door plate is located inside the mating frame opening and on one side of the mating tongue.

[0005] Furthermore, the movable door panel has a flip-up structure, which allows the docking frame opening to switch between a first docking frame opening and a second docking frame opening by flipping itself.

[0006] Furthermore, the movable door panel is sheet-shaped, with protruding shaft portions at both the top and bottom. The front edges of the top cover and bottom cover are provided with slots to accommodate the shaft portions. The shielding member is fixed to the top cover and bottom cover, and the shielding member is provided with a limiting edge that holds the shaft portion to the outside of the shaft portion, so as to limit the shaft portion in the slot.

[0007] Furthermore, the slot is L-shaped and extends outward through the front edges of the top cover and the bottom cover; the limiting edge is also L-shaped; the shaft protrudes upward from the top cover but not from the top surface of the shielding member, and the shaft protrudes downward from the bottom cover but not from the bottom surface of the shielding member.

[0008] Furthermore, the movable door panel has a folding piece and an obliquely extending edge located below the folding piece on the side facing the docking tongue plate; the obliquely extending edge extends toward the docking tongue plate; the folding piece and the obliquely extending edge are both part of the first docking frame opening.

[0009] Furthermore, the shielding member includes a one-piece main body, an upper folding plate that bends inward from the top of the one-piece main body and overlaps with the top cover, a lower folding plate that bends inward from the bottom of the one-piece main body and overlaps with the bottom cover, an inner folding plate that bends inward from the inner side of the one-piece main body, and an outer folding plate that bends inward from the outer side of the one-piece main body. The inner folding plate abuts inward against the movable door panel, and the outer folding plate has a folded portion that abuts inward against the spring member.

[0010] Furthermore, the front edge of the bottom cover of the metal housing is provided with an upwardly protruding lower flap, which is located on the outside of the movable door panel and has a bevel facing the docking tongue plate; the inner flap of the shielding member and the lower flap of the bottom cover are both part of the second docking frame opening.

[0011] Furthermore, the lateral dimension of the first docking frame is smaller than that of the second docking frame, and the first docking frame is an HDMI interface, while the second docking frame is a DP interface.

[0012] Furthermore, the front end of the mounting part is provided with a vertical groove and a horizontal groove located at the bottom of the vertical groove. The spring is housed in the vertical groove of the mounting part, and the bottom of the spring is provided with a movable arm located outside the vertical groove and extending toward the mating tongue plate side. The movable arm abuts against the movable door plate outward and provides the movable door plate with an outward pushing force. The horizontal groove and the movable arm are correspondingly arranged, and the two are located in the same horizontal plane.

[0013] Furthermore, the insulating body is L-shaped, and the terminal includes a detection terminal located between the mating tongue and the mounting portion. The detection terminal is located directly behind the movable door panel and is fixed within the base.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the multifunctional electrical connector of the present invention achieves two different mating frames by using a rotating component and the back-and-forth flipping of the movable door plate of the rotating component, so as to meet the insertion of two different mating end connectors and realize multifunctional plugging. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional assembly diagram of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a front view of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0017] Figure 3 This is an exploded perspective view of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0018] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the insulating body and terminals of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the terminals of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0020] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the installation of the insulating body and spring component of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the movable door panel, shielding component, and spring component of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention before assembly.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a rear view of the insulating body of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0024] Figure 10 This is an internal structural view of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention.

[0025] Figure 11 This is a partial schematic diagram of the multifunctional electrical connector of the present invention before the shielding component is assembled.

[0026] Figure 12 This is a partial schematic diagram of the multifunctional electrical connector of the present invention after the shielding component is assembled.

[0027] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of two mating frames of the multifunctional electrical connector described in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Please see Figures 1 to 13 As shown, the present invention provides a multifunctional electrical connector, comprising: an insulating body 10, terminals 20 housed within the insulating body 10, a metal housing 30 covering the insulating body 10, and a rotating assembly 40 mounted on the insulating body 10. The electrical connector, depending on the rotating assembly 40, can form two types of mating openings, allowing it to accommodate the insertion of two different electrical connectors, thus achieving the purpose of multifunctional mating.

[0029] The insulating body 10 is L-shaped, having a laterally extending base 11 and a mounting portion 12 extending forward from one end of the base 11. The base 11 is used to mount the terminal 20 and the metal housing 30. The mounting portion 12 is integrally connected to the base 11 and is used to mount the rotating assembly 40. Specifically, the base 11 has a top wall 110, a side wall 111, a front end wall 112, and a mating tongue 113 protruding horizontally forward from the front end wall 112. The top wall 110 is vertically higher than the mating tongue 113, and the top surface of the top wall 110 forms a recess 114 and a stop protrusion 115 located within the recess 114. The stop protrusion 115 is elongated and abuts forward against the metal housing 30 to act as a stop and prevent... The insulating body 10 and the metal housing 30 are interlocked in the front-to-back direction. The width of the notch 114 is greater than the width of the mating tongue 113. The stop protrusion 115 is centrally located in the notch 114 and is lower than the top surface of the top wall 110. The mating tongue 113 is sheet-shaped and integrally connected to the front end wall 112. The upper and lower surfaces of the mating tongue 113 are used to support the terminal 20 for electrical connection with the mating connector (not shown). The rear end of the mounting part 12 is integrally connected to the base 11. The front end of the mounting part 12 is provided with a vertical groove 120 and a horizontal groove 121 located at the bottom of the vertical groove 120 for accommodating the spring member 41. Preferably, the front end of the mounting part 12 is also provided with an upper flange 122 and a lower flange 123 distributed vertically. The upper flange 122 and the lower flange 123 extend forward from the top surface and the bottom surface of the mounting part 12, respectively, and a clearance channel 124 is formed between the upper flange 122 and the lower flange 123.

[0030] The terminal 20 includes a plurality of upper row terminals 21, a plurality of lower row terminals 22, and a pair of detection terminals 23. The upper row terminals 21 are provided with upper contact arms 210 distributed on the upper surface of the mating tongue plate 113 and L-shaped upper tail arms 211 integrally extending rearward from the upper contact arms 210. The lower row terminals 22 are provided with lower contact arms 220 distributed on the lower surface of the mating tongue plate 113 and L-shaped lower tail arms 221 integrally extending rearward from the lower contact arms 220. Figure 5As shown, the upper contact arm 210 and the lower contact arm 220 are arranged vertically, while the upper tail arm 211 and the lower tail arm 221 are located in the same row or on the same plane. A pair of detection terminals 23 are embedded in the base 11 and located between the mating tongue plate 113 and the mounting portion 12, protruding from the surface of the base 11. Preferably, the pair of detection terminals 23 includes a first terminal 230 and a second terminal 231. The first terminal 230 has a first welding arm 232 and a first spring arm 233, and the second terminal 231 has a second welding arm 235 and a second spring arm 234. The first welding arm 232 and the second welding arm 235 are located on the same plane, and the first spring arm 233 and the second spring arm 234 are staggered. Preferably, the first spring arm 235... 3 extends vertically and has a first crimping portion 236 protruding forward from the surface of the base 11. The second spring arm 234 extends laterally toward the first spring arm 233 and has a second crimping portion 237. The first crimping portion 236 and the second crimping portion 237 are disposed opposite to each other, and the first crimping portion 236 is located behind the second crimping portion 237. When the mating connector is inserted, it will push the second crimping portion 237 to move backward so as to crimp onto the first crimping portion 236, thereby triggering a detection signal. When the mating connector is pulled out, the second crimping portion 237 will reset and disengage from the contact with the first crimping portion 236.

[0031] The metal casing 30 covers the insulating body 10 and includes a top cover 31, a bottom cover 32, a pair of side covers 33, and a rear cover 34. The top cover 31, bottom cover 32, and side covers 33 are integrally connected. The top cover 31 covers the upper side of the insulating body 10, the bottom cover 32 covers the lower side of the insulating body 10, and the pair of side covers 33 cover both sides of the insulating body 10. Figure 3As shown, the top cover 31, bottom cover 32, and a pair of side covers 33 surround the mating tongue plate 113, thereby forming a insertion cavity 35. Both the top cover 31 and bottom cover 32 are provided with a pair of spring-loaded tabs 36 that protrude inward into the insertion cavity 35. The spring-loaded tabs 36 are located on the upper and lower sides of the mating tongue plate 113. Preferably, the top cover 31 is also provided with a downwardly protruding protrusion 310, which protrudes downward into a recess 114 on the top wall 110 of the insulating body 10 and abuts against the front surface of the stop protrusion 115 within the recess 114. The front edges of both the top cover 31 and bottom cover 32 are provided with outwardly flanges 311 and 321 to facilitate smooth insertion of the mating connector. Notably, the front edge of the top cover 31 is also provided with a downwardly protruding upper flap 312, and the front edge of the bottom cover 32 is also provided with an upwardly protruding lower flap 322. The upper flap 312 and lower flap 322 are arranged vertically but with different structures. The upper flap 312 is forked and has a rear arm 313 and a front arm 314 distributed front to back. The lower flap 322 is located on the outside of the movable door panel 42 and has a beveled edge 323 facing the mating tongue plate 113. Preferably, the front edges of the top cover 31 and the bottom cover 32 are each provided with a slot 315. The slot 315 on the front edge of the top cover 31 and the slot 315 on the front edge of the bottom cover 32 are arranged vertically and vertically. The slot 315 is L-shaped and passes through the front edges of the top cover 31 and the bottom cover 32, so that the movable door panel 42 of the rotating assembly 40 can be engaged into the slot 315 from front to back. (See attached image for reference.) Figure 11 As shown; the lower flap 322 is formed by bending upward and extending, and covers the outside of the movable door panel 42.

[0032] The rotating assembly 40 includes a spring member 41, a movable door panel 42 that covers the outside of the spring member 41, and a shielding member 43 that covers the outside of the movable door panel 42. Figures 6 to 8 As shown.

[0033] The spring member 41 is housed in the vertical groove 120 of the mounting portion 12. Preferably, the spring member 41 is a torsion spring with a positioning arm 410 extending rearward from its top and a movable arm 411 extending toward the docking tongue 113 from its bottom. The extension direction of the positioning arm 410 is perpendicular to the extension direction of the movable arm 411. The positioning arm 410 is also housed in the vertical groove 120. The movable arm 411 protrudes outward from the vertical groove 120 and is correspondingly arranged with the horizontal groove 121. The two are located in the same horizontal plane, so that the movable arm 411 enters the horizontal groove 121 when pushed by the movable door panel 42.

[0034] The movable door panel 42 is sheet-shaped and is placed vertically on the outside of the spring member 41. The top and bottom of the movable door panel 42 are provided with protruding shaft portions 420. The shaft portions 420 are engaged in the slots 315 on the front edges of the top cover 31 and the bottom cover 32, thereby realizing the installation and fixation with the metal housing 30. The shaft portions 420 protrude vertically from the top cover 31 and the bottom cover 32 of the metal housing 30. Preferably, the shaft portions 420 are formed on one side of the movable door panel 42, while the other side of the movable door panel 42 is formed with a folding piece 421 extending toward the spring member 41 and an obliquely extending edge 422 located below the folding piece 421. The obliquely extending edge 422 extends toward the mating tongue plate 113.

[0035] The shielding member 43 is held in place by the top cover 31 and the bottom cover 32. It has a sheet-like main body 430, an upper folding plate 431 extending inward from the top of the sheet-like main body 430, a lower folding plate 432 extending inward from the bottom of the sheet-like main body 430, an inner folding plate 433 extending inward from the inner side of the sheet-like main body 430, and an outer folding plate 434 extending inward from the outer side of the sheet-like main body 430. The upper folding plate 431, the lower folding plate 432, the inner folding plate 433, and the outer folding plate 434 are distributed around the sheet-like main body 430. Preferably, the outer folding plate 434 has a folded portion 435 parallel to the sheet-like main body 430. The folded portion 435 is located between the top cover 31 and the bottom cover 32 of the metal housing 30 and is located inside the side cover 33, and shields the spring member 41 in the vertical groove 120. Preferably, the upper folding plate 431 covers the outer surface of the top cover 31, and the edge of the upper folding plate 431 is provided with an L-shaped limiting edge 436, which covers the top of the slot 315. The lower folding plate 432 covers the outer surface of the bottom cover 32, and the edge of the lower folding plate 432 is also provided with an L-shaped limiting edge 436, which covers the top of the slot 315. Thus, the limiting edge 436 holds the shaft portion 420 on both sides to limit the shaft portion 420 within the slot 315. Preferably, as shown in the figure... Figure 12 As shown, the shaft portion 420 protrudes upward from the top cover 31 but not from the top surface of the shielding member 43, and the shaft portion 420 protrudes downward from the bottom cover 32 but not from the bottom surface of the shielding member 43; the inner folding plate 433 abuts inward against the movable door panel 42 to stop the movable door panel 42, which can prevent the movable door panel 42 from being flipped outward by external force during the process of pulling out the docking end connector.

[0036] During the docking process with the mating connector, since the movable door plate 42 in the rotating assembly 40 can rotate inward and return to its original position via the spring member 41, the electrical connector of the present invention can present two mating frames (first mating frame M1 and second mating frame M2) depending on the flipping state of the movable door plate 42. Figure 13 As indicated by the bold lines, it can accommodate the insertion of two different types of mating connectors. Preferably, the first mating frame opening M1 is formed when the movable door panel 42 is not flipped inward. In this case, the first mating frame opening M1 is formed by the top cover 31, bottom cover 32, side cover 33 of the metal housing 30, and the movable door panel 42. The folding flap 421 and the obliquely extending edge 422 of the movable door panel 42 are both part of the first mating frame opening M1. Preferably, the second mating frame opening M2 is formed when the movable door panel 42 is flipped inward. In this case, the second mating frame opening M2 is formed by the top cover 31, bottom cover 32, side cover 33 of the metal housing 30, and the shielding member 43. The inner folding plate 433 of the shielding member 43 and the lower folding flap 322 of the bottom cover 32 are both part of the second mating frame opening M2. Preferably, the lateral dimension of the first mating frame opening M1 is smaller than the lateral dimension of the second mating frame opening M2.

[0037] As can be seen, since the movable door panel 42 is movable and is subject to the action of the spring member 41, it is in a non-folded-in state by default. That is, the first mating frame M1 is the mating frame presented by the electrical connector of the present invention in the default state, which corresponds to a first mating end connector (not shown). When a second mating end connector (not shown) is inserted, the second mating end connector will push the movable door panel 42 to flip inward during the insertion process, thereby presenting a second mating frame M2 that matches the second mating end connector. Preferably, the first mating frame M1 is an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) interface, and the second mating frame M2 is a DP (Display Port) interface.

[0038] In summary, the multifunctional electrical connector of the present invention, through the use of the rotating component 40, utilizes the back-and-forth flipping of the movable door plate 42 of the rotating component 40 to achieve two different mating frames, thereby satisfying the insertion of two different mating end connectors and realizing multifunctional plugging.

[0039] The above description is merely the preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention using the disclosed methods are all within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A multifunctional electrical connector comprising an insulating body, a terminal received in the insulating body, and a metal shell covering the insulating body, the insulating body being provided with a base and a mounting portion extending forwardly from one end of the base, the base being provided with a mating tongue plate protruding forwardly, the metal shell surrounding the mating tongue plate and being provided with a top cover, a bottom cover and a pair of side covers, a mating frame being formed between the top cover, the bottom cover and the side covers, characterized in that: The multifunctional electric connector further comprises a rotating assembly, the rotating assembly comprises a spring member fixed on the mounting portion, a movable door plate crimped on the outside of the spring member, a shielding member covered on the outside of the movable door plate and matched with the top cover and the bottom cover, the movable door plate is located on the inside of the mating frame and on one side of the mating tongue plate.

2. The multi-functional electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The movable door plate is a reversible structure, which switches the mating frame between a first mating frame and a second mating frame by itself.

3. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 2, wherein: The movable door plate is in a sheet shape, the top and bottom of the movable door plate are provided with protruding shaft portions, the front side edges of the top cover and the bottom cover are provided with clamping grooves for accommodating the shaft portions, the shielding member is fixed on the top cover and the bottom cover, and the shielding member is provided with a limiting edge clamped on the outside of the shaft portions to limit the shaft portions in the clamping grooves.

4. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 3, wherein: The clamping grooves are in an L shape and penetrate through the front side edges of the top cover and the bottom cover, and the limiting edge is also in an L shape; the shaft portions protrude upwardly out of the top cover but do not protrude out of the top surface of the shielding member, and the shaft portions protrude downwardly out of the bottom cover but do not protrude out of the bottom surface of the shielding member.

5. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 4, wherein: The movable door plate is formed with a folded sheet on the side facing the mating tongue plate and a diagonally extending edge below the folded sheet, the diagonally extending edge extends toward the mating tongue plate; the folded sheet and the diagonally extending edge are part of the first mating frame.

6. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 5, wherein: The shielding member is provided with a sheet-shaped main body, an upper folded plate bent inwardly from the top of the sheet-shaped main body and lapped with the top cover, a lower folded plate bent inwardly from the bottom of the sheet-shaped main body and lapped with the bottom cover, an inner folded plate bent inwardly from the inner side edge of the sheet-shaped main body, and an outer folded plate bent inwardly from the outer side edge of the sheet-shaped main body, the inner folded plate abuts inwardly on the movable door plate, and the outer folded plate is provided with a folded-back portion abutting inwardly on the spring member.

7. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 6, wherein: The front side edge of the bottom cover of the metal shell is further provided with a downwardly protruding lower folded sheet, the lower folded sheet is located on the outside of the movable door plate and is provided with a beveled edge facing the mating tongue plate; the inner folded plate of the shielding member and the lower folded sheet of the bottom cover are part of the second mating frame.

8. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 7, wherein: The transverse size of the first mating frame is smaller than the transverse size of the second mating frame, and the first mating frame is an HDMI interface and the second mating frame is a DP interface.

9. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The front end of the mounting portion is provided with a vertical slot and a horizontal slot at the bottom of the vertical slot, the spring member is accommodated in the vertical slot of the mounting portion, and the bottom of the spring member is provided with a movable arm located outside the vertical slot and extending toward the side of the mating tongue plate, the movable arm abuts outwardly on the movable door plate and gives the movable door plate an outward pushing force; the horizontal slot is correspondingly arranged with the movable arm, and both are located in the same horizontal plane.

10. The multi-purpose electrical connector of claim 1, wherein: The insulating body is in an L shape, and the terminal comprises a detection terminal located between the mating tongue plate and the mounting portion, the detection terminal is located directly behind the movable door plate and is held in the base.

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