Rotary opening type electric connector and adapter thereof

Abstract

Disclosed in the present invention are a rotary opening type electric connector and an adapter thereof. The adapter comprises a main body housing and a PCB; a front end of the main body housing is an insertion end mated with and inserted to a USB Type-A socket; the insertion end integrally defines a front insertion cavity allowing for insertion of a tongue plate of the USB Type-A socket; a rear end of the main body housing integrally defines a rear insertion cavity matching and receiving a USB Type-C plug; and rotating arms integrally extend backwards from the main body housing. In the present product, the adapter consists of the main body housing and the PCB, and the main body housing is an integrated housing formed by sheet metal stamping, so that the product structure is simplified, combined assembly is not needed, the production cost is effectively reduced, and the production efficiency is greatly improved; and moreover, by employing the PCB, injection molding does not need to be carried out by using an injection mold, so that molds required for product production are greatly reduced, thereby further reducing the production cost, facilitating batch production, and improving market competitiveness of the product.

Description

Rotating flip-up electrical connector and adapter thereof Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of electric connectors, and in particular to a rotary flip-up electric connector and an adapter thereof. Background Art

[0002] The USB interface can interconnect two devices through a dedicated USB cable, and can be expanded to provide more interfaces through a hub. USB has the advantages of fast transmission speed, ease of use, hot-swappable support, flexible connection, and independent power supply. It can connect to almost all external devices, including mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, cameras, chargers, flash drives, MP3 players, mobile phones, digital cameras, mobile hard drives, external optical drives / floppy drives, USB network cards, ADSL modems, cable modems, etc. Currently, different models of electronic devices on the market have different data interfaces. For example, the data interface of Apple phones includes a Lightning interface, while Android phones generally use USB Type-C interfaces, Micro-USB interfaces, etc. To this end, special electrical connectors are required to convert between various interfaces.

[0003] Currently, a rotating flip-open electrical connector has emerged on the market. By rotating and flipping, it can switch between USB Type-A and USB Type-C, bringing convenience to users. In the prior art, this rotating flip-open electrical connector includes a main connector and an adapter. The main connector includes a housing and a plug (typically a Type-C plug), which is disposed within the housing, with the front end of the plug extending forward from the housing. The adapter is rotatably flipped relative to the main connector and can be moved forward and backward relative to the main connector for plugging and disconnecting. The adapter includes an insulating body, a terminal assembly, and a housing. The terminal assembly is insert-molded and fixed to the insulating body, and the housing is covered by the insulating body.

[0004] This adapter typically serves as a connector. In the prior art, the adapter's housing is typically assembled from a USB Type-A plug housing, a USB Type-C receptacle housing, and a connector housing. This results in a complex structure, cumbersome assembly, low production efficiency, and high production costs. Furthermore, manufacturing the adapter requires the use of multiple injection molds or the welding of one or more connectors, further increasing production costs and hindering mass production and improving product market competitiveness. Therefore, there is a need to improve the current rotary flip-open electrical connector. Technical Solutions

[0005] In view of this, the present invention addresses the deficiencies in the prior art, and its main purpose is to provide a rotary flip-up type electrical connector and its adapter, which can effectively solve the problems of the existing rotary flip-up type electrical connector, such as high production cost, low efficiency, and disadvantages of mass production and improvement of product market competitiveness.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] An adapter includes a main body shell and a PCB board. The main body shell is an integrated shell formed by stamping a sheet material. The front end of the main body shell is a plug end that is compatible with and plugs into a USB Type-A socket. The plug end is integrally formed to form a front insertion cavity for inserting the tongue plate of the USB Type-A socket. The rear end of the main body shell is integrally formed to form a rear insertion cavity that is compatible with and plugs into a USB Type-C plug. A rotating arm is integrally extended backward from the main body shell, and front and rear limit mechanisms and upper and lower limit mechanisms are integrally formed on the main body shell. The PCB board is disposed in the main body shell and is fixed by the front and rear limit mechanisms and the upper and lower limit mechanisms. The front end of the PCB board is formed with a front flat-type gold finger that complies with the USB Type-A plug protocol, and the rear end of the PCB board is formed with a rear flat-type gold finger that complies with the USB Type-C socket protocol.

[0008] As a preferred solution, the front and rear limit mechanisms include limit notches and limit buckles. Limit notches are provided on both sides of the front end of the main body shell, and limit convex parts are provided on both sides of the front end of the PCB board. The two limit convex parts are respectively stuck in the limit notches from front to back to prevent the PCB board from moving backward. Limit buckles are punched inward on both sides of the main body shell, and the limit buckles are located behind the limit notches. Limit slots are recessed on both sides of the PCB board, and the limit buckles are stuck in the limit slots to prevent the PCB board from moving forward.

[0009] As a preferred solution, the upper and lower limit mechanisms include two limit ribs, and the two sides of the rear end of the main shell are punched inward to form two limit ribs. The two limit ribs are staggered front and back and arranged up and down. The edge of the PCB board is clamped between the two limit ribs to limit the up and down movement of the PCB board.

[0010] As a preferred solution, the lower edge of the front opening of the front insertion cavity is integrally bent upward to extend a support piece, which rests on the lower surface of the front end of the PCB board to support the front end of the PCB board.

[0011] As a preferred solution, the front lower surface of the main body shell is integrally punched and bent inward to form a support portion, which abuts against the lower surface of the PCB board to provide more stable support for the front end of the PCB board.

[0012] As a preferred solution, the upper surface of the main shell is integrally punched and bent inward to form a limit piece for positioning the insertion depth of the USB Type-A socket to prevent the internal structure from being damaged due to excessive insertion.

[0013] As a preferred solution, an edge of the rear end of the main body shell is integrally bent and extended to form a frame opening, which constitutes the opening of the rear insertion cavity, making the structure more stable and reliable.

[0014] As a preferred solution, a plurality of spring terminals are welded on the PCB board, and the plurality of spring terminals are located behind the front flat-type gold fingers, which can realize USB3.0 transmission and improve transmission efficiency.

[0015] A rotating flip-open electrical connector includes a main connector and an adapter. The main connector includes a housing and a USB Type-C plug. The USB Type-C plug is disposed within the housing, with the front end of the USB Type-C plug extending forward from the housing. The adapter is rotatably flipped relative to the main connector and can move forward and backward relative to the main connector for plugging and disconnecting. The rotating arm is rotatably connected to the housing.

[0016] As a preferred solution, a slide groove is provided on both sides of the shell, which extends forward and backward, and the front and rear ends of the slide groove are connected with positioning holes; a hinge point is convexly provided at the rear end of the rotating arm, and the hinge point slides forward and backward along the slide groove and cooperates with the positioning hole for positioning and hinge, so that the rotating arm can be installed firmly and reliably.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects. Specifically, it can be seen from the above technical solution that:

[0018] The adapter in this product consists of a main body shell and a PCB board. The main body shell is an integrated shell formed by stamping sheet metal, which simplifies the product structure and eliminates the need for assembly, effectively reducing production costs and greatly improving production efficiency. At the same time, the use of a PCB board eliminates the need for injection molds for injection molding, greatly reducing the number of molds required for product production, thereby further reducing production costs, facilitating mass production, and enhancing product market competitiveness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an assembly perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG2 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG3 is a partial assembly diagram of FIG2;

[0022] FIG4 is a partial assembly diagram of FIG3;

[0023] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] FIG6 is a perspective schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention in an unfolded state;

[0025] FIG7 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the main body shell in a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG8 is an enlarged schematic diagram of another angle of the main body shell in the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Description of the accompanying drawings:

[0028] 10. Main connector 11. Housing

[0029] 12. USB Type-C plug 101, slide

[0030] 102, positioning hole 103, holding part

[0031] 104, slot 20, adapter

[0032] 21. Main body shell 211. Plug-in terminal

[0033] 212, rotating arm 213, hinge point

[0034] 22. PCB board 221. Front flat-plate gold hand

[0035] 222, rear flat-plate gold finger 223, limiting convex part

[0036] 224, limit slot 225, spring terminal

[0037] 201, front insertion cavity 202, rear insertion cavity

[0038] 203, limit notch 204, limit buckle

[0039] 205, limiting rib 206, supporting piece

[0040] 207, support part 208, limit piece

[0041] 209, frame opening 30, wire. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0042] Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8 , which show the specific structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, including a main connector 10 and an adapter 20 .

[0043] The main connector 10 includes a housing 11 and a USB Type-C plug 12. The USB Type-C plug 12 is disposed in the housing 11. The front end of the USB Type-C plug 12 extends forward from the housing 11, and the rear end of the USB Type-C plug 12 is conductively connected to the cable 30. In this embodiment, the housing 11 is formed by stamping a plate, which has a simple structure, low cost, and high production capacity. Slide grooves 101 are formed on both sides of the housing 11. The slide grooves 101 extend forward and backward, and the front and rear ends of the slide grooves 101 are connected to positioning holes 102. In addition, the slide grooves 101 and the positioning holes 102 pass through the inner and outer side walls of the housing 11. A retaining portion 103 is formed on the housing 11 with a concave outer surface and a convex inner surface for retaining the cable 30, so that the housing 11 and the cable 30 are more firmly connected. In addition, a clearance groove 104 is formed on both sides of the front end of the housing 11 for avoiding the rotating arm 212.

[0044] The adapter 20 is rotatably mounted relative to the main connector 10 and can be moved forward and backward relative to the main connector 10 for plugging and connecting or separating. Specifically, the adapter 20 includes a main body shell 21 and a PCB board 22.

[0045] The main body shell 21 is an integrated shell formed by stamping a sheet material. It has a simple structure, is easy to form, has low cost, and high production capacity. The front end of the main body shell 21 is a plug end 211 that is compatible with the USB Type-A socket. The plug end 211 is integrally formed to form a front insertion cavity 201 for inserting the tongue of the USB Type-A socket. The rear end of the main body shell 21 is integrally formed to form a rear insertion cavity 202 that is compatible with the USB Type-C plug 12. A rotating arm 212 extends backward from the main body shell 21. The rotating arm 212 is rotatably connected to the outer shell 11. The main body shell 21 is also integrally formed with front and rear limit mechanisms and upper and lower limit mechanisms. Specifically, the front and rear limiting mechanisms include a limiting notch 203 and a limiting buckle 204. The limiting notches 203 are provided on both sides of the front end of the main body shell 21. The limiting buckles 204 are punched inward on both sides of the main body shell 21. The limiting buckles 204 are located behind the limiting notch 203; the upper and lower limiting mechanisms include two limiting ribs 205. The two limiting ribs 205 are punched inward on both sides of the rear end of the main body shell 21. The two limiting ribs 205 are staggered front and back and arranged up and down. The lower edge of the front opening of the front insertion cavity 201 is integrally bent upward to form a support piece 206. This support piece 206 rests on the lower surface of the front end of the PCB board 22 to support the front end of the PCB board 22. Two support pieces 206 are spaced apart on the left and right. Furthermore, the lower surface of the front end of the main body shell 21 is integrally punched and bent inward to form a support portion 207. This support portion 207 rests on the lower surface of the PCB board 22 to provide more stable support for the front end of the PCB board 22. Furthermore, the upper surface of the main body shell 21 is integrally punched and bent inward to form a limit piece 208 for determining the insertion depth of the USB Type-A socket to prevent excessive insertion and damage to the internal structure. Furthermore, a frame opening 209 is integrally bent and extended from an edge of the rear end of the main body shell 21. This frame opening 209 forms the opening of the rear insertion cavity 202, making the structure more stable and reliable.

[0046] In addition, in this embodiment, a hinge point 213 is protruding from the rear end of the rotating arm 212. The hinge point 213 slides back and forth along the slide groove 101 and cooperates with the positioning hole 102 for positioning and hinge. Moreover, the rotating arm 212 is located on the inner wall or outer wall of the shell 11. When on the inner wall, the hinge point 213 is installed from the inside to the outside in the slide groove 101 and the positioning hole 102, so that the rotating arm 212 is installed firmly and reliably.

[0047] The PCB 22 is housed within the main housing 21 and secured by front and rear retaining mechanisms and upper and lower retaining mechanisms. The front end of the PCB 22 is formed with a front flat-shaped gold finger 221 that complies with the USB Type-A plug protocol, and the rear end of the PCB 22 is formed with a rear flat-shaped gold finger 222 that complies with the USB Type-C receptacle protocol. In this embodiment, the front end of the PCB 22 is provided with protruding retaining protrusions 223. These protruding protrusions 223 engage in the retaining notches 203 from front to back, preventing the PCB 22 from moving backward. The PCB 22 also has recessed retaining slots 224 on both sides. The retaining tabs 204 engage in the retaining slots 224, preventing the PCB 22 from moving forward. Furthermore, the edge of the PCB 22 is sandwiched between two retaining ribs 205 to restrict its vertical movement. In addition, a plurality of spring terminals 225 are welded on the PCB board 22 . The plurality of spring terminals 225 are located behind the front flat-type gold fingers 221 , which can realize USB 3.0 transmission and improve transmission efficiency.

[0048] During assembly, first, the main shell 21 is integrally stamped out of a metal sheet, then the PCB board 22 is produced, and then the rear end of the PCB board 22 is inserted into the main shell 21 through the opening of the front accommodating cavity 201. After being inserted into place, the edge of the PCB board 22 is clamped between the two limiting ribs 205, the two limiting protrusions 223 are respectively stuck in the limiting notches 203, and the limiting buckle 204 is stuck in the limiting slot 224, thereby completing the stable assembly of the adapter 20.

[0049] During use, the main connector 10 is fixedly connected to the wire 30 to form a data cable, and the rotating arm 212 is rotatably connected to the housing 11. When the adapter 20 is used to connect to an external device, as shown in Figure 1, the adapter 20 and the main connector 10 are located on the same horizontal plane. When the USB Type-C plug 12 of the main connector 10 is used to connect to an external device, as shown in Figure 6, the adapter 20 is first pulled forward relative to the main connector 10. Once fully pulled out, the adapter 20 is then flipped upward relative to the main connector 10. When the adapter 20 is used again to connect to an external device, the adapter 20 is first flipped downward relative to the main connector 10 so that the adapter 20 and the main connector 10 are on the same horizontal plane. Then, the adapter 20 is moved backward relative to the main connector 10 so that the USB Type-C plug 12 is inserted into the rear insertion cavity 202 and contacts the rear flat-type gold fingers 222 for electrical connection.

[0050] The design focus of the present invention is that the adapter in this product consists of a main body shell and a PCB board. The main body shell is an integrated shell formed by stamping a plate, which simplifies the product structure and does not require combined assembly, effectively reducing production costs and greatly improving production efficiency. At the same time, the use of a PCB board eliminates the need for injection molds for injection molding, greatly reducing the number of molds required for product production, thereby further reducing production costs, facilitating mass production, and enhancing product market competitiveness.

[0051] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, any minor modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adapter, characterized in that: The adapter includes a main body shell and a PCB board; the main body shell is an integrated shell formed by stamping a plate, the front end of the main body shell is a plug-in end adapted to be plugged into a USB Type-A socket, the plug-in end is integrally constructed to form a front insertion cavity for inserting a tongue plate of the USB Type-A socket, the rear end of the main body shell is integrally constructed to form a rear insertion cavity adapted to be plugged into a USB Type-C plug, a rotating arm is integrally extended backward from the main body shell, and front and rear limit mechanisms and upper and lower limit mechanisms are integrally formed on the main body shell; the PCB board is arranged in the main body shell and fixed by the front and rear limit mechanisms and the upper and lower limit mechanisms, the front end of the PCB board is formed with a front flat-plate gold finger that complies with the USB Type-A plug protocol, and the rear end of the PCB board is formed with a rear flat-plate gold finger that complies with the USB Type-C socket protocol.

2. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front and rear limiting mechanisms include limiting notches and limiting buckles. Limiting notches are provided on both sides of the front end of the main body shell. Limiting convex parts are convexly provided on both sides of the front end of the PCB board. The two limiting convex parts are respectively clamped in the limiting notches from front to back. Limiting buckles are punched inwardly on both sides of the main body shell. The limiting buckles are located behind the limiting notches. Limiting card slots are concavely provided on both sides of the PCB board. The limiting buckles are clamped in the limiting card slots.

3. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower limiting mechanisms include two limiting ribs. The two sides of the rear end of the main shell are punched inward to form two limiting ribs. The two limiting ribs are staggered front and back and arranged up and down. The edge of the PCB board is clamped between the two limiting ribs.

4. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower edge of the front opening of the front insertion cavity is integrally bent upward to extend a support sheet, which abuts against the lower surface of the front end of the PCB board.

5. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front lower surface of the main body shell is integrally punched and bent inward to form a supporting portion, and the supporting portion abuts against the lower surface of the PCB board.

6. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper surface of the main body shell is integrally punched and bent inward to form a limiting piece for positioning the insertion depth of the USB Type-A socket.

7. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: An edge of the rear end of the main body shell is integrally bent to extend to form a frame opening, which constitutes the opening of the rear insertion cavity.

8. The adapter according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of spring terminals are welded on the PCB board, and the plurality of spring terminals are located behind the front flat-plate-type gold fingers.

9. A rotary flip-open electrical connector, characterized in that: The invention comprises a main connector and an adapter as described in any one of claims 1 to 7; the main connector comprises a shell and a USB Type-C plug, the USB Type-C plug is arranged in the shell, and the front end of the USB Type-C plug extends forward from the shell; the adapter is rotatably opened relative to the main connector, and the adapter can move forward and backward relative to the main connector and be plugged in or separated, and the rotating arm is rotatably connected to the shell.

10. The rotary flip-open electrical connector according to claim 9, characterized in that: Slide grooves are provided on both sides of the shell, the slide grooves extend forward and backward, and the front and rear ends of the slide grooves are connected with positioning holes; a hinge point is convexly provided at the rear end of the rotating arm, and the hinge point slides forward and backward along the slide groove and cooperates with the positioning hole for positioning and hinge.

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