Patent Application
20140248791
The Present Application claims priority to Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. 201320095906.7, entitled “Cable Connector Assembly,” and filed 1 Mar. 2013, the content of which is fully incorporated in its entirety herein.
The Present Disclosure relates, generally, to a cable connector assembly, and, more particularly, to a cable connector assembly which allows for relief of tensile stress.
Chinese Patent Application No. 200720139591.6, the content of which is fully incorporated herein in its entirety, discloses a cable connector, which comprises an electrical connector and a cable connected to a rear end of the electrical connector. The electrical connector has a plurality of conductive terminals, a shielding shell made from a conductive metal and a clamp device provided at a rear end of the shielding shell. The cable comprises a plurality of wires, a plurality of cable fillers, a metal braided layer and an outer covering. The metal braided layer covers an outer periphery of these wires and cable fillers. The outer covering then covers an outer periphery of the metal braided layer. The wires of the cable are correspondingly electrically connected to conductive terminals of the electrical connector. The cable fillers in the cable and the metal braided layer are folded back onto an outer surface of the outer covering. The clamp device of the electrical connector then tightly clamps the cable. The cable fillers and the metal braided layer which are folded back therein. The existing cable connector is provided with the clamp device at the rear end of the shielding shell to clamp the cable fillers and the cable so as to attain an effect of stress relief, but a configuration of the shielding shell, formed by stamping a metal material, is complex and has a high cost. In another aspect, during the process of folding back the cable fillers and the metal braided layer of such the cable connector, the cable fillers are easily to cover the metal braided layer, meaning that the metal braided layer can not establish an electrical connection with the clamp device, thereby resulting a poor grounding. Thus, it is necessary to improve the existing cable connector assembly.
The technology problem to be resolved by the Present Disclosure is to overcome the deficiencies of the existing technology, and to provide a cable connector assembly which has a simple configuration, a low cost and can allow a tensile stress to be better relieved.
In view of the above issues, the Present Disclosure provides a cable connector assembly, which comprises an electrical connector and a cable connected to a rear side of the electrical connector. The electrical connector comprises an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive terminals fixed to the insulative housing. The cable comprises a plurality of wires, at least a cable filler filled among these wires and an insulative covering which covers outer peripheries of the wires and the cable filler. The wires and the conductive terminals of the electrical connector are electrically connected together. The cable connector assembly further comprises an inner mold and a casing surrounding an outer periphery of the inner mold. The inner mold is integrally formed at outer peripheries of connections between the conductive terminals and the wires by over-molding and a part of the cable filler is embedded into the inner mold for stress relief.
In an embodiment, the electrical connector further comprises a metal shell provided at an outer periphery of the insulative housing. The cable further comprises a shielding layer surrounding the peripheries of these wires and the cable filler. The insulative covering further covers an outer periphery of the shielding layer. The cable connector assembly further comprises a metal foil covering the outer periphery of the inner mold. The metal foil, the metal shell and the shielding layer are electrically connected together.
In an embodiment, the shielding layer is a metal braided layer, the shielding layer, the metal foil and the metal shell are electrically connected together by soldering. In an embodiment, the metal shell has a body which is hollow and has a cylinder shape and a flange extending outwardly from the body. The body of the metal shell covers the insulative housing therein. Two sides of the flange each are formed with an assembly hole. The two assembly holes each are assembled with a fixing member therein. In an embodiment, the casing is formed with two mounting holes corresponding to the two assembly holes. The two fixing members are two fixing bolts, which are respectively provided through the two mounting holes of the casing and the two assembly holes of the metal shell. In an embodiment, the casing is integrally formed at the outer periphery of the metal foil by over-molding using a plastic material, two sides of the casing each are respectively formed with an uneven grasping portion.
In an embodiment, the casing is integrally formed by over-molding using a plastic material. A rear end of the casing covers an outer periphery of the cable and is formed with a stress relief structure. In an embodiment, the electrical connector further comprises a metal shell provided at an outer periphery of the insulative housing. A front end of the casing covers the metal shell of the electrical connector. In an embodiment, the inner mold is integrally formed by over-molding using a PE plastic material. The casing is integrally formed by over-molding using a PVC plastic material. In an embodiment, the cable filler is consisted of fiber, nylon wire or cotton rope.
Compared with the existing technology, the cable connector assembly of the Present Disclosure relieves the tensile stress by embedding the cable filler of the cable inside the inner mold by integral over-molding, is simple in the configuration, has a low cost and can allow the tensile stress to be better relieved.
The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the Present Disclosure, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following Detailed Description, taken in connection with the accompanying Figures, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:
While the Present Disclosure may be susceptible to embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the Figures, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments, with the understanding that the Present Disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the Present Disclosure, and is not intended to limit the Present Disclosure to that as illustrated.
In the embodiments illustrated in the Figures, representations of directions such as up, down, left, right, front, rear and the like, used for explaining the structure and movement of the various elements of the Present Disclosure, are not absolute, but relative. These representations are appropriate when the elements are in the position shown in the Figures. If the description of the position of the elements changes, however, it is assumed that these representations are to be changed accordingly.
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The casing 5 is further formed at the outer periphery of the metal foil 4 by over-molding using a PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) plastic material, the PVC plastic material has a stronger mechanical property and physical property, which can improve a structural strength and the durability of the casing 5. A front end 51 of the casing 5 covers the metal shell 13 of the electrical connector 1. Specifically, the front end 51 of the casing 5 covers a side surface and a rear surface of the flange 134 of the metal shell 13 of the electrical connector 1. A rear end of the casing 5 covers the outer periphery of the cable 2 and is formed with a stress relief structure 52 extending rearwardly. When the cable 2 is subjected to a pulling or a swaying, a tensile stress can be transferred to the front end 51 of the casing 5 by the stress relief structure 52 at the rear end of the casing 5, and further transferred to the metal shell 13 of the electrical connector 1, thereby making the connections between the wires 21 and the conductive terminals 12 not easily affected by the tensile stress so as to function as protection. Two sides of the casing 5 are respectively provided with two mounting holes 53 which penetrate in a front-rear direction and correspond to the assembly holes 135 of the metal shell 1, for the two fixing members 6 being respectively provided through them. Moreover, an upper surface of the front end 51 of the casing 5 is protruded with a protruding portion 54, which facilitates the cable connector assembly to accurately mate with another mating electrical connector (not shown). Two sides of the casing 5 each are formed with an uneven grasping portion 55, which facilitates a user to assuredly grasp the cable connector assembly to perform a mating operation. It should be noted that, although the casing 5 in the embodiment covers the inner mold 3 and the like therein by integral over-molding, but in other embodiments, the casing 5 may also be a configuration consisted of two pieces which are separated up-down, then are assembled together with a latch element so as to surround the inner mold 3 and the like therein.
The fabricating and assembly process of the cable connector assembly of the Present Disclosure substantially comprises the following steps: Firstly, assembling the metal shell 13, the insulative housing 11 and the conductive terminals 12 to form an electrical connector 1; Second, correspondingly soldering the wires 21 of the cable 2 to the soldering portions of the conductive terminals 12 of the electrical connector 1; then forming the inner mold 3 by over-molding for the first time; Third, making the metal foil 4 cover the outer periphery of the inner mold 3, and soldering the shielding layer 23 of the cable 2 and the metal foil 4 together by the tin paste; And fourth, forming the casing 5 by over-molding for the second time, and assembling the two fixing members 6 onto the casing 5.
Compared with the existing technology, a main part of the tensile stress in the cable 2 of the cable connector assembly of the Present Disclosure is transferred to the metal shell 13 of the electrical connector 1 via the stress relief structure 52 of the casing 5. A remaining part of the tensile stress is transferred to the inner mold 3 via the cable fillers 22 embedded inside the inner mold 3 and then further transferred to the metal shell 13, thereby making the tensile stress completely relieved. In this way, the connections of the wires 21 and the conductive terminals 12 by soldering are not easily affected by the tensile stress to occur an accidental damage, and the stress relief structure 52, which is integrally formed by over-molding to make the cable fillers 22 directly embedded in the inner mold 3 to relieve the remaining part of the tensile stress, has the advantages of a simple configuration and a low-cost. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that, the stress relief structure 52 can be implemented in various forms, and is not limit to the form of the embodiment that the stress relief structure 52, together with the casing 5, is integrally formed at the outer surface of the cable 2 by over-molding. In other embodiments which is not shown, the stress relieving structure 52 may also take the form disclosed in the aforementioned Chinese Patent Application; that is, the clamp device stamped and clamping the outer periphery of the cable 2.
It is noted that, in other embodiments, if the cable connector assembly is not so strict about the electromagnetic shielding, the metal shell 13 of the electrical connector 1, the shielding layer 23 of the cable 2 and the metal foil 4 may be partially or even totally omitted. In this manner, the casing 5 may be directly formed at the outer periphery of the inner mold 3 by over-molding, and the front end 51 of the casing 51 is changed to directly cover the insulative housing 11.
While a preferred embodiment of the Present Disclosure is shown and described, it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the foregoing Description and the appended Claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201320095906.7 | Mar 2013 | CN | national |
