Patent Grant
12015219
This application claims the benefit of the filing date under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) of Chinese Patent Application No. 202120512753.6, filed on Mar. 10, 2021.
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to an electrical connector, and in particular, to a socket connector adapted to mate with a plate-type plug.
In electronic equipment, a POGO-pin type electrical connector is usually used to electrically connect a fixed electronic device with a movable electronic device. The electrical connector includes a fixed end electrically connected with the fixed electronic device, a movable end electrically connected with the movable electronic device, and a serpentine portion located between the fixed end and the movable end and electrically connected with the fixed end and the movable end. The movable end is electrically connected to the movable electronic device against an elasticity of the serpentine portion, so that the movable end can maintain the reliable electrical connection with the movable electronic device by the elasticity of the serpentine portion when the movable electronic device is moved due to a vibration, for example.
In such an electrical connector, in order to prevent undesirable displacement of the serpentine portion in a direction perpendicular to an extendable direction of the movable end, it is necessary to provide an accommodation chamber suitable for constraining the serpentine portion. Generally, the serpentine portion and a housing for forming the accommodation chamber need to be formed by two separate parts, which complicates a structure of the electrical connector and increases a manufacturing cost.
An electrical connector includes a base portion, a tail portion extending from a first side of the base portion, a serpentine portion having a first end connected to a second side of the base portion opposite to the first side, a movable head portion connected to a second end of the serpentine portion, and a housing in which an accommodation chamber is formed to accommodate the serpentine portion. The housing has a first end connected with the base portion and a second end provided with a limiting portion confining the serpentine portion within the accommodation chamber. The head portion is movable so as to pass through the limiting portion. The electrical connector is made of a single piece of metal.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which:
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the description, the same or similar parts are indicated by the same or similar reference numerals. The description of each of the embodiments of the present disclosure hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the general inventive concept of the present disclosure and should not be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure.
In addition, in the following detailed description, for the sake of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may also be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are illustrated schematically in order to simplify the drawing.
In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in
The serpentine portion 3 has a first end (a lower end in
In an exemplary embodiment, referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, each of the main body portions 53 is provided with an extension portion 54 at an end (an upper end in
In an exemplary embodiment, a bending height of each of the first support portions 55 in a thickness direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the head portion 4 (the up-and-down direction in
In an exemplary embodiment, the two first support portions 55 have different lengths in a length direction parallel to the moving direction of the head portion 4 so as to restrict different elastic segments of the serpentine portion 3 at either side of the head portion 4, such as a first elastic segment 31 adjacent to the head portion 4 and a second elastic segment 32 located below the first elastic segment 31, respectively, shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, a first holding portion 56 is provided at a side of each of the extension portions 54 opposite to the first support portion 55. Further, the first holding portion 56 of one of the two extension portions 54 has an end portion overlapped on an outer portion of the first support portion 55 of the other extension portion 54, as shown in
In an exemplary embodiment, referring to
In an exemplary embodiment, a bending height of each of the second support portions 57 in a thickness direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the head portion 4 is slightly greater than a thickness of the serpentine portion 3, and a distance between the two second support portions 57 is slightly greater than a width of the serpentine portion 3. In this way, the limiting hole 521 can allow the serpentine portion 3 to extend and retract freely in the accommodation chamber 51, and at the same time can prevent the serpentine portion 3 from swinging in a direction perpendicular to an extendable direction, or even from being deformed.
In an exemplary embodiment, a second holding portion 58 is provided at a side of each of the main body portions 53 opposite to the second support portion 57, as shown in
Referring to
According to the electrical connector 100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure as described above, the housing 5 can fully protect the serpentine portion 3 as a spring terminal. The entire electrical connector 100 is formed through an integrated sheet metal forming process. Further, an annular wall enclosed by the two main body portions 53 and the two second support portions 57 is formed around the serpentine portion 3 to protect the serpentine portion 3 and confine a movement space of the head portion 4 and the serpentine portion 3, so as to realize a movement of the head portion 4 of the electrical connector 100. The components of the electrical connector 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are integrally connected with each other, the structure is thus simple, and it is possible to easily realize an automatic production. In addition, a length and a contact range of the electrical connector 100 can be easily adjusted.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrative, and many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art. Further, various structures described in various embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.
Although the disclosure has been described hereinbefore in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments in the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate embodiments of the disclosure by way of example, and should not be construed as a limitation to the disclosure.
Although certain embodiments of the general inventive concept of the disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes or modification may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in claims and their equivalents.
It should be noted that, the word “include” doesn't exclude other elements or steps, and the word “a” or “an” doesn't exclude more than one. In addition, any reference numerals in the claims should not be interpreted as the limitation to the scope of the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202120512753.6 | Mar 2021 | CN | national |
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|---|---|---|---|
| 4773877 | Kruger | Sep 1988 | A |
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| 7559769 | Hsiao | Jul 2009 | B2 |
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| 20050064766 | Zhang | Mar 2005 | A1 |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20220294146 A1 | Sep 2022 | US |
