1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a slim type electronic connector and an electronic device having the same; in particular, to a slim type electronic connector applicable on a slim type electronic device having a cover which can rotate to reduce the overall height when not in use.
2. Description of Related Art
With the advancement of electronic technology, electronic devices such as ultrabooks and their casings are becoming increasingly slimmer. Common electronic connectors of input and output ports installed on electronic devices need to be designed with their thicknesses in mind. The thickness of a typical RJ45 communication socket, for example, is possibly larger than the thickness of the electronic device itself.
Common slim type electrical devices often omit communication sockets or employ adapters, which are inconvenient to use. Another known technique such as Patent US 2010/0248554A1, “CONNECTOR SOCKET AND PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SAME,” separates the top and bottom portions of the RJ45 communication socket and connects them pivotally. During testing such as plug and unplug tests, this structure usually shows a lack of structural strength. Since communication cables often sustain frequent plugging and tugging, the pivot structure between the top and bottom portions is easily fatigued.
Hence, the present inventor believes the above mentioned disadvantages can be overcome, and through devoted research combined with application of theory, finally proposes the present disclosure which has a reasonable design and effectively improves upon the above mentioned disadvantages.
The object of the present disclosure is to provide a slim type electronic connector and an electronic device having the same, one face of which reduces the overall height of the electrical connector when not in use, and the other face of which increases the strength of the electrical connector in order to prevent fatigue created by frequent plugging and unplugging.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a slim type electrical connector is provided for accommodating a plug within, comprises a half socket, a covering lid, a holding seat disposed between the half socket and the covering lid, and a recovering element. The half socket has multiple endpoints. The covering lid has a main body, a sheltering portion extended from the main body, and at least one rotating axle formed at one end of the main body and pivoted on an electronic device case. An inserting space is formed between the half socket and the holding seat. When the covering lid rotates along the rotating axles to a covered position, the sheltering portion of the covering lid extends beyond a front edge of the holding seat. When the covering lid rotates along the rotating axles to an opening position, the sheltering portion moves away from the front edge of the holding seat to expose the inserting space. The recovering element applies a force on the sheltering portion of the covering lid to press against the holding seat. When the plug is inserted between the half socket and the holding seat, the recovering element pushes the sheltering portion to engage the plug for preventing from moving outside.
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the present disclosure also provides an electronic device having a slim type electronic connector. The electronic device includes an upper case, a lower case, and a slim type electronic connector. The lower case has an entrance portion for a plug to be inserted into, and at least one pivot seat. The slim type electrical connector includes a half socket positioned under the upper case and having multiple endpoints disposed thereon; a covering lid which has a main body, a sheltering portion extended from the main body for sheltering the entrance portion, and at least one rotating axle formed at one end of the main body; at least one rotating axle which is pivotally disposed on at least one corresponding pivot seat; a holding seat which is disposed between the half socket and the covering lid, wherein an inserting space for accommodating plugs is formed between the half socket and the holding seat, and the sheltering portion extends beyond the front edge of the holding seat; and a recovering element provides a force on the sheltering portion of the covering lid to press against the holding seat. When the plug is inserted between the half socket and the holding seat, the recovering element pushes the sheltering portion to engage the plug for preventing from moving outside.
The present disclosure has the following advantages: the covering lid of the present disclosure rotates along the rotating axles to a covered position to reduce its height, or an opening position to allow for inserting the plug, thereby reducing the overall height of the electronic connector. Additionally, the holding seat is fixed to the electronic device case, and covers the pivot structure of the covering lid, thereby increasing the structural strength.
In order to further the understanding regarding the present disclosure, the following embodiments are provided along with illustrations to facilitate the disclosure of the present disclosure but are not intended to define the present disclosure.
The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining the scope of the present disclosure. Other objectives and advantages related to the present disclosure will be illustrated in the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.
The slim type electronic connector 1 of the present disclosure includes a half socket 11, a covering lid 12, a holding seat 13 disposed between the half socket 11 and the covering lid 12, and a recovering element 14 for applying a force on the covering lid 12 to press against the holding seat 13. Each component is described in detail in the following.
The half socket 11 has multiple endpoints 112 to be electrically connected to the plug 3. The endpoints 112 extend from the inside of the half socket 11 to the outer side on the back end of the half socket 11. The interior space of the half socket 11 corresponds to the contour of the plug 3. The half socket 11 of the present embodiment further has a metal cover 114 disposed at its top surface for providing electromagnetic shielding.
The covering lid 12 has a main body 121, a sheltering portion 123 extended from the main body 121, and a pair of rotating axles 125 formed at one end of the main body 121. The present embodiment has two rotating axles 125. The two rotating axles 125 are positioned at one end of the main body 121 further away from the sheltering portion 123 and respectively extend outward from the two sides of the main body 121. However the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example the rotating axle can amount to one and be disposed in the middle of the edge of the main body 121. The pair of rotating axles 125 is pivotally disposed on the electronic device case 2, namely the lower case 22. Corresponding to the pair of rotating axles 125, the lower case 22 has a pair of pivot seats 222. The pair of rotating axles 125 is disposed on the pair of pivot seats 222. This configuration allows the covering lid 12 to pivot about the rotating axles 125, and be movably positioned at an opening position and a covered position. When the covering lid 12 is at the covered position, the overall height is relatively smaller than that of a typical RJ-45 communication socket. The covering lid 12 needs to move downward to the opening position only when a plug is to be inserted.
The present embodiment has a gap of definite height between the main body 121 and the lower case 22. The outer edge of the main body 121 is close to the bottom edge of the entrance portion 220 and extends downwards to form a turning portion 122. The sheltering portion 123 extends slantingly upwards from the turning portion 122. The sheltering portion 123 partially shelters the entrance portion 220 of the lower case 22, ideally conforming to the shape of the lower case 22. The side of the sheltering portion 123 facing the lower case 22 extends in an arc shape corresponding to the contour of the lower case 22. Two retaining blocks 1232 protrude on the interior side of the sheltering portion 123 toward the holding seat 13, for retaining the plug 3 from detaching. When the plug 3 is inserted between the half socket 11 and the holding seat 13, the retaining blocks 1232 of the sheltering portion 123 engage the plug 3 to prevent it from moving outwards.
The holding seat 13 is disposed between the half socket 11 and the covering lid 12. A front end inserting space is formed for accommodating the plug 3 between the half socket 11 and the holding seat 13. The holding seat 13 abuts the half socket 11. The length of the half socket 11 is larger than the length of the holding seat 13. In other words, the holding seat 13 of the present embodiment is shorter than the typical RJ-45 socket. As shown in
In the present embodiment, the position of the holding seat 13 corresponds to the main body 121. The two sides of the holding seat 13 each have a fixing portion 131. The fixing portions 131 are fixed to the electronic device case 2, for example fixed to the column 221 of the lower case 22 by screws or hot melting. The holding seat 13 has multiple lateral walls 133 facing the half socket 11 for guiding the plug 3. The holding seat 13 forms a through groove 135. The main body 121 forms a guiding plate 1212 facing towards the holding seat 13. The guiding plate 1212 is movably disposed in the through groove 135. By this configuration, the holding seat 13 of the present disclosure is securely fixed to the lower case 22, in contrast to the typical method of pivotally connecting to the upper case, thereby increasing the structural strength of the present disclosure. Additionally, the holding seat 13 covers the pivot seat 222, in order to increase the structural strength of the pivot seat 222. This configuration prevents the pivot structure of the covering lid 12 from being damaged due to frequent tugging of the communication wires, thereby protecting the covering lid 12 positioned below. In general, the present disclosure can endure demanding tests.
The recovering element 14 is used to apply a force on the sheltering portion 123 of the covering lid 12 to press against the holding seat 13. The recovering element 14 can use a spring force, a magnetic force, etc to accomplish its purpose. The recovering element 14 of the present embodiment is a spring plate disposed between the main body 121 and the electronic device case 2. In other words, the recovering element 14 is disposed at the top surface of the lower case 22 and abuts the lower face of the main body 121. The recovering element 14 has a fastening portion 141, and a curved portion 142 extending upwards and frontwards from the fastening plate 141 in a curve. A fastening rod 223 is disposed on the lower case 22 for fastening the fastening portion 141 of the recovering element 14, for example fastening the fastening portion 141 by screws or hot melting. The curved portion 142 provides the main body 121 an upward spring force.
When the plug 3 is to be plugged in, the covering lid 12 is turned such that the sheltering portion 123 moves further away from the input portion 220. At this moment, the main body 121 presses downward on the bottom edge of the entrance portion 220, and deforms the spring plate to conserve an upward spring force. As shown in
As shown in
Referring to
Therefore the slim type electronic connector and the electronic device having the same of the present disclosure have the following advantages:
1. The holding seat 13 is securely fixed on the lower case 22, in contrast to the typical structure pivotally connected to the upper case, thereby increasing the structural strength of the present disclosure.
2. The holding seat 13 of the present disclosure covers the pivot seat 222, thereby increasing the structural strength of the pivot seat 222, and prevents the covering lid 12 from damaging the pivot structure positioned between the covering lid 12 and the lower case 22 due to frequent tugging and plugging of the communication cables.
3. The present disclosure can further use the top pushing piece 1214 disposed on the top surface of the covering lid 12 to maintain the covering lid 12 at an opening position during the process of unplugging the plug 3 by continually pressing against the underside of the plug 3, sparing the user from having to press the covering lid 12 to the opening position with his finger. The user only needs to press the release arm 32 to successfully unplug plug 3.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the characteristics of the present disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure delineated by the following claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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101141772 | Nov 2012 | TW | national |