Patent Grant
RE49287
This application is a Reissue of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/759,408, filed Apr. 13, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,198,563, which claims priority to Taiwan Application No. 99100847, filed Jan. 13, 2010, Taiwan Application No. 98210021, filed Jun. 5, 2009, Taiwan Application No. 98117405, filed May 26, 2009, and Taiwan Application No. 98112573, filed Apr. 15, 2009, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a socket structure with duplex electrical connection.
2. Related Art
The most popular signal transmission specification of the modern computer apparatus is the universal serial bus (USB). A connector socket and a transmission cable satisfying this specification may make peripheral apparatuses, such as a mouse, a keyboard and the like, which are externally connected to the computer, be immediately detected and used by the computer.
Only one surface of the USB plug has one row of connection terminals. So, one surface of a tongue of the current USB socket has one row of connection terminals. In use, the USB plug has to be correctly inserted so that the connection terminals of the USB plug and the USB socket may be electrically connected together.
In order to ensure the inserted USB plug to be electrically connected to the USB socket, the USB plug and socket have mistake-proof designs. That is, when the USB plug cannot be oppositely inserted, the user has to turn the USB plug and then insert the USB plug so that the electrical connection may be ensured after the insertion.
The user usually randomly inserts the USB plug into the USB socket. So, the possibility of incapable of inserting the USB plug reaches 50%. The user often has to insert the USB plug twice in an inconvenient manner.
Furthermore, the types of the plugs are gradually increased day after day. Also, the USB plugs having the same external shape may have different connection interfaces. If two plugs having the same external shape but different connection interfaces may be inserted into and electrically connected to the same socket, the usage of the socket may be diversified.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a socket structure with duplex electrical connection, wherein a plug may be normally and oppositely inserted into the socket structure to create electrical connection in a simple and easy way.
Another object of the invention is to provide a socket structure with duplex electrical connection, wherein the socket structure may be used as a dual-slot and may be simultaneously electrically connected to two plugs.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a socket structure with duplex electrical connection, wherein the socket structure may be electrically connected to two plugs, which have the same external shapes but different connection interfaces, in a diversified manner.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a socket structure with duplex electrical connection, wherein guide-in sheets of terminals on two surfaces of a tongue are vertically staggered so that the terminals on two surfaces of the tongue may be elastically moved alternately, the larger elastic moving chamber may be obtained and the contact of the terminal has the larger surface contact area.
Yet still another object of the invention is to provide a socket structure with duplex electrical connection, wherein at least one side of a metal housing of the socket structure projects inwardly to form at least one laterally elastically movable elastic sheet, and when a plug is inserted into a connection slot, the at least one elastic sheet may rest against the plug or the tongue to prevent the plug from being turned to break the tongue.
To achieve the above-identified objects, the invention provides a socket structure with duplex electrical connection. The socket structure includes a plastic base; a connection slot, disposed on one end of the base and to be connected to one plug having one row of terminals; a tongue disposed on a front end of the base and within the slot so that chambers of the slot on two sides of the tongue may be normally and oppositely inserted and positioned into the slot; one row of first contacts separately arranged on one surface of the tongue, wherein each first contact is electrically connected to a first pin extending out of the base; and one row of second contacts separately arranged on the other surface of the tongue, wherein each second contact is electrically connected to a second pin extending out of the base. When the plug is inserted into the slot, the row of terminals of the plug are electrically connected to the row of first or second contacts.
A metal housing covering the plastic base may further be provided. At least one side of the metal housing projects inwardly to form at least one laterally elastically movable elastic sheet. When the plug is inserted into the connection slot, the at least one elastic sheet may rest against the plug or the tongue to prevent the plug from turning.
The at least one row of first contacts and the first pins are formed on at least one row of first terminals. The at least one row of second contacts and the second pins are formed on at least one row of second terminals. The first contact and the second contact respectively project beyond one surface of the tongue. The row of first terminals and the row of second terminals pertain to the same connection interface and have oppositely arranged serial numbers. The front end of the first contact has a first guide-in sheet. The front end of the second contact has a second guide-in sheet. The first contact and the second contact are vertically aligned, and the first guide-in sheet and the second guide-in sheet are staggered in a left to right direction.
Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention.
The present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same references relate to the same elements.
Referring to
The plastic base 30 has one row of terminal slots 31, and a rear cover 32 covers a rear end of the plastic base 30 from bottom to top.
The metal housing 40 covers the plastic base 30. A front section of the metal housing is formed with a connection slot 45, which may be electrically connected to a USB 2.0 plug.
The tongue 50 and the plastic base 30 are integrally injection molded together. The tongue 50 has a first surface 501 and a second surface 502 disposed opposite the first surface 501, and is horizontally disposed on the front end of the plastic base 30 and at a middle of the connection slot 45, such that the connection slot 45 is formed with compatible and symmetrical profiles on top and bottom sides of the tongue 50 and compatible and symmetrical profiles on left and right sides of the tongue 50. Thus, the USB 2.0 plug is normally and oppositely inserted and positioned into the connection slot 45 to create the bidirectional insertion and connection, and the tongue 50 has four through slots 51 separately arranged.
One row of four first terminals 60 are separately arranged and fixed to the plastic base 30. The first terminal is integrally formed with a first contact 61, a first extension 62, a first fixing portion 63 and a first pin 64. The first fixing portion 63 is fixed to the terminal slot 31 of the plastic base 30. The first contact 61, arranged on the first surface 501 of the tongue 50, projects beyond the top of the tongue 50 and is elastically moved in correspondence with the through slot 51. The first pin 64 extends out of the plastic base 30.
The one row of second terminals 70 and the one row of first terminals 60 pertain to the same connection interface and the terminals have oppositely arranged serial numbers. Also, there are four second terminals 70 separately arranged and fixed to the plastic base 30. The second terminal is integrally formed with a second contact 71, a second extension 72, a second fixing portion 73 and a second pin 74. The second fixing portion 73 is fixed to the terminal slot 31 of the plastic base 30. The second contact 71, arranged on the second surface 502 of the tongue 50, projects beyond the bottom of the tongue 50 and is elastically moved in correspondence with the through slot 51. The second pin 74 extends out of the plastic base 30. The first contact 61 of the first terminal 60 and the second contact 71 of the second terminal 70 corresponding to the same through slot 51 are aligned with each other in a front to rear direction.
The one row of second terminals 70 and the one row of first terminals 60 have oppositely arranged serial numbers. As shown in
The one row of first terminals 60 and the one row of second terminals 70 are formed by pressing the same metal sheet. So, the first fixing portion 63 and the second fixing portion 73 are located on the same level so that the two rows may be assembled with and fixed to the terminal slots 31 of the plastic base 30 at a time. In addition, the first pin 64 and the second pin 74 are aligned in one row.
According to the above-mentioned structure,
According to the above-mentioned description, it is obtained that the invention may be electrically connected to the USB 2.0 plug, which is normally and oppositely inserted, so that the convenience in use may be obtained.
As shown in
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The one row of first contacts 53 and the one row of second contacts 57 pertain to the same connection interface and have oppositely arranged serial numbers.
The one row of first pins 80 are bonded to the one row of first connection terminals 54. The one row of second pins 85 are bonded to the one row of second connection terminals 58. In addition, the first fixing portion 63 of the one row of first terminals 60 is bonded and fixed to the top surface of the tongue 50. First fixing portions 73 of the one row of second terminals 70 are bonded and fixed to the bottom surface of the tongue 50. The one row of first pins 80 and the first pins 64 of the one row of first terminals 60 are arranged in a row. The one row of second pins 85 and the second pins 74 of the one row of second terminals 70 are arranged in a row.
According to the above-mentioned structure, as shown in
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According to the above-mentioned description, it is obtained that the socket structure of this embodiment may be electrically connected to two plugs having metal housings and the same shape but different connection interfaces so that the usage thereof may be diversified.
Of course, the socket structure of this embodiment may also be connected to two light and handy mobile disks or storage cards having two different connection interfaces but having no metal housing.
As shown in
The first terminal 65 has a first contact 66, a first extension 67, a first fixing portion 68 and a first pin 69. The one row of five first terminals 65 are disposed on the top surface of the tongue 50 and are arranged between the one row of first terminals 60. The first contacts 66 of the first terminals 65, which cannot be elastically moved, lie on the top surface of the tongue. The first contact 66 of the first terminal 65 is disposed in front of the first contact 61 of the first terminal 60.
The second terminal 90 has a second contact 91, a second extension 92, a second fixing portion 93 and a second pin 94. The one row of five second terminals 90 are disposed on the bottom surface of the tongue 50 and arranged between the one row of second terminals 70. The second contact 91 of the second terminal 90 cannot be elastically moved and lies on the top surface of the tongue. The second contact 91 of the second terminal 90 is disposed in front of the second contact 71 of the second terminal 70.
The two rows of first terminals 60 and 65 are formed by pressing the same metal sheet. The two rows of second terminals 70 and 90 are formed by pressing the same metal sheet.
As shown in
As shown in
Two sides of the metal housing 40 are prodded inwardly to form four laterally elastically movable elastic sheets, which include two outer elastic sheets 41 and two inner elastic sheets 42 respectively disposed above and below the tongue 50. The two inner elastic sheets 42 are disposed on inner sides of the two outer elastic sheets 41. The two inner elastic sheets 42 respectively rest against the top and bottom surfaces on one side of the tongue 50. Each elastic sheet has one end connected to a portion near the front end on the two sides of the metal housing 40 and extends inwardly in an arced manner. Each elastic sheet has a projection 46. When the projection 46 is pressed, the elastic sheet is elastically moved outwardly.
The front end of the first contact 61 of the first terminal 60 has a first guide-in sheet 611. The plate surface of the first guide-in sheet 611 is smaller than the plate surface of the first contact 61. The front end of the second contact 71 of the second terminal 70 has a second guide-in sheet 75. The plate surface of the second guide-in sheet 75 is smaller than the plate surface of the second contact 71. The first contact 61 and the second contact 71 are vertically aligned, and the first guide-in sheet 611 and the second guide-in sheet 75 are staggered in a left to right direction. Both the first guide-in sheet 611 and the second guide-in sheet 75 are hooked on the tongue 50.
As shown in
When the first contact 61 of the first terminal 60 is in elastic contact with the connection terminal 22 of the light and handy mobile disk 20 and is elastically moved downwards, the first guide-in sheet 611 cannot touch the second guide-in sheet 75 because the first guide-in sheet 611 and the second guide-in sheet 75 are staggered in a left to right direction.
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The design of this embodiment has the effect of bidirectional insertion, and further has the effects of protecting the tongue and enlarging the contact area of the terminal.
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As shown in FIG, 64, the 30th embodiment of the invention is almost the same as the 29th embodiment except that this embodiment contains three upright slots. The leftmost connection slot 35 corresponds to the USB 3.0 socket for bidirectional insertion and connection, the middle connection slot 36 corresponds to the socket shared by the USB 3.0 and eSATA plugs, and the rightmost connection slot 38 corresponds to the 1394 socket.
As shown in
As shown in
The plastic base 30 has two rows of terminal slots 31. The front end of the terminal slot 31 is integrally formed with a projecting tongue 50, and each of the top and bottom surfaces of the tongue 50 is formed with five terminal slots 59 separately arranged.
The metal housing 40 covers the plastic base 30, the front section of the metal housing 40 is formed with a connection slot 45, and the connection slot 45 is disposed on the front end of the plastic base 30 and covers the tongue 50 therein. The top and bottom ends are narrower than the middle section so that the four corners of its profile are formed with symmetric sloped edges 48, and the top, bottom, left and right sides of the tongue 50 are formed with compatible and symmetrical profiles. Thus, a micro USB 2.0 plug may be bidirectionally inserted for connection. In addition, each of the top and bottom plates of the metal housing 40 is prodded to form two elastic locks 413, and each of four sloped edges 48 of the front end of the connection slot 45 is formed with a slant guiding plate 47 expanding outwards. When the micro USB plug is inserted into the connection slot and touches the slant guiding plate 47, it is guided toward the center of the connection slot.
The one row of first terminals 60 have five first terminals. Each first terminal 60 has a first contact 61, a first fixing portion 63 and a first pin 64. The first fixing portions 63 are fixed to the upper row of terminal slots 31 of the plastic base 30. The first contact 61 cannot be elastically moved but lies in the terminal slot 59 on the top surface of the tongue 50. The first pin 64 extends out of the bottom of the plastic base 30.
The one row of second terminals 70 have five terminals. Each second terminal 70 has a second contact 71, a second fixing portion 73 and a second pin 74. The second fixing portions 73 are fixed to the lower row of terminal slots 31 of the plastic base 30. The second contact 71 cannot be elastically moved and lies in the terminal slot 59 on the bottom of the tongue 50. The second pin 74 extends out of the plastic base 30 to the bottom thereof. The at least one row of first contacts 61 and the at least one row of second contacts 71 pertain to the same connection interface and have oppositely arranged serial numbers. That is, the one row of second contacts 71 have the serial numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 from left to right, and the one row of first contacts 61 have the serial numbers of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 from left to right.
According to the above-mentioned structure, as shown in
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In addition, each of the top and bottom plates of the metal housing 40 is prodded to form with elastic pressing sheet 410 symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides. A positioning projection 412 and a guide-in slant sheet 411 are formed near two lateral sides. The elastic pressing sheet 410 extends inwards. Two sides of the two positioning projections 412 are separated from the metal housing 40, and the front and rear ends of the two positioning projections 412 are connected to the metal housing 40. When the micro USB 3.0 plug 115 is normally inserted into the connection slot 45, the two guide-in slant sheets 411 may assist in guiding the plug.
As shown in
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Two surfaces of the tongue of the invention are formed with contacts, so there are many terminals arranged densely, and the high-frequency requirement is highly needed. The factors affecting the high frequency include the electroconductivity of the terminal, the cross-sectional area of the terminal, and the length of the terminal. In order to achieve the proper high frequency, the cross-sectional area and the length of the terminal need to be changed and then the high-frequency test has to be performed to obtain the desired high-frequency value.
Taking the USB 3.0 socket for bidirectional insertion and connection as an example, as shown in
While the invention has been described by way of examples and in terms of preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications.
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| 2009043717 | Feb 2009 | JP |
| 10-2007-0039956 | Apr 2007 | KR |
| M 253969 | Dec 2004 | TW |
| WO 02043192 | May 2002 | WO |
| WO 2005013436 | Feb 2005 | WO |
| WO 2006065681 | Jun 2006 | WO |
| WO 2008065659 | Jun 2008 | WO |
| WO 2008121731 | Oct 2008 | WO |
| WO 2009069969 | Jun 2009 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 12759408 | Apr 2010 | US |
| Child | 17020359 | US |
