Flippable electrical connector with concentric inner and outer mating ports

• US 9,472,911 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Mulcuck, Mick, Little, Terrance F., Sedio, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Prasad, Chandrika
• Application Number:
  US14/645,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 439/374, 439/626, 439/660
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/724 containing contact members forming a right angle
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6582 with resilient means for engaging mating connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/00 Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure contact members H01R13/02; securing contact members in or to a base or case or insulating of contact members H01R13/40; bases or cases H01R13/46; means for supporting coupling part when not engaged H01R13/60; means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement H01R13/62; means for preventing, inhibiting or avoiding incorrect coupling H01R13/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/28 Coupling parts carrying pins, blades or analogous contacts and secured only to wire or cable
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/60 Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 25/006 the coupling part being secured to apparatus or structure, e.g. duplex wall receptacle
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/184 Components including terminals inserted in holes through the printed circuit board and connected to printed contacts on the walls of the holes or at the edges thereof or protruding over or into the holes
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10189 Non-printed connector

Abstract

A plug connector is mateable with the receptacle connector wherein each of the plug connector and the receptacle connector includes an inner mating port surrounded by an outer mating port in a concentric manner. The inner mating port is equipped with two rows of contacts arranged in a diagonally symmetrical manner. The outer mating port is equipped with larger power contacts symmetrically arranged with a center of the inner mating port.

Claims

1. A receptacle connector for use with a plug, comprising:

an inner mating portion surrounded by an outer mating portion in a concentric manner,

said inner mating portion including;

an insulative inner housing having a base with a mating tongue forwardly extending therefrom;

a plurality of contacts disposed in the housing with contacting sections exposed upon the mating tongue;

a metallic shell enclosing the housing to define a capsular mating cavity in which said mating tongue is disposed;

the outer mating portion including;

an insulative outer housing surrounding the metallic shell with an outer mating cavity radially therebetween; and

a plurality of larger power contacts which are larger than the contacts in width, disposed in the outer mating cavity and symmetrically arranged with regard to a center of the inner mating port.

2. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the larger power contacts are retained by the insulative outer housing.

3. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contacts of the inner mating portion are arranged in two rows and are diagonally arranged with each other;

the outer mating portion has four larger power contacts which are symmetrically located by two sides of the inner mating portion so as to cooperate with the diagonally symmetrically arranged contacts in the inner mating portion to have the whole receptacle connector allow the plug to be inserted therein in a flappable manner.

4. The receptacle connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the larger power contacts are symmetrically located by two sides of the inner mating portion in a transverse direction of the receptacle connector.

5. A plug connector for use with a complementary receptacle connector, comprising:

an inner mating port and an outer mating port surrounding said inner mating port in a concentric manner,

said inner mating port including;

an insulative inner housing defining a receiving cavity and enclosed in a metallic shell;

a plurality of contacts disposed in the inner housing and by two sides of the receiving cavity in a vertical direction;

said outer mating port including;

an insulative outer housing surrounding the metallic shield with a space therebetween radially;

a plurality of larger power contacts which are larger than the contacts in the inner matting port in width, disposed in corresponding passageways formed in the insulative outer housing, and symmetrically arranged with regard to a center of the inner mating port.

6. The plug connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the contacts in the inner mating port are diagonally symmetrically arranged with each other, the larger power contacts are symmetrically located by two sides of the inner mating port so as to cooperate with the diagonally symmetrically arranged contacts in the inner mating port to allow the plug to be inserted into the complementary receptacle connector in a flappable manner.

7. The plug connector as claimed in claim 5, wherein the larger power contacts are symmetrically located by two sides of the inner mating port in a transverse direction of the plug connector.

8. A dual-port receptacle connector comprising:

a pair of opposite mating ports, each of said mating ports defining a mating cavity with a mating tongue therein, each mating tongue being equipped with a plurality of contacts diagonally symmetrically arranged on two surfaces of the mating tongue so as to allow a single port plug connector to be coupled thereto in a flippable manner; and

a plurality of larger power contacts which are larger than the contacts in width, being disposed between the pair of mating ports and symmetrically with regard to an imaginary center line so as to alternately allow a dual port plug connector to be coupled to said opposite mating ports in the flippable manner.

9. The dual port receptacle connector as claimed in claim 8, wherein said pair of opposite mating ports are arranged in a transverse direction and said imaginary center line extends vertically.