Cable connector assembly having detecting contact

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a cable connector assembly, and more particularly to a cable connector assembly which can indicate an engaging status between the assembly and a complementary connector.

2. Description of Related Art

Cable connector assemblies are widely used for signal or power transmission between personal computers and peripheral equipments, such as monitor and scanner. When the electrical connection between a connector and a complementary connector becomes faulty, there is a need to identify the fault duly and solve the problem immediately. Thus, a connector providing a visual indication, such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED), on faulty information regarding the electrical connection between the connector and the complementary connector is required.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,993, issued to Espenshade, discloses a modular jack comprising a pair of LEDs. The modular jack and the pair of LEDs are all mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) and electrically connect to each other through an electrical circuit arranged on the PCB. When a complementary connector engages with the modular jack, the LEDs will on or off to indicate the engaging status between the modular jack and the complementary connector. However, with the development of computer, the size of a PCB becomes smaller, while electronic components mounted to the PCB become more. In such a condition, the module jack and the LEDs all mounted to the PCB inevitably complex the circuits arranged on the PCB, which is out of current trend.

Hence, a connector having a detecting contact for indicating the engaging status between a connector and a complementary connector is highly desired.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector assembly having a detecting contact for engaging with a corresponding detecting terminal of a complementary connector to indicate the engaging status between the cable connector assembly and the complementary connector.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cable connector assembly having a detecting contact for simplifying circuits arranged on a printed circuit board.

In order to achieve the objects set forth, a cable connector assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive contacts, a plurality of conductive wires respectively soldered with the contacts, a spacer assembled to the housing and an insulative cover partially enclosing the housing. The insulative housing defines a plurality of passageways extending therethrough and an L-shaped receiving space communicating with the passageways. The contacts are respectively received in the passageways and comprise a plurality of first contacts for signal transmission to a complementary connector, a pair of second contacts functioning as grounding contacts and a third contact electrically connecting with a corresponding detecting terminal of the complementary connector.

Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view of a cable connector assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but taken from a different aspect;

FIG. 3 is an assembled view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but taken from a different aspect;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cable connector assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but taken from a different aspect;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cable connector assembly of FIG. 5 taken along line 7 — 7 ; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the cable connector assembly of FIG. 5 taken along line 8 — 8 .

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a cable connector assembly 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises an insulative housing 2 , a plurality of conductive contacts 3 , a spacer 4 , a plurality of conductive wires 5 , and a pair of blocks 6 .

Continuing to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the insulative housing 2 is substantially elongated. The insulative housing 2 comprises a mating face 21 disposed at a front end thereof along a longitudinal direction, a rear face 22 formed at a rear end of the insulative housing 2 and opposite to the mating face 21 , and a pair of lateral faces 23 disposed on opposite sides of the insulative housing 2 and extending between the mating face 21 and the rear face 22 . A guiding member 24 projects outwardly from one lateral face 23 of the housing 2 and is coplanar with the mating face 21 for properly guiding insertion of a complementary connector (not shown). An L-shaped receiving space 20 extends rearwardly from the mating face 21 of the insulative housing 2 . A plurality of contact passages 25 protrudes from the rear face 22 toward the mating face 21 and communicates with the receiving space 20 . A cutout 28 is defined in the rear end of the insulative housing 2 and recesses from the other lateral face 23 . A pair of ribs 29 is provided on opposite upper and lower faces (not labeled) of the insulative housing 2 . Opposite ends of each rib 29 respectively extend beyond one lateral face 23 to be coplanar with the guiding member 24 and a bottom face of the cutout 28 to be coplanar with the other lateral face 23 for decreasing a transverse size of the housing 2 . A groove 26 is recessed from the rear face 22 of the housing 2 and communicates with the passages 25 . A pair of keys (not labeled) is formed in the receiving space 20 for facilitating engagement between the conductive contacts 3 and corresponding contacts of a complementary connector. However, the pair of keys makes extractions of molding cores of the insulative housing 2 relatively difficult. Thus, a pair of recesses 27 functioning as auxiliary craft passageways recesses forwardly from the rear face 22 and is located below the groove 26 for molding the keys in the receiving space 20 conveniently and uniformly.

The conductive contacts 3 comprises four groups of first contact 3 a , a pair of second contacts 3 b and a third contact 3 c sandwiched by the pair of second contacts 3 b . The first contact 3 a is of a fork shape and comprises a base section 35 , a U-shaped tail section 37 extending from the base section 35 , three mating sections 31 , and three retention sections 33 extending oppositely from the base section 35 and respectively connecting with the mating sections 31 . The second contact 3 b is a grounding contact and the third contact 3 c is a detecting contact. The second and the third contacts 3 b , 3 c have the same structure and each comprise a retention portion 34 , a mating portion 36 and a tail portion 32 respectively extending from the retention portion 34 .

Continuing with FIGS. 1-2, the spacer 4 is a rectangular block and comprises a body 40 and a plurality of protrusions 42 extending forwardly from a front face thereof.

The conductive wires 5 comprise a plurality of first wires 5 a , a pair of second wires 5 b and a third wire 5 c . The wires 5 have the same structure and are different in size from one another. Each wire 5 comprises an insulative jacket 50 and an insulated, conductive core 52 partially exposed outside the insulative jacket 50 .

In assembly, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the conductive contacts 3 are respectively inserted through the passages 25 with curved contacting ends (not labeled) thereof exposed in the receiving space 20 for electrically connecting with corresponding terminals of a complementary connector (not shown). The retention sections 33 and the retention portions 34 interfere fit into corresponding passages 25 for securing the contacts 3 in the insulative housing 2 . The tail sections 37 and the tail portions 32 are exposed beyond the rear face 22 of the housing 2 . The blocks 6 are respectively inserted into the recesses 27 of the housing 2 for sealing the recesses 27 from outside. The spacer 4 is assembled to the groove 26 for preventing the melting material of the cover 7 from entering into the passages 25 when molding the cover 7 to the insulative housing 2 . The protrusions 26 of the spacer 4 interfere fit into corresponding passages 25 for retaining the spacer 4 to the housing 2 . The conductive wires 5 respectively electrically connect with the contacts 3 for transmitting different signals to the contacts 3 . The insulated, conductive cores 52 of the first, the second and the third wires 5 a , 5 b , 5 c are respectively soldered with the tail sections 37 and the tail portions 32 of the first, the second and the third contacts 3 a , 3 b , 3 c.

An insulative cover 7 made of dielectric moldable material is overmolded on the rear end of the insulative housing 2 , the tail sections 37 and the tail portions 32 of the contacts 3 and the insulated, conductive cores 52 of the wires 5 . The insulative cover 7 functions as a strain relief to the wires 5 and protects the electrical connection between the contacts 3 and the wires 5 . Since the spacer 4 and the blocks 6 respectively seals the rear end of the housing 2 , the dielectric moldable material of the cover 7 has no possibility of entering into the housing 2 and further influencing the electrical transmission between the cable connector assembly 1 and the complementary connector. The pair of ribs 29 of the insulative housing 2 engages with the cover 7 for increasing the retaining force between the housing 2 and the cover 7 .

The first contacts 3 a of the cable connector assembly 1 are used for transmitting signal or power voltage to the complementary connector. The complementary connector has a detecting terminal (not shown) corresponding to the third detecting contact 3 c and electrically connecting with a LED (not shown). When the third detecting contact 3 c electrically engages with the detecting terminal of the complementary connector, the LED is on or off to indicate the engage status between the cable connector assembly 1 and the complementary connector. It is noted that since the cable connector assembly 1 and the complementary connector each has a contact functioning as a detecting signal, and the detecting terminal of the complementary connector electrically connects with the LED directly, electrical circuits arranged on a printed circuit board to which the complementary connector is mounted are, thus, simplified.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.