DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure generally relates to a field of electro-mechanical engineering. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to Universal Serial Bus (USB) port assembly for use in vehicles. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure disclose the USB port assembly with an arrangement to securely hold the USB cable.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

With the advancements in technology, Universal Serial Bus (USB) is one of most preferred connection interface for connecting peripheral devices with computers. The USB interface has replaced the traditional serial and parallel ports for peripheral devices. The USB interface is much faster and easier as compared to traditional serial and parallel ports which made it establish a new standard that almost all peripheral manufacturers began incorporating USB ports in the peripheral Devices such as printers, digital cameras, keyboards, mice, external CD ROMS, pen drives etc. quickly adopted the USB standard. Various computing devices including laptops, desktop computers, wearable, and even PDA's are all configured with USB ports in order to take advantage of the variety of peripheral devices which are built around that architecture. The connecting end of the USB plug, otherwise known as the USB port, is a flush mounted open receptacle with a flat, rectangular card in the center bearing electrical contact points. The device end of the plug may have a sleeve which inserts into receptacle and surrounds the card making a mated electrical connection. Such plugs are well known in the art. The flexibility of this plug has increased utility to consumers; substantially increased data transfer rates over parallel bus speeds and reduced costs for manufacturers of peripheral devices due to standardization. Personal computers may include one or more USB ports into the I/O ports.

The USB plugs are not optimized to work with portable computers such as PDAs, wearable’s, etc. that may be subjected to motion while they are in use. The problem may be due to the fact that there is no proper mounting mechanism that secures the plug portion of USB with the port. Further, the portables are carried around or when the wearable’s are worn on human body for use, then there are chances that the cable extending from the plug might get twisted, thereby increasing the susceptibility of it getting disconnected from the port. Furthermore, with the advancements in technology in the automobile industry, modern vehicles such as modern cars and motor bikes, may be provided with USB ports to connect various utilities. The USB ports in such vehicles may be used for connecting various peripherals to infotainments or may be used as a charging port for various electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and the like. However, in some of the vehicles for example in two-wheeler vehicles, vibrations may be transmitted to vehicle body, and in-turn to the USB port. The amplitude of vibration may be excessive in light motor vehicles like motor bikes as compared to cars. The high amplitude vibrations not only result in increased friction between mating parts of USB interface, but also results in significant wear of contact points. Though plugs may have sufficient frictional resistance to resist unintentional unplugging from the port initially, there may be a gradual decrease in frictional resistance which tends to establish a loose contact. Another problem associated is that with continuous twisting of cable extending out of the USB, breaking of cable may occur. Accidental and unintentional disconnections as well as breaking may result in loss of data, waste of time, requirement of rebooting due to hardware/boot failure in case of computers, and so on.

Additionally, in the conventional vehicles it may be difficult to locate the USB ports during night time or dark conditions, due to absence of illumination in such regions. For example, in vehicles, such as car, scooter and off-road vehicles on which riders usually travel at night face difficulty finding USB ports on their vehicle for using their USB devices due to limited source of lighting available in cabin or nearby areas.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate conventional USB port (or socket) and USB plug inserted into the USB port. The conventional socket as shown in FIG. 1 consists of housing 52 and female connecting port 51. The housing 52may be formed of any material like EPDM rubber to absorb vibration from panel. The cable end which mates with socket 51 consists of extended metal portion (male) 62 and a moulded portion 61 as shown in FIG. 2. When cable is fitted inside socket51 of housing 52, the metal portion 62 of cable is supported by USB port 50 mounted inside the socket 51 (shown without housing). The USB port (50) (female) has flange 63 on both sides and flanges 63 on top and bottom that press against metal portion 62of the cable, but the long moulded part 61 overhangs outside and remains unsupported, which result in drawbacks outlined above.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided through the provision of the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the disclosure.

In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port assembly for a vehicle. The USB port assembly comprises housing, a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) configured in the housing. The PCB is connectable to a wiring harness of a vehicle. The assembly further comprises at least one USB port accommodated in the housing and is interfaced with the PCB. The at least one USB port comprises a provision for accommodating a plug portion of a USB cable. There is a casing extending from an end of the housing which is configured to receive the USB cable and the casing comprises at least one securing member to hold a moulded portion of the USB cable.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one securing member includes a plurality of clips provisioned in an inner surface of the casing. The plurality of clips comprises a sloping edge at one end, to support the plurality of clips in the casing and a locking edge at another end. The locking edge of each of the plurality of clips is configured to reside in the at least one of a plurality of locking provisions in the casing.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the securing member is at least one elastomeric holder accommodated in the casing.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the USB port assembly comprises a locking unit for securing the elastomeric holder accommodated in the casing.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the USB plug comprises a plurality of flanges for securing the plug portion of the USB cable.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the USB port assembly comprises a light source for illuminating the end of the housing which is configured to receive the USB cable.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the USB port assembly comprises an elastomer grommet configured around the USB port for securing in the housing.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.
The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the description. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

FIG.1 illustrates perspective view of a conventional USB port.

FIG.2 illustrates perspective view of conventional USB cable plug plugged into the USB port of FIG.1.

FIG.3 illustrates perspective view of a USB assembly to securely hold the USB plug, according to one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.4 illustrates exploded perspective view of USB port assembly of FIG.3.

FIG.5 illustrates assembled perspective view of plug of USB cable secured with the USB port through the arrangement of FIG.3, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.6 illustrates sectional view along section A-A of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.7 illustrates exploded perspective view of USB Port assembly with an arrangement to secure USB plug, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.8 illustrates sectional view of USB port assembly of FIG.7 in assembled condition.

FIG.9 illustrates perspective view of a locking unit of the assembly of FIG.7.

FIG.10 illustrates perspective view of an USB port with a provision of light sources, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG.11 illustrates exploded view of USB port assembly with an elastomer grommet provisioned in the housing, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the assemblies, structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the description and drawings are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and make part of this disclosure.

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, assembly or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or an assembly or an apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

To overcome one or more limitations stated in the background, there is provided an assembly for securing USB plug to USB port. Throughout the description, the term assembly is interchangeably referred to as device with an arrangement to securely hold Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable plug. The assembly comprises a housing which removably accommodates one or more USB ports and one or more Printed Circuit Boards (PCB).The PCB is interfaced with circuitry of the USB port. In an embodiment, the PCB may be accommodated adjacent to the USB port in the housing for the purpose of interfacing or the USB port may be provisioned in the PCB for interfacing. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the USB port is interfaced to circuitry of the PCB by soldering.

A USB cable comprising a plug which is held or mould in a moulded body can be removably plugged into the USB port for data transfer or power transfer. In particular, whenever data transfer has to be made between peripherals, the USB plug is plugged into the port, and upon completion of data transfer, it is unplugged from the port.

The housing of the USB port assembly comprises a casing that may extend from an end of the housing which is configured to receive USB cable. The casing may be adapted to secure the moulded body of the USB cable when the plug of the USB cable is plugged into the USB port. In order to achieve this, the casing may be provided with at least one securing member which may be configured on inner receiving surfaces provided on entry side inside the casing. The at least one securing member may maintain a frictional grip with the moulded body of the USB cable when the plug is plugged inside the USB port. Also, the securing members are configured to selectively expand and contract to facilitate unplugging and plugging of the USB plug with the USB port.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the securing members may be clips which are configured on one or more inner surfaces of the casing in the housing. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each clip may be configured with a sloping edge at one end to facilitate support to the clips in the casing, thereby keeping the clips in its place. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the clips are configured to bend about a fixed end to expand or contract to facilitate plugging and unplugging of the USB plug. Further, the USB port may be provisioned with one or more slots for accommodating one or more flanged members provided on the plug of the USB cable. The flanged members may maintain frictional contact with the slots of USB port when the plug is inserted in the port.

The clips, as described above, may be secured or locked to a plurality of locking provisions configured in the housing. To facilitate this, the plurality of clips may be connected serially by a carrier member, and the carrier member may be provisioned with a plurality of locking projections. The locking provisions are secured or locked to a plurality of locking provisions of the housing. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking projections are snap fit with each of the locking provisions of the housing. Further, the securing of the moulded portion of the USB cable by the clips facilitates damping of the USB cable against vibrations. This is useful when peripherals which involve the USB interface are configured in vehicles, where large amplitudes of vibrations are present during vehicle movement. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flanged member provisioned on the plug of the USB cable snap fits with the at least slot provided in the USB port.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, the securing member may be at least one elastomeric holder accommodated in the casing of the housing. The moulded body of the USB cable may reside in the at least one elastomeric holder when the USB cable/plug is plugged into the USB port. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one locking units provisioned adjacent to the elastomeric holder inside the casing of the housing. The locking unit comprises at least one locking member which engages with a window configured in the housing. The engagement of the locking member in the window secures the elastomeric holder inside the casing of the housing. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking member may be configured with one or more tapered edges to facilitate sliding movement of the USB plug into the USB port.

Further, the USB port assembly may be provided with at least one light source to illuminate the area at the end of the housing which is configured to receive the USB cable. The illumination around this area increases visibility and thus facilitates easy insertion of the USB plug into the USB port during darkness. The USB port assembly may also be provided with an elastomer grommet around the USB port which absorbs vibration during dynamic usage of the USB port such as during movement of vehicles. Thus, the provision of rubber grommet helps in increase of life of the USB cable.

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible same numerals will be used to refer to the same or like parts.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrates perspective view of the device (100) with an arrangement for securing USB cable. FIGS.4 and 5 are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrating exploded perspective view and assembled perspective view respectively of USB port assembly (100) with an arrangement shown in FIG. 3 to secure Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable (22).A USB interface, as is known in the art, is a plug and play interface used to transfer data and/or power between various peripherals such as PCs, laptops, wearable’s, portable gadgets, Cell phones, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a USB port assembly (100) with an arrangement for securely holding the USB plug inside the port so as to prevent undesirable unplugging and damaging of USB cable when it resides in the port.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the assembly (100) comprises housing (10) which may act as a casing for entire assembly. The housing may (10) may be connected to a vehicle [not shown] by a suitable fixing mechanism. The housing (10) is configured in the form of enclosure defining a provision for accommodating one or more components of the assembly (100). The housing (10) may comprise an opening on one of its side, for example front side as shown in FIG.3. The housing (10) may be configured to removably accommodate one or more USB ports (15) [shown in FIG.4] and one or more Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) (30) interfaced with circuitry of the USB port (15) in the provision. The PCB (30) may be accommodated adjacent to the USB port (15) in the housing (10) for the purpose of interfacing. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the USB port (15) is interfaced to circuitry of the PCB (30) by joining processes including but not limited to soldering. In an alternate embodiment of the present disclosure, the USB port (15) is seated on the PCB (30) for interfacing. The PCB (30) may have a plurality of connecting pins [not shown] for communicatively connecting the USB port assembly with a wiring harness [not shown] of the vehicle. The one or more USB ports (15) are configured in the housing (10) such that they face an opening in the housing (10).

As shown in FIG.4, a USB cable (22) comprises a plug portion (21) which is held or mould in a moulded body (20). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cable (22) and the moulded body (20) are manufactured using electrical insulation materials including but not limited to polymeric materials. In another embodiment, the USB plug (21) may be manufactured by using conducting metals selected from a group of transition metal and metal alloys. The plug portion (21) of the USB cable (22) may be removably plugged into the USB port (15) for transfer of data or power.

Reference is made to FIG.5 in conjunction with FIGS.3 and 4. As shown in FIG.5, the housing (10) of the device (100) comprises a casing(12) extending from the housing (10). In an embodiment, an end of the housing (10) which is configured to receive the USB cable (22) or end of the housing having an opening is provided with the casing (12). In an embodiment, the casing (12) may be a hollow member having a thickness of material ranging from 2mm to 10mm between its inner walls and outer walls. The casing (12) may be formed as an integral part of the housing (10) or may be fixed to the housing (10) using temporary or permanent joining techniques. As shown in FIG.3, one end of the casing (12) is fixed to the housing (10) such that the opening in the housing (10) continues like a stepped portion till free end of the casing (12). The casing (12) may be adapted to secure the moulded body (20) of the USB cable (22) upon insertion of the plug portion (21) of the USB cable (22) into the USB port (15).

In order to achieve this, the casing (12) is provided with a plurality of securing members (11) which are configured on one or more inner walls of the casing (12). The plurality of securing members (11) maintains a frictional grip with the moulded body (20) of the USB cable (22) when the plug portion (21) is plugged inside the USB port (15) [shown in FIG. 4]. Also, the securing members (11) are configured to selectively expand and contract to facilitate unplugging and plugging of the USB plug (21) from and into the USB port (15). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the securing members (11) are clips which are configured on one or more inner surfaces of the casing (12) in the housing (10). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the securing members (11) is configured with a sloping edge (11A) to facilitate support to the clips (11) in the casing (12). The sloping edge (11A) ensures that the clips (11) are in place and do not go out of position during plugging of the USB plug (21) inside the USB port(15). In another embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the securing members (11) is configured to bend about a fixed end to expand or contract to facilitate plugging and unplugging of the USB plug (21). Further, the USB port(15) is provisioned with one or more slots (23) for accommodating one or more flanged members (not shown) provided on the sides of the plug portion (21) of the USB cable (22). The flanged members maintain frictional contact with the slots (23) of USB port (15) when the plug portion(21) is inserted in the port (15).

The clips (11), as described above, are secured or locked to a plurality of locking provisions (13) configured on the housing (10). To facilitate this, the clips(11) comprises locking edges (11C), and may be connected serially by a carrier member (11B). The carrier member (11B) may be provisioned with a plurality of locking edges (11C), and are secured or locked to a plurality of locking provisions (13) of the housing (10). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking edges (11C) are snap fit with each of the locking provisions (13) of the housing (10). In an alternate embodiment of the disclosure, the locking edges (11C) of the clips (11) may be directly fixed in the locking provisions (13) of the housing (10).

FIG. 6 is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure which illustrates sectional view along section A-A of FIG.4. As shown in FIG. 6, the plug portion (21) of the USB cable (22) resides inside the USB port (15) to serve the purpose of data transfer or power transfer. The plug portion (21) maintains a close sliding fit with the port (15) and is vulnerable to accidental disconnection or damage due to insufficient frictional grip. However, the gripping of moulded body (20) by the securing members (11) prevents the accidental disconnection of plug portion (21) from the port (15), and at the same time dampens the vibrations transmitted from external components to the USB cable (22). This is useful when peripherals which involve the USB interface are configured in vehicles, where large amplitudes of vibrations are present due to vehicle movement. This prevents damaging of the USB port assembly (100) and thereby improves its durability.
FIGS.7 and 8 illustrate exploded perspective view and assembled sectional view of the USB port assembly (100) with an arrangement (40) for securing Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable plug (21), according to alternate embodiment of the present disclosure. The arrangement(40) comprises an elastomeric holder (42) and locking unit (41) which may be used as securing members (11) described in the above paragraphs. The elastomeric holder (42) and locking unit (41)may be removably accommodated the casing(12) of the housing (10) which houses the USB port (15). One or more Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) (30) is interfaced with circuitry of the USB port (15) and are accommodated adjacent to the USB port (15) in the housing (10). A USB cable (22) comprising the plug portion (21) held in a moulded body (20) is removably plugged into the USB port (15).

The arrangement (40) as shown in FIG. 7 comprises at least one elastomeric holder (42) accommodated in the casing(12) adjacent to the port (15) so that the moulded body (22) resides in it while the plug portion (21) resides in the port (15). The moulded body (20) of the USB cable (22) resides in the at least one elastomeric holder (42) when the USB cable (22) is plugged into the USB port (15). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one locking unit (41) is provisioned adjacent to the elastomeric holder (42) inside the casing (12) of the housing (10). As shown in FIG. 9 the locking unit(41) comprises at least one locking member (41A) which engages with a window (12A) configured in the casing (12) of the housing (10). The engagement of the locking member (41A) in the window (12A) secures the elastomeric holder (42) inside the casing(12). This may be helpful when the USB plug is pulled out from the port (15), where there is tendency for the elastomeric holder (42) to come out of the casing (12). However, with the presence of locking member (41A) locked with window (12A), the possibility of elastomeric member (42) coming out of casing (12) may be avoided. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking member (41A) may be configured with one or more tapered edges (41B) to facilitate easy sliding of the USB plug (21) into the USB port (15). The locking clip (41) configured with the locking member (41A) and tapered edge (41B) is clearly depicted in FIG.9.

Referring to FIG.8, the plug (21) of the cable (22) resides inside the port (15) to serve the purpose of data transfer or power transfer. The plug (21) maintains a close sliding fit with the port (15) and is vulnerable to accidental disconnection or damage due to insufficient frictional grip. However, the gripping of moulded body (20) by elastomeric holder (42) prevents the accidental disconnection of plug (21) from the port (15), and at the same time dampens the vibrations transmitted from external components to the USB cable (22). This is useful when peripherals which involve the USB interface are configured in vehicles, where large amplitudes of vibrations are present due to vehicle movement. This prevents damaging of the USB port assembly (100) and thereby improves its durability.

Referring to FIG.10, the USB port assembly (100) is provisioned with at least one light source (43) on both sides of USB port (15). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the light source (43) maybe a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The light source (43) may be arranged such that light enters through the space between side flanges and window cut out of the USB port (15) to illuminates inside areas of the USB port (15). In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the light source (43) is configured to illuminate an end of the housing (10) which is configured to receive the USB cable (22).

The illumination depends on the intensity and position of LED used. The LED may be placed outside at the plane passing through middle of window of side flanges. The LED is placed beyond the front edge of window such that light entering through side window and front opening do not cause direct glare in the user’s eyes. In an embodiment, an insulator (44) is selected of light colour, preferably white which reflects most of light and may clearly visible from a distance. The user can easily locate the USB port and its correct orientation in darkness.

Referring to FIG.11, the USB port (15) may be supported by an elastomer grommet (45) made of resilient material such as rubber in the housing. The elastomer grommet (45) may enclose the port in the housing (10) such that, vehicle vibration may have negligible effect on the USB port (15) when supported, which in turn holds the USB cable (22). This way vibration effect of vehicle may be reduced to USB cable (22) and thus the life of USB cable (22) improves.

In the foregoing description, few variants of the securing members have been described. However, one should not consider the same to be limitation to present disclosure, as one can provide any other arrangement which serves the purpose.

Equivalents:
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments.

,CLAIMS:We Claim:

1. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) port assembly (100) for a vehicle, the USB port assembly (100) comprising:
a housing (10);
a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (30) configured in the housing (10), the PCB (10) is connectable to a wiring harness of a vehicle;
at least one USB port (15) accommodated in the housing (10) and is interfaced with the PCB (30), the at least one USB port (15) comprises a provision (23) for accommodating a plug portion (21) of a USB cable (22); and
a casing (12) extending from an end of the housing which is configured to receive the USB cable (22), wherein the casing (12) comprises at least one securing member (11 and 42) to hold a moulded portion (20) of the USB cable (22).

2. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one securing member includes a plurality of clips (11) provisioned in an inner surface of the casing (12).

3. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of clips (11) comprises a sloping edge (11A) at one end, to support the plurality of clips (11) in the casing (12).

4. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of clips (11) comprises locking edge at another end.

5. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the locking edge of each of the plurality of clips (11) is configured to reside in at least one of a plurality of locking provisions (13) in the casing (12).

6. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing member is at least one elastomeric holder (42) accommodated in the casing (12).

7. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7 comprises a locking unit (41) for securing the elastomeric holder (42) in the casing (12).

8. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the USB plug (15) comprises a plurality of flanges for securing the plug portion of the USB cable (22).

9. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprises an elastomer grommet (45) configured around the USB port (15) for securing in the housing (10).

10. The USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprises at least one light source (43) for illuminating the end of the housing (10) which is configured to receive the USB cable (22).

11. A vehicle comprising a USB port assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1.