TWM581317U - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a housing, an electrical connection body, and a latching member. The outer casing is provided with a first stopping portion, a separation preventing portion and a second stopping portion protruding from the side surface. The locking member comprises two elastic arms respectively pivoted to the sides, and a fastening arm connected to the elastic arms. The locking member is rotatable relative to the outer casing along an pivoting path between an unlocked position and a locked position. When the locking member is in the unlocked position, the first stop of each resilient arm on each side Between the portion and the detachment preventing portion, and when the locking member is in the locking position, each of the elastic arms is located between the detachment preventing portion and the second stopping portion on each side.

Description

Electrical connector

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector provided with a locking member.

Existing expansion cards such as display cards, network interface cards, memory cards, or sound cards are usually mechanically and electrically connected to the existing sockets on the motherboard by PCIE bus technology. In order to ensure the stability of the connection between the expansion card and the socket, the Chinese Patent Publication No. CN203813071U discloses an interface connector comprising a casing, an electrical connection and a snap fastener. The electrical connection portion is disposed on the housing and can be electrically connected to a slot. The slot has a snap block. When the interface connector is inserted into the slot, the elastic fastener is adapted to be fastened to the buckle, and the interface connector is fixed to the socket. However, the buckle does not have a stop structure. When the interface connector is shocked or the spring fastener is accidentally touched, the spring fastener may still be detached from the buckle, causing the interface connector to be loose from the slot. And affect the stability of the electrical connection. In addition, Chinese Patent Publication No. CN201421927Y discloses a connector module comprising a connector and a pair of connectors. The connector includes a pull rod. In order to prevent the pull rod from being detached from the mating member, a snap-up spring is attached to an outer casing of the mating member, and the structure of the mating member must be changed.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector that does not require changes to the mating connector structure and that improves the stability of the connection.

Thus, in some embodiments, the novel electrical connector includes a housing, an electrical connection body, and a latching member. The outer casing has two opposite sides, and a first stopping portion, a detaching preventing portion and a second stopping portion protruding from the side surface are disposed on each side surface. The electrical connection body is disposed in the accommodating space. The locking member includes two elastic arms respectively pivotally connected to the sides, and a fastening arm connected to the elastic arms, the locking member being movable along an axis of the unlocking position relative to the housing Rotating between the locking positions, the anti-disengagement portion on each side is located on the pivoting path, so that the elastic arm corresponding to each side can be elastically elastically passed over the anti-disengagement portion at the first stopping portion and the Pivoting between the second stopping portions, and when the locking member is in the unlocking position, each elastic arm is located between the first stopping portion and the anti-disengagement portion on each side, and when the locking member is In the locked position, each of the resilient arms is located between the detachment preventing portion and the second stopping portion on each side.

In some embodiments, when the locking member is in the unlocked position, the elastic arm abuts the first stopping portion and the detachment preventing portion, and when the locking member is located at the locking position, the elastic arm The anti-disengagement portion and the second blocking portion are in contact with each other.

In some embodiments, the first blocking portion and the second blocking portion are protruded from the anti-disengagement portions such that the elastic arms are respectively unable to be elastically passed over the first blocking portions. And the second stop.

In some embodiments, the first blocking portions, the anti-disengagement portions, and the second blocking portions are integrally protruded from the corresponding side surfaces.

In some embodiments, the housing further has two shaft portions protruding from the sides, each of the shaft portions is provided with a groove, and the elastic arms each have a curved portion formed at the free end, The curved portions of the elastic arms are respectively received in at least a portion of the corresponding grooves and are rotatable about the shaft portions such that the respective elastic arms are constrained in a direction away from the corresponding side.

In some embodiments, the curved portion of each elastic arm is C-shaped, and the outer casing further has two limiting portions respectively protruding from the opposite sides and respectively adjacent to the axial rod portions, and the elastic arms are The curved portion is located between the corresponding limiting portion and the shaft portion to block the curved portions by the limiting portions.

In some implementations, the housing defines an accommodating space, and the electrical connector further includes an electrical connection body disposed in the accommodating space.

In some embodiments, the outer casing is made of metal.

In some embodiments, the outer casing is made of plastic.

In some embodiments, the outer casing is formed by a first casing and a second casing.

The present invention has at least the following effects: when the electrical connector is connected to the docking connector, the locking component of the electrical connector can be rotated to the locking position, so that the fastening arm of the locking component is bolted to the docking connector to prevent electricity. The connector is detached from the docking connector; in addition, in the locking position, the elastic arm of the locking member is located between the second stopping portion and the detachment preventing portion, and the design of the detachment preventing portion prevents accidental contact or vibration to the locking buckle The member causes the buckle arm to be disengaged from the mating connector, and in the unlocked position, the resilient arm of the locking member is located between the first stopping portion and the detachment preventing portion, so that the locking member is fixed at the unlocking position, thereby the fastening arm The mating connector is not touched, making it easy to separate the electrical connector from the docking connector.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an embodiment of the electrical connector 100 of the present invention is adapted to electrically connect the pair of connectors 8 in a pairing direction D1. The docking connector 8 is disposed on a circuit board 9 and includes a shell member 81 and a plurality of terminals 82 disposed on the shell member 81. The case member 81 has a plug portion 811 for abutting the electrical connector 100, and a rear frame portion 812 facing away from the plug portion 811. Each terminal 82 has a tail portion 821 that is exposed to the rear frame portion 812 and soldered to the circuit board 9. In this embodiment, the docking connector 8 is illustrated by a board end connector, but is not limited thereto.

The electrical connector 100 includes a housing 1, an electrical connection body 2, and a locking member 3. In the present embodiment, the electrical connector 100 is exemplified by a wire end connector, but may be a plate end connector or other kind of connector, and is not limited to this embodiment. The housing 1 defines an accommodating space 11 and an opening 12 communicating with the accommodating space 11. The material of the outer casing 1 may be metal or plastic, and has a top surface 13 and two side surfaces 14 extending downward from opposite sides of the top surface 13. The outer casing 1 is provided with a shaft portion 15 protruding from the side surface 14 and integrally formed with the outer casing 1 , a limiting portion 16 , a first stopping portion 17 , a separation preventing portion 18 , and a first portion The second stop portion 19. The shaft portion 15 is surrounded by a groove 151. The limiting portion 16 is adjacent to the shaft portion 15. The first blocking portion 17 , the detaching portion 18 and the second blocking portion 19 are closer to the opening 12 of the outer casing 1 than the limiting portion 16 , and the first blocking portion 17 is closer to the detaching portion 18 . The second stopping portion 19 is adjacent to the top surface 13 , and the second stopping portion 19 is away from the top surface 13 than the first stopping portion 17 and the separation preventing portion 18 . In this embodiment, the outer casing 1 is a two-piece type, which is formed by combining a first casing 1a and a second casing 1b, and the first casing 1a is shared with the second casing 1b. The accommodating space 11 is defined, and the opening 12 communicating with the accommodating space 11 is formed at an interface between the first housing 1a and the second housing 1b. The shaft portion 15, the limiting portion 16, the first stopping portion 17 and the separation preventing portion 18 are connected to the first casing 1a, and the second blocking portion 19 is connected to the second portion Housing 1b. However, in a variant embodiment, the outer casing 1 can also be one-piece, that is to say not divided into two housings. In addition, in another embodiment, the shaft portion 15, the limiting portion 16, the first stopping portion 17, and the separation preventing portions 18 are not disposed in the first housing. The second stop portion 19 is not limited to be disposed in the second housing 1b.

The electrical connection body 2 is disposed in the accommodating space 11 and has an abutting portion 21 extending from the opening 12 of the outer casing 1.

The locking member 3 is made of metal and includes two elastic arms 31 and a fastening arm 32 connected to the elastic arms 31. The elastic arms 31 are each connected to the fastening arm 32 at one end, and each of the elastic arms 31 has a curved portion 311 formed at a free end. In this embodiment, each of the curved portions 311 has a C shape, so that the curved portion 311 has a notch so as to be easily sleeved on the corresponding shaft portion 15 and stuck in the groove 151, so that the curved portions 311 can It is quickly and conveniently mounted on or detached from the shaft portions 15 and the new locking member 3 is easily replaced when the locking member 3 is damaged or deformed. The curved portions 311 are respectively received in the grooves 151 of the equal shaft portions 15 and are respectively rotatable about the equal shaft portions 15 and are axially and away from the corresponding side portions 14 by the shaft portions. End limit of 15. In this embodiment, since the curved portion 311 is C-shaped and does not occupy the groove 151, it is only accommodated in a portion of the groove 151. In a modified embodiment, each curved portion 311 may also be closed. The shape is placed within the entire range of the groove 151, and is not limited to this embodiment. The limiting portion 16 is configured to limit the bending portions 311 together with the shaft portions 15 so that the bending portions 311 are blocked in the direction parallel to the side surfaces 14 to avoid the locking member 3 During the pivoting process or when the electrical connector 100 is subjected to vibration, the locking member 3 is mis-touched, causing the curved portions 311 to be disengaged from the shaft portions 15.

The fastening arm 32 has two first extending arm portions 321 respectively connected to the elastic arms 31 , and a second extending arm portion 322 connected to the first extending arm portions 321 . In this embodiment, each of the first extending arm portions 321 extends in a curved manner from one end of the corresponding elastic arm 31 for a short period, and then extends to the second extending portion in a direction perpendicular to the elastic arm 31. Arm 322. The second extension arm portion 322 is warped in a direction away from the elastic arm 31 portions.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the locking member 3 is rotatable relative to the outer casing 1 along a pivoting path between an unlocked position as shown in FIG. 3 and a locked position as shown in FIG. The pivoting path is a path in which the locking member 3 pivots about the shaft portion 15 , and the separation preventing portion 18 on each side surface 14 is located on the pivoting path so as to correspond to each side surface 14 . The resilient arm 31 is resiliently resiliently pivoted between the first stop 17 and the second stop 19 over the detachment preventing portion 18.

Specifically, when the locking member 3 is in the unlocked position, the elastic arm 31 abuts against the first blocking portion 17 and the anti-disengagement portion 18 and extends obliquely forward to ensure that the fastening arm 32 is not in the electrical The mating portion 21 of the connecting body 2 (see FIG. 2) extends in the extending direction so that the electrical connector 100 can be docked to the plug portion 811 of the mating connector 8 along the mating direction D1. When the electrical connector 100 is docked to the docking connector 8, the latching arm 32 of the latching member 3 is at least not in contact with the rear frame portion 812 of the docking connector 8, and in the embodiment, the buckle The arm 32 is spaced apart from the mating connector 8 by a predetermined distance. Then, the locking member 3 is pivoted along the pivoting path toward the mating connector 8, so that the elastic arms 31 are pressed down and can be slightly elastic along the outer surface of the anti-disengagement portion 18. The deformation is made to pass over the separation preventing portions 18 and abut against the separation preventing portions 18 and the second blocking portions 19 to reach the locking position. Since the first blocking portion 17 and the second blocking portion 19 protrude from the anti-disengagement portions 18, the elastic arms 31 cannot be elastically elastically passed over the first blocking portions 17 and the like. The second stopper 19 is provided.

In the present embodiment, when the locking member 3 is in the locking position, the elastic arms 31 extend in a direction parallel to the mating direction D1, and the anti-disengagement portions 18 abut against the elastic arms 31. It is designed such that the elastic arms 31 cannot easily elastically pass over the anti-disengagement portions 18 to avoid accidental contact or vibration to the locking member 3, thereby causing the fastening arms 32 to be disengaged from the mating connector 8. The first extending arm portion 321 of the fastening arm 32 is sleeved on the rear frame portion 812 of the mating connector 8 so that the electrical connector 100 and the mating connector 8 are relatively fixed in the docking direction D1. Thereby the stability of the connection between the electrical connector 100 and the mating connector 8 is ensured. The purpose of the second extending arm portion 322 being warped away from the elastic arm 31 is to facilitate the user to pull the locking member 3 to rotate along the pivoting path, and the docking connector 8 can be The terminals 82 exposed by the rear frame portion 812 are spaced apart to avoid short-circuiting the mating connector 8. In other embodiments, the second extending arm portion 322 can also be designed to be perpendicular to the extending direction of the elastic arms 31 or to other bending directions, as long as the short circuit of the mating connector 8 can be avoided.

In summary, when the electrical connector 100 of the present invention is connected to the docking connector 8, the locking component 3 of the electrical connector 100 can be rotated to the locking position, so that the fastening arm 32 of the locking component 3 is bolted to The mating connector 8 prevents the electrical connector 100 from being detached from the mating connector 8; in addition, in the locked position, the resilient arm 31 of the latching member 3 is located between the second blocking portion 19 and the detachment preventing portion 18 by The anti-disengagement portion 18 is designed to prevent accidental contact or vibration to the locking member 3, so that the fastening arm 32 is disengaged from the mating connector 8, and in the unlocked position, the elastic arm 31 of the locking member 3 is located at the first blocking portion 17 and Between the disengagement portions 18, the fastening arms 32 are fixed at intervals from the mating connector 8, and the electrical connector 100 can be easily docked or separated from the mating connector 8, so that the object of the present invention can be achieved.

However, the above is only the embodiment of the present invention, and when it is not possible to limit the scope of the present invention, all the simple equivalent changes and modifications according to the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification are still This new patent covers the scope.

100‧‧‧Electrical connector  1‧‧‧Shell  11‧‧‧ accommodating space  12‧‧‧ openings  13‧‧‧ top surface  14‧‧‧ side  15‧‧‧ shaft part  151‧‧‧ trench  16‧‧‧Limited  17‧‧‧First stop  18‧‧‧Anti-disengagement department  19‧‧‧second stop  2‧‧‧Electrical connection body  21‧‧‧Docking Department  3‧‧‧Locks  31‧‧‧Flexible arm  311‧‧‧Bend  32‧‧‧ buckle arm  321‧‧‧First extension arm  322‧‧‧Second extension arm  8‧‧‧Docking connector  81‧‧‧Shell  811‧‧‧Plug  812‧‧‧ Back frame  82‧‧‧terminal  821‧‧‧ tail  9‧‧‧Circuit board  D1‧‧‧ docking direction

Other features and effects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the drawings, in which:  1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention in which an electrical connector is coupled to a pair of connectors;  Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment;  Figure 3 is a side view showing a locking member of the embodiment in an unlocked position;  Figure 4 is a side view showing the locking member in a locked position;  Figure 5 is a top plan view showing the two first extending arms of the locking member being bolted to the rear frame portion of the mating connector when the locking member is in the locking position.  

Claims (10)

An electrical connector comprising:  a casing having two opposite sides, and a first stop portion, a separation preventing portion and a second stopping portion protruding from the side surface are provided on each side surface;  a locking member comprising two elastic arms respectively pivotally connected to the sides, and a fastening arm connected to the elastic arms, the locking member being movable in an unlocked position relative to the outer casing along a pivoting path Rotating between a locking position, the anti-disengagement portion on each side is located on the pivoting path, so that the elastic arm corresponding to each side can be elastically elastically passed over the anti-disengagement portion at the first stopping portion The second blocking portion pivots between the first blocking portion and the anti-disengagement portion on each side when the locking member is in the unlocking position, and when the locking member is When the piece is in the locking position, each of the elastic arms is located between the separation preventing portion and the second stopping portion on each side.   The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein when the locking member is in the unlocked position, the resilient arm abuts the first stopping portion and the detachment preventing portion, and when the locking member is located at the locking member In the solid position, the elastic arm abuts against the separation preventing portion and the second stopping portion. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the first blocking portion and the second blocking portion protrude from the anti-disengagement portions such that the elastic arms are respectively unable to be elastically passed over the elastic connector. Waiting for the first stop and the second stop. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the first blocking portion, the anti-disengagement portion and the second blocking portion are integrally protruded from the corresponding side surface. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the outer casing further has two shaft portions respectively protruding from the sides, each of the shaft portions is provided with a groove, and each of the elastic arms has a The curved portions of the free ends are respectively received by at least a portion of the corresponding grooves and are rotatable about the shaft portions such that the respective elastic arms are constrained in a direction away from the corresponding side. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein each of the elastic arms has a C-shaped bent portion, and the outer casing further has two limiting portions respectively protruding from the lateral sides and adjacent to the respective axial portions The curved portion of the elastic arms is located between the corresponding limiting portion and the shaft portion to block the curved portions by the limiting portions. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the outer casing is made of metal. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the outer casing is made of plastic. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the outer casing is formed by a first casing and a second casing. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the housing defines an accommodating space, and the electrical connector further includes an electrical connection body disposed in the accommodating space.