CN110911877A

CN110911877A - Electric connector

Info

Publication number: CN110911877A
Application number: CN201911326373.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许永丰; 廖胜华
Original assignee: Yongxun Electronic Technology Shanghai Co ltd
Current assignee: Yongxun Electronic Technology Shanghai Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2019-12-20
Publication date: 2020-03-24

Abstract

The present invention provides an electrical connector comprising: an insulating housing having a terminal cavity therein; the conductive terminals are arranged in the terminal cavities; a retainer having a locking member for locking the conductive terminal in the terminal chamber, the retainer being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulating housing and foldable and expandable relative to the insulating housing; when the retainer is at the first position, the retainer is folded relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is clamped with the conductive terminal to lock the conductive terminal; when the retainer is at the second position, the retainer is unfolded relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is separated from the conductive terminal to release the locking. The retainer is integrated on the electric connector, so that the manufacturing process is simplified, and the electric connector with the structure is convenient to use.

Description

Electric connector

Technical Field

The invention relates to an electric heating mechanical device, in particular to an electric connector.

Background

The connector is an electro-thermal mechanical device that allows for a detachable connection to transmit electrical power and electrical signals. Signals or electrical power are transmitted through the metal conductors, while a plastic housing is used for the connector to isolate the metal conductors from each other. The plastic housing also serves to align the conductors and ensure that the conductors are securely locked to the female housing. The electric connector is used for electric connection among different electronic products so as to transmit signals among the electronic products.

The inside electrically conductive female terminal that is equipped with of female connector needs to be fixed electrically conductive female terminal. In the conventional female connector, the conductive terminal is fixed inside the female housing by an extra retainer, and in actual production, the retainer is required to be processed as a part in addition to the conductive female terminal and the female housing, the conductive terminal and the retainer are assembled. The assembly is to assemble the retainer to the female housing prelock. After the conductive female terminal is assembled in the female shell, the conductive female terminal enters the terminal cavity, and the elastic sheet of the clamping arm abuts against and is held in the positioning groove of the female shell to form a first-stage lock. The retainer is then assembled to the female housing full lock. The retainer will then lock against the conductive female terminal.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an electric connector which is convenient to process and use so as to reduce the process and production cost.

An embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrical connector, including: an insulating housing having a terminal cavity therein; the conductive terminals are arranged in the terminal cavities; a retainer having a locking member for locking the conductive terminal in the terminal chamber, the retainer being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulating housing and foldable and expandable relative to the insulating housing; when the retainer is at the first position, the retainer is folded relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is clamped with the conductive terminal to lock the conductive terminal; when the retainer is at the second position, the retainer is unfolded relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is separated from the conductive terminal to release the locking.

By adopting the technical scheme, the retainer is integrated on the electric connector, the manufacturing process is simplified, and meanwhile, the electric connector with the structure is convenient to use.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the retainer is in an unfolded state relative to the insulating housing in an original state, and an angle of the retainer in the unfolded state relative to the insulating housing is greater than 90 degrees in the original state.

By adopting the technical scheme, the premature locking of the electric connector when not in use can be avoided.

According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrical connector, wherein the holder further includes a cover plate having a first inner surface and a second outer surface opposite to each other in a thickness direction thereof, the second outer surface being farther from the insulative housing relative to the first inner surface in the first position, wherein an end of the second outer surface, which is engaged with the insulative housing, is provided with a recess recessed toward the first inner surface.

Adopt above-mentioned technical scheme, can let the retainer carry out the tie easily and roll over.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the thickness of the joint of the retainer and the insulating shell is less than 0.5 mm.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the locking member is a protrusion, and the conductive terminal has a concave opening engaged with the protrusion.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, in which an insulative housing has a recess for a bump to be inserted therein, the recess being in communication with a conductive terminal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the retainer further comprises a cover plate, the recess has an outer notch located on an outer surface of the insulative housing, and the retainer defines a direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer as a first direction in which an outer edge of the cover plate exceeds the outer notch when the retainer is in the first position.

According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the groove has an inner notch located on an inner surface of the insulating housing, and defines a second direction from an outer surface where the insulating housing is connected to the retainer to an opposite inner surface, and when the retainer is in the first position, the protrusion has a tail end away from the cover plate in the second direction, and the tail end passes through the inner notch in the second direction, wherein an outer edge of the tail end exceeds the inner notch in the first direction.

According to another specific embodiment of the invention, the embodiment of the invention discloses an electrical connector, between the outer notch and the inner notch, the groove is provided with a first groove wall and a second groove wall which are oppositely arranged along a first direction, the first groove wall is farther away from the joint of the cover plate and the insulating shell relative to the second groove wall along the first direction, the lug further comprises a middle part positioned between the cover plate and the tail end, wherein the first groove wall is gradually close to the second groove wall along a second direction, and the middle part is attached to the surface of the first groove wall.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein when the retainer is at the first position, the direction from the fixed end to the free end of the retainer is defined as a first direction, and the direction from the outer surface of the insulating housing where the retainer is connected to the opposite inner surface is defined as a second direction, wherein,

at least one of two opposite ends of the retainer along the third direction is provided with a side latch, at least one of two opposite ends of the insulating shell along the third direction is provided with a side buckle matched with the side latch, when the retainer is positioned at the first position, the side latch is clamped and locked with the matched side buckle, and an included angle is formed between the third direction and the first direction as well as the second direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the free end of the retainer and the outer edge of the retainer are provided with a chamfer that can be inserted into a housing of another connector that mates with the electrical connector.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer when the retainer is in the first position, the terminal cavity extends along the first direction and is blocked at one end to limit the conductive terminal from moving in the first direction, and the locking member is used for limiting the conductive terminal from moving in a direction opposite to the first direction.

According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrical connector, wherein the first direction is located in a horizontal direction, a direction from an outer surface where an insulating housing is connected to a retainer to an inner surface opposite to the outer surface is a second direction, the second direction is located in a vertical direction, the third direction is located in the horizontal direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and two opposite sides of the insulating housing along the third direction are provided with an ear clip.

According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrical connector, when the holder is at the first position, a direction from a fixed end to a free end of the holder to the holder is defined as a first direction, and a direction from an outer surface of the insulating housing where the insulating housing is connected to the holder to an opposite inner surface is defined as a second direction, wherein a plurality of conductive terminals are arranged along a third direction, and the third direction forms an included angle with the first direction and the second direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the conductive terminal further includes a retaining arm spring, and the insulating housing is provided with a positioning groove for the retaining arm spring to be inserted into, so as to lock the conductive terminal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the positioning groove has a first positioning groove wall for abutting against the elastic sheet of the holding arm, a second positioning groove wall opposite to the first positioning groove wall, and a positioning groove opening facing the conductive terminal, wherein at least one section of the first positioning groove wall gradually increases in distance from the positioning groove opening to the inside of the positioning groove and the second positioning groove wall.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein a first wall of the positioning groove gradually increases in distance from a wall of the second positioning groove along a direction from the opening of the positioning groove toward the inside of the positioning groove from the opening of the positioning groove.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in an unfolded state;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in an unfolded state after a part of the electrical connector is cut away;

FIG. 3 is a first schematic view of the electrical connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention in a folded state;

FIG. 4 is a second schematic structural view of the electrical connector of the present invention in a folded state;

FIG. 5 is a third schematic structural view of the side-latch electrical connector of the present invention in a folded state with portions broken away;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an electrical connector according to another aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in an expanded state;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a folded state with portions of the connector broken away;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a folded state;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a conductive terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural view showing a state where the female connector and the male connector are separated according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural view showing a state where the female connector and the male connector are connected according to the embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 13 is a schematic sectional view showing a state where the female connector and the male connector are connected according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided for illustrative purposes, and other advantages and effects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it is not intended that features of the invention be limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is described in connection with the embodiments for the purpose of covering alternatives or modifications that may be extended based on the claims of the present invention. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The invention may be practiced without these particulars. Moreover, some of the specific details have been left out of the description in order to avoid obscuring or obscuring the focus of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

It should be noted that in this specification, like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following drawings, and thus, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

In the description of the present embodiment, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inside", "outside", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings or orientations or positional relationships that the products of the present invention are usually placed in when used, and are only used for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the device or the element to which the reference is made must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and be operated, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

The terms "first," "second," and the like are used solely to distinguish one from another and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1 to 9, the present invention provides an electrical connector, which includes an insulative housing 1 having a terminal chamber 11 therein; the conductive terminals 2 are installed in the terminal chambers 11, and spaces for placing the conductive terminals 2 are formed in the terminal chambers 11, such as channels in the terminal chambers 11 in fig. 8; a holder 3 having a locking piece 31 for locking the conductive terminal 2 in the terminal cavity 11, the holder 3 being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulating housing 1 and foldable and unfoldable with respect to the insulating housing 1; when the retainer 3 is at the first position, the retainer is folded relative to the insulating housing 1, and the locking piece 31 is clamped with the conductive terminal 2 to lock the conductive terminal 2; when the holder 3 is at the second position, it is unfolded relative to the insulating housing 1, and the locking member 31 is separated from the conductive terminal 2 to release the locking. Wherein unlocking means unlocking between the locking member 31 and the conductive terminal 2. Since the retainer 3 is integrally formed with the outer surface of the insulating housing 1, the joint of the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 is a fixed end of the retainer 3, and the other end of the retainer 3 can rotate relative to the fixed end to drive the retainer 3 to turn over, and the other end is a free end of the retainer 3.

Fig. 1 and 2 are explanatory views of the holder 3 being unfolded with respect to the insulating housing 1, and fig. 3 and 4 are explanatory views of the holder 3 being folded with respect to the insulating housing 1. The first position is not limited to the state in which the holder is completely folded flat into the insulative housing 1 in fig. 3 and 4, and represents the state of the first position as long as the locking member 31 can be snap-locked with the conductive terminals 2 by folding the holder 3. Also, the second position is not limited to the angle of the holder 3 with respect to the insulating housing 1 in fig. 1 and 2, and the state of the second position can be represented as long as the locking member 31 and the conductive terminal 2 are unlocked by the holder 3 being unfolded with respect to the insulating housing 1. Thus, the first position and the second position represent a two-state case and are not limited to the presence of only two positions.

As shown in fig. 7, the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 are integrally formed, for example, by injection molding with molten resin in a mold prepared in advance. The material of the insulating housing and the holder is, for example, insulating plastic.

The prior art holders with locking function, in particular the holder locking the conductive terminals as shown in fig. 10, are generally produced separately from the insulating housing. And after the respective manufacture is finished, assembling the retainer and the insulating shell. Such a retainer separate from the insulative housing is susceptible to loss during use, while also adding to the complexity of the electrical connector structure and manufacturing process. According to the electric connector, the retainer and the insulating shell are integrally formed, namely the retainer is integrated on the insulating shell, the conductive terminals in the insulating shell can be locked and unlocked only by folding and unfolding the retainer and the insulating shell, the manufacturing process is simple, firm locking can be realized, and the use convenience is improved.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, the electrical connector of the present invention is formed by injection molding, in the initial state of the molding, the holder 3 and the insulative housing 1 are unfolded, and the original shape is that the angle α between the holder 3 and the insulative housing 1 is greater than 90 degrees, and the original electrical connector, the holder and the housing are separated and combined to keep a certain distance between the holder and the conductive terminals inside the housing to prevent the holder from locking the conductive terminals, but the assembled electrical connector is easy to clamp the holder and the insulative housing under the action of external force, resulting in premature locking.

Further, the holder 3 further includes a cover plate 32, and the cover plate 32 covers the surface of the insulating housing 1 when folded. The cover plate 32 itself has a thickness, with first and second opposing

inner surfaces

321, 322 along the thickness of the cover plate 32. In the first position, the cover plate 32 covers the insulating housing 1, and the second outer surface 322 is farther from the insulating housing 1 relative to the first inner surface 321. In other words, when the cover plate 32 is folded flat to completely cover the outer surface of the insulating housing 1, the first inner surface 321 is facing the insulating housing, and the second outer surface 322 is facing away from the insulating housing. Referring to fig. 7, in the present embodiment, the end of the second outer surface 322 that engages the insulating housing is provided with a recess 30 (shown demarcated by a dashed circle in fig. 7) that is recessed toward the first inner surface. The position of the joint is the intersection of the holder 3 and the insulating housing 1, and the joint functions like a rotation axis when the holder 3 is folded and unfolded. The concave portion 30 may be, for example, a small block cut from the second outer surface 322 to form a concave pit, or a notch cut from a portion of the second outer surface 322. In the present embodiment, forming the concave portion 30 can facilitate the flat folding of the retainer 3 toward the outer surface of the insulating housing 1.

In the above embodiment, the insulating housing 1 and the retainer 3 may be made of plastic, and have a certain rigidity as an electrical connector, and in order to allow the retainer 3 to be easily bent and rotated, the thickness of the joint between the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 may be smaller than 0.5mm, and further smaller than 0.35 mm. The thickness can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the cover surface 32 itself, or by adjusting the depth of the recess 30 to be joined at the same time. Advantageously, the thickness of the junction of the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 is greater than 0.1mm to ensure the strength of the junction between the retainer and the insulating housing.

With continued reference to fig. 1-10, in the above embodiments, the locking member 31 is a bump, and accordingly, the conductive terminal 2 is provided with a concave opening 21 for engaging with the bump. For example, the holder 3 of the present embodiment further includes the above-described cover plate 32, and the cover plate 32 has a first inner surface 321 and a second outer surface 322 opposed in its thickness direction. Wherein the protrusion is located at the side of the first inner surface 321. The protrusion may be disposed on the first inner surface 321, or may be a protrusion extending from the second outer surface 322 to the first inner surface 321 and along the thickness direction of the cover plate 32. In this embodiment, the protrusion and the first inner surface 321 may be integrally formed. When actually fitting, the protrusion on the holder 3 is embedded into the insulating housing 1, the concave opening 21 of the corresponding conductive terminal 2 is opposite to the embedded protrusion, and the protrusion is engaged with the concave opening 21 to lock the conductive terminal. In another embodiment, the conductive terminal may be provided with a protrusion structure, the locking member may be provided with an open recess, and when the holder is folded, the protrusion structure on the conductive terminal is inserted into the recess on the holder to achieve locking.

Furthermore, a groove 12 for embedding the bump is arranged on the insulating housing 1, and the groove 12 is communicated with the conductive terminal 2, so that the bump can pass through the groove 12 to reach the conductive terminal 2 to be clamped with the concave opening 21 of the conductive terminal 2.

For convenience of description, referring to fig. 1 to 10, the direction in which the holder 3 is located from the fixed end to the free end of the holder 3 when the holder 3 is in the first position is defined as a first direction. The fixed end is the joint of the retainer 3 and the insulating shell 1, and the free end is the end where the retainer 3 can rotate around the fixed end, namely the end opposite to the joint of the retainer 3 and the insulating shell 1; the first direction defines that the direction from the outer surface where the insulating shell 1 is connected with the retainer 3 to the opposite inner surface is a second direction; the third direction is defined to form an included angle with the first direction and the second direction. The first direction, the second direction and the third direction may form a right angle with each other, and may also be non-right angles in other embodiments. For example, when the retainer is not completely folded flat but slightly tilted with respect to the insulative housing, the defined first direction is not a horizontal direction. For example, the direction from the outer surface to the opposite inner surface of the insulating case may be a diagonal direction forming an acute angle with the horizontal plane, in addition to a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In the following embodiments, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction may form a right angle, the first direction and the third direction are taken as examples of horizontal directions, for example, the first direction is an x direction in fig. 4, 5, 8 and 9, and the third direction is a z direction in fig. 4, 5 and 8. The second direction is exemplified by a vertical direction, for example, a y direction in fig. 8 and 9, but the present invention is not limited to the direction in the following drawings.

With continued reference to fig. 1-9, in the various embodiments described above, the retainer 3 includes a cover plate 32. The groove 12 has an outer notch on the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. Taking fig. 3 as an example, the groove 12 is a through hole from the outer surface to the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, and the opening above the groove 12 is an outer notch. The groove 12 also has an inner notch on the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, i.e. the opening below the groove 12 is an inner notch.

When the holder is in the first position, the outer edge of the cover plate 32 extends beyond the outer notch in the first direction. Specifically, as described above, the cover plate 32 has the first inner surface 321 and the second outer surface 322 opposed in the thickness direction thereof, and in the first position, the second outer surface 322 is farther from the insulating housing 1 in the second direction than the first inner surface 321, and the outer edge of the first inner surface 321 exceeds the outer notch in the first direction. The above arrangement allows the outer edge of the cover plate 32 to function as a stopper to block the cover plate 32 from further moving in the second direction so that the locking member is fitted into the groove 12, and the cover plate 32 is covered on the outer surface of the insulating housing 1 without being sunk into the inside of the insulating housing 1.

Further, when the retainer 3 is in the first position, the tab has a trailing end that is distal from the cover plate 32 in the second direction. For convenience of understanding, the tail end is, for example, a tail end a defined by a dashed box in fig. 8, but is not limited thereto. The tail end passes through the inner notch along the second direction and reaches the conductive terminal, and the tail end is clamped with the concave opening 21 in the embodiment. Wherein, along the first direction, the outer edge of the tail end exceeds the inner notch. Similarly, the tail end of the embodiment exceeding the inner notch along the first direction also plays a role of a stop part to stop the lug from further moving along the direction opposite to the second direction, so that the lug can be stably clamped with the conductive terminal, and a proper retaining force is provided for the conductive terminal.

Further, the groove 12 has a first groove wall and a second groove wall disposed opposite to each other in a first direction between the outer notch and the inner notch, the groove 12 in the present embodiment is a rectangular groove having four side walls, wherein two side walls opposite to each other in the first direction are the first groove wall and the second groove wall, the first groove wall is a side wall farther from the junction of the cover plate 32 and the insulating housing 1 in the first direction with respect to the second groove wall, it is also understood that the first groove wall is a side wall farther from the fixed end of the retainer 3 with respect to the second groove, the projection further includes an intermediate portion between the cover plate 32 and the tail end, and the first groove wall is gradually closer to the second groove wall in the second direction, for example, referring to FIG. 9, the first groove wall forms an angle β with the first direction, the angle β being smaller than 90 degrees, so that the locking element gradually narrows from the outer notch to the opening of the inner notch.

Furthermore, the middle part is attached to the surface where the first groove wall is located, namely the extension trend and the trend of the surface where the middle part is attached to the first groove wall are the same as those of the surface where the first groove wall is located.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, in combination with the above embodiments, an inner recess is formed between the cover plate 32 and the tail end of the protrusion, and the cover plate is engaged with the first groove wall and the portion surrounded by the outer surface and the inner surface of the insulating housing 1 by fitting into the groove 12, thereby clamping the insulating housing 1.

As shown in fig. 8 and fig. 9, in combination with the above embodiments, in the first position, the tail end of the bump forms an included angle with the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, the included angle is an acute angle, that is, the tail end is not attached to the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, which not only ensures that the bump is not easy to be removed from the groove 12, but also can be conveniently operated when the bump needs to be removed from the groove 12.

In the above embodiments, the holder 3 has opposite ends in the third direction, one of which is provided with the side latch 33. The insulating housing 1 has two opposite ends along the third direction, one end of the insulating housing 1 is provided with a side buckle 13 matched with the side latch 33, when the retainer 3 is folded to be in the first position, the side latch 33 on the retainer 3 is matched with the side buckle 13 on the insulating housing 1 and clamped and locked, so that a more reliable connection is provided between the retainer 3 and the insulating housing, the locking piece 31 is prevented from being easily separated from the conductive terminal, and a more proper holding force is provided for the conductive terminal. When the keeper is in the second position, the side latch 33 is disengaged from the side clasp 13. Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of the side latch 33 engaging with the side catch 13, wherein the side latch 33 is partially cut away. In addition, it is also possible to provide the retainer 3 with side latches 33 at both ends in the third direction, and correspondingly provide the insulating housing 1 with corresponding side buckles 13 at both ends in the third direction.

In the above embodiments, as shown in fig. 13, the retainer 3 has opposite ends, i.e., a fixed end and a free end, in the first direction, wherein the fixed end is the end where the retainer 3 is joined to the insulating housing 1, and the outer edge of the free end of the other end is provided with a chamfer. Specifically, the cover plate 32 has a fixed end and a free end, the joint of the cover plate 32 and the insulating housing 1 is the fixed end, and the freely rotatable end is the free end. The free end of the cover plate 32 is chamfered to mate with another connected housing that mates with the electrical connector. For example, the electrical connector of the present invention is a female connector 01, and fig. 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of the female connector 01 and the male connector 02 of the present embodiment before and after connection, respectively. The female connector 01 can be easily connected with the male connector 02 through the arrangement of the chamfer.

In the above embodiments, the terminal cavity 11 of the present invention extends along the first direction, and one end thereof is sealed, for example, in fig. 8, the left end of the terminal cavity 11 is sealed, and the conductive terminal 2 is installed in the terminal cavity 11 from right to left and is abutted against the left end of the terminal cavity 11 when being assembled, so that the movement of the conductive terminal towards the first direction is limited. In use, the holder 3 is folded to the first position, and the locking member 31 is engaged with the conductive terminal 2 to limit the conductive terminal 2 from moving in the direction opposite to the first direction, which is shown in fig. 8, i.e. to limit the conductive terminal from moving to the right. This locks the conductive terminal 2 inside the terminal cavity 11 by the restriction in both left and right directions.

In the above embodiments, the conductive terminal 2 may be plural, the locking member 31 on the holder 3 is plural, and the recess 12 is plural. In the present embodiment, the conductive terminals 2 are arranged in the third direction, and accordingly, the plurality of locking members 31 are arranged in the third direction, and the holder 3 extends in the third direction. In this embodiment, each recess corresponds to one locking member 31, and each locking member 31 corresponds to one conductive terminal 2.

Referring to fig. 1-10, in the above embodiments, the conductive terminal 2 further includes a retaining arm elastic sheet 22, and the insulating housing 1 is provided with a positioning groove 14 for the retaining arm elastic sheet 22 to be inserted into, so as to lock the conductive terminal 2. Besides the locking of the locking piece 31 and the conductive terminal 2, the conductive terminal 2 itself can be provided with a retaining arm elastic sheet 22 to realize the two-stage locking of the conductive terminal 2. In this embodiment, the positioning slot 14 may be located on the other surface opposite to the surface where the groove 12 is located, and when the conductive terminal 2 is installed in the terminal cavity 11, the retaining arm elastic sheet 22 is embedded into the positioning slot 14 under the action of the elastic force, so as to complete the first-stage locking. Then, the retainer 3 is folded, and the locking member 31 is engaged with the conductive terminal 2, thereby completing the second-stage locking. In this embodiment, the direction of the limit of the conductive terminal by the retaining arm elastic sheet 22 and the locking member 31 is the same. The positioning slot 14 may be a through-hole slot with both ends open, or may be an open end close to the retaining arm spring 22 and the other end sealed. The two-stage locking enhances the fixation of the conductive terminal 2, which in this embodiment needs to be able to withstand a pulling force of more than 60 n to ensure the reliability of the locking.

Further, the positioning slot 14 has a first positioning slot wall 141 for abutting against the retaining arm spring 22, a second positioning slot wall 142 opposite to the first positioning slot wall, and a positioning slot opening 143 facing the conductive terminal 2. Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the positioning slot 14 has a first positioning slot wall 141 and a second positioning slot wall 142 opposite to each other along the first direction, wherein the first positioning slot wall 141 is used for abutting against the end of the catching arm spring 22. The positioning slot 14 has a positioning slot opening 143 at an end closer to the arm spring 22 along the second direction for inserting the arm spring 22. At least one section of the first groove wall 141 is gradually spaced from the second groove wall 142 in a direction from the notch opening 143 toward the inside of the notch. In this embodiment, at least one section of the first positioning groove wall 141 along the second direction has a gradually increasing distance from the second positioning groove wall 142 along the first direction. That is, at least one section of ramp is formed on the first positioning groove wall 141, and the retaining arm elastic sheet 22 abuts against the ramp, compared with the vertical groove wall, the ramp can increase the reliability of the retaining arm elastic sheet 22 abutting against the first positioning groove wall 141, and provide higher holding force for locking the conductive terminal 2.

Further, the ramp is formed such that, from the position of the detent opening 143, a distance between the first detent wall 141 and the second detent wall 142 increases gradually along the direction of the detent opening toward the inside of the detent 14. In this embodiment, a portion of the first detent wall 141 slopes from the detent opening 143, and the distance between the slope and the second detent wall 142 in the first direction increases gradually along the second direction.

In the above embodiments, the first direction is in the horizontal direction, the second direction is in the vertical direction, the third direction is in the horizontal direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. Referring to fig. 11, the first direction is a width direction of the female connector 01, the third direction is a length direction of the female connector 01, and the insulative housing 1 and the holder 3 extend in the third direction. The second direction is a height direction of the female connector 01. The insulating housing 1 is provided with ear clips 15 at opposite sides in the third direction. When the female connector 01 and the male connector 02 are connected, the ear clip 15 is engaged with a corresponding recess of the male connector 02. The structure of female connector and public connector joint among the prior art can set up in the direction of height of female connector, and the female connector in this embodiment sets up the ear clip in length direction's both sides, compares in prior art can reduce the height of electric connector, and the electric connector of this embodiment of application can be convenient for install to some electronic systems to height-limited.

In the above embodiments, the electrical connector is, for example, a female connector, and the conductive terminal is, for example, a conductive female terminal. The female and male connectors are connected to form a connector system having one end for the male connector to be soldered to a PCB and the other end for the female connector to clamp the terminal to a cable. The signals are connected from the printed circuit board to another printed circuit board by a cable connection. The retainer and the insulating shell are unfolded when the electric connector is not used, and the conductive terminal is firmly locked by folding the retainer when the electric connector is used, so that the operation is simple and convenient.

The electric connector of the invention belongs to an electric heating mechanical device, and can be applied to the fields of automobiles and industrial application. Specifically, it can be used for BMS (battery management system) in new energy vehicles, lamps, electric bicycles, and the like.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is a more detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the specific embodiments thereof, and that no limitation of the invention is intended thereby. Various changes in form and detail, including simple deductions or substitutions, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

an insulating housing having a terminal cavity therein;

the conductive terminals are arranged in the terminal cavities;

a retainer having a locking member for locking said conductive terminal within said terminal cavity, said retainer being integrally formed with an outer surface of said insulative housing and being foldable and unfoldable relative to said insulative housing;

when the retainer is at the first position, the retainer is folded relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is clamped with the conductive terminal to lock the conductive terminal; when the retainer is at the second position, the retainer is unfolded relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is separated from the conductive terminal to unlock.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the retainer is in an expanded state relative to an original state of the insulative housing, and wherein an angle of expansion of the retainer relative to the insulative housing in the original state is greater than 90 degrees.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the retainer further comprises a cover plate having first and second inner surfaces facing away from each other along a thickness thereof, the second outer surface being further away from the insulative housing relative to the first inner surface in the first position, wherein an end of the second outer surface engaging the insulative housing is provided with a recess recessed toward the first inner surface.

4. The electrical connector of any of claims 1-3, wherein a thickness of a junction of the retainer and the insulative housing is less than 0.5 mm.

5. The electrical connector of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the locking member is a protrusion, and the conductive terminal has a female opening for engaging the protrusion.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein said insulative housing has a recess into which said projection is inserted, said recess communicating with said conductive terminal.

7. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein the retainer further comprises a cover plate, the recess having an outer notch located on an outer surface of the insulative housing, the retainer defining a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer when in the first position, an outer edge of the cover plate extending beyond the outer notch along the first direction.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the recess has an inner notch on an inner surface of the insulative housing defining a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing to an opposite inner surface, the retainer in the first position having a tail end distal from the cover plate in the second direction, the tail end passing through the inner notch in the second direction, wherein an outer edge of the tail end extends beyond the inner notch in the first direction.

9. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein between the outer notch and the inner notch, the groove has a first groove wall and a second groove wall oppositely disposed along the first direction, the first groove wall is further from a junction of the cover plate and the insulative housing relative to the second groove wall along the first direction, the protrusion further comprises an intermediate portion between the cover plate and the tail end, wherein along the second direction, the first groove wall is gradually closer to the second groove wall, and the intermediate portion is attached to a surface of the first groove wall.

10. The electrical connector of any of claims 1-3, wherein the retainer in the first position defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer and a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing to an opposing inner surface of the insulative housing, wherein,

at least one of two opposite ends of the retainer along a third direction is provided with a side latch, at least one of two opposite ends of the insulating shell along the third direction is provided with a side buckle matched with the side latch, when the retainer is located at the first position, the side latch is clamped and locked with the matched side buckle, and the third direction forms an included angle with the first direction and the second direction.

11. An electrical connector as in any of claims 1-3 wherein the outer edge of the free end of the retainer is provided with a chamfer that can be inserted into the housing of another connector that is mated with the electrical connector.

12. The electrical connector of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the retainer defines a first direction from the fixed end to the free end of the retainer when in the first position, the terminal chamber extending in the first direction and being closed at one end to limit movement of the conductive terminal in the first direction, and the locking member for limiting movement of the conductive terminal in a direction opposite the first direction.

13. The electrical connector of claim 12, wherein the first direction is horizontal, the direction from the outer surface of the housing to the inner surface of the housing is a second direction, the second direction is vertical, the third direction is horizontal, the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and the housing has ears along opposite sides of the third direction.

14. The electrical connector of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer when in the first position, and defines a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing coupled to the retainer to an opposing inner surface, and wherein the conductive terminals are in plurality and are arranged in a third direction that is angled with respect to the first direction and the second direction.

15. The electrical connector of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the conductive terminal further comprises a retaining arm spring, and the insulative housing defines a positioning slot for the retaining arm spring to engage therein for locking the conductive terminal.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the positioning groove has a first positioning groove wall for abutting against the resilient plate of the retaining arm, a second positioning groove wall opposite to the first positioning groove wall, and a positioning groove opening facing the conductive terminal, wherein at least one section of the first positioning groove wall is gradually increased in distance from the positioning groove opening toward the inside of the positioning groove and the second positioning groove wall.

17. The electrical connector of claim 16, wherein, starting from the location of the detent opening, a first detent wall is spaced a progressively greater distance from the second detent wall in a direction from the detent opening toward the interior of the detent.