CN218039886U - Cable connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a cable connector, which comprises a first connecting terminal, an elastic electric contact and a second connecting terminal, wherein the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal respectively comprise a cable connecting end and a plugging end, and the cable connecting ends of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are respectively used for being electrically connected with an aluminum alloy cable and a copper cable; the elastic electric contact is sleeved on the plugging end of the first connecting terminal and is respectively abutted against the surfaces of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal so as to electrically connect the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal and keep the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal in plugging. This application utilizes elastic electrical contact to form elastic load current-carrying bridge between two contact surfaces, reduces whole contact resistance, and the invariable elastic pressure that its provided makes the connection between the contact interface remain stable to the improvement guarantees the electric connection between copper cable and the aluminum alloy cable.

Description

Cable connector

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of connector technology, and more particularly, to a cable connector.

Background

The photovoltaic is a novel green power generation system which directly converts solar radiation energy into electric energy by utilizing the photovoltaic effect of a solar cell semiconductor material. In a photovoltaic power generation system, power transmission needs to be achieved by connecting components and devices such as a combiner box and an inverter with each other through cables, and a cable connector is an essential component for connecting photovoltaic cables with each other. Conventional photovoltaic cables are usually copper cables, so the current cable connectors are also developed for copper cable connection.

However, in the face of the continuous high-end operation of copper prices and the trend of new energy development, aluminum alloy cables have been developed in the industry for use as photovoltaic cables. However, the connection problem of the aluminum alloy cable, especially the connection problem with the copper cable, is not solved, and the conventional cable connector cannot be directly applied to the aluminum alloy cable, so that the related art has defects and needs to be improved and developed.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The application provides a cable connector, aims at guaranteeing the electric connection between aluminum alloy cable and the copper core cable to promote the reliability of corresponding electric connection.

In order to achieve the above object, the present application provides a cable connector, including a first connection terminal, an elastic electrical contact and a second connection terminal, where the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal each include a cable connection end and a plugging end, and the cable connection ends of the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal are respectively used for electrically connecting an aluminum alloy cable and a copper cable; the plug end of the first connecting terminal extends into the plug end of the second connecting terminal, and the elastic electric contact piece is sleeved on the plug end of the first connecting terminal and is respectively abutted against the surfaces of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal so as to electrically connect the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal and enable the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal to be kept in plug connection.

Wherein the resilient electrical contact is a drum spring or an O-ring spring.

The drum spring comprises a circular ring end part and a plurality of convex spring pieces connected with the circular ring end part, the circular ring end part is abutted with the outer surface of the first connecting terminal, and each convex spring piece is abutted with the inner surface of the second connecting terminal; or the drum spring comprises a circular ring end part and a plurality of concave spring pieces connected with the circular ring end part, the circular ring end part is abutted with the inner surface of the second connecting terminal, and each concave spring piece is abutted with the outer surface of the first connecting terminal.

The outer surface of the first connecting terminal or the inner surface of the second connecting terminal is provided with an annular groove, and the annular groove is used for installing the elastic electric contact piece.

The cross section of the annular groove in the radial direction of the plugging end of the first connecting terminal or the second connecting terminal is U-shaped or V-shaped.

Wherein the number of the elastic electric contact pieces is a plurality.

The outer surface of the first connecting terminal is provided with a protruding portion, and the cable connecting end and the plugging end of the first connecting terminal are distributed on two opposite sides of the protruding portion.

The second connecting terminal is made of copper or copper alloy, and the elastic electric contact piece is made of copper alloy.

The first connecting terminal comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer of the first connecting terminal is in contact with the aluminum alloy cable, and the material of the inner layer of the first connecting terminal comprises aluminum or aluminum alloy; the outer layer of the first connecting terminal is in contact with the elastic electric contact, and the material of the outer layer of the first connecting terminal comprises copper or a copper alloy.

The first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are both metal hollow tubes, and cable connecting ends of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are respectively used for being in compression joint with an aluminum alloy cable and a copper cable.

The beneficial effect of this application does: in the cable connector provided by the application, the elastic electric contact is respectively abutted against the surfaces of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal so as to electrically connect the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal, and a plurality of parallel contact points are established between two contact surfaces to form mutually independent elastic load current-carrying bridges, so that the overall contact resistance can be greatly reduced; the constant elastic pressure provided by the cable connector can ensure that the connection between contact interfaces is kept stable, has the advantages of stable contact pressure and low contact resistance, and can provide durable, stable and excellent conductive performance for the cable connector, namely, the electric connection between the aluminum alloy cable and the copper core cable is ensured, and the reliability of corresponding electric connection is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments according to the present application will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained from the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of another cable connector provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another cable connector provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a resilient electrical contact provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic view of another structure of a resilient electrical contact provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is to be understood that the embodiments described are only a few embodiments of the present application and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the present application and for simplicity in description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated in a particular manner, and are not to be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, e.g., as meaning either a fixed connection, a removable connection, or an integral connection; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In this application, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may comprise direct contact of the first and second features, or may comprise contact of the first and second features not directly but through another feature in between. Also, the first feature "on," "above" and "over" the second feature may include the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. "beneath," "under" and "beneath" a first feature includes the first feature being directly beneath and obliquely beneath the second feature, or simply indicating that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the application. To simplify the disclosure of the present application, specific example components and arrangements are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present application. Moreover, the present application may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples, such repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed. In addition, examples of various specific processes and materials are provided herein, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize applications of other processes and/or use of other materials.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cable connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 1, the cable connector includes a first connection terminal 10, an elastic electrical contact 30, and a second connection terminal 20. The first connection terminal 10 includes a cable connection end 11 and a plug end 12, the second connection terminal 20 includes a cable connection end 21 and a plug end 22, the cable connection end 11 of the first connection terminal 10 is used for electrically connecting with an aluminum alloy cable (not shown in the figure), and the cable connection end 21 of the second connection terminal 20 is used for electrically connecting with a copper cable (not shown in the figure). Wherein, the plugging end 12 of the first connection terminal 10 extends into the plugging end 22 of the second connection terminal 20, and the elastic electrical contact 30 is sleeved on the plugging end 12 of the first connection terminal 10 and is respectively abutted against the surfaces of the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20, so as to electrically connect the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20 and keep the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20 plugged.

In the embodiment of the present application, by means of the elastic electrical contact 30 respectively abutting against the surfaces of the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20 to electrically connect the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20, and by establishing a plurality of parallel contact points between two contact surfaces, an elastic load current-carrying bridge independent of each other is formed, so that the overall contact resistance can be greatly reduced; the constant elastic pressure provided by the cable connector can enable the connection between contact interfaces to be kept stable, has the advantages of stable contact pressure and low contact resistance, can provide lasting stable and excellent conductive performance for the cable connector, ensures the electric connection between the aluminum alloy cable and the copper core cable, and improves the reliability of corresponding electric connection. Alternatively, the number of the elastic electrical contact members 30 can be plural, and the number can be set and selected according to the actual electrical connection requirement.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of another cable connector according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 1, in one embodiment, the elastic electrical contact 30 may be a drum spring; in another embodiment, as shown in figure 2, the resilient electrical contact 30 may be an O-ring spring, the specific configuration of which is shown in figure 4. Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of the elastic electrical contact 30 being a drum spring, as shown in fig. 5, in an embodiment, the drum spring may include a circular ring end 31 and a plurality of concave spring strips 32 connected to the circular ring end 31, each concave spring strip 32 abuts against an outer surface of the first connection terminal 10, and the circular ring end 31 abuts against an inner surface of the second connection terminal 20 in the corresponding cable connector. In other embodiments, the drum spring may include a circular ring end and a plurality of outer convex spring leaves connected with the circular ring end; in the corresponding cable connector, each of the annular end portions abuts against the outer surface of the first connection terminal 10, and each of the convex spring pieces abuts against the inner surface of the second connection terminal 20.

In other embodiments, the resilient electrical contact 30 may be a resilient member having good electrical conductivity properties other than a drum spring and an O-ring spring.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, an inner surface of the second connection terminal 20 defines an annular groove 220, and the annular groove 220 is used for mounting the elastic electrical contact. Specifically, the cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 220 in the radial direction of the insertion end 22 is U-shaped or V-shaped, and the cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 220 varies according to the structure of the elastic electrical contact 30, wherein if the elastic electrical contact 30 is selected as a drum spring, the cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 220 in the radial direction of the insertion end 22 is U-shaped, and the depth and width of the annular groove are the same as the thickness and width of the drum spring; if the elastic electrical contact 30 is selected as an O-ring, the cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 220 in the radial direction of the insertion end 22 is a V-shape, wherein each ring of the O-ring is in single-point contact with the outer surface of the first connection terminal 10 and in double-point contact with the annular groove 220 of the inner surface of the second connection terminal 20, which is equivalent to more parallel contact points and parallel current-carrying bridges being established between the contact surfaces, so that the contact resistance can be further reduced, and the conductivity can be improved.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another cable connector according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 3, an annular groove 120 may also be formed on an outer surface of the first connection terminal 10, specifically, a cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 120 in a radial direction of the insertion end 12 is U-shaped or V-shaped, a cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 120 varies according to a structure of the elastic electrical contact 30, wherein if the elastic electrical contact 30 is selected as a drum spring, a cross-sectional shape of the annular groove 120 in the radial direction of the insertion end 12 is U-shaped, and a depth of the annular groove is the same as a thickness of the drum spring, and a width of the annular groove is the same as a width of the drum spring; if the resilient electrical contact 30 is selected as an O-ring spring, the cross-section of the annular groove 120 in the radial direction of the mating end 12 is V-shaped.

With reference to fig. 5, as shown in fig. 1, when the drum spring includes a plurality of concave spring pieces 32, the drum spring may be installed in the annular groove 220, and a plurality of parallel contact points are established between the contact surfaces through the plurality of concave spring pieces 32 of the drum spring, so as to form mutually independent parallel current-carrying bridges, thereby reducing the overall contact resistance, improving the electrical conductivity, and realizing the effective transmission of the current between the aluminum alloy cable and the copper cable. In other embodiments, when the drum spring includes a plurality of outwardly convex spring pieces, the drum spring may be mounted in the annular groove 120.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, wherein a raised portion 13 is provided on an outer surface of the first connection terminal 10, the cable connection end 11 and the plug end 12 of the first connection terminal 10 are distributed on opposite sides of the raised portion 13. Specifically, this setting of bellying 13 is favorable to playing limiting displacement to the grafting of first connecting terminal 10 and second connecting terminal 20, avoids first connecting terminal 10 to embed completely in second connecting terminal 20 to make things convenient for the dismantlement between first connecting terminal 10 and the second connecting terminal 20. In one embodiment, the insertion end 12 of the first connection terminal 10 is further provided with a guiding arc to facilitate the insertion between the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20.

Specifically, the material of the second connection terminal 20 includes copper or copper alloy, preferably T2 copper, and the surface is plated with tin to improve long-term oxidation resistance. The resilient electrical contact 30 is made of a copper alloy, preferably selected from phosphor bronze, beryllium copper, or chrome zirconium copper, with or without plating of tin, silver, gold, etc. on the surface. The first connection terminal 10 comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer of the first connection terminal 10 is in contact with the aluminum alloy cable, and the material of the inner layer of the first connection terminal 10 comprises aluminum or aluminum alloy; the outer layer of the first connection terminal 10 contacts the elastic electrical contact 30, and the material of the outer layer of the first connection terminal 10 includes copper or copper alloy. Alternatively, the outer layer may be specifically a copper-tin composite plating layer obtained by electroplating. The material of the first connecting terminal 10 and the material of the inner layer of the second connecting terminal 20 are the same as or similar to those of the contacted cable, and the mechanical properties, the thermal expansion coefficient, the resistivity and other properties of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are close to those of the contacted cable, so that the long-term reliability of the cable crimping quality can be ensured. By selecting and applying the outer layer of the first connection terminal 10 and the material of the elastic electric contact 30, copper-copper and aluminum-aluminum contact is realized, the electrochemical corrosion problem caused by direct contact of copper-aluminum dissimilar metals is avoided, and the environmental performances of corrosion resistance and the like of the cable connector are ensured.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, wherein the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20 are both metal hollow tubes, the cable connection end 11 of the first connection terminal 10 is used for being crimped with an aluminum alloy cable, and the cable connection end 21 of the second connection terminal 20 is used for being crimped with a copper cable. Specifically, the aluminum alloy cable and the copper cable are respectively inserted into the ducts of the first connecting terminal 10 and the second connecting terminal 20, and then the aluminum alloy cable and the copper cable are respectively crimped with the first connecting terminal 10 and the second connecting terminal 20. In other embodiments, threaded holes may be formed in the first connection terminal 10 and the second connection terminal 20, respectively, and the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal may be connected to the aluminum alloy cable and the copper cable, respectively, by fastening bolts.

In summary, the cable connector provided by the application solves the problems of reliable crimping quality, reduced connection contact resistance and avoidance of direct contact of dissimilar metals in aluminum alloy cable connection through comprehensive application of the first/second connection terminals 10/20 matched with the cable material, combination of the advantages of long-term low and stable contact resistance of the elastic electric contact 30, and use of the copper-aluminum composite structure, and meets the requirements of aluminum alloy cable connection in photovoltaic cables on environmental performances such as crimping quality, conductivity, corrosion resistance and the like.

The foregoing detailed description of the cable connector provided by the embodiments of the present application has been provided, and the principles and embodiments of the present application are described herein using specific examples, which are provided only to help understand the method and the core idea of the present application; meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, the specific implementation manner and the application scope may be changed, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations can be made without departing from the principles of the invention, and such modifications and adaptations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A cable connector is characterized by comprising a first connecting terminal, an elastic electric contact and a second connecting terminal, wherein the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal respectively comprise a cable connecting end and a plugging end, and the cable connecting ends of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal are respectively used for being electrically connected with an aluminum alloy cable and a copper cable;

the plug end of the first connecting terminal extends into the plug end of the second connecting terminal, and the elastic electric contact piece is sleeved on the plug end of the first connecting terminal and is respectively abutted against the surfaces of the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal so as to electrically connect the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal and enable the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal to be kept in plug connection.

2. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein said resilient electrical contact is a drum spring or an O-ring spring.

3. The cable connector according to claim 2, wherein said drum spring includes a circular ring end portion abutting an outer surface of said first connection terminal and a plurality of convex spring pieces connected to said circular ring end portion, each of said convex spring pieces abutting an inner surface of said second connection terminal; or the drum spring comprises a circular ring end part and a plurality of concave spring pieces connected with the circular ring end part, the circular ring end part is abutted with the inner surface of the second connecting terminal, and each concave spring piece is abutted with the outer surface of the first connecting terminal.

4. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of the first connecting terminal or an inner surface of the second connecting terminal defines an annular groove for receiving the resilient electrical contact.

5. The cable connector according to claim 4, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the annular groove in a radial direction of the insertion end of the first connection terminal or the second connection terminal is a U-shape or a V-shape.

6. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein said resilient electrical contact is plural in number.

7. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the first connection terminal is provided with a protrusion on an outer surface thereof, and the cable connection end and the plugging end of the first connection terminal are distributed on opposite sides of the protrusion.

8. The cable connector according to claim 1, wherein the second connecting terminal comprises copper or a copper alloy, and the resilient electrical contact comprises a copper alloy.

9. The cable connector according to claim 8, wherein the first connection terminal comprises an inner layer and an outer layer, the inner layer of the first connection terminal is in contact with the aluminum alloy cable, and the material of the inner layer of the first connection terminal comprises aluminum or aluminum alloy; the outer layer of the first connecting terminal is in contact with the elastic electric contact piece, and the material of the outer layer of the first connecting terminal comprises copper or copper alloy.

10. The cable connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first and second connection terminals are both metal hollow tubes, and cable connection ends of the first and second connection terminals are used for crimping with aluminum alloy cables and copper cables, respectively.

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