CN219226713U - Angled electrical connector and electrical connector kit adapted for different connection angles - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses an angled electrical connector and an electrical connector kit that adapt to different connection angles. An angled electrical connector according to the present application includes: the outer shell comprises a front section outer shell body and a tail section outer shell body which can be assembled together, wherein the tail section outer shell body comprises a first opening used for being assembled with the front section outer shell body and a second opening used for being connected with a wire, and an included angle formed by the orientation of the first opening and the orientation of the second opening of the tail section outer shell body is a first angle.

Description

Angled electrical connector and electrical connector kit adapted for different connection angles

Technical Field

The application relates to an electrical connection device, in particular to an electrical connector which is suitable for development requirements of different connection angles, and the application scene of the electrical connector covers a high-voltage connector on a new energy vehicle.

Background

Currently, new energy vehicles (including pure electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles) replace traditional fuel vehicles and have become a trend of development in the automobile industry. The automotive Electronic and Electrical Architecture (EEA) of the new energy vehicle is different from that of the conventional fuel vehicle, and thus various connectors in the EEA of the new energy vehicle are different from or have not been applied to the EEA of the conventional fuel vehicle. For example, EEAs for new energy vehicles typically include high voltage connectors.

The high-voltage connector is also called a high-voltage connector, and can refer to a connector with working voltage above 60V and mainly responsible for transmitting high current, and is mainly used in a high-voltage and high-current loop of an electric automobile, and simultaneously acts with a wire, so that the capacity of a battery pack is transmitted to various components in the whole automobile system, such as a motor controller, a DCDC converter, a charger and the like through different electric loops. Because of the high voltage environment, the heat resistance, pressure resistance, current carrying capacity, EMC and other physical properties of the high voltage connector are all required to meet special indexes.

Fig. 1 shows a conventional right-angle type high-voltage connector plug which can support a cable connection direction of the plug and a plugging direction of the plug at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, so that plugging can be completed when a vertical space above a mating receptacle is limited. However, since one of the trends of the new energy automobiles is high integration and light weight, the requirements for the internal space are continuously increasing, and in order to accommodate different wiring spaces, it is required that the connector can more accurately adapt to different cable access angles, for example, 45 degrees, 30 degrees, etc. Thus, the need for connectors at different angles is increasing.

Although connectors with different angles can be developed according to the requirements of different installation and access angles, the products are mostly integrated, have poor commonality and can not be adjusted according to the requirements. In addition, from the viewpoint of development cost, the development cost is high and the period is long because the whole set of connectors are redeveloped for different angles each time.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present application proposes an angled electrical connector, which adopts a sectional assembly structure composed of a front section outer housing and an angled rear section outer housing, the angle can be adjusted at will, and most of the parts can follow the existing scheme. In a preferred embodiment, when it is desired to develop a connector solution at a different angle, the angled tail housing and the angled components associated therewith may be redeployed as needed, while other solutions such as the front housing, tail cap, seal ring, etc. may be used in common at different angles.

According to one aspect of the present application, an angled electrical connector is presented, comprising: an outer housing for receiving a terminal, the outer housing comprising a front section outer housing and a rear section outer housing that are capable of being assembled together, wherein the rear section outer housing comprises a first opening for assembly with the front section outer housing and a second opening for access to a wire, the orientation of the first opening and the orientation of the second opening of the rear section outer housing forming an included angle of a first angle.

In the foregoing aspect of the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation, the openings at two ends of the front section outer housing are oriented 180 degrees.

In the foregoing aspect related to the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, the tail section outer housing includes a substantially vertical main body portion and a switching portion formed at a front end of the main body portion, the front end of the switching portion forms the first opening, and the rear end of the main body portion forms the second opening.

In the foregoing aspect related to the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, the main body portion and the adapter portion are integrally formed.

In the foregoing aspect of the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, a clamping protrusion is disposed at a top of a front side of the tail section outer housing, a clamping top plate with a notch is disposed at an upper side of a tail end of a main body of the front section outer housing, and the clamping protrusion can be clamped into the notch of the clamping top plate.

In the foregoing aspect of the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, a first screw seat is formed on two sides of the main body of the front section outer housing, and a second screw seat is formed on two sides of the tail section outer housing, and when the front section outer housing and the tail section outer housing are assembled together, the first screw seat and the second screw seat are aligned for a screw to pass through.

In the foregoing aspect of the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, a clamping side baffle is disposed at a lower side of a tail end of the main body of the front section outer housing, and a guiding rib is disposed at a lower side of a front portion of the tail section outer housing, and when the tail section outer housing and the front section outer housing are plugged together, the guiding rib is inserted into an inner side receiving groove of the clamping side baffle.

In the foregoing aspect related to the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation, the terminal in the angled electrical connector is an angled terminal, the angled terminal includes a socket portion and a wire connection portion (182), the wire connection portion extends from a bottom of the socket portion and is bent to form a second angle, the second angle being consistent with the first angle.

In the foregoing aspect related to the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, the angled electrical connector includes an angled inner plastic shell, and an angled terminal installed in the inner plastic shell, the inner plastic shell has a first inner plastic shell opening and a second inner plastic shell opening, and an angle formed by an orientation of the first inner plastic shell opening and the second inner plastic shell opening of the inner plastic shell is consistent with an angle formed by the first opening and the second opening of the tail section outer shell.

In the foregoing aspect related to the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, the angled inner plastic shell includes a first half plastic shell and a second half plastic shell that can be spliced together.

In the foregoing solution related to the angled electrical connector, as a further implementation manner, the first half plastic shell and the second half plastic shell are respectively provided with a half shielding shell, so that when the first half plastic shell and the second half plastic shell are spliced together, the two half shielding shells are combined into a complete shielding shell.

According to one aspect of the present application, a line end connector is presented, characterized in that the line end connector is an angled connector according to any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to one aspect of the present application, a female plug connector is provided, characterized in that the female plug connector is an angled connector according to any of the preceding paragraphs.

According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided an electrical connector kit comprising: a first connector that is the angled connector of any of the preceding paragraphs; and a second connector which is in mating connection with the first connector.

In the foregoing aspect of the electrical connector assembly, as a further implementation manner, the first connector is a plug connector, and the second connector is a mating receptacle connector.

In the foregoing aspect of the electrical connector kit, as a further implementation manner, the first connector is a line-end connector, and the second connector is a mating board-end connector, or a device-end connector, or another line-end connector.

According to one aspect of the present application, there is provided an electrical connector kit comprising: a first connector, the angled connector of any of the preceding paragraphs; and the matched socket connector is used for being matched and spliced with the first connector, and a PCB with a temperature sensor is arranged on the matched socket connector.

In the foregoing scheme of the related electrical connector kit, as a further implementation manner, the terminal in the first connector is a female terminal, the matched socket connector is provided with a male terminal, and the temperature sensor on the PCB board is connected with the male terminal through temperature sensing glue.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application. In the accompanying drawings:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a right angle high voltage connector plug according to the prior art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of mating states of a female plug and a male socket according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5A is an exploded perspective view of a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 5B is a side view elevation of fig. 5A.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a front section outer housing in a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of an angled tail section outer housing in a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of an assembled state of an inner plastic shell in a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of angled terminals in a female plug connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10A is a schematic view of a female plug connector at a first angle according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 10B is a schematic view of a female plug connector at a second angle according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a male end socket connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 12 is another angular perspective view of a male end socket connector according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a separate schematic view of the PCB board with temperature sensing in fig. 12.

Detailed Description

In the following description, the present patent application is described with reference to various embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other alternative and/or additional methods, materials, or components. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of various embodiments of the present patent application. Similarly, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present patent application. However, the present patent application may be practiced without specific details. Furthermore, it should be understood that the embodiments shown in the drawings are illustrative representations and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The various embodiments and variations of the present application are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a mated state of the female plug 100 and the male receptacle 200 according to an embodiment of the present application, fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the female plug connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the female plug connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, the housing of the plug connector 100 is capable of forming a mating relationship with the housing of the receptacle connector 200 such that the terminals within the plug connector 100 and the terminals within the receptacle connector 200 form a reliable electrical connection. The terminals mounted in the plug connector 100 may be female terminals, in which case the plug connector 100 may also be referred to as a female connector or a female plug connector. The terminals mounted in the receptacle connector 200 may be male terminals, and in this case, the receptacle connector 200 may also be referred to as a male connector or a male receptacle connector.

In the example of fig. 2, the plug connector 100 is configured such that the incoming direction of the cable 500 and the mating direction of the plug are at an angle of about 30 degrees. It will be appreciated that this angle is generally determined by the specific needs of the product development, the purpose of which is to aid in the implementation of the plugging and routing operations in small spaces.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the female plug connector 100. According to fig. 3, the female plug connector 100 is a two-channel connector comprising a channel 1 and a channel 2 to accommodate two cables 500 from the rear into the cavity of the connector. Specifically, stripped cable 500 may be connected to the tail of the female terminal by a suitable technique (e.g., crimping) and then the female terminal is loaded into a corresponding terminal passageway within female plug connector 100.

Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the female plug connector 100. Circle 600 in the figure shows the connection of the stripped core of cable 500 and the tail of terminal 180.

Fig. 5A is an exploded perspective view of the female plug connector 100, and fig. 5B is a side view elevation of fig. 5A. Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a front-stage outer housing 150 in a female connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, fig. 7 is a schematic view of an angled tail-stage outer housing 160 in a female connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, fig. 8 is a schematic view of an assembled state of an inner plastic housing 170 in a female connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 9 is a schematic view of an angled terminal in a female connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the outer housing of the female plug connector 100 includes a front section outer housing 150 and a rear section outer housing 160. End caps 190 corresponding to the number of channels may be mounted on the tail section outer housing tail. The first half plastic case 171 and the second half plastic case 172 may be spliced together to constitute the inner plastic case 170. By purposefully designing the first and second mold halves 171, 172, the shape of the inner mold 170 may conform to the shape of the outer housing of the female plug connector 100, i.e., the inner mold 170 is an angled inner mold. To conform to the shape of the outer housing, the front end opening 1701 and the rear end opening 1702 of the inner plastic housing 170 should be angled to conform to the angle formed by the assembly opening 1601 and the wire inlet opening 1602 of the angled tail outer housing 160.

The inner plastic housing 170 may include terminal cavities corresponding to the number of terminals, with one angled terminal 180 mounted in each terminal cavity. Alternatively, half shield cases 173 and 174 may be provided on the first and second half plastic cases 171 and 172, respectively, so that when the two half plastic cases are spliced together, the half shield cases 173 and 174 are combined into a complete shield case.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a front section outer housing 150 of a female connector 100 for mating with a male connector according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 8 is a schematic view of an angled tail section outer housing 160 according to an embodiment of the present application. The front section outer housing 150 shown in fig. 7 and the angled tail section outer housing 160 shown in fig. 8 are separate structures from each other and may be assembled with each other to form the outer housing of the male connector 100 shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 6, the front section of the outer casing 150 is provided with openings at the front and rear sides, and the front opening and the rear opening are opposite in direction, i.e. the front opening and the rear opening are oriented at an included angle of 180 degrees. The front-stage outer housing 150 has a terminal passage structure formed therein. In fig. 6, a metal sleeve 154 may be installed in each terminal passage, respectively. However, it will be appreciated that whether a metal sleeve is to be included or not, depending on the configuration of the terminal system, is not required in some implementations.

Referring to fig. 7, the angled tail housing 160 includes a generally vertical body portion 168 and a transition portion 167 formed at a forward end of the body portion 168. An assembly opening 1601 is provided at the front end of the transition 167 for assembly with the rear end of the front end housing 150. At the rear end of the body portion 168, an entry opening 1602 is provided for entry of a cable. The orientation of the assembly opening 1601 and the orientation of the entry opening 1602 are angled such that when the angled tail section outer housing 160 and the front section outer housing 150 are combined, the direction of entry and the direction of insertion are angled. Preferably, the body portion 168 and the switch portion 167 are of unitary construction.

As can be seen in fig. 3, 5A, 5B, 6 and 7, a clamping protrusion 162 is provided at the top of the front side of the angled tail section outer housing 160, and a clamping top plate 152 with a recess is provided at the upper part of the tail end of the main body of the front section outer housing 150, and the clamping protrusion 162 can be clamped into the recess of the clamping top plate 152, thereby achieving a positioning effect.

In addition, screw seats 151 are formed at both sides of the main body of the front-stage outer housing 150, screw seats 161 are formed at both sides of the main body of the angled tail-stage outer housing 160, and when the front-stage outer housing 150 and the angled tail-stage outer housing 160 are assembled together, the screw seats 151 and 161 are aligned, and screws can be passed through both, thereby playing a role in positioning.

Further, a clamping side baffle 153 is provided at the lower side of the main body tail end of the front section outer housing 150, a guide rib 163 is provided at the lower side of the front section of the angled tail section outer housing 160, and when the angled tail section outer housing 160 and the front section outer housing 150 are inserted together, the guide rib 163 of the angled tail section outer housing 160 is inserted into the inner side receiving groove of the clamping side baffle 153 of the front section outer housing 150, thereby achieving the positioning effect.

The angled terminal 180 includes a socket portion 181 and a wire portion 182. The connector portion 181 may take the form of, for example, an annular jaw for receiving and gripping a mating male terminal. The wire connection portion 181 extends from the bottom of the socket portion 181 and is bent to form an angle that is consistent with the included angle between the front end opening and the rear end opening of the angled tail section outer housing 160.

Fig. 11 is a schematic perspective view of a male end socket connector 200 according to an embodiment of the present application, fig. 12 is another angular schematic perspective view of the male end socket connector 200 according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 13 is a separate schematic view of a PCB board 280 with a temperature sensor in fig. 12.

The male end socket connector 200 is a two-channel connector corresponding to the female end plug connector 100, having a base 210, and an inner plastic housing 220 mounted in the base 210, the inner plastic housing 220 including two terminal channel structures 230. Two male terminals 250 are mounted in corresponding terminal channel structures 220. Wherein one end of the male terminal 250 is a plug-in structure, such as a pin, to be received by the female terminal 180, and the tail end of the male terminal 250, as shown, is two threaded holes for securing and electrically connecting to a device by a screw or threaded rod structure.

As an alternative implementation, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, a PCB 280 is further provided on the inner plastic housing of the male end socket connector 200, two temperature sensors are provided on the PCB 280, and corresponding signal wires are connected. The temperature sensor is connected with the terminal through the temperature sensing glue, so that the function of monitoring the temperature of the terminal is realized.

By using the segmented assembly structure shown in fig. 5A and 5B for the female plug connector 100, the angle can be adjusted at will and most of the parts can follow the existing scheme. For example, when a plug connector solution at other angles, such as 100 degrees, is desired, only four components in the angled tail of the female plug connector may be redeveloped as desired: the angled tail housing 160, first half plastic 171, second half plastic 172, angled terminals 180, and the angled tail housing 150, tail cap 190, seal ring, etc. may be used in different angled versions. For example, fig. 10A is a schematic view of a female plug connector at a first angle according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 10B is a schematic view of a female plug connector at a second angle according to an embodiment of the present application, which may differ only in the angled tail section outer housing, the first half plastic housing, the second half plastic housing, the angled terminal.

Although the embodiments of the present application are described by way of example with respect to a two-channel connector, it is to be understood that the present application is not so limited and that the application may be extended for use with a multi-channel connector scheme.

While an angled connector is described as an example of a plug connector (line-end connector) having a female terminal, it is to be understood that the application is not so limited, e.g., the angled connector may contain a male terminal and thus be referred to as a male connector.

While a receptacle connector is described as an example of a connector that mates with an angled plug connector, it will be appreciated that the mating connector may be in the form of other connectors, such as a board end connector, or a device end connector, or another line end connector.

While the angled connector is described in the context of a high-voltage connector, it is to be understood that the angled connector presented in this application may also be applicable to other connector types, such as low-voltage connectors.

This application uses specific words to describe embodiments of the application. Reference to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and/or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is associated with at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, it should be emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" in various positions in this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments of the present application may be combined as suitable.

In the context of this application, the words "a," "an," "the," and/or "the" are not specific to the singular, but may include the plural, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In general, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" merely indicate that the steps and elements are explicitly identified, and they do not constitute an exclusive list, as other steps or elements may be included in a method or apparatus.

Likewise, it should be noted that in order to simplify the presentation disclosed herein and thereby aid in understanding one or more inventive embodiments, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. This method of disclosure, however, is not intended to imply that more features than are presented in the claims are required for the subject application. Indeed, less than all of the features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

While the basic concepts have been described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing disclosure is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. Although not explicitly described herein, various modifications, improvements, and adaptations of the present application may occur to one skilled in the art. Such modifications, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested within this application, and therefore, such modifications, improvements, and modifications are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims (15)

1. An angled electrical connector, comprising:

an outer housing for receiving the terminals, the outer housing including a front section outer housing (150) and a rear section outer housing (160) that are capable of being assembled together,

wherein the tail section outer housing comprises a first opening (1601) for assembly with the front section outer housing and a second opening (1602) for access to a wire, the orientation of the first opening and the orientation of the second opening of the tail section outer housing forming an included angle of a first angle.

2. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the front section outer housing has two open ends oriented 180 degrees.

3. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the tail section outer housing includes a substantially vertical main body portion (168) and a transition portion (167) formed at a front end of the main body portion, the front end of the transition portion forming the first opening and the rear end of the main body portion forming the second opening.

4. The angled electrical connector of claim 3, wherein the body portion and the transition portion are of unitary construction.

5. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a snap-in protrusion (162) is provided on top of the front side of the rear housing body and a snap-in top plate (152) with a recess is provided on top of the rear end of the main body of the front housing body, the snap-in protrusion being snap-able into the recess of the snap-in top plate.

6. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a first screw seat (151) is formed on both sides of the body of the front section outer housing and a second screw seat (161) is formed on both sides of the rear section outer housing, the first and second screw seats being aligned for screws to pass through when the front section outer housing and the rear section outer housing are assembled together.

7. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein a snap-in side shield (153) is provided on a lower side of a body tail end of the front section outer housing and a guide rib (163) is provided on a lower side of a front section of the rear section outer housing, the guide rib being inserted into an inner receiving groove of the snap-in side shield when the rear section outer housing and the front section outer housing are plugged together.

8. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the terminals within the angled electrical connector are angled terminals (180) comprising a socket portion (181) and a wire connection portion (182) extending from a bottom of the socket portion and bent to form a second angle that is consistent with the first angle.

9. The angled electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the angled electrical connector includes an angled inner housing and an angled terminal mounted in the inner housing, the inner housing having a first inner housing opening (1701) and a second inner housing opening (1702), the first and second inner housing openings of the inner housing being oriented at an angle that is consistent with the first and second openings of the tail section outer housing.

10. The angled electrical connector of claim 9, wherein the angled inner plastic shell comprises a first half plastic shell (171) and a second half plastic shell (172) that are capable of being spliced together.

11. The angled electrical connector of claim 10, wherein half-shields are provided on the first and second half-shells, respectively, such that when the first and second half-shells are spliced together, the two half-shields combine to form a complete shield.

12. The angled electrical connector of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the angled electrical connector is a wire end connector, or a female end plug connector.

13. An electrical connector kit, comprising:

a first connector which is an angled electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11; and

and the second connector is matched and plugged with the first connector.

14. The electrical connector kit of claim 13, wherein the first connector is a line-end connector or a plug connector and the second connector is a mating receptacle connector, or a board-end connector, or a device-end connector, or another line-end connector.

15. An electrical connector kit, comprising:

a first connector which is an angled electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11; and

a mating receptacle connector for mating with the first connector,

a PCB board (280) with a temperature sensor is arranged on the matched socket connector,

the terminals in the first connector are female terminals, the male terminals are arranged in the matched socket connectors, and the temperature sensor on the PCB is connected with the male terminals through temperature sensing glue.

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