TWI643542B - Power adapter and electrical connector module thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a power converter including a first casing, a second casing, a circuit board, an electrical connector, and a power cord. The first shell is combined with the second shell and defines to form an internal space. The circuit board is housed in the internal space. The electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board and includes an insulating body and a plurality of contact terminals. The insulating body and the first case are integrally formed as a single component, and include a recess and a bottom wall. Each contact terminal system is partially located in the recess, partially embedded in the bottom wall, and partially extended outward from the bottom wall. The power cord is electrically connected to the circuit board.

Description

Power converter and its electrical connector module

This case relates to a power converter, particularly a thin and light power converter and its electrical connector module.

The power converter is a power supply widely used in daily life, and is used to convert and provide electrical energy to electronic devices. In order to adapt to various environments and conditions, the assembly structure of the power converter usually has a special design. FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a conventional power converter, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of the power converter shown in FIG. 1A. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the power converter 1 includes an upper case 11, a lower case 12, a circuit board 13, an electrical connector 14, and a power cord 15. Wherein, the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 12 can be engaged with each other, and an accommodating space is defined to accommodate the circuit board 13 during the engagement. The electrical connector 14 and the power cord 15 are electrically connected to the circuit board 13, respectively, and are fixed between the upper case 11 and the lower case 12. The first groove 111 and the second groove (not shown) are respectively located at the front and rear sides of the upper case 11, and the third groove 121 and the fourth groove 122 are located at the front and rear sides of the lower case 12, respectively. When the housing 11 and the lower housing 12 are engaged with each other, the first groove 111 and the third groove 121 are connected to define a first hole for fixing the electrical connector 14 therein, and the third groove is connected with The fourth groove 122 is connected to define a second hole for fixing the connector 151 of the power cord 15 therein.

The electrical connector 14 includes an insulating body 141 and a plurality of contact terminals 142. The insulating body 141 includes an engaging portion 143 and an inner recess 144. The engaging portion 143 extends outward along the outer surface of the front end of the insulating body 141 and includes a groove 145 corresponding to the edges of the first groove 111 and the third groove 121. The contact terminal 142 is located in the inner notch 144 of the insulating body 141. The upper casing 11, the lower casing 12 and the electrical connector 14 are usually combined with each other by using an ultrasonic welding technology. Since the electrical connector 14 is independent of the upper casing 11 and the lower casing 12, the electrical connector 14 must include an engaging portion 143 to engage with the edges of the first groove 111 and the third groove 121. Thereby, the electrical connector 14 is fixed in the first hole. However, the aforementioned engaging structure will cause the electrical connector 14 to generate extra volume and further affect the size of the power converter 1, especially the thickness h of the power converter 1, which cannot be reduced due to the specific size of the electrical connector 14. In other words, the thickness h of the power converter 1 is limited by the size and shape of the electrical connector 14, which affects the thinning and miniaturization of the power converter 1, and also makes it difficult to assemble the power converter 1.

Therefore, how to develop a power converter and an electrical connector module that can improve the conventional technology is an urgent need at present.

The purpose of this case is to provide a thin and light power converter and its electrical connector module, so that the insulating body of the electrical connector and the first housing are integrally formed as a single component, without the need to use the engaging structure to connect with each other, thereby reducing The small thickness of the power converter enables miniaturization and thinning of the power converter, and makes the power converter easier to assemble.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a power converter including a first casing, a second casing, a circuit board, an electrical connector, and a power cord. The first shell is connected to the second shell And the definition forms the internal space. The circuit board is housed in the internal space. The electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board and includes an insulating body and a plurality of contact terminals. The insulating body and the first case are integrally formed as a single component, and include a recess and a bottom wall. Each contact terminal system is partially located in the recess, partially embedded in the bottom wall, and partially extended outward from the bottom wall. The power cord is electrically connected to the circuit board.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electrical connector module including a first housing and an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes an insulating body and a plurality of contact terminals. The insulating body and the first case are integrally formed as a single component, and include a concave portion and a bottom wall. Each contact terminal system is partially located in the recess, partially embedded in the bottom wall, and partially extended outward from the bottom wall.

1‧‧‧ Power Converter

11‧‧‧ Upper case

12‧‧‧ lower case

13‧‧‧Circuit Board

14‧‧‧electrical connector

15‧‧‧Power cord

111‧‧‧first groove

121‧‧‧ Third groove

122‧‧‧ Fourth groove

141‧‧‧Insulated body

142‧‧‧Contact terminal

143‧‧‧ Engagement Department

144‧‧‧inner notch

145‧‧‧Trench

151‧‧‧ connector

h‧‧‧ thickness

2, 2a, 2b‧‧‧ Power Converter

3‧‧‧electric connector module

21‧‧‧First case

211‧‧‧Front panel

212‧‧‧ sidewall

213‧‧‧accommodation space

214‧‧‧ opening

215‧‧‧First connection section

216‧‧‧First clip

217‧‧‧ flange

218‧‧‧ Sag

22‧‧‧Second shell

221‧‧‧ sleeve

222‧‧‧ bottom panel

223‧‧‧Second connection section

224‧‧‧Second clip

225‧‧‧Trench

23‧‧‧Circuit Board

24‧‧‧Electric connector

241‧‧‧Insulated body

2411‧‧‧ bottom wall

2411a‧‧‧First side

2411b‧‧‧ Second side

2412‧‧‧First side wall

2413‧‧‧Second sidewall

2414‧‧‧ protrusion

242‧‧‧ Recess

243‧‧‧contact terminal

2431‧‧‧Part One

2432‧‧‧Fixed section

2433‧‧‧Part 2

244‧‧‧Guide piece

2441‧‧‧Hole

2442‧‧‧Clamp

245‧‧‧Wire

2451‧‧‧Bare Wire Department

246‧‧‧Insulation cover

25‧‧‧Power cord

26‧‧‧Internal space

H‧‧‧thickness

A‧‧‧plane

Fig. 1A is an exploded structure diagram of a conventional power converter; Fig. 1B is a three-dimensional structure diagram of the power converter shown in Fig. 1A; and Fig. 2A is a front side of the power converter of the first embodiment of the present invention Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the top, right, and right sides; Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rear, bottom, and left side of the power converter shown in Figure 2A; Figure 3A is a schematic diagram of the power converter shown in Figure 2A Exploded structure diagram; Figure 3B is a schematic diagram of the power converter shown in Figure 2A from another perspective; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first housing and electrical connector shown in Figure 2A Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along plane A in Figure 4; FIG. 6 is an exploded schematic view of the first housing and the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4 from another perspective; FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the three-dimensional structure of the power converter according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Is a schematic three-dimensional structure diagram of a power converter according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Some typical embodiments embodying the features and advantages of this case will be described in detail in the description in the subsequent paragraphs. It should be understood that the present case can have various changes in different aspects, all of which do not depart from the scope of the present case, and that the descriptions and diagrams therein are essentially for the purpose of illustration, rather than limiting the case.

Please refer to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, wherein FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the front side, the top surface, and the right side of the power converter according to the first embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 2B is a view shown in FIG. 2A Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the rear, bottom, and left sides of the power converter. Figure 3A is an exploded structural diagram of the power converter shown in Figure 2A, and Figure 3B is a power converter shown in Figure 2A on another An exploded view of the perspective. As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, the power converter 2 of the present case includes a first casing 21, a second casing 22, a circuit board 23, an electrical connector 24, and a power cord 25. The first casing 21 and the second casing 22 are combined and define an internal space 26 to accommodate the circuit board 23 in the internal space 26. The electrical connector 24 is electrically connected to the circuit board 23 and includes an insulating body 241 and a plurality of contact terminals 243, wherein each contact terminal 243 is separated from other contact terminals 243 and partially embedded in the insulating body 241. The power line 25 is electrically connected to the circuit board 23. The first housing 21 and the electrical connector 24 constitute an electrical connector module 3, and the first housing 21 and the insulating body 241 It is a single component integrally formed without using any engaging structure, thereby reducing the thickness H of the power converter 2, and the thickness H is preferably not more than 23 mm. In some embodiments, the first casing 21 and the insulating body 241 are integrally formed as a single component by injection molding technology.

It can be known from the above that the power converter 2 and the electrical connector module of the present case are integrally formed by the first housing 21 and the insulating body 241 of the electrical connector 24, and do not need to be connected to each other through a clamping structure. The power converter needs to assemble the electrical connector and the shell through the snap-in structure, which can save the thickness of the snap-in structure, thereby reducing the thickness of the power converter. Therefore, the power converter 2 in this case can be miniaturized and thin. And easy to assemble.

Please refer to Figs. 4 and 5, and refer to Figs. 3A and 3B, where Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first housing and the electrical connector shown in Fig. 2A, and Fig. 5 is taken along Fig. 4 Sectional view as seen from plane A. As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4 and 5, the first casing 21 includes a front panel 211, a side wall 212, and an accommodation space 213. The front panel 211 includes an opening 214. The side wall 212 extends axially from the periphery of the front panel 211. The accommodation space 213 is defined by the front panel 211 and the side wall 212. The insulating body 241 of the electrical connector 24 is connected to the front panel 211 and is located in the accommodation space 213 of the first casing 21. In this embodiment, the insulating body 241, the front panel 211, and the sidewall 212 are integrally formed. In addition, the insulating body 241 of the electrical connector 24 includes a recessed portion 242 connected to the opening 214 of the front panel 211, and the shape of the recessed portion 242 matches the shape of the opening 214 of the front panel 211. Each contact terminal 243 is partially disposed in the recess 242, partially embedded in the bottom wall 2411 of the insulating body 241, and partially penetrates the bottom wall 2411 and extends outward from the bottom wall 2411. In one embodiment, each contact terminal 243 includes a first portion 2431, a fixing portion 2432, and a second portion 2433. The fixing portion 2432 is connected to the first portion 2431. And the second part 2433. The first portion 2431 is located in the recessed portion 242, the fixing portion 2432 is embedded in the bottom wall 2411 of the insulating body 241, and the second portion 2433 extends outward from the bottom wall 2411 and is located in the accommodation space 213. In this embodiment, the electrical connector 24 is a C14 connector that complies with the IEC 60320 standard. The plurality of contact terminals 243 of the electrical connector 24 include two power terminals and a ground terminal, and the opening 214 of the front panel 211 is six. Angular.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and refer to FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4 and 5. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the first housing and the electrical connector shown in FIG. 4 from another perspective. As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4, 5, and 6, the insulating body 241 includes a bottom wall 2411, a first side wall 2412, and a second side wall 2413 opposite to the first side wall 2412. The recessed portion 242 is defined by the bottom wall 2411, the first side wall 2412 and the second side wall 2413 of the insulating body 241, and the front panel 211 and the side wall 212 of the first case 21. The bottom wall 2411 includes a first side edge 2411a and a second side edge 2411b opposite to the first side edge 2411a. In addition, the fixing portion 2432 is embedded in the bottom wall 2411 of the insulating body 241, and the second portion 2433 of the contact terminal 243 is penetrated by the bottom wall 2411 and extends toward the accommodation space 213.

The electrical connector 24 further includes a plurality of lead pieces 244 and corresponding leads 245, and the plurality of lead pieces 244 respectively correspond to the plurality of contact terminals 243. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, three lead pieces 244 It corresponds to three contact terminals 243, respectively. A hole 2441 is provided at one end of each lead piece 244, and the second portion 2433 of the corresponding contact terminal 243 passes through the hole 2441, so that the lead piece 244 and the corresponding contact terminal 243 are connected to each other by riveting. The guide piece 244 is located in the accommodation space 213 and is attached to the bottom wall 2411 and extends along the bottom wall 2411 toward the first side edge 2411a or the second side edge 2411b. The other end of each lead piece 244 has a clamping member 2442, which clamps the bare wire portion 2451 of the corresponding wire 245, so that the lead piece 244 is connected to the corresponding wire 245. Then, the clamping member 2442 is preferably adjacent to the first side wall 2412 or the second side wall 2413, but not limited thereto. Since the lead wire 245 is electrically connected to the circuit board 23, the contact terminal 243 can be electrically connected to the circuit board 23 via the lead piece 244 and the lead wire 245. In some embodiments, the two lead pieces 244 correspondingly connected to the two contact terminals 243 of the power terminal are respectively attached to the bottom wall 2411, and are respectively along the first side edge 2411a and the second side of the bottom wall 2411. The side edge 2411b extends, in other words, the two lead pieces 244 correspondingly connected to the two contact terminals 243 as the power terminal extend in the opposite direction along the bottom wall 2411. The contact piece 244 corresponding to the contact terminal 243 as one of the ground terminals is attached to the bottom wall 2411 and extends along the bottom wall 2411 toward the first side edge 2411a or the second side edge 2411b.

In some embodiments, the insulating body 241 further includes a plurality of protruding portions 2414 protruding from the outer side of the bottom wall 2411. The protruding portions 2414 form a plurality of positioning structures, and the second portion 2433 of the contact terminal 243 is connected to When the lead piece 244 is fixed by the positioning structure, the lead piece 244 is firmly attached and positioned on the bottom wall 2411, and the plurality of lead pieces 244 are isolated from each other.

In order to make the power converter 2 thinner and thinner, the injection molding technology is used to make the first housing 21 and the insulating body 241 of the electrical connector 24 into a single piece. The injection molding technology is especially insert molding. good. The composition sequence of the electrical connector module in this case is described as follows: First, a plurality of contact terminals 243 are provided, and the plurality of contact terminals 243 are placed in a mold. Next, a molding material (for example, plastic) is injected into the mold to form the first housing 21 and the insulating body 241 of the electrical connector 24, and at the same time, the fixing portion 2432 of each contact terminal 243 is embedded in the bottom wall of the insulating body 241. In 2411, the first case 21 and the insulating body 241 are a single component integrally formed. After that, a plurality of lead pieces 244 and a plurality of wires 245 are provided, each of which is The wire 245 is clamped to the clamping piece 2442 of the corresponding lead piece 244, and each lead piece 244 is connected to the corresponding contact terminal 243 through riveting, and the lead piece 244 is attached to the bottom wall 2411 and is protruded by a protrusion The positioning structure formed by 2414 fixes its position.

Since the first case 21 and the insulating body 241 are integrally formed as a single component, there is no need to fix the electrical connector 24 to the first case 21 by the engaging structure. Therefore, the thickness H of the power converter 2 is reduced, and The time and labor required for fixing the electrical connector 24 to the first housing 21 during the assembly process are eliminated. Furthermore, since the fixing portion 2342 of the contact terminal 243 is embedded in a single component composed of the first case 21 and the insulating body 241, there is no gap between the contact terminal 243 and the first case 21, that is, the first A casing 21 and an electrical connector 24 form a waterproof structure, which also enables the power converter 2 to achieve a waterproof function.

Please refer to Figures 3A and 3B again. The second casing 22 includes a body 221 and a bottom panel 222 connected to the body 221. In some embodiments, the first casing 21 includes a first connection portion 215, the second casing 22 includes a second connection portion 223, and the second connection portion 223 corresponds to the first connection portion 215. The first connection portion 215 includes a plurality of first fastening members 216, such as, but not limited to, two first fastening members 216, and the two first fastening members 216 are respectively located on two sides of the first connection portion 215. The second connecting portion 223 includes a plurality of second fastening members 224, such as but not limited to two second fastening members 224, and the two second fastening members 224 correspond to the two first fastening members 216, respectively. When the first fastening member 216 and the second fastening member 224 are engaged with each other, the first casing 21 is connected to the second casing 22. Furthermore, the second connection portion 223 includes a groove 225, and the first connection portion 215 includes a plurality of flanges 217 corresponding to the groove 225. When the first connection portion 215 of the first housing 21 is connected by ultrasonic welding, When the second connection portion 223 of the second casing 22 is formed, a plurality of flanges 217 are inserted into the grooves 225, thereby making the first casing 21 and the second casing 22 The connection is more secure. In addition, the second casing 22 further includes an opening for accommodating one end of the power cord 25, and the position of the opening is not limited to the position shown in FIG. 3B.

Please refer to Figure 5 again. In some embodiments, when the insulating body 241 and the first housing 21 of the electrical connector 24 are integrally molded by injection molding technology, a significant change in thickness may cause a ripple on the outer surface. The ripples, the first casing 21 further includes a plurality of recesses 218, which are adjacent to the connection portion between the side wall 212 of the first casing 21 and the bottom wall 2411 of the insulating body 241 to prevent the side wall 212 from being formed by injection molding. Ripples are generated on the outer surface.

In some embodiments, the electrical connector 24 further includes an insulating cover 246. The insulating cover 246 is located in the accommodating space 213 and is fixed on the bottom wall 2411 of the insulating body 241. The insulating cover 246 is configured to cover the contact terminals 243 and the guides. The contact piece 244 protects the contact terminal 243 by the insulating characteristics of the insulating cover 246.

In the above embodiment, the electrical connector 24 is a C14 connector that complies with the IEC 60320 standard. The plurality of contact terminals 243 of the electrical connector 24 include two power terminals and a ground terminal, and the opening 214 of the front panel 211 is six. Angular. However, the electrical connector 24 in this case is not limited to a C14 connector, and the number of contact terminals 243 and the shape of the opening 214 can be changed according to actual needs. Please refer to FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the power converter of the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the power converter of the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the electrical connector 24 of the power converter 2a is a C6 connector conforming to the IEC 60320 standard. As shown in FIG. 8, the electrical connector 24 of the power converter 2 b is a C8 connector conforming to the IEC 60320 standard.

To sum up, this case is to provide a thin and light power converter and its electrical connector module, in which the first housing and the insulating body of the electrical connector are formed into one by injection molding technology. The body is a single component, so it does not need to be connected to each other through the engaging structure, thereby reducing the thickness of the power converter. It can be seen that the power converter in this case can be miniaturized and thinned, and easy to assemble.

It should be noted that the above is merely a preferred embodiment for the purpose of illustrating the present case, and the present case is not limited to the described embodiments, and the scope of this case is determined by the scope of the attached patent application. And this case can be modified by people who are familiar with this technology, but they can not be separated from those who want to protect the scope of the attached patent application.

Claims (18)

A power converter includes: a first case including a front panel and a side wall, wherein the front panel and the side wall define a receiving space; a second case is connected with the first case Wherein the first shell and the second shell define an internal space; a circuit board is accommodated in the internal space; an electrical connector is electrically connected to the circuit board and includes: an insulating body, It is a single component integrally formed with the first housing, and includes a recess and a bottom wall. The insulating body is connected to the front panel and is located in the accommodation space. The insulating body, the front panel, and the side wall. Integrally formed; and a plurality of contact terminals, each of which is partially located in the recess, partially embedded in the bottom wall, and partially extended outward from the bottom wall; and a power cord electrically connected to the circuit board . The power converter according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein each of the contact terminals includes a first part, a fixed part, and a second part, and the fixed part is connected to the first part and the second part. Among them, the first portion is located in the recessed portion, the fixed portion is embedded in the bottom wall, and the second portion extends outward from the bottom wall and is located in the accommodation space. The power converter according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the front panel includes an opening, the opening is connected to the recess of the electrical connector, and the shape of the opening matches the shape of the recess. The power converter according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electrical connector includes: a plurality of wires electrically connected to the circuit board, and each of the wires has a bare wire portion; and a plurality of lead tabs, Each of the contact terminals corresponds to the plurality of contact terminals and is affixed to the bottom wall of the insulating body. Each of the lead plates includes a hole and a clamping member. The hole is corresponding to the second part of the contact terminal. Connected, the clamping member clamps the bare wire portion of the corresponding wire. The power converter according to item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electrical connector includes an insulating cover fixed on the bottom wall, and covers the plurality of contact terminals and the plurality of lead pieces. The power converter according to item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the insulating body includes a plurality of protrusions protruding from the bottom wall, and the plurality of protrusions are structured to position the plurality of lead pieces at The bottom wall isolates the plurality of contact pieces. The power converter according to item 4 of the scope of patent application, wherein the bottom wall of the insulating body includes a first side edge and a second side edge opposite to the first side edge, each of which is connected The sheet is attached to the bottom wall and extends along the bottom wall toward the first side or the second side, and the insulating body includes a first side wall and a second side wall opposite to the first side wall. The clamping member of each of the contact pieces is adjacent to the first side wall or the second side wall. The power converter according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the insulating body and the first case are integrally formed by injection molding technology, wherein the first case includes a plurality of depressions adjacent to the first case. A connecting portion between the side wall and the bottom wall of the insulating body. The power converter according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the first housing includes a first connection portion, and the second housing includes a second connection portion corresponding to the first connection portion, wherein the first A connection portion includes a plurality of first fasteners, and the second connection portion includes a plurality of second fasteners. The plurality of first fasteners respectively correspond to the plurality of second fasteners and are buckled with each other. The first casing is connected to the second casing. The power converter according to item 9 of the scope of patent application, wherein the second connection portion includes a groove, the first connection portion includes a plurality of flanges corresponding to the groove, and the first connection portion is connected At the second connection portion, and the plurality of flanges are embedded in the groove. The power converter according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electrical connector is a C6 connector, a C8 connector, or a C14 connector that complies with the IEC 60320 standard. The power converter according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the power converter has a specific thickness, and the specific thickness is not greater than 23 mm. An electrical connector module includes: a first housing including a front panel and a side wall, wherein the front panel and the side wall define an accommodation space; and an electrical connector including: an insulating body, and The first housing is a single piece integrally formed, and includes a recess and a bottom wall. The insulating body is connected to the front panel and is located in the accommodating space. The insulating body, the front panel, and the side wall are Integrally formed; and a plurality of contact terminals, each of which is partially located in the recess, partially embedded in the bottom wall, and partially extended outward from the bottom wall. The electrical connector module according to item 13 of the scope of patent application, wherein each of the contact terminals includes a first part, a fixed part, and a second part, and the fixed part is connected to the first part and the second part Between the parts, wherein the first part is located in the recessed part, the fixing part is embedded in the bottom wall, and the second part extends outward from the bottom wall and is located in the accommodation space. The electrical connector module according to item 14 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the front panel includes an opening, the opening is connected to the recess of the electrical connector, and the shape of the opening matches the shape of the recess. The electrical connector module according to item 14 of the scope of application for a patent, wherein the electrical connector includes: a plurality of wires electrically connected to a circuit board, and each of the wires has a bare wire portion; and a plurality of conductive connections Piece corresponding to the plurality of contact terminals individually and attached to the bottom wall of the insulating body, wherein each of the lead-in pieces includes a hole and a clamping member, and the hole is corresponding to the first portion of the corresponding contact terminal. The two parts are connected, and the clamping member holds the bare wire portion of the corresponding wire. The electrical connector module according to item 16 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electrical connector includes an insulating cover fixed on the bottom wall, and covers the plurality of contact terminals and the plurality of lead pieces. The electrical connector module according to item 13 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electrical connector is a C6 connector, a C8 connector, or a C14 connector that complies with the IEC 60320 standard.