TWI661618B - Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses an electrical connector, which includes: a terminal member having a row of first terminals and a row of second terminals opposite to the row of first terminals; and a housing for receiving the terminal member, the housing having A top wall and a bottom wall extending along the first direction and the second direction, and a pair of side walls extending along the second direction and the third direction. The first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are perpendicular to each other. When the terminal component is inserted into the housing, the housing can position the terminal component in a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction. Therefore, the housing and the terminal components can be pre-assembled together in an appropriate relative position to form an integral piece and sold to the customer together, which is convenient for the customer to achieve quick installation on site, saving time and effort, and is very convenient. In addition, the present invention can increase the current carrying capacity of the entire terminal member by increasing the number of terminals on the terminal member, and can support a larger current.

Description

Electrical connector and electrical connector assembly

The present invention relates to an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly, to a power connector and a power connector assembly.

In the existing power connector, the housing and the terminal components are two separate and independent components. The housing does not restrict the position of the terminal components accommodated in the housing. The terminal components can move freely within the housing. The relative position between them is uncertain and easily displaced. Therefore, the two cannot be assembled together in a predetermined positional relationship in advance. Therefore, when installing the power connector on the site, workers need to manually maintain the housing and terminal components at appropriate relative positions, and then tighten the positioning screws, so that the housing and terminal components can finally be fixed to the appropriate relative positions to Connection board. This results in that when operating in the field, workers need to spend a lot of time to locate the relative position between the housing and the terminal parts, with a little carelessness, the housing and the terminal parts are displaced, which in turn causes the housing and the terminal parts to be displaced. The positioning accuracy is insufficient, which affects the contact performance of the power connector after assembly.

Therefore, the existing installation of such a power connector is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also the position accuracy between the housing and the terminal parts of the installed power connector is not high.

In view of the foregoing technical problems in the prior art, it is necessary to provide a power connector that is convenient for quick installation in the field, and the housing and terminal portion of the power connector after installation The pieces can be accurately maintained at the appropriate relative positions.

The purpose of the present invention is to solve at least one aspect of the above problems and defects in the prior art.

The present invention provides an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly including the same. The housing and terminal components of the electrical connector can be pre-assembled together at an appropriate relative position to form an integral piece, which is sold to customers together. It is convenient for customers to achieve quick installation on site.

The invention provides an electrical connector and an electrical connector assembly including the same. The housing of the electrical connector restricts the positions of the terminal components contained in the housing in various directions, so that the housing and the terminals can be connected. The parts are precisely held in the appropriate relative positions.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector including: a terminal member having a row of first terminals and a row of second terminals opposite to the row of first terminals; and a housing for receiving the Terminal component, the housing has a top wall and a bottom wall extending in a first direction and a second direction, and a pair of side walls extending in a second direction and a third direction, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction They are perpendicular to each other, and when the terminal member is inserted into the housing, the housing can position the terminal member in a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal member includes: a ring-shaped base, the first terminals in the row and the second terminals in the row are respectively connected to a pair of sides of one side of the ring-shaped base; and a pair of wings A pair of wing-shaped portions connected to a pair of side edges on the other side of the annular base portion, respectively. The casing includes: a pair of elastic pieces protruding from a top wall and a bottom wall of the casing respectively; and a pair of side wings respectively connected to a pair of side walls of the casing. Wherein, a first positioning protrusion and a second positioning protrusion are formed on the top and bottom of the annular base, respectively, and a first positioning opening and a second positioning opening are respectively formed on the pair of elastic pieces; Wherein, a first positioning stopper and a second positioning stopper are respectively formed on the outer side portions of the pair of wing portions, and a first positioning slot and a second positioning stopper are respectively formed on the outer side portions of the pair of side wings. A notch; and wherein, when the terminal member is inserted into the housing: (a) the pair of elastic pieces are elastically squeezed on the top and bottom of the ring-shaped base to restrict the terminal member from moving in the third direction; (b) ) The first positioning protrusion and the second positioning protrusion are snapped into the first positioning opening and the second positioning opening, respectively, for restricting the movement of the terminal component in the second direction; and (c) the The first positioning stopper and the second positioning stopper are respectively inserted into the first positioning slot and the second positioning slot, and are used to limit the movement of the terminal component in the first direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the ring-shaped base is an open, non-closed ring-shaped member, so that the ring-shaped base can be appropriately deformed under the compression of the pair of elastic pieces, so that the terminal member can be inserted into the housing.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the row of first terminals or the row of second terminals includes five or more than five terminals.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the row of first terminals or the row of second terminals includes seven or more terminals.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the number of first terminals in the row of first terminals is equal to the number of second terminals in the row of second terminals.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the shapes and sizes of the first terminals and the second terminals are completely the same.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the row of first terminals and the row of second terminals are arranged along the third direction, respectively; and the row of first terminals and the row of second terminals are in the third direction to each other Staggered by a predetermined pitch.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined pitch is equal to or smaller than a terminal width.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the pair of wing portions and the pair of side wings extend along the first direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an elongated slot is formed on the top wall and the bottom wall of the casing, respectively.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the casing is a conductive member made of a conductive material.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector assembly including: at least one electrical connector, the electrical connectors are defined by any one of the foregoing technical solutions; and a conductive connection plate, wherein the The isoelectric connector is connected to the conductive connection board, and a pair of wing portions of the terminal member are in electrical contact with the conductive connection board.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pair of wing portions of the terminal member and a pair of side wings of the housing are fastened together to the conductive connecting plate by a connecting member, thereby connecting the electrical connectors to the conductive Connection board.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connectors are vertically mounted on a surface of the conductive connection plate.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a pair of first connection holes are respectively formed on the pair of wing portions; a pair of second connection holes are respectively formed on the pair of side wings; the first connection holes on the pair of wing portions Corresponding to the second connection holes on the pair of wings, the connectors pass through the first and the second connection holes, thereby fastening the pair of wings and the pair of wings to the conductive connection plate. .

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector assembly includes a plurality of electrical connectors, and the plurality of electrical connectors are electrically connected to each other through the conductive connection plate.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connectors are power connectors for supplying power.

Compared with the prior art, the housing of the electrical connector of the present invention directly contacts the terminal components, and restricts the movement of the terminal components in various directions. Therefore, the housing and the terminal components can be pre-assembled together at an appropriate relative position to form a whole. Pieces, sold to customers together, allowing customers to quickly install on site without having to manually maintain the housing on site The relative position with the terminal parts saves time and effort and is very easy to install. In addition, the present invention can increase the current carrying capacity of the entire terminal member by increasing the number of terminals on the terminal member, and can support a larger current.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and may help to have a comprehensive understanding of the present invention.

10‧‧‧electrical connector

20‧‧‧ conductive connection plate

100‧‧‧Terminal parts

110‧‧‧First terminal

111‧‧‧ the top of the ring base

112‧‧‧ the bottom of the ring base

120‧‧‧Second Terminal

130‧‧‧ ring base

131‧‧‧ the first positioning protrusion

132‧‧‧ second positioning protrusion

133‧‧‧ the first end

134‧‧‧ second end

140‧‧‧wing

141‧‧‧first connection hole

142‧‧‧first connection hole

143‧‧‧First positioning baffle

150‧‧‧wing

151‧‧‧first connection hole

152‧‧‧first connection hole

153‧‧‧Second positioning stop

200‧‧‧ shell

201‧‧‧ sidewall

202‧‧‧ sidewall

203‧‧‧Top Wall

204‧‧‧ bottom wall

211‧‧‧ shrapnel

212‧‧‧ shrapnel

221‧‧‧Slim notch

231‧‧‧First positioning opening

232‧‧‧Second positioning opening

240‧‧‧ Flanks

241‧‧‧Second connection hole

242‧‧‧Second connection hole

250‧‧‧ Flanks

251‧‧‧Second connection hole

252‧‧‧Second connection hole

301‧‧‧Connector / nut

302‧‧‧Connector / Bolt

X‧‧‧ first direction

Y‧‧‧ second direction

Z‧‧‧ Third direction

FIG. 1 shows an exploded schematic view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of an assembled electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front side; and FIG. 3 shows an electrical connector according to the present invention. An assembled perspective view of an assembled electrical connector viewed from the rear side; FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the assembled electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front side; and FIG. 5 shows an assembled electrical connector according to the present invention A schematic perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of one embodiment.

The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail through the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. In the description, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar components. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings is intended to explain the general inventive concept of the present invention, and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

According to the concept of the present invention, an electrical connector is provided, which includes: a terminal member 100 having a row of first terminals 110 and a row of second terminals 120 opposite to the row of first terminals 110; and a housing 200 for receiving The terminal component 100 includes a top wall 203 and a bottom wall 204 extending along a first direction X and a second direction Y, and a pair of side walls 201 and 202 extending along the second direction Y and a third direction Z. The first The direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z are perpendicular to each other. Wherein, when the terminal member 100 is inserted into the housing 200, the external The case 200 may position the terminal member 100 in the first direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z directions.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded schematic view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of an assembled electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front side; and FIG. 3 shows an electrical connector according to the present invention. A schematic perspective view of the assembled electrical connector of one embodiment as viewed from the rear side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the electrical connector mainly includes a terminal member 100 and a housing 200 for receiving the terminal member 100. The terminal member 100 includes a row of first terminals 110 and a row of second terminals 120 opposite to the row of first terminals 110. The housing 200 has a top wall 203 and a bottom wall 204 extending in a first direction (left-right direction) X and a second direction (front-back direction) Y, and a pair of side walls extending in the second direction Y and third direction (up-down direction) Z. 201 and 202, the first direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z are perpendicular to each other.

Please continue to refer to FIGS. 1 to 3. The terminal component 100 also includes a ring-shaped base 130, and a row of the first terminals 110 and a row of the second terminals 120 are respectively connected to a pair of sides of one side of the ring-shaped base 130; And a pair of wing-like portions 140 and 150 which are respectively connected to a pair of side edges of the other side of the annular base portion 130.

1 to 3, the housing 200 includes: a pair of elastic pieces 211, 212, a pair of elastic pieces 211, 212 project from the top wall 203 and the bottom wall 204 of the housing 200, respectively; and a pair of side wings 240, 250, the The pair of side wings 240 and 250 are connected to a pair of side walls 201 and 202 of the housing 200, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a first positioning protrusion 131 and a second positioning protrusion 132 are formed on the top 111 and the bottom 112 of the ring-shaped base 130, respectively, and a pair of elastic pieces 211 and 212 are formed respectively. The first positioning opening 231 and the second positioning opening 232.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, a first positioning stopper piece 143 and a second positioning stopper piece 153 are formed on the outer side portions of the pair of wing portions 140 and 150, respectively, and outside the pair of side wings 240 and 250. A first positioning slot 243 and a second positioning slot 253 are formed on the side portions, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the terminal member 100 is inserted into the housing 200: (a) a pair of elastic pieces 211 and 212 are elastically pressed on the top 111 and the bottom 112 of the ring-shaped base 130 to limit the terminal member 100. Movement in the third direction Z; (b) the first positioning protrusion 131 and the second positioning protrusion 132 are respectively snapped into the first positioning opening 231 and the second positioning opening 232, and are used to restrict the terminal member 100 Movement in two directions Y; and (c) the first positioning stop piece 143 and the second positioning stop piece 153 are inserted into the first positioning slot 243 and the second positioning slot 253, respectively, for restricting the terminal member 100 Move in direction X.

As such, when the terminal member 100 is inserted into the housing 200, the housing 200 directly contacts the terminal member 100 to limit the movement of the terminal member 100 in any one of the first direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z, thereby The position of the terminal member 100 in various directions is reliably restricted. Therefore, the housing 200 and the terminal member 100 can be pre-assembled together in an appropriate relative position to form an integral piece, which is sold to the customer together, which facilitates the customer's quick installation on site. Without the need to manually maintain the relative position between the housing 200 and the terminal member 100 at the scene, time and labor are saved, and installation is very convenient.

Fig. 4 shows a plan view of an assembled electrical connector viewed from the front side according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ring-shaped base portion 130 is a closed and unclosed ring-shaped member, and has a first end 133 and a second end 134 that are separated from each other and can move relatively. The advantage of using such an unclosed annular member is that the annular base portion 130 can be appropriately deformed by the pair of elastic pieces 211 and 212, and therefore, the terminal member 100 can be smoothly assembled into the housing 200, and the A sufficient elastic pressing force is generated to reliably position the terminal member 100 between the pair of elastic pieces 211 and 212.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a row of the first terminals 110 or a row of the second terminals 120 includes five or more terminals. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a row of the first terminals 110 and a row of the second terminals 120 each include seven terminals. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment, and a row of the first terminals 110 or a row of the second terminals 120 may also include Eight or more terminals.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the number of first terminals in a row of first terminals 110 is equal to the number of second terminals in a row of second terminals 120, and the first terminals 110 and the second The shape and size of the terminals 120 are completely the same.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 4. A row of the first terminals 110 and a row of the second terminals 120 are respectively arranged along the third direction Z; and a row of the first terminals 110 and a row of the second terminals 120 are staggered from each other in the third direction Z. spacing. The predetermined pitch may be equal to or smaller than a terminal width. Therefore, the number of terminals can be increased to improve the current carrying capacity in order to support a larger current.

Please continue to refer to FIGS. 1 to 4, a pair of wing portions 140 and 150 and a pair of side wings 240 and 250 extend along the first direction X.

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, an elongated slot 221 is formed on the top wall 203 and the bottom wall 204 of the housing 200, respectively. Therefore, the materials required for manufacturing the housing 200 can be reduced, the weight of the housing 200 can be reduced, and the savings can be saved. cost.

In order to further improve the current carrying capacity of the electrical connector, in an embodiment of the present invention, the housing 200 may be made of a conductive material. Therefore, when the housing 200 is in direct contact with the terminal member 100, the housing 200 can also share a portion of the current. This improves the current carrying capacity of the entire electrical connector and can support larger currents.

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of an electrical connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electrical connector assembly includes at least one electrical connector 10 and a conductive connection plate 20 as described in the foregoing embodiment. The electrical connector 10 is connected to the conductive connection plate 20, and the pair of wing portions 140 and 150 of the terminal member 100 are in electrical contact with the conductive connection plate 20.

In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the pair of wing portions 140 and 150 of the terminal member 100 and the pair of side wings 240 and 250 of the housing 200 are fastened together to the conductive connection by the connecting members 301 and 302. Board 20 to connect the electrical connector 10 to the conductive connection board 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, a pair of first and second wing portions 140 and 150 are respectively formed. A connection hole 141, 142, 151, 152; a pair of second connection holes 241, 242, 251, 252 are formed on a pair of side wings 240, 250; a first connection hole 141 on a pair of wing portions 140, 150 , 142, 151, 152 correspond to the second connection holes 241, 242, 251, 252 on the pair of side wings 240, 250.

As shown in FIG. 5, each connecting member includes a bolt 302 and a nut 301. The bolt 302 passes through the first and second connection holes. The nut 301 is screwed on the bolt 302, so that a pair of wing portions 140, 150 and A pair of side wings 240 and 250 are fastened to the conductive connection plate 20.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the four first connection holes 141, 142, 151, and 152 include three circular holes 141, 151, 152 and one oblong hole 142. The diameter of the three circular holes 141, 151, 152. Correspondingly, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the four second connection holes 241, 242, 251, and 252 include three circular holes 141, 151, and 152 and one oblong hole 242. The length is larger than the diameters of the other three circular holes 241, 251, 252. The purpose of using the oblong holes 142 and 242 is to facilitate the mounting of the fastener for the electrical connector on the connecting plate 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the electrical connector 10 is vertically mounted on the surface of the conductive connection plate 20.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the electrical connector assembly includes two electrical connectors 10, and the two electrical connectors 10 are electrically connected to each other through a conductive connection plate 20. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. In another embodiment, the electrical connector assembly may include three or more electrical connectors 10.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrical connector 10 is a power connector for supplying power.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of illustration, but should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

Although some embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that without departing from the principles and spirit of the present general inventive concept In the following, changes can be made to these embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of patent applications and their equivalents.

It should be noted that the word "include" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. In addition, any element number in the patent application scope should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention.

Claims (17)

An electrical connector includes: a terminal member (100) having a row of first terminals (110) and a row of second terminals (120) opposite the first terminals (110); and a housing (200) , Which is used for accommodating the terminal part (100), the housing has a top wall (203) and a bottom wall (204) extending in a first direction (X) and a second direction (Y), and a second direction (Y) And a pair of side walls (201, 202) extending in the third direction (Z), the first direction (X), the second direction (Y), and the third direction (Z) are perpendicular to each other, and are characterized in that: When the terminal member (100) is inserted into the housing (200), the housing (200) can position the terminal member (100) in a first direction (X), a second direction (Y), and a third direction (Z). Wherein, the terminal member (100) includes: a ring-shaped base (130), the row of first terminals (110) and the row of second terminals (120) are connected to one side of the ring-shaped base (130), respectively. A pair of side edges; and a pair of wing portions (140, 150), which are respectively connected to a pair of side edges of the other side of the annular base portion (130), the casing (200) includes: a pair of shrapnels (211, 212), the pair of shrapnels (211, 212) respectively The top wall (203) and the bottom wall (204) of the casing (200) project; and a pair of side wings (240, 250), which are respectively connected to a pair of side walls of the casing (200) (201, 202), wherein a first positioning protrusion (131) and a second positioning protrusion (132) are respectively formed on the top (111) and the bottom (112) of the annular base (130), and A first positioning opening (231) and a second positioning opening (232) are respectively formed on the pair of elastic pieces (211, 212); wherein, the outer side portions of the pair of wing portions (140, 150) are respectively formed A first positioning stop (143) and a second positioning stop (153), and a first positioning slot (143) and a second positioning slot are formed on the outer edges of the pair of side wings (240, 250), respectively. (153); and wherein, when the terminal member (100) is inserted into the housing (200): (a) the pair of elastic pieces (211, 212) are elastically pressed on the top (111) of the annular base (130) and The bottom (112) is used to restrict the movement of the terminal component (100) in the third direction (Z); (b) the first positioning protrusion (131) and the second positioning protrusion (132) are respectively locked Snap into the first positioning opening (231) and the second positioning opening (232) for limiting the terminal The movement of the piece (100) in the second direction (Y); and (c) the first positioning stop (143) and the second positioning stop (153) are inserted into the first positioning slot (143) and The second positioning notch (153) is used to limit the movement of the terminal member (100) in the first direction (X). The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped base (130) is a disconnected and unclosed ring-shaped member, so that the ring-shaped base (130) can be pressed by the pair of elastic pieces (211, 212) Proper deformation is generated to facilitate insertion of the terminal member (100) into the housing (200). The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein the row of first terminals (110) or the row of second terminals (120) include five or more terminals. The electrical connector of claim 3, wherein the row of first terminals (110) or the row of second terminals (120) include seven or more terminals. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein the number of the first terminals in the row of the first terminals (110) is equal to the number of the second terminals in the row of the second terminals (120). For example, the electrical connector of claim 5, wherein the shapes and sizes of the first terminals (110) and the second terminals (120) are exactly the same. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein the first terminal (110) in the row and the second terminal (120) in the row are respectively arranged along the third direction (Z); and the first terminal (110) in the row ) And the row of second terminals (120) are offset from each other by a predetermined distance in the third direction (Z). The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the predetermined pitch is equal to or smaller than a terminal width. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the pair of wing portions (140, 150) and the pair of side wings (240, 250) extend in the first direction (X). The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein an elongated slot (221) is formed on the top wall (203) and the bottom wall (204) of the casing (200), respectively. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the casing (200) is a conductive member made of a conductive material. An electrical connector assembly, comprising: at least one electrical connector (10), the electrical connectors (10) being defined by any one of the foregoing claims 1 to 11; and a conductive connection plate (20 ), Wherein the electrical connectors (10) are connected to the conductive connection plate (20), and a pair of wing portions (140, 150) of the terminal member (100) are electrically connected to the conductive connection plate (20). contact. The electrical connector assembly of claim 12, wherein a pair of wing portions (140, 150) of the terminal member (100) and a pair of side wings (240, 250) of the housing (200) are connected by a connecting member (301 , 302) and are fastened together to the conductive connection plate (20), so as to connect the electrical connectors (10) to the conductive connection plate (20). The electrical connector assembly of claim 13, wherein the electrical connectors (10) are vertically mounted on the surface of the conductive connection plate (20). The electrical connector assembly of claim 14, wherein a pair of first connection holes (141, 142, 151, 152) are respectively formed in the pair of wing portions (140, 150); and the pair of side wings (240, 250) ) Are respectively formed with a pair of second connection holes (241, 242, 251, 252); the first connection holes (141, 142, 151, 152) on the pair of wing portions (140, 150) and the pair of side wings ( 240, 250) corresponding to the second connection holes (241, 242, 251, 252), the connection members pass through the first and the second connection holes, thereby the pair of wings (140, 150) and the pair of side wings (240, 250) are fastened to the conductive connection plate (20). The electrical connector assembly according to claim 15, wherein the electrical connector assembly includes a plurality of electrical connectors (10), and the plurality of electrical connectors (10) are electrically connected to each other through the conductive connection plate (20). The electrical connector assembly of claim 12, wherein the electrical connectors (10) are power connectors for supplying power.