WO2023008880A1

WO2023008880A1 - Connector assembly enabling coupling through single operation

Info

Publication number: WO2023008880A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/010974
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김성권; 김진모
Original assignee: 주식회사 유비씨에스
Priority date: 2021-07-26
Filing date: 2022-07-26
Publication date: 2023-02-02
Also published as: KR102573088B1; KR20230019409A

Abstract

The present invention provides a connector assembly for connecting an electric cable to various electrical devices. The present invention can provide a connector assembly comprising: a plug coupled to an electric cable; and a socket provided to a predetermined electrical device, and coupled to the plug so as to electrically connect the electrical device to the electric cable, wherein the plug comprises: a housing, which has a hollow member and accommodates the electric cable; and a coupling sleeve, which wraps an end portion of the housing, and can slide while elastically supported at the outer periphery of the end portion of the housing, and the socket comprises: a body, which has a hollow member and is inserted between the housing and the coupling sleeve for coupling of the socket and the plug; and a latch, which is provided in the body so as to be movable in the radial direction of the body, and couples the body to the housing by selectively protruding inward or outward in the radial direction from the body by means of the coupling sleeve and the housing.

Description

Connector assembly that can be mated in a single operation

The present invention relates to electrical equipment, and more particularly, to a connector assembly configured to connect an external cable to the electrical equipment.

In general, electrical equipment is driven by electricity supplied from the outside, and an electric cable is used to supply electricity to the electrical equipment. An electric cable may be connected to an external power source and an electric facility to supply electricity from the power source to the corresponding electric facility. In this case, the electric cable may be referred to as a power cable. In addition, among electrical equipment, communication equipment is configured to exchange electrical signals for communication between a transmitting side and a receiving side in order to enable various types of two-way communication, and an electric cable can also be used for the exchange of such electrical signals. there is. In communication facilities, electric cables connect transmitting and receiving equipment to each other and function as a transmission medium for transmitting electric signals over long distances. In this case, the electric cables may be referred to as communication cables. That is, an electric cable is a medium that transmits various types of electrical and physical properties, for example, electricity or electrical signals, and can be connected to electrical equipment to transfer and exchange these electrical properties.

In order to connect such an electric cable to an electric facility or communication facility, a dedicated connector is installed on the electric cable in the form of an assembly in which several parts are combined. In addition, this connector assembly may be configured to selectively disconnect an electric cable from the electrical or communication equipment to cope with the movement of the electrical and communication equipment and various other required situations.

More specifically, the connector assembly may include, for example, a plug connected to an electric cable and a socket installed in an electrical facility and coupled with the plug. Also, in most cases, the plug and socket are coupled to each other using a conventional fastening mechanism, for example, screw coupling, for selective detachment. However, although this conventional fastening mechanism provides a firm coupling, since the fastening member must be rotated many times for screw coupling, a lot of work and time are required when coupling the plug and the socket. Therefore, when an electric cable is connected to an electric facility using a conventional connector assembly, workability and productivity may be deteriorated.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly configured to quickly couple an electric cable to an electric device with little work.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a plug coupled with an electric cable (plug); and a socket provided in a predetermined electric device and coupled to the plug to electrically connect the electric device to the electric cable, wherein the plug is made of a hollow member and accommodates the electric cable. A housing configured to; and a coupling sleeve that surrounds the end of the housing and is elastically supported on the outer circumference of the end of the housing and configured to be slidable, wherein the socket is made of a hollow member and is coupled to the socket and the plug. a body inserted between the housing and the coupling sleeve; and is provided on the body to be movable in the radial direction of the body, and is configured to selectively protrude inward or outward from the body in the radial direction by the coupling sleeve and the housing to couple the body to the housing. It is possible to provide a connector assembly including a latch (latch) to be.

In addition, the housing of the plug may include a coupling groove formed on an outer circumference thereof and configured to engage the latch.

More specifically, the latch is configured to protrude outward in the radial direction while the body of the socket is inserted and approach the coupling groove while retracting the coupling sleeve, and when reaching the coupling groove, radially inward. It may be configured to protrude into and be inserted into and constrained in the coupling groove while advancing the coupling sleeve.

A connector assembly according to the present invention may include a socket having a latch configured to be movable in a radial direction and a plug configured to be coupled to the socket. While the plug and the socket are engaged with each other, the latch of the socket protrudes radially or protrudes inward in the radial direction selectively by the members of the plug disposed around it to expose the engaging groove formed in the plug to be accessible and Can be inserted and restrained. This series of operations can be performed only by relative movement of the socket while being engaged with the plug, due to the configuration of the latch and the optimal arrangement of peripheral members. Accordingly, the socket and the plug can be coupled to each other by the latch with only a single operation of pushing the plug into the socket. In addition, through the reverse process, the socket and the plug can be separated from each other with a single operation of pulling the plug from the socket.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the socket and plug can quickly couple the electric cable to the electric device with little work, and thus workability and productivity can be greatly increased.

The effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned in the following detailed description, and the effects not mentioned are those skilled in the art from the following description together with the accompanying drawings. will be more clearly understandable to you.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector assembly according to the present invention.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plug of the connector assembly of FIG. 1;

3 is a side view, a front view, and a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a socket of the connector assembly of FIG. 1;

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a socket of the connector assembly.

5 is a cross-sectional view of the plug assembly taken along line A-A in FIG. 1;

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a connector assembly showing coupling processes between a socket and a plug.

7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly showing the socket and plug mated together.

Examples of connector assemblies for electric cables according to the present invention are described in detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the description of these examples, the same or similar elements are given the same reference numerals regardless of reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "unit" for components used in the following description are given or used together in consideration of ease of writing the specification, and do not have meanings or roles that are distinct from each other by themselves. In addition, in describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiment disclosed in this specification, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are only for easy understanding of the examples disclosed in this specification, and the technical idea disclosed in this specification is not limited by the accompanying drawings, and all changes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention, It should be understood to include equivalents or alternatives.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. These terms are only used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

It is understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in the middle. It should be. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another element, it should be understood that no other element exists in the middle.

Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present invention, terms such as "comprise", "include" or "have" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist. However, it should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In addition, for the same reason, the present invention may also provide some features from combinations of related features, numbers, steps, operations, components, and parts described using the above-mentioned terms, unless departing from the intended technical purpose and effect of the disclosed invention. However, it should also be understood that combinations in which numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, etc. are omitted are also included.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a connector assembly according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a plug of the connector assembly of FIG. 1 . 3 is a side view, a front view, and a partial cross-sectional view showing a socket of the connector assembly of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the socket of the connector assembly. Finally, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the plug assembly taken along line A-A in FIG. 1 . With reference to these drawings, the configuration of a connector assembly for connection of an electric cable is described in detail in the following.

Examples described in the present invention relate to

connector assemblies

100 and 200 configured to connect an electric cable C, which is a medium that transmits various types of electrical properties, to a predetermined electric device. As mentioned in the prior art, these electric cables (C) may be power cables configured to be connected to an external power source and an electric device, respectively, to supply electricity from the power source to the electric device. On the other hand, the electric cable (C) can be a communication cable that enables the exchange of electric signals for communication between the electric device, that is, the communication device and other remote communication devices. In the following, the present invention will be described as an example of

connector assemblies

100 and 200 configured to connect an electric cable C made of such a power or communication cable to an intended electric device, but examples of the described connector assemblies 100 and 200 are those It can be applied as it is to the connection of cables configured to transmit other electrical state quantities in addition to electricity and electrical signals without substantial modification to the principle and configuration of .

First, referring to FIG. 1 , a connector assembly may include a plug 100 and a socket 200 coupled thereto. As shown, the plug 100 may be primarily coupled with the electric cable (C). The socket 200 is provided in a predetermined electrical device and can be electrically connected to internal parts of the electrical device. Accordingly, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, electrical coupling or connection is achieved by such physical coupling. Therefore, the electrical device is electrically connected to the electrical cable C by the combined plug 100 and the socket 200, that is, the connected or assembled connector assembly, and supplies various electrical energy or state quantities including electricity or electrical signals. can receive More specifically, as described in detail later, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, the front portion of the plug 100, that is, the end of the plug 100 facing the socket 200 is It can be at least partially inserted into the socket 200, and also, for secure coupling, the front part of the socket 200, that is, the end of the socket 200 facing the plug 100 is also at least partially connected to the plug 100. ) can be inserted into

In the description of the connector assembly itself and its components that follow, "front" refers to a relatively close proximity to the target device to be coupled (i.e., socket 200 to plug 100, plug 100 to socket 200). location, and “rear” means a location relatively far from such a target device. However, this definition is relative to the reference position (ie, relative proximity and distance), and may change according to the change of the reference position, and the definition of the corresponding part of the connector assembly and its components may also change.

In addition, as shown in the accompanying drawings, the connector assembly, that is, the plug 100 and the socket 200, is configured to enclose the whole while accommodating other components to be coupled for stable connection. Accordingly, unless specifically stated to the contrary, all of the components of the connector assembly in the following may consist of a hollow cylindrical structure or member. In addition, in order to maintain sufficient strength, all components of the connector assembly may be made of a metal material unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, all components of the connector assembly in the illustrated examples have circular cross-sections, but may also have other shapes, such as triangular or square cross-sections.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, since the main components of the connector assembly, that is, the plug 100 and the socket 200 have a hollow cylindrical structure, unless otherwise stated, these

components

100 and 200 are provided. All additional members and structures that are provided may be provided on at least a portion of the outer or inner periphery of these 100, 200, or may extend or be formed entirely along the circumferential direction of the outer or inner periphery for more stable coupling of the connector assembly.

Under this premise, to describe the connector assembly in more detail, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , first, the plug 100 may include a housing 110 made of a hollow member. The housing 110 can accommodate various components in its internal space, and for example, an electric cable C can also be partially accommodated in the housing 110 while being coupled with the internal components. For maintenance of the various

internal parts

130 and 140 described later, the housing 110 may include two first and

second housings

110a and 110b coupled to each other. The first housing 110a may form a front portion of the plug 100, more precisely, the housing 110, and the second housing 110b may form a relatively rear portion of the housing 110. For example, the first and

second housings

110a and 110b may be fastened to each other by screwing, and an elastic ring member may be disposed at the fastening part for sealing.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the first housing 110a is configured to be inserted into the socket 200, and thus may include various structures for coupling with the socket 200. Also, the first housing 110a may include various structures for installing the coupling sleeve 120 described later. In the following, the coupling and installation structure of the first housing 110a will be described, and since the first housing 110a is a part of the housing 110, the characteristics of the coupling and installation structure will also be described as the characteristics of the housing 110 itself. can

First, the first housing 110a may include a coupling groove 111 formed in a circumferential direction on an outer circumference of the body thereof. The coupling groove 111 may be configured such that the latch 220 of the socket 200 to be described later is inserted into and caught therein, and its detailed function will be described later in detail with respect to the latch 220. The coupling groove 111 may be spaced backward by a predetermined distance from the front end of the first housing 110a. The position of the coupling groove 111 may be adjusted according to the size of the socket 200 and the position of the latch 220 within the socket 200 . Also, referring to FIG. 7 , the first housing 110a may have an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the socket 200, more precisely, the body 210 thereof. Therefore, when the first housing 110a is inserted into the socket 200, the outer circumference of the first housing 110a comes into contact with or comes very close to the inner circumferential surface of the body 210, and thus the body 210 is disposed on the outer circumference. It may be configured to press the latch 220 radially outward. This function is also described in detail later with respect to latch 220 .

In addition, the first housing 110a may include a step portion 112 spaced apart from the rear of the coupling groove 111 at a predetermined interval and extending in a circumferential direction on an outer circumference of the body thereof. The step portion 112 is caught on the front end of the socket 200, and thus can function as a stopper to limit the insertion depth of the socket 200 into the plug 100. In addition, the first housing 110a may include a key member 113 disposed rearwardly spaced apart from the coupling groove 111 and the step portion 112 at a predetermined interval. The key member 113 extends along the outer circumference of the first housing 110a and can be stably inserted into the key groove extending along the outer circumference as well. The key member 113 is configured to be caught on the coupling sleeve 120 so that the coupling sleeve 120 described later is not separated from the first housing 110a, and its detailed function is related to the coupling sleeve 120. This will be explained in detail later. Furthermore, a flange 114 may be disposed rearward from the key member 113 at a predetermined interval. The flange 114 extends to a predetermined length in the radial direction of the first housing 110a and may also extend in the circumferential direction thereof. The flange 114 is configured to elastically support the coupling sleeve 120 together with the elastic member 124 described later, and its detailed function will be described later in detail with respect to the coupling sleeve 120.

In addition, the plug 100 may include a coupling sleeve 120 made of a hollow member, precisely a sleeve, like the housing. The coupling sleeve 120 is configured to surround the front end of the housing 110, that is, the first housing 110a, and may be spaced apart from the outer circumference of the first housing 110a at predetermined intervals in the radial direction. Due to the configuration of the coupling sleeve 120, a predetermined space S may be formed between the coupling sleeve 120 and the first housing 110a. Therefore, when the plug 100 is coupled with the socket 200, while the front end of the housing 110, that is, the first housing 110a is inserted into the socket 220, the socket 220 is It is inserted into the space S between the housing 110a and the coupling sleeve 120, and the coupling sleeve 120 binds the socket 220 and couples it to the plug 100.

More specifically, the coupling sleeve 120 may include a body 121 that is a cylindrical hollow member. In addition, the coupling sleeve 120 may include a rim 122 disposed at the front end of the body 121 . The rim 122 may have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the socket 200 and the inner diameter of the body 121 . Accordingly, the coupling sleeve 120 has an expanded inlet by the rim 122, and thus the socket 200 can be smoothly inserted into the space S. On the other hand, the inner diameter of the body 121 may have an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the socket 200 . Therefore, when the socket 200, more precisely, its body 210 is inserted into the space S, the inner circumference of the body 121 contacts or is substantially adjacent to the outer circumference of the body 210 of the socket 200. Accordingly, the latch 220 installed on the body 210 of the socket 200 may be pressed radially inward. The function of this body 121 will be described in more detail later with respect to the latch 220 . In addition, a step portion 123 may be provided between the body 121 and the rim 122 . The step portion 123 may be relatively formed due to the difference in inner diameters of the body 121 and the rim 122 described above, and may be formed along the circumferential direction on the inner circumference of the coupling sleeve 120. The step unit 123 is configured to engage the latch 220 of the socket 200 to be described later, and its function will be described later in detail. In order for the latch 220 to be smoothly hooked onto and then separated from the step portion 123, the step portion 123 may be inclined at an inner circumference of the coupling sleeve 120. That is, the step portion 123 has an inclined surface on which the latch 220 is engaged, and this inclined surface may form an inner circumferential portion or a part of the inner circumferential surface of the coupling sleeve 120 .

In addition, the coupling sleeve 120 may be configured to slide on the outer circumference of the front end of the housing 110, precisely the first housing 110a. For this sliding movement, the coupling sleeve 120 may include a flange 124 extending radially inward from its inner periphery for a predetermined length. As described above, since the housing 110, precisely the first housing 110a, includes the flange 114, the flange 114 of this housing 110 becomes the first flange 114, and relatively The flange 124 of the coupling sleeve 120 may be the second flange 124. The flange 124 is spaced apart from the rear end of the coupling sleeve 120 at a predetermined interval, and is disposed between the key member 113 and the flange 114 of the first housing 110a while maintaining the first housing 110a (ie, The housing 110) may be configured to be caught. More specifically, to be caught on the housing 110, the flange 124 may be configured to be caught on the key member 113 of the housing 110 described above. Since the flange 124 is caught on the key member 113 in this way, the coupling sleeve 120 is limited in its forward movement by the key member 113, and the flange 124 is caught on the flange 114. As a result, the movement of the coupling sleeve 120 in the rearward direction is restricted. That is, the movement of the coupling sleeve 120 in the front and rear directions, that is, in the axial direction of the plug 100, may be substantially limited by the distance between the key member 113 and the flange 114. In addition, an elastic member 125 may be interposed between the flange 124 of the sleeve 120 and the flange 114 of the first housing 110a. The elastic member 125 is compressed when the coupling sleeve 120 moves backward by an external force, and can apply force to the coupling sleeve 120 in a forward direction while recovering when the external force is removed. After the coupling sleeve 120 is moved backward by the elastic member 125, it can return to the position of the key member 113 in the forward direction. Therefore, due to this configuration, the coupling sleeve 120 is elastically supported on the outer circumference of the end of the housing 110 while continuously retreating and advancing in the direction of the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the plug 100, that is, continuously moving and It can be configured to perform reversion. While performing this sliding movement, the coupling sleeve 120 allows the latch 220 of the socket 200 to be inserted into the coupling groove 111 and then constrains the latch 220 in the coupling groove 111. , It is possible to achieve coupling between the plug 100 and the socket 200 by such a series of operations. These processes are described in more detail in the operation of the connector assembly to be described later.

In addition, the plug 100 may include a first terminal 130 disposed within the housing 110 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the first terminal 130 may be combined with the electric cable C to form an electrical connection with the electric cable C. More specifically, the first terminal 130 may include a first insulator 131 and one or more first pins 132 accommodated in the first insulator 131 . The first insulator 131 may be made of an electrical insulating material, and accordingly, electricity from the electric cable C may be prevented from leaking into the body of the plug 100, that is, the housing 110. In addition, the first insulator 131 includes a first through hole 133 formed inside its body, and the first pin 132 can be stably inserted into the through hole 133 . The first insulator 131 may be formed of a single member surrounding the first pin 132 . However, since the first pin 132 has a substantially long length, if a tolerance occurs between the first through hole 133 and the first pin 132, the first pin 132 and the first insulator 131 ) can be difficult to assemble. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 2 , the first insulator 131 may be formed of two separate bodies, that is, first and second

auxiliary insulators

131a and 131b. The first auxiliary insulator 131a may form a front portion of the first insulator 131 , and the second auxiliary insulator 131b may form a rear portion of the first insulator 131 . In addition, a gasket 131c may be interposed between the first and second

auxiliary insulators

131a and 131b to seal the divided first insulator 131 .

The first pin 132 may be made of a substantially solid member, and is made of a conductive material so as to transmit electricity or an electrical signal from the electric cable C to the socket 200, to be precise, its second terminal 230 described later. can be made with The first pin 132 may extend parallel to the central axis of the plug 100 along the first insulator 131, more precisely along the through hole 133 thereof. In addition, the rear end of the first pin 132 can be coupled with the electric cable C, and the front end of the first pin 132 is coupled with the socket 200, precisely its second terminal 230. It may protrude from the front end of the first insulator 132 to a predetermined length.

Such a first terminal 130 may be configured to be fitted into the inner circumference of the housing 110 . In addition, as shown, a step part is formed on the outer circumference of the first terminal 130, that is, the outer circumference of the first insulator 132, and the step part is caught on the inner circumference of the housing 110 so as to be attached to the housing 110. can be stably supported. In addition, the first terminal 130 may be fastened to the housing 110 by a predetermined fastening member. As shown in FIG. 2, the first terminal 130 is formed by a metal ring member 135 interposed between its outer circumferential portion and the inner circumferential portion of the housing 110, for example, a C-ring member to the housing ( 110) can be fastened. More specifically, the ring member 135 is a member extending in the circumferential direction of the first terminal 130, a groove formed on the inner circumference of the housing 110 and an outer circumference of the first terminal 130, that is, the first It may be inserted into the groove 134 formed on the outer periphery of the insulator 132 . Therefore, by the ring member 135, the first terminal 130 can be stably fixed to the plug 100 without being moved in the longitudinal or axial direction of the plug 100.

In addition, the plug 100 includes a housing 110, more precisely, a bushing 140 fitted to the rear end of the second housing 110b and a back nut fastened to the rear end of the second housing 110b. (150) may be included. The bushing 140 is configured to hold the electric cable C while being deformed, and thus may be made of an easily deformable elastic member. The bushing 140 includes an elastic ring member 141 installed on its outer circumference, and the rear end of the second housing 110b is caused by friction between the ring member 141 and the inner circumference of the second housing 110b. It can be press-fitted immovably into the part. In addition, the rear end 151 of the back nut 150 may have an inner diameter that gradually decreases. Therefore, when the back nut 150 is fastened to the rear end of the second housing 110b, the bushing 140 is compressed by the rear end 151 and the electric cable C is not separated from the plug 100. You can hold onto it firmly.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the socket 200 of the connector assembly may include a body 210 made of a hollow member. As described above, when the socket 200 and the plug 100 are coupled, the housing 110 of the plug 100, precisely the front portion of the first housing 110a, is inserted into the body 210, and at the same time the The body 210 may be inserted between the first housing 110a and the coupling sleeve 120, that is, in the space S. In addition, the body 210 may include a bracket 211 extending radially from its outer periphery. The socket 200 may be fixed to the electric device using the bracket 211 . The body 210 may include a groove 212 formed adjacent to its front end and an elastic ring member 213 coupled thereto. As shown in FIG. 7, when the socket 200 and the plug 100 are coupled, the ring member 213 comes into contact with the coupling sleeve 120, more precisely, the inner circumferential surface of the rim 122 thereof, and thus foreign matter The space (S) can be closed so as not to enter the space (S).

In addition, the socket 200 is provided on the body 210 and may include a latch 220 configured to be movable in a radial direction of the body 210 . In addition, the latch 220 may have a greater thickness or height than the thickness of the body 210, and as in the illustrated example, the latch 220, which is a ball member, has a diameter greater than the radial thickness of the body 210. can With this configuration, the latch 220 may protrude radially outward or radially inward. As described above, the body 210 may have an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the housing 110, that is, the first housing 110a, and an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameter of the body 121 of the coupling sleeve 120, , Therefore, when the body 210 is inserted into the space S, the inner circumference of the body 210 may come into contact with the outer circumference of the first housing 110a, and the outer circumference of the body 210 may be connected to the coupling sleeve 210. ) may contact the inner circumference of the body 121, and these contacts may selectively occur according to the degree of insertion of the body 210, as described in detail later. Therefore, while the inner circumference of the body 210 is in contact with or adjacent to the outer circumference of the first housing 110a, the latch 220 is pressed radially outward by the first housing 110a and radially outward, that is, It may protrude to the outside of the body 210 . On the other hand, while the outer circumference of the body 210 is in contact with or adjacent to the inner circumference of the body 121 of the coupling sleeve 210, it is pressed radially inward by the body 121 and is radially inward, that is, the body ( 210) may protrude into the interior. By such selective contact and selective protrusion, the latch 220 is inserted into the coupling groove 111 to couple the socket 200 and the plug 100, precisely its body 210 and the housing 110, , This series of processes will be described in detail in the operation of the connector assembly based on FIGS. 6 and 7 .

More specifically, the socket 200 may have a structure configured to stably accommodate the latch 220 so as to be movable in the radial direction. As such an accommodation structure, the socket 200, as well shown in FIG. 3 (a) and a partial cross-sectional view thereof, includes a through hole 221 formed in the body 210 and a retainer accommodated in the through hole 221 ( 222) may be included. Through hole 221 may extend and orient radially of body 210 to guide radial movement of latch 220 . The retainer 222 is configured to accommodate the latch 220 , and more specifically, may include a through hole 222a accommodating the latch 220 . Like the through hole 221 of the body 210, the through hole 222a of the retainer 222 may also be radially extended and oriented to guide the movement of the latch 220. In addition, the retainer 222 may include a first stopper 222b provided on an outer surface or an outer circumference of the body 210 adjacent to the outer circumference. The first stopper 222b may be formed of a rib extending inwardly from an edge of the through hole 222a, and partially closes the through hole 222a to prevent the latch 220 from moving outward in the radial direction. can be limited Similarly, the socket 200 may include a second stopper 221a provided around the through hole 221 at the inner circumference of the body 210 . The second stopper 221a may be formed of a rib extending inwardly from an edge of the through hole 221, and may partially close the through hole 221 to limit the radially inward movement of the latch 220. . By the through hole 221 and the retainer 222, the latch 220 is not separated from the body 210 and can be stably moved in the radial direction while being accommodated in the through hole 221 and the retainer 222. can

In addition, as described above, while the body 210 is inserted into the space S between the housing 110 and the coupling sleeve 120, the latch 220 protrudes outward or inward in the radial direction of the housing ( 110) or the coupling sleeve 120. During this contact, friction occurs between the latch 220 and the housing 110/coupling sleeve 120, and it may be difficult to smoothly insert the body 210 due to such friction. Thus, to reduce friction, the latch 220 can be configured to be rotatable within the body 210, precisely within the retainer 222. As an example, the rotatable latch 220 may be made of a ball member, as shown, while similarly made of a roller. The latch 220 rotates in the retainer 222 while the body 210 is inserted into the space S while being in contact with or adjacent to the housing 110 or the coupling sleeve 120, and the housing 110 or the coupling It can be configured to roll over the sleeve 120 . Accordingly, the body 210 can be smoothly inserted into the space S between the housing 110 and the coupling sleeve 120 without substantial friction by the latch 220 as described above.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4 , the socket 200 may include a second terminal 230 disposed within the body 210 . The second terminal 230 may be coupled to internal parts of the electric device to form an electrical connection with the parts. More specifically, the second terminal 230 may include a second insulator 231 and one or more second pins 232 accommodated in the second insulator 231 . The second insulator 231 is made of an electrically insulating material, and can prevent electric leakage to the body 210 of the socket 200 and electric shock caused thereby. In addition, the second insulator 231 includes a second through hole 233 formed inside its body, and the second pin 232 is accommodated in the second insulator 231 in the through hole 133. It can be stably inserted. Like the first insulator 131 described above, the second insulator 231 may also be formed of a single member that surrounds and accommodates the second pin 232 . However, like the first pin 132, the second pin 232 may have a substantially longer length so as to extend across the body 210 of the socket 200. Therefore, if there is a tolerance between the second through hole 233 and the second pin 232, the second insulator 231 inserts the second pin 232 along the second through hole 233 due to the long length. ) can be difficult to properly assemble. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4 , the second insulator 231 may be formed of two separate bodies, that is, third and fourth

auxiliary insulators

231a and 231b. The third auxiliary insulator 231a may form a front portion of the second insulator 231 , and the fourth auxiliary insulator 231b may form a rear portion of the second insulator 231 . In addition, a gasket 231c may be interposed between the third and fourth

auxiliary insulators

231a and 231b to seal the divided second insulator 231 .

When the first and

second terminals

130 and 230 are coupled, the first pin 132 of the first terminal 130 may be coupled to the second pin 232 of the second terminal 230 . As described above, since the first pin 132 is made of a solid member, the second pin 232 is a pipe or tube member, that is, substantially a receptacle ( receptacles). Therefore, when the first and

second terminals

130 and 230 are coupled, the first pin 132 is inserted into the corresponding second pin 232 and contacts the inner circumferential surface of the second pin 232 while the first pin 132 is inserted into the second pin 232. 2 can be received in pin 232. On the other hand, contrary to what has been described above, the first pin 132 may be made of a hollow receptacle, and the second pin 232 may be inserted into the first pin 132 as a solid member. For electrical connection with the first pin 132, the second pin 232 may be made of a conductive material, and thus transfers electricity or electrical signals from the electric cable C through the coupled first pin 132. It can be received and provided to the internal parts of the electrical device. The second pin 232 may extend parallel to the central axis of the socket 200 along the second insulator 231, more precisely along the through hole 233 thereof. In addition, as shown, the rear end of the second pin 232 protrudes out of the body 210 of the socket 200 and can be coupled with internal parts of the electric device, and the front end of the second pin 232 The end may be aligned with the through-holes 233 of the second insulator 231 to be coupled with the first pin 132 of the first terminal 130 .

The second terminal 230 may be configured to be inserted into the inner circumference of the body 210 of the socket 200 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a step portion is formed on the outer circumference of the second terminal 230, that is, the outer circumferential portion of the second insulator 231, and the step portion is caught on the inner circumference of the body 210 so that the body ( 210) can be stably supported. In addition, the second terminal 230 may be fastened to the body 210 by a predetermined fastening member. As shown in FIG. 4, the second terminal 230 is formed by a metal ring member 235 interposed between its outer circumferential portion and the inner circumferential portion of the body 210, for example, a C-ring member to the body ( 210) can be fastened. More specifically, the ring member 235 is a member extending in the circumferential direction of the second terminal 230, the groove formed on the inner circumference of the body 210 and the outer circumference of the second terminal 230, that is, the second It may be inserted into the groove 234 formed on the outer periphery of the insulator 231 . Accordingly, the second terminal 230 can be stably fixed in the socket 200 without being moved in the longitudinal or axial direction of the socket 200 by the ring member 235 . In addition, in order to prevent foreign substances from entering the body 210 of the socket 200, the socket 200 or the second terminal 230 is an auxiliary gasket interposed between the second insulator 231 and the body 210. (231d). The auxiliary gasket 231d may extend from the outer circumference of the second insulator 231 to the inner circumference of the body 210 in a radial direction, and is inserted into a groove formed on the inner circumference of the body 210 for stable fixation. may be The auxiliary gasket 231d may be spaced apart from the open front end of the body 210 rearward at a predetermined interval. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, the auxiliary gasket 231d is attached to the housing 110 of the plug 100 together with the step portion of the body 210 supporting it. ), precisely, it is possible to limit the insertion of the end of the first housing 110a. That is, the auxiliary gasket 231d may also function as a stopper to limit the insertion depth of the plug 100 .

As described above, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, the plug 100 and the socket 200 are required to couple the first and

second terminals

130 and 230 to obtain an intended electrical connection. They need to be precisely aligned with each other. Accordingly, the connector assembly may include an alignment structure or alignment mechanism configured to align the plug 100 and socket 200 with each other. It can be described that the alignment structure is configured to precisely align the first terminal 130 to the second terminal 230, since substantially electrical connection is established from the correct coupling of the first and

second terminals

130 and 230. Furthermore, since the coupling of the first and

second terminals

130 and 230 requires the coupling of the first and

second pins

132 and 232, the alignment structure finally forms the first and

second pins

132 and 232. It can also be defined as configured to align precisely.

As shown in FIG. 2, this alignment structure may include

protrusions

115a and 115b provided on the outer circumference of the housing 110 of the plug 100, that is, the front end of the first housing 110a. . Also, as an alignment structure, the socket 200 may include

grooves

215a and 215b formed at the front end of the inner circumference of the body 210 of the socket 200 as shown in FIG. 3 . The

protrusions

115a and 115b are disposed to face each other on the outer circumference of the front end of the first housing 110a and may extend to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the

grooves

215a and 215b are disposed opposite to each other on the inner circumference of the front end of the body 210 and may extend to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, if the

protrusions

115a and 115b are not aligned with the

grooves

215a and 215b, the housing 110 of the plug 100, that is, the first housing ( 110a) cannot be inserted into the body 210 of the socket 200. For this reason, the

protrusions

115a and 115b and the

grooves

215a and 215b substantially align the first and

second pins

132 and 232 with each other while being coupled to each other, and can guide the correct coupling of these

pins

132 and 232. . In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the

grooves

215a and 215b have different circumferential lengths, that is, widths, and similarly, the

protrusions

115a and 115b may also have different circumferential lengths, that is, widths. . In this case, since only the

protrusions

115a and 115b and the

grooves

215a and 215b having the same width can be coupled to each other, more accurate alignment can be performed.

Also, referring to FIG. 2 , in particular, a cross-section of A-A and FIG. 5 in which the cross-section is enlarged, the connector assembly may include an additional alignment structure. If there is a tolerance between the first pin 132 and the second pin 232 receiving it, the first pin 132 can be twisted in the circumferential direction while being inserted into the second pin 232, Due to this twisting, the first terminal 130 may also be twisted as a whole. In addition, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, the twisting of the first terminal 130 and the twisting of the first pin 132 included in the plug 100 and the socket 200 are caused by tolerances in other peripheral parts or for other reasons. this can happen If the first pin 132 and the first insulator 131 are completely constrained so as not to move in the housing 110 of the plug 100, if such a large twist occurs, the plug 100 and the socket 200 Deformation and further breakage of the first insulator and pins 131 and 132 may occur during coupling.

For this reason, the additional alignment structure is formed on the outer circumference of the rib 117 and the first terminal 130, precisely the first insulator 131, protruding from the inner circumference of the housing 110 of the plug 100, and the rib ( 117) may include a recess 131d configured to receive it. Also, the circumferential length, ie, the width, of the recess 131d may be greater than the circumferential length, ie, width, of the rib 117 . The recess 131d and the rib 117 couple the first terminal 130 to the housing 110, while the first terminal 130, that is, the first insulator 131 and the first pin 132 As indicated by an arrow in FIG. 5 relative to the housing 110, it may be allowed to rotate about its central axis. Therefore, the additional alignment structure, i.e., the recess 131d and the rib 117, when twist is applied to the first terminal 130 in the circumferential direction, instead of restraining the first terminal 130 against this twist, is applied. It is possible to allow rotation of the first terminal 130 in the same direction as the circumferential twist. Thus, due to this rotation, the applied twist can be offset to prevent deformation and breakage of the first terminal 130, and the first terminal 130 can more accurately align with the second terminal 230. In addition, as described above, since the first terminal 130 is fastened by the ring member 135 coupled along the circumferential direction, the first terminal 130 due to the twist applied by the ring member 135 Rotation can be guided stably. For example, the first terminal 130 may rotate while being guided by a groove formed in the housing 110 together with the ring member 130 . Accordingly, this ring member 135 and the grooves accommodating it may also be part of the additional alignment structure described above. Further, a recess 131d and a rib 117 are provided in the second auxiliary insulator 131b, but the same recess 131d and a rib 117 are provided in the first auxiliary insulator 131a as shown in FIG. ) can also be provided.

The configuration of the above-described connector assembly can be better understood by its operation, and the operation of such a connector assembly will be described in detail in the following with reference to related drawings.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a connector assembly showing coupling processes between a socket and a plug, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly showing a socket and a plug coupled to each other. Figures 1-5 also illustrate features related to the operation of the connector assembly, and are therefore referenced together in the following.

In general, an electric device is fixed in a predetermined place, and an electric cable (C) can be moved and coupled to this fixed electric device. Therefore, for coupling of the plug 100 and the socket 200, the plug 100 of the electric cable C is pushed into the socket 200 of the fixed electric device.

As shown in FIG. 6(a) , when the plug 100 is pushed toward the socket 200, the housing 110 of the plug 100, that is, the first housing 110a is attached to the socket 200. It can be inserted while entering the body 210. At the same time, as shown, the body 210 of the socket 200 can be relatively inserted into the space S between the first housing 110a and the coupling sleeve 120 while entering in the first direction A. there is.

In this way, while the body 210 moves from the front end of the first housing 110a into the space S, the inner circumference of the body 210 comes into close proximity or contact with the outer circumference of the first housing 110a. . Accordingly, the latch 220 is pressed radially outward by the outer circumference of the first housing 110a and protrudes outward in the radial direction, that is, to the outside of the body 210 . This protrusion may continue while the latch 220 is pressed by the first housing 110a, that is, until it reaches the coupling groove 111. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the protruding latch 220 is caught on the coupling sleeve 210, that is, its inner periphery, more precisely, the step portion 123. Therefore, as the pushing or insertion of the plug 100 proceeds, that is, as the relative movement of the body 210 in the first direction A proceeds, as shown in FIG. 6(b), such a body Along with the movement of 210, i.e., forward movement, the coupling sleeve 120 caught on the latch 220 may also move in the second direction B, i.e., may be retracted. During retraction in the second direction (B), the coupling sleeve 120 is elastically supported while compressing the elastic member 125, and the latch 220 makes the coupling groove 111 accessible to the latch 220. ) can be exposed or opened.

Thereafter, when the latch 220 is moved to the coupling groove 111 according to the continuous movement of the body 210 in the first direction (A), the surface of the step portion 123 and the edge of the coupling groove 111 It is possible to smoothly enter into the coupling groove 111 while performing a rolling motion in a state of contact with. By this entry, the inner circumference of the coupling sleeve 120, that is, the body 121 thereof, comes into close proximity or contact with the outer circumference of the body 210. Therefore, the latch 220 is pressed radially inward by the coupling sleeve 120 and protrudes radially inside the body 210, that is, into the body 210, and is inserted into and caught in the coupling groove 111. In addition, when the latch 220 protrudes into the body 210 in this way, since it no longer protrudes out of the body 210, the coupling sleeve 120 can be released from the latch 220. By this release, that is, by removing the applied external force, the elastic member 125 is restored, and the coupling sleeve 120 can move or return, that is, move forward, in the third direction (C) by its restoring force. As shown in FIG. 7, by the advancement in the third direction (C), the coupling sleeve 120 is returned to its original position, while covering the latch 220, it can be continuously pressed inward in the radial direction. . Accordingly, the coupling sleeve 120 can restrain the latch 220 from being separated from the defective groove 111, and the plug 100 and the socket 200 can be coupled to each other by such restraint. As described above, in the connector assembly of the present invention, only by pushing the plug 100 into the socket 200, the coupling sleeve 120 of the plug 100 continuously retracts and advances while The latch 220 may be simultaneously loaded and locked into the coupling groove 111 . Accordingly, the connector assembly of the present invention quickly and conveniently couples the plug 100 and the socket 200 by a single operation or action such as pushing the plug 100 to the socket 200, thereby electrically The cable (C) can be connected to an electrical device.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 7 , when the socket 200 and the plug 100 are coupled, while the coupling sleeve 120 is moved in the fourth direction (D), that is, the plug 100 naturally moves the socket ( 200). That is, when the plug 100 is pulled while holding the coupling sleeve 120, the coupling sleeve 120 is retracted and the plug 100 can be pulled out of the socket 200 at the same time. When the coupling sleeve 120 is retracted during this pulling, the latch 220 can be released from the coupling sleeve 120 and separated from the coupling groove 111 . Accordingly, the plug 100 may be immediately separated from the socket 200 through the process opposite to the coupling process described above. That is, in the connector assembly of the present invention, the latch 220 is unloaded from the coupling groove 111 by simply pulling the plug 100 from the socket 200 while retracting the coupling sleeve 120. ) and unlocking at the same time. Therefore, the connector assembly of the present invention quickly and conveniently separates the plug 100 and the socket 200 by a single manipulation or action of pulling the plug 100, thereby disconnecting the electrical cable C. can be separated from the device.

On the other hand, as described above, while the plug 100 and the socket 200 are used in combination, if a foreign substance, particularly a liquid such as water, flows into the coupled plug 100 and the socket 200, the electrical connection, In particular, failures and malfunctions such as short circuits in the electrically connected first and

second terminals

130 and 230 may occur. For this reason, the connector assembly of the present invention may have a shielding structure configured to prevent inflow of foreign substances into the inner space of the coupled plug 100 and the socket 200 .

As such a shielding structure, the socket 200 may include a sealing structure configured to seal the inner space of the coupled plug 100 and the socket 200 from the outside in order to prevent the inflow of foreign substances. As previously described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7 , such a sealing structure may first include an auxiliary gasket 231d interposed between the socket body 210 and the second terminal 230 . As well shown in FIG. 7, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, the housing 110 of the plug 100 inserted into the socket 200 (ie, the body 210), exactly The end of the first housing 110a comes into contact with the auxiliary gasket 231d, and can further be press-fitted into this auxiliary gasket 231d. Therefore, the contact portion between the end of the housing 110 and the auxiliary gasket 231d may be sealed by press-fitting the end of the housing 110 into the auxiliary gasket 231d. Due to the sealing at the contact portion, when the plug 100 and the socket 200 are coupled, the inner spaces of the 100 and 200 connected to each other can be completely sealed from the outside. For this reason, external foreign matter cannot reach the first and

second terminals

130 and 230 disposed in the interconnected inner space of the combined plug 100 and socket 200 . In addition, the sealing structure may include an elastic ring member 213 provided on the outer circumference of the body 210 of the socket 200 as described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 7 . As shown in FIG. 7, when the socket 200 and the plug 100 are coupled, the ring member 213 comes into contact with the coupling sleeve 120, more precisely, the inner circumferential surface of the rim 122 thereof, and thus foreign matter The space (S) may be closed so as not to enter the space (S) between the coupling sleeve 120 and the housing 110. Accordingly, the interconnected inner spaces of the plug 100 and the socket 200 coupled by the ring member 213 can be completely sealed from the outside more reliably.

In addition, as such a shielding structure, the plug 100 is configured to discharge foreign substances introduced into the plug 100 to the outside in order to prevent the inflow of foreign substances into the inner spaces of the coupled plug 100 and the socket 200. It may include a configured discharge structure. During actual use, since the coupling sleeve 120 of the plug 100 is configured to move relative to the housing 110, the space between the housing 110 and the coupling sleeve 120, i.e., foreign matter in the space S There is a possibility of this influx. Therefore, the discharge structure may be configured to discharge the foreign substances introduced into the plug 100 to the outside so that they do not flow into the inner space of the coupled plug 100 and the socket 200 . More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and 7, this discharge structure is between the flange 124 (ie, the second flange 124) of the coupling sleeve 120 and the housing 110. It will include a first clearance 126 formed and a second clearance 118 formed between the flange 114 of the housing 110 (ie, the first flange 114) and the coupling sleeve 120. can The first gap 126 may be formed by spacing the end of the second flange 124 (ie, the inner end in the radial direction facing the housing 110) from the outer circumference of the housing 110 at a predetermined interval. For smooth discharge of foreign matter, the first gap 126 may be formed over the entire end of the second flange 124 . As shown for reliable communication of the first gap 126, a gap may also be formed between the key member 113 and the end of the second flange 124. In addition, the end of the first flange 114 is configured to come into contact with the coupling sleeve 120 for support of the coupling sleeve 120, and the end of the first flange 114 (that is, of the coupling sleeve 120). A second gap 118 may be formed by partially forming a cutout or a slit at a radially outer end facing the inner circumferential surface. The second gap 118 may be formed at other parts of the body of the first flange 114 instead of at the end of the first flange 114 . As indicated by dotted arrows in FIG. 6, the first and

second gaps

126 and 118 form a channel connecting the inner space S between the housing 110 and the coupling sleeve 120 and the outer space to the plug 100. ) can be formed. Therefore, as mentioned above, even when foreign substances are introduced into the inner space (S) during use, the introduced foreign substances pass through the first and

second gaps

126 and 118, that is, flow passages formed by these

gaps

126 and 118. Accordingly, it is smoothly discharged to the outside, and thus, it is prevented from reaching the inner space of the coupled plug 100 and socket 200.

The above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

a plug coupled with the electric cable; and

It is provided in a predetermined electric device and consists of a socket coupled to the plug to electrically connect the electric device to the electric cable,

The plug is:

a housing made of a hollow member and configured to receive the electric cable; and

A coupling sleeve wrapped around the end of the housing and configured to be slidable while being elastically supported on the outer circumference of the end of the housing,

The socket is:

a body made of a hollow member and inserted between the housing and the coupling sleeve for coupling the socket and the plug; and

It is provided on the body and is configured to be movable in the radial direction of the body, and is configured to selectively protrude inward or outward from the body in the radial direction by the coupling sleeve and the housing to couple the body to the housing A connector assembly that includes a latch.
According to claim 1,

The housing of the plug is formed on its outer periphery and includes a coupling groove configured to engage the latch.
According to claim 2,

The latch is:

While the body of the socket is inserted, it is configured to protrude outward in the radial direction to approach the coupling groove while retracting the coupling sleeve,

When reaching the coupling groove, the connector assembly is configured to be inserted and restrained in the coupling groove while protruding inward in the radial direction and advancing the coupling sleeve.