Highly integrated serial port surge protector

Abstract

This utility model discloses a highly integrated serial port surge protector, comprising a first plug, a second plug, a connecting wire, and a PCB board. The first plug includes multiple plug terminals and a first insulating body covering the multiple plug terminals. The second plug includes multiple socket terminals and a second insulating body covering the multiple socket terminals. The connecting wire connects the first plug and the second plug. The PCB board is located in either the first plug or the second plug. The PCB board has a first-level protection module for discharging high-energy surge currents caused by lightning strikes and a second-level protection module for absorbing residual energy and suppressing rapid voltage spikes. The first-level protection module and the second-level protection module are connected by a circuit to form multi-level collaborative protection. Through integrated design and TSS / TVS multi-level collaborative protection, the protector achieves miniaturized, low-cost, and highly reliable surge protection, suitable for industrial control and communication equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of surge protection equipment, and in particular to a highly integrated serial port surge protector. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional serial surge protectors employ a split design, consisting of multiple components such as an independent housing, PCB, metal baffle, and terminals. This results in a bulky size, inconvenient installation, and complex manufacturing processes (such as soldering and packaging), leading to high material and assembly costs. Furthermore, the interconnection of multiple components is prone to poor contact, resulting in a high failure rate. Maintenance requires complete replacement, making it difficult to meet the miniaturization and high-density integration requirements of Industry 4.0 and 5G equipment.

[0003] Existing solutions rely on single-level protection (such as TVS or MOV), which suffers from insufficient response speed, limited energy discharge capability, and low voltage clamping accuracy. Although multi-level redundancy designs have been attempted, the additional circuitry and components further increase costs and exacerbate reliability issues. Meanwhile, high-frequency, high-speed interfaces and extreme environment applications require picosecond-level response, miniaturization, and high reliability, which traditional solutions struggle to meet.

[0004] While existing optimization solutions (such as TVS+MOV parallel or multi-stage circuits) improve performance, they do not address the issues of structural complexity and cost. The market urgently needs a highly integrated, low-cost, multi-stage collaborative protection solution that balances miniaturization, high efficiency, and high reliability to meet the upgraded surge protection requirements of industrial, communications, and military sectors. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present invention addresses the deficiencies of the existing technology, and its main purpose is to provide a highly integrated serial port surge protector. Through integrated design and TSS / TVS multi-level collaborative protection, it achieves miniaturized, low-cost, and highly reliable surge protection, and is suitable for industrial control and communication equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A highly integrated serial port surge protector includes a first plug, a second plug, a connecting wire, and a PCB board. The first plug includes multiple plug terminals and a first insulating body covering the multiple plug terminals. The second plug includes multiple socket terminals and a second insulating body covering the multiple socket terminals. The connecting wire connects the first plug and the second plug. The PCB board is located in either the first plug or the second plug. The PCB board has a first-level protection module for discharging high-energy surge currents caused by lightning strikes and a second-level protection module for absorbing residual energy and suppressing rapid voltage spikes. The first-level protection module and the second-level protection module are connected by a circuit to form multi-level collaborative protection.

[0008] As a preferred solution: the first-level protection module uses a semiconductor discharge tube (TSS); the second-level protection module uses a transient voltage suppressor diode (TVS).

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the trigger voltage of the semiconductor discharge tube TSS is higher than the clamping voltage of the transient voltage suppression diode TVS, forming a gradient voltage configuration.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the response time of the semiconductor discharge tube TSS is in the microsecond range, and the response time of the transient voltage suppression diode TVS is in the picosecond range, covering transient threats across the entire time range.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment: the first plug is a male plug, the PCB board is integrally formed with the first insulating body of the first plug, and the plurality of plug terminals are electrically connected to the PCB board; one end of the connecting wire is electrically connected to the PCB board, and the other end is electrically connected to the plurality of plug terminals.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment: the first plug further includes a base and a plug housing, the base is fixed to the PCB board, and the lower ends of the plurality of plug terminals are electrically connected to the PCB board through the base; the plug housing is sleeved outside the base, forming a cavity in the plug housing, and the plurality of plug terminals extend out from the cavity.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment: the bottom of the plug housing has a connecting portion for covering the base, the end of the base connected to the PCB board has an annular step, the connecting portion is provided with a limiting inner edge corresponding to the annular step, and the limiting inner edge is engaged with the annular step.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment: the PCB board is provided with a clearance hole for the locking screw to pass through, and the plug housing is provided with an extension hole corresponding to the locking screw. The locking screw extends out from the rear end of the first insulating body through the clearance hole and the extension hole.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, this utility model has significant advantages and beneficial effects. Specifically, as can be seen from the above technical solution, by integrating the PCB board inside the first plug, redundant structures such as traditional shells and metal baffles are eliminated, significantly reducing the size and simplifying the installation process. By adopting TSS and TVS collaborative protection technology, combined with gradient voltage configuration, multi-level energy discharge and precise voltage clamping are achieved, effectively covering transient threats across the entire time range and improving protection reliability. Through dynamic threshold adjustment, adaptive clamping control, and closed-loop feedback mechanism, protection parameters are optimized in real time to ensure the safety of the back-end circuit. At the same time, the modular design reduces material and production costs, making it suitable for various scenarios such as industrial control and communication equipment. It combines high integration, low cost, and strong compatibility, solving the technical pain points of traditional surge protectors, such as complex structure, high cost, and large protection blind spots.

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the structural features and effects of this utility model, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the protector of this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the protector of this utility model from another perspective;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the first plug of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 This is an exploded perspective view of the protector of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 This is an exploded perspective view of the protector of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the internal structure of the first and second plugs of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 7 This is an exploded perspective view of the first plug of this utility model;

[0024] Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the plug housing of this utility model;

[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit connection principle of this utility model.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram:

[0027] 10. First plug; 11. Plug terminal; 12. First insulating body; 13. Base; 131. Annular step; 14. Plug housing; 141. Cavity; 142. Connecting part; 143. Protruding hole; 144. Limiting inner edge; 20. Second plug; 21. Plug terminal; 22. Second insulating body; 30. Connecting wire; 40. PCB board; 41. First-level protection module; 42. Second-level protection module; 43. Clearance hole; 50. Locking screw. Detailed Implementation

[0028] This utility model is as follows Figures 1 to 9 As shown, a highly integrated serial port surge protector includes a first plug 10, a second plug 20, a connecting wire 30, and a PCB board 40, wherein:

[0029] The first plug 10 includes multiple plug terminals 11 and a first insulating body 12 covering the multiple plug terminals 11; the second plug 20 includes multiple socket terminals 21 and a second insulating body 22 covering the multiple socket terminals 21; the connecting wire 30 is connected between the first plug 10 and the second plug 20; the PCB board 40 is located in the first plug 10 or the second plug 20, and the PCB board 40 has a first-level protection module 41 for discharging large energy surge currents caused by lightning strikes and a second-level protection module 42 for absorbing residual energy and suppressing fast voltage spikes. The first-level protection module 41 and the second-level protection module 42 are connected by circuitry to form multi-level collaborative protection.

[0030] The first-level protection module 41 uses a semiconductor discharge tube (TSS); the second-level protection module 42 uses a transient voltage suppressor diode (TVS). The trigger voltage of the semiconductor discharge tube (TSS) is higher than the clamping voltage of the transient voltage suppressor diode (TVS), forming a gradient voltage configuration. The response time of the semiconductor discharge tube (TSS) is in the microsecond range, and the response time of the transient voltage suppressor diode (TVS) is in the picosecond range, covering transient threats across the entire time range.

[0031] The first plug 10 is a male plug. The PCB board 40 is embedded and fixed in the first insulating body 12 of the first plug 10. The plurality of plug terminals 11 are electrically connected to the PCB board 40. One end of the connecting wire 30 is electrically connected to the PCB board 40, and the other end is electrically connected to the plurality of socket terminals 21. The first plug 10 also includes a base 13 and a plug housing 14. The base 13 is fixed on the PCB board 40. The lower ends of the plurality of plug terminals 11 are electrically connected to the PCB board 40 through the base 13. The plug housing 14 is sleeved outside the base 13, and a cavity 141 is formed in the plug housing 14. The plurality of plug terminals 11 extend out of the cavity 141.

[0032] The bottom of the plug housing 14 has a connecting portion 142 for covering the base 13. The base 13 has an annular step 131 at one end where it connects to the PCB board 40. The connecting portion 142 is provided with a limiting inner edge 144 corresponding to the annular step 131. The limiting inner edge 144 is engaged with the annular step 131 to improve the stability of the connection between the plug housing 14 and the base 13. The PCB board 40 is provided with a clearance hole 43 for the locking screw 50 to pass through. The plug housing 14 is provided with an extension hole 143 corresponding to the locking screw 50. The locking screw 50 extends from the rear end of the first insulating body 12 through the clearance hole 43 and the extension hole 143.

[0033] Embedding the PCB board 40 inside the first plug 10 eliminates the need for components such as the housing and metal baffle in traditional structures, significantly simplifying the overall structure. Compared with the discrete component design of traditional surge protectors, this surge protector occupies significantly less space and is easier to install; furthermore, reducing additional components such as the housing and baffle optimizes the circuit layout, reducing material and production costs; the simplified structure also leads to more efficient manufacturing processes and improved yield rates.

[0034] The use of a first-level protection module 41 and a second-level protection module 42 connected by a circuit to form a multi-level collaborative protection has the following advantages:

[0035] Multi-stage energy discharge: It adopts TSS (semiconductor discharge tube) + TVS (transient voltage suppressor diode) for synergistic protection, and handles lightning surges in two stages (TSS discharges amplified energy, TVS suppresses residual spikes).

[0036] Complementary response speeds: The combination of TSS (microsecond response) and TVS (picosecond response) covers transient threats across the entire time range.

[0037] Voltage gradient design: The high trigger voltage of TSS and the low clamping voltage of TVS form a gradient to avoid single-stage overload and extend device life.

[0038] Enhanced reliability: The TSS absorbs the majority of surge energy, reducing the burden on the TVS and improving the overall reliability of the system.

[0039] Wide range of applications: DB15 serial communication systems are suitable for lightning protection in industrial control, telecommunications, local area networks and commercial / military fields, with strong compatibility.

[0040] Automatic recovery function: After the transient voltage disappears, the surge protector automatically returns to a high-resistivity state without manual intervention, making it more convenient to use.

[0041] Circuit Principle Description: This solution employs a combined TSS (Transient Voltage Suppressor) and TVS (Transient Voltage Regulator) for protection. When a lightning surge generates a transient high voltage, the TSS responds in microseconds and conducts first, discharging over 80% of the large energy current. The TVS then clamps the residual voltage spike at a picosecond speed. A two-stage energy discharge path is formed through the gradient configuration of the TSS's high trigger voltage (e.g., 800V) and the TVS's low clamping voltage (e.g., 30V). Simultaneously, the protection circuitry is embedded within the terminal blocks using PCB integration, reducing signal transmission path length and mitigating the risk of induced overvoltage. After the transient threat disappears, the TSS and TVS automatically return to a high-impedance state, ensuring continuous and stable system operation.

[0042] A multi-level protection control method applied to the serial port surge protector, comprising:

[0043] Step S10: The TSS responds to the microsecond-level transient high voltage and discharges the large current caused by the lightning strike;

[0044] On PCB board 40, the semiconductor discharge tube (TSS) is directly soldered between the input-side terminal and the ground wire, with a path length ≤10mm to reduce the influence of inductance. When the input voltage exceeds the TSS trigger threshold (e.g., 800V), its internal PN junction undergoes avalanche breakdown, reducing the on-resistance to the milliohm level. It discharges over 80% of the energy for an 8 / 20μs lightning current waveform (peak 25kA), with a discharge capacity ≥1200J. By optimizing the doping concentration and junction capacitance of the TSS chip, the response time is controlled within the range of 1-5μs.

[0045] Step S20: Suppress residual voltage spikes after TSS discharge using TVS with a picosecond-level response speed;

[0046] A transient voltage suppressor diode (TVS) is connected in parallel at the input of the back-end circuit. It employs a low junction capacitance design (≤1pF) to clamp the residual voltage to ≤30V with a response speed of ≤100ps when the voltage rise rate is ≥1kV / ns. A 10Ω current-limiting resistor is connected in series between the TVS and the TSS, and the signal path is shortened through PCB layout to ensure that the TVS trigger delay (≤50ns) is synchronized with the TSS turn-on timing, avoiding protection blind spots.

[0047] Step S30: Utilize the gradient voltage configuration formed by the high trigger voltage of TSS and the low clamping voltage of TVS to avoid single-stage overload and extend the device lifespan.

[0048] The TSS trigger threshold (800V) and TVS clamping voltage (30V) form a gradient configuration with ΔV ≥ 770V, ensuring that the TSS prioritizes response to large surges. ΔV is monitored in real time by a differential amplifier (AD8276). If ΔV < 500V (e.g., TVS aging), the logic control chip (STM32F4) automatically raises the TSS trigger threshold to 1000V to maintain the gradient relationship. Voltage sampling points are set on the PCB, and feedback signals are sent to the control chip to achieve dynamic matching.

[0049] The multi-level protection and control method also includes the following dynamic optimization steps:

[0050] Dynamic threshold adjustment: The voltage monitoring module detects the rise rate and amplitude of the input voltage in real time, and the logic control chip dynamically adjusts the trigger threshold of the TSS to adapt to transient threats of different intensities.

[0051] A high-speed comparator (TLV3501) is used to detect the input voltage rise rate (dV / dt). The logic chip executes a PID algorithm: if dV / dt ≥ 5kV / μs and the peak value ≥ 1kV, the TSS trigger threshold is increased to 960V via a digitally controlled potentiometer (AD5290); if dV / dt < 2kV / μs and the peak value < 800V, the nominal threshold is restored. A digitally controlled potentiometer is connected in series at the TVS ground terminal, and its resistance is dynamically adjusted based on the load current collected by a Hall sensor (ACS712) to ensure the clamping voltage meets the V... clamp ≤0.7×V 额定 .

[0052] Adaptive clamping control: An adjustable resistor is connected in series between the TVS and ground. The logic control chip adjusts the resistance value according to the characteristics of the back-end load, so that the clamping voltage of the TVS accurately matches the safety requirements of the back-end circuit.

[0053] The multi-level protection and control method verifies the collaborative protection performance through the following test methods:

[0054] Graded energy surge test: Apply lightning current waveforms of different intensities to verify that the TSS bears the main surge energy and the TVS suppresses residual voltage; apply an 8 / 20μs waveform and a 25kA peak current to the TSS and use a high-voltage probe (Tektronix P6015A) to verify that its energy discharge is ≥1200J; apply a 1kV / μs voltage spike to the TVS and measure the residual voltage ≤15V.

[0055] Dynamic response synchronization test: Monitor the response time difference between TSS and TVS to ensure that their action timing matches and avoid protection blind spots. Apply a 0V→1kV step voltage (rise time ≤10ns) to the input side and monitor the conduction delay difference between TSS and TVS using a high-speed oscilloscope. The TVS response delay should be ≤50ns and the timing difference between the two stages should be <1μs.

[0056] Closed-loop feedback verification: The current sensor monitors the TSS discharge current. If it exceeds the rated value by 80% three times consecutively, an alarm is triggered and the TSS threshold is reduced to 90%. The voltage sampling circuit calibrates the TVS clamp voltage fluctuation to ≤±2%.

[0057] The key design feature of this invention is that by integrating the PCB board inside the first plug, redundant structures such as traditional shells and metal baffles are eliminated, significantly reducing the size and simplifying the installation process. It employs TSS and TVS collaborative protection technologies, combined with gradient voltage configuration, to achieve multi-level energy discharge and precise voltage clamping, effectively covering transient threats across the entire time range and improving protection reliability. Through dynamic threshold adjustment, adaptive clamping control, and closed-loop feedback mechanisms, protection parameters are optimized in real time to ensure the safety of the back-end circuits. Simultaneously, the modular design reduces material and production costs, making it suitable for various scenarios such as industrial control and communication equipment. It combines high integration, low cost, and strong compatibility, solving the technical pain points of traditional surge protectors, such as complex structures, high costs, and large protection blind spots.

[0058] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and does not constitute any limitation on the technical scope of the present utility model. Therefore, any minor modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A highly integrated serial port surge protector, characterized in that: The device includes a first plug, a second plug, a connecting wire, and a PCB board. The first plug includes multiple plug terminals and a first insulating body covering the multiple plug terminals. The second plug includes multiple socket terminals and a second insulating body covering the multiple socket terminals. The connecting wire connects the first plug and the second plug. The PCB board is located in either the first plug or the second plug. The PCB board has a first-level protection module for discharging large-energy surge currents caused by lightning strikes and a second-level protection module for absorbing residual energy and suppressing rapid voltage spikes. The first-level protection module and the second-level protection module are connected by a circuit to form multi-level collaborative protection.

2. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first-level protection module uses a semiconductor discharge tube (TSS); the second-level protection module uses a transient voltage suppressor diode (TVS).

3. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The trigger voltage of the semiconductor discharge tube TSS is higher than the clamping voltage of the transient voltage suppression diode TVS, forming a gradient voltage configuration.

4. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The response time of the semiconductor discharge tube TSS is in the microsecond range, and the response time of the transient voltage suppression diode TVS is in the picosecond range, covering transient threats across the entire time range.

5. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first plug is a male plug, the PCB board is integrally formed with the first insulating body of the first plug, and the plurality of plug terminals are electrically connected to the PCB board; one end of the connecting wire is electrically connected to the PCB board, and the other end is electrically connected to the plurality of plug terminals.

6. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first plug also includes a base and a plug housing. The base is fixed to the PCB board, and the lower ends of the plurality of plug terminals are electrically connected to the PCB board through the base. The plug housing is sleeved outside the base, forming a cavity in the plug housing, and the plurality of plug terminals extend out from the cavity.

7. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bottom of the plug housing has a connecting part for covering the base. The end of the base that connects to the PCB board has an annular step. The connecting part is provided with a limiting inner edge corresponding to the annular step. The limiting inner edge is held in place on the annular step.

8. The highly integrated serial port surge protector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The PCB board is provided with a clearance hole for the locking screw to pass through, and the plug housing is provided with an extension hole corresponding to the locking screw. The locking screw extends out from the rear end of the first insulating body through the clearance hole and the extension hole.

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