Electrical Connectors

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical connector, the electrical connector comprising: an inner housing, the inner housing having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end being provided with at least one terminal portion, the at least one terminal portion being adapted to be installed with a terminal having a wire; an outer housing, the outer housing being used in conjunction with the inner housing; wherein the electrical connector further comprises a cable holder, the cable holder being fitted on the inner housing, the cable holder having a cable clamping portion, wherein the cable clamping portion is operable to clamp the cable portion of the wire. In the electrical connector according to the present invention, due to the addition of the cable holder, the vibration resistance of the electrical connector as a whole is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector for realizing electrical connection of wires in various devices, and more particularly to an electrical connector with right-angle pins. Background Art

[0002] Currently, electrical connectors for connecting multiple wires are available on the market and are used to achieve electrical connections in various devices.

[0003] This electrical connector has an inner shell and an outer shell that are separable from each other, and the inner shell is usually snapped into the outer shell. The inner shell is constructed to be able to connect conductive terminals of multiple strands of wires, and the conductive terminals are tightly fitted with the inner shell through a matching structure. In addition, the inner shell is also provided with a wire guiding component for guiding the wire to pass through. However, in the existing electrical connectors of this type, the wires are fixed only by the bonding force between the conductive terminals at their ends and the inner shell of the electrical connector, and such electrical connectors often cannot pass high-level vibration tests. When the vibration level is high, due to severe vibration, the wires may be dislocated or the conductive terminals may be disconnected from the cable part. Therefore, in applications where electrical connectors are used in severe vibrations such as vehicles, the existing electrical connectors are not reliable enough and cannot meet customer needs well.

[0004] Therefore, in order to meet higher vibration resistance requirements, existing electrical connectors need to be improved. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an electrical connector, which includes: an inner housing, the inner housing having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end being provided with at least one terminal portion, the at least one terminal portion being adapted to mount a terminal with a wire; an outer housing, the outer housing being used in conjunction with the inner housing; wherein the electrical connector also includes a cable retainer, the cable retainer being engaged on the inner housing, the cable retainer having a cable clamping portion, wherein the cable clamping portion is operable to clamp the cable portion of the wire.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, the cable holder further comprises a base, the cable clamping portion comprises an elastic arm, one end of the elastic arm is fixed to the base, and the other opposite end of the elastic arm is displaceable under the action of a force.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a cable holder has a base, and a plurality of elastic arms are provided on opposite sides of the base and extend in opposite directions.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, the free end of the elastic arm has a matching portion, and the matching portion has a first matching surface for abutting against the inner housing.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, the fitting portion gradually expands from the first end to the second end, so that when the cable holder is inserted into the inner housing, the clamping force of the cable clamping portion in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wire gradually increases.

[0010] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the inner housing includes a columnar structure having a second mating surface that abuts against the first mating surface when the cable holder is inserted into the inner housing.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, the dimension of the columnar structure transverse to the axial direction of the wire is set to remain unchanged or gradually decrease in the direction from the first end to the second end, so that when the cable retainer is inserted into the inner housing, the clamping force of the cable clamping part in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire gradually increases.

[0012] According to still another aspect of the present invention, the surface of the elastic arm engaging with the cable portion is formed as an arc-shaped surface.

[0013] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, an anti-error structure is provided inside the inner housing, and the anti-error structure cooperates with the cable retainer.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, the cable holder further comprises a shell engaging portion for engaging the cable holder to the inner shell, the shell engaging portion comprising a suspension beam arranged on at least one side of the cable holder, and a protrusion engaging with the suspension beam is provided on the inner surface of the inner shell.

[0015] In the electrical connector according to the present invention, a cable retainer is added to keep the cable portion of the wire fixed, thereby increasing the overall vibration resistance of the electrical connector and improving the stability of the cable in the housing to prevent the connection between the wire terminal portion and the cable portion from being disconnected due to vibration.

[0016] The present invention adopts elastic arms to form the cable clamping part, and the elastic arms apply a retaining force in a direction perpendicular to the cable axis. Therefore, the structure of the clamping part is simple, the cable clamping piece can be formed by one-time molding, and the manufacturing is convenient. In addition, the matching effect of the clamping part is excellent, and the cable part is not easy to move.

[0017] In addition, an error-proofing structure is specially provided in the inner housing of the electrical connector, thereby preventing an inappropriate cable retainer from being installed incorrectly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 It is an exploded perspective view of the electrical connector according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a perspective view of the inner housing of the electrical connector according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3It is a perspective view of a cable holder of an electrical connector according to the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 It is a perspective view of an assembled component of an inner housing and a cable holder of an electrical connector according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 It is a longitudinal sectional view of an assembled component of an inner housing and a cable holder of an electrical connector according to the present invention.

[0023] Reference numerals list

[0024] 1 Electrical connector

[0025] 10 Outer shell

[0026] 20 Inner shell

[0027] 21 First End

[0028] 22 Second End

[0029] 23 Columnar structure

[0030] 24 convex part

[0031] 25 Error-proofing structure

[0032] 27 Second mating surface

[0033] 30 Cable retainer

[0034] 31 Elastic Arm

[0035] 32 base

[0036] 33 Clamping slot

[0037] 34. Matching part

[0038] 35 Suspended beam

[0039] 36 Sidewall

[0040] 37 First mating surface

[0041] 40 End cap

[0042] 50 Cover DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The present invention is further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and drawings. More details are elaborated in the following description to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in a variety of other ways different from the description herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar generalizations and deductions based on actual application situations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0044] Figure 1 The figure shows an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The electrical connector 1 comprises an outer shell 10, an inner shell 20 located inside the outer shell 10, a cable holder 30 inserted in the inner shell 20, an end cap 40 installed at the second end of the inner shell 20, and a cover 50. When in use, the wire is connected to the electrical connector 1. According to the present invention, the cable holder 30 is provided in the electrical connector 1 to retain the cable portion of the wire, thereby improving the anti-seismic performance of the electrical connector 1.

[0045] Next, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The inner housing 20 and the cable holder 30 in the electrical connector 1 of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0046] The inner housing 20 of the electrical connector 1 has a first end 21 and a second end 22 in the longitudinal direction, and a cavity is formed in the inner housing 20. The cable wire can be connected to the cavity of the inner housing 20 of the electrical connector 1. The conductive terminal at the front end of the wire is installed in the terminal part at the first end 21 of the inner housing 20, and the cable part of the wire extends backward from the second end 22 of the inner housing 20.

[0047] like Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the cable holder 30 is disposed at the second end 22 of the inner housing 20. The cable holder is generally made of an insulating material, preferably integrally molded from an insulating resin material. The cable holder 30 is provided with one or more cable clamping portions that can operably clamp the cable portion of the wire. In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there are five cable clamping portions, but the number of cable clamping portions can also be set according to the purpose and type of the electrical connector 1.

[0048] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cable holder 30 includes a base 32, and the cable holder has an elastic arm 31 extending from the base 32. The elastic arm 31 is perpendicular to the Figure 5 The longitudinal axis A extending from the first end 21 to the second end 22 of the inner housing 20 is shown, and the wire extends substantially along the longitudinal axis A. In the use state, the elastic arm 31 applies a clamping force to the cable portion of the wire in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wire. In this way, adjacent elastic arms 31 constitute a cable clamping portion, or the elastic arm 31 cooperates with the side wall 36 of the cable holder 30 to constitute a cable clamping portion.

[0049] Specifically, Figure 3As shown, the elastic arm 31 has a fixed end integrally connected to the base 32 and a free end that can be elastically displaced, and a clamping groove 33 is formed between two opposite elastic arms 31 or one elastic arm 31 and the side wall, and one side of the clamping groove 33 is open. Preferably, the clamping groove 33 at least partially has an arc surface, that is, a surface where the elastic arm 31 and the side wall 36 are connected to the cable part is formed into an arc. The matching cable part usually has a cylindrical outer contour to avoid damage to the outer sheath of the cable. Compared with the unclamped state, the free end of the elastic arm 31 in the clamped state is displaced toward the clamping groove 33 under the action of external force.

[0050] A matching portion 34 is provided at the free end of the elastic arm 31. Figure 3 As shown, the mating portion 34 is a sheet extending perpendicular to the elastic arm 31. The mating portion 34 has a first mating surface 37 for abutting the inner housing 20. The sheet-shaped mating portion 34 extends transversely to the direction in which the elastic arm 31 extends in the direction opposite to the corresponding clamping groove 33. The first mating surface 37 is formed at the outermost side of the mating portion 34. When the mating surface of the mating portion 34 abuts against the corresponding mating surface inside the inner housing 20, the elastic arm 31 is forced to move in the direction of the clamping groove 33, so that the clamping groove 33 tightly clamps the cable portion placed therein. Each clamping groove 33 serving as a cable clamping portion has at least one mating portion 34 for clamping it.

[0051] The mating surface of the inner housing 20 can be provided by providing a columnar structure 23, such as Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, the surface of the columnar structure 23 adjacent to the elastic matching portion 34 is the second matching surface 27. The first matching surface 37 and the second matching surface 27 are mutually interfered with.

[0052] from Figure 3 As can be seen in the figure, in the illustrated embodiment, the upper side of the base 32 has three clamping grooves 33, the middle clamping groove 33 has two opposite matching parts 34, and the clamping grooves 33 on both sides each have a matching part 34. The lower side of the base 32 has two clamping grooves 33, each of which has a matching part 34.

[0053] like Figure 5As shown, in the top view of the electrical connector 1, the mating portion 34 is wedge-shaped, that is, the mating portion 34 gradually expands in the direction from the first end 21 to the second end 22 of the inner housing 20, so that the mating surface of the mating portion 34 is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis A from the first end 21 to the second end 22 of the electrical connector 1. In this way, when the cable holder 30 is inserted from the second end 22 of the inner housing 20, the mating surface of the mating portion 34 gradually abuts against the mating surface 27 on the columnar structure 23 of the inner housing 20, and the mutual interference portion between the two gradually increases. Correspondingly, the clamping force substantially perpendicular to the wire axis gradually increases as the cable holder 30 is inserted, and finally the clamping groove 33 clamps the cable portion placed therein. As a result, the cable holder 30 firmly holds the cable portion in the inner housing 20 of the electrical connector 1, and the stress on the connection between the wire terminal and the wire cable portion is reduced, thereby ensuring the reliability of the electrical connection.

[0054] Alternatively or additionally, the dimension of the columnar structure 23 transverse to the axial direction of the wire can be set to gradually decrease in the direction from the first end 21 to the second end 22. In this way, when the cable retainer 30 is inserted into the inner shell 20, the clamping force of the cable clamping part in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire can be gradually increased.

[0055] In addition, in order to avoid installation errors, preferably, an error-proofing structure 25 may be provided inside the inner housing 20. The error-proofing structure 25 may be connected to or separated from the columnar structure 23 in the inner housing 20. In this embodiment, the two are connected. If an error in installation occurs, the error-proofing structure 25 may collide with the cable holder 30, thereby preventing the cable holder 30 from being installed in place.

[0056] On the other hand, in order to position the cable holder 30 relative to the inner housing 20 , the cable holder 30 is further provided with a housing engaging portion for engaging the cable holder 30 to the inner housing 20 .

[0057] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the housing joint portion includes a suspension beam 35 disposed on at least one side of the cable holder 30, and a protrusion 24 protruding from the lateral opposite inner surface of the inner housing 20 and engaging with the suspension beam 35. During use, when the cable holder 30 is inserted into the second end of the inner housing 20, the suspension beam 35 moves against the protrusion 24 until the end of the suspension beam 35 passes over the protrusion 24, at which time the cable holder 30 is installed in place.

[0058] In addition, in order to facilitate the installation of the cable holder 30 , matching guide structures, such as a sliding groove and a sliding block, may be provided at corresponding portions of the cable holder 30 and the inner housing 20 , so as to guide the cable holder 30 to be installed in place.

[0059] In the electrical connector 1 according to the present invention, since the cable retainer 30 is added to hold the cable portion of the wire, the overall vibration resistance of the electrical connector 1 is increased, the stability of the cable in the housing is improved, and the connection between the wire terminal portion and the cable portion is prevented from being disconnected due to vibration.

[0060] The present invention adopts an elastic arm 31 to form a cable clamping portion, and the elastic arm 31 applies a retaining force in a direction perpendicular to the cable axis. Therefore, the structure of the clamping portion is simple, and the cable clamp 30 can be formed by one-time molding, which is convenient to manufacture. In addition, the matching effect of this clamping portion is excellent, and the cable portion is not easy to move.

[0061] In addition, an error-proofing structure 25 is specially provided in the inner housing 20 of the electrical connector 1 , so as to prevent an inappropriate cable holder 30 from being installed by mistake.

[0062] Although the present invention is disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art may make possible changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector (1), comprising: An inner housing (20), the inner housing (20) forming a cavity and having a first end (21) and an opposite second end (22), the first end (21) being provided with at least one terminal portion, the at least one terminal portion being adapted to be mounted with a terminal having a wire; An outer shell (10), the outer shell (10) being capable of being used in conjunction with the inner shell (20); A cover (50), wherein the cover (50) is arranged at the second end (22) of the inner housing (20); characterized in that the electrical connector (1) further comprises a cable holder (30), wherein the cable holder (30) is inserted into the cavity of the inner housing (20), and the cable holder (30) has a cable clamping portion, wherein the cable clamping portion is operable to clamp the cable portion of the wire. The cable holder (30) further comprises a base (32), The cable clamping portion comprises an elastic arm (31), one end of the elastic arm (31) is fixed to the base (32), and the other opposite end of the elastic arm (31) is displaceable under the action of a force. The free end of the elastic arm (31) has a matching portion (34), and the matching portion (34) has a first matching surface (37) for abutting against the inner shell (20). Each of the cable clamping portions has at least one matching portion (34) for clamping. The mating portion (34) extends transversely to the direction in which the elastic arm (31) extends and in a direction opposite to the cable clamping portion; when the first mating surface of the mating portion (34) abuts against the second mating surface on the inner shell (20), the elastic arm (31) is forced to move in the direction of the cable clamping groove.

2. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of elastic arms (31) are arranged on opposite sides of the base (32) and extend in opposite directions.

3. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mating portion (34) is in the shape of a sheet extending perpendicularly to the elastic arm (31), and gradually expands in a direction from the first end (21) to the second end (22), so that when the cable retaining member (30) is inserted into the inner housing (20), the clamping force of the cable clamping portion in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the wire gradually increases.

4. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner housing (20) comprises a columnar structure (23), and when the cable holder (30) is inserted into the inner housing (20), the second mating surface (27) of the columnar structure abuts against the first mating surface (37).

5. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The dimension of the columnar structure (23) transverse to the axial direction of the wire is arranged to remain unchanged or gradually decrease in the direction from the first end (21) to the second end (22); when the cable retainer (30) is inserted into the inner housing (20), the clamping force of the cable clamping portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the wire gradually increases.

6. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the elastic arm (31) that engages with the cable portion is formed as an arc-shaped surface.

7. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: An anti-error structure (25) is provided inside the inner housing (20). The anti-error structure (25) is arranged to engage with the cable holder when incorrectly installed, thereby blocking the cable holder (30) from being inserted.

8. The electrical connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cable holder (30) also has a housing engaging portion for engaging the cable holder (30) to the inner housing (20). The housing joint portion comprises a suspension beam (35) arranged on at least one side of the cable retainer, and a convex portion (24) engaging with the suspension beam (35) is provided on the inner surface of the inner housing (20).

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