A connector that can be operated with a robotic arm in an irradiated environment

Abstract

This invention discloses a connector that can be operated with a robotic arm in an irradiated environment, comprising a plug and a socket, wherein the plug is the robotic arm's mating end, and the socket is fixed to an irradiated enclosure. The plug is provided with a robotic arm gripping portion and an insertion guide pin. When the plug and socket of this invention are mated, a straight-insertion structure operated by the robotic arm is used. After the plug is fully inserted, the robotic arm rotates the handle on the socket housing 45° clockwise to quickly and reliably lock the plug and socket together. When the plug and socket are separated, the robotic arm simply rotates the housing counterclockwise by 45° to unlock the plug and socket, and then the plug is pulled straight back using the robotic arm, thus achieving rapid separation of the plug and socket.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrical connector technology, and in particular to a connector that can be operated with a robotic arm in an irradiated environment. Background Technology

[0002] Circular connectors are widely used on electronic device panels. Typically, the socket is fixed to the panel, while the plug is a free end. The connection and disconnection of signals are established through the mating and separation of the plug and socket. As the operating environment of electronic devices increasingly demands specific requirements, the environmental adaptability of connectors is constantly improving.

[0003] Currently, the most commonly used quick-release locking circular connector is the bayonet-type quick-release locking circular connector. The quick-release locking mechanism of this type of circular connector mainly consists of two parts: a threaded sleeve with a pin on the plug, and a spiral groove on the socket housing corresponding to the pin. When the plug and socket are inserted, the threaded sleeve needs to be screwed in, and the insertion and locking of the plug and socket is achieved by the sliding of the pin in the spiral groove of the socket housing.

[0004] The drawback of using this quick-release locking mechanism is that manual intervention is required during the insertion process, which cannot be done manually in an irradiated environment. In addition, the locking process is relatively complex and cannot be completed by a robotic arm.

[0005] Although snap-fit ​​connectors exist in the existing technology, their snap-fit ​​structure is too complex, or even if the snap-fit ​​structure is optimized, there are still problems such as ineffective positioning or inaccurate positioning during the snap-fit ​​process.

[0006] Especially in scenarios where human intervention is avoided, the use of robotic arms requires allowing a certain margin during the installation and mating process to prevent irreversible damage to the connectors caused by the robotic arm's misoperation. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a connector that can be operated with a robotic arm in an irradiated environment, so as to solve the technical problem that the locking structure of the connector in the prior art is complex and the robotic arm cannot complete the locking.

[0008] The present invention provides a connector that can be operated with a robotic arm in an irradiated environment, comprising a socket and a plug. The socket has a handle portion on its outer side, the handle portion including a handle and handle mounting plates connected to both ends of the handle, the socket has a handle seat on its outer side, the handle seat has connecting posts on both sides, the handle mounting plates have arc-shaped holes that correspond to and match the connecting posts, and the connecting posts of the handle seat are located in the arc-shaped holes of the handle mounting plates so that the handle portion is rotatably mounted on the handle seat.

[0009] The plug has guide pins on both sides, and the socket has limit keyways on both sides that match the guide pins. The guide pins and limit keyways cooperate to guide the plug during insertion into the socket.

[0010] The end of the handle mounting plate away from the handle is provided with a locking hole for locking the guide pin. The guide pin is located in the limiting keyway so that the plug is inserted into the socket. When the connecting post is located at one end of the arc-shaped hole, the guide pin can be locked in the locking hole; when the connecting post is located at the other end of the arc-shaped hole, the guide pin can be separated from the locking hole and completely released.

[0011] Compared with existing technologies, the plug and socket of this invention feature a limiting keyway on the socket that cooperates with the guide pin on the plug to ensure proper insertion. Simultaneously, the arc-shaped hole on the handle of the socket cooperates with the connecting post on the handle base to further ensure a locking margin during insertion. This ensures that even with errors during robotic arm operation, the locking hole accurately locks the guide pin, firmly fixing the plug inside the socket. This achieves a direct insertion structure operated by a robotic arm. After the robotic arm inserts the plug, it rotates the handle on the socket clockwise by a certain angle in the second step, achieving a quick and reliable locking between the plug and socket. When the plug needs to be separated from the socket, the robotic arm first rotates the handle on the socket counterclockwise by a certain angle to unlock the plug and socket, and then pulls the plug straight back in the second step, achieving rapid separation. The connector produced by this invention has the characteristics of compact structure, simple operation, and reliable locking, and has good versatility, making it widely applicable in the field of electrical connector technology. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the separated state structure of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the insertion state structure of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the locking state structure of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 5This is a side view of the socket of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the handle of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the planar structure of the handle of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 9 For along Figure 8 Sectional view of line AA in the middle;

[0022] Reference numerals: Socket 1, Plug 2, Handle 3, Left handle mounting plate 5, Right handle mounting plate 6, Positioning hole 7, Locking hole 8, Guide pin 9, Limit keyway 11, Arc-shaped hole 12, Connecting post 13, First outer shell 14, Cable fixing clip 15, Socket 16, Rubber part 17, First insulating fixing sleeve 18, Second outer shell 19, Fixing clip 20, Locking screw sleeve 21, Tail clip 22, Pin 23, Second insulating fixing sleeve 24, Square flange 25, Handle seat 10, Compression spring 101, Stabilizing steel ball 102. Detailed Implementation

[0023] Reference Figures 1 to 9A connector that can cooperate with a manipulator in an irradiated environment, as shown, includes a socket 1 and a plug 2. A handle part is provided outside the socket 1. The handle part includes a handle 3 and handle mounting plates connected to both ends of the handle 3, forming a structure similar to the shape of "兀". For the convenience of introduction, the handle mounting plates are divided into a left handle mounting plate 5 and a right handle mounting plate 6. A handle 3 is provided outside the socket 1, and a left handle mounting plate 5 and a right handle mounting plate 6 are also respectively provided outside the socket 1, which is equivalent to the handle part straddling the socket. A handle seat 10 is provided on the socket. The handle seat 10 is engaged with the socket 1. The handle seat can be fixedly installed on the outer side wall of the socket or detachably engaged with the outer side wall of the socket for easy installation. Connecting columns 13 are provided on both sides of the handle seat 10, and arc-shaped holes 12 corresponding and matching with the connecting columns 13 are provided on the handle mounting plate. The connecting columns 13 of the handle seat 10 are located in the arc-shaped holes 12 of the handle mounting plate, enabling the handle part to be rotatably installed on the handle seat 10. The handle part moves around the connecting column with the arc-shaped hole as the center. The movement range at one end of the handle part will be further increased. The connecting column serves as a guide post, and the arc-shaped hole also serves as a guide groove. This cooperation method can ensure that the end of the handle part has a larger margin compared with the existing method of a circular hole cooperating with a rotating shaft for the rotation of the handle part, that is, the end of the handle part has a certain movement space. Arc-shaped holes are respectively provided on the left handle mounting plate 5 and the right handle mounting plate 6, and the radian direction of the arc-shaped holes is consistent with the rotation direction of the handle part. The connecting columns on the handle seat not only limit the position well but also guide well.

[0024] Guide pins 9 are respectively provided on both outer sides of the plug 2, and limit key grooves 11 matching with the guide pins are respectively provided on both sides of the socket 1, forming a symmetrically fixed structure. The guide pins 9 cooperate with the limit key grooves 11 to guide during the process of inserting the plug 2 into the socket 1, ensuring that the plug and the socket are firmly inserted in place.

[0025] In this embodiment, a locking hole 8 for locking the guide pin is provided at the end of the handle mounting plate far from the handle. Specifically, the handle 3 is fixed between the left handle mounting plate 5 and the right handle mounting plate 6. The locking hole 8 can be provided alone or both on the left handle mounting plate 5 or the right handle mounting plate 6. For the sake of cooperating with the symmetrically fixed structure, in this embodiment, the method of providing locking holes on both the left handle mounting plate 5 and the handle mounting plate 6 is selected, which is beneficial to maintaining balanced stress and achieving symmetric and stable fixation. The guide pin 9 cooperates with the locking hole 8. After the plug 2 is inserted in place, the handle 3 is rotated through the operation of the manipulator, driving the locking hole 8 to be stuck on the guide pin 9 to lock the plug 2. The so-called plug being inserted in place means that when the guide pin is located in the limit key groove and the plug 2 is inserted in place on the socket 1, and when the connecting column is located at one end of the arc-shaped hole, the guide pin can be located in the locking hole and locked. Figure 4For example, when the connecting post is located at the other end of the arc-shaped hole, the guide pin can be completely released from the locking hole. Figure 3 For example.

[0026] This invention includes a plug 2 and a socket 1, wherein the plug 2 is the free end operated by a robotic arm, and the socket 1 is fixed to a radiation-resistant enclosure. It is suitable for using a robotic arm to perform plugging and unplugging operations in a shielded space without manual intervention or calibration.

[0027] For better insertion, the socket in this embodiment has a cavity that matches the profile of the plug's front end. Referring to the attached drawings, the socket cavity has a cylindrical profile. The lower part of the socket housing has a forward-extending receiving portion 111 for the plug to partially rest on the socket before insertion. Compared to existing connectors, providing an extended receiving portion at the lower part of the socket housing facilitates pre-positioning before insertion, especially when combined with the chamfered surface at the opening of the upper limit keyway 11 to form a guide opening, which makes this even more convenient. Figure 2 Before the connector needs to be inserted, the robotic arm first places the plug 2 on the receiving part 111 at the bottom of the socket 1. The receiving part forms a step to facilitate the plug resting on the step. At this time, the guide pin 9 on the plug can be aligned with the guide port at the opening of the limiting keyway 11. Since the opening width of the guide port is greater than the width of the limiting keyway itself, and the chamfered surface of the guide port is an open bevel, it is easy to enter. The robotic arm can adjust its posture to have more operational margin. The robotic arm grasps the square head at the rear of the plug 2 and moves the plug 2 toward the socket 1, inserting the guide pins 9 on both sides of the plug 2 into the limiting keyways 11 at both ends of the socket 1 for preliminary positioning and guidance before insertion. The square head has chamfered surfaces at the four corners and raised anti-slip surfaces on the plane between the two chamfered surfaces, which is more conducive to the installation of the socket. In particular, compared with the existing round head, which is not easy to unscrew, the square head brings obvious installation effect.

[0028] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, after the plug 2 is fully inserted into the socket 1 and the position marking strip on the plug 2 is identified, the robotic arm rotates the handle 3 clockwise by a certain angle, such as 45°, to lock the plug 2 onto the socket 1.

[0029] When plug 2 needs to be separated from socket 1, the first step of the robotic arm is to rotate handle 3 on socket 1 counterclockwise by a certain angle, such as 45°, to unlock plug 2 from socket 1. Then, the second step of the robotic arm is to pull plug 2 straight back, thereby quickly separating plug 2 from socket 1.

[0030] To achieve a more secure locking, three guide pins 9 are provided, located on the top, left, and right sides of the plug 2. The limiting keyway 11, which cooperates with the guide pins 9 for guidance, has a number and position corresponding to the number and position of the guide pins 9. That is, a guide pin is also provided at the top of the outer wall of the plug, and a limiting keyway is provided at the top of the socket. The guide pins on both sides of the plug are distributed along the diameter of the plug, forming a three-point distribution with the guide pin at the top, which is the most secure fixing method.

[0031] In this embodiment, an arc-shaped hole 12 is provided on either the left 5 or the right 6 of the handle mounting plate. A connecting post 13 that mates with the arc-shaped hole 12 is provided on the outer side of the handle seat 10. The rotation of the left 5 and the right 6 of the handle mounting plate is achieved by positioning the connecting post 13 in conjunction with the arc-shaped hole 12 to achieve two states: insertion and release.

[0032] like Figure 6 As shown, the socket 1 includes a first outer shell 14, a cable fixing clip 15 at the tail of the first outer shell 14, a socket 16 inside the first outer shell 14, a rubber part 17 behind the socket 16, and a first insulating fixing sleeve 18 in front of the socket 16; the plug 2 includes a second outer shell 19, a fixing sleeve 20 inside the second outer shell 19 that is close to its inner wall, a locking screw sleeve 21 and a tail clip 22 at the tail of the second outer shell 19, a pin 23 inside the second outer shell 19, and a second insulating fixing sleeve 24 behind the pin 23.

[0033] like Figure 5 As shown, socket 1 has a square flange 25 at its rear. Four M4 screws are used to mount socket 1 to the outside of a radiation-resistant enclosure. An end-face sealing ring is also provided to ensure electromagnetic shielding and leakage prevention. The combination of the square flange and the cylindrical shape ensures a good balance between socket installation and space utilization.

[0034] like Figures 7-9As shown, to further complement the above structure, receiving holes are respectively provided on both sides of the handle base (10). An ejector block with an arc-shaped outer end face is provided within each receiving hole. The ejector block can extend and retract within the receiving hole via an elastic element. A positioning hole is provided on the opposite inner side of the handle mounting plate. The ejector block abuts against the inner side of the handle mounting plate outwards. When the connecting column is located at one end or the other end of the arc-shaped hole, the outer end face of the ejector block is located within the positioning hole of the handle mounting plate. In this embodiment, the elastic element is a compression spring 101, and the ejector block is a stabilizing steel ball 102. Ready-made raw materials can be found to replace these in actual production, which is beneficial for production. Essentially, the handle base 10 contains two compression springs 101 and two stabilizing steel balls 102. The two compression springs 101 are symmetrically distributed, and the two stabilizing steel balls 102 are respectively installed on the outer end of the corresponding compression springs 101. The two stabilizing steel balls 102 are respectively pressed against the left 5 and right 6 of the handle mounting plate by the compression springs 101. The friction generated by the pressing ensures that the handle 2 is stable in any position during rotation, preventing it from slipping and causing the plug to be unable to be inserted smoothly. At the same time, when the handle is rotated to the correct position, the stabilizing steel balls can fall into the positioning hole 7. The positioning hole 7 indicated in the attached figure is the outer wall of the hole, i.e., a blind hole. Of course, a through hole can also be used. Once the outer end face of the ejector block falls into the positioning hole, it indicates that a positioning action has reached its limit or the correct position. Even if the robot arm is released or removed, since the ejector block on the handle base has fallen into the positioning hole of the handle mounting plate, the handle will not move due to gravity or other slight external contact forces caused by misoperation. That is, the handle is limited to this specific position. If a change in the insertion state is required, the robotic arm touches the handle, slightly increasing the force. The outer end face of the ejector block, being curved, will cause the ejector block to disengage from the positioning hole, thus disengaging the handle from its original position. In this embodiment, the connection post is selected when it is located at the other end of the curved hole (i.e.,...). Figure 3 With the guide pin fully released from the locking hole (at the left end of the arc-shaped hole), the outer end face of the ejector block is positioned within the positioning hole of the handle mounting plate. At this time, the handle is confined to the open position, and the handle portion will be located... Figure 3 The upper part of the socket will not sag due to gravity, thus preventing it from affecting or obstructing the insertion of the plug. Of course, in another embodiment, we can also choose to have the connecting post located at one end of the arc-shaped hole (i.e., Figure 4 When the guide pin is locked in the locking hole (right end of the arc-shaped hole), the outer end face of the ejector block is positioned in the positioning hole of the handle mounting plate. At this time, the handle is locked in the locked state, and the handle part will be located in the locking hole. Figure 4 The middle part near the plug, even if the socket and plug are upside down (e.g. Figure 4 Even if the handle is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise, it will not open due to gravity.

[0035] In this embodiment, the handle mounting plate employs a unique design. The handle mounting plate has a bend 51 in the middle, extending to one end to connect to the handle, and extending to the other end to form a locking portion 52 for a locking hole. The side of the locking portion 52 away from the bend 53 is recessed inward to form a locking hole. The locking hole has an opening that opens outward. A guide slope 54 is provided on the side of the locking hole opening near the plug to facilitate the insertion of a guide pin into the locking hole. This design allows the guide slope at the locking hole to further guide the guide pin into the locking hole even when the plug is not fully inserted into the socket, achieving complete insertion of the socket and facilitating the complete insertion of the plug into the socket.

[0036] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connector capable of being operated by a robot in a radiation environment, comprising a socket (1) and a plug (2), characterized in that: the socket (1) is provided with a handle part, the handle part comprising a handle (3) and handle mounting plates connected to both ends of the handle (3), the socket (1) is provided with a handle seat (10) outside, and connecting posts are arranged on both sides of the handle seat (10), arc-shaped holes corresponding to the connecting posts are arranged on the handle mounting plates, and the connecting posts of the handle seat (10) are located in the arc-shaped holes of the handle mounting plates so that the handle part is rotatably mounted on the handle seat; the plug (2) is provided with guide pins (9) on both sides, and the socket (1) is provided with limiting key grooves (11) corresponding to the guide pins on both sides, the guide pins (9) and the limiting key grooves (11) are matched to guide the plug (2) during insertion into the socket (1); the end of the handle mounting plate away from the handle is provided with a locking hole (8) for locking the guide pins, the guide pins are located in the limiting key grooves so that the plug (2) is inserted into the socket (1) in place, when the connecting posts are located at one end of the arc-shaped holes, the guide pins can be locked in the locking holes, when the connecting posts are located at the other end of the arc-shaped holes, the guide pins can be separated from the locking holes and be completely released, the socket has a cavity matching the profile of the front end of the plug, the lower part of the socket shell is provided with a receiving part extending forward for allowing the plug to be partially placed on the socket before insertion, the top end of the outer side wall of the plug is further provided with a guide pin, and the socket is provided with a limiting key groove corresponding to the top end, the guide pins on both sides of the plug are distributed in the diameter direction of the plug and form a three-point distribution with the guide pin at the top end. resilient members, the opposite inner side of the handle mounting plate is provided with a positioning hole, and the outer end surface of the ejection block is located in the positioning hole of the handle mounting plate when the connecting posts are located at the one end or the other end of the arc-shaped holes.

2. A connector according to claim 1, which is operable by a robot in a radiation environment, characterised in that, A chamfered surface is arranged at the opening of the limiting key groove (11) to form a guide opening.

3. The connector of claim 1, wherein: The socket (1) comprises a first outer shell (14), the tail of the first outer shell (14) is provided with a cable fixing clamp (15), the inside of the first outer shell (14) is provided with a socket (16), the rear of the socket (16) is provided with a rubber member (17), the front of the socket (16) is provided with a first insulating fixing sleeve (18); the plug (2) comprises a second outer shell (19), the inside of the second outer shell (19) is provided with a fixing sleeve (20) close to the inner wall thereof, the tail of the second outer shell (19) is provided with a locking screw (21) and a tail clamp (22), the inside of the second outer shell (19) is provided with a plug pin (23), and the rear of the plug pin (23) is provided with a second insulating fixing sleeve (24).

4. The connector of claim 1, wherein: The tail of the socket (1) is provided with a square flange (25) and an end face sealing ring.

5. A connector according to claim 4, which is operable by a robot in a radiation environment. The tail of the plug (2) is provided with a square head, chamfered surfaces are arranged on the four corners of the square head, and convex anti-slip surfaces are arranged on the planes between the two chamfered surfaces.

6. The connector of claim 4, wherein: The plug (2) is provided with an identification band.

7. The connector of claim 1, wherein: ​

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