Adapter connector assembly, electrical connector plug and electrical connector kit

Abstract

This disclosure provides an adapter connector assembly, an electrical connector plug, and an electrical connector kit. One end of the adapter connector assembly is used for mounting to a cable entry system, and the adapter connector assembly includes a mounting frame and a housing that can be mated together. The upper part of the mounting frame is used for mating with the cable entry system, and the housing has a first open end and a second open end opposite to each other, and a cavity extending between the first and second open ends for accommodating at least a portion of the mounting frame. The adapter connector assembly provided by this disclosure enables the combined use of a cable entry system and a connector, thereby expanding the cable applicability of the connector and increasing the service life of the cable installed to the connector.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an adapter, and more particularly to an adapter connector assembly for adapter installation in a cable entry system. Background Technology

[0002] Heavy-duty connectors are widely used in the field of electrical connections. Typical heavy-duty connectors allow for pre-installation of cables, thereby reducing wiring error rates and improving the installation efficiency of electrical equipment.

[0003] Existing heavy-duty connectors and cables are typically pre-installed in the following ways: Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 A cross-sectional view is shown of an existing heavy-duty connector 1 mounted with cable 10. (See diagram.) Figure 1 The heavy-duty connector 1 includes a plug portion and a socket portion that mate with each other. The plug portion includes an upper shell 12 and a fixed or modular insert 11 housed within the upper shell 12. The socket portion includes a lower shell 15, and the upper shell 12 of the plug portion mates with the lower shell 15 of the socket portion. During the installation of the cable 10 to the plug portion of the heavy-duty connector 1, after the cable 10 is connected and fixed to the insert 11 of the heavy-duty connector 1, the cable 10 needs to be bent so that it can exit through the top opening of the upper shell 12. Then, a cable connector 13 that screws into the top opening is used to attach the cable 10 to the top opening, thus completing the pre-installation of the plug portion of the heavy-duty connector 1 and the cable 10. It can be seen that during the pre-installation of the cable 10 using the existing heavy-duty connector 1, multiple cables 10 must be bent and bundled together so that these cables 10 can exit through the top opening of the upper shell 12 and be attached with the cable connector 13. This practice makes it impossible to use the existing heavy-duty connector with thicker cables or cables that are inflexible for other reasons. Furthermore, because cable 10 is prone to damage due to prolonged bending, this installation of existing heavy-duty connectors and cables ultimately increases the maintenance costs of electrical equipment and affects its usability. Similar issues exist in other heavy-duty connector models where the cable exits from the side of the housing rather than the top.

[0004] In addition, for cable installation, a Cable Entry System (CES) has been developed to replace the cable connectors on electrical cabinets or equipment, allowing cables to be routed directly into the cabinets or equipment. Typically, this CES product needs to be installed on a panel. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical solution proposed in this invention aims to solve the problems in the prior art mentioned above, such as the inability to use existing heavy-duty connectors for inflexible cables and the easy damage of cables installed in existing heavy-duty connectors.

[0006] This invention provides an adapter connector assembly that enables the combined use of a cable entry system and a connector.

[0007] In one aspect of the invention, an adapter connector assembly is provided, one end of which is used for the adaptation installation of a cable entry system. The adapter connector assembly includes: a mounting frame, the upper part of which is configured to mate with the cable entry system; and a housing having a first open end and a second open end opposite to each other and a cavity extending between the first and second open ends, the cavity being configured to receive at least a portion of the mounting frame, the mounting frame being capable of mating with the housing.

[0008] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the first opening end of the housing mates with the lower end face of the cable introduction system.

[0009] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the mounting frame has two opposing side frames and a crossbeam integrally formed with or detachably mounted to the two side frames.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, at least one of the two side frames has a guide on its upper portion for guiding the cable introduction system to cooperate with the mounting frame during installation.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, each of the two side frames has an upper mounting portion for mounting and securing the mounting frame to the cable introduction system.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, each of the two side frames has a protrusion, and the inner wall of the cavity of the housing has a groove that mates with the protrusion.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the adapter connector assembly further includes fasteners for securing the mounting frame to the housing.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the fastener includes a screw.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the present invention, the crossbeam is provided with fixing holes for cooperating with a cable fixing device to fix the cable connected to the cable introduction system to the mounting frame.

[0016] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the cable fixing device is a cable tie or a cable clip.

[0017] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the lower part of the mounting frame is used for mating connection with the ferrule.

[0018] In at least one embodiment of one aspect of the invention, the mounting frame has two opposing side frames and a crossbeam integrally formed with or detachably mounted to the two side frames, and each of the two side frames of the mounting frame has a lower mounting portion for mounting and fixing the mounting frame to the ferrule.

[0019] In another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector plug is provided, the electrical connector plug comprising: a cable entry system for receiving a cable; a ferrule for electrical connection with the cable; and an adapter connector assembly as described in the preceding paragraphs, wherein the upper and lower portions of the mounting frame of the adapter connector assembly are respectively configured to mate with the cable entry system and the ferrule, and the lower portion of the housing of the adapter connector assembly is configured to mate with the housing of a mating connector base.

[0020] In another aspect of the invention, an electrical connector kit is provided, including an electrical connector plug as described in the preceding paragraph; and a connector base mating with said electrical connector plug.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention utilizes an adapter connector assembly to introduce cables into the system in combination with heavy-duty connectors, thereby allowing cables to be installed and connected to heavy-duty connectors in a normal straight state, thus broadening the cable application range of heavy-duty connectors and improving the service life of cables installed on heavy-duty connectors. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of the various embodiments of the present invention, a more specific description of the various embodiments of the present invention will be presented with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the present invention and are therefore not intended to limit the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0023] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an existing heavy-duty connector mounted with cables is shown.

[0024] Figure 2A An existing cable entry system is shown.

[0025] Figure 2B An exploded view of an adapter connector assembly for adapter installation in a cable entry system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 An exploded view of an electrical connector and cable installation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0027] Some of the attached figure labels:

[0028] 1. Existing heavy-duty connectors

[0029] 10 Cables

[0030] 11. Fuse

[0031] 12. Upper shell

[0032] 13 Cable connectors

[0033] 15. Lower shell

[0034] 2 Electrical connectors

[0035] 20 Adaptor Connector Assembly

[0036] 21 Cable entry system

[0037] 210 CES fixing screws

[0038] 211 CES mounting holes

[0039] 22 Installation Frame

[0040] 221 Side frame

[0041] 222 Crossbeam

[0042] 223 Guide component

[0043] 224 Upper Installation Section

[0044] 225 Fixing Hole

[0045] 226 Protrusion

[0046] 227 Frame mounting holes

[0047] 228 Lower Installation Section

[0048] 23. Flanged Module

[0049] 231 Insert fixing screw

[0050] 232 ferrule mounting hole

[0051] 24. Shell

[0052] 241 First Opening End

[0053] 242 Second Opening End

[0054] 243 Cavity

[0055] 244 Housing mounting holes

[0056] 245 screws

[0057] 246 gasket

[0058] 25 Base shell Detailed Implementation

[0059] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. More details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention can obviously be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein. Those skilled in the art can make similar extensions and derivations based on actual application situations without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited by the content of this specific embodiment.

[0060] This application uses specific terms to describe embodiments of the application. Terms such as "one embodiment," "other embodiments," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of the application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment," "other embodiments," or "some embodiments" mentioned twice or more in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the application can be appropriately combined.

[0061] It should be noted that, in order to simplify the description of this application and thus aid in the understanding of one or more embodiments, the following description of the embodiments of this application may sometimes combine multiple features into a single embodiment, drawing, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of this application requires more features than those mentioned in the claims. In fact, the embodiments contain fewer features than all the features of a single embodiment disclosed below.

[0062] The following reference Figure 2A and Figure 2B This invention describes an adapter connector assembly for adapter mounting in a Cable Entry System (CES) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2A An existing cable entry system (hereinafter referred to as CES)21 is shown. Figure 2B An exploded view of an adapter connector assembly 20 for adapter installation at CES 21 is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] See Figure 2AThe CES 21 includes a CES frame with CES mounting holes 211 and CES fixing screws 210. Various types of cable conduit assemblies can be snap-fitted or otherwise secured within the CES frame as needed. The CES frame of the CES 21 can be secured to other components, such as electrical equipment or electrical cabinets, via the CES fixing screws 210 and CES mounting holes 211, thereby allowing cables (not shown) entering the CES 21 to be routed into these components. CES products are sometimes referred to in the art as "through-wall modules." CES products are available from PHOENIX CONTACT GMBH & CO.KG, headquartered in Germany.

[0064] See Figure 2B The adapter connector assembly 20 includes a mounting frame 22 having two opposing side frames 221 and a crossbeam 222 between the two side frames 221. In some embodiments, the crossbeam 222 may be detachably mounted to the two side frames 221, for example, by screws or by snap-fit. In other embodiments, the crossbeam 222 may be integrally formed with the two side frames 221 or non-detachably joined to the two side frames 221. The upper portion of the mounting frame 22 may be configured to mate with a cable entry system 21; for example, the shape of the upper portion of the mounting frame 22 may be adapted to accommodate a cable entry system 21. Figure 2A The cable entry system 21 shown is matched with the lower end.

[0065] See Figure 2B The upper part of the two side frames 221 of the mounting frame 22 has guides 223 to guide the CES 21 to mate with the mounting frame 22 and prevent misalignment during installation. Although in Figure 2B The diagram shows two guides 223 on the upper portion of each of the two side frames 221. However, in other embodiments, any suitable number of guides 223 may be provided on the upper portion of both side frames 221 or only on the upper portion of one side frame 221. See also... Figure 2B The upper part of the two side frames 221 of the mounting frame 22 also has an upper mounting part 224 that mates with the CES fixing screw 210 and the CES mounting hole 211. Figure 2B The upper mounting portion 224 shown is a mounting hole for securing the CES 21 to the upper part of the mounting frame 22 using the CES fixing screw 210. Besides screw locking, the CES 21 can also be secured to the upper part of the mounting frame 22 in other ways, such as a snap-fit ​​engagement, wherein the two side frames 221 of the mounting frame 22 may have protrusions that engage with the recesses on both sides of the upper end face of the cable entry system 21, thereby securing the cable entry system 21 to the mounting frame 22 through the engagement of the recesses and protrusions.

[0066] See Figure 2B The crossbeam 222 of the mounting frame 22 may have fixing holes 225 for cooperating with cable fixing devices to secure cables connected to the CES 21 to the mounting frame 22. For example, cables can be bundled to the mounting frame 22 by passing cable ties through the fixing holes 225, or cables can be clamped to the mounting frame 22 by cooperating with cable clamps in the fixing holes 225. In some embodiments, the crossbeam 222 with different locations and / or different numbers of fixing holes 225 can be replaced according to the cables to be connected to the CES 21, so that the corresponding cables can be fixed to the mounting frame 22 using the fixing holes 225 at the corresponding locations.

[0067] See Figure 2B The adapter connector assembly 20 also includes a housing 24 having a first open end 241 and a second open end 242 opposite to each other, and a cavity 243 extending between the first open end 241 and the second open end 242, the cavity 243 being used to accommodate at least a portion of the mounting frame 22. Each of the two side frames 221 of the mounting frame 22 has a protrusion 226, and the inner wall of the cavity 243 has a groove (not shown) that mates with the protrusion 226, the groove accommodating the sliding of the protrusion 226 on both sides of the mounting frame 22. During the insertion of the mounting frame 22 from the first open end 241 into the cavity 243 of the housing 24, the protrusions 226 on both sides of the mounting frame 22 move within the groove to the end of the groove, where the movement of the mounting frame 22 within the cavity 243 of the housing 24 is blocked, thereby preventing further downward movement of the mounting frame 22 within the cavity 243, thus allowing the mounting frame 22 to be stably secured within the housing 24. Further or alternatively, the mounting frame 22 may also have frame mounting holes 227 on both side frames 221 (e.g., on the protrusion 226 or at other locations on the side frames 221), and correspondingly, the housing 24 also has corresponding housing mounting holes 244 on both sides. The fixation between the mounting frame 22 and the housing 24 can be further enhanced by screwing screws 245 into the frame mounting holes 224 and the housing mounting holes 244. Furthermore, washers 246 may be added when screwing in the screws 245 to further prevent loosening between the mounting frame 22 and the housing 24. In other embodiments, the screws 245 may be replaced with other fasteners, as long as they can further secure the mounting frame 22 and the housing 24 together.

[0068] For Figure 1 For example, the upper shell 12 of the conventional heavy-duty connector 1 has a larger opening that mates with the lower shell 15 of the socket, while the opening at the other end (top) is significantly smaller. As a result, the installed cable is bent within the space of the upper shell 12. Figure 2B The diameters of the first opening end 241 and the second opening end 242 of the housing 24 of the adapter connector assembly 20 shown are not so significantly different, so that the cable does not undergo substantial bending within the cavity 243.

[0069] See further Figure 2B The upper portion of housing 24 may be configured in a funnel-like shape, meaning the diameter of the upper portion of housing 24 gradually increases towards the first opening end 241, wherein the first opening end 241 is configured to mate with the lower end face of CES 21, such that when CES 21 is mounted onto the adapter connector assembly 20, the lower end face of CES 21 is in contact with the first opening end 241 of housing 24 of the adapter connector assembly 20. In other embodiments, the upper portion of housing 24 may be configured in other shapes to accommodate at least a portion of CES 21, i.e., when CES 21 is mounted onto the adapter connector assembly 20, at least a portion of CES 21 is accommodated in cavity 243.

[0070] Continue to see Figure 2B The lower part of the two side frames 221 of the mounting frame 22 may also have a lower mounting portion 228 for mounting the frame 22 with a fixed ferrule or a modular ferrule (for example, see below). Figure 3 The ferrule module 23) is installed and fixed, for example, by screws or by clips.

[0071] It should be understood that Figure 2B The mounting frame 22 shown, with two opposing side frames and crossbeams integrally formed with or detachably mounted to the two side frames, is merely illustrative and not intended to limit the mounting frame. Those skilled in the art can adapt the construction of the mounting frame to suit their needs, provided that at least a portion of the mounting frame can be accommodated within and fitted together with the housing, and that the upper part of the mounting frame can be fitted to the CES. Furthermore, the lower part of the mounting frame can be configured to mate with fixed or modular inserts.

[0072] Figure 3 An exploded view of an electrical connector 2 and cable 10 mounted according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3As shown, the electrical connector 2 includes the CES 21 described above, an adapter connector assembly 20 including a mounting frame 22 and a housing 24, a ferrule module 23, and a base housing 25. The CES 21, the adapter connector assembly 20 including the mounting frame 22 and the housing 24, and the ferrule module 23 together constitute the electrical connector plug. The installation process of the electrical connector 2 and the cable 10 is roughly as follows: First, the cable 10 is connected to the CES 21 and electrically connected to the ferrule 11 in the ferrule module 23 (e.g., the cable 10 is inserted into the ferrule 11 and electrically connected to the electrical terminals within the ferrule 11); then, the CES 21 is mounted and fixed to the upper part of the mounting frame 22, as described above. Figure 2A-2B The process involves: installing and fixing the ferrule module 23 to the lower part of the mounting frame 22, for example, by screwing the ferrule fixing screw 231 into the ferrule mounting hole 232 on the ferrule module 23 and the lower mounting portion 228 of the mounting frame 22, thereby fixing and locking the ferrule module 23 to the lower part of the mounting frame 22; then installing and fixing the mounting frame 22 into the housing 24; finally, fixing the housing 24 to the base housing 25 of the electrical connector 2. The fixing between the lower part of the housing 24 and the base housing 25 is similar to the fixing method between the upper shell (sometimes called HOOD or free end shell) and the lower shell (sometimes called HOUSING or base shell) in existing heavy-duty connectors, and will not be described in detail here.

[0073] pass Figure 3 As can be seen, by using the electrical connector 2 of the present invention, the cable 10 can be pre-installed to the electrical connector 2 in a normal straight state, thereby expanding the cable application range of the electrical connector 2 (including flexible cables and non-flexible cables) and improving the service life of the cable 10 installed to the electrical connector 2.

[0074] although Figure 3 Modular ferrules are shown, but it should be understood that the adapter connector assembly of the present invention is also applicable to connectors using fixed ferrules.

[0075] The adapter connector assembly proposed in this invention is applicable to various connector kits that correspond to various types of connectors, especially connector plugs.

[0076] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, it should be understood that various embodiments and modifications can be adopted without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make numerous modifications and variations based on the concept of the present invention without creative effort. Therefore, all technical solutions that can be obtained by those skilled in the art based on the concept of the present invention through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation on the basis of existing technology should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

[0077] The terms and expressions used herein are descriptive and not restrictive, and their use is not intended to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and described (or portions thereof), and it should be understood that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Accordingly, the claims are intended to cover all such equivalents.

Claims

1. An adapter connector assembly, characterized in that, One end of the adapter connector assembly is used for the adaptation and installation of the cable entry system, and the adapter connector assembly includes: Mounting frame, the upper part of which is used for mounting in conjunction with the cable entry system; and The housing has a first open end and a second open end opposite to each other and a cavity extending between the first and second open ends, the cavity being used to accommodate at least a portion of the mounting frame, the upper part of the housing having a gradually increasing diameter toward the first open end, the first open end being used to mate with the lower end face of the cable entry system. The mounting frame can be installed together with the housing; The mounting frame has two opposing side frames, and at least one of the side frames has a guide on its upper part for guiding the cable entry system to cooperate with the mounting frame during installation.

2. The adapter connector assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The mounting frame also has crossbeams that are integrally formed with or detachably mounted to the two side frames.

3. The adapter connector assembly as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the two side frames has an upper mounting portion for mounting and securing the mounting frame to the cable entry system.

4. The adapter connector assembly as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the two side frames has a protrusion, and the inner wall of the cavity of the housing has a groove that mates with the protrusion.

5. The adapter connector assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The adapter connector assembly further includes: Fasteners used to secure the mounting frame to the housing.

6. The adapter connector assembly as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The fasteners include screws.

7. The adapter connector assembly as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The crossbeam is provided with fixing holes for use with cable fixing devices to fix the cables connected to the cable introduction system to the mounting frame.

8. The adapter connector assembly as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that, The cable fixing device is a cable tie or a cable clip.

9. The adapter connector assembly as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The lower part of the mounting frame is used for mating and connecting with the ferrule.

10. The adapter connector assembly as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The mounting frame has two opposing side frames and a crossbeam integrally formed with or detachably mounted to the two side frames. Each of the two side frames of the mounting frame has a lower mounting portion for mounting and securing the mounting frame to the ferrule.

11. An electrical connector plug, characterized in that, The electrical connector plug includes: Cable entry system, used for connecting cables; A ferrule for electrical connection with the cable; and The adapter connector assembly as described in any one of claims 1-10, The upper and lower portions of the mounting frame of the adapter connector assembly are respectively used for mounting in conjunction with the cable entry system and the ferrule, and the lower portion of the housing of the adapter connector assembly is used for mounting in conjunction with the housing of the mating connector base.

12. An electrical connector kit, characterized in that, include: The electrical connector plug as described in claim 11; as well as A connector base that mates with the electrical connector plug.

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