Male connector, female connector and their combination

Abstract

A connector combination includes a female connector and a male connector that slides along the length direction of the female connector, the female connector includes a base and a docking terminal held on the base, the docking terminal is provided with an abutment portion exposed to the docking surface of the base, and the lateral sides of the base are recessed inward to form a guide groove, the male connector includes an insulating body, a conductive terminal held on the insulating body and a shell that holds the insulating body, the shell has a pair of side walls and guide ribs that are bent inward and extended from the lower end of the side wall to slide and cooperate with the guide groove, the insulating body has a docking portion arranged in a receiving cavity formed by a pair of side walls, the conductive terminal is provided with a contact portion exposed to the docking surface of the docking portion, the male connector uses the guide ribs and the guide groove of the female connector to achieve sliding movement along the female connector, and when the male connector slides along the female connector, the contact portion of the male connector cooperates with different positions of the abutment portion of the female connector.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector assembly, and in particular to a connector assembly in which a male connector slides and is electrically connected to different positions of a female connector. [Background technology]

[0002] After the existing male connector and the female connector are mated, the male connector and the female connector are fixed in their mating positions, and the male connector cannot adjust the mating position relative to the female connector. In this way, the user's need to change different plug-in positions cannot be met.

[0003] Therefore, it is necessary to improve the existing connector combination to overcome this defect. [Summary of the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a connector combination in which a male connector can adjust a docking position relative to a female connector.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions: a male end connector, comprising an insulating body, a conductive terminal fixed on the insulating body, a shell that fixes the insulating body and a cable connected to the conductive terminal, the shell comprising a pair of side walls and a top wall connecting the upper ends of the pair of side walls, the lower ends of the pair of side walls extend inwardly to form guide ribs, the side walls and the guide ribs constitute a receiving cavity, the insulating body has a docking portion received in the receiving cavity, and the contact portion of the conductive terminal is exposed between the lower surface of the docking portion and the guide rib in the up and down directions.

[0006] Furthermore, the pair of side walls include a front side wall and a rear side wall located at the rear end of the front side wall, the top wall is connected to the upper ends of the pair of rear side walls, the insulating body also includes a base located at the upper end of the docking portion, the base has a supporting portion protruding outward from the docking portion in the lateral direction, and an opening is formed between the pair of front side walls that is connected to the accommodating cavity in the up and down directions for the docking portion to be installed into the accommodating cavity from top to bottom, the supporting portion of the base is pressed downward against the upper end of the front side wall, and the rear end of the base is pressed backward against the front end of the top wall.

[0007] Furthermore, the conductive terminal also includes a retaining portion retained in the docking portion and a welding portion extending upward from one end of the retaining portion and exposed to the upper surface of the base, the cable is electrically connected to the welding portion, and the other end of the retaining portion of the conductive terminal is bent and extended downward to form an elastic contact arm protruding downward from the lower surface of the docking portion, and the contact portion is arranged on the elastic contact arm.

[0008] Furthermore, the docking portion is recessed from front to back with a retaining groove and a receiving groove located below the retaining groove, the receiving groove penetrates downwardly through the lower surface of the docking portion and is provided with a groove that is connected to the receiving cavity and has a width smaller than the receiving groove, the retaining portion is clamped in the retaining groove, and the elastic contact arm includes an elastic arm with the contact portion that passes downward through the groove and a stopping portion that is arranged at the free end of the elastic arm and is received in the receiving groove, the width of the stopping portion is greater than the groove so that the stopping portion floats in the receiving groove.

[0009] Furthermore, the shell is made of metal material through a powder metallurgy process, the conductive terminal is a plurality of elastic terminals arranged in a transverse direction, the conductive terminal has a welding portion exposed to the upper surface of the base, the cable is a flat cable welded to the welding portion and covered on the upper surface of the base, and the male connector is provided with a pressing sheet pressed above the cable.

[0010] Furthermore, in the up-down direction, the insulating body of the male connector can float and move in the up-down direction compared with the shell.

[0011] Furthermore, the female connector matched with the male connector includes a base and a docking terminal accommodated in the base, characterized in that: the base includes a docking surface and a mounting surface opposite to the docking surface, the docking terminal includes an abutting portion exposed to the docking surface and extending along the length direction of the base and contacting the contact portion, a fixing portion bent downward and extended from the abutting portion to be fixed in the base, and a welding foot extending downward from the fixing portion to the mounting surface of the base, the lateral sides of the base are recessed inward to form a guide groove for accommodating the guide rib and allowing the guide rib to slide forward and backward along the length direction of the base, when the male connector slides in the guide groove in the front and rear direction via the guide rib, the contact portion contacts different positions of the abutting portion in the length direction.

[0012] Furthermore, the length of the female connector is greater than that of the male connector, the base and the docking terminal of the female connector are arc-shaped structures in the length direction, and the insulating body and the shell of the male connector are arc-shaped structures in the length direction.

[0013] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention is also implemented through the following technical solutions: a connector combination, the connector combination includes a female connector and a male connector that is matched with the female connector and can slide along the length direction of the female connector, the female connector includes a flat base and a plurality of docking terminals held on the base, the docking terminals include a flat abutment portion exposed to the docking surface of the base, a holding portion held in the base by extending downward from the abutment portion, and a welding foot extending downward from the holding portion out of the mounting surface of the base, the lateral sides of the base are recessed to form guide grooves, the male connector includes a shell that is matched with the base and can slide relative to the base in the length direction, an insulating body held by the shell and a conductive terminal held by the insulating body, the shell includes a pair of side walls, a top wall connecting the upper ends of the rear ends of the pair of side walls, and a top wall extending from the lower ends of the side walls. The guide ribs extend inwardly and are slidably matched with the guide grooves, a pair of side walls and the guide ribs constitute a receiving cavity, a pair of side walls extend forwardly from the top wall to form a front side wall, and an opening connected to the receiving cavity in the up and down directions is formed between the pair of front side walls. The insulating body comprises a base and a docking portion extending downward from the base to form a lateral width smaller than the base, the lateral sides of the base constitute an upper end of the frame leaning against the front side wall, the docking portion passes through the opening and is received in the receiving cavity, and the docking portion is downwardly provided with a slot connected to the receiving cavity, the conductive terminal comprises a welding portion exposed upwardly to the upper surface of the base and an elastic contact arm passing downwardly through the slot and protruding into the receiving cavity, when the male connector slides back and forth in the guide groove in the length direction via the guide ribs, the contact portion contacts different positions of the abutting portion in the length direction.

[0014] Furthermore, the male connector also includes a flat cable covering the upper surface of the base and welded to the welding portion of the conductive terminal, and the female connector also includes a circuit board with welding holes for the welding feet of the docking terminals to penetrate for welding.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: in the connector combination of the present invention, the male connector utilizes the guide ribs arranged at the lower end of the shell side wall to cooperate with the guide grooves on both sides of the female connector base, so that the male connector can slide and electrically cooperate with different positions of the female connector.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 It is a stereoscopic view of the male connector of the present invention being assembled to the female connector.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Another perspective of the stereogram.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a stereoscopic view of the male connector and the female connector of the present invention when they are not assembled.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Another perspective of the stereogram.

[0020] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the male end connector of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Another perspective exploded view.

[0022] Figure 7 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the female connector of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Another perspective exploded view.

[0024] Fig. 9 yes Figure 1 Another stereogram from another perspective.

[0025] Fig.10 It is a stereoscopic diagram of the male connector of the present invention slidingly fitted into the substantially middle section of the female connector.

[0026] Fig.11 It is a stereoscopic view of the male connector of the present invention slidingly fitting into the substantially rear section of the female connector.

[0027] The following specific implementation manner will further illustrate the present invention in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings. [Specific implementation method]

[0028] Please refer to Figures 1 to 11 As shown, the connector assembly 1000 of the present invention includes a male connector 100 and a female connector 200. The male connector 100 is matched with the female connector 200 and can slide along the length direction of the female connector 200 to ensure electrical connection at different positions along the length direction of the female connector 200.

[0029] The male connector 100 includes an insulating body 1, a conductive terminal 2 held in the insulating body 1, a housing 3 holding the insulating body 1, and a cable 300 connected to the conductive terminal 2. In the present invention, the conductive terminal 2 is provided in a plurality, specifically, 5 conductive terminals 2 are provided, but it is not limited thereto. The insulating body 1 includes a base 11 and a docking portion 12 formed by integrally protruding downward from the base 11, that is, the base 11 is located at the upper end of the docking portion 12, and the base 11 has a support portion 111 protruding from both sides of the docking portion 12 in the lateral direction. The conductive terminal 2 includes a holding portion 21 held in the docking portion 12, a welding portion 22 extending upward from one end of the holding portion 21 and exposed to the upper surface of the base 11, and a contact portion 230 formed by bending downward from the other end of the holding portion 21 and exposed to the lower surface 120 of the docking portion 12 in the upper and lower directions.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retaining portion 21 is bent and extended downward to form an elastic contact arm 23 that protrudes downward from the lower surface 120 of the docking portion 12, and the contact portion 230 is arranged on the elastic contact arm 23. At this time, the contact portion 230 can float up and down when being abutted in the up and down directions. The docking portion 12 is recessed from front to back with a holding groove 121 and a receiving groove 122 located below the holding groove 121. The receiving groove 122 penetrates downwardly through the lower surface 120 of the docking portion 12 to form a slot 123. The width of the slot 123 is smaller than the width of the receiving groove 122. The holding portion 21 is clamped and fixed in the holding groove 121. The elastic contact arm 23 includes an elastic arm 231 having the contact portion 230 passing through the slot 123 and a stopper 232 disposed at the free end of the elastic arm 231 and received in the receiving groove 122. The width of the stopper 232 is larger than the width of the slot 123 so that the stopper 232 floats in the receiving groove 122. It should be noted that the contact portion of the conductive terminal in the present invention can also be fixed and immovable.

[0031] The shell 3 includes a pair of side walls 31 and a top wall 32 connecting the upper ends of the pair of side walls 31. The lower ends of the pair of side walls 31 extend inward to form guide ribs 33. The pair of side walls 31 and the guide ribs 33 constitute a receiving cavity 30. The docking portion 12 of the insulating body 1 is received in the receiving cavity 30. The contact portion 230 of the conductive terminal 2 is located between the lower surface 120 of the docking portion 12 and the guide ribs 33 in the up and down direction. Specifically, the pair of side walls 31 include a front side wall 311 and a rear side wall located at the rear end of the front side wall 311, the top wall 32 is connected to the upper ends of the pair of rear side walls 312, and an opening 313 connected to the accommodating cavity 30 in the up and down directions is formed between the pair of front side walls 311. The insulating body 1 is installed on the pair of front side walls 311 from top to bottom, and the docking portion 12 of the insulating body 1 is installed in the accommodating cavity 30 through the opening 313. The supporting portion 111 of the base 11 is pressed downward against the upper end of the front side wall 311, and the rear end of the base 11 is pressed against the front end of the top wall 32. The cable 300 of the male connector 100 is a flat cable covered on the upper surface of the base 11 and welded to the welding portion 22 of the conductive terminal 2. A pressing sheet 400 is pressed on the top of the cable 300 to ensure the reliability of the welding point 301 of the cable 300 and the welding portion 22 after welding. In addition, in the present invention, the housing 3 is preferably made of metal material through a powder metallurgy process to make the housing 3 have reliable strength. The conductive terminal 2 is electroplated with an inert metal such as gold or rhodium, thereby effectively improving the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the conductive terminal 2.

[0032] The female connector 200 includes a docking terminal 5 along a base 4 and accommodated in the base 4, and a circuit board 500 for the docking terminal to be welded. The base 4 includes a docking surface 41 and a mounting surface 42 opposite to the docking surface 41. The docking terminal 5 includes an abutment portion 51 exposed to the docking surface 41 and extending along the length direction of the base 4, a fixing portion 52 bent downwardly and extended from the abutment portion 51 and fixed in the base 4, and a solder foot 53 extending downward from the fixing portion 52 out of the mounting surface 42 of the base 4. The circuit board 500 is provided with a welding hole 501, and the solder foot 53 of the docking terminal is inserted into the welding hole 501 to achieve reliable welding. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the abutment portion 51 is a plate structure extending along the length direction of the base 4, and the abutment portion 51 is elastically abutted by the contact portion 230 of the elastic contact arm 23 of the male connector 100. The lateral sides of the base 4 are inwardly recessed to form guide grooves 43 for accommodating the guide ribs 33 of the male connector 100 and for the guide ribs 33 to slide forward and backward along the length direction of the base 4. In the present invention, the length of the female connector 200 is greater than the length of the male connector 100. Specifically, the length of the base 4 of the female connector 200 and the abutting portion 51 of the docking terminal 5 is much greater than the length of the male connector 100, so that the male connector 100 has a longer electrical contact stroke relative to the female connector 200. In addition, in the present invention, the base of the female connector 200 and the docking terminal 5 are in an arc-shaped structure in the length direction, and correspondingly, the insulating body 1 and the housing 3 of the male connector 100 are also in an arc-shaped structure in the length direction, so that the male connector 100 slides forward and backward in an arc-shaped manner compared with the female connector 200 in the length direction. It is worth noting that in other embodiments, the abutting portion of the female connector can also be in an elastic state, and correspondingly, the contact portion of the male connector is in a fixed state.

[0033] When the male connector 100 is mated with the female connector 200, the guide ribs 33 of the shell 3 of the male connector 100 are received in the guide grooves 43 of the base 4 of the female connector 200, the docking portion 12 is located above the docking surface 41 of the base 4, and the contact portion 23 of the elastic contact arm 23 protruding from the docking portion 12 elastically abuts downward and is electrically connected to the abutment portion 51 of the docking terminal 5. When the male connector 100 mated with the female connector 200 slides in the front-to-back direction in the guide grooves 43 via the guide ribs 33, the contact portion 230 of the conductive terminal 2 of the male connector 100 contacts the abutment portion 51 of the female connector 200 at different positions in the length direction. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the male connector 100 is electrically connected to the front section of the female connector 200 in the longitudinal direction. Fig.10In the embodiment, the male connector 100 is electrically connected to the middle section of the female connector 200 in the length direction. Fig.11 In the embodiment, the male connector 100 is electrically connected to the rear section of the female connector 200 in the length direction.

[0034] In the present invention, in order to reduce the damping variation when the guide rib 33 slides in the guide groove 43, the guide groove 43 is provided with a control component (not shown), and the control component (not shown) may be a parylene coating covering the groove, or the control component (not shown) may be a damper (not shown) provided in the guide groove 43. The above is only a preferred embodiment of reducing the damping variation of the present invention. In other embodiments, the control component (not shown) may also be other materials or components that reduce the damping variation.

[0035] The above descriptions are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Any equivalent changes made to the technical solution of the present invention by ordinary technicians in this field after reading the specification of the present invention are covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A male connector, comprising an insulating body, a conductive terminal fixed to the insulating body, a housing made of metal material by powder metallurgy process and holding the insulating body, and a cable connected to the conductive terminal, characterized in that: The shell includes a pair of side walls and a top wall connecting the upper ends of the pair of side walls, the lower ends of the pair of side walls extend inward to form guide ribs, the side walls and the guide ribs constitute a receiving cavity, the insulating body has a docking portion received in the receiving cavity, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is exposed between the lower surface of the docking portion and the guide ribs in the up and down directions, the male connector is matched with a female connector with guide grooves on both sides, and the guide ribs are received in the guide grooves so that the male connector can slide along the female connector in the length direction.

2. The male connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pair of side walls include a front side wall and a rear side wall located at the rear end of the front side wall, the top wall is connected to the upper ends of the pair of rear side walls, the insulating body also includes a base located at the upper end of the docking part, the base has a supporting part protruding outward from the docking part in the lateral direction, and an opening is formed between the pair of front side walls that is connected to the accommodating cavity in the up and down directions for the docking part to be installed into the accommodating cavity from top to bottom, the supporting part of the base is pressed downward against the upper end of the front side wall, and the rear end of the base is pressed backward against the front end of the top wall.

3. The male connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The conductive terminal also includes a retaining portion retained in the docking portion and a welding portion extending upward from one end of the retaining portion and exposed to the upper surface of the base, the cable is electrically connected to the welding portion, and the other end of the retaining portion of the conductive terminal is bent downward and extended to form an elastic contact arm protruding downward from the lower surface of the docking portion, and the contact portion is arranged on the elastic contact arm.

4. The male connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: The docking portion is recessed from front to back with a retaining groove and a receiving groove located below the retaining groove, the receiving groove penetrates downward through the lower surface of the docking portion and is provided with a groove that is connected to the receiving cavity and has a width smaller than the receiving groove, the retaining portion is clamped in the retaining groove, the elastic contact arm includes an elastic arm with the contact portion that passes downward through the groove and a stopping portion that is arranged at the free end of the elastic arm and is received in the receiving groove, the width of the stopping portion is greater than the groove so that the stopping portion floats in the receiving groove.

5. The male connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shell is made of metal material through powder metallurgy process, the conductive terminal is a plurality of elastic terminals arranged in the transverse direction, the conductive terminal has a welding portion exposed on the upper surface of the base, the cable is a flat cable welded to the welding portion and covered on the upper surface of the base, and the male connector is provided with a pressing sheet pressed above the cable.

6. A female connector mated with the male connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The female connector includes a base and a docking terminal accommodated in the base, the base includes a docking surface and a mounting surface opposite to the docking surface, the docking terminal includes an abutting portion exposed to the docking surface and extending along the length direction of the base and contacting the contact portion, a fixing portion bent downward and extended from the abutting portion to be fixed in the base, and a welding foot extending downward from the fixing portion out of the mounting surface of the base, the lateral sides of the base are recessed inward to form a guide groove for accommodating the guide rib and allowing the guide rib to slide back and forth along the length direction of the base, when the male connector slides back and forth in the guide groove in the length direction via the guide rib, the contact portion contacts different positions of the abutting portion in the length direction.

7. The female connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The length of the female connector is greater than that of the male connector, the base and the docking terminal of the female connector are in an arc-shaped structure in the length direction, and the insulating body and the shell of the male connector are in an arc-shaped structure in the length direction.

8. The female connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: A control component is arranged in the guide groove to reduce the damping change when the guide rib slides in the guide groove.

9. A connector assembly, characterized in that: The connector combination includes a female connector and a male connector that is matched with the female connector and can slide along the length direction of the female connector. The female connector includes a flat base and a plurality of docking terminals fixed on the base. The docking terminals include a flat abutment portion exposed to the docking surface of the base, a holding portion that extends downward from the abutment portion and is held in the base, and a welding foot that extends downward from the holding portion out of the mounting surface of the base. The lateral sides of the base are recessed to form guide grooves. The male connector includes a shell made of metal material through a powder metallurgy process that is matched with the base and slides relative to the base in the length direction, an insulating body fixed to the shell, and a conductive terminal fixed to the insulating body. The shell includes a pair of side walls, a top wall connecting the upper ends of the rear ends of a pair of side walls, and a guide rib that extends inward from the lower end of the side wall to form a sliding match with the guide groove. The pair of side walls The guide rib forms a receiving cavity, a pair of side walls extending forward from the top wall form a front side wall, and an opening connected to the receiving cavity in the up-down direction is formed between the pair of front side walls. The insulating body includes a base and a docking portion extending downward from the base to form a lateral width smaller than the base, the lateral sides of the base form an upper end of the frame leaning against the front side wall, the docking portion passes through the opening and is received in the receiving cavity, and the docking portion is downwardly provided with a slot connected to the receiving cavity, the conductive terminal includes a welding portion exposed upward to the upper surface of the base and an elastic contact arm passing downward through the slot and protruding into the receiving cavity, the elastic contact arm is provided with a contact portion exposed between the lower surface of the docking portion and the guide rib in the up-down direction, and when the guide rib of the male connector slides relative to the guide groove in the length direction, the elastic contact arm contacts different positions of the abutting portion in the length direction.

10. The connector assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that: The male connector also includes a flat cable covering the upper surface of the base and welded to the welding portion of the conductive terminal, and the female connector also includes a circuit board with welding holes for the welding feet of the docking terminals to penetrate and weld.

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