Connector assembly, its plug and socket

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector assembly, its plug and socket. The connector assembly includes a plug and a socket. The socket includes a socket housing, and a slotted opening and a staple groove are provided at the front end of the socket housing and are in communication with each other. The plug includes a plug housing, a connection nut and a torque spring. The connection nut is movably sleeved on the front end of the plug housing, and a staple is provided on the connection nut. The torque spring is sleeved on the plug housing, one end of the torque spring is connected to a flange portion, and the other end is connected to the connection nut. A rotation groove is provided on the plug housing, and a snap ring platform is provided at the rear end of the connection nut. A snap spring is provided on the plug housing, and the connection nut abuts against the front end of the snap spring under the action of the torque spring. When the plug and the socket are inserted and mated, the connection nut is rotated to align the staple with the slotted opening. After the insertion and mating are in place, the connection nut rebounds to the initial position under the action of the torque spring, so that the staple and the staple groove are in a blocking fit in the front-rear direction to achieve locking of the plug and the socket. After the plug and the socket are inserted and mated, the present invention has an automatic rebound function, which is convenient for the user to operate and improves work efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of connectors, and particularly relates to a connector assembly, a plug, and a socket thereof. Background Art

[0002] The connection methods of existing optical fiber / electrical connectors are divided into threaded connection, bayonet connection, and push-pull locking connection. Threaded connection is usually adopted for connectors. The plugging and separation of the head and socket are realized by rotating the connection nut, and the reliability is relatively high. However, when the number of connectors to be plugged is large, the plugging efficiency of the connectors is relatively low, and it is easy to cause damage to the hands of the staff. The snap connection has a relatively high plugging efficiency, but its disadvantages are that the connection nut cannot automatically rebound and there is no limiting function, and the installation efficiency is low. Each connector product needs to be aligned with the card slot for plugging. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to further improve the efficiency of batch plugging and separation of connectors, the present invention designs a connector assembly with a quick screwing function to achieve the purpose of improving the plugging efficiency.

[0004] The purpose of the present invention and the solution to its technical problems are achieved by adopting the following technical solutions.

[0005] The connector assembly proposed by the present invention includes a plug and a socket whose front ends are plugged into each other. The socket includes a socket housing. A slot is provided at the front end of the socket housing and a nail slot is located behind the slot. The slot extends in the front-rear direction, and the nail slot extends circumferentially. The slot is communicated with the nail slot. The plug includes a plug housing, a connection nut, and a torque spring. The connection nut is movably sleeved on the front end of the plug housing. A nail is provided on the connection nut. The torque spring is sleeved on the plug housing and is located between the rear end of the connection nut and the flange portion of the plug housing. One end of the torque spring is connected to the flange portion, and the other end is connected to the rear end of the connection nut. A rotation groove is provided on the plug housing, and a clamping platform is provided at the rear end of the connection nut. The rotation groove and the clamping platform cooperate to control the rotation angle of the connection nut. A snap ring is provided on the plug housing. The connection nut abuts against the front end of the snap ring under the action of the axial force provided by the torque spring. When the head and socket are not plugged, the torque spring has an initial torque force, so that the clamping platform abuts against one side of the rotation groove, and at this time the connection nut is in the initial position. When the head and socket are plugged, the connection nut is rotated so that the nail is aligned with the slot. After plugging in place, the connection nut rebounds to the initial position under the action of the torque spring, so that the nail and the nail slot are in a stop fit in the front-rear direction to realize the locking of the head and socket.

[0006] Furthermore, a clamping groove is provided on the flange portion of the plug housing, a kidney-shaped clamping groove is provided at the rear end of the connecting nut, the front end of the torque spring has a first clamping shaft that is clamped and fixed with the clamping groove, and the rear end has a second clamping shaft that is clamped and fixed with the kidney-shaped clamping groove. By fixing both ends of the torque spring and cooperating with the rotation groove, a torsional moment can be provided for the rotation mechanism formed by the plug housing - torque spring - connecting nut.

[0007] Furthermore, a plurality of circumferentially evenly distributed clamping holes are provided at the front end of the connecting nut, and the clamping pins are fixed in the corresponding clamping holes by riveting.

[0008] Furthermore, an avoidance groove is provided on the flange portion of the plug housing, and the avoidance groove is used to stagger the clamping pins when installing the connecting nut.

[0009] Furthermore, a plurality of anti-rotation keys are provided on the plug housing, and corresponding anti-rotation key grooves are provided on the socket housing. The anti-rotation keys and the anti-rotation key grooves cooperate to achieve radial anti-rotation after the plug housing and the socket housing are inserted.

[0010] Furthermore, the front end of the slotted opening is provided as a flared opening to facilitate guiding the clamping pin into the slotted opening; the rear end of the slotted opening is provided as a rounded guiding portion to facilitate the clamping pin to move along the rounded guiding portion into the clamping pin groove under the action of the torque force of the torque spring.

[0011] Furthermore, a first O-ring is provided at the rear end of the socket housing, and the first O-ring is used for sealing cooperation with the installation hole on the installation panel for plug assembly; a second O-ring is embedded on the flange rear end face of the socket housing for end face sealing between the socket housing and the installation panel; a third O-ring is provided on the inner wall of the front end of the socket housing, and the third O-ring is used for sealing cooperation with the plug housing to achieve sealing of the mating surface after the head and socket are inserted.

[0012] Furthermore, a color strip is provided on the socket housing, and the color strip is located at the rear end of the clamping pin groove; after the head and socket are inserted, the connecting nut will completely block the color strip, thereby playing a role in visually judging the insertion in place.

[0013] The present invention also proposes a plug, and the plug is the plug described in any one of the above.

[0014] The present invention also proposes a socket, and the socket is the socket described in any one of the above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The connector assembly with a quick screwing function designed by the present invention limits the insertion and extraction direction through the quick screwing between the clamping pin and the clamping pin groove, and the torque force provided by the torque spring makes the position state of the connecting nut on each connector consistent, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the insertion efficiency. After the present invention is inserted, it has an automatic rebound function, which is convenient for the user to operate. The connector improves the work efficiency by limiting the position of the connecting nut and providing torque by the torque spring, and solves the problem of hand damage to the user caused by excessive operation times.

[0016] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to understand the technical means of the present invention more clearly, it can be implemented according to the content of the specification. And in order to make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following provides preferred embodiments and, in conjunction with the drawings, is described in detail as follows. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the connector assembly of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the socket in the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 It is a front view schematic diagram of the socket in the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 It is Figure 3 the schematic view in the A direction in

[0021] Figure 5 It is an enlarged schematic diagram of the slot on the socket in the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 The schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the plug in the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a structure diagram of the plug housing in the present invention.

[0024] Figure 8 It is Figure 7 the sectional view taken along line B-B in

[0025] Figure 9 It is a structure diagram of the torsion spring in the present invention.

[0026] Figure 10 It is a schematic cross-sectional view of the connecting nut in the present invention.

[0027] Figure 11 It is a rear view schematic diagram of the connecting nut in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 12 It is an exploded view of the plug in the present invention.

[0029] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the plug in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of the state of the connecting nut when it is in the initial position in the present invention.

[0031] Figure 15 It is a schematic diagram of the state of the connecting nut when it is in the working position in the present invention.

[0032] Figure 16 It is a schematic cross-sectional view after the plug and the socket in the present invention are plugged together. Specific Embodiments

[0033] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0034] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5 , a connector assembly, including a mating plug 2 and socket 1, with the mutually plugged ends of the plug and socket as their respective front ends; wherein, the socket 1 includes a socket housing 1.6 and socket contacts installed in the socket housing through a socket insulator 1.4. The socket housing 1.6 is a square plate housing, and four mounting holes 1.6.1 are provided on the square plate housing for fixing the socket to the equipment mounting panel. A wire sealing body 1.2 is also provided in the socket housing for sealing and fixing the equipment cable that accesses the socket interior and is connected to the socket contacts. The plug 2 includes a plug housing 2.1, a connecting nut 2.5, and plug contacts installed in the plug housing through a plug insulator 2.3. The plug housing 2.1 is a spline housing. After the plug and socket are plugged together, the plug contacts are connected to the socket contacts to achieve contact conduction.

[0035] As Figure 3 , three anti-rotation key grooves 1.6.2 are circumferentially provided on the socket housing 1.6. The anti-rotation key grooves cooperate with three anti-rotation keys 2.1.3 on the plug to play a role in preventing rotation between the connector housings; the three anti-rotation key grooves 1.6.2 are not circumferentially distributed on the circumference of the socket housing, and the widths of the anti-rotation key grooves are different, which can guide the plug to be inserted at the correct angle. Two positioning key grooves 1.6.3 are provided in the socket housing, and the positioning key grooves 1.6.3 cooperate with two positioning keys on the socket insulator 1.4 to play a role in preventing rotation between the socket insulator and the socket housing. Three circumferentially distributed slots 1.6.4 are provided on the outer wall of the front end of the socket housing 1.6. A staple groove 1.6.7 is provided on the socket housing 1.6. The staple groove is a circumferentially opened annular groove, which is located at the rear end of the slot 1.6.4 and the two are interconnected. The front end of the slot is provided with a flared mouth 1.6.4.1. The function of the flared mouth 1.6.4.1 is to facilitate the insertion and alignment guidance between the staple 2.2 at the plug end and the slot at the socket end, improving the installation efficiency of the plug and socket; the rear end of the slot is provided with a rounded guiding portion 1.6.4.2. After the plug and socket are plugged together, under the torque force of the torsion spring 2.4, the staple 2.2 moves along the rounded guiding portion 1.6.4.2 and finally falls into the staple groove 1.6.7, thereby realizing the limit of the staple in the plugging and unplugging direction.

[0036] Further, two axially distributed O-ring grooves 1.6.5 are provided at the rear end of the socket housing 1.6 for installing the first O-ring 1.1. The first O-ring 1.1 is in sealing fit with the mounting hole of the mounting panel. A ribbon 1.6.6 is provided on the socket housing 1.6. The ribbon is located at the rear end of the staple groove 1.6.7. In this embodiment, the ribbon is a red ribbon. After the head and socket are inserted together, the connecting nut will completely cover the red ribbon, serving the function of visually judging the insertion in place. A second O-ring 1.3 is embedded in the rear end of the flange of the socket housing for achieving end face sealing between the socket housing and the mounting panel. A third O-ring 1.5 is provided on the inner wall of the front end of the socket housing. The third O-ring 1.5 is used for sealing fit with the plug housing to achieve sealing of the mating surface after the head and socket are inserted together. By means of the design of the above-mentioned multiple sealing structures, the connector assembly of the present invention is applicable to the application scenario of a watertight connector.

[0037] As shown in the figure, three U-shaped relief grooves 2.1.1 are evenly distributed in the circumferential direction on the plug housing 2.1. Three evenly distributed card holes 2.5.3 are provided at the front end of the connecting nut 2.5. A staple 2.2 is fixed in the card hole 2.5.3 by riveting. The relief grooves are used to stagger the corresponding staples when installing the connecting nut. Two key grooves 2.1.2 are provided inside the plug housing 2.1. The two key grooves 2.1.2 are correspondingly matched with two keys on the plug insulator 2.3, serving the function of preventing rotation between the plug insulator and the plug housing. Three anti-rotation keys 2.1.3 are provided on the plug housing 2.1 and are used in cooperation with the above-mentioned anti-rotation key grooves 1.6.2 to serve the function of preventing rotation after the head and socket are inserted together at both ends of the housing.

[0038] A rotating groove 2.1.4 with a circumferentially extending angle of 90° is provided on the plug housing 2.1. The rotating groove 2.1.4 is in stop fit with a card table 2.5.2 provided on the connecting nut 2.5 in the rotating direction of the connecting nut to achieve control of the rotation angle of the connecting nut 2.5. A card slot 2.1.7 is provided on the plug housing 2.1. Both the card slot 2.1.7 and the relief groove 2.1.1 are located on the flange portion 2.1.0 of the plug housing 2.1. The rotating groove 2.1.4 and the card slot 2.1.7 have a relative position relationship to ensure that the torsion spring has an initial torsional force after assembly, realizing the positioning of the connecting nut 2.5. A snap ring groove 2.1.5 is provided on the plug housing 2.1. The snap ring 2.6 is assembled into the snap ring groove 2.1.5 through a special tooling to achieve the assembly of the connecting nut and the axial compression effect on the torsion spring.

[0039] With reference to the figure, the front and rear ends of the torsion spring 2.4 are the first clamping shaft 2.4.1 and the second clamping shaft 2.4.2 respectively. The torsion spring 2.4 is sleeved on the plug housing and abuts between the rear end of the connecting nut and the flange portion 2.1.0 of the plug housing. The first clamping shaft 2.4.1 is clamped into the card slot 2.1.7 on the plug housing 2.1, and the second clamping shaft 2.4.2 is clamped into the waist-shaped card slot 2.5.1 opened on the connecting nut 2.4. In cooperation with the rotating slot 2.1.4 on the plug housing 2.1, it provides a torsional moment for the rotating mechanism formed by the plug housing - torsion spring - connecting nut. After being compressed, the torsion spring 2.4 can provide axial elastic force to ensure that the connecting nut does not axially move after the head seat is inserted in place.

[0040] In this embodiment, the waist-shaped card slot 2.5.1 is arranged on the flange at the tail of the connecting nut. The waist-shaped card slot is clamped and matched with the second clamping shaft 2.4.2 to realize the limit of one end of the torsion spring 2.4; a clamping platform 2.5.2 with a specific angle is arranged on the flange at the tail of the connecting nut, that is, the angle at which the clamping platform extends circumferentially along the flange at the tail of the connecting nut is a specific angle, and this specific angle should be smaller than the circumferential extension angle of the rotating slot 2.1.4 on the plug housing. For example, the specific angle is 45°, so that the clamping platform can perform circular motion around the central axis of the entire plug in the rotating slot.

[0041] Furthermore, the plug further includes a tail accessory. The tail of the plug housing 2.1 is provided with a threaded portion 2.1.6, and the threaded portion 2.1.6 is matched with the thread at the front end of the tail accessory 2.7. A cable is arranged inside the tail accessory, and the cable is used for electrical connection with the plug contact.

[0042] As Figure 8 , when the plug is assembled, the plug insulator 2.3 is axially inserted into the inside of the plug housing 2.1. The staple 2.2 and the connecting nut 2.5 need to be pre-riveted before being inserted into the plug housing. After riveting, they are inserted from the rear end of the plug housing 2.1. The first clamping shaft 2.4.1 of the torsion spring 2.4 is clamped into the card slot 2.1.7 on the plug housing 2.1, and the second clamping shaft 2.4.2 is clamped into the waist-shaped card slot 2.5.1 on the connecting nut 2.4. Then, a special tooling is used to install the snap ring 2.6 into the snap ring groove 2.1.5 to limit the connecting nut backward. At the same time, in cooperation with the torsion spring, it provides an axial elastic force backward to the connecting nut, so that the connecting nut abuts against the front end face of the snap ring.

[0043] As Figure 9As shown, when the plug and the socket are not mated, the connecting nut is in the initial position. At this time, one side of the rotation groove 2.1.4 on the plug housing 2.1 (the initial positioning surface 2.1.4.1) contacts one side of the clamping platform 2.5.2 on the connecting nut 2.5 (the initial mating surface 2.5.2.1), and the torque spring has a small torque to ensure that the initial positioning surface and the initial mating surface are always in contact. When the plug and the socket are mated, rotate the connecting nut 2.5 in the clockwise direction. The other side of the clamping platform 2.5.2 on the connecting nut 2.5 contacts the other side of the rotation groove 2.1.4. At this time, it reaches the working position, and the three evenly distributed pins 2.2 on the connecting nut are in the same relative position as the slots 1.6.4 on the socket housing 1.6. At this time, the mating state during insertion is as shown in Figure 10 As shown, the pins 2.2 can pass through the slots 1.6.4 and fall into the pin slots 1.6.7 on the socket housing 1.6.

[0044] After the plug and the socket are mated in place, release the connecting nut 2.5. The connecting nut 2.5 will automatically rebound to the initial position under the action of the torque provided by the torque spring 2.4. At this time, the pins 2.2 and the pin slots 1.6.7 are locked and mated axially to realize the locking of the plug and the socket. The torque spring also provides an axial force to realize the close fit between the pins and the pin slots, improving the reliability of the connector.

[0045] In this embodiment, the plug contact can be an optical fiber contact, an electrical contact, or an optical and electrical hybrid contact, and the socket contact is set as a corresponding contact that is adapted to it, so as to realize functions such as optical fiber transmission / electrical energy transmission / optical and electrical hybrid transmission of the connector assembly.

[0046] In this embodiment, when describing the solution, quantity limitations are imposed on parts such as the anti-rotation key groove 1.6.2, the slots 1.6.4, the relief groove 2.1.1, the key groove 2.1.2, the anti-rotation key 2.1.3, the pins 2.2, and each O-ring; however, in another embodiment, the quantities of the above parts can all be adjusted adaptively, and the present invention does not limit this.

[0047] Embodiment of the plug:

[0048] The specific embodiment of the plug in the present invention has the same structure as the plug in the above connector assembly embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0049] Embodiment of the socket:

[0050] The specific embodiment of the socket in the present invention has the same structure as the socket in the above connector assembly embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0051] As described above, it is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Any person skilled in the relevant art, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connector assembly, comprising a plug and a socket with their front ends inserted into each other, characterized in that: The socket comprises a socket housing, a front end of the socket housing is provided with a slot and a staple slot located behind the slot, the slot extends in the front-to-back direction, the staple slot extends in the circumferential direction, and the slot is connected to the staple slot; the plug comprises a plug housing, a connecting nut and a torque spring, the connecting nut is movably mounted on the front end of the plug housing, a staple is arranged on the connecting nut, the torque spring is mounted on the plug housing and is located between the rear end of the connecting nut and the flange portion of the plug housing, one end of the torque spring is connected to the flange portion, and the other end is connected to the rear end of the connecting nut; a rotating groove is arranged on the plug housing, and the rear end of the connecting nut is connected to the flange portion. A clamping platform is provided at the end, and the rotary groove cooperates with the clamping platform to realize the control of the rotation angle of the connecting nut; a clamping spring is provided on the plug housing, and the connecting nut abuts against the front end of the clamping spring under the axial force provided by the torque spring; when the head seat is not inserted, the torque spring has an initial torque force, so that the clamping platform abuts against one side of the rotary groove, and the connecting nut is in the initial position at this time; when the head seat is inserted, the connecting nut is rotated to align the clamping nail with the slot, and after being inserted in place, the connecting nut rebounds to the initial position under the action of the torque spring, so that the clamping nail and the clamping nail slot are blocked and matched in the front and rear directions, so as to realize the locking of the head seat; A slot is provided on the flange of the plug housing, a waist-shaped slot is provided at the rear end of the connecting nut, a first clamping shaft is provided at the front end of the torque spring to be clamped and fixed with the slot, and a second clamping shaft is provided at the rear end to be clamped and fixed with the waist-shaped slot; The front end of the slot is set as a bell mouth to guide the staple into the slot; the rear end of the slot is set as a chamfered guide part to facilitate the staple to move into the staple slot along the chamfered guide part under the action of the torque force of the torque spring.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of circumferentially evenly distributed clamping holes are arranged at the front end of the connecting nut, and the clamping nails are fixed in the corresponding clamping holes by riveting.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: An avoidance groove is provided on the flange portion of the plug housing, and the avoidance groove is used to stagger the clamping pins when installing the connecting nut.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The plug housing is provided with a plurality of anti-rotation keys, and the socket housing is provided with corresponding anti-rotation key slots. The anti-rotation keys cooperate with the anti-rotation key slots to achieve radial anti-rotation after the plug housing and the socket housing are plugged together.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: A first O-ring is arranged at the rear end of the socket housing; a second O-ring is embedded on the rear end surface of the flange of the socket housing; and a third O-ring is arranged on the front inner wall of the socket housing.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: There is a color ribbon on the socket shell, and the color ribbon is located at the rear end of the staple slot; after the head seat is inserted, the connecting nut will completely cover the color ribbon, thereby playing a role in visually judging whether the insertion is in place.

7. Plug, characterized in that: The plug is the plug according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Socket, characterized in that: The socket is the socket according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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