Mini Fakra connector and installation method thereof

Abstract

The present application provides a Mini Fakra connector and an installation method thereof, the connector comprising: a plastic shell, the plastic shell being provided with a mounting hole for fixing a cable terminal, the side surface of the plastic shell being provided with a cantilever buckle for limiting the cable terminal; an insert, the insert comprising at least two arms, the insert being used to be inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove and to limit the cable terminal; and a secondary locking unit, which is used to be loaded into the plastic shell and pressed against the insert and at least part of the cantilever buckle; wherein the insert is made of metal. The embodiment of the present application can increase the holding force of the cable terminal by adding a metal insert between the existing plastic shell and the secondary locking unit, and can prevent the holding force from being reduced due to plastic aging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to Mini Fakra connector technology, and in particular to a Mini Fakra connector and an installation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Fakra connectors are coaxial signal transmission connectors, which are widely used in the field of automotive electronic entertainment systems and are important components for signal transmission between in-vehicle multimedia devices. Fakra connectors have good shielding and signal stability, and have the characteristics of fast transmission rate, high cost performance and small size.

[0003] Chinese patent CN113991342A, published on 2022-01-28, discloses a Fakra connector provided with a secondary locking structure.

[0004] The applicant's prior patent CN202110235137.5, published on 2021-05-28, also discloses a Fakra electrical connector that uses a secondary locking unit to limit the axial movement of the cable unit.

[0005] However, since the plastic shell and secondary locking unit of the connector are made by stamping, there is an arc at the edge of the contact step, which makes it easy for the terminal to come out under external force. In addition, since the shell and the secondary locking unit are both made of plastic materials, they are prone to aging after long-term use, which reduces the retention force. Summary of the invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a Mini Fakra connector with better holding force and an installation method thereof.

[0007] A brief summary of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of all conceived aspects, and is neither intended to identify the key or critical elements of all aspects nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its only purpose is to give some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description that will be given later.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a Mini Fakra connector, comprising:

[0009] A plastic shell, wherein a mounting hole for fixing the cable terminal is provided on the plastic shell, and a cantilever buckle for limiting the cable terminal is provided on the side surface of the plastic shell;

[0010] An inserting piece, the inserting piece comprising at least two arms, the inserting piece being used to be inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove and to limit the cable terminal; and

[0011] A secondary locking unit, used to be installed in the plastic housing and pressed against the insert and at least a portion of the cantilever buckle;

[0012] Wherein, the insert is made of metal.

[0013] In one embodiment, the insert includes three arms, and the three arms are in a "mountain" shape.

[0014] In one embodiment, a contoured structure adapted to the cable terminal is formed on the inner surface of the support arm.

[0015] In one embodiment, the secondary lock unit includes two plug-in arms, and the end faces of the plug-in arms are provided with plug-in receiving grooves.

[0016] In one embodiment, a boss is provided on the outer surface of the support arm, and a groove is provided on the end surface of the plug-in arm, and the boss is used to be clamped in the groove.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for installing the Mini Fakra connector as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0018] Insert the cable terminal into the mounting hole of the plastic housing along the axial direction, so that the cantilever buckle of the plastic housing is inserted into the necking groove of the cable terminal;

[0019] Insert the insert piece between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove along the radial direction of the cable terminal;

[0020] The secondary locking unit is installed into the plastic housing along the radial direction of the cable terminal so as to be pressed against the inserting piece and at least a part of the cantilever buckle.

[0021] In one embodiment, the insert has a material strip, and the installation method further comprises: removing the material strip on the insert after inserting the insert along the radial direction of the cable terminal between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for installing the Mini Fakra connector as described above, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

[0023] Insert the cable terminal into the mounting hole of the plastic housing along the axial direction, so that the cantilever buckle of the plastic housing is inserted into the necking groove of the cable terminal;

[0024] Insert the insert into the secondary lock unit;

[0025] The secondary locking unit is installed into the plastic housing along the radial direction of the cable terminal, so that the insert is inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove, and the secondary locking unit is pressed against the insert and at least part of the cantilever buckle.

[0026] In one embodiment, the insert has a material strip, and the installation method further comprises: removing the material strip on the insert after inserting the insert into the secondary lock unit.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are as follows: by adding a metal insert between the existing plastic housing and the secondary lock unit, the holding force on the cable terminal can be increased, and the reduction of the holding force due to plastic aging can be prevented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0029] The above features and advantages of the present invention can be better understood after reading the detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the following drawings. In the drawings, the components are not necessarily drawn to scale, and components with similar related properties or features may have the same or similar reference numerals.

[0030] Figure 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of an embodiment of the device of the present application;

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a plastic housing of an embodiment of the device of the present application;

[0032] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an insert of an embodiment of the device of the present application;

[0033] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a secondary lock unit of an embodiment of the device of the present application;

[0034] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the cable end;

[0035] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the state of inserting the plug into the plastic shell;

[0036] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the state where the plug is inserted into the secondary lock unit;

[0037] Among them: 1-plastic shell; 11-mounting hole; 12-cantilever buckle; 2-insert; 21-support arm; 21a-profile structure; 21b-boss; 3-secondary locking unit; 31-plug arm; 31a-insert accommodating groove; 31b-groove; 4-cable terminal; 41-neck groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Note that the aspects described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments are only exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention in any way.

[0039] like Figure 1 to Figure 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a Mini Fakra connector, including a plastic shell 1, a plug 2 and a secondary locking unit 3. The plastic shell 1 is provided with a mounting hole 11 for fixing the cable terminal 4, and a cantilever buckle 12 for limiting the cable terminal 4 is provided on the side surface of the plastic shell 1. The plug 2 is made of metal and includes at least two arms 21. The plug 2 is used to be inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle 12 and the necking groove 41 and limit the cable terminal. The secondary locking unit 3 is used to be installed in the plastic shell 1 and pressed against the plug 2 and at least part of the cantilever buckle 12.

[0040] Compared with the original connector, the improvement of this solution is that an insert 2 is added between the plastic shell 1 and the secondary lock unit 3, which can increase the holding force of the cable terminal. Since the insert 2 is made of metal material, it can prevent the holding force from decreasing due to plastic aging.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the connector is a 4in1 connector, and the four cable terminals 4 are arranged in a rectangular shape. A plug 2 and a secondary lock unit 3 are provided on each side of the plastic housing 1. Each plug 2 and the secondary lock unit 3 are used to keep the two cable terminals 4 in position. Figure 3 As shown, the plug 2 in this embodiment includes three arms 21, and the three arms 21 are in a "mountain" shape. A clamping space for the cable terminal 4 is formed between every two arms 21.

[0042] Furthermore, the inner surface of the support arm 21 is formed with a contoured structure adapted to the cable terminal 4 , namely, an arc-shaped concave surface, so as to better contact with the cable terminal 4 .

[0043] like Figure 4 As shown, the secondary lock unit 3 includes two plug-in arms 31 . Compared with the original secondary lock unit 3 , the difference is that the end surface of the plug-in arm 31 is partially retreated to form a plug-in receiving groove 31 a.

[0044] In order to prevent the insert 2 from retreating, a boss 21b may be provided on the outer surface of the support arm 21, and a groove 31b may be provided on the end surface of the plug arm 31. After installation, the boss 21b is locked in the groove 31b.

[0045] When installing the connector, you can either insert the insert into the plastic housing first and then install the secondary lock unit, or you can first insert the insert into the secondary lock unit and then install the secondary lock unit into the plastic housing. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application also provides two methods for installing the Mini Fakra connector, and method one includes the following steps:

[0046] Step 1: Insert the cable terminal into the mounting hole of the plastic housing along the axial direction, so that the cantilever buckle of the plastic housing is inserted into the necking groove of the cable terminal;

[0047] Step 2: Insert the plug into the space between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove along the radial direction of the cable terminal. Figure 6 As shown;

[0048] Step 3: Install the secondary lock unit into the plastic housing along the radial direction of the cable terminal so that it presses against the insert and at least part of the cantilever buckle.

[0049] In a possible embodiment, the insert is provided with a material strip to facilitate gripping during installation. After the insert is inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove along the radial direction of the cable terminal, the material strip on the insert can be removed.

[0050] Method 2 includes the following steps:

[0051] Step 1: Insert the cable terminal into the mounting hole of the plastic housing along the axial direction, so that the cantilever buckle of the plastic housing is inserted into the necking groove of the cable terminal;

[0052] Step 2: Insert the insert into the secondary lock unit. Figure 7 As shown;

[0053] Step 3: Install the secondary lock unit into the plastic housing along the radial direction of the cable terminal so that the insert is inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove, and the secondary lock unit is pressed against the insert and at least part of the cantilever buckle.

[0054] If the insert has a material strip, the material strip on the insert needs to be removed after the insert is inserted into the secondary lock unit.

[0055] In summary, the embodiments of the present application provide a Mini Fakra connector and an installation method thereof, which can increase the holding force of the cable terminal by adding a metal insert between the existing plastic housing and the secondary lock unit, and can prevent the reduction of the holding force due to plastic aging.

[0056] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0057] The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A Mini Fakra connector, characterized in that: include: A plastic shell, wherein a mounting hole for fixing the cable terminal is provided on the plastic shell, and a cantilever buckle for limiting the cable terminal is provided on the side surface of the plastic shell; An insert, the insert comprising at least two arms, the insert being used to be inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove of the cable terminal and to limit the cable terminal; as well as A secondary locking unit, used to be installed in the plastic housing and pressed against the insert and at least a portion of the cantilever buckle; Wherein, the insert is made of metal; The insert includes three arms, and the three arms are in a "mountain" shape; The inner surface of the support arm is formed with a contoured structure adapted to the cable terminal; The secondary lock unit comprises two plug-in arms, and the end faces of the plug-in arms are provided with plug-in receiving grooves; The outer surface of the support arm is provided with a boss, and the end surface of the plug-in arm is provided with a groove, and the boss is used to be clamped in the groove.

2. A method for installing the Mini Fakra connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steps include: Insert the cable terminal into the mounting hole of the plastic housing along the axial direction, so that the cantilever buckle of the plastic housing is inserted into the necking groove of the cable terminal; Insert the insert piece between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove along the radial direction of the cable terminal; The secondary locking unit is installed into the plastic housing along the radial direction of the cable terminal so as to press against the inserting piece and at least a part of the cantilever buckle.

3. The method for installing the Mini Fakra connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The insert has a material strip, and the installation method further comprises: removing the material strip on the insert after the insert is inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove along the radial direction of the cable terminal.

4. A method for installing the Mini Fakra connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steps include: Insert the cable terminal into the mounting hole of the plastic housing along the axial direction, so that the cantilever buckle of the plastic housing is inserted into the necking groove of the cable terminal; Insert the insert into the secondary lock unit; The secondary locking unit is installed into the plastic shell along the radial direction of the cable terminal, so that the insert is inserted between the end of the cantilever buckle and the necking groove, and the secondary locking unit is pressed against the insert and at least part of the cantilever buckle.

5. The method for installing the Mini Fakra connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The insert has a material strip, and the installation method further comprises: removing the material strip on the insert after the insert is inserted into the secondary lock unit.

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