A wiring connector

Abstract

This invention relates to a wiring connector, which includes a housing, within which at least two spaced-apart connecting conductors are disposed. Multiple support platforms for supporting and fixing the connecting conductors are disposed on the bottom wall of the housing. The heights of the support platforms are unequal, resulting in unequal top surfaces of the connecting conductors. The wiring connector also includes multiple rigid conductors corresponding to each connecting conductor. Each rigid conductor has an integrally formed conductive connecting plate at its end. The housing has conductor through holes for the conductive connecting plates of each rigid conductor to pass through the housing and rest on the top surface of the connecting conductors. The rigid conductors are arranged vertically at intervals. Each conductive connecting plate has bolt through holes corresponding to the bolt mounting holes. This invention effectively solves the problems in the prior art where increased wire specifications lead to increased costs for wires with terminals, and the difficulties in bending the wires or the large space occupied by bent wires within the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a wiring connector, belonging to the field of electrical connector technology. Background Technology

[0002] In electric vehicles, wiring connectors serve as connection devices to current-carrying conductors, enabling current transmission between them. One example is the wiring connector disclosed in Chinese invention patent application CN110611199A. This connector includes a base (i.e., a housing) and a top cover that snaps against the base. The housing contains two spaced-apart connector tabs (i.e., connecting conductors). Each connecting conductor is used to connect to other electrical components in the electric vehicle via a lead-out wire. Each connecting conductor has a bolt mounting hole for mounting bolts. The wiring connector also includes two lead-in wires corresponding to each connecting conductor. Each lead-in wire has a plate-shaped terminal crimped to its end, and each terminal has a bolt through-hole for the bolt to pass through. The housing has two through-holes for the corresponding lead-in wire terminals to enter the housing. Furthermore, since the lead-in wires are flexible conductors, in addition to connecting them via terminals, the connection can also be achieved by bending the end of the lead-in wire and wrapping it around a bolt, then clamping the bent portion with the bolt and connecting conductor to achieve the connection.

[0003] In existing technologies, long charging times are a major pain point affecting user experience. Therefore, to shorten charging time, high-power charging is needed, and increasing the charging current is the most direct and effective method to achieve high-power charging. Currently, to increase the charging current, it is usually necessary to increase the specification of the current-carrying conductor, and for wiring connectors, the specifications of their lead wires also need to be increased.

[0004] However, for incoming conductors equipped with terminals, not only is crimping the terminals cumbersome, but the increased conductor size also means a larger diameter. This necessitates larger terminals to ensure effective connection between the additional terminals and the conductor, further increasing costs. For incoming conductors that connect to the conductor by bending, the increased diameter of the conductor makes bending difficult. Even when bent, the bent portion occupies a significant amount of space, complicating the conductor's placement within the casing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a wiring connector that solves the problems in the prior art, such as increased cost of incoming wires with terminals due to increased wire specifications, difficulty in bending the wires, or large space occupation in the housing after bending.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the wiring connector in this invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A wiring connector includes a housing, within which at least two spaced-apart connecting conductors are disposed, each connecting conductor having a bolt mounting hole. An openable and closable top cover is mounted on the housing, the position of which corresponds vertically to the connecting conductors. Multiple support platforms for supporting and fixing the connecting conductors are disposed on the bottom wall of the housing, the heights of the support platforms being unequal so that the top surfaces of the connecting conductors are unequal. The support platforms and connecting conductors are spaced apart horizontally. The wiring connector also includes multiple rigid conductors corresponding to each connecting conductor, each rigid conductor having an integrally formed conductive connecting plate at its end. The housing has conductor through holes for the conductive connecting plates of each rigid conductor to pass through the housing and rest on the top surface of the connecting conductor. The rigid conductors are spaced vertically, and each conductive connecting plate has bolt through holes corresponding to the bolt mounting holes.

[0008] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows: In the wiring connector of the present invention, since multiple rigid conductors are provided, each corresponding to a connecting conductor, and each rigid conductor has an integral conductive connecting plate at its end, and since the outer shell has conductor through holes for each conductive connecting plate to pass into the outer shell, the conductive connecting plate can not only pass through the conductor through holes on the outer shell to be mounted on the connecting conductor, but also, since the bolt through holes on the conductive connecting plate correspond to the bolt mounting holes on the corresponding connecting conductors, after the bolt passes through the bolt through holes and is installed in the bolt mounting holes, it can clamp the conductive connecting plate by cooperating with the connecting conductor, thereby realizing the connection between the rigid conductor and the corresponding connecting conductor. Compared with the prior art, this invention integrates the conductive connecting plate onto the rigid conductor, eliminating the need for additional crimping of terminals and bending of the rigid conductor. The conductive connecting plate is simply integrated onto the rigid conductor during manufacturing, simplifying production and reducing the space occupied by the rigid conductor within the housing. Furthermore, the elimination of the need for larger terminals also reduces costs. Additionally, the staggered arrangement of the rigid conductors reduces the lateral space required for their placement, thus minimizing the lateral dimensions of the connector and facilitating its placement.

[0009] Furthermore, the rigid conductor is a conductive busbar.

[0010] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows: because the conductive busbar is thinner, the arrangement space of the rigid conductor in the vertical direction can be reduced, which in turn can reduce the size of the wiring connector in the vertical direction, making the space occupied by the entire wiring connector in the vertical direction smaller, and further facilitating the arrangement of the wiring connector.

[0011] Furthermore, the side of the conductive connecting plate is provided with a clearance notch for avoiding bolts or support platforms.

[0012] The beneficial effect of the above technical solution is that by setting the avoidance gap, the conductor busbar specification can be further increased, and the bolts or support platform can be avoided by the avoidance gap, which helps to reduce the arrangement space of each conductor busbar in the left and right directions.

[0013] Furthermore, the conductive connecting plate of the rigid conductor is also provided with a positioning groove for cooperating with a positioning plate installed in the housing to position the conductive connecting plate. The positioning groove and the clearance notch are respectively located on both sides of the width direction of the conductive busbar, and the bolt through hole is located between the clearance notch and the positioning groove.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows: the positioning plate and positioning groove facilitate the vertical alignment of the bolt holes with the bolt mounting holes on the connecting conductor, thereby facilitating the connection between the conductive busbar and the connecting conductor; placing the positioning groove and the clearance notch on both sides of the width direction of the conductive busbar optimizes the arrangement of the positioning groove and the clearance notch on the conductive busbar, reduces the space occupied by the positioning groove and the clearance notch in the length direction of the conductive busbar, and thus helps to reduce the size of the conductive busbar in the housing, which in turn helps to reduce the size of the housing.

[0015] Furthermore, the distance from the bolt hole to the positioning groove is less than the distance to the clearance notch.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are that it can further reduce the arrangement space of each conductive busbar in the left and right direction, and thus further reduce the size of the wiring connector in the left and right direction, which further facilitates the arrangement of the wiring connector.

[0017] Furthermore, the bolt hole is located between a wide side and a side of the clearance notch in the width direction of the conductive busbar, and the distance from the bolt hole to the wide side is less than the distance to the side of the clearance notch.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows: it can further reduce the arrangement space of each conductive bar in the left and right direction, making the arrangement of each conductive bar in the left and right direction more compact, and thus further reduce the size of the wiring connector in the left and right direction, which is conducive to facilitating the arrangement of the wiring connector.

[0019] Furthermore, the clearance gap is L-shaped.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are: it facilitates the processing and manufacturing of the clearance notch, and at the same time, the L-shaped clearance notch also facilitates the insertion of the conductive busbar into the housing, thus facilitating the installation of the conductive busbar.

[0021] Furthermore, all rigid conductors have the same structure and size.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are that it facilitates the design and manufacturing of rigid conductors, as well as the mass production of rigid conductors.

[0023] Furthermore, the housing includes a socket housing and a plug housing for fitting with the socket housing, the connecting conductor is disposed inside the socket housing, and the top cover and rigid conductor are mounted on the plug housing; the side wall of the socket housing is provided with a clearance notch for avoiding the rigid conductor.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the above technical solution are as follows: the plug housing and socket housing facilitate the processing and manufacturing of the housing, and also facilitate the installation of various components inside the housing; the avoidance notch can avoid the rigid conductor from entering the housing, which is conducive to the installation of the rigid conductor inside the housing, and can also reduce the arrangement space of the rigid conductor in the vertical direction to a certain extent, which is conducive to the compact structure of the entire connector. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the wiring connector in this invention;

[0026] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the wiring connector in this invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the socket in the wiring connector of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the plug in the wiring connector of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the conductive busbar in the wiring connector of the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 10. Socket housing; 11. Clearance notch; 20. Left support platform; 30. Right support platform; 40. Connecting conductor; 41. Bolt mounting hole; 50. Plug housing; 51. Housing bolt hole; 52. Top cover; 53. Conductor hole; 60. Conductor busbar; 61. Conductor bolt hole; 62. Clearance notch; 63. First clearance side; 64. Second clearance side; 65. Positioning groove; 66. Groove bottom; 70. Connecting bolt; 80. Lead wire. Detailed Implementation

[0031] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit the invention; that is, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the invention, not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0032] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0033] It should be noted that, in specific embodiments of the present invention, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, terms such as "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, the use of phrases such as "comprising a…" to define an element does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0034] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linkage" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0035] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "provided with" should be interpreted broadly. For example, the object "provided with" can be a part of the body, or it can be separately arranged from the body and connected to the body. This connection can be a detachable connection or a non-detachable connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention through specific circumstances.

[0036] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0037] Embodiment 1 of the wiring connector in this invention:

[0038] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the wiring connector includes a housing, which includes a socket housing 10 and a plug housing 50 for closing with the socket housing 10. Two support platforms are arranged at a left-right interval on the bottom wall inside the socket housing 10, and the heights of the support platforms are different. Specifically, the height of the left support platform 20 on the left is lower than the height of the right support platform 30 on the right. Figure 3 As shown, the socket housing 10 also includes two connecting conductors 40, respectively supported and fixed on the left support platform 20 and the right support platform 30. Each connecting conductor 40 is connected to other electrical components in the electric vehicle via lead wires 80. Because the two support platforms are of different heights, and the left support platform 20 is lower than the right support platform 30, the top surfaces of the two connecting conductors 40 are not at the same height, with the top surface of the left connecting conductor 40 lower than the top surface of the right connecting conductor 40. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, each connecting conductor 40 has a bolt mounting hole 41 on its top surface for the connecting bolt 70 to pass through. The socket housing 10, the left support platform 20, the right support platform 30, and the two connecting conductors 40 together constitute the socket.

[0039] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 As shown, the connector also includes two rigid conductors corresponding to each connecting conductor 40. In this embodiment, the rigid conductors are conductive bars 60, and each conductive bar 60 has the same structure and size. The ends of each conductive bar 60 are used to pass into the housing. The conductive bars 60 are defined to pass into the housing from front to back. The plug housing 50 is provided with conductor through holes 53 for the rear part of each conductive bar 60 to pass into the housing and rest on the corresponding connecting conductor 40. The front side wall of the socket housing 10 is provided with a clearance notch 11 for avoiding each conductive bar 60. In addition, since the top surfaces of each connecting conductor 40 are not of equal height, the conductive bars 60 resting on the top surfaces of each connecting conductor 40 are arranged vertically at intervals.

[0040] like Figure 5 As shown, each conductive busbar 60 has a conductor bolt through hole 61 at its rear for the connecting bolt 70 to pass through, corresponding to the bolt mounting hole 41. By passing the connecting bolt 70 through the conductor bolt through hole 61 and the bolt mounting hole 41 in sequence, the connecting bolt 70 and the connecting conductor 40 clamp the corresponding conductive busbar 60, thus achieving the connection between the conductive busbar 60 and the corresponding connecting conductor 40. The rear of each conductive busbar 60 forms its own conductive connecting plate, which is integrally mounted on the rigid conductor. Figure 2 As shown, to facilitate the insertion of each connecting bolt 70 into the housing, the top of the plug housing 50 is provided with two housing bolt holes 51 for each connecting bolt 70 to pass into the housing. A hinged upper cover 52 is also mounted on the plug housing 50 to cover the outer surface of each housing bolt hole 51. The upper cover 52 can be fixed to the plug housing 50 with screws after the connecting bolts 70 are installed. The plug housing 50, the upper cover 52, and the two conductive bars 60 together constitute the plug.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, the left conductive busbar 60 is provided with a clearance notch 62 for avoiding the right support platform 30, and the right conductive busbar 60 is also provided with a clearance notch 62 for avoiding the connecting bolt 70 corresponding to the connecting conductor 40 on the left. The two clearance notches 62 are the same size and are both L-shaped. Specifically, the L-shaped clearance notch 62 includes a first clearance side 63 parallel to the length direction of the conductive busbar 60 and a second clearance side 64 perpendicular to the length direction of the conductive busbar 60.

[0042] In addition, two positioning plates can be detachably installed on the left and right sides inside the plug housing 50, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the left side of the left conductive bar 60 and the right side of the right conductive bar 60 are respectively provided with positioning grooves 65 for positioning and stopping with the positioning plate on the same side. Each positioning groove 65 is U-shaped and has a groove bottom surface 66 parallel to the length direction of the conductive bar 60. The positioning grooves 65 and the clearance notches 62 on the same conductive bar 60 are respectively located on both sides of the width direction of the conductive bar 60. The conductor bolt through hole 61 is located between the clearance notch 62 and the positioning groove 65, that is, between the groove bottom surface 66 of the positioning groove 65 and the first clearance side surface 63 of the clearance notch 62. The distance from the conductor bolt through hole 61 to the groove bottom surface 66 is less than the distance from it to the first clearance side surface 63. This can further reduce the arrangement space of each conductive bar 60 in the left and right directions, making the arrangement of each conductive bar 60 in the left and right directions more compact, and thus further reducing the size of the wiring connector in the left and right directions, which is beneficial to the arrangement of the wiring connector.

[0043] Compared with the prior art, the wiring connector of the present invention has the advantage that the conductive connecting plate is integrally set on the rigid conductor. This eliminates the need for additional crimping of the wiring terminals and bending of the rigid conductor. The conductive connecting plate can be integrally set on the rigid conductor during the processing of the rigid conductor, which is convenient for manufacturing. It also reduces the space occupied by the rigid conductor in the housing. In addition, since there is no need to set larger-sized wiring terminals, it can also reduce costs to a certain extent.

[0044] In other embodiments of the connector, the housing is not a separate structure consisting of a socket housing and a plug housing, but a one-piece molded structure. The top cover and the rigid conductor are both mounted on the one-piece molded housing. In this case, only conductor through holes for the rigid conductor to pass into the housing need to be provided, and there is no need to provide clearance notches for avoiding the rigid conductor.

[0045] In other embodiments of the connector, the rigid conductors may have different structures and dimensions; rather, they may have the same structure but different dimensions. In other embodiments, both the structure and dimensions of the rigid conductors may be different.

[0046] In other embodiments of the connector, the clearance notch may not be L-shaped but arc-shaped. In other embodiments, the clearance notch may also be U-shaped, in which case the busbar can only be installed from top to bottom.

[0047] In other embodiments of the connector, the distance from the bolt hole to the locating groove may be no less than the distance to the clearance notch, but equal to the distance to the clearance notch. In other embodiments, the distance from the bolt hole to the locating groove may also be greater than the distance to the clearance notch.

[0048] In other embodiments of the connector, the bolt hole may not be located between the clearance notch and the positioning groove, but rather in the front of the clearance notch and the positioning groove in the front-back direction, i.e., the bolt hole is staggered from the clearance notch and the positioning groove in the front-back direction. In other embodiments, the bolt hole may also be located only in front of or behind the positioning groove, i.e., the bolt hole is arranged in front of and behind the positioning groove on the conductive bar.

[0049] In other embodiments of the connector, the conductive busbars do not have positioning slots. In this case, to reduce the arrangement space of each conductive busbar in the left-right direction, it is necessary to ensure that the distance from the bolt hole to the side of the conductive busbar in the width direction is less than its distance to the first clearance side of the clearance notch. The side of the conductive busbar in the width direction constitutes a width side of the conductive busbar. In other embodiments, the distance from the bolt hole to the side of the conductive busbar in the width direction can also be equal to its distance to the first clearance side of the clearance notch.

[0050] In other embodiments of the wiring connector, when the width of each conductive bar is small and will not interfere with adjacent support platforms or bolts, there is no need to provide avoidance notches for each conductive bar.

[0051] In other embodiments of the connector, the rigid conductor may be a conductive bar rather than a conductive busbar. In this case, the conductive connecting plate is directly integrally formed when the conductive bar is manufactured.

[0052] In other embodiments of the connector, instead of two connecting conductors, three are provided. In this case, three rigid conductors are also provided accordingly.

[0053] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of patent protection of the present invention shall be determined by the claims. Similarly, any equivalent structural changes made based on the description and drawings of the present invention shall also be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wiring connector, comprising a housing, wherein at least two spaced-apart connecting conductors are disposed within the housing, each connecting conductor having a bolt mounting hole, and an openable and closable top cover is mounted on the housing, the position of the top cover corresponding vertically to the connecting conductors, characterized in that, The bottom wall inside the housing is provided with multiple support platforms for supporting and fixing the connecting conductors. The connecting conductors are located on top of the support platforms, and the top surface of the connecting conductors is higher than the support platforms. The heights of the support platforms are not equal, so that the top surfaces of the connecting conductors are not equal. The support platforms and connecting conductors are arranged alternately on the left and right. The connector also includes multiple rigid conductors corresponding to each connecting conductor. Each rigid conductor has an integral conductive connecting plate at its end. The housing has conductor through holes for the conductive connecting plates of each rigid conductor to pass through the housing and rest on the top surface of the connecting conductor. The rigid conductors are arranged alternately on the top and bottom. Each conductive connecting plate has a conductor bolt through hole corresponding to the bolt mounting hole. The connection between the conductive connecting plate and the corresponding connecting conductor is achieved by clamping the conductive connecting plate with the connecting bolts that pass through the conductor bolt through hole and the bolt mounting hole in sequence. The side of the conductive connecting plate is provided with a clearance notch for avoiding bolts or support platforms.

2. The wiring connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rigid conductor is a conductive bus.

3. The wiring connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive connecting plate of the rigid conductor is also provided with a positioning groove for cooperating with a positioning plate installed in the housing to position the conductive connecting plate. The positioning groove and the clearance notch are respectively located on both sides of the width direction of the conductive busbar, and the bolt through hole is located between the clearance notch and the positioning groove.

4. The wiring connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The distance from the bolt hole to the positioning groove is less than the distance to the clearance notch.

5. The wiring connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bolt hole is located between a wide side and a clearance notch in the width direction of the conductor bar, and the distance from the bolt hole to the wide side is less than the distance to the clearance notch.

6. The wiring connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The clearance gap is L-shaped.

7. The wiring connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, All rigid conductors have the same structure and size.

8. The wiring connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The housing includes a socket housing and a plug housing for covering the socket housing, the connecting conductor being disposed inside the socket housing, and the top cover and rigid conductor being mounted on the plug housing; The socket housing has a clearance notch on its side wall to allow rigid conductors to pass.

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