A modular connector and its terminal insulator module

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular connector and a terminal insulator module thereof. The modular connector comprises: a module fixing frame (1); terminal insulator modules (2) arranged in a row in the module fixing frame (1) along a first direction, the terminal insulator modules (2) comprising an insulator component (21) and a contact terminal (22) arranged in the insulator component, with the plug-in end (222) of the contact terminal as the front end and the wiring terminal (221) as the rear end; the terminal insulator module (2) is inserted into the module fixing frame (1) along a front-to-back direction, the front-to-back direction being perpendicular to the first direction, the insulator component (21) is provided with a spring claw structure (23) on both sides, and the module fixing frame (1) is provided with a fixing groove (11) on the inner wall along the first direction, which is snap-fitted with the spring claw structure (23) to realize the installation and positioning of the terminal insulator module. The terminal insulator module of the present invention is convenient and quick to install and remove, has low maintenance cost, and has a small amount of shaking of the contact terminal, which can improve the service life of the terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of connectors, and in particular relates to a modular connector and a terminal insulator module thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, the structure of the terminal insulator module 100 is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, it includes an integrated insulator 101 and a contact terminal 102. The contact terminal has a positioning claw 103. The contact terminal and the positioning claw are assembled together and installed into the integrated insulator from the back of the plug-in surface. The positioning claw cooperates with the spring claw after the positioning claw is opened through the end face of the step hole in the integrated insulator to position the contact terminal, preventing the contact terminal from falling off from the loading side. The positioning platform 1021 at the tail of the contact terminal limits the contact terminal from falling off from the plug-in side. This structure is a rear-mounted terminal, that is, the contact terminal is installed in the insulator from the back of the plug-in surface. Since the insulator is an integrated insulator, the contact terminal must be removed by inserting a remover from the plug-in surface side. The remover retracts the popped-out spring claw into the aperture of the remover. At this time, the contact terminal 102 is no longer limited by the positioning claw 103. A pulling force is applied from the tail of the contact terminal, and the contact terminal 102 can be easily removed from the integrated insulator 101. This method of removing the terminal is to remove it from the front of the plug-in surface, that is, the terminal is removed from the front. The overall structure is a rear-mounted and front-removed contact terminal. Since the insulator is an integrated insulator, it is impossible to install the positioning claws in the large-bellied hole. Therefore, the installation direction and removal direction of the contact terminal cannot be the same direction. It must be either installed at the back and removed at the front, or installed at the front and removed at the back. Considering that the user assembles the contact terminal after wiring on site, the front-installation and rear-removal method is adopted. The user needs to pass the wire through the hole and leave a certain length for welding or crimping. It is very inconvenient to wire, so the rear-installation and front-removal method is most used.

[0003] The terminal insulator module 100 formed by installing the contact terminals after the integrated insulator is installed in the connector fixing frame as a whole. Different signal modules adopt different splicing combinations to form different modular connectors, such as Figure 2 As shown, the terminal insulator module is integrally installed in a fixed frame, which includes a stopper 104 and a guide rail 105 provided between the stoppers. The terminal insulator module slides to the inner side of the positioning frame via the boss 1051 on the guide rail. The positioning of the terminal insulator module is also achieved by the cooperation between the positioning surface 106 and the upper and lower surfaces of the boss 1051 to achieve assembly positioning. The above solution has the following problems:

[0004] 1. The assembly and replacement of modules are inconvenient;

[0005] The terminal insulator module is assembled using a structure in which the side of the guide rail slides toward the other end. If a module of the assembled finished product is damaged and needs to be replaced, the fixing frame and the module in the fixing frame need to be disassembled as a whole, which is inconvenient for maintenance and it is easy to get the terminal insulator modules in the wrong order during assembly.

[0006] 2. The contact terminals are installed from behind and removed from the front, which results in a large amount of shaking at the plug-in end of the contact terminals.

[0007] The contact terminal is installed at the back and removed at the front. The clearance between the plug-in end of the contact terminal and the aperture of the insulator is large. The gap 107 needs to accommodate the wall thickness of the remover for removing the terminal. Therefore, the coaxiality between the plug-in end contact terminal and the terminal mounting hole of the insulator is difficult to ensure. When the module is plugged in, it is often difficult to plug in or the terminal needle collides with the end face of the socket during plugging, resulting in the bending of the plug-in end of the contact terminal. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a modular connector and a terminal insulator module thereof.

[0009] The purpose of the present invention and the technical problem to be solved are achieved by adopting the following technical solutions. A modular connector proposed in the present invention comprises:

[0010] Module fixing frame;

[0011] The terminal insulator modules are arranged in a row along a first direction in the module fixing frame, and the terminal insulator modules include an insulator component and contact terminals arranged in the insulator component, with the plug-in end of the contact terminal as the front end and the wiring end as the rear end;

[0012] The terminal insulator module is inserted into the module fixing frame along the front-to-back direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction. Claw structures are provided on both sides of the insulator component, and a fixing groove is provided on the inner wall of the module fixing frame along the first direction, which is snap-fitted with the claw structure to realize the installation and positioning of the terminal insulator module.

[0013] The beneficial effects are: each terminal insulator module is installed in the module fixing frame along the plug-in direction, and is quickly positioned by the spring claw structure and the fixing slot snap fit, and the installation efficiency is high; when the module is removed, the spring claw structure is driven to disengage it from the fixing slot, and the terminal insulator module can be taken out from the module fixing frame, and the removal efficiency is high. When any terminal insulator module is damaged, there is no need to remove the entire module fixing frame from the installation panel, nor is there any need to remove the remaining terminal insulator modules in the module fixing frame. A single damaged terminal insulator module can be directly taken out, and there will be no mixing of terminal insulator modules.

[0014] Furthermore, each insulator component is provided with a plurality of contact terminals, and the plurality of contact terminals are fixed in corresponding terminal mounting holes provided on the insulator component along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0015] Furthermore, the spring claw structure includes a spring claw main body and a positioning part arranged on the spring claw main body; the front end of the spring claw main body is a fixed end connected to the insulator component, and the rear end is a movable end for facilitating force unlocking; the positioning part falls into the corresponding fixed groove after the terminal insulator module is inserted into place.

[0016] Furthermore, the rear end face of the positioning portion is a positioning surface that cooperates with the fixing groove to stop backward, and the front end face of the positioning portion is an inclined portion, which is used to cooperate with the module fixing frame when the terminal insulator module is installed to facilitate guiding the spring claw structure to compress and deform in a direction away from the module fixing frame.

[0017] Furthermore, the insulator component includes an insulating pressure plate and an insulator that are interlocked and fixed. The insulating pressure plate is arranged at the rear end of the insulator, and the spring claw structure is arranged on the insulating pressure plate. The hole of the insulating pressure plate and the hole of the insulator are connected to form the terminal mounting hole.

[0018] Furthermore, each terminal mounting hole is provided with a large-bellied hole structure for accommodating a positioning spring, and the contact terminal is assembled in the terminal mounting hole along the back-to-front direction. The positioning claw on the positioning spring cooperates with the positioning platform on the outer peripheral surface of the contact terminal to block in the backward direction, and the insulator is provided with a front step surface for limiting the contact terminal from escaping forward; there is a gap between the wiring terminal of the contact terminal and the hole of the insulating pressure plate for the removal tool to be inserted.

[0019] The beneficial effect is that: since the insulator component is an insulating pressure plate and an insulator that are buckled together, the assembled insulator component can form a large-bellied hole structure, and the positioning spring can be first installed in the insulating pressure plate. At this time, the contact terminal is assembled in a post-installation form, and the removal method is post-removal. In this method, the contact terminal only has a certain gap between the tail terminal and the hole of the insulating pressure plate, but the matching gap between the plug-in end and the hole of the insulator is small, which can reduce the shaking amount at the plug-in end of the contact terminal and is conducive to the alignment between the pinholes during insertion, and will not cause inconvenience in insertion or damage to the contact terminal, thereby improving the service life of the contact terminal.

[0020] Furthermore, the front end positioning surface of the insulator is engaged with the stop platform inside the front end of the module fixing frame in a forward blocking manner.

[0021] Furthermore, a protruding structure is provided at the rear end of the hole of the insulator, the hole of the insulating pressure plate is a stepped hole, the protruding structure extends into the hole of the corresponding insulating pressure plate, and the protruding structure and the hole of the insulating pressure plate are radially limited to increase the stability of the fixed connection between the insulating pressure plate and the insulator, and the large-bellied hole structure is formed between the protruding structure and the hole of the insulating pressure plate.

[0022] Furthermore, the side of the insulator is provided with a guide rib extending in the front-to-back direction, and the inner wall of the module fixing frame is provided with a rib groove that cooperates with the guide rib to guide the terminal insulator module, thereby facilitating the rapid insertion of the terminal insulator module and effectively reducing the movement of the terminal insulator module along the first direction.

[0023] Furthermore, the insulating pressing plate and the insulator are fixed together by ultrasonic bonding or gluing.

[0024] The terminal insulator module is the terminal insulator module described in any of the above modular connectors and will not be described in detail.

[0025] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a terminal insulator module in the prior art.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of a terminal insulator module in the prior art.

[0028] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the insulator module in the present invention.

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the terminal insulator component of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the terminal insulator module in the present invention.

[0031] Figure 6 It is a partial enlarged view of the terminal insulator module in the present invention.

[0032] Reference numerals:

[0033] 1-module fixing frame; 11-fixing slot; 12-stop platform; 13-rib groove;

[0034] 2-terminal insulator module; 21-insulator component; 210-terminal mounting hole; 22-contact terminal; 23-claw structure; 24-positioning spring; 241-positioning claw; 25-big belly hole structure; 26-gap; 210-terminal mounting hole; 211-insulating pressure plate; 212-insulator; 221-connection terminal; 222-plug-in terminal; 223-positioning platform; 231-claw body; 232-positioning part; 2311-fixed end; 2312-movable end; 2321-positioning surface; 2322-inclined portion; 2111-hole of insulating pressure plate; 2121-hole of insulator; 2122-front step surface; 2123-front end positioning surface; 2124-guide rib. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0036] An embodiment of a modular connector:

[0037] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, a modular connector includes a module fixing frame 1 and a terminal insulator module 2. The module fixing frame 1 is a metal rectangular frame structure. The terminal insulator modules 2 are provided in plurality and are installed in a row along a first direction in the module fixing frame 1. The first direction is the length direction of the module fixing frame 1. The terminal insulator module 2 includes an insulator component 21 and a contact terminal 22 installed in the insulator component. In this embodiment, the end of the contact terminal 22 that is plugged into the adapter connector is used as the front end. The terminal insulator module 2 is quickly assembled in the module fixing frame 1 along the front-to-back direction. The front-to-back direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0038] The insulator component 21 is provided with a plurality of terminal mounting holes 210 extending in a front-to-back direction. The length direction of the terminal insulator module 2 is a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The terminal mounting holes are distributed along the second direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. The terminal mounting holes are used to mount and secure the contact terminals 22. Elastic claw structures 23 are symmetrically provided on both sides of the insulator component. The elastic claw structures 23 are located on the side surfaces of the insulator component 21 extending along the first direction. After the terminal insulator module 2 is forwardly loaded into the module fixing frame 1, the lateral elastic claw structures are used to achieve a snap-on fixation with the module fixing frame 1, thereby improving module assembly efficiency. If any terminal insulator module 2 is damaged, there is no need to remove the entire module fixing frame 1 from the mounting panel or remove the remaining terminal insulator modules in the module fixing frame. The damaged terminal insulator module 2 can be directly removed, and there is no possibility of mixing terminal insulator modules 2.

[0039] In this embodiment, the spring claw structure 23 includes a spring claw main body 231 and a positioning portion 232 protruding from the spring claw main body 231; the front end of the spring claw main body 231 is a fixed end 2311 connected to the insulator component 21, and the rear end is a movable end 2312 for easy unlocking by applying force; the positioning portion 232 falls into the fixing groove 11 provided on the module fixing frame 1 after the terminal insulator module is inserted into place, and the positioning portion 232 cooperates with the fixing groove 11 in the front-to-back direction to prevent the terminal insulator module 2 from falling out from the rear end of the module fixing frame 1 after it is installed in place. The positioning of the terminal insulator module 2 to resist wire pulling is also achieved by the cooperation of the spring claw structure and the fixing groove. Specifically, Figure 6 The rear end face of the positioning portion 232 is a positioning surface 2321 that cooperates with the fixing groove 11 to stop backward, and the front end face of the positioning portion 232 is an inclined portion 2322 that facilitates the insertion of the terminal insulator module. The inclined portion cooperates with the module fixing frame to facilitate the compression and deformation of the spring claw structure toward the inner direction of the module fixing frame, thereby facilitating the installation and fixation of the terminal insulator module 2.

[0040] The insulator component 21 includes an insulating platen 211 and an insulator 212 . The insulating platen 211 and the insulator 212 are bonded together by ultrasonic bonding or gluing. The insulating platen 211 is disposed at the rear end of the insulator 212 , and the spring claw structure 23 is disposed on the insulating platen 211 . Since the insulator component adopts the insulating pressure plate and the insulator to buckle together, the assembled insulator component can form a large hole structure 25 inside itself for accommodating the positioning spring 24; during installation, the positioning spring 24 can be first installed in the hole 2111 of the insulating pressure plate. At this time, the assembly of the contact terminal adopts the rear installation form (that is, the contact terminal is inserted from the back to the front), and the removal method of the contact terminal is rear removal (that is, removal from the back of the insulator component). This loading and unloading method allows the contact terminal 22 to leave only a gap 26 for the removal tool to be inserted between the terminal 221 at its tail end and the hole 2111 of the insulating pressure plate, but it can reduce the matching gap between the plug-in end 222 of the front end of the contact terminal 22 and the hole 2121 of the insulator, thereby significantly reducing the shaking amount at the plug-in end 222 of the contact terminal, which is beneficial to the alignment between the pinholes during insertion, and will not cause inconvenience in insertion or damage to the contact terminal, and improve the service life of the contact terminal.

[0041] Combine Figure 5 and Figure 6After the insulating plate 211 and the insulator 212 are fixedly connected, the hole 2111 of the insulating plate and the hole 2121 of the insulator are connected to form the terminal mounting hole 210. Specifically, the hole 2111 of the insulating plate is a stepped hole, with a larger diameter near the hole 2121 of the insulator than the hole 2121 of the insulator. The rear end of the hole 2121 of the insulator extends backward to form a protrusion 21211, which extends into the corresponding hole 2111 of the insulating plate. Not only does this form a large hole structure 25 between the holes 2111 and 2121 of the insulating plate to fix the positioning spring 24 in the front-to-back direction, but the radial restraining cooperation between the protrusion and the hole 2111 of the insulating plate also enhances the stability of the fixed connection between the insulating plate and the insulator. The positioning claw 241 on the positioning spring 24 is used to engage with the positioning platform 223 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the contact terminal 22 in the rearward direction to prevent the contact terminal 22 from falling backward out of the terminal mounting hole 210. The front step surface 2122 within the insulator hole 2121 is designed to engage with the contact terminal 22 in the forward direction, achieving assembly limit for the contact terminal. The front end positioning surface 2123 of the insulator 212 engages with the stop 12 inside the front end of the module fixing frame 1 in the forward direction. The separation force generated by the modular connector of the present invention when separating from the adapter connector is generated by the cooperation between the front end positioning surface 2123 and the stop 12, preventing the terminal insulator module from being dislodged forward from the module fixing frame 1.

[0042] Combine Figure 4 In order to achieve fast and accurate insertion of the terminal insulator module, guide ribs 2124 extending in the front-to-back direction are provided on the side of the insulator 212. Each insulator is provided with at least one guide rib. When two or more guide ribs are provided, the guide ribs should be distributed in the first direction. Correspondingly, the inner wall of the module fixing frame 1 is provided with rib grooves 13 that cooperate with the guide ribs. The cooperation between the guide ribs and the rib grooves can effectively reduce the movement of the terminal insulator module 2 along the first direction. As a further optimization, the front end width of the guide rib is smaller than the rear end width, and the rear end width of the corresponding rib groove is larger than the front end width. The front end of the guide rib enters the front end of the rib groove from the rear end of the rib groove, thereby making it easier to guide the insertion of the terminal insulator module.

[0043] When removing the terminal insulator module, press the movable end of the spring claw structure toward the inside of the module fixing frame, and the positioning part on the spring claw structure will be disengaged from the fixing groove of the module fixing frame, and the terminal insulator module can be taken out backward from the module fixing frame.

[0044] In this embodiment, the mating ends of the contact terminals are pin-shaped, making the modular connector a plug. In another embodiment, the mating ends of the contact terminals can also be jack-shaped, in which case the modular connector is a receptacle. The contact terminals are not limited to conductive terminals for transmitting current or signal terminals for transmitting various signals. They can also be used for signals such as power signals, high and low frequency signals, optical signals, gas circuits, and fluids.

[0045] Example of terminal insulator module:

[0046] The terminal insulator module has the same structure as that of the terminal insulator module in the above modular connector embodiment, and will not be described in detail here.

[0047] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiment by any technician familiar with this profession based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular connector, comprising: Module fixing frame (1); Terminal insulator modules (2) are arranged in a row along a first direction in a module fixing frame (1), the terminal insulator modules (2) comprising an insulator component (21) and a contact terminal (22) disposed in a terminal mounting hole (210) on the insulator component, with the plug-in end (222) of the contact terminal as the front end and the wiring terminal (221) as the rear end; Its characteristics are: The terminal insulator module (2) is inserted into the module fixing frame (1) along the front-to-back direction, the front-to-back direction being perpendicular to the first direction, the insulator component (21) is provided with spring claw structures (23) on both sides, and the module fixing frame (1) is provided with a fixing groove (11) on the inner wall along the first direction that is snap-fitted with the spring claw structure (23) to achieve installation and positioning of the terminal insulator module; The insulator component comprises an insulating pressure plate (211) and an insulator (212) that are interlocked and fixed, the insulating pressure plate being arranged at the rear end of the insulator, the spring claw structure being arranged on the insulating pressure plate, the hole (2111) of the insulating pressure plate and the hole (2121) of the insulator being connected and forming the terminal mounting hole; a large hole structure (25) for accommodating a positioning spring (24) is arranged in each terminal mounting hole (210), a protruding structure (21211) is arranged at the rear end of the hole (2121) of the insulator, the hole (2111) of the insulating pressure plate being a stepped hole, the protruding structure (21211) extending into the hole (2111) of the corresponding insulating pressure plate, the protruding structure and the hole (2111) of the insulating pressure plate being radially limited and matched, and the large hole structure (25) is formed between the protruding structure and the hole (2111) of the insulating pressure plate.

2. The modular connector according to claim 1, wherein: The spring claw structure (23) comprises a spring claw main body (231) and a positioning portion (232) provided on the spring claw main body; The front end of the spring claw body (231) is a fixed end (2311) connected to the insulator component (21), and the rear end is a movable end (2312) for facilitating force unlocking; the positioning portion (232) falls into the corresponding fixing groove (11) after the terminal insulator module is inserted into place.

3. The modular connector according to claim 2, wherein: The rear end face of the positioning portion (232) is a positioning surface (2321) that cooperates with the fixing groove (11) to stop the positioning portion (232) in a rearward direction, and the front end face of the positioning portion (232) is an inclined portion (2322). The inclined portion (2322) is used to cooperate with the module fixing frame (1) when the terminal insulator module is installed to facilitate guiding the elastic claw structure (23) to be compressed and deformed in a direction away from the module fixing frame (1).

4. The modular connector according to claim 1, wherein: The contact terminal (22) is assembled in the terminal mounting hole (210) in the direction from back to front, the positioning claw (241) on the positioning spring (24) and the positioning platform (223) on the outer peripheral surface of the contact terminal (22) are engaged in a blocking manner in the rear direction, and the insulator (212) is provided with a front step surface (2122) for limiting the contact terminal from being dislodged forward; a gap (26) for inserting a remover is provided between the connection terminal (221) of the contact terminal and the hole (2111) of the insulating pressure plate.

5. The modular connector according to claim 1, wherein: The front end positioning surface (2123) of the insulator (212) is engaged with the stopper (12) inside the front end of the module fixing frame in a forward blocking manner.

6. The modular connector according to claim 1, wherein: The side of the insulator (212) is provided with a guide rib (2124) extending in the front-back direction, and the inner wall of the module fixing frame (1) is provided with a rib groove (13) which is guided and matched with the guide rib (2124).

7. The modular connector according to claim 1, wherein: The insulating pressing plate (211) and the insulator (212) are fixed together by ultrasonic bonding or gluing.

8. Terminal insulator module, characterized in that: The terminal insulator module is the terminal insulator module described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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