Connector for a busbar and electrical device comprising the same

Abstract

A connector for a plug-in busbar and an electrical apparatus including the same are disclosed. The connector includes a housing having a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a connection passage between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; a power terminal having an electrical connection portion disposed inside the connection passage, the electrical connection portion being operable to electrically connect with the plug-in busbar; a ground terminal disposed on the first sidewall and the second sidewall outside the connection passage, respectively, the ground terminal having a first finger portion that is elastic; and an auxiliary support member for cooperating with the first finger portion to provide auxiliary support to the first finger portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a connector, and more specifically, to a connector for inserting a busbar and an electrical device including the connector. Background Technology

[0002] Connectors used in high current density applications require grounding to ensure safe operation. However, in existing technology, the power and ground terminals of connectors are typically arranged in a row. This can lead to a risk of short circuits in the power terminals under certain conditions (such as high humidity or assembly errors). Furthermore, during the assembly of individual connecting components, errors in alignment or manufacturing tolerances can cause the ground terminal to fail to provide sufficient contact force when inserted into the busbar, resulting in a lack of reliable contact with the corresponding ground wire in the busbar. This can ultimately lead to the ground terminal failing to ground, causing malfunctions or safety hazards in electrical equipment, including the connector. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present invention are intended to solve at least one aspect of the above problems.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a connector for inserting a busbar is provided, comprising: a housing having a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a connection channel located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; a power terminal having an electrical connection portion disposed inside the connection channel, the electrical connection portion being capable of electrical connection with the inserted busbar; a ground terminal disposed on the first sidewall and the second sidewall respectively outside the connection channel, the ground terminal having a resilient first finger; and an auxiliary support member for cooperating with the first finger to provide auxiliary support for the first finger.

[0005] According to one aspect of the invention, the auxiliary support component includes: a first auxiliary arm located between a first sidewall and a second sidewall and a first finger; a fixing portion fixed to the grounding terminal on the side opposite to the connection channel of the grounding terminal; and a connecting portion extending from the fixing portion through the gap between the first fingers to the first auxiliary arm.

[0006] According to one aspect of the invention, the housing is further provided with two shoulders, located on opposite sides of the connecting channel and extending from the first sidewall and the second sidewall in a direction away from the connecting channel.

[0007] According to one aspect of the invention, the grounding terminal further comprises: two fixed fingers fixed to corresponding shoulders; and a resilient second finger located between the two fixed fingers and extending obliquely out of the plane defined by the two fixed fingers.

[0008] According to one aspect of the invention, the grounding terminal further comprises: a first insertion portion protruding from the fixed finger portion for insertion onto the shoulder portion; and a second insertion portion located between and protruding from the roots of the second finger portion for insertion onto the shoulder portion.

[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, the grounding terminal is further provided with a second auxiliary arm, connected between the two fixed fingers, located between the shoulder and the second finger, and protruding towards the second finger.

[0010] According to one aspect of the invention, the connector further includes a mating plate comprising: a body fixed to a shoulder such that the two fixing fingers and the second finger are clamped between the shoulder and the body; and a wing extending longitudinally from the body in a direction away from the connection channel for grounding and having a plurality of through-holes for heat dissipation.

[0011] According to one aspect of the invention, the body is provided with an opening through which a connecting channel passes.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, the connector includes two power terminals, such that the two electrical connection portions are respectively disposed on a first sidewall and a second sidewall of the connection channel in a spaced-apart manner.

[0013] According to one aspect of the invention, the portions of the two power terminals exposed outside the housing are electrically connected to corresponding cables.

[0014] According to another aspect of the invention, an electrical device is also provided, comprising a connector according to any of the foregoing aspects. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, by way of example only.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a connector for electrically connecting a busbar to a cable using an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a 3D view of the connector, with the mating plate of the connector removed for clarity.

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the connector in the diagram;

[0019] Figure 4 It is installed in Figure 2 A perspective view of one embodiment of the grounding terminal on the connector;

[0020] Figure 5 It is installed in Figure 4 A perspective view of the auxiliary support component on the grounding terminal; and

[0021] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of another embodiment of the grounding terminal according to the present invention, with the auxiliary support component removed for clarity. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In this specification, the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar parts. The following description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to explain the overall inventive concept of the present invention and should not be construed as a limitation thereof.

[0023] Furthermore, in the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth for ease of explanation to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and apparatuses are illustrated to simplify the figures.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is shown illustrating the electrical connection of a busbar 20 to cables 30, 31 using a connector 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. One end of the connector 100 (i.e., the connection channel 120 described below) is inserted into the interface 21 of the busbar 20 for electrical connection to the busbar 20, and the opposite end of the connector 100 is connected to one end of each of the two cables 30, 31. Figure 1 As shown, the housing 110 of connector 100 is marked with "+" and "-" signs. The cable 30 connected to connector 100 near the "+" sign is the positive cable 30, and the cable 31 connected to connector 100 near the "-" sign is the negative cable 31. The opposite ends of the two cables 30 and 31 are electrically connected to the positive plate 50 and the negative plate 60 respectively via connection terminals 40. The positive plate 50 and the negative plate 60 are connected to other components of the electrical equipment (not shown), and the positive plate 50 and the negative plate 60 are separated by an insulating plate 70 located between them. In this way, the larger current conducted from the busbar 20 is conducted to other components of the electrical equipment through connector 100, cables 30 and 31, and plates, forming a closed loop.

[0025] The following will refer to Figures 2 to 5 The structure of the connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0026] Connector 100 includes a housing 110, a power terminal 130, a ground terminal 140, an auxiliary support member 150, and a mating plate 160. The housing 110 has a first sidewall 121, a second sidewall 122, and a connection channel 120 located between the first sidewall 121 and the second sidewall 122, the connection channel 120 extending longitudinally for insertion into a busbar 20. The housing 110 also has two shoulders 111 located on opposite sides of the connection channel 120 and extending from the first sidewall 121 and the second sidewall 122 in a direction away from the connection channel 120, respectively. In this embodiment, the shoulders 111 extend substantially perpendicular to either the first sidewall 121 or the second sidewall 122. The mating plate 160 is typically made of copper. Both shoulders 111 are provided with threaded holes 112 to secure the body 161 of the mating plate 160 to the shoulders 111. The body 161 is provided with openings 1611 through which the connecting channel 120 passes, so as to facilitate the assembly of the mating plate 160 onto the connector 100. Two wings 162 of the mating plate 160 extend longitudinally from the body 161 in a direction away from the connecting channel 120 for connection to the ground wire (not shown) in the electrical equipment. These two wings 162 are provided with multiple through holes 1621 for heat dissipation, and are located on the outer sides of the two cables 30, 31 (see Figure 100). Figure 1 This allows the heat generated when a large current passes through the two cables 30 and 31 to be dissipated through multiple perforations 1621 in the two wings 162.

[0027] In this embodiment, the connector 100 includes two grounding terminals 140 located on the outer side of the connection channel 120. The grounding terminals 140 are generally L-shaped, with a portion of the grounding terminal 140 (i.e., the first finger 141 described below) disposed on the first sidewall 121 or the second sidewall 122 of the connection channel 120, and the other portion of the grounding terminal 140 (i.e., the fixed finger 142 described below) disposed on each of the two shoulders 111.

[0028] In this embodiment, the connector 100 includes two power terminals 130 electrically connected to the positive cable 30 and the negative cable 31, respectively. Each power terminal 130 has an electrical connection portion 131 disposed inside the connection channel 120. The electrical connection portion 131 can be used to electrically connect with the inserted busbar 20. The two electrical connection portions 131 are respectively disposed on the first sidewall 121 and the second sidewall 122 of the connection channel 120 in a spaced-apart manner. Figures 2 to 3 As shown.

[0029] Therefore, the power terminal 130 and the ground terminal 140 are spaced apart from each other by the connection channel 120, which greatly reduces or even eliminates the risk of short circuit of the power terminal 130 in some cases, and improves the safety performance of the connector 100 and the electrical equipment including the connector 100.

[0030] like Figures 2 to 6 As shown, the grounding terminal 140 located outside the connection channel 120 has a resilient first finger 141 that protrudes away from the connection channel 120 and is bent so that it reliably abuts against the busbar 20 when the connection channel 120 is inserted into the busbar 20. This also facilitates the reliably and stably detachably inserting the connector 100 into the busbar 20. To enhance this reliable and stable insertion, an auxiliary support member 150 is used to cooperate with the first finger 141 to provide auxiliary support for the first finger 141. The auxiliary support member 150 will be described in detail below. When the connection channel 120 passes through the opening 1611 of the mating plate 160, manufacturing tolerances or assembly errors in the mating plate 160 or the housing 110 of the connector 100 may cause the connection channel 120 to shift relative to the opening 1611 of the mating plate 160. However, due to this structural arrangement, this shift will not affect the reliable contact of the first finger 141 in the busbar 20, avoiding the problem of insufficient elastic force of the grounding terminal 140 in the case of such shift. Although three first fingers 141 are shown here, this is not limiting, and the number of first fingers 141 can be set according to actual needs.

[0031] As described above, in order to enhance the elastic force of the first finger portion 141, such as Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the connector 100 also includes an auxiliary support member 150, which includes a first auxiliary arm 151, a fixing portion 152, and a connecting portion 153. The first auxiliary arm 151 has a curvature approximately the same as that of the first finger 141, extends laterally to the first finger 141, and is located between the first finger 141 and one of the first sidewalls 121 and 122. Therefore, when the first finger 141 is inserted into the busbar 20, the first auxiliary arm 151 prevents the first finger 141 from being compressed and deformed into a shape with a smaller curvature, thus ensuring the curvature of the first finger 141 and reliable elastic force. The auxiliary support member 150 is formed separately from the grounding terminal 140, which is typically made of copper. The auxiliary support member 150 is made of stainless steel, effectively preventing the first auxiliary arm 151 from losing its elasticity due to stress release at high temperatures.

[0032] like Figures 4 to 5As shown, the fixing part 152 is fixed to the grounding terminal 140 on the side opposite to the connection channel 120 by a suitable method (e.g., welding, bonding, etc.), and the connecting part 153 extends from the fixing part 152 through the gap between the first fingers 141 to the first auxiliary arm 151.

[0033] As described above, to facilitate fixing the grounding terminal 140 to the corresponding shoulder 111, the grounding terminal 140 also has two fixing fingers 142, which are fixed to the corresponding shoulder 111 by first insertion portions 144 protruding from the fixing fingers 142. To enhance the contact between the grounding terminal 140 and the mating plate 160, thereby enhancing the grounding performance of the grounding terminal 140, the grounding terminal 140 also has a resilient second finger 143, which is located between the two fixing fingers 142 and extends obliquely out of the plane defined by the two fixing fingers 142, such that when the two fixing fingers 142 and the second finger 143 are sandwiched between the shoulder 111 and the body 161 of the mating plate 160, the second finger 143 reliably abuts against the mating plate 160, ensuring reliable contact between the grounding terminal 140 and the mating plate 160. To further facilitate fixing the grounding terminal 140 to the corresponding shoulder 111, a second insertion portion 145 is provided between the roots 1431 of the second fingers 143 for insertion into the corresponding shoulder 111. In the embodiments of this application, both the first insertion portion 144 and the second insertion portion 145 are configured in the shape of a tuning fork. However, the first insertion portion 144 and the second insertion portion 145 can also be configured in other suitable shapes according to actual needs. In this application, the number of the first insertion portion 144 and the second insertion portion 145 is not limited.

[0034] Through this fixing method of the grounding terminal 140 and its generally "L"-shaped structure, the grounding terminal 140 is substantially abutted against the shoulder 111 of the connector 100 housing 110 and the surface of the connection channel 120 (see...). Figure 2 and 3 This design allows for the installation of the grounding terminal 140 onto the connector 100 within a limited space, saving installation space for the grounding terminal 140 and facilitating the installation of other components.

[0035] Figure 6 Another embodiment of the grounding terminal 140 is shown; for clarity, the auxiliary support member 150 is omitted in this embodiment. Figure 4 The only difference between the embodiments shown is that, Figure 6The grounding terminal 140 is also provided with a second auxiliary arm 146, which is connected between two fixed fingers 142, located between the shoulder 111 and the second finger 143, and protrudes and curves towards the second finger 143. The free end of the second auxiliary arm 146 is oriented towards the root 1431 of the second finger 143. The second auxiliary arm 146 prevents the second finger 143 from being pressed against the shoulder 111, thereby further ensuring that the second finger 143 reliably abuts against the body 161 of the mating plate 160.

[0036] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, at the opposite end of connector 100, the exposed portions 132 of two power terminals 130 outside housing 110 are fixed to the corresponding cables 30, 31 by bolts 1321 and are in direct electrical contact with the corresponding cables 30, 31.

[0037] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described above are exemplary and can be improved upon. The structures described in the various embodiments can be freely combined without causing any conflict in structure or principle.

[0038] After a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims, and that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in the specification.

Claims

1. A connector for inserting a busbar, comprising: The housing has a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a connecting channel located between the first sidewall and the second sidewall; The power terminal has an electrical connection portion disposed inside the connection channel, the electrical connection portion being capable of being electrically connected to the plugged busbar; A grounding terminal is respectively disposed on the first sidewall and the second sidewall outside the connection channel, and the grounding terminal has a flexible first finger; and An auxiliary support component is used to cooperate with the first finger to provide auxiliary support for the first finger.

2. The connector according to claim 1, wherein, The auxiliary support component includes: The first auxiliary arm is located between one of the first and second side walls and the first finger; The fixing part is fixed to the grounding terminal on the side opposite to the connection channel of the grounding terminal; and The connecting part extends from the fixing part through the gap between the first fingers to the first auxiliary arm.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the housing is further provided with two shoulders, located on opposite sides of the connection channel and extending from the first sidewall and the second sidewall in a direction away from the connection channel.

4. The connector according to claim 3, wherein the grounding terminal further comprises: Two fixed finger sections are attached to the corresponding shoulder sections; and A flexible second finger is located between the two fixed fingers and extends obliquely out of the plane defined by the two fixed fingers.

5. The connector according to claim 4, wherein the grounding terminal further comprises: The first insertion part protrudes from the fixed finger part for insertion onto the shoulder; and The second insertion part is located between and protrudes from the base of the second fingers for insertion onto the shoulder.

6. The connector according to claim 5, wherein the grounding terminal is further provided with a second auxiliary arm, connected between the two fixed fingers, located between the shoulder and the second finger and protruding towards the second finger.

7. The connector according to any one of claims 4 to 6, further comprising a mating plate, the mating plate comprising: The main body is fixed to the shoulder, such that the two fixed fingers and the second finger are sandwiched between the shoulder and the main body; and The wing extends longitudinally from the main body in a direction away from the connecting channel for grounding and is provided with multiple perforations for heat dissipation.

8. The connector according to claim 7, wherein the body is provided with an opening through which the connection channel passes.

9. The connector according to any one of claims 4 to 6 and 8, comprising two power terminals such that the two electrical connection portions are respectively disposed on a first sidewall and a second sidewall of the connection channel in a spaced-apart manner.

10. The connector of claim 9, wherein the exposed portions of the two power terminals outside the housing are electrically connected to the corresponding cables.

11. An electrical device comprising a connector according to any one of the preceding claims.

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