connector

Abstract

A connector is disclosed. The connector includes a housing and a pair of terminal assemblies. Each of the pair of terminal assemblies has a plate-shaped fixing portion extending in a first direction, a terminal portion extending from the plate-shaped fixing portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and an elastic support arm extending from a lower end of the terminal portion closer to the plate-shaped fixing portion obliquely to the first direction and the second direction. The pair of terminal assemblies are installed in the terminal receiving portion of the housing and arranged to be spaced apart from each other. Support blocks are formed in the housing, and the elastic support arms of the pair of terminal assemblies respectively abut on the corresponding support blocks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the field of electrical connector technology, and more specifically, to a connector. Background Technology

[0002] In existing data centers, the mating between Power Supply Units (PSUs) or Battery Backup Units (BBUs) and the Power Shelf Bus Bars often involves misalignment or tilted mating. To achieve the low insertion force requirements under normal non-misalignment mating conditions, existing power connectors typically have spring terminals designed with relatively small elastic values ​​to meet these requirements. However, in practice, misalignment inevitably leads to contact risks in existing power connectors (e.g., one side of the spring terminal experiences high force while the other experiences low force or even no contact). This contact risk is particularly pronounced under extreme misalignment conditions, affecting connector performance (e.g., insertion force, contact resistance, current carrying capacity). This results in high and unstable contact resistance, reducing the connector's current carrying capacity under misalignment conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve at least one aspect of the aforementioned problems and defects existing in the prior art.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a connector is provided, comprising:

[0005] Housing, the housing having a terminal receiving portion; and

[0006] A pair of terminal assemblies, each of the pair of terminal assemblies having: a plate-shaped fixing portion extending in a first direction, a terminal portion extending from the plate-shaped fixing portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and an elastic support arm extending from the lower end of the terminal portion near the plate-shaped fixing portion, inclined in the first direction and the second direction.

[0007] The pair of terminal assemblies are mounted in the terminal receiving portion of the housing and are spaced apart from each other; and

[0008] The housing contains a support block, and the elastic support arms on the pair of terminal assemblies abut against the respective support blocks.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in each of the pair of terminal assemblies, the resilient support arm is formed on two opposite outermost sides of the plate-shaped fixing portion in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in each of the pair of terminal assemblies, the elastic support arm extends from the terminal portion at a position a certain distance from the connection between the terminal portion and the plate-shaped fixing portion.

[0011] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, in each of the pair of terminal assemblies, the resilient support arm extends from the terminal portion at the junction of the terminal portion and the plate-shaped fixing portion.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in each of the pair of terminal assemblies, the terminal portion further includes a waist portion disposed at the lower middle end of the terminal portion, the waist portion being formed by extending outward from two opposite outermost sides of the terminal portion in a third direction perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at a position corresponding to the waist portion of the terminal portion, a receiving groove for receiving the waist portion is further formed in the terminal receiving portion of the housing.

[0014] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the width of the receiving groove in the first direction is greater than the thickness of the waist in the first direction.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a gap exists between the waist portion and the receiving slot in the first direction, the gap being located on the side of one terminal assembly to which the waist portion belongs that is away from the other terminal assembly.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the plate-shaped fixing part, the terminal part, the elastic support arm, and the waist part are integrally formed.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the plate-shaped fixing portion in the pair of terminal assemblies is configured to electrically connect to the underlying busbar in a fastening manner, and the terminal portion in the pair of terminal assemblies is configured to electrically connect to the mating busbar in a plug-in manner.

[0018] The connectors provided by the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, whether in conventional non-misaligned mating or extreme misaligned mating, achieve reliable contact while simultaneously achieving low insertion force and easy insertion / removal, lower and more stable contact impedance, and higher current carrying capacity. Furthermore, in the connectors provided by the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the present invention, due to the aforementioned mating structure of the terminal assembly and the housing, the terminals can be manufactured using copper materials with ordinary stress relief properties but lower cost (e.g., C19210 copper), thereby saving costs.

[0019] Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, and will help to provide a comprehensive understanding of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the connection state of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the connector connects a bottom busbar and a mating busbar;

[0021] Figure 2 show Figure 1 The diagram shows the connection state of a pair of terminal assemblies in a connector, wherein the pair of terminal assemblies are electrically connected to the underlying busbar and the mating busbar;

[0022] Figure 3 A perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A perspective view and a side view of a pair of terminal assemblies in a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are shown respectively;

[0024] Figure 4A and Figure 5A A perspective view and a side view of a pair of terminal assemblies in a connector according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention are shown respectively;

[0025] Figure 6 A front view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0026] Figure 7 show Figure 6 The connector shown is a schematic diagram of its AA cross-section; and

[0027] Figure 8 show Figure 7 The diagram shows a BB cross-section of the connector. Detailed Implementation

[0028] 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 components. 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] According to a general technical concept of the present invention, a connector is provided, comprising a housing and a pair of terminal assemblies. Each of the terminal assemblies has: a plate-shaped fixing portion extending in a first direction, a terminal portion extending from the plate-shaped fixing portion in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and an elastic support arm extending from the terminal portion near the lower end of the plate-shaped fixing portion, inclined in both the first and second directions. The housing has a terminal receiving portion, and the pair of terminal assemblies are mounted in the terminal receiving portion of the housing and spaced apart from each other. Support blocks are formed in the housing, and the elastic support arms on the pair of terminal assemblies respectively abut against corresponding support blocks.

[0031] Figure 1 This diagram shows the connection state of a connector 1000 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the connector 1000 connects the bottom busbar 10 and the mating busbar 20. Figure 2 show Figure 1 The diagram shows the connection state of a pair of terminal assemblies 200 in the connector 1000, wherein the pair of terminal assemblies 200 are electrically connected to the bottom busbar 10 and the mating busbar 20; that is, Figure 2 The housing of connector 1000 is omitted. The plate-shaped fixing portion in a pair of terminal assemblies 200 is configured to electrically connect to the bottom busbar 20 in a fastening manner, and the terminal portion in a pair of terminal assemblies 200 is configured to electrically connect to the mating busbar 10 in a plug-in manner. In actual use, multiple connectors 1000 provided according to the present invention are arranged side by side to connect the bottom busbar 10 and the mating busbar 20.

[0032] Figure 3 A perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 4 and Figure 5 A perspective view and a side view of a pair of terminal assemblies in a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are shown respectively; Figure 6A front view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 7 show Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the connector in cross-section AA shown; Figure 8 show Figure 7 The diagram shows a BB cross-section of the connector.

[0033] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, a connector 1000 includes a housing 100 and a pair of terminal assemblies 200 disposed within the housing 100. The housing 100 has a terminal receiving portion 110, and the pair of terminal assemblies 200 are mounted in the terminal receiving portion 110 of the housing 100 and are spaced apart from each other. Each of the pair of terminal assemblies 200 has: a plate-shaped fixing portion 210 extending in a first direction X; a terminal portion 220 extending from the plate-shaped fixing portion 210 in a second direction Y perpendicular to the first direction X; and an elastic support arm 230 extending from the lower end of the terminal portion 220 near the plate-shaped fixing portion 210, inclined in the first direction X and the second direction Y. In some embodiments, the two terminal assemblies 200 in the pair of terminal assemblies 200 are spaced apart from each other and have a mirror relationship to each other, so that a mating busbar can be inserted and electrically connected between the two terminal assemblies 200. According to the present invention, as Figure 7 As shown, a support block 120 is formed in the housing 100 (in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal receiving portion 110 of the housing 100 is included, but not limited thereto), and elastic support arms 230 on a pair of terminal assemblies 200 respectively abut against the corresponding support block 120. The connector provided by the present invention, through the support structure between the elastic support arm 230 and the support block 120, solves the problem of insufficient reliable contact capability of the connector terminal assembly under offset and tilted floating fit conditions. Thus, whether under conventional non-offset mating or extreme offset mating conditions, reliable contact can be achieved while simultaneously achieving low insertion force and easy insertion / removal, lower and more stable contact impedance, and higher current carrying capacity. Furthermore, in the connector provided by the present invention, through the above-described mating structure of the terminal assembly and the housing (including the support structure between the elastic support arm 230 and the support block 120), the terminals can be manufactured using copper materials with ordinary stress relief properties but lower cost (e.g., C19210 copper), thereby saving costs.

[0034] It should be noted that, according to actual needs, the support structure between the above-mentioned elastic support arm and support block in the connector provided by the present invention can be designed to provide support for the terminal assembly only in the case of misalignment, or it can be designed to provide support for the terminal assembly in both the case of normal non-misalignment and the case of extreme misalignment.

[0035] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 8 As shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, in each of a pair of terminal assemblies 200, elastic support arms 230 are formed on the two opposite outermost sides of the plate-shaped fixing portion 210 in a third direction Z perpendicular to both the first direction X and the second direction Y. With this configuration, not only can the original design of the terminal assembly be maintained to the greatest extent possible, but the balance performance of the terminal assembly can also be preserved.

[0036] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 8 As shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, in each of a pair of terminal assemblies 200, an elastic support arm 230 extends from the terminal portion 220 at a position a certain distance from the connection point between the terminal portion 220 and the plate-shaped fixing portion 210. More specifically, as Figure 5 As shown, the elastic support arm 230 extends from the terminal portion 220 at a certain distance h from the connection between the terminal portion 220 and the plate-shaped fixing portion 210; that is, in the Y direction, the position where the elastic support arm 230 bends and extends from the terminal portion 220 can be higher than the position where the plate-shaped fixing portion 210 bends and extends from the terminal portion 220.

[0037] Optionally, Figure 4A and Figure 5A A perspective view and a side view of a pair of terminal assemblies in a connector according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention are shown, respectively. Figure 4A and Figure 5A As shown, in the illustrated alternative embodiment, in each of a pair of terminal assemblies 200', the resilient support arm 230' may also extend directly from the terminal portion 220' at the connection between the terminal portion 220' and the plate-shaped fixing portion 210'. More specifically, as Figure 5A As shown, the position where the elastic support arm 230' bends and extends from the terminal portion 220' is the same position where the plate-shaped fixing portion 210' bends and extends from the terminal portion 220'. There is no distance difference between the two. The only difference is that the elastic support arm 230' bends and extends from the terminal portion 220' on the two opposite outermost sides of the plate-shaped fixing portion 210 in the third direction Z.

[0038] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 8As shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, in each of the pair of terminal assemblies 200, the terminal portion 220 further includes a waist portion 240 disposed at the lower middle end of the terminal portion 220. The waist portion 240 is formed extending outward from two opposite outermost points of the terminal portion 220 in a third direction Z perpendicular to both the first direction X and the second direction Y. Meanwhile, at a position corresponding to the waist portion 240 of the terminal portion 220, a receiving groove 130 for receiving the waist portion 240 is also formed in the terminal receiving portion 110 of the housing 100. In other words, the terminal assembly 200 is assembled in the housing 100 by receiving the waist portion 240 of the terminal assembly 200 in the receiving groove 130 of the terminal receiving portion 110 of the housing 100.

[0039] The connector provided according to the present invention, such as Figures 1 to 8 As shown (especially as Figure 7 As shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the width W of the receiving groove 130 in the first direction X is greater than the thickness T of the waist portion 240 in the first direction X. In other words, there is a gap g between the waist portion 240 and the receiving groove 130 in the first direction X. More specifically, the gap g is located on the side of one terminal assembly to which the waist portion 240 belongs, away from the other terminal assembly. That is, the waist portion 240 of the terminal assembly 200 and the receiving groove 130 of the housing 100 are not fixedly assembled, but there is a certain amount of redundant space. With the above configuration, in the case of offset mating, for example... Figure 7 In the structure shown, when the terminal assembly 200 is misaligned to the right, the waist 240 of the terminal assembly 200 interferes with the top of the receiving groove 130 of the housing 100, thus forming a force-bearing support point P. This support alters the deformable length of the elastic arm of the terminal in the terminal portion 220. Simultaneously, in the misaligned misalignment, the support structure between the elastic support arm 230 of the terminal assembly 200 and the support block 120 of the housing 100 also provides elastic force to the terminal assembly. Thus, through the interference of the elastic arm of the terminal in the terminal portion 220 at the top of the receiving groove 130 of the housing 100 and the interference of the elastic support arm 230 at the support block 120 of the housing 100, both provide a positive contact force for the terminal assembly in the misaligned misalignment, thereby achieving reliable contact between the busbar and the terminal assembly.

[0040] Thus, according to the connector provided by the present invention, when the plate-shaped fixing portion 210 in a pair of terminal assemblies 200 is configured to electrically connect the bottom busbar 20 in a fastening manner and the terminal portion 220 is configured to electrically connect the mating busbar 10 in a plugging manner, regardless of whether the plugging fit between the mating busbar 10 and the terminal portion 220 is in a normal non-offset mating condition or in a limit offset mating condition, it can achieve reliable contact while achieving low insertion force and easy plugging and unplugging effect, lower and more stable contact impedance and higher current carrying capacity.

[0041] Specifically, such as Figures 1 to 8 As shown in the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the plate-shaped fixing portion, terminal portion, elastic support arm, and waist portion in each terminal assembly can be integrally formed. Thus, as previously mentioned, the terminals can be manufactured using copper materials with common stress-relieving properties but lower cost (e.g., C19210 copper), thereby saving costs.

[0042] 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.

[0043] Although the invention has been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the embodiments disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0044] While some embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

[0045] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the words "a" or "an" do not exclude multiple elements. Furthermore, any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A connector (1000), characterized in that, The connector (1000) includes: Housing (100), having a terminal receiving portion (110); and A pair of terminal assemblies (200), each of the pair of terminal assemblies (200) having: a plate-shaped fixing portion (210) extending in a first direction (X), a terminal portion (220) extending from the plate-shaped fixing portion (210) in a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the first direction (X), and an elastic support arm (230) extending from the lower end of the terminal portion (220) near the plate-shaped fixing portion (210) at an inclination to the first direction (X) and the second direction (Y). The pair of terminal assemblies (200) are mounted in the terminal receiving portion (110) of the housing (100) and are spaced apart from each other; and In the housing (100), a support block (120) is formed therein, and the elastic support arms (230) on the pair of terminal assemblies (200) respectively abut against the corresponding support block (120); The elastic support arm (230) extends from the lower end of the terminal portion (220) toward the upper end of the terminal portion (220) opposite to the lower end; and The plate-shaped fixing part (210) in the pair of terminal assemblies (200) is configured to electrically connect the underlying busbar (20) in a fastening manner.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: In each of the pair of terminal assemblies (200), the elastic support arm (230) is formed on the two opposite outermost sides of the plate-shaped fixing portion (210) in a third direction (Z) perpendicular to both the first direction (X) and the second direction (Y).

3. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: In each of the pair of terminal assemblies (200), the resilient support arm (230) extends from the terminal portion (220) at the connection between the terminal portion (220) and the plate-shaped fixing portion (210).

4. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: In each of the pair of terminal assemblies (200), the elastic support arm (230) extends from the terminal portion (220) at a position a certain distance from the connection between the terminal portion (220) and the plate-shaped fixing portion (210).

5. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: In each of the pair of terminal assemblies (200), the terminal portion (220) further includes a waist portion (240) disposed at the lower middle end of the terminal portion (220), the waist portion (240) being formed by extending outward from the two opposite outermost sides of the terminal portion (220) in a third direction (Z) perpendicular to both the first direction (X) and the second direction (Y).

6. The connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: At a position corresponding to the waist (240) of the terminal portion (220), a receiving groove (130) for receiving the waist (240) is also formed in the terminal receiving portion (110) of the housing (100).

7. The connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The width (W) of the receiving groove (130) in the first direction (X) is greater than the thickness (T) of the waist (240) in the first direction (X).

8. The connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: There is a gap (g) between the waist (240) and the receiving groove (130) in the first direction (X), the gap (g) being located on the side of one terminal assembly to which the waist (240) belongs that is away from the other terminal assembly.

9. The connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The plate-shaped fixing part, the terminal part, the elastic support arm, and the waist part are integrally formed.

10. The connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The terminal portion (220) in the pair of terminal assemblies (200) is configured to be electrically connected to the busbar (10) in a plug-in manner.

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