A modular sealed connector

Abstract

This invention discloses a modular sealing connector, belonging to the field of connectors. It includes a housing with a mounting hole in which a contact is installed. The contact includes a contact body, a floating sleeve, a spring, and a support sleeve. A plug is attached to the first end of the contact body. A floating gap exists between the floating sleeve and the contact body. The contact body has a positioning shoulder, and an axial sealing ring is provided between the floating sleeve and the positioning shoulder. A radial sealing ring is provided on the outer wall of the floating sleeve. The inner diameter of the support sleeve gradually decreases from both ends to the middle. The spring is located between the floating sleeve and the support sleeve. The first end of the mounting hole has a limiting step that allows the plug to pass through but blocks the contact body from passing through. The housing has a pressure plate for pressing the support sleeve from one end. A fixing member for pressing the pressure plate can also be detachably connected to the housing. The connector of this invention can simultaneously achieve axial and radial floating of the contact, axial and radial sealing, and optoelectronic hybrid assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of sealed connectors, and particularly to a modular sealed connector. Background Art

[0002] Currently, sealed connectors can be broadly divided into two types: one uses glass or ceramic to seal the connector contacts to the housing, and the other uses a sealing ring on the contacts to achieve a seal with the housing.

[0003] The first type of sealed connector requires glass or ceramic sealing at high temperatures, such as the technical solution disclosed in Chinese invention patent CN201528084U. However, this sealing method is difficult, and the contacts in the sealed connector cannot float, making it unsuitable for optical connectors. Furthermore, glass or ceramic sealing methods cannot simultaneously encapsulate optical and electrical contacts in a single connector, thus preventing mixed assembly.

[0004] The second type of sealed connector uses a sealing ring to achieve sealing, which is relatively easy to operate. The contacts can float in both the axial and radial directions within the housing. However, when used in optical connectors, the contacts can only achieve simultaneous axial and radial sealing on one of the connector's plug and socket.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a connector that can simultaneously achieve axial and radial floating, axial and radial sealing, and mixed assembly of optical and electrical contacts. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the problem that existing connectors cannot simultaneously achieve axial and radial floating of contacts, axial and radial sealing, and optoelectronic hybrid assembly, the present invention aims to provide a modular sealing connector.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0008] A modular sealed connector includes a housing and contacts, wherein the housing has one or more mounting holes, and the contacts are installed in each of the mounting holes;

[0009] The contact element includes a contact element body and a floating sleeve, a spring, and a support sleeve that are movably fitted onto the contact element body in a direction from head to tail. A connector is also installed at the head end of the contact element body. A floating gap exists between the floating sleeve and the contact element body. A positioning shoulder is provided on the outer wall of the contact element body located on one side of the head end of the floating sleeve. An axial sealing ring is provided between the head end face of the floating sleeve and the tail end face of the positioning shoulder. A radial sealing ring that matches the inner wall of the mounting hole is provided on the outer wall of the floating sleeve. The inner diameter of the support sleeve gradually decreases from both ends to the middle. The two ends of the spring abut against the floating sleeve and the support sleeve, respectively.

[0010] Each of the mounting holes has a limiting step at its first end that allows the plug to pass through but blocks the contact body from passing through. The housing has a pressure plate for pressing the support sleeve in each contact from one side of the tail end, and the housing can also be detachably connected to a fixing member for pressing the pressure plate.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, an annular groove or annular step for installing the axial sealing ring is provided on the tail end face of the positioning shoulder.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the first end of the contact body and the limiting step of the mounting hole are respectively provided with a positioning groove and a positioning key for cooperation.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the contact body has four positioning grooves that are evenly distributed circumferentially, and the mounting hole has two positioning keys that are evenly distributed circumferentially.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the housing has a connecting hole for bolts or screws to pass through; an end face sealing groove is provided on the tail end face of the housing, and an end face sealing ring is installed in the end face sealing groove.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, the floating gap is 0.1-0.5 mm.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the two ends of the inner wall of the support sleeve are configured as tapered or arc-shaped bevels.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the connector is configured as a pin, and the first end face of the contact body is provided with a socket adapted to the pin, wherein the pin is made of a copper alloy suitable for electrical contacts or ceramic suitable for optical contacts.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, when the pin is a ceramic pin, the connector further includes a sleeve made of ceramic that is fitted over the pin.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment, the connector includes a socket sleeve and a crown spring installed inside the socket sleeve, and the first end face of the contact body is provided with a socket adapted to the socket sleeve.

[0020] By adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0021] 1. Due to the floating sleeve, spring, support sleeve in the contact element, as well as the pressure plate and fixing parts on the housing, after the contact element is assembled in the mounting hole on the housing, axial sealing and axial floating can be achieved through the spring and axial sealing groove, and radial sealing and radial floating can be achieved through the floating sleeve, the radial sealing ring on the floating sleeve and the support sleeve.

[0022] 2. Since the function of the contact can be changed simply by changing the plug, the connector can achieve mixed assembly of optical and electrical contacts. Furthermore, since the components in the contact are common, the contact can be modularized, thereby significantly reducing production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the pin-type contact in this invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the pin-type contact in this invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the socket-type optical contact in this invention;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the socket-type electrical contact in this invention.

[0028] In the diagram: 1-Housing, 2-Contact, 20-Positioning groove, 21-Contact body, 22-Floating sleeve, 23-Spring, 24-Support sleeve, 241-First end bevel, 242-Tail end bevel, 25-Plug-in, 26-Positioning shoulder, 27-Axial sealing ring, 28-Radial sealing ring, 29-Insertion hole, 210-Sleeve, 211-Insertion hole sleeve, 212-Crown spring, 3-Connecting hole, 4-End face sealing ring, 5-Pressure plate, 6-Fixing component. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these descriptions are for the purpose of aiding understanding the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. Furthermore, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0030] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the description of the structure of this invention shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0031] The terms "first" and "second" in this technical solution are merely designations for corresponding structures that are identical or similar, or that perform similar functions. They do not represent an arrangement of the importance of these structures, nor do they imply any ranking, comparison of size, or other meaning.

[0032] Furthermore, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, a connection can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection within two structures. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention by considering the overall concept of the invention and the specific context of the solution.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] A modular sealed connector, such as Figure 1-5 As shown, it includes a housing 1 and a contact element 2.

[0035] The housing 1 has one or more axially arranged mounting holes in its middle, and a contact element 2 is installed in each mounting hole. The housing 1 has multiple circumferentially spaced connecting holes 3 on its periphery to facilitate fixing the housing 1 to the equipment or bulkhead with screws or bolts. An end face sealing groove is provided on the end face of the housing 1 facing the equipment or bulkhead (i.e., the tail end face), and an end face sealing ring 4 is installed in the end face sealing groove. The end face sealing ring 4 is located between the circumference of the connecting hole 3 and the circumference of the mounting hole.

[0036] In this embodiment, the contact 2 is buoyantly mounted in the mounting hole along the axial and radial directions. Specifically, the contact 2 includes a contact body 21 and a floating sleeve 22, a spring 23, and a support sleeve 24 that are sequentially and movably fitted onto the contact body 21 from head to tail.

[0037] The contact body 21 has a hollow cylindrical structure, and a connector 25 is installed at the first end of the contact body 21. The connector 25 is used to transmit electrical or optical signals. The first end of the mounting hole is also provided with a limiting step that allows the connector 25 to pass through but blocks the contact body 21 from passing through. This limiting step is integrally formed on the inner side wall of the first end of the mounting hole. This design allows the connector 25 to pass through the mounting hole smoothly while effectively preventing the contact body 21 from falling directly off from one side of the first end of the mounting hole.

[0038] A positioning shoulder 26 is formed on the outer wall of the contact body 21. The positioning shoulder 26 is located on one side of the first end of the floating sleeve 22 to define the position of the floating sleeve 22. An axial sealing ring 27 is provided between the first end face of the floating sleeve 22 and the last end face of the positioning shoulder 26. For example, an annular step for installing the axial sealing ring 27 is provided on the last end face of the positioning shoulder 26, and the annular step is disposed at the outer edge of the positioning shoulder 26; or in other embodiments, an annular groove can be used instead of an annular step. An annular sealing groove is also provided on the outer wall of the floating sleeve 22, and a radial sealing ring 28 adapted to the inner wall of the mounting hole is installed in the annular sealing groove.

[0039] The floating sleeve 22 and the contact body 21 have a floating gap, for example, 0.1-0.5mm, preferably 0.2mm in this embodiment. This allows the contact body 21 to float radially relative to the floating sleeve 22. Other embodiments may have a gap of 0.1mm or 0.5mm, depending on the application requirements. Meanwhile, the outer wall of the support sleeve 24 is adapted to the inner wall of the mounting hole, and the diameter of the inner wall of the support sleeve 24 gradually decreases from both ends to the middle, causing the two ends of the inner wall of the support sleeve 24 to intersect in the middle. For example, the two sections of the inner wall of the support sleeve 24 can be configured as conical or arc-shaped inclined surfaces (denoted as the first inclined surface 241 and the last inclined surface 242). In this embodiment, an arc shape is preferred. In other embodiments, when configured as conical, the junction of the first inclined surface 241 and the last inclined surface 242 is rounded. This configuration allows the contact body 21 to float radially around the intersection point (the intersection of the first end slope 241 and the last end slope 242) in the middle of the inner wall of the support sleeve 24. Its floating range is limited by the size of the floating gap between the floating sleeve 22 and the contact body 21. The spring 23 is located between the floating sleeve 22 and the support sleeve 24, with both ends of the spring 23 abutting against the floating sleeve 22 and the support sleeve 24 respectively. This configuration allows the floating sleeve 22 to be pressed against the positioning shoulder 26 by the spring 23 when an external force is applied to the support sleeve 24, thus compressing the axial sealing ring 27 and providing an axial seal. Similarly, the spring 23 allows the contact body 21 to float axially after overcoming its elastic force. The inner wall of the first end of the support sleeve 24 also has a stepped hole adapted to the spring 23 to ensure proper support for the spring 23.

[0040] The housing 1 is further provided with a pressure plate 5 for pressing the support sleeves 24 of each contact member 2 from one end. A fixing member 6 for pressing the pressure plate 5 is also threaded onto the housing 1. In this embodiment, the pressure plate 5 has the same number of through holes as the mounting holes, and the arrangement of the through holes on the pressure plate 5 is the same as the arrangement of the mounting holes on the housing 1. The diameter of the through holes is larger than the diameter of the contact member body 21 but smaller than the diameter of the support sleeve 24. This arrangement allows all the support sleeves 24 of the contact members 2 to be pressed together by one pressure plate 5. The fixing member 6 is configured as a threaded sleeve with threads on its outer wall. Correspondingly, a tail end groove is provided on the tail end face of the housing 1. Each mounting hole is located at the bottom of the tail end groove, and the pressure plate 5 and the fixing member 6 are arranged in the tail end groove. That is, the circumferential sidewall of the tail end groove is provided with an internal thread that matches the external thread on the threaded sleeve.

[0041] In this embodiment, a socket 29 is coaxially provided on the first end face of the contact body 21, and the connector 25 is installed in the socket 29. The function type of the contact 2 can be changed by changing the type of the connector 25. For example:

[0042] 1. When the connector 25 is configured as a pin made of copper alloy, the contact 2 is a pin-type electrical contact, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown;

[0043] 2. When the connector 25 is configured as a pin made of ceramic material, the contact 2 is a pin-type optical contact, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown; preferably, the front end face of the pin is polished to 8 degrees, i.e., the APC type end face, so as to achieve better return loss. The return loss performance of more than 60dB can be achieved by using conventional polishing process.

[0044] 3. When the connector 25 includes a pin made of ceramic material, and the connector 25 also includes a sleeve 210 made of ceramic that is fitted over the pin, the contact 2 is a socket-type optical contact, such as... Figure 4 As shown; where,

[0045] 4. When the connector 25 includes a socket sleeve 211 installed in the socket 29 and a crown spring 212 installed in the socket sleeve 211, the contact 2 is a socket-type electrical contact, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the first end of the socket sleeve 211 is provided with a blind hole for installing the crown spring 212, so that the socket sleeve 211 is a non-hollow structure.

[0046] As can be seen, the various types of contact elements 2 listed above are completely identical except for the plug-in element 25, and all of them can be installed through the plug hole 29. This allows the contact element 2 to be modularized, thereby significantly reducing production costs.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] In this embodiment, the first end of the contact body 21 and the limiting step of the mounting hole are respectively provided with a positioning groove 20 and a positioning key for cooperation. The dimensions of the positioning key and the positioning groove 20 meet the requirements of tolerance fit. For example, in this embodiment, the width of the positioning key is configured to be 1.47mm-1.49mm, and the width of the positioning groove 20 is configured to be 1.50mm-1.51mm.

[0049] Specifically, the positioning key is formed on the inner wall of the limiting step, and the positioning groove 20 is formed on the outer wall of the first end of the contact body 21. That is, the first end of the contact body 21 is configured to be able to pass into the limiting step on the mounting hole, and then the positioning groove 20 cooperates with the positioning key. Due to the limiting effect of the positioning key, it can be ensured that the contact body 21 cannot be completely passed through. In addition, due to the presence of the positioning shoulder 26, even if the first end of the contact body 21 can pass into the limiting step on the mounting hole, the contact body 21 cannot be completely passed through the mounting hole due to the obstruction of the positioning shoulder 26.

[0050] Understandably, the placement of the positioning key and the positioning groove 20 not only facilitates the assembly of the contact 2, but also enables the contact 2 to have an anti-rotation function.

[0051] In this embodiment, four positioning slots 20 are evenly distributed circumferentially, and two positioning keys are also evenly distributed circumferentially. This arrangement ensures that the contact body 21 has an assembly position for every 90° rotation, resulting in four states for the contact 2 when it is an optical contact, thus achieving the centering function of the optical connection and optimizing insertion loss. Correspondingly, the number of positioning slots 20 can also be other multiples of the number of positioning keys, such as 6 or 8; of course, the number of positioning keys can also be adjusted, for example, 3, and the number of positioning slots 20 can be configured as an integer multiple of the number of positioning keys, such as 6, 9, or 12.

[0052] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments. For those skilled in the art, various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and these variations still fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular sealed connector, characterized in that: The device includes a housing and contact elements. The housing has one or more mounting holes, and each mounting hole houses the contact element. Each contact element includes a contact element body and a floating sleeve, a spring, and a support sleeve, which are sequentially and movably fitted onto the contact element body from head to tail. A connector is also installed at the head end of the contact element body. A floating gap exists between the floating sleeve and the contact element body. A positioning shoulder is provided on the outer wall of the contact element body located on one side of the head end of the floating sleeve. An axial sealing ring is provided between the head end face of the floating sleeve and the tail end face of the positioning shoulder. A radial sealing ring, adapted to the inner wall of the mounting hole, is provided on the outer wall of the floating sleeve. The inner diameter of the support sleeve gradually decreases from both ends to the middle. The spring has two... The ends respectively abut against the floating sleeve and the support sleeve; wherein, the first end of each of the mounting holes is provided with a limiting step for allowing the plug-in to pass through but blocking the contact body from passing through, the housing is provided with a pressure plate for pressing the support sleeve of each contact from the tail end, and the housing is also detachably connected with a fixing member for pressing the pressure plate; the first end of the contact body and the limiting step of the mounting hole are respectively provided with a positioning groove and a positioning key for cooperation, the positioning groove on the contact body has four and is evenly distributed circumferentially, and the positioning key on the mounting hole has two and is evenly distributed circumferentially; the plug-in includes a plug sleeve and a crown spring installed in the plug sleeve, and the first end face of the contact body is provided with a plug hole that is adapted to the plug sleeve.

2. The modular sealed connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end face of the positioning shoulder is provided with an annular groove or annular step for installing the axial sealing ring.

3. The modular sealing connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The housing has connection holes for bolts or screws to pass through; an end face sealing groove is provided on the tail end face of the housing, and an end face sealing ring is installed in the end face sealing groove.

4. The modular sealing connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The floating gap is 0.1-0.5mm.

5. The modular sealing connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner walls of the support sleeve are configured with tapered or arc-shaped bevels at both ends.

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