Connector and method for manufacturing a connector

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a connector and a method for manufacturing the same. The connector includes: an outer terminal assembly integrally formed of an electrically conductive material, and including: a mating portion located at a first side of the outer terminal assembly; a crimping portion located at a second side of the outer terminal assembly opposite the first side, the mating portion being partially connected with the crimping portion in an axial direction of the connector to form an intermediate connection portion, the intermediate connection portion being formed with a first notch in a circumferential direction; and a reverse fold belt extending from the first notch in the circumferential direction of the connector to surround the intermediate connection portion; and an inner terminal assembly inserted into the outer terminal assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to connectors and methods for manufacturing connectors. Background Technology

[0002] An electronic connector is a conductive device used to connect electrical circuits. This component serves as a connection point between different components within the same circuit system, or as a connection providing power and data between different circuit systems or devices. It is widely used in various electrical circuits, serving to connect or disconnect circuits. This connection may be temporary and easily pluggable / removable, or it may be a permanent junction between electrical equipment or cables.

[0003] Figure 1 A connector 1 is shown. The connector 1 may consist of an inner crimping collar 2, an inner terminal 3, and an outer terminal 4. The outer terminal 4 includes a mating sleeve 5, an insulating member 6, and a crimping assembly 7. The crimping assembly 7 includes a crimping portion 7a and a strip 7b retained during the manufacturing of the crimping assembly 7. When assembling or manufacturing the outer terminal 4 of the connector 1, the insulating member 6 and the crimping portion 7a of the crimping assembly 7 are axially connected, and then the mating sleeve 5 is fitted onto the insulating member 6, thereby forming the outer terminal 4. Then, the inner terminal 3, on which the inner crimping collar 2 is crimped, is inserted from the end of the outer terminal 4 near the crimping portion 7a, and subsequently the crimping portion 7a is crimped to surround and secure the inner terminal 3, forming the connector 1.

[0004] However, this existing design requires the separate production of the insulating component 6, the crimping assembly 7, and the mating cylinder 5, and then the insulating component 6, the crimping assembly 7, and the mating cylinder 5 are assembled together. Therefore, this design results in low production efficiency and high cost for the entire product. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0006] This disclosure was made in view of the above-mentioned technical problems, and its purpose is to provide a connector and a method for manufacturing the connector, which can improve the production efficiency of the connector and reduce the cost of the connector.

[0007] Technical solutions to solve technical problems

[0008] In one embodiment of this disclosure for addressing the aforementioned problems, a connector is provided, comprising: an external terminal assembly integrally formed of a conductive material, and including: a mating portion located on a first side of the external terminal assembly; a crimping portion located on a second side of the external terminal assembly opposite to the first side, the mating portion and the crimping portion being partially connected axially to the connector to form an intermediate connection portion, the intermediate connection portion having a first notch formed in the circumferential direction; and a folding band extending circumferentially from the first notch to surround the intermediate connection portion; and an inner terminal assembly inserted into the external terminal assembly.

[0009] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the reverse folding strip includes: a mating portion connected to the mating portion and the crimping portion; and a surrounding portion extending circumferentially from the mating portion to surround the intermediate connecting portion.

[0010] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the width of the surrounding portion is greater than the width of the mating portion.

[0011] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a second notch is formed at the end of the surrounding portion.

[0012] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the first notch substantially coincides with the docking portion and the second notch.

[0013] In one embodiment of this disclosure, an insulator is further included, the insulator being fitted between the outer terminal assembly and the inner terminal assembly.

[0014] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the connector further includes a housing, the outer terminal assembly is disposed within a housing channel of the housing for receiving the outer terminal assembly, and the axial edge of the folded strap abuts against the inner wall of the housing channel for securing the outer terminal assembly in place.

[0015] In one embodiment of this disclosure for addressing the aforementioned problems, a method for manufacturing a connector is provided, comprising: integrally forming an external terminal assembly using a conductive material, the external terminal assembly including: a mating portion located on a first side of the external terminal assembly; a crimping portion located on a second side of the external terminal assembly opposite to the first side, the mating portion and the crimping portion being axially connected in the connector to form an intermediate connection portion, the intermediate connection portion having a first notch formed in the circumferential direction; and a folding strip extending from the first notch along the circumferential direction of the connector to surround the intermediate connection portion; bending the folding strip such that the folding strip at least surrounds the first notch; inserting an inner terminal assembly into the external terminal assembly from the second side; and crimping the crimping portion to surround and secure the inner terminal assembly.

[0016] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: inserting an insulator into the outer terminal assembly and securing it in place before inserting the inner terminal assembly into the outer terminal assembly from the second side, the insulator including an insulator channel for insertion of the inner terminal assembly.

[0017] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the method further includes: after crimping the crimping portion, inserting the outer terminal assembly into the housing channel included in the housing, and fixing the outer terminal assembly in place by abutting the axial edge of the folding strip against the inner wall of the housing channel.

[0018] Invention Effects

[0019] According to the present invention, a connector and a method for manufacturing the connector are provided, which can improve the production efficiency of the connector and reduce the cost of the connector. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To gain a detailed understanding of this disclosure, a more specific description of the disclosure briefly summarized above can be derived with reference to the embodiments. Some embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and to facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals have been used as much as possible to indicate common elements across the figures. However, it should be noted that the drawings merely illustrate typical embodiments of the disclosure and should therefore not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, as other equivalent embodiments are permissible. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of a connector;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a perspective schematic diagram illustrating an example connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3This is a perspective view illustrating the external terminal assembly of an example connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 This illustrates the outer terminal assembly along an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 The three-dimensional sectional view shown is taken by line AA.

[0025] Figure 5 This illustrates the unfolding of the folded strip of the external terminal assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 A schematic diagram observed in the direction of arrow I;

[0026] Figure 6 This illustrates the unfolding of the folded strip of the external terminal assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 A schematic diagram observed in the direction of arrow II;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a perspective view illustrating the inner terminal assembly of an example connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 8 This is a perspective view showing the inner pressure strip of an example connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a perspective schematic diagram illustrating the insulator of an example connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating an example connector including a housing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0031] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a connector according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] It is anticipated that elements in one embodiment of this disclosure may be advantageously adapted to other embodiments without further description. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The following description uses specific embodiments to illustrate the invention. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand other advantages and technical effects of this disclosure from the content disclosed herein. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described below, and can be implemented or applied through other different embodiments. Moreover, various modifications and changes can be made to the specific content of this specification without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0034] The specific embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not depictions of actual dimensions; they do not reflect the actual dimensions of the relevant structures. For ease of understanding, the same reference numerals are used in all the drawings to indicate common elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale and may be simplified for clarity. Elements and features of one embodiment may be advantageously incorporated into other embodiments without further description.

[0035] The following is for reference Figures 2 to 10 An example connector 100 according to an embodiment will be described.

[0036] See Figure 2 The diagram shows a perspective view of an exemplary connector 100. The connector 100 may include an outer terminal assembly 110 and an inner terminal assembly 120. The inner terminal assembly 120 is inserted into the outer terminal assembly 110 along the negative y-axis direction.

[0037] Figure 3 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the external terminal assembly 110 is shown. Figure 4 It shows along Figure 3 A three-dimensional sectional view of the outer terminal assembly 110 cut by line AA. Figure 5 The folded strip 114 of the external terminal assembly 110 is shown unfolded along... Figure 3 A top view of the outer terminal assembly 110 as seen in the direction of arrow I (i.e., from the positive z-axis direction toward the negative z-axis direction). Figure 6 The folded strip 114 of the external terminal assembly 110 is shown unfolded along... Figure 3 The image shows a bottom view of the external terminal assembly 110 as seen in the direction of arrow II (i.e., from the negative z-axis direction toward the positive z-axis direction). The external terminal assembly 110 of this disclosure can be integrally formed from a conductive material. As an example, the external terminal assembly 110 can be integrally formed by casting, stamping, cutting, or other methods.

[0038] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, as a non-limiting example, the external terminal assembly 110 may include a mating portion 111 and a crimping portion 112. The mating portion 111 and the crimping portion 112 may be axially (e.g., axially) of the connector 110. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The upper portions (in the y-axis direction) are connected to form an intermediate connecting portion 113. The mating portion 111 may be located on the first side of the outer terminal assembly 110. The crimping portion 112 may be located on the second side of the outer terminal assembly 110 opposite to the first side. For example, the intermediate connecting portion 113 can be achieved by using an intermediate connecting material method to combine the mating portion 111 and the crimping portion 112 on the same strip.

[0039] In the process of integrally molding the mating part 111 and the pressing part 112, the intermediate connecting part 113 will have a first notch 1131 formed in the circumferential direction (i.e., the direction around the axial direction), such as Figure 4 , Figure 6 As shown. To ensure the strength of the external terminal assembly 110, especially at the first notch 1131, the external terminal assembly 110 may further include a folded strip 114. As... Figure 3 As shown, the folded band 114 may extend circumferentially from the first notch 1131 along the connector 110 to surround the intermediate connection portion 113. The folded band 114 surrounding the intermediate connection portion 113 may have an axially oriented edge 1141. The edge 1141 may abut or engage with an external structure, thereby serving to position the outer terminal assembly 110.

[0040] As an example, see Figures 3 to 6 The reverse folding tape 114 may include a mating portion 1142 and a wrapping portion 1143. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the mating portion 1142 can be connected to the mating portion 111 and the crimping portion 112. A surrounding portion 1143 can extend circumferentially from the mating portion 1142 to surround the intermediate connecting portion 113. The width of the surrounding portion 1143 can be greater than the width of the mating portion 1142. Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, a second notch 1144 may be formed at the end of the surrounding portion 1143. The first notch 1131 may substantially coincide with the docking portion 1142 and the second notch 1144.

[0041] It should be understood that the crimping part 112 has a similar function to the crimping part before being crimped. Figure 1 The shape of the crimping part 4a shown is roughly the same. Figures 2 to 4 The state after crimping is shown.

[0042] Figure 7 A perspective view of the inner terminal assembly 120 is shown. The inner terminal assembly 120 may include a core 121 and a positioning portion 122. When assembling the connector 100, the core 121 can be inserted into the outer terminal assembly 110 from the end near the crimping portion 112, and the inner terminal assembly 120 and the outer terminal assembly 110 are installed in place by the cooperation of the positioning portion 122 of the inner terminal assembly 120 with the corresponding internal structure of the outer terminal assembly 110. After installation, the crimping portion 112 can be crimped to surround and fix the inner terminal assembly 110, thereby fixing the inner terminal assembly 120 and the outer terminal assembly 110 relative to each other, thus forming... Figure 2 Connector 100 is shown in the figure.

[0043] Optionally, a core 121 of the inner terminal assembly 120 may be press-fitted with a... Figure 8The inner crimping tape 123 is shown. The inner crimping tape 123 can be a U-shaped tape made of conductive material. The inner crimping tape 123 can be used to wrap around the core 121 and crimp the ends of the inner crimping tape 123 together, thereby fixing the inner crimping tape 123 and covering the surface of the core 121. The inner crimping tape 123 can optimize the electrical performance of the connector 100.

[0044] A fitting can be installed between the outer terminal assembly 110 and the inner terminal assembly 120. Figure 9 The insulator 130 is shown. The insulator 130 may include an insulator channel 131 for insertion of the inner terminal assembly 120. The insulator 130 may provide an insulating shield between the outer terminal assembly 110 and the inner terminal assembly 120.

[0045] Connector 110 may further include housing 140. Figure 10 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector 110 including the housing 140. The outer terminal assembly 120 may be disposed within the housing channel 141 of the housing 140. The axial edge 1141 of the folding strap 114 may abut against the inner wall of the housing channel 141 to secure the outer terminal assembly 110 in place.

[0046] The following reference Figure 11 This describes an exemplary method 200 for manufacturing a connector according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The exemplary method 200 can be used to manufacture the connector 100 as described above. However, it is not limited thereto; the method 200 can also be used to manufacture other connectors.

[0047] Method 200 begins at step 201. At step 201, an external terminal assembly 110 may be integrally formed using a conductive material. The external terminal assembly 110 may include a mating portion 111, a crimping portion 112, and a folding strip 114. The mating portion 111 may be located on a first side (negative y-axis direction) of the external terminal assembly 110. The crimping portion 112 may be located on a second side (positive y-axis direction) of the external terminal assembly 110 opposite to the first side. The mating portion 111 and the crimping portion 112 may be partially connected axially to the connector 100 to form an intermediate connection portion 113. The intermediate connection portion 113 may have a first notch 1131 formed in the circumferential direction. The folding strip 114 may extend from the first notch 1131 along the circumferential direction of the connector 100 to surround the intermediate connection portion 113.

[0048] At step 202, the circumferential portion 1143 of the folded band 114 may be bent so that the folded band 114 at least surrounds the first notch 1131.

[0049] At step 203, the insulator 130 can be inserted into the outer terminal assembly 110 from the second side along the negative y-axis and fixed in place. The insulator 130 may include an insulator channel 131 for insertion of the inner terminal assembly 120.

[0050] At step 204, the inner terminal assembly 120 may be inserted into the outer terminal assembly 110 from the second side of the outer terminal assembly 110, such that the core 121 of the inner terminal assembly 120 enters and passes through the insulator channel 131 of the insulator 130.

[0051] At step 205, the crimping portion 112 may be crimped to surround and secure the inner terminal assembly 120.

[0052] At step 206, the outer terminal assembly 110 can be inserted into the housing 140. The housing 140 may include a housing channel 141. The outer terminal assembly 110 is inserted into the housing 140 by inserting the outer terminal assembly 110, in which the inner terminal assembly 120 is mounted, into the housing channel 141. The outer terminal assembly 110 is secured in place by abutting the axial edge 1141 of the folding strap 114 against the inner wall of the housing channel 141.

[0053] Therefore, by method 200, it can be manufactured. Figure 2 Connector 100 is shown.

[0054] The exemplary connector 100 and the method 200 for manufacturing the connector disclosed herein can achieve at least the following beneficial technical effects:

[0055] The mating part and the crimping part of the external terminal assembly of the present invention can be integrally formed, and the mating part and the crimping part can be combined on the same strip, thereby improving the production efficiency and reducing the cost of the product during production and assembly.

[0056] The present invention further provides a reverse folding strip in the middle region between the mating part and the pressing part, which may prevent strength problems caused by the gap at the middle connection between the mating part and the pressing part.

[0057] The optional embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above. However, it should be understood that various embodiments and modifications can be adopted without departing from the broad spirit and scope of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make many modifications and variations based on the concept of this disclosure without creative effort. As a non-limiting example, those skilled in the art may omit one or more of the various parts in the above system or structure, add one or more parts to the above system or structure, or replace part or all of the various structures or systems involved in this embodiment with other parts having the same or similar functions. Therefore, any technical solution that those skilled in the art can obtain based on the concept of this disclosure through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation on the basis of the prior art should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A connector, comprising: An external terminal assembly, said external terminal assembly being integrally formed of a conductive material, and comprising: The mating part is located on the first side of the external terminal assembly; A crimping portion, located on a second side of the outer terminal assembly opposite to the first side, wherein the mating portion is connected to the crimping portion in the axial direction of the connector to form an intermediate connection portion, the intermediate connection portion having a first notch formed in the circumferential direction; and A folding band, extending circumferentially from the first notch along the connector to surround the intermediate connection portion, wherein the folding band includes: The mating portion is connected to the mating portion and the crimping portion; and A surrounding portion, extending circumferentially from the mating portion to surround the intermediate connecting portion, wherein a second notch is formed at the end of the surrounding portion; and An inner terminal assembly is inserted into the outer terminal assembly.

2. The connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The width of the surrounding portion is greater than the width of the mating portion.

3. The connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first notch roughly coincides with the docking portion and the second notch.

4. The connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes an insulator that is fitted between the outer terminal assembly and the inner terminal assembly.

5. The connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The connector further includes a housing, the outer terminal assembly being disposed within a housing channel in the housing for receiving the outer terminal assembly, and the axial edge of the folded strap abutting against the inner wall of the housing channel for securing the outer terminal assembly in place.

6. A method for manufacturing a connector, comprising: The external terminal assembly is integrally formed using a conductive material, the external terminal assembly comprising: The mating part is located on the first side of the external terminal assembly; A crimping portion, located on a second side of the outer terminal assembly opposite to the first side, wherein the mating portion is connected to the crimping portion in the axial direction of the connector to form an intermediate connection portion, the intermediate connection portion having a first notch formed in the circumferential direction; and A folding band, extending circumferentially from the first notch along the connector to surround the intermediate connection portion, wherein the folding band includes: The mating portion is connected to the mating portion and the crimping portion; and A surrounding portion, which extends circumferentially from the mating portion to surround the intermediate connecting portion, wherein a second notch is formed at the end of the surrounding portion; Bend the folded band so that the folded band at least surrounds the first notch; Insert the inner terminal assembly into the outer terminal assembly from the second side; and The crimping portion is crimped to surround and secure the inner terminal assembly.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Further includes: Before inserting the inner terminal assembly into the outer terminal assembly from the second side, an insulator is inserted into the outer terminal assembly and secured in place, the insulator including an insulator channel for insertion of the inner terminal assembly.

8. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Further includes: After the crimping portion is crimped, the outer terminal assembly is inserted into the housing channel included in the housing, and the outer terminal assembly is fixed in place by abutting the axial edge of the folding strip against the inner wall of the housing channel.

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