Modular connector
By designing electrical connectors with selectively mounted terminal components, the problem of existing connectors being difficult to adapt to multiple interface configurations is solved, and flexible interface configuration and simplified design process is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411201036.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-07-11
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-25
AI Technical Summary
Electronic circuit connectors for existing vehicles and vehicles are difficult to adapt to a variety of different electrical systems and interface configurations, resulting in complex and inflexible designs.
An electrical connector is designed, using selectively mounted terminal components. Through different terminal components arrangements and configurations, it can adapt to a variety of different interface requirements and achieve flexible connector configuration.
Achieves the ability to adapt to multiple interface configurations in a single design, improves the flexibility and applicability of the connector, and simplifies the design and manufacturing process.
Smart Images
Figure CN119695567A_ABST
Abstract
Description
background
[0002] Automobiles and other vehicles include components with electronic circuits that need to be connected to other electronic circuits in the vehicle's electrical system. For example, circuits associated with an adjustable seat may be connected to the vehicle electrical system to receive power, send and receive control signals, and send and receive other operational communications. Electrical connectors are used to connect such circuits together and allow components to be manufactured separately and then later connected to the vehicle electrical system when the components are installed in the vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The various features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
[0005] Figure 1 An electrical connector is shown.
[0006] Figure 2 An expanded view of the electrical connector is shown.
[0007] Figure 3 An expanded view of the terminal assembly is shown.
[0008] Figure 4 The terminal assembly is shown after insertion of the terminal pins.
[0009] Figure 5A The terminal assembly is shown with an Ethernet configuration.
[0010] Figure 5B A terminal assembly having up to twelve 0.63 mm sized terminal pins is shown.
[0011] Figure 5C A 3-port terminal assembly having a 2.8 mm size configuration is shown.
[0012] Figure 5D A dual port terminal assembly having a 6.3 mm size configuration is shown.
[0013] Figure 5E A terminal assembly having up to six terminal pins of 1.2 mm size is shown.
[0014] Fig. 5F A terminal assembly for a single port having an 8 mm terminal size configuration is shown.
[0015] Figure 5G A terminal assembly having up to eighteen terminal pins of 0.5 mm size is shown.
[0016] Figure 6An example arrangement of terminal pins in terminal slots of a terminal assembly is shown, with several slots being empty.
[0017] Figure 7 Another example arrangement of terminal pins in terminal slots of a terminal assembly is shown, wherein several slots are empty.
[0018] Figure 8 Depicted is the electrical connector during assembly.
[0019] Fig. 9 The electrical connector is depicted later during assembly.
[0020] Fig.10 The assembled electrical connector is shown. Detailed Description
[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the detailed description that follows, many specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various embodiments described. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various embodiments described may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the embodiments.
[0023] “One or more” includes a function performed by one element, a function performed by more than one element (eg, in a distributed manner), several functions performed by one element, several functions performed by several elements, or any combination of the foregoing.
[0024] It should also be understood that, although in some cases, the terms first, second, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact may be referred to as a second contact, and similarly, a second contact may be referred to as a first contact without departing from the scope of the various embodiments described. Both the first contact and the second contact are contacts, but they are not the same contact.
[0025] The terms used in the description of the various embodiments described herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items. It should be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "includes", "including", "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups thereof.
[0026] As used herein, the term "if" is optionally interpreted to mean "when..." or "upon..." or "in response to determining..." or "in response to detecting...", as the context requires. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined" or "if [the condition or event] is detected" are optionally interpreted to mean "upon determining..." or "in response to determining..." or "upon detecting [the condition or event]" or "in response to detecting [the condition or event]", as the context requires.
[0027] The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector having different terminal modules that can be selectively installed into a set of terminal assembly cavities to provide a connector configuration that can vary depending on the configuration desired for a given end-use mating interface. As will be understood from the description, this selectivity provides a single design that can be adapted and extended to many different possible configurations of the end-use mating interface.
[0028] Figure 1 An example of an article 20, namely an electrical connector (hereinafter referred to as "connector 20"), is shown, and Figure 2An expanded view of the article 20 is shown so that the subcomponents of the article 20 are visible. The connector 20 includes a connector housing 22, as well as a cover 48, a lever 50, and a lock 52 (the connector housing 22, as well as the cover 48, the lever 50, and the lock 52 will be described in more detail below). For example, the connector housing 22 is an enclosed structural element or chassis formed of plastic. The connector housing 22 (collectively) defines a set of terminal assembly cavities 24, which are also individually designated as 24a to 24f. The terminal cavities 24a, 24b, and 24c form a first row of cavities, while the terminal cavities 24d, 24e, and 24f form a second row of cavities. The pairs of corresponding cavities 24a / 24d, 24b / 24e, and 24c / 24f are considered to be columns of cavities, such that the terminal assembly cavities 24 in the example shown are arranged in a 2×3 configuration of rows (2) and columns (3), respectively. Each cavity 24 serves as an attachment receptacle, if selected, for receiving a terminal assembly 26, which is also individually designated as 26a to 26f. In the example shown, there are six cavities 24, and any of the six terminal assemblies 26 can be received in any of the six cavities 24. However, it should be understood that the connector 20 can be expanded to have fewer cavities 24 and terminal assemblies 26 (but at least two of each) or additional cavities 24 and terminal assemblies 26, as long as the desired level of insertion force for assembly is maintained.
[0029] Terminal assembly 26b Figure 3 2 is shown in an expanded view to show representative examples. Each terminal assembly 26 includes a terminal housing 28 and a terminal pin 30. The terminal pin 30 is electrically connected to the mating interface, and when the connector 20 is engaged with the mating interface, the terminal pin 30 will be inserted into the mating interface. The terminal assemblies 26 are functionally different from each other in that the terminal assemblies 26 have different numbers of terminal pins 30 and / or different types of terminal pins 30. The type of terminal pin 30 refers to the type of interconnection that the terminal is designed for. For example, in addition to other compatible terminals, non-limiting terminal types include MQS, MCON, MCP, NanoMQS and Ethernet. The mating interface to which the connector 20 will be engaged includes a corresponding terminal plug to accommodate the selected terminal type.
[0030] In the example shown, the terminal housing 28 includes a latching surface 32 and a terminal slot 34 for receiving the terminal pins 30. The terminal pins 30 each include opposing spring flanges 36 that flare outwardly from the base of the terminal pins 30. When the terminal pins 30 are inserted into the slots 34 of the terminal housing 28, the spring flanges 36 press against the base of the terminal pins 30. When fully inserted, as shown in FIG. Figure 4, the distal end of the flange 36 passes over the latch surface 32, and the flange 36 springs outwardly away from the pin base to engage the latch surface 32, thereby preventing the terminal pin 30 from retracting from the slot 34. The terminal housing 28 further includes a locking arm 38 having a latch 40. The locking arm 38 is movable (e.g., manually) to engage the latch 40 on the latch flange 42, thereby preventing the locking arm 38 from disengaging. In this engaged locked position, the locking arm 38 also engages the terminal pin 30, thereby preventing the terminal pin 30 from retracting from the slot 34 of the terminal housing 28. It should be understood that the specific architecture of the terminal assembly 26, the terminal pin 30, and the locking mechanism (regarding the terminal and connector position assurance) can vary and is not limited to the example shown.
[0031] The terminal assemblies 26 are capable of receiving the connector housing 22 in the terminal assembly cavities 24 in a unique arrangement. For example, each of the terminal assemblies 26 can be installed in any one of the terminal assembly cavities 24. Therefore, for each terminal assembly 26, there are six possible cavities 24 into which the assembly 26 can be installed. In this regard, the terminal assembly cavities 24 have a common cavity geometry, such as, but not limited to, having a notch projection 44 ( Figure 2 ) of a rectangular cavity. Similarly, the terminal assembly 26 has a common terminal assembly geometry corresponding to the cavity geometry, such as, but not limited to, a rectangular shape with a protruding tab. Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Figure 5C , Figure 5D , Figure 5E and Fig. 5F Example terminal assemblies 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e and 26f are shown respectively. Terminal assembly 26a has an Ethernet configuration (2-way); terminal assembly 26b has up to twelve terminal pins 30 (12-way, 0.64mm); terminal assembly 26c has a 3-port configuration (3-way, 2.8mm); terminal assembly 26d has a dual-port configuration (2-way, 6.3mm); terminal assembly 26e has up to six terminal pins 30 (6-way, 1.2mm); and terminal assembly 26f has a single-port configuration (single-way, 8mm). Figure 5G An additional example of a terminal assembly 26g having up to eighteen terminal pins 30 (18-way, 0.5 mm) is shown. As shown, each terminal assembly 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e, 26f and 26f is rectangular in shape and includes a protrusion 46 on one end. When the terminal assembly 26 is installed in the terminal cavity 24, the protrusion 46 is aligned with the recess and is received in the recess to ensure that the terminal assembly 26 is in the proper orientation in the cavity 24.
[0032] For example, a unique arrangement of terminal assembly 26 in terminal assembly cavity 24 is an arrangement that is different from all other possible arrangements with respect to the common location of terminal assembly cavity 24 that receives terminal assembly 26. A unique arrangement is selectable, and thus may be selected from a plurality of possible unique arrangements. For example, there are at least two possible different unique arrangements, each corresponding to a different predetermined configuration of a mating interface to which connector 20 may engage. In another example showing a non-limiting unique arrangement, a first unique arrangement includes terminal assembly 26b in terminal assembly cavity 24a and terminal assembly 26d in terminal assembly cavity 24c, wherein the remaining cavities 24b, 24d, 24e, and 24f are left empty and the remaining terminal assemblies 26a, 26c, 26e, and 26f are not used. The second unique arrangement includes a terminal assembly 26b in a terminal assembly cavity 24a and a terminal assembly 26g in a terminal assembly cavity 24b, while the remaining terminal cavities 24c, 24d, 24e, and 24f are left empty and the remaining terminal assemblies 26a, 26c, 26d, 26e, and 26f are not used. In another example, each of the terminal assembly cavities 24 receives one of the terminal assemblies 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e, or 26f, so that there is no empty terminal cavity 24. In yet another example, three to five terminal assemblies 26 are used and inserted into three to five terminal cavities 24.
[0033] In other examples, the number and position of the terminal pins 30 in one or more of the terminal assemblies 26 are also selectively variable. Figure 6 Taking the terminal assembly 26b of FIG. 2 as an example, the terminal housing 28 includes a plurality of terminal slots 34, in this example the plurality of terminal slots 34 are twelve terminal slots 34. A plurality of terminal pins 30 are locked in selected ones of the terminal slots 34, in this example the plurality of terminal pins 30 are ten terminal pins 30. Two of the slots represented by 34a and 34b do not contain terminal pins 30, so that the total number of terminal pins 30 in the terminal assembly 26b is less than the total number of available slots 34. The arrangement of the terminal pins 30 in the terminal slots 34 can be selectively configured depending on whether each terminal slot 34 includes one of the terminal pins 30. Therefore, the terminal assembly 26b can be selected to have up to twelve terminal pins 30 in any arrangement in the twelve slots 34 so as to match the configuration of the terminal plug in the mating interface. In comparison, Figure 7 Another example arrangement of a terminal assembly 26b is shown including six terminal pins 30 in an alternating arrangement of slots 34, wherein slots 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, 34e, and 34f are empty.
[0034] Figure 8 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10A method of assembling the connector 20 is depicted. Figure 8 , the connector housing 22 is provided with a handle 50 preassembled on the connector housing 22. For example, the handle 50 is interference fit into a peg on the connector housing 22, which serves as a bearing for the handle 50 to rotate later. A unique arrangement is selected for the terminal assembly 26 in the terminal assembly cavity 24 of the connector housing 22 according to the predetermined configuration of the mating interface to which the connector 20 will be connected. Figure 8 As shown, the selected terminal assembly 26 is then installed into the selected terminal assembly cavity 24 according to the selected unique arrangement. For example, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As depicted, each selected terminal assembly 26 is installed by inserting into a selected one of the terminal assembly cavities 24, and each selected terminal assembly 26 is pushed into the cavity 24 until locked in place, such as with a snap-fit connection. In this regard, the connector housing 22 has a first mating side 22a and an opposing second mounting side 22b, the first mating side 22a being connectable to a mating interface to which the connector 20 will be engaged. The terminal assembly 26 can be received into the terminal assembly cavity 24 through the mounting side 22b.
[0035] Once all selected terminal assemblies 26 are installed, then Fig. 9 As shown, the cover 48 is attached to the connector housing 22 to close the terminal assembly cavity 24. For example, but not limited to, the cover 48 is interference fit on a flange on the connector housing 22, which interlocks with a corresponding latch on the cover 48 to provide a Fig.10 The assembled connector 20 is depicted. In order to connect to the mating interface, the connector 20 is engaged to the mating interface so that the terminal pins 30 of the terminal assembly 26 are received into the corresponding terminal plugs in the mating interface. Once engaged, the handle 50 is actuated to rotate on the cover 48. The handle 50 includes a cam groove that interacts with a cam follower on the mating interface when rotated, thereby providing a mechanical advantage that facilitates the connector 20 to be fully seated into the mating interface. The handle 50 is rotated to a fully actuated position past the lock 52, and then the lock 52 slides into engagement with the handle 50 to prevent the handle 50 from rotating backward, thereby locking the cover 48 to the connector housing 22. As will be understood, other types of covers, mounting mechanisms and locks may alternatively be used to enclose the terminal assembly 26 and position assurance. In another example, the method also includes assembling one or more of the selected terminal assemblies 26, including selecting the number and position of the terminal pins 30 in the terminal slots 34 of the terminal housing 28, as described above with respect to Figure 6 and Figure 7 discussed.
[0036] As will be understood from the above description, the connector 20 can be configured into a variety of different possible configurations and types of mating interfaces. Thus, by selecting the terminal assembly 26 and the position of the terminal assembly 26 in the terminal cavity 24 to match the position of a given mating interface, a single universal connector housing 22 design can be used to connect with several different mating interfaces. In addition, the design of the connector 20 can be expanded to fewer or more rows and columns of terminal cavities 24, and can therefore accommodate even a wider variety of mating interfaces that may be required in future design embodiments.
[0037] Although combinations of features are shown in the examples shown, not all features need to be combined to achieve the benefits of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. In other words, a system designed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will not necessarily include all features shown in any of the drawings or all parts schematically shown in the drawings. In addition, selected features of an exemplary embodiment may be combined with selected features of other exemplary embodiments.
[0038] The foregoing description is exemplary rather than restrictive in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the present disclosure. The scope of legal protection afforded to the present disclosure may only be determined by studying the appended claims.
Claims
1. An article comprising: a connector housing including a set of terminal assembly cavities; and A group of terminal assemblies, which are functionally different from each other, and the terminal assemblies in the group can be received in the terminal assembly cavity of the connector housing in a unique arrangement, and the unique arrangement can be selected from a plurality of unique arrangements corresponding to different predetermined configurations of the mating interface.
2. The article according to claim 1, wherein The terminal assembly cavities have a common cavity geometry, and the terminal assemblies have a common terminal assembly geometry corresponding to the common cavity geometry.
3. The article according to claim 1, wherein At least one of the terminal assemblies has a first number of terminal slots and a second number of terminal pins, wherein the second number of terminal pins are locked in selected terminal slots in the terminal slots, wherein the second number is less than the first number, so that at least one of the terminal slots is empty.
4. The article according to claim 1, wherein At least one of the terminal assemblies includes a terminal slot and a terminal pin that can be received in the terminal slot, and the arrangement of the terminal pins in the terminal slot can be selectively configured relative to whether each of the terminal slots includes one of the terminal pins.
5. The article according to claim 1, wherein A first one of the terminal assemblies has a first number of terminals, and a second one of the terminal assemblies has a second number of terminals that is different than the first number of terminals.
6. The article of claim 1, wherein: At least one of the unique arrangements excludes one or more of the terminal assemblies such that one or more of the terminal assembly cavities are empty.
7. The article of claim 1, wherein: A first one of the terminal assemblies has terminals of a first type, and a second one of the terminal assemblies has terminals of a second type that is different from the first type of terminals.
8. The article of claim 1, wherein: The connector housing has a first mating side that can be connected to a mating interface and an opposite second mounting side, the opposite second mounting side can be attached to a cover that closes the terminal assembly cavity, and the terminal assembly can be received in the terminal assembly cavity through the mounting side.
9. The article of claim 1, wherein: The terminal assembly cavities are arranged in rows and columns, including at least a first row, a second row, a first column, and a second column.
10. The article according to claim 9, wherein A first of the unique arrangements includes a first terminal assembly in the terminal assembly in one of the terminal assembly cavities in the first row, a second terminal assembly in the terminal assembly in one of the terminal assembly cavities in the second row, and the remaining terminal assembly cavities in the terminal assembly cavities are empty.
11. The article according to claim 10, wherein A second of the unique arrangements includes two of the terminal assemblies in the terminal assembly cavities of the first row, and the remaining ones of the terminal assembly cavities are empty.
12. The article of claim 9, wherein: The terminal assembly cavities are arranged in a 2 x 3 configuration of rows and columns, respectively.
13. A method comprising: selecting a unique arrangement from a plurality of unique arrangements of a set of terminal assemblies in a set of terminal assembly cavities of a connector housing according to a predetermined configuration of a mating interface to which the connector is to be connected; as well as The connector is assembled by installing the set of terminal assemblies in the set of terminal assembly cavities according to a selected unique arrangement.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising attaching a cover to the connector housing, the cover enclosing the terminal assembly in the terminal assembly cavity.
15. The method according to claim 13 further includes assembling each of the terminal assemblies, each of the terminal assemblies having a first number of terminal slots, the assembling including locking a second number of terminals in selected terminal slots in the terminal slots, and in at least one of the terminal assemblies, the second number is less than the first number, so that at least one of the terminal slots is empty.
16. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The connector housing has a first mating side that can be connected to a mating interface and an opposite second mounting side, the opposite second mounting side can be attached to a cover that encloses the terminal assembly cavity, and the assembly includes installing the terminal assembly into the terminal assembly cavity through the mounting side.