Connector with contact protection function

Abstract

The invention provides a connector with a contact protection function, and relates to the technical field of network security. The connector includes: an inner housing assembly; the conductive terminal comprises a contact part and a combination part, the contact part is located outside the inner shell assembly and is used for being electrically contacted with external butt joint equipment, and the combination part is sleeved with the inner shell assembly and is used for being electrically connected with a conductive carrier in the inner shell assembly; the movable outer shell assembly is movably arranged on the inner shell assembly in a sleeving manner and is used for moving on the inner shell assembly so as to cover or expose the contact parts of the conductive terminals; and the contact protection device is movably arranged on the inner shell assembly in a sleeving manner, is in bayonet connection with the movable outer shell assembly, and is used for driving the movable outer shell assembly to move on the inner shell assembly under the action of external force. Contacts of the conductive terminals on the connector can be protected, and the operation safety of the connector is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of network security technologies, and in particular, to a connector with a contact protection function. Background Art

[0002] A connector is a device for realizing detachable connection between two active devices. In current connectors (such as SC-type optoelectronic hybrid connectors), the conductive terminals (metal sheets for transmitting electricity or signals in the connector) are exposed. When a user operates the connector with a finger, it is very easy to touch the exposed metal contacts of the conductive terminals on the connector. If the current is relatively high, there may be a tingling sensation or even an electric shock accident.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background art section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and thus may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a connector with a contact protection function, which at least to a certain extent overcomes the technical problem of potential safety hazards due to the exposure of the conductive terminal contacts of the connector in the related art.

[0005] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent through the following detailed description, or will be learned in part through the practice of the present disclosure.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a connector with a contact protection function, which includes: an inner shell assembly; a conductive terminal, including: a contact portion and a coupling portion, the contact portion is located outside the inner shell assembly and is used for making electrical contact with an external docking device, the coupling portion is sleeved inside the inner shell assembly and is used for making electrical connection with a conductive carrier inside the inner shell assembly; a movable outer shell assembly, movably sleeved on the inner shell assembly and used for moving on the inner shell assembly to cover or expose the contact portion of the conductive terminal; a contact protection device, movably sleeved on the inner shell assembly and snap-connected to the movable outer shell assembly, and is used for driving the movable outer shell assembly to move on the inner shell assembly under an external force.

[0007] In some embodiments, there is a spring cavity between the movable housing assembly and the contact protection device for placing a spring assembly and a guide pin; the tail of the guide pin is fixed to the tail of the contact protection device; the spring assembly is sleeved on the guide pin, one end of the spring assembly contacts the tail of the guide pin, and the other end of the spring assembly contacts the movable housing assembly; wherein, when the spring assembly is in a natural state, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is covered by the movable housing assembly; when the contact protection device moves in the first direction under an external force, the movable housing assembly is driven to move in the first direction by compressing the spring assembly, and when the movable housing assembly is resisted by an external docking device, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is exposed outside the movable housing assembly under the elastic force of the spring assembly and makes electrical contact with the external docking device, and the first direction is the direction in which the connector approaches the external docking device.

[0008] In some embodiments, when the contact protection device moves in the second direction under an external force, it is resisted by the boss and drives the movable housing assembly to move in the second direction. After the connector is separated from the external docking device, the movable housing assembly pops out in the first direction under the elastic force of the spring assembly and covers the contact portion of the conductive terminal, wherein the second direction is the direction in which the connector moves away from the external docking device; a limiting structure is provided on the contact protection device for limiting the extreme position of the movable housing assembly moving in the second direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, a boss is provided at the top of the movable housing assembly, and a first window structure and a second window structure are located on both sides of the boss; the first window structure and the second window structure are respectively used to expose the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal, and the length of the first window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the first conductive terminal, and the length of the second window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the second conductive terminal, so that the contact protection device slides within the first window structure and the second window structure; a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively matching the first window structure and the second window structure are provided inside the contact protection device; when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located at the first ends of the first window structure and the second window structure, the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal are covered by the movable housing assembly; when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located at the second ends of the first window structure and the second window structure, the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal are respectively exposed outside the movable housing assembly through the first window structure and the second window structure, the first end is the end of the movable housing away from the external docking device, and the second end is the end of the movable housing assembly close to the external docking device.

[0010] In some embodiments, a third window structure and a fourth window structure are respectively provided on two sides of the movable housing assembly; the third window structure and the fourth window structure are used to expose the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal; wherein, the length of the third window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the third conductive terminal, and the length of the fourth window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the fourth conductive terminal, so that the contact protection device slides within the third window structure and the fourth window structure; a third protrusion and a fourth protrusion respectively matching the third window structure and the fourth window structure are provided inside the contact protection device; when the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion are respectively located at the first ends of the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal are covered by the movable housing assembly; when the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion are respectively located at the second ends of the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal are respectively exposed outside the movable housing assembly through the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the first end is the end of the movable housing away from the external docking device, and the second end is the end of the movable housing assembly close to the external docking device.

[0011] In some embodiments, the inner housing assembly includes: a receiving groove and a buckle; wherein, the receiving groove is used to receive the conductive terminal, and the buckle is used to fix the conductive terminal to the connector main body structure.

[0012] In some embodiments, the connector further includes: a rear housing assembly, including: a jacket structure, a flip cover structure, and an elastic connection piece for connecting the jacket structure and the flip cover structure.

[0013] In some embodiments, the connector is an optical and electrical hybrid connector, and the inner housing assembly includes: a first cavity located at the front end of the inner housing assembly for accommodating an optical and electrical hybrid cable; a second cavity located at the rear end of the inner housing assembly for accommodating a ceramic ferrule assembly.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first cavity includes: a first groove for placing a first conductive carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a second groove for placing a second conductive carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a third groove for placing an optical fiber carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable.

[0015] In some embodiments, the inner housing assembly further includes: a fourth groove located at the front end of the inner housing assembly and communicating with the third groove for placing an extended optical fiber carrier.

[0016] In the connector with a contact protection function provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the movable outer housing assembly is driven by a contact protection device to move on the inner housing assembly that accommodates the conductive terminals, so that the contact portions of the conductive terminals can be exposed when the connector is connected to an external docking device, and the contact portions of the conductive terminals can be covered when the connector is not connected to the external docking device, thereby realizing the contact protection of the conductive terminals and improving the operation safety of the connector.

[0017] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The accompanying drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of this specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0019] Figure 1 Showing an exploded structural schematic diagram of the connector in the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 2 Showing a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the connector in the initial state in the embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 3 Showing a schematic diagram of the connector exposing the contact portions of the conductive terminals;

[0022] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing the unlocked state of the connector and the external docking device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 5 Schematic diagram showing the movable housing assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 6 Schematic diagram showing the contact protection device in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7 Schematic diagram showing the spring assembly and the guide pin in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 8 Schematic diagram showing the main body structure of the connector in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Reference numerals: 1 movable housing assembly, 2 ceramic ferrule assembly, 3 spring assembly, 4 first conductive structure, 4a and 4b are two conductive terminals on the first conductive structure, 5 second conductive structure, 5a and 5b are two conductive terminals on the second conductive structure, 6 guide pin, 7 inner housing assembly (main body structure of the connector), 8 dust-proof cover plate, 9 contact protection device, 10 rear housing assembly, 11 optical and electrical hybrid cable, 1.1 keyway, 1.2 boss, 1.3 platform for sleeving the contact protection device, 1.4 protrusion for increasing the overlap, 1.5 boss, 1.6 sliding groove, 1.7 sliding grooves on both sides of the keyway, 7.1 first receiving groove, 7.2 second receiving groove, 7.3 bayonet, 7.4 upper wall surface of the inner housing assembly, 7.5 third receiving groove, 7.6 fourth receiving groove, 7.7 optical fiber channel, 7.8 installation position of the dust-proof cover plate, 7.9 rib, 7.10 limiting structure, 7.11 connection part with the adapter, 9.1 protrusion, 9.2 limiting structure, 9.3 protrusion on the contact protection device, 9.4 spring seat, 9.5 anti-slip structure. Detailed implementation manners

[0028] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more complete and comprehensive, and will fully convey the concept of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0029] In addition, the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and thus repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted. Some of the block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities can be implemented in software form, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0030] For ease of understanding, before introducing the embodiments of the present disclosure, several terms involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure are first explained as follows:

[0031] FTTR: Fiber to The Room, fiber to the room.

[0032] FTTO: Fiber to The Office, fiber to the office.

[0033] Next, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the specific implementation manners of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0034] The connector with contact protection function in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be any connector, including but not limited to optical connectors, optical and electrical hybrid connectors, etc., and can be applied to but not limited to the application scenarios of remote power supply using optical and electrical hybrid cables in all-optical networking based on FTTR / FTTO technology.

[0035] In some embodiments, the connector in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be an SC-type optical and electrical hybrid active connector. The SC-type optical and electrical hybrid active connector is an SC-type pluggable connector composed of a single-core plug and an adapter and having both optical and electrical connection characteristics, and can be used to transmit signals and remotely centrally supply power to low-power (power ≤ 100W) devices such as ONU (Optical Network Unit), AP (Access Point), and cameras.

[0036] Figure 1 Show a schematic exploded view of the connector in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 Show a schematic three-dimensional structure view of the connector in the initial state in the embodiments of the present disclosure, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the connector can include: an inner shell assembly 7 for accommodating conductive terminals, a first conductive structure 4 having conductive terminals 4a and 4b, a second conductive structure 5 having conductive terminals 5a and 5b, a movable outer shell assembly 1, and a contact protection device 9. To increase the versatility of the product, the interface size of the connector in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be compatible with SC-type connectors.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, each conductive terminal may include a contact portion and a coupling portion. The contact portion is located outside the inner housing assembly and is used for making electrical contact with an external docking device (such as an adapter). The coupling portion is sleeved inside the inner housing assembly and is used for making electrical connection with a conductive carrier (such as an optical and electrical hybrid cable and an optical fiber carrier) inside the inner housing assembly. The movable outer housing assembly 1 is movably sleeved on the inner housing assembly and is used for moving on the inner housing assembly to cover or expose the contact portion of the conductive terminal. The contact protection device 9 is movably sleeved on the inner housing assembly and is connected to the movable outer housing assembly 1 through a bayonet, and is used for driving the movable outer housing assembly 1 to move on the inner housing assembly under an external force.

[0038] It should be noted that the external docking device in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be, but is not limited to, an adapter. When the connector is an optical and electrical hybrid connector, the external docking device may be an optical and electrical hybrid adapter.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the conductive terminals on the connector are only examples. In specific implementation, they can be set according to actual situations. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, an optical and electrical hybrid connector with four conductive terminals is taken as an example for illustration. When the connector in the embodiment of the present disclosure is an optical and electrical hybrid connector, the optical and electrical hybrid connector may further include: a ceramic ferrule assembly containing optical fibers inside, having an optical fiber interface, and the grinding form of the optical fiber interface is diverse and can be used for butt-joint connection with an optical fiber of the same grinding method; a cavity is provided on the inner housing assembly for accommodating the optical and electrical hybrid cable and the ceramic ferrule assembly. The movable outer housing assembly is arranged outside the inner housing assembly, and its top is provided with a boss feature and 4 window structures located on both sides of the boss and on the left and right surfaces of the outer housing body. The 2 window structures on both sides of the boss are chutes with a specific length (the length of the chute is greater than the length of the exposed contact portion of the conductive terminal). The contact protection device is arranged outside the movable outer housing assembly, and a spring assembly is arranged between the movable outer housing assembly and the contact protection device, and relative sliding between the two is realized through the chute on the movable outer housing assembly.

[0040] In some embodiments, the four conductive terminals in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be compatible with the connection of SC type I and SC type II optical and electrical hybrid adapters and implement power supply.

[0041] In some embodiments, when the optical and electrical hybrid connector has four conductive terminals, two pairs of bosses can be provided on the inner housing assembly. The first pair of bosses is located on one side of the front of the optical and electrical hybrid connector, and the first pair of bosses is used for carrying a pair of conductive terminals; the second pair of bosses are respectively located on both sides of the side of the optical and electrical hybrid connector, and the second pair of bosses is used for carrying the second pair of conductive terminals; the height of the first pair of conductive terminals is lower than the outer surface of the movable outer housing assembly; the height of the second pair of conductive terminals is lower than the outer surface of the outer housing assembly.

[0042] Figure 1The ceramic ferrule assembly 2 can be in various forms, and can be a factory-prefabricated fiber optic connector ferrule solution, or a pre-buried or straight-through (such as fused end, polished) on-site assembled fiber optic connector solution.

[0043] It should be noted that the connector provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure is usually connected to an external docking device (which may be but is not limited to an adapter). When the connector is connected to the external docking device, the connector needs to be moved in a direction close to the external docking device, and when the connector is disconnected from the external docking device, the connector needs to be moved in a direction away from the external docking device. For the convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the direction in which the connector is close to the external docking device (such as an adapter) is defined as a first direction, and the direction in which the connector is away from the external docking device (such as an adapter) is defined as a second direction.

[0044] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the stereoscopic structure of the connector in the initial state in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. When the connector is not inserted into the adapter, the movable housing assembly 1 is in an extended state, covering the exposed contacts of a pair of conductive terminals on the front of the photoelectric connector. The movable housing assembly 1 and the contact protection device 9 are connected by snap-fit.

[0045] like Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the exposed conductive terminal contact portion of the connector. Figure 1 In the initial state shown, if the photoelectric connector is to be used, a person pinches the two sides of the contact protection device 9 with his fingers and moves the connector toward the photoelectric adapter. The movable housing assembly 1 also follows the connector to move toward the photoelectric adapter. When the movable housing assembly 1 encounters the resistance of the claws on the SC adapter, the movable housing assembly 1 will no longer move. At this time, the contact protection device 9 will overcome the elastic force of the ejection spring assembly 3 and move along the slide groove 1.6 of the movable housing assembly 1 until it passes over the boss 1.2 on the slide groove 1.6 of the movable housing assembly 1. At this time, the movable housing assembly 1 will also open the claws of the SC adapter and continue to move forward one end distance until it is completely locked with the SC adapter.

[0046] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing the connector and the external docking device after being unlocked in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. When the photoelectric connector and the adapter need to be unlocked, the contact protection device 9 is pinched by hand and moved in a direction away from the adapter. At this time, the contact protection device 9 will encounter the boss 1.2 during the movement, and then the resistance provided by the boss 1.2 will cause the movable housing assembly 1 to move along with the contact protection device 9, and the photoelectric connector and the adapter will be unlocked. When the unlocking is completed, the ejection spring assembly 3 will hold the movable housing so that the movable housing covers the conductive terminal.

[0047] In some embodiments, the structure of the movable housing assembly 1 can be referred to Figure 5 , such as Figure 5 shown. There is a KEY key position 1.1 on the movable housing assembly 1, which has the same size as the key positions of a common SC housing, meeting the requirement of being compatible with an SC adapter. However, a hole is arranged in the key position to place the ejector spring assembly and the guide pin. Two sliding grooves 1.7 on both sides of the key position 1.1 on the movable housing assembly 1 are respectively used to place a pair of conductive terminals. This pair of conductive terminals are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the KEY key position 1.1.

[0048] In specific implementation, the conductive terminals can be compatible with the reed contacts of SC type I and the reed contacts of SC type II, so that the connector in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be compatible with both type I and type II SC optical and electrical hybrid adapters.

[0049] Such as Figure 5 shown, there are two sliding grooves 1.6 on the movable housing assembly 1 for sliding between the movable housing assembly 1 and the contact protection device 9; an ejector spring assembly 3 is arranged between the movable housing assembly 1 and the contact protection device 9. The function of the ejector spring assembly 3 is to always push the movable housing assembly 1 forward to keep it covering the 4 conductive terminals. There are two bosses 1.2 and 1.5 on the movable housing assembly 1, and the shapes of these two bosses are different. The slope of the boss 1.2 is small and is used to realize clamping the movable housing assembly 1 in the contact protection device 9. When the contact protection device 9 moves to the boss 1.2 of the movable housing assembly 1, at this time, the boss 1.2 will use a relatively small clamping force to keep the movable housing assembly 1 and the contact protection device 9 fixed, forming Figure 2 a state where the conductive terminals are exposed. A protrusion 1.4 for increasing the coincidence degree is also arranged on the movable housing assembly 1. The contact protection device 9 is sleeved on the platform 1.3 of the movable housing assembly 1.

[0050] In some embodiments, the specific structure of the contact protection device 9 can be referred to Figure 6 , such as Figure 6 shown. Referring to Figure 6 the contact protection device 9 shown, a protrusion 9.1 matching the sliding groove 1.7 on the movable housing assembly can be arranged on the contact protection device 9 to enable the movable housing assembly 1 to move in the sliding groove 1.6. The limit structure 9.2 is used to limit the movement of the movable housing to the extreme left position. A protrusion 9.3 can also be arranged at the tail of the contact protection device 9 for arranging the guide pin 6 and the spring assembly 3. The spring seat 9.4 is used to place the guide pin 6 and the spring assembly 3; the anti-slip structure 9.5 can play an anti-slip role.

[0051] In some embodiments, there is a spring cavity between the movable housing assembly 1 and the contact protection device 9, which is used to place the spring assembly 3 and the guide pin 6; the tail of the guide pin 6 is fixed to the tail of the contact protection device 9; the spring assembly 3 is sleeved on the guide pin 6, one end of the spring assembly 3 is in contact with the tail of the guide pin 6, and the other end of the spring assembly 3 is in contact with the movable housing assembly 1. When the spring assembly is in a natural state, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is covered by the movable housing assembly. Since the travel distance of the movable housing assembly 1 is long and the outer diameter of the ejection spring assembly 3 is small, the stability of the spring is poor, so the guide pin 6 is required to ensure the stability of the spring when under pressure and to play a guiding role.

[0052] The structure of the spring assembly and guide pin can be referred to Figure 7 ,like Figure 7 As shown, the tail of the guide pin 6 is fixed in the spring cavity of the protrusion 9.3 at the tail of the contact protection device 9, and the ejector spring assembly 3 can be inserted on the guide pin. The movable housing assembly 1 is provided with a cavity to place the ejector spring assembly 3. One end of the ejector spring assembly 3 contacts the end of the guide pin, and the other end contacts the end face of the movable housing assembly 1, so that the movable housing assembly always maintains an extended state when there is no external force, so as to cover the contact of the conductive terminal and play a protective role for the contact of the conductive terminal. That is, when the connector and the adapter are in a connected state, the spring assembly is in a relaxed state, supporting the contact protection device to ensure that the two pairs of conductive terminals are not exposed; when the connector and the adapter are in a non-connected state, the spring assembly is in a contracted state, pulling the contact protection device backward, thereby ensuring that the two pairs of conductive terminals are in reliable contact with the conductive sheet of the optoelectronic hybrid adapter. The spring assembly is inside the movable housing assembly, the tail of the guide pin is fixed in the spring cavity raised at the tail of the contact protection device, the ejected spring assembly can be passed on the guide pin, and the movable housing is provided with a cavity to place the ejected spring assembly, one end of the ejected spring assembly contacts the end of the guide pin, and the other end contacts the end face of the movable housing, so that the movable housing always remains in an extended state when there is no external force, so as to shield the conductive spring sheet and protect the conductive terminal contacts.

[0053] In some embodiments, when the contact protection device 9 moves along the first direction under the action of an external force, the movable housing assembly 1 is driven to move along the first direction by compressing the spring assembly 3. When the movable housing assembly 1 encounters resistance from an external docking device, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is exposed outside the movable housing assembly 1 under the elastic force of the spring assembly 3 and makes electrical contact with the external docking device.

[0054] In some embodiments, when the contact protection device 9 moves along the second direction under the action of external force, it drives the movable housing assembly 1 to move along the second direction. When the connector is detached from the external docking device, the movable housing assembly 1 pops out along the first direction under the elastic force of the spring assembly 3 and covers the contact portion of the conductive terminal.

[0055] It should be noted that when the movable housing assembly 1 is resisted by an external docking device and stops moving, the contact protection device needs to continue to move in the first direction so that the contact portion of the conductive terminal makes electrical contact with the external docking device. At this time, when the spring assembly 3 is compressed, it will exert a reverse elastic force on the contact protection device 9 (i.e., the elastic force in the second direction). To prevent the contact protection device from moving reversely (i.e., moving in the second direction) under the elastic force of the spring assembly 3, in some embodiments, as Figure 5 shown, a boss 1.2 can be provided on the movable housing assembly 1 to hold the movable housing assembly 1 within the contact protection device 9 during the process of the contact protection device 9 overcoming the elastic force of the spring assembly 3 and moving in the first direction; when the contact protection device 9 moves in the second direction under an external force, it is resisted by the boss 1.2 and drives the movable housing assembly 1 to move in the second direction. After the connector is separated from the external docking device, the movable housing assembly 1 pops out in the first direction under the elastic force of the spring assembly and covers the contact portion of the conductive terminal.

[0056] Furthermore, as Figure 6 shown, in some embodiments, a limiting structure 9.2 can be provided on the contact protection device to limit the extreme position of the movable housing assembly 1 moving in the second direction.

[0057] In some embodiments, the top of the movable housing assembly 1 is provided with a boss, a first window structure and a second window structure on both sides of the boss (as shown in FIG. 1.7); the first window structure and the second window structure are respectively used to expose the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal, and the length of the first window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the first conductive terminal, and the length of the second window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the second conductive terminal, so that the contact protection device slides within the first window structure and the second window structure; the contact protection device is internally provided with a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively matching the first window structure and the second window structure; when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located at the first ends of the first window structure and the second window structure, the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal are covered by the movable housing assembly; when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located at the second ends of the first window structure and the second window structure, the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal are respectively exposed outside the movable housing assembly through the first window structure and the second window structure. The first end is the end of the movable housing away from the external docking device, and the second end is the end of the movable housing assembly close to the external docking device.

[0058] In some embodiments, a third window structure and a fourth window structure (such as the chute shown in FIG. 1.6) are respectively provided on two sides of the movable housing assembly; the third window structure and the fourth window structure are used to expose the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal; wherein, the length of the third window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the third conductive terminal, and the length of the fourth window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the fourth conductive terminal, so that the contact protection device can slide within the third window structure and the fourth window structure; third protrusions and fourth protrusions (such as those shown in FIG. 9.1) that respectively match the third window structure and the fourth window structure are provided inside the contact protection device; when the third protrusions and the fourth protrusions are respectively located at the first ends of the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal are covered by the movable housing assembly; when the third protrusions and the fourth protrusions are respectively located at the second ends of the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal are respectively exposed outside the movable housing assembly through the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the first end is the end of the movable housing away from the external docking device, and the second end is the end of the movable housing assembly close to the external docking device.

[0059] In some embodiments, the inner housing assembly 7 in the embodiments of the present disclosure serves as the connector main structure. As Figure 8 shown, the inner housing assembly 7 may include: a first receiving groove 7.1, a second receiving groove 7.2, a third receiving groove 7.5, a fourth receiving groove 7.6, and a buckle 7.3; wherein, the first receiving groove 7.1, the second receiving groove 7.2, the third receiving groove 7.5, and the fourth receiving groove 7.6 are respectively used to receive four conductive terminals, and the buckle 7.3 is used to fix the conductive terminals to the inner housing assembly.

[0060] In specific implementation, the first receiving groove 7.1 and the second receiving groove 7.2 are symmetrically arranged. The buckle 7.3 is used to clamp the conductive terminals to limit the movement of the conductive terminals in the up and down directions. The third receiving groove 7.5 and the fourth receiving groove 7.6 are long grooves, which can be correspondingly opened according to the shape of the conductive terminals, so that the conductive terminals can be received on the inner housing assembly 7. 7.7 is an optical fiber channel. 7.8 is the installation position of the dust-proof cover 8. A rib 7.9 for fixing the optical and electrical composite cable is provided at the tail of the inner housing assembly 7 to clamp the optical and electrical composite cable. 7.4 is the upper wall surface of the inner housing assembly, and the limiting structure 7.10 is a clamping point of the spring assembly, which plays a limiting role; the inner housing assembly 7 is connected to the adapter through 7.11. When the connector in the embodiments of the present disclosure is an SC connector, 7.11 is the standard structure of the SC connector and is connected to the SC adapter.

[0061] In some embodiments, the connector further includes: a rear housing assembly 10, comprising: a jacket structure, a flip cover structure, and an elastic connecting piece for connecting the jacket structure and the flip cover structure. In specific implementation, the jacket structure member of the rear housing assembly is disposed within the outer housing assembly, but outside the inner housing assembly and fixed to the inner housing assembly. The flip cover structure member of the rear housing is connected to the jacket structure member through the elastic connecting piece. The flip cover structure member of the rear housing can be elastically pressed by means of the elastic connecting piece and sleeved on the tail of the inner housing assembly. There is an empty opening on each side of the flip cover structure member, and there is a boss on each side of the inner housing assembly for buckling the flip cover structure member.

[0062] In some embodiments, the connector is an optical and electrical hybrid connector. The inner housing assembly 7 includes: a first cavity located at the front end of the inner housing assembly for accommodating the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a second cavity located at the rear end of the inner housing assembly for accommodating the ceramic ferrule assembly 2.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first cavity includes: a first groove for placing the first conductive carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a second groove for placing the second conductive carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a third groove for placing the optical fiber carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable.

[0064] In some embodiments, the inner housing assembly further includes: a fourth groove located at the front end of the inner housing assembly and communicating with the third groove for placing the extended optical fiber carrier. The inner housing includes four bosses (two pairs of bosses) and four conductive terminals.

[0065] The first pair of bosses is located on one side of the optical and electrical hybrid connector with the anti-fooling key end face, and the height of the first pair of conductive terminals is lower than the surface of the movable outer housing assembly; the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal in the first pair of conductive terminals are respectively used for connecting with the first conductor and the second conductor. The first conductor is located in the first groove of the rear housing assembly, and the second conductor is located in the second groove of the rear housing assembly.

[0066] The second pair of bosses is respectively located on both sides of the side surface of the optical and electrical hybrid connector, and the height of the second pair of conductive terminals is lower than the surface of the movable outer housing assembly; the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal in the second pair of conductive terminals are respectively used for connecting with the first conductor and the second conductor. The first conductor is simultaneously connected to the first conductive terminal and the third conductive terminal, and the second conductor is simultaneously connected to the second conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal.

[0067] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the connector with a contact protection function can, through the relative sliding between the contact protection device and the movable housing assembly, enable the movable housing assembly to cover or expose the contacts of the conductive terminals by moving, achieving the effect that the contact portions (i.e., contacts) of the conductive terminals are covered when the optoelectronic hybrid connector is in a state of not being connected to an external docking device such as an adapter. This can prevent the contacts of the metal conductive terminals from being short-circuited due to the user's finger touching them when operating the connector, and at the same time, it can also prevent the contacts of the metal conductive terminals from being oxidized due to long-term exposure, thereby reducing the conductive working performance.

[0068] After considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein, those skilled in the art will readily conceive of other embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include known common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field not disclosed in the present disclosure. The specification and embodiments are only regarded as exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are pointed out by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A connector with a contact protection function, characterized in that, it includes: an inner shell assembly; a conductive terminal, including a contact portion and a coupling portion, the contact portion is located outside the inner shell assembly and is used for electrical contact with an external docking device, and the coupling portion is sleeved inside the inner shell assembly and is used for electrical connection with a conductive carrier inside the inner shell assembly; a movable outer shell assembly, movably sleeved on the inner shell assembly, and is used for moving on the inner shell assembly to cover or expose the contact portion of the conductive terminal; a contact protection device, movably sleeved on the inner shell assembly and snap-connected to the movable outer shell assembly, and is used for driving the movable outer shell assembly to move on the inner shell assembly under an external force.

2. The connector with a contact protection function according to claim 1, characterized in that, a spring cavity is formed between the movable outer shell assembly and the contact protection device for placing a spring assembly and a guide pin; the tail of the guide pin is fixed to the tail of the contact protection device; the spring assembly is sleeved on the guide pin, one end of the spring assembly contacts the tail of the guide pin, and the other end of the spring assembly contacts the movable outer shell assembly; wherein, when the spring assembly is in a natural state, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is covered by the movable outer shell assembly; when the contact protection device moves in a first direction under an external force, the movable outer shell assembly is driven to move in the first direction by compressing the spring assembly. When the movable outer shell assembly is resisted by an external docking device, the contact portion of the conductive terminal is exposed outside the movable outer shell assembly under the elastic force of the spring assembly and makes electrical contact with the external docking device. The first direction is the direction in which the connector approaches the external docking device.

3. The connector with a contact protection function according to claim 2, characterized in that, when the contact protection device moves in a second direction under an external force, the movable outer shell assembly is driven to move in the second direction. After the connector is separated from the external docking device, the movable outer shell assembly pops out in the first direction under the elastic force of the spring assembly and covers the contact portion of the conductive terminal, wherein the second direction is the direction in which the connector moves away from the external docking device; a limiting structure is provided on the contact protection device for limiting the extreme position of the movable outer shell assembly moving in the second direction.

4. The connector with a contact protection function according to claim 2, characterized in that, a boss, a first window structure and a second window structure located on both sides of the boss are provided on the top of the movable outer shell assembly; the first window structure and the second window structure are respectively used for exposing the contact portions of a first conductive terminal and a second conductive terminal, and the length of the first window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the first conductive terminal, and the length of the second window structure is greater than the length of the contact portion of the second conductive terminal, so that the contact protection device slides in the first window structure and the second window structure. Inside the contact protection device, a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively matching the first window structure and the second window structure are provided; when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located at the first ends of the first window structure and the second window structure, the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal are covered by the movable housing assembly; when the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located at the second ends of the first window structure and the second window structure, the contact portions of the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal are respectively exposed outside the movable housing assembly through the first window structure and the second window structure, the first end is the end of the movable housing away from the external docking device, and the second end is the end of the movable housing assembly close to the external docking device.

5. The connector with contact protection function according to claim 4, characterized in that third window structures and fourth window structures are respectively provided on two sides of the movable housing assembly; the third window structures and the fourth window structures are used to expose the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal; wherein, the lengths of the third window structure and the fourth window structure are greater than the length of the conductive terminal, so that the contact protection device slides within the third window structure and the fourth window structure; a third protrusion and a fourth protrusion respectively matching the third window structure and the fourth window structure are provided inside the contact protection device; when the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion are respectively located at the first ends of the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal are covered by the movable housing assembly; when the third protrusion and the fourth protrusion are respectively located at the second ends of the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the contact portions of the third conductive terminal and the fourth conductive terminal are respectively exposed outside the movable housing assembly through the third window structure and the fourth window structure, the first end is the end of the movable housing away from the external docking device, and the second end is the end of the movable housing assembly close to the external docking device.

6. The connector with contact protection function according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner housing assembly includes: a receiving groove and a buckle; wherein, the receiving groove is used to receive the conductive terminal, and the buckle is used to fix the conductive terminal to the connector main body structure.

7. The connector with contact protection function according to claim 6, characterized in that the connector further includes: a rear housing assembly, including: a jacket structure, a flip structure, and an elastic connecting piece for connecting the jacket structure and the flip structure.

8. The connector with contact protection function according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the connector is an optical and electrical hybrid connector, and the inner housing assembly includes: a first cavity, located at the front end of the inner housing assembly, for receiving the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a second cavity, located at the rear end of the inner housing assembly, for receiving the ceramic ferrule assembly.

9. The connector with a contact protection function according to claim 8, characterized in that, the first cavity includes: a first groove for placing the first conductive carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a second groove for placing the second conductive carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable; a third groove for placing the optical fiber carrier in the optical and electrical hybrid cable.

10. The connector with a contact protection function according to claim 9, characterized in that, the inner shell assembly further includes: a fourth groove located at the front end of the inner shell assembly and communicating with the third groove for placing the extended optical fiber carrier.

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