Electric connector with circuit break protection structure

Abstract

The invention discloses an electric connector with an open circuit protection structure, which comprises a base, a wire pressing terminal, a split terminal, a conductive metal piece, an insulating piece and an elastic piece, and is characterized in that the wire pressing terminal is arranged on the base and is used for connecting a cable; the split terminal is arranged on the base, one end of the split terminal is provided with an elastic arm used for being in contact with the wire pressing terminal, and the other end of the split terminal is used for being connected with the plugging end; one side of the conductive metal piece is attached to the wire pressing terminal, the other side of the conductive metal piece is suspended, a hook is arranged at the end of the conductive metal piece, and the conductive metal piece can bend and deform towards one side of the wire pressing terminal along with temperature rise. The insulating part is arranged on one side, deviating from the wire pressing terminal, of the conductive metal part; one end of the elastic piece abuts against the base, and the other end of the elastic piece abuts against the end, away from the split terminal, of the insulating piece. Circuit connection can be automatically cut off when the internal temperature of the electric connector is too high, the connector is prevented from being burnt out due to temperature rise, and the circuit safety is protected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of electric connectors, and in particular to an electric connector with a circuit breaker protection structure. Background Art

[0002] In communication equipment or electronic and electrical equipment, connectors play the role of a bridge between the inside and the outside. Connectors often need to be plugged in and out of circuits, and most connectors on site are manually plugged in and out. The problem is that the connection position is burned, which cannot be discovered in time, resulting in circuit burnout. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides an electrical connector with a circuit breaker protection structure, which can automatically disconnect the circuit when the internal temperature of the connector is too high, thereby preventing the connector from being burned due to temperature rise and protecting the circuit safety.

[0004] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0005] An electrical connector with a circuit breaker protection structure, comprising:

[0006] Pedestal;

[0007] A wire pressing terminal, which is arranged on the base and is used to connect a cable;

[0008] A split terminal, the split terminal is arranged on the base, and one end of the split terminal is formed with an elastic arm for contacting the crimping terminal, and the other end is used for connecting the plug-in end;

[0009] A conductive metal piece, one side of which is attached to the crimping terminal, the other side of which is suspended and has a hook at the end, and the conductive metal piece can be bent and deformed toward the crimping terminal as the temperature rises;

[0010] An insulating member, the insulating member being arranged on a side of the conductive metal member away from the crimping terminal;

[0011] an elastic member, one end of which abuts against the base, and the other end of which abuts against an end of the insulating member away from the split terminal;

[0012] When the electrical connector works normally, the split terminal is tightly attached to the wire pressing terminal by the elastic force of the elastic arm to form an effective power circuit; at this time, the hook on the conductive metal part is buckled with the insulating part to prevent the movement of the insulating part;

[0013] When the internal temperature of the electrical connector rises due to abnormal operation, the elastic member drives the insulating member to move, and the insulating member drives the conductive metal member to bend and deform towards the wire pressing terminal. At this time, the hook on the conductive metal member disengages from the snap connection with the insulating member, and the insulating member moves under the elastic force of the elastic member, causing the elastic arm of the split terminal to be separated from the wire pressing terminal, so as to complete the timely cut-off of the energized circuit.

[0014] Further, a snap groove is formed on the insulating member. When the electrical connector operates normally, the hook is snap-connected to the snap groove.

[0015] Further, the insulating member includes a main body portion and a blocking portion extending outward from the main body portion. When the insulating member moves in place under the elastic force of the elastic member, the blocking portion is located between the elastic arm and the wire pressing terminal, and the main body portion abuts against the end of the elastic arm.

[0016] Further, the radial thickness of the blocking portion is smaller than the radial thickness of the main body portion.

[0017] Further, an insertion portion is formed at one end of the blocking portion away from the main body portion, and the radial thickness of the insertion portion gradually decreases along the movement direction of the insulating member.

[0018] Further, a bevel surface is formed on the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the insertion portion.

[0019] Further, the snap groove is formed on the blocking portion, a receiving groove for receiving the conductive metal member is formed on the main body portion, and the receiving groove is communicated with the snap groove.

[0020] Further, the elastic arm is integrally formed and includes a first elastic portion and a second elastic portion connected to each other. The first elastic portion is inclined radially towards the wire pressing terminal to achieve close fit between the elastic arm and the wire pressing terminal. The second elastic portion is inclined radially away from the wire pressing terminal to facilitate the insertion of the blocking portion. When the insulating member moves in place under the elastic force of the elastic member, the main body portion abuts against the end of the second elastic portion.

[0021] Further, an avoidance hole is formed at the position of the wire pressing terminal corresponding to the hook.

[0022] Further, the conductive metal member includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer designed in a stacked manner. The first metal layer is arranged close to the insulating member, and the hook is integrally formed at the end of the first metal layer. The second metal layer is arranged close to the wire pressing terminal, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the second metal layer is smaller than that of the first metal layer.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0024] When the conduction temperature inside the electrical connector is too high, the elastic member drives the insulating member to move, and the insulating member drives the conductive metal member to bend and deform, so that the hook is disengaged from the insulating member. The insulating member continues to move under the elastic force of the elastic member. When the insulating member moves in place, the insulating member can isolate the wire pressing terminal and the split terminal from each other, realizing open circuit protection, avoiding burning out the connector due to temperature rise, protecting the circuit safety. Secondly, compared with fuses and electronic temperature control protection systems, the mechanical open circuit protection structure is not affected by electromagnetic interference, improving the reliability of the open circuit protection function; and the insulating member and the conductive metal member can be replaced, and can continue to be used in cooperation with other components after replacement, reducing the replacement cost; the simple installation method is convenient for later maintenance and reduces the labor intensity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the electrical connector;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the electrical connector;

[0027] Figure 3 It is an assembly structural schematic diagram of the conductive metal member and the insulating member;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector when it is working normally;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector when it is working abnormally.

[0030] 1. Base; 10. Avoidance space; 2. Wire pressing terminal; 20. Avoidance hole; 3. Split terminal; 30. Spring arm; 300. First elastic part; 301. Second elastic part; 4. Conductive metal member; 40. Hook; 41. First metal layer; 42. Second metal layer; 5. Insulating member; 50. Buckling groove; 51. Body part; 510. Accommodating groove; 52. Blocking part; 520. Insertion part; 521. Inclined surface; 6. Elastic member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] The technical solution of the invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the preferred embodiments and their accompanying drawings in a non-limiting manner. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined. The embodiments described below by reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0032] As Figures 1 - 5 shown, an electrical connector with a circuit break protection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a base 1, a wire-pressing terminal 2, a split terminal 3, a conductive metal piece 4, an insulating piece 5, and an elastic piece 6. The wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3 are both disposed on the base 1. Among them, the wire-pressing terminal 2 is connected to a cable in a pressing manner. One end of the split terminal 3 is formed with a spring arm 30 for contacting the wire-pressing terminal 2, and the other end is for connecting to a mating end; one side of the conductive metal piece 4 is attached to the wire-pressing terminal 2, the other side is suspended, and a hook 40 is provided at the end. The conductive metal piece 4 can be bent and deformed towards the side of the wire-pressing terminal 2 as the temperature rises; the insulating piece 5 is disposed on the side of the conductive metal piece 4 away from the wire-pressing terminal 2; one end of the elastic piece 6 abuts against the base 1, and the other end abuts against the end of the insulating piece 5 away from the split terminal 3. Among them, the conductive metal piece 4 is made of a relatively soft conductive metal piece. When the electrical connector is working normally, referring to Figure 4 , the split terminal 3 tightly adheres to the wire-pressing terminal 2 by the self-elastic force of the spring arm 30 to form an effective energizing circuit; at this time, the hook 40 on the conductive metal piece 4 is buckled with the insulating piece 5 to prevent the insulating piece 5 from moving; when the electrical connector malfunctions and the internal temperature rises, referring to Figure 5, the elastic member 6 drives the insulating member 5 to move. The insulating member 5 drives the conductive metal member 4 to bend and deform toward the side of the wire-pressing terminal 2. At this time, the hook 40 on the conductive metal member 4 is disengaged from the insulating member 5. The insulating member 5 moves under the elastic force of the elastic member 6 and separates the elastic arm 30 of the split terminal 3 from the wire-pressing terminal 2 to complete the timely cut-off of the energized circuit. In the present invention, the movement of the insulating member 5 is controlled by the conductive metal member 4. When the conduction temperature in the electrical connector is too high, the conductive metal member 4 bends and deforms, causing the hook 40 to be disengaged from the insulating member 5. The insulating member 5 moves under the elastic force of the elastic member 6. When the insulating member 5 moves in place, the insulating member 5 can isolate the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3 from each other, realizing open-circuit protection, avoiding burning out the connector due to temperature rise, and protecting the safety of the circuit. Secondly, compared with fuses and electronic temperature control protection systems, the mechanical open-circuit protection structure is not affected by electromagnetic interference, improving the reliability of the open-circuit protection function; and the insulating member 5 and the conductive metal member 4 are replaceable. After replacement, they can be used in cooperation with other components, reducing the replacement cost; the simple installation method is convenient for later maintenance and reduces the labor intensity.

[0033] In this embodiment, the conductive metal member 4 is a bimetallic strip, also called a thermal conductive metal member, mainly utilizing the thermosensitive bending characteristic of the conductive metal member 4. Specifically, the conductive metal member 4 includes a first metal layer 41 and a second metal layer 42 arranged in a laminated manner. The first metal layer 41 is arranged close to the insulating member 5, and the hook 40 is integrally formed at the end of the first metal layer 41. The second metal layer 42 is arranged close to the wire-pressing terminal 2, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the second metal layer 42 is smaller than that of the first metal layer 41. When the temperature rises, the deformation amount of the first metal layer 41 is greater than that of the second metal layer 42, so that the entire conductive metal member 4 bends toward the side of the second metal layer 42. As the temperature continues to rise, when the conductive metal member 4 bends and deforms to a certain extent, it can also cause the hook 40 on the conductive metal member 4 to be disengaged from the insulating member 5. At this time, the insulating member 5 is subjected to the elastic force of the elastic member 6, and the thrust of the insulating member 5 by the elastic member 6 is greater than the resistance of the insulating member 5 inserted into the contact area between the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3. When the insulating member 5 moves between the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3, it can separate the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3, thus completing the timely cut-off of the energized circuit. It can be understood that as long as the insulating member 5 can achieve the purpose of separating the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3, therefore, in this embodiment, only a part of the insulating member 5 is inserted between the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3 to achieve the purpose of open circuit, and it is not necessary for the entire insulating member 5 to be located between the wire-pressing terminal 2 and the split terminal 3. In addition, the hook 40 can also be formed at the end of the second metal layer 42. However, considering that the first metal layer 41 is closer to the insulating member 5 than the second metal layer 42, the hook 40 is preferably formed on the first metal layer 41.

[0034] Such asFigure 3 As shown, the insulating member 5 includes a main body portion 51 and a blocking portion 52 extending outward from the main body portion 51. When the insulating member 5 moves into place under the elastic force of the elastic member 6, the blocking portion 52 is located between the elastic arm 30 and the wire pressing terminal 2, and the main body portion 51 abuts against the end of the elastic arm 30. Among them, the radial thickness of the blocking portion 52 is smaller than the radial thickness of the main body portion 51, so that the blocking portion 52 can be better inserted between the wire pressing terminal 2 and the elastic arm 30 of the split terminal 3. It should be noted that when the blocking portion 52 is inserted between the elastic arm 30 and the wire pressing terminal 2, the elastic arm 30 is bent radially outward due to the extrusion of the blocking portion 52. Therefore, referring to Figure 4 , an avoidance space 10 needs to be provided at the position of the base 1 corresponding to the elastic arm 30 to prevent the base 1 from hindering the bending of the elastic arm 30, thereby affecting the smooth insertion of the blocking portion 52.

[0035] In addition, in order to enable the blocking portion 52 to be inserted between the wire pressing terminal 2 and the elastic arm 30 of the split terminal 3 more smoothly, referring to Figure 3 , an insertion portion 520 is further formed at one end of the blocking portion 52 away from the main body portion 51, and the radial thickness of the insertion portion 520 gradually decreases along the movement direction of the insulating member 5. This can greatly reduce the insertion resistance of the blocking portion 52. Specifically, inclined surfaces 521 are formed on the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the insertion portion 520. By providing the inclined surface 521 on the upper surface of the insertion portion 520, the friction between the insertion portion 520 and the elastic arm 30 can be reduced. At the same time, by providing the inclined surface 521 on the lower surface of the insertion portion 520, the friction between the insertion portion 520 and the wire pressing terminal 2 can be reduced.

[0036] A buckle groove 50 is formed on the blocking portion 52. When the electrical connector works normally, the hook 40 is buckled with the buckle groove 50; when the electrical connector works abnormally and the internal temperature rises, the hook 40 is disengaged from the buckle groove 50.

[0037] A receiving groove 510 for receiving the conductive metal member 4 is formed on the main body portion 51, which can reduce the radial size of the electrical connector. In addition, the receiving groove 510 is communicated with the buckle groove 50 so that the hook 40 on the conductive metal member 4 can be better buckled with the buckle groove 50.

[0038] Referring to Figure 4, the elastic arm 30 is integrally formed and includes a first elastic part 300 and a second elastic part 301 which are connected to each other. The first elastic part 300 and the second elastic part 301 form a V shape with a large opening. Among them, the first elastic part 300 is inclined in the radial direction towards the wire pressing terminal 2 to achieve close fitting between the elastic arm 30 and the wire pressing terminal 2. The second elastic part 301 is inclined in the radial direction away from the wire pressing terminal 2 to prevent the insertion of the blocking part 52. And when the insulating part 5 moves in place under the elastic force of the elastic part 6, the main body part 51 abuts against the end of the second elastic part 301. There is no need to set an additional limiting structure, which simplifies the structure of the electrical connector and reduces the cost.

[0039] The wire pressing terminal 2 is provided with an avoidance hole 20 at the position corresponding to the hook 40 to prevent the wire pressing terminal 2 from hindering the normal bending of the conductive metal part 4.

[0040] A column 53 protrudes from the side of the insulating part 5 facing the elastic part 6. The elastic part 6 is sleeved on the column 53 to prevent the elastic part 6 from detaching from the insulating part 5. Further, the end of the elastic part 6 away from the insulating part 5 is fixed to the base 1.

[0041] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present invention. The description is relatively specific and detailed, but it cannot be understood as a limitation to the scope of the patent of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several deformations and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector with a circuit breaker protection structure, characterized in that Comprising: Base (1); Wire-pressing terminal (2), which is arranged on the base (1) and used for connecting a cable; Split terminal (3), which is arranged on the base (1), and one end of the split terminal (3) is formed with a spring arm (30) for contacting the wire-pressing terminal (2), and the other end is used for connecting a mating end; Conductive metal part (4), one side of the conductive metal part (4) is attached to the wire-pressing terminal (2), the other side is suspended, and a hook (40) is arranged at the end. The conductive metal part (4) can be bent and deformed towards the side of the wire-pressing terminal (2) as the temperature rises; Insulating part (5), which is arranged on the side of the conductive metal part (4) away from the wire-pressing terminal (2); Elastic part (6), one end of the elastic part (6) abuts against the base (1), and the other end abuts against one end of the insulating part (5) away from the split terminal (3); When the electrical connector works normally, the split terminal (3) closely adheres to the wire-pressing terminal (2) by the self-elastic force of the spring arm (30) to form an effective power-on circuit; at this time, the hook (40) on the conductive metal part (4) is buckled with the insulating part (5) to prevent the insulating part (5) from moving; When the electrical connector works abnormally and the internal temperature rises, the elastic part (6) drives the insulating part (5) to move, the insulating part (5) drives the conductive metal part (4) to bend and deform towards the side of the wire-pressing terminal (2). At this time, the hook (40) on the conductive metal part (4) is disengaged from the buckle connection with the insulating part (5), and the insulating part (5) moves under the elastic force of the elastic part (6) and separates the spring arm (30) of the split terminal (3) from the wire-pressing terminal (2) to complete the timely cut-off of the power-on circuit.

2. The electrical connector with a circuit break protection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A buckle groove (50) is formed on the insulating part (5). When the electrical connector works normally, the hook (40) is buckled with the buckle groove (50).

3. The electrical connector with a circuit breaker protection structure according to claim 2, wherein, The insulating part (5) includes a body part (51) and a blocking part (52) extending outward from the body part (51). When the insulating part (5) moves in place under the elastic force of the elastic part (6), the blocking part (52) is located between the spring arm (30) and the wire-pressing terminal (2), and the body part (51) abuts against the end of the spring arm (30).

4. The electrical connector with a circuit-breaking protection structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The radial thickness of the blocking part (52) is smaller than the radial thickness of the body part (51).

5. The electrical connector with a circuit-breaking protection structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, An insertion part (520) is formed at one end of the blocking part (52) away from the body part (51), and the radial thickness of the insertion part (520) gradually decreases along the movement direction of the insulating part (5).

6. The electrical connector with a circuit-breaking protection structure according to claim 5, wherein, A bevel surface (521) is formed on the upper surface and / or the lower surface of the insertion part (520).

7. The electrical connector with a circuit break protection structure according to claim 3, wherein The buckle groove (50) is formed on the blocking portion (52), and a receiving groove (510) for receiving the conductive metal part (4) is formed on the body portion (51), and the receiving groove (510) communicates with the buckle groove (50).

8. The electrical connector with a circuit-breaking protection structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The elastic arm (30) is integrally formed and includes a first elastic portion (300) and a second elastic portion (301) connected to each other. The first elastic portion (300) is inclined radially towards the wire pressing terminal (2) to achieve close fitting of the elastic arm (30) and the wire pressing terminal (2). The second elastic portion (301) is inclined radially away from the wire pressing terminal (2) to facilitate the insertion of the blocking portion (52). When the insulating member (5) moves in place under the elastic force of the elastic member (6), the body portion (51) abuts against the end of the second elastic portion (301).

9. The electrical connector with a circuit-breaking protection structure according to claim 1, wherein The wire pressing terminal (2) is provided with an avoidance hole (20) corresponding to the position of the hook (40).

10. The electrical connector with a circuit-breaking protection structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive metal part (4) includes a first metal layer (41) and a second metal layer (42) designed in a stacked manner. The first metal layer (41) is disposed close to the insulating member (5), and the hook (40) is integrally formed at the end of the first metal layer (41). The second metal layer (42) is disposed close to the wire pressing terminal (2), and the thermal expansion coefficient of the second metal layer (42) is smaller than that of the first metal layer (41).

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