Electric connector
By introducing a movable conductor and a waterproof seal structure into the electrical connector, the problem of difficulty in evaluating terminal signals in the connected state in the prior art is solved, signal evaluation and waterproof performance in the connected state are realized, and the diagnostic process of the electrical connector is simplified.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380081552.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-11-29
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-04
AI Technical Summary
Existing electrical connectors are difficult to evaluate terminal signals while maintaining connections when used, and disconnection may cause signal changes or evidence of problematicity to disappear.
An electrical connector is designed, including a conductor that can be moved between a first position and a second position, electrically connected to the terminal in the first position, disconnected in the second position, and equipped with a waterproof seal and a biasing mechanism for the use of the probe access port.
The ability to evaluate electrical signals in a connected state ensures waterproof performance and simplifies diagnostic and problem identification of electrical connectors.
Smart Images
Figure CN120266350A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to electrical connectors. Aspects of the present invention relate to electrical connectors, wire harnesses, and vehicles. Background Art
[0002] Electrical connectors adapted to engage with complementary connectors are known, such that electrical signals in the form of voltage or current can be transmitted between the connectors. Such electrical signals can be adapted to transmit power and / or data. Sometimes, problems can occur during use of the connection. A user may wish to inspect the terminals and evaluate any signals present at the terminals. Accessing the terminals requires disconnecting the connection between the connectors. However, by disconnecting the connectors, the signals may change and / or the problems or relevant evidence of the problems may no longer exist.
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. Summary of the Invention
[0004] Aspects and embodiments of the present invention provide electrical connectors, wire harnesses, and vehicles as claimed in the appended claims.
[0005] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector for engaging with a complementary connector, the electrical connector including a conductive body disposed within a probe access port and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position, the conductive body is electrically connected to a terminal, and in the second position, the conductive body is electrically disconnected from the terminal, wherein the conductive body is biased towards the second position. In this way, when the electrical connector is connected to the complementary connector, signals within the connector can be evaluated via the probe access port.
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector for engaging with a complementary connector, the electrical connector including: a first terminal; a housing surrounding the first terminal; a probe access port extending between an outer surface of the housing and the first terminal; a conductive body disposed within the probe access port and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position, the conductive body is electrically connected to the first terminal, and in the second position, the conductive body is electrically disconnected from the first terminal, wherein the conductive body is biased towards the second position. In this way, a user, such as a mechanic, can use a suitable probe to access the terminals of the electrical connector and evaluate the electrical signals present at the terminals when the electrical connector is connected to the complementary connector. Accordingly, the electrical connector provides improved diagnostics for products including the electrical connector, enabling more problems to be correctly identified and corrected.
[0007] In an embodiment, the electrical connector includes a seal disposed between the conductor and the probe access port to prevent liquid from passing through the probe access port. In this way, the probe access port is waterproof and contributes to the waterproofing of the electrical connector.
[0008] The probe access port includes a plurality of seals. This allows for robust waterproof operation of the probe access port.
[0009] Optionally, the electrical connector may include a biasing mechanism configured to bias the conductor to a second position. This is an effective way to bias the conductor towards the second position. The electrical connector does not necessarily include any biasing mechanism. The conductor can be biased to the second position by means other than any biasing mechanism. For example, the conductor and / or the probe access port may include structures and / or material properties that bias the conductor towards the second position.
[0010] The conductor may include an engagement member for engaging with the biasing mechanism. This is an effective way to implement the biasing mechanism.
[0011] In an embodiment, the electrical connector includes a cover for covering the probe access port at an outer surface of the housing. In this way, the interior of the probe access port can be protected before it is desired to probe the terminals. The cover may be biased to a closed position.
[0012] Optionally, the conductor may include a proximal end adjacent to the terminal and a distal end adjacent to the probe receiving hole in the probe access port. A first seal may be positioned adjacent to the distal end of the conductive member, and a second seal is positioned adjacent to the proximal end of the conductive member. This is a useful and effective way to position the seals to provide robust waterproofing.
[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an electrical connection between an electrical connector as defined above and a second electrical connector, the second electrical connector including a second connector terminal in electrical contact with a first terminal, wherein the electrical connection of the conductor to the first terminal is made by contact of the conductor with the second connector terminal. Optionally, it is feasible that the conductor is such that the conductor cannot be electrically connected to the first terminal except via the second connector terminal.
[0014] In an embodiment, the electrical connector includes a plurality of terminals, each terminal having its own probe access port. In this way, the connector can be used to form connections for multiple signals.
[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wire harness that includes a connector as described herein. In this way, a wire harness and a connector having a plurality of terminals are provided, each of the plurality of terminals being probeable to evaluate the current or voltage present at the associated terminal. It is particularly advantageous to use the electrical connector of the present disclosure in conjunction with a wire harness because it would be difficult to diagnose a problem in a connection without a probe access port. Accessing an individual terminal may require disconnecting the entire multi-terminal connector. This is inconvenient and may interfere with the evaluation and / or diagnosis of any problems.
[0016] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle that includes an electrical connector or a wire harness as described herein. A vehicle may include many connectors and wire harnesses, so being able to access and measure signals within the connectors is useful.
[0017] Within the scope of the present application, it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples, and alternatives set forth in the preceding paragraphs, the claims, and / or the following description and drawings can be adopted independently or in any combination. That is, the features of all embodiments and / or any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or to file any new claim accordingly, including the right to modify any originally filed claim to be dependent on any other claim and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim, even though originally not claimed in such a manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] Figure 1 (a) shows a block diagram of a cross-section of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the conductor is in a first position;
[0020] Figure 1 (b) shows the Figure 1 block diagram of a cross-section of the electrical connector of (a) according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the conductor is in a second position;
[0021] FIG. 2(a) shows Figure 1 the block diagram of a cross-section of the electrical connector and a complementary connector adjacent thereto;
[0022] FIG. 2(b) shows Figure 1 the block diagram of a cross-section of the electrical connector of
[0023] Figure 3FIG. (a) shows a block diagram of a cross-section of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the conductor is in a first position and the cover is open;
[0024] Figure 3 FIG. (b) shows of an Figure 3 FIG. (a) of the electrical connector in cross-section, where the conductor is in a second position and the cover is closed;
[0025] Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a cross-section of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the conductor is in its second position and the cover is open;
[0026] Figure 5 shows a block diagram of a cross-section of a multi-way electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] Figure 6 shows a wiring harness according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0028] Figure 7 shows a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. However, the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
[0030] Referring to Figure 1 FIG. (a) and Figure 1 FIG. (b), there is shown an electrical connector generally designated by reference numeral 100. The electrical connector 100 is adapted to engage with a complementary connector. The electrical connector 100 includes a first terminal 102 and a housing 104 surrounding the terminal 102. The electrical connector 100 includes a probe access port 106 extending between the outer surface of the housing 104 and the first terminal 102. A conductor 108 is disposed within the probe access port 106. The conductor 108 is capable of moving between a first position (as shown in Figure 1 FIG. (a)) and a second position (as shown in Figure 1 FIG. (b)), in which first position the conductor 108 is electrically connected to the first terminal 102, and in which second position the conductor is electrically disconnected from the first terminal 102. The conductor 108 is biased toward the second position. Thus, the conductive probe 108 will not default to contact the terminal 102.
[0031] The probe access port 106 is shown to be located on one side of the housing 104 such that the conductor 108 is positioned orthogonal to the terminal 102. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to this arrangement and other arrangements are possible. For example, the probe access port 106 can be located at the rear of the housing 104 and the conductor 108 can be at a different angle relative to the terminal, etc.
[0032] The conductor 108 can have a variety of suitable shapes. The conductor 108 can be an elongated shape such as a pin, bolt, etc., having a circular, square, rectangular or other suitable cross-section, and can have a more complex cross-section such as an H-shape, I-shape, etc. However, the conductor is not limited to these shapes, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0033] Referring to FIGS. 2(a) and Figure 1 FIG. 2(b), the electrical connector 100 and the complementary connector 200 are shown. The complementary connector 200 includes a base 202 and complementary terminals 204. The complementary terminals 204 are U-shaped and have two pins 204a and 204b. In use, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the connector 100 and the complementary connector 200 can be engaged such that the terminal 102 engages with the complementary terminal 204, thereby forming an electrical connection therebetween.
[0034] A user may wish to measure the electrical signals transmitted through the connectors 100, 200 when they are electrically connected, as this can provide useful information such as diagnostic information in the case of a fault or an undesired result in the components involved. In such a case, disconnecting the connector 100 from the complementary connector 200 may be useless as there is no longer any electrical connection and no electrical signals are being transmitted. Therefore, the user may wish to contact one of the terminal 102 or the complementary terminal 204 without disconnecting the connector 100 from the complementary connector 200.
[0035] In use, a conductive probe (not shown) is inserted into the probe access port 106 to contact the conductor 108. Applying pressure to the probe can be used to move the conductor 108 from its second position (shown in Figure 1 FIG. 2(b)) to its first position (in Figure 1(as shown in (a)). In the second position, the conductor 108 is disconnected from the first terminal 102. In the first position, the conductor 108 is engaged with the first terminal 102 and is electrically connected to the terminal 102. Thus, moving the conductor 108 in the probe access port 106 using a probe to contact the terminal 102 places the probe in electrical connection with the terminal 102. If the connector 100 and the complementary connector 200 are connected, the probe in the probe access port 106 is electrically connected to both the terminal 102 and the complementary terminal 204, where the conductor 108 is in its first position in contact with the terminal 102. In this way, the probe can measure any electrical signals transmitted between the connector 100 and the complementary connector 200.
[0036] Although the connector 100 including the probe access port 106 and the conductor 108 is shown as a female connector, it should be understood that this is not necessary, and the probe access port 106 and the conductor 108 can be in a male connector or other connector types. In addition, although it is described above that the conductor contacts the first terminal when in the first position of the conductor, when the second connector terminal is engaged with the first terminal, it can be arranged such that the conductor contacts the second connector terminal when in the first position. That is, the present invention anticipates an electrical connection between the electrical connector and the second electrical connector as described above. Here, the second electrical connector includes second connector terminals 204a, 204b that are in electrical contact with the first terminal 102. However, the electrical connection of the conductor 108 to the first terminal 102 is alternatively made by contact of the conductor with the second connector terminal 204. This alternative is not shown in the figure. In fact, it is feasible that the conductor 108 makes it such that the conductor 108 cannot be electrically connected to the first terminal except via the second connector terminal. For example, the conductor 108 may not be long enough to reach the first terminal directly and can only be electrically connected to the first terminal by contacting the second connector terminal when the second connector terminal is engaged with the first terminal.
[0037] Now referring to Figure 3 (a) and (b) of, a connector 100 is shown, where the probe access port 106 is fitted with a slidable cover 302 to cover the opening of the probe access port 106. The opening can be referred to as a probe receiving hole. As Figure 3 (b) shows, when the conductor 108 is in the second position where the conductor is disconnected from the first terminal, the cover 302 is in the closed position, blocking access to the probe access port 106. As Figure 3As shown in (a) thereof, when the conductor 108 is in the first position where the conductor is electrically connected to the first terminal, the cover 302 is slid to one side to allow access to the probe access port 106. It should be understood that the cover does not need to be slidable. Any suitable cover that can close the hole of the probe access port 106 can be used. The cover 302 can be biased to the closed position. It is feasible that sliding or otherwise opening the cover 302 can be arranged to move the conductor 108 from the second position to the first position. And move the conductor 108 from the first position to the second position when the cover is closed. Alternatively, as described above, it is feasible that once the cover 302 is opened, the probe inserted into the probe access port 106 contacts the conductor 108 and moves it to the first position.
[0038] Now referring to Figure 4 , a cross-section of a part of the connector 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the connector is suitable for use as a waterproof connector. The connector 100 includes a terminal 102, a housing 104, a probe access port 106, and a cover 302, as described herein with respect to the previous figures. The waterproof connector may include one or more seals disposed between the conductor and the probe access port to prevent liquid from passing through the probe access port 106. In Figure 4 , the conductor 108 has a pair of seals 402a, 402b surrounding the conductor 108. The seals 402a, 402b extend between the conductor 108 and the probe access port 106, abutting against the conductor 108 and the probe access port 106. The pair of seals 402a, 402b are spaced apart. The first seal 402a is positioned adjacent to the open hole of the housing 104 of the probe access port 106. The second seal 402b is located at the other end of the probe access port 106 adjacent to the terminal. The end of the probe access port 106 and the conductor 108 close to the terminal can be referred to as the proximal end, while the end close to the opening in the housing adjacent to the cover 302 can be referred to as the distal end. The seals used in the implementation of the waterproof connector are not limited in size, shape or position as shown in
[0039] The seals used in the implementation of the waterproof connector are not limited in size, shape or position as shown in Figure 4 . The seal can be a part of the connector housing 104, or can be a part of the conductor 108. The seal can be arranged to be inserted into a dedicated groove, formed by two-component injection molding or formed by additional components such as a cover. Generally, the seal will be formed of silicone, but other suitable materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0040] Figure 4An example of a biasing mechanism for the conductor 108 is also shown. The conductor 108 for use with the biasing mechanism shown includes an engagement member in the form of a flange 404 such that the conductor 108 shown has a substantially cross-shaped cross-section. The biasing mechanism is configured to bias the conductor towards a second position. The flange projects orthogonally from the conductor 108, but other arrangements of the engagement member are possible. The flange 404 engages with the first ends of a pair of biasing coil springs 406a, 406b, while the other ends of the springs 406a, 406b engage with the interior of the probe access port 106. Advancing the conductor 108 from the second position to the first position to contact the terminal 102 causes the springs 406a, 406b to be compressed. Thus, once the force advancing the conductor 108 is removed, the springs 406a, 406b extend again, withdrawing the conductor 108 to its second position away from contact with the terminal 102. This biasing mechanism including the engagement member in the form of the flange 404 and the springs 406a, 406b is understood to be an example of a suitable biasing mechanism. The biasing mechanism of the present invention is not limited to this implementation, and other suitable biasing mechanisms may be used, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, a flexible member such as a spring may be located inside the conductor 108 or formed as part of the housing 104.
[0041] Now referring to Figure 5 , a cross-section of a multi-way connector generally indicated by reference numeral 500 is shown. The multi-way connector 500 includes a plurality of terminals, each having its own probe access port. Figure 5 The multi-way connector 500 is shown, which includes a housing 504, a plurality of terminals 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, and probe access ports 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d associated with each of the terminals 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The housing 504 includes a plurality of sections separating the terminals from each other. In Figure 5 the multi-way connector 500 shown, the probe access ports 106a, 106b, 106c, 106d are located at the rear of each terminal to provide access. The multi-way connector 500 may include a single row of discrete connectors or may include multiple rows to form a 2D array of discrete connectors. It should be understood that the multi-way connector described herein with respect to Figure 5 is an example of a multi-way connector, and additional arrangements of a plurality of terminals (each having its own probe access port) are within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0042] Now referring to Figure 6 , a block diagram of a wire harness generally indicated by reference numeral 600 is shown, which includes that described herein with respect to Figure 5The described multi-way connector 500. The multi-way connector 500 includes four terminals 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, each terminal being connected to wiring 602a, 602b, 602c, 602d. The wiring 602a, 602b, 602c, 602d are bundled together to form a single cable 604, and the cable 604 forms part of a harness 600.
[0043] Figure 7 A vehicle 700 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle 700 includes a connector 100 as described herein. The vehicle 700 includes a harness 600 as described herein.
[0044] Throughout the specification, the term electrical signal may be understood to refer to a power signal, a data signal, or a combination of a power signal and a data signal.
[0045] It should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.
Claims
1. An electrical connector for engaging with a complementary connector, The electrical connector comprises: A first terminal; A housing surrounding the first terminal; A probe access port extending between an outer surface of the housing and the first terminal; A conductor disposed within the probe access port and movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position, the conductor is electrically connected to the first terminal, in the second position, the conductor is electrically disconnected from the first terminal, wherein the conductor is biased towards the second position.
2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, comprising a seal disposed between the conductor and the probe access port for preventing liquid from passing through via the probe access port.
3. The electrical connector according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a biasing mechanism configured to bias the conductor in the second position.
4. The electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a cover for covering the probe access port at an outer surface of the housing.
5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein, The cover is biased to a closed position.
6. The electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The conductor has a proximal end adjacent to the terminal and a distal end adjacent to a probe receiving hole in the probe access port.
7. The electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The probe access port comprises a plurality of seals.
8. The electrical connector according to claim 7, wherein, A first seal is positioned adjacent to the distal end of the conductor, and a second seal is positioned adjacent to the proximal end of the conductor.
9. The electrical connector according to claim 3 or any claim dependent on claim 3, wherein, The conductor comprises an engagement member for engaging with the biasing mechanism.
10. An electrical connection between an electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims and a second electrical connector, the second electrical connector including a second connector terminal that makes electrical contact with the first terminal, wherein, The electrical connection between the conductor and the first terminal is made by contact of the conductor with a second connector terminal.
11. The electrical connector according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a plurality of first terminals, each first terminal having its own probe access port.
12. A wire harness comprising the electrical connector according to claim 11.
13. A vehicle comprising the electrical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 11 or the wire harness according to claim 12.