Electric connector

Abstract

An electric connector comprises a body, a conductive element and a locking device, the conductive element and the locking device are contained in the body, the body is provided with a front end face and a sliding groove, and the sliding groove penetrates in the front-back direction to form a front opening and a rear opening; the lock catch device comprises a sliding piece, a lock catch piece, a reset piece and an operation piece, the sliding piece is contained in the sliding groove, the lock catch piece comprises an elastic arm and a lock catch head located at the front end of the elastic arm, the elastic arm forwards penetrates through the front opening, and the sliding piece backwards penetrates through the rear opening; a convex part is arranged between the elastic arm of the locking piece and the sliding piece, when the operating piece drives the sliding piece to move backwards, the convex part drives the elastic arm to move so that the locking head can be located at the unlocking position, and when the operating piece is not acted, the reset piece drives the sliding piece to reset. Compared with the prior art, the electric connector moves in the front-back direction to drive the locking device to achieve unlocking, so that the overall structure of the electric connector is smooth, and many parts are not needed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electrical connector which is mounted on a circuit board. Background Art

[0002] CN222601612U1 discloses a wire-to-board circular connector with parallel outputs, wherein the wire end connector includes a locking assembly, the locking assembly including a metal cover, a plastic pull ring, a metal latch and a spring, the two metal latches are plugged into the inner cavity of the latch, and a spring is provided between the two metal latches, the metal cover is provided on top of the two metal latches and is slidably connected to the top of the plastic body (21) of the wire end connector, and the plastic pull ring is rotatably connected to the left side of the metal cover. It can be seen that the locking assembly has a complex structure and high cost.

[0003] Thus, it is desirable to design an improved electrical connector. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with an improved locking device.

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention can adopt the following technical solutions: an electrical connector, which includes a body, a conductive element accommodated in the body and a locking device, the body being provided with a front end face and a slide groove, the slide groove penetrating along the front-to-back direction to form a front opening and a rear opening; the locking device includes a sliding member, a locking member, a reset member and an operating member, the sliding member being accommodated in the slide groove, the locking member including an elastic arm and a locking head located at the front end of the elastic arm, the elastic arm passing through the front opening forward, and the sliding member passing through the rear opening backward; a convex portion is provided between the elastic arm of the locking member and the sliding member, when the operating member drives the sliding member to move backward, the convex portion prompts the elastic arm to move so that the locking head is in an unfastened position, and when the operating member is not acted on, the reset member prompts the sliding member to reset.

[0006] Compared with the prior art, the present invention drives the locking device to unlock by moving in the front-to-back direction, so that the overall structure of the electrical connector is smoother and does not require many parts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector and a mating connector thereof according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the electrical connector from another angle.

[0009] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Cross-sectional view along dotted line AA.

[0010] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 3D exploded view of .

[0011] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of the middle insulating body from another angle.

[0012] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A three-dimensional view of the middle locking device from another angle.

[0013] Figure 7 yes Figure 4 A three-dimensional image from another angle.

[0014] Figure 8 yes Figure 7 Exploded perspective view of the middle sliding part and the locking part.

[0015] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 Exploded three-dimensional diagram from another angle.

[0016] Figure 10 yes Figure 1 Figure 2 is a cross-sectional diagram of the two connectors after docking.

[0017] Figure 11 yes Figure 10 A cross-sectional diagram of the two connectors in the unfastening process.

[0018] Figure 12 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 13 yes Figure 12 A three-dimensional view of the middle locking device.

[0020] Component Symbol Description Electrical connector 100 Board connector 200 Main body 10 Front end 11 Slide groove 12 Front opening 121 Rear opening 122 Step surface 123 Second positioning post 128 Elastic arm 13 hook portion 131 Side 14 Conductive element 20 Tubular socket terminal 21 Plate portion 211 Crown spring terminal 22 Cable 24 Locking device 30 Sliding member 31 Recessed portion 311 First convex portion 312 Side plate 313 Bottom plate 314 Receiving groove 315 Long hole 316 Positioning hole 317 Locking member 32 Elastic arm 321 Locking head 322 Second protrusion 323 Limiting protrusion 326 Positioning protrusion 327 First positioning column 328 Reset member 33 Spring 331 Operating element 34 Insulator 41 Receiving cavity 411 Locking portion 412 Locking cavity 4121 Holding head 4122 Conductive pillar 42 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following specific embodiments will further illustrate the present invention in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings.

[0022] Ginseng Figure 1-11 As shown, the electrical connector 100 is a specific embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the rear end of the electrical connector 100 is connected to a cable 24, which can be mated with a docking connector and fixed after docking with the help of a locking device 30 provided thereon to prevent improper separation. When the connection between the two connectors needs to be disconnected, the locking device 30 needs to be unfastened first, and then the electrical connector is pulled out. In this embodiment, the docking connector is a board-end connector 200, which can be vertically mounted on a circuit board. In this embodiment, the electrical connector 100 is a power connector for transmitting power. Of course, the present invention is not limited to power connectors.

[0023] Ginseng Figure 4-5 As shown, the electrical connector 100 includes a body 10, a conductive element 20 housed therein, and a locking mechanism 30. The body 10 has a front face 11 and a slide groove 12. The slide groove 12 extends along the front-to-back direction, forming a front opening 121 and a rear opening 122. For ease of description, the face of the electrical connector facing the mating connector is referred to as the front face, and the mating direction is referred to as the front-to-back direction. All other directions are relative to the front face and the mating direction.

[0024] In this embodiment, the body 10 is made of an insulating material and is an insulator. The electrical connector 100 includes two conductive elements 20 for transmitting positive and negative power. Each conductive element 20 includes a tubular socket terminal 21 and a crown spring terminal 22 disposed therein. The rear end of the tubular socket terminal 21 is provided with a plate portion 211, and the exposed front end of the cable 24 is welded to the plate portion 211.

[0025] Ginseng Figure 6-8 As shown, the locking device 30 includes a sliding member 31, a locking member 32, a reset member 33 and an operating member 34. Figure 2As shown, the sliding member 31 is accommodated in the slide groove 12, and passes through the rear opening 122 backward. The locking member 32 includes an elastic arm 321 and a locking head 322 located at the front end of the elastic arm. The elastic arm 321 passes through the front opening 121 forward, and the locking head 322 is located in front of the front opening 121. A convex portion is provided between the elastic arm 321 of the locking member and the sliding member 31. When the operating member 34 drives the sliding member 31 to move backward, the convex portion prompts the elastic arm 321 to move so that the locking head 322 is in the unfastened position; when the operating member 34 is not acted on, the reset member 33 prompts the sliding member 31 to reset. The present invention realizes unfastening by driving the locking device to move in the front-to-back direction, so that the overall structure of the electrical connector is relatively smooth and does not require many parts.

[0026] In this embodiment, the sliding member 31 is provided with a recessed portion 311 and a first protrusion 312 located in front of the recessed portion 311, and the elastic arm 321 is provided with a second protrusion 323. Figure 10 As shown, in the natural state, the second convex portion 323 is located in the concave portion 311. Figure 11 As shown, when the slider 31 moves backward, the first protrusion 312 presses against the second protrusion 323, thereby forcing the elastic arm 321 to move. The first protrusion 312 and the second protrusion 322 constitute the above-mentioned protrusion. In other embodiments, only the first protrusion can be provided to constitute the above-mentioned protrusion, or only the second protrusion can be provided to constitute the above-mentioned protrusion.

[0027] Furthermore, the second convex portion 323 and the locking head 321 extend in the same direction. In this way, the second convex portion 323 can force the elastic arm 321 to deflect in the direction opposite to the locking head, thereby unfastening the locking head.

[0028] In this embodiment, the sliding member 31 is provided with two opposite side panels 313 and a bottom panel 314, and the two side panels and the bottom panel form a receiving groove 315. The locking member 32 is a U-shaped structure, including two elastic arms 321, and the locking member 32 is placed in the receiving groove 315. A protrusion is provided between the inner wall surface of each side panel 313 and the corresponding elastic arm 321. When the sliding member 31 moves backward, the protrusion presses the corresponding elastic arm 321 to move in a direction away from the locking head. The U-shaped locking member can provide two locking heads and prevent the formation of a smoothly moving and flat locking device in the receiving groove, so that the entire electrical connector structure is smooth and does not increase its volume too much.

[0029] In this embodiment, the bottom plate 314 is provided with an elongated hole 316, and the locking member 32 is provided with a downwardly protruding stopper 326. The stopper 326 can move within the elongated hole 316 and be stopped by the elongated hole 316. This limits the pulling and returning distance of the sliding member 30, thereby controlling the travel of the entire locking device.

[0030] Furthermore, the limiting protrusion 326 passes downward through the long hole 316 and reaches the receiving groove 315. A forward step surface 123 is provided in the sliding groove, and the limiting protrusion 326 presses backward against the step surface 123 to prevent the sliding member 31 from falling off.

[0031] In this embodiment, a positioning protrusion 327 protrudes backward from the rear end of the locking member 32 , and the sliding member 32 is provided with a positioning hole 317 for accommodating the positioning protrusion 327 .

[0032] In this embodiment, combined with Figure 2-3 As shown, the body 10 is provided with an elastic arm 13 extending backward, and the rear end of the elastic arm 13 is provided with a hook portion 131 protruding downward, and the hook portion 131 pushes back against the inside of the locking member 31. In this way, the locking device can be further prevented from being separated from the sliding groove.

[0033] In this embodiment, the sliding member 31 has first positioning posts 328 protruding backward at its two side plates 313, and two second positioning posts 128 protruding forward are provided in the sliding groove 12. The elastic member 33 includes two springs 331, and the front and rear ends of each spring 331 are respectively sleeved with the first positioning post 328 and the second positioning post 128.

[0034] In this embodiment, the operating member 34 is a pull belt or a pull ring, which is connected to the rear end of the sliding portion. Figure 12-13 As shown, the operating member 34A is integrally formed and extends rearward from the sliding member 31 .

[0035] Ginseng Figure 1 、 Figure 10-11 As shown, the board-side connector 200 includes an insulator 41 and two conductive posts 42. The insulator has a receiving cavity 411 extending through its front end, and the conductive posts are located within the receiving cavity 411. The insulator 41 has a locking portion 412 on one outer side thereof. The locking portion 412 has a locking cavity 4121 and a retaining head 4122 located at the front end of the locking cavity. The two retaining heads 42 protrude toward each other.

[0036] In the free state, the elastic arm 321 of the locking member 32 naturally opens outward, and its two locking heads 322 protrude in directions away from each other. During the process of inserting the electrical connector 100 into the board-end connector 200, the inclined edge of the locking head presses against and passes over the retaining head 4122. After passing over the retaining head 4122, it returns to its natural state, and the locking head and the retaining head are engaged with each other to prevent the two connectors from falling off. The locking member 32 is U-shaped, elastic, and made of insulating material. The sliding member 31 is made of insulating material. It can be seen that the exposed parts are all made of insulating material to prevent accidental short circuits and work injuries, thereby achieving the purpose of safe operation.

[0037] When the electrical connector 100 needs to be detached from the board-end connector, the operating member 34 is pulled backward, the sliding member 31 moves backward, and its first protrusion 312 presses backward against the second protrusion 323, so that the two locking arms 321 move in a direction approaching each other, and the locking heads 322 move in a direction approaching each other, thereby disengaging from the holding heads 4122, and the two are completely unfastened. At this time, continue to pull the pull strap and / or cable 24 to detach the electrical connector 100 from the board-end connector 200.

[0038] After the electrical connector 100 is detached from the board connector 200, the force of the operating member 34 is released, and the reset member 33 causes the sliding member 31 to reset. In this way, the locking device returns to its natural state.

[0039] As can be seen from the above, the latching device 30 is mounted on a first side surface 14 of the body 10. The first side surface 14 extends in both the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, and the latching heads 321 protrude in directions away from each other in the left-to-right direction. The latching device 30 is a flat plate structure attached to the first side surface 14 to minimize the height of the electrical connector in a vertical lateral direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-back direction. A protrusion is provided between the elastic arm 321 of the latch and the slider 31. When the operating member 34 drives the slider 31 backward, the protrusion presses the elastic arm 321 in the left-to-right direction, moving it away from the latching head 322. When the operating member 34 is not actuated, the reset member 33 forces the slider 31 to return to its original position.

[0040] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions of the present application may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising a body, a conductive element housed within the body, and a locking device, the body having a front end surface and a slide groove, the slide groove extending in a front-to-back direction to form a front opening and a rear opening; the locking device comprising a sliding member, a locking member, a reset member, and an operating member, the sliding member being received in the slide groove, the locking member comprising an elastic arm and a locking head located at a front end of the elastic arm, the elastic arm extending forward through the front opening, and the sliding member extending rearward through the rear opening; Its characteristics are: A convex portion is provided between the elastic arm of the locking member and the sliding member. When the operating member drives the sliding member to move backward, the convex portion prompts the elastic arm to move so that the locking head is in the unlocked position. When the operating member is not acted on, the reset member prompts the sliding member to reset.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The elastic arm is provided with a first convex portion, and the sliding member is provided with a recessed portion and a second convex portion. The first convex portion is located in the recessed portion. When the sliding member moves backward, the second convex portion presses against the first convex portion. The first convex portion and the second convex portion constitute the above-mentioned convex portion.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein: The first protrusion and the locking head have the same protruding direction.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The sliding member is provided with two opposite side plates and a bottom plate, and the two side plates and the bottom plate form a receiving groove; the locking member is a U-shaped structure and is placed in the receiving groove, including two elastic arms; the protrusion is provided between the inner wall surface of each side plate and the corresponding elastic arm, and when the sliding member moves backward, the protrusion presses the corresponding elastic arm to move in the direction away from the locking head.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein: The bottom plate is provided with a long hole, and the locking piece is provided with a limiting protrusion protruding downward, and the limiting protrusion can move in the long hole and be limited by the long hole.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein: A forward step surface is provided in the chute, and the limiting protrusion passes through the long hole and abuts against the step surface backward.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein: A positioning protrusion protrudes backward from the rear end of the locking member, and the sliding member is provided with a positioning hole for accommodating the positioning protrusion.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The main body is provided with an elastic arm extending backward, and the rear end of the elastic arm is provided with a hook portion protruding downward, and the hook portion presses backward against the locking component.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 4, wherein: The sliding member has first positioning columns protruding backward at its two side plates, and two second positioning columns protruding forward are provided in the sliding groove. The elastic member includes two springs, and the front and rear ends of each spring are respectively sleeved with the first positioning column and the second positioning column.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein: The operating member is a pull belt or a pull ring, which is connected to the rear end of the sliding member.

11. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein: The main body, the locking component and the sliding component are all made of insulating materials.

12. An electrical connector comprising a body, a conductive element housed in the body, and a locking device; The body is provided with a front end surface, a first side surface and a slide groove located on the first side surface, the first side surface extends in the front-to-back direction and the left-to-right direction, and the slide groove penetrates in the front-to-back direction; Its characteristics are: The locking device is a flat plate structure, including a sliding member, a locking member, a reset member and an operating member. The sliding member is accommodated in the slide groove. The locking member includes an elastic arm and a locking head located at the front end of the elastic arm. The locking head is located in front of the slide groove and protrudes in the left-right direction. A convex portion is provided between the elastic arm of the locking member and the sliding member. When the operating member drives the sliding member to move backward, the convex portion presses the elastic arm to move along the left and right directions away from the locking head. When the operating member is not acted upon, the reset member prompts the sliding member to reset.

13. The electrical connector according to claim 12, wherein: The sliding member is provided with two opposite side plates and a bottom plate, and the two side plates and the bottom plate form a receiving groove; the locking member is a U-shaped structure, including two elastic arms, and the locking member is placed in the receiving groove; the protrusion is provided between the inner wall surface of each side plate and the corresponding elastic arm, and when the sliding member moves backward, the protrusion presses the corresponding elastic arm to move in the direction away from the locking head.

Images