Connection terminal and connector assembly
By designing cantilevered contacts and sidewall structures in the connection terminals, the protrusions abut against the sidewalls after the mating parts are inserted, thus solving the problem of unstable electrical connection after the connection terminals are molded from thermosetting plastic materials, and achieving a stable electrical connection effect.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410620527.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-05-17
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-18
AI Technical Summary
After the existing connection terminals are molded from thermosetting plastic material, the connection part and the insertion end of the mating terminal are prone to separation, resulting in unstable electrical connection and reduced reliability of electrical connection.
Design a connection terminal comprising a cantilever contact and a sidewall structure. The cantilever contact has a fixed end, a free end, and a protrusion. After the mating part is inserted, the protrusion abuts against the sidewall, changing the contact structure from one-end support to two-end support, increasing stability, and the housing protects the electrical contact parts.
It improves the stability of electrical contact between the connection terminal and the mating part, and can maintain a stable electrical connection after vibration or thermosetting plastic material molding process.
Smart Images
Figure CN120978439A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly, to a connection terminal and a connector assembly. BACKGROUND
[0002] Current connection terminals are used to connect cables. These connection terminals also need to form stable electrical contact with mating terminals, and then electrically connect to external circuits through the mating terminals. The connection terminals usually have a box-shaped connection site, and the mating terminals have a pin or blade-shaped insertion end. The insertion end of the mating terminal is inserted into the box-shaped interior of the connection terminal, and then makes electrical contact with the connection site at one or two areas. However, the problem of the prior art is that insufficient physical contact can be formed between the connection site of the connection terminal and the insertion end of the mating terminal, which will reduce the reliability of the electrical connection. For example, after the entire connector assembly is subjected to a Bulk Molding Compound process, the connection site and the insertion end are separated, so that stable electrical connection cannot be formed. SUMMARY
[0003] In order to solve the defects of the prior art, the present disclosure proposes a connection terminal. When the mating piece is inserted into the connection terminal, a more stable electrical connection can be formed between the mating piece and the connection terminal.
[0004] A first aspect of the present disclosure proposes a connection terminal for electrical contact with a mating piece, comprising: a first side wall and a cantilevered contact. The cantilevered contact comprises: a fixed end, a free end and a first protrusion. The fixed end is arranged close to the first side wall. The first protrusion is arranged on the cantilevered contact and protrudes towards the first side wall. When the mating piece enters the connection terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the free end moves towards the first side wall and causes the first protrusion to eventually rest on the first side wall.
[0005] When the first protrusion rests on the first side wall, the contact is transformed from a cantilever beam structure with one end being a free end to a simply supported beam structure with both ends having support points, which makes the structural form of the contact in the connection terminal more stable and reliable, and the electrical contact with the mating piece more stable.
[0006] In one embodiment, the connection terminal further comprises: a second side wall arranged opposite to the first side wall. When the mating piece enters the connection terminal, the mating piece rests between the cantilevered contact and the second side wall.
[0007] In one embodiment, the cantilevered contact further comprises a second protrusion disposed on the cantilevered contact above the first protrusion, the second protrusion protruding toward the first sidewall. Wherein when the mating piece enters the connection terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the movement of the free end toward the first sidewall also causes the second protrusion to eventually rest against the first sidewall.
[0008] In one embodiment, the connection terminal further comprises a blade opening slot disposed on the first sidewall or the second sidewall for piercing a cable and making electrical contact with the cable.
[0009] A second aspect of the present disclosure proposes a connector assembly comprising a connection terminal and a mating piece. The connection terminal comprises a first sidewall and a cantilevered contact. The cantilevered contact comprises a fixed end, a free end, and a first protrusion. The fixed end is disposed close to the first sidewall. The first protrusion is disposed on the cantilevered contact and protrudes toward the first sidewall. The mating piece is configured to make electrical contact with the connection terminal. Wherein when the mating piece enters the connection terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the free end moves toward the first sidewall and causes the first protrusion to eventually rest against the first sidewall.
[0010] In one embodiment, the connection terminal further comprises a second sidewall disposed opposite to the first sidewall, the mating piece rests between the cantilevered contact and the second sidewall when the mating piece enters the connection terminal.
[0011] In one embodiment, the cantilevered contact further comprises a second protrusion disposed on the cantilevered contact above the first protrusion, the second protrusion protruding toward the first sidewall. Wherein when the mating piece enters the connection terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the movement of the free end toward the first sidewall also causes the second protrusion to eventually rest against the first sidewall.
[0012] In one embodiment, the connector assembly further comprises a housing. The housing comprises a body and a cover. The body is configured to house the connection terminal therein. The cover is configured to be fixed to the body after the mating piece enters the connection terminal, wherein the cover shelters the contact portion of the connection terminal and the mating piece underneath.
[0013] In one embodiment, the cover is connected to the body and integrally formed with the body.
[0014] In one embodiment, the body includes a hook member disposed thereon, the shell cover includes a socket member disposed thereon, the socket member is configured to mate with the hook member to secure the shell cover on the body.
[0015] In one embodiment, the connection terminal further includes a blade opening slot disposed on the first sidewall, the blade opening slot is configured to pierce and make electrical contact with the cable.
[0016] In one embodiment, the body further includes a wire slot disposed inside the body, the wire slot is configured to receive the cable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0017] The features, advantages, and other aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which a number of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated, by way of example, not limitation. As such, a further description is provided herein.
[0018] Figure 1 A front view of a connection terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0019] Figure 2 A side view of a connection terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.
[0020] Figure 3 A side view of a connection terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown when the connection terminal is not in electrical contact with a mating member.
[0021] Figure 4 A side view of a connection terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown after a mating member enters the connection terminal.
[0022] Figure 5 A perspective view of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown with a shell cover opened.
[0023] Figure 6 A perspective view of a connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown with a shell cover closed on a body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] In the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings described in the following detailed description are by way of illustration only and other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Like or similar designations in the various drawings indicate like or similar elements.
[0025] The terms "comprise", "comprising", and like terms as used herein are to be interpreted in an open- ended manner, i.e. "including, but not limited to", meaning that other things are also possible. The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment", and so on.
[0026] To solve the defects of the prior art, the present disclosure first proposes a connection terminal. Figure 1 and Figure 2 respectively show the front view and side view of the connection terminal. As shown in Figure 2 , the connection terminal 10 is used to electrically contact with a mating piece 20. The connection terminal includes a first side wall 101 and a cantilevered contact 102. The cantilevered contact 102 includes a fixed end 1021, a free end 1022, and a first protrusion 1023. Among them, the fixed end 1021 is arranged close to the first side wall 101. The first protrusion 1023 is arranged on the cantilevered contact 102 and protrudes towards the first side wall 101. Figure 3 shows the side view of the connection terminal 10 when it is not in electrical contact with the mating piece 20. Among them, there is a small gap between the first protrusion 1023 of the connection terminal 10 and the first side wall 101. When the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10 and contacts the cantilevered contact 102, referring to Figure 2 , the free end 1022 moves towards the first side wall 101 and makes the first protrusion 1023 eventually abut against the first side wall 101. When the first protrusion 1023 abuts against the first side wall 101, the contact 102 changes from a cantilever beam structure with the free end at one end to a simply supported beam structure with support points at both ends, which makes the structural form of the contact 102 in the connection terminal 10 more stable and reliable, and the electrical contact with the mating piece 20 more stable.
[0027] In one example, the connection terminal 10 can be a MAG-MATE terminal, and the mating piece 20 can be a TAB terminal with a flat plate contact. In other examples, the mating piece 20 can also be a terminal or a metal connecting piece with other shapes. The mating piece 20 can be used to electrically connect to an external circuit or motor.
[0028] Continuing to refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the connection terminal 10 further includes a second side wall 103 arranged opposite to the first side wall 101. When the connection terminal 10 is not in electrical contact with the mating piece 20, the free end 1022 of the cantilevered contact 102 is substantially in contact with the second side wall 103 or only has a small gap. When the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10, the mating piece 20 abuts between the cantilevered contact 102 and the second side wall 103, which makes the mating piece 20 form electrical contact with the cantilevered contact 102 and the second side wall 103 respectively.
[0029] In another example, referring to Figure 3 The cantilevered contact 102 further includes a second protrusion 1024 disposed on the cantilevered contact 102 above the first protrusion 1023, the second protrusion 1024 protruding toward the first sidewall 101. A small gap is maintained between the second protrusion 1024 and the first sidewall 101 when the connection terminal 10 is not in electrical contact with the mating piece 20. Referring to Figure 4 When the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10 and contacts the cantilevered contact 102, the movement of the free end 1022 toward the first sidewall 101 also causes the second protrusion 1024 to eventually rest against the first sidewall 101. The design of the second protrusion 1024 allows the cantilevered contact 102 to have an additional support point resting against the first sidewall 101, and the configuration of the contact 102 within the terminal 10 is more secure. For example, after experiencing vibration or a thermosetting plastic material molding process, the contact 102 can still maintain stable electrical contact with the mating piece 20.
[0030] Referring to Figure 1 The connection terminal 10 further includes a blade-shaped open slot 104 disposed on the first sidewall 101 or the second sidewall 103 for piercing the cable 30 and making electrical contact with the cable 30 to achieve electrical connection between the connection terminal 10 and the cable 30.
[0031] Further, the present disclosure also proposes a connector assembly 40. The connector assembly 40 includes the connection terminal 10 described above and a mating piece 20 for making electrical contact with the connection terminal 10. Specifically, the connection terminal 10 includes a first sidewall 101 and a cantilevered contact 102. The cantilevered contact 102 includes a fixed end 1021, a free end 1022, and a first protrusion 1023. The fixed end 1021 is disposed close to the first sidewall 101. The first protrusion 1023 is disposed on the cantilevered contact 102 and protrudes toward the first sidewall 101. When the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10 and contacts the cantilevered contact 102, the free end 1022 moves toward the first sidewall 101 and causes the first protrusion 1023 to eventually rest against the first sidewall 101.
[0032] With reference to the above description of the connection terminal 10, the connection terminal 10 of the connector assembly 40 further comprises a second side wall 103 arranged opposite to the first side wall 101, when the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10, the mating piece 29 abuts against between the cantilevered contact 102 and the second side wall 103. In addition, the cantilevered contact 102 can further comprise a second protruding portion 1024 arranged on the cantilevered contact 102 and above the first protruding portion 1023, the second protruding portion 1024 protrudes towards the first side wall 101. Wherein, when the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10 and contacts the cantilevered contact 102, the movement of the free end 1022 towards the first side wall 101 further causes the second protruding portion 1024 to eventually abut against the first side wall 101.
[0033] With reference to Figure 5 , the connector assembly 40 further comprises a housing 50, which comprises a body 501 and a cover 502. The body 501 is used to accommodate the connection terminal 10 therein. Figure 6 A perspective view of fixing the cover 502 on the body 501 after the mating piece 20 enters the connection terminal 10 is shown, wherein the cover 502 shelters the contact portion of the connection terminal 10 and the mating piece 20 below to protect the electrical connection effect of the contact portion. In another example, the cover 502 can not shelter the non-contact portion of the connection terminal 10 and the mating piece 20, in other words, the position of the cover corresponding to the non-contact portion can be hollowed out. During the process of thermosetting plastic material forming, the connector assembly 40 can experience the flow direction of the arrow as shown in Figure 2 , if not protected by the cover, it will affect the electrical connection between the mating piece 20 and the cantilevered contact 102 and the second side wall 103, or even cause the separation of the mating piece 20 and the cantilevered contact 102 or the second side wall 103.
[0034] In one embodiment, the cover 502 is connected to the body 501 and integrally formed with the body 501. Specifically, a set of molds can be used to manufacture the housing 50, which can save the product manufacturing process. With reference to Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the body 501 of the housing 50 comprises a hook member 5011 arranged thereon, and the cover 502 comprises a socket member 5021 arranged thereon, the socket member 5021 is used to cooperate with the hook member 5011 to fix the cover 502 on the body 501.
[0035] In addition, the body 501 of the housing 50 further comprises a wire slot 5012 arranged inside, which is used to accommodate the cable 30. The connection terminal 10 further comprises a blade opening slot 104 arranged on the first side wall 101, which is used to pierce the cable 30 and electrically contact the cable 30.
[0036] The assembly process of the connector assembly 40 is briefly described as follows. First, the cable 30 is put into the wire slot 5012 of the housing 50, and the connecting terminal 10 is inserted into the housing 50 so that the blade-like open slot 104 of the connecting terminal 10 forms an electrical connection with the cable 30. Then, the mating piece 20 is inserted into the connecting terminal 10 so that the two form an electrical contact. Finally, the cover 502 of the housing 50 is fixed on the body 501, and the assembly is completed.
[0037] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments are only specific embodiments of the present application, and obviously the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and there are many similar changes. All the modifications directly derived or thought from the disclosure of the present application by those skilled in the art should belong to the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A connecting terminal for electrical contact with a mating member, comprising: First sidewall; as well as Cantilever contacts include: A fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being disposed near the first sidewall, and A first protrusion is provided on the cantilever contact and protrudes toward the first sidewall; When the mating component enters the connecting terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the free end moves toward the first sidewall and causes the first protrusion to finally abut against the first sidewall.
2. The connection terminal according to claim 1, further comprising: A second sidewall is disposed relative to the first sidewall; When the mating component enters the connecting terminal, the mating component abuts against the cantilevered contact and the second sidewall.
3. The connection terminal according to claim 1, wherein the cantilever contact further includes a second protrusion disposed on the cantilever contact and located above the first protrusion, the second protrusion protruding toward the first sidewall. in, When the mating member enters the connecting terminal and contacts the cantilever contact, the movement of the free end toward the first sidewall also causes the second protrusion to eventually abut against the first sidewall.
4. The connection terminal according to claim 2, further comprising: A blade-shaped opening groove is provided on the first sidewall or the second sidewall for piercing the cable and making electrical contact with the cable.
5. A connector assembly, comprising: Connection terminals, including: First sidewall; and Cantilever contacts include: A fixed end and a free end, the fixed end being disposed near the first sidewall, and a first protrusion disposed on the cantilever contact and protruding toward the first sidewall; and A mating component, which is used for electrical contact with the connecting terminal. When the mating component enters the connecting terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the free end moves toward the first sidewall and causes the first protrusion to finally abut against the first sidewall.
6. The connector assembly according to claim 5, wherein, The connection terminal also includes a second sidewall disposed relative to the first sidewall, wherein when the mating member enters the connection terminal, the mating member abuts against the cantilever contact and the second sidewall.
7. The connector assembly according to claim 5, wherein, The cantilever contact further includes a second protrusion, which is disposed on the cantilever contact and located above the first protrusion, the second protrusion protruding toward the first sidewall. When the mating component enters the connecting terminal and contacts the cantilevered contact, the movement of the free end toward the first sidewall also causes the second protrusion to eventually abut against the first sidewall.
8. The connector assembly of claim 5, further comprising: The housing includes: The body is used to house the connecting terminals therein; A cover is used to fix the mating part to the body after it enters the connecting terminal, wherein the cover covers the contact portion between the connecting terminal and the mating part from below.
9. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein, The shell cover is connected to the body and is integrally formed with the body.
10. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein, The body includes a hook disposed thereon, and the cover includes a latch disposed thereon, the latch being used to cooperate with the hook to fix the cover to the body.
11. The connector assembly of claim 8, wherein, The connection terminal also includes a blade-type opening groove disposed on the first sidewall for piercing the cable and making electrical contact with the cable.
12. The connector assembly of claim 11, wherein, The body also includes a wire groove disposed therein for accommodating the cable.