Permanent magnet locking structure of waterproof connector and waterproof connector thereof

Abstract

A waterproof connector permanent magnet locking structure and waterproof connector thereof, the connector comprises a plug and a socket, the plug comprises a plug shell, a tail sleeve and a button, the permanent magnet locking structure comprises a locking piece, a first permanent magnet and a second permanent magnet, the plug shell upper end face is provided with a button seat, the button is movably arranged on the button seat, the plug shell upper, the button lower is provided with a recess for the first permanent magnet, the recess front is provided with a cavity for the locking piece to be inserted and slide forward and backward, the second permanent magnet is embedded in the rear end of the locking piece, the first permanent magnet can be moved forward and backward with the button to flip the front and rear magnetic poles, when the button is moved forward to the position, the front end of the first permanent magnet and the rear end of the second permanent magnet are opposite, the locking piece is locked when moving forward, when the button is moved backward to the position, the first permanent magnet is flipped, and the locking piece is unlocked when moving backward. The present application has reasonable structure, convenient operation, realizes locking and unlocking through permanent magnet, has good waterproof performance, and prolongs the service life of the product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a locking structure for a connector and related connectors, specifically to a permanent magnet locking structure for a waterproof connector and a waterproof connector thereof. Background Technology

[0002] A waterproof connector is a connection device that maintains stable electrical performance in humid or water-immersed environments. Its protection rating is classified according to the IP system, with the highest standard reaching IP68. Many types of waterproof connectors are available on the market, mainly used in LED streetlights, LED driver power supplies, LED displays, lighthouses, yachts, industrial equipment, broadcasting, and communications. Traditional waterproof connectors generally use a plug-in connection, which is quick and convenient. However, the unlocking mechanism of existing connectors is mostly button-shaped, but the operation is not completely isolated from the internal components of the connector, resulting in insufficient waterproof performance. When used outdoors, this poses significant risks such as water accumulation, short circuits, and arcing. Outdoor displays, in particular, have very high power supply requirements and require absolute safety protection; water must not enter the power connector under any circumstances.

[0003] To enhance waterproofing, a soft rubber material is currently used to cover the button for waterproofing, as exemplified by the Chinese invention patent CN202211036339.8, "A Plug and its Connector." This invention includes a plug housing, a tail sleeve, and a button. The upper middle surface of the plug housing has an axially formed mounting groove for a sliding member to be inserted and move back and forth. A through hole is provided at the front end of the mounting groove for the front end of the sliding member to extend out. The front end of the sliding member extends out of the mounting groove to form a locking part that engages with the corresponding socket / plug. The rear end of the sliding member extends upwards with a bevel and bends forward to form a claw part that engages with the button. A return spring is supported between the inner wall of the rear end of the mounting groove and the rear end of the sliding member. The button is positioned inside the mounting groove above the sliding member. The rear end of the button is hinged to the rear end of the mounting groove. The front end of the button is bent to form a hook part that engages with the claw part. A button sleeve is provided at the top of the button to seal against the mounting groove. The buttons on the plug are covered with button sleeves (made of soft rubber), which provide some waterproofing. However, the soft rubber material is easily damaged, and once damaged, the plug loses its waterproofing performance. In addition, when pressing the buttons, you press the soft rubber sleeve directly, which feels poor and seriously affects the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The first technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a permanent magnet locking structure for a waterproof connector that is structurally reasonable, easy to operate and has good waterproof performance, in view of the above-mentioned technical status.

[0005] The second technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a waterproof connector that is structurally reasonable, easy to operate and has good waterproof performance, in view of the above-mentioned technical status.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the first technical problem mentioned above is as follows: a permanent magnet locking structure for a waterproof connector, the connector including a plug and a socket, the plug including a plug housing, a tail sleeve and a button, the rear end of the plug housing being connected to the tail sleeve, the socket having a plug interface for inserting the plug's insertion section, the upper end of the plug interface being provided with a locking groove, characterized in that: the permanent magnet locking structure includes a locking element, a first permanent magnet element and a second permanent magnet element, the upper surface of the plug housing being provided with a button base, the button being movable back and forth on the button base, the upper end of the plug housing and the lower part of the button being provided with a groove for inserting the first permanent magnet element, the plug housing being located inside the groove and the front of the groove being... A recessed cavity is provided for the insertion and sliding of a locking element. The front end of the cavity has a front opening for the front end of the locking element to extend out. The cavity and the groove are physically isolated. A second permanent magnet is embedded in the rear end of the locking element. A first permanent magnet is set in the groove and can flip its front and rear magnetic poles as the button moves back and forth. When the button moves forward to the position, the front magnetic pole of the first permanent magnet and the rear magnetic pole of the second permanent magnet are the same, and the locking element moves forward to lock with the locking groove of the socket. When the button moves backward to the position, the first permanent magnet flips, and the front magnetic pole of the first permanent magnet and the rear magnetic pole of the second permanent magnet are opposite, and the locking element moves backward to unlock with the locking groove of the socket.

[0007] Furthermore, the plug housing is divided into three sections: front, middle, and rear. The front section is a cylindrical plug-in section with a reduced diameter that plugs into the socket, and the rear section is an externally threaded connection section that connects to the tail sleeve. The button is located in the middle section of the plug housing. The front opening of the recess is close to the plug-in section. A waterproof ring is provided on the front end face of the middle section, and the waterproof ring is fixed by a pressure ring.

[0008] Furthermore, the first permanent magnet has a rotating shaft at both ends, and the inner walls of the groove have shaft holes corresponding to the rotating shaft. A gear is installed on the rotating shaft, and the lower end of the button has a rack that meshes with the gear. When the button moves back and forth, the rack drives the gear to rotate, thereby realizing the reversal of the front and rear magnetic poles of the first permanent magnet.

[0009] Furthermore, the upper end of the button base has a guide structure with a trapezoidal longitudinal section. The rear end of the button is open and has a trapezoidal slot that matches the trapezoidal guide structure of the button base. The button is fitted onto the button base in a way that allows it to move forward and backward in a limited manner through the trapezoidal slot. A spring supports the button and the button base, so that the button always moves forward and the locking member always tends to lock forward with the socket.

[0010] Furthermore, the front and rear limit movement of the button is achieved by providing limit blocks on the left and right sides of the rear end of the button, and corresponding limit grooves on the plug housing.

[0011] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the second technical problem mentioned above is: a waterproof connector, the connector including a plug and a socket, characterized in that: the plug has a permanent magnet locking structure, and an inner core assembly is provided inside the plug housing, the inner core assembly being completely inside the plug housing and being an integral assembly.

[0012] Furthermore, the plug housing is provided with a wire clamp, and the tail sleeve is connected to the rear section of the plug housing by a threaded connection. A tail sleeve waterproof ring is provided between the tail sleeve and the plug housing, and a cable waterproof ring is provided inside the tail sleeve at the position corresponding to the rear opening of the tail sleeve.

[0013] Furthermore, the outer wall of the front end of the plug is provided with positioning blocks at an annular interval, and the inner wall of the socket is provided with corresponding L-shaped positioning slots for the positioning blocks to be inserted and rotated for positioning.

[0014] Preferably, the socket is provided with an inner end face waterproof ring.

[0015] Finally, the connector is an end-face waterproof power connector that meets IP67 standards.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: The plug housing is equipped with a button, a locking element, a first permanent magnet, and a second permanent magnet. The second permanent magnet is embedded in the rear end of the locking element. The first permanent magnet is located in a groove at the rear end of the locking element and is connected to the button via gears and a rack. Moving the button allows for forward and backward rotation. The locking element extends and retracts based on the principle of attraction between like poles and repulsion between opposite poles of the two permanent magnets. The locking element and the first permanent magnet are physically isolated, meaning the cavity and groove are not interconnected, preventing water from entering the plug. A waterproof ring is added to the contact surface between the front end of the plug housing and the socket. The inner core assembly is completely inside the plug housing, forming an integral component, greatly improving waterproof performance. This invention has a reasonable structural design and is easy to operate. Locking and unlocking are achieved through permanent magnets, and the excellent waterproof performance ensures safe and reliable use even in outdoor rain, extending the product's lifespan. Regardless of whether the socket has a waterproof structure, the entire connector achieves an IP67 rating. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the connector structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the connector from another angle;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the connector in its unconnected state.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the connector in the mated state.

[0021] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the permanent magnet locking structure;

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A sectional view;

[0023] Figure 7 A three-dimensional anatomical view of the connector plug;

[0024] Figure 8 This is the right view of the connector. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0026] like Figures 1-8 As shown, an IP67 waterproof connector can be a power connector. The power connector includes a plug A and a socket B. Plug A includes a plug housing 1, a tail sleeve 2, a button 3, and a permanent magnet locking structure C. The rear end of the plug housing 1 is connected to the tail sleeve 2. The permanent magnet locking structure C includes a locking element 4, a first permanent magnet 5, and a second permanent magnet 6. A button base 7 is provided on the upper surface of the plug housing 1. The button 3 is movably mounted on the button base 7 with front and rear limits. A groove 13 is provided at the upper end of the plug housing 1 and below the button 3 for the first permanent magnet 5 to be inserted. A cavity 14 is provided inside the plug housing 1, in front of the groove 13, for the locking element 4 to be inserted and slide with front and rear limits. The cavity 14 and the groove 13 are physically isolated and cannot communicate. The front end of the cavity 14 has a protrusion for the front end of the locking element 4. The front opening 15 houses the second permanent magnet 6, which is embedded at the rear end of the locking member 4. The front end of the second permanent magnet 6 is the S pole, and the rear end is the N pole. The first permanent magnet 5 is located within the groove 13 and its magnetic poles can flip as the button 3 moves forward and backward. When the button 3 moves forward to its final position, the front end of the first permanent magnet 5 is the N pole. Because like poles repel each other, the locking member 4 moves forward and engages with the locking groove 2b on the socket B, locking the connection between the plug A and the socket B. The plug A and the socket B cannot be twisted or pulled apart. When the button 3 moves backward to its final position, the first permanent magnet 4 flips, and its front end becomes the S pole. Due to magnetic attraction, opposite poles attract, and the locking member 4 moves backward and disengages from the locking groove 2b on the socket B, unlocking the connection between the plug A and the socket B. The plug A and the socket B can then be twisted and pulled apart. The mechanism of twisting and pulling apart the plug A and the socket B is standard knowledge and will not be described in detail here.

[0027] The specific structure is as follows: The plug housing 1 is mainly divided into three sections: front, middle, and rear. The front section 16 is a reduced-diameter, cylindrical insertion section that plugs into the socket B. The rear section 18 is an externally threaded connection section that connects to the tail sleeve 2. The button 3 is located in the middle section 17 of the plug housing 1. The front opening 15 of the cavity 14 is close to the insertion section. A waterproof ring 8 is provided on the front end face of the middle section 17. The waterproof ring 8 is fixed by a pressure ring 80 or directly embedded in the annular groove on the front end face of the middle section 17. The left and right ends of the first permanent magnet 5 are provided with rotating shafts 50. The left and right inner walls of the groove 13 are provided with shaft holes corresponding to the rotating shafts 50. Gears 51 are installed on the rotating shafts 50. The lower end of the button 3 is provided with a rack 31 that meshes with the gear 51. When the button 3 moves back and forth, the rack 31 drives the gear 51 to rotate, thereby realizing the front and rear magnetic poles of the first permanent magnet 5 to flip. The upper end of the button base 7 has a guide structure 71 with a trapezoidal longitudinal section. The rear end of the button 3 is open and has a trapezoidal slot 33 that mates with the trapezoidal guide structure 71 of the button base 7. The button 3 is fitted onto the button base 7 in a front-to-back limited movement by engaging with the trapezoidal guide structure 71 of the button base 7 through the trapezoidal slot 33. A spring 30 supports the button 3 and the button base 7, causing the button 3 to always move forward and the locking member 4 to always move forward and lock with the locking groove of the socket B. The front-to-back limited movement of the button 3 is as follows: limiting blocks 32 protrude from the left and right sides of the rear end of the button 3, and corresponding limiting grooves 12 are recessed on the plug housing 1.

[0028] The rear end of the second permanent magnet 5 is not limited to the N pole, but can also be the S pole. When the rear end of the second permanent magnet 5 is the S pole, the front and rear ends of the first permanent magnet 4 are set to reverse the magnetic poles accordingly.

[0029] The plug housing 1 is provided with an inner core component 9 and a wire clamp 10. The inner core component 9 is completely inside the plug housing 1 and is an integral component. The tail sleeve 2 is threadedly connected to the rear section of the plug housing 1. A tail sleeve waterproof ring 20 is provided between the tail sleeve 2 and the plug housing 1. A cable waterproof ring 40 is provided inside the tail sleeve 2, corresponding to the position of the rear opening of the tail sleeve 2. A positioning block 11 is provided on the outer wall of the front end of the plug A at an annular interval.

[0030] Socket B has a socket 1b for inserting the plug section of plug A. Socket 1b is typically a ring-shaped or cylindrical cavity, and its upper end has a locking groove 2b that mates with locking element 4. The inner wall of the socket B's socket has a recessed L-shaped positioning slot 3b for inserting and rotating positioning block 11. Socket B contains an inner end face waterproof ring 4b and its inner socket core 5b.

[0031] The working principle and usage process are as follows.

[0032] When unlocking, push button 3 backward. Through gear and rack transmission, the first permanent magnet 5 rotates, causing the S pole, which was originally at the rear end, to move to the front end. The front S pole of the first permanent magnet 5 and the rear N pole of the second permanent magnet 6 cooperate to produce an opposite pole attraction effect, attracting the second permanent magnet 6. The second permanent magnet 6 is attracted and moves backward, causing the locking part 4 to move backward, thus unlocking.

[0033] When button 3 is released, button 3 moves forward under the action of spring 30. The first permanent magnet 5 rotates to its original position, so that its N pole moves to the front position. The front end of the first permanent magnet 5 and the rear end of the second permanent magnet 6 are both N poles, which produce the effect of like poles repelling each other. The second permanent magnet 6 is pushed away and has to move forward, which drives the locking part 4 to move forward and cooperate with the locking groove 2b of the socket to lock.

[0034] Because the connector's plug A end face has a waterproof ring 8, which makes contact with the socket B and creates a seal, and because the locking member's movable cavity 14 and groove 13 are physically isolated and cannot communicate, regardless of whether the socket B has a waterproof structure, the waterproof performance is greatly improved because the operation is completely physically isolated. Moreover, it is end face waterproof, and using this plug connection can achieve the IP67 level.

[0035] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A waterproof connector permanent magnetic locking structure, the connector comprising a plug and a socket, the plug comprising a plug shell, a tail sleeve and a button, the rear end of the plug shell being connected with the tail sleeve, the socket having a plug-in port for inserting a plug-in section of the plug, the upper end of the plug-in port being provided with a locking groove, characterized in that: The permanent magnetic locking structure comprises a locking piece, a first permanent magnetic piece and a second permanent magnetic piece, the upper surface of the plug shell is provided with a key seat, the key is movably arranged on the key seat, the upper end of the plug shell and the lower end of the key are provided with a groove for placing the first permanent magnetic piece, the front of the groove in the plug shell is provided with a cavity for placing the locking piece and limiting the sliding of the locking piece, the front end of the cavity is provided with a front opening for the front end of the locking piece to extend out, the cavity and the groove are physically isolated, the second permanent magnetic piece is embedded in the rear end of the locking piece, the first permanent magnetic piece is arranged in the groove and can reverse the front and rear magnetic poles with the forward and backward movement of the key, when the key is moved forward to the limit position, the front end magnetic pole of the first permanent magnetic piece and the rear end magnetic pole of the second permanent magnetic piece are the same, the locking piece is moved forward to be locked with the locking slot of the socket, when the key is moved backward to the limit position, the first permanent magnetic piece is reversed, the front end magnetic pole of the first permanent magnetic piece and the rear end magnetic pole of the second permanent magnetic piece are opposite, and the locking piece is moved backward to be unlocked with the locking slot of the socket.

2. The permanent magnet latching structure of claim 1, wherein: The plug shell is divided into three sections, the front section is a tapered cylindrical plug-in section connected with the socket, the rear section is an external thread connection section connected with the tail cover, the key is arranged in the middle section of the plug shell, the front opening of the cavity is arranged close to the plug-in section, and a waterproof ring is arranged on the front end face of the middle section.

3. The permanent magnet latching structure of claim 2, wherein: The left and right ends of the first permanent magnetic piece are provided with rotating shafts, the left and right inner walls of the groove are provided with shaft holes corresponding to the rotating shafts, gears are mounted on the rotating shafts, and the lower end of the key is provided with a rack engaged with the gears. When the key moves forward and backward, the rack drives the gears to rotate, thereby realizing the reversal of the front and rear magnetic poles of the first permanent magnetic piece.

4. The permanent magnet latching structure of claim 3, wherein: The upper end of the key seat is a guide structure with a longitudinal section in the shape of a trapezoid, the rear end of the key is an opening with a trapezoidal slot hole matched with the trapezoidal guide structure of the key seat, the key is movably arranged on the key seat through the trapezoidal slot hole matched with the key seat, a spring is arranged between the key and the key seat to make the key always move forward and make the locking piece always move forward to be locked with the socket.

5. The permanent magnet latching structure of claim 4, wherein: The forward and backward movement of the key is limited by the limit blocks protruding from the left and right sides of the rear end of the key, and the plug shell is concavely provided with corresponding limit grooves.

6. A waterproof connector, the connector comprising a plug and a socket, characterised in that: The plug has the permanent magnetic locking structure of any one of claims 1-5, and an inner core assembly is arranged in the plug shell.

7. The waterproof connector according to claim 6, wherein: A wire clamp is arranged in the plug shell, the tail cover is connected with the rear section of the plug shell in a threaded connection manner, a tail cover waterproof ring is arranged between the tail cover and the plug shell, and a cable waterproof ring is arranged in the tail cover at a position corresponding to the rear opening of the tail cover.

8. The waterproof connector according to claim 7, characterized by: Positioning clamping blocks are annularly and spacedly arranged on the outer wall of the front end of the plug, and L-shaped positioning slots are concavely arranged on the inner wall of the socket for the positioning clamping blocks to be inserted and rotationally positioned.

9. The waterproof connector according to claim 8, characterized by: An inner end face waterproof ring is arranged in the socket.

10. The waterproof connector according to claim 9, characterized by: The connector is an end face waterproof power connector reaching IP67 level.

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