Modular electric connector and assembling method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular electric connector, comprising: a frame provided with an upper chamber and a lower chamber; the insulator upper cover is detachably fixed in the upper cavity through a first fastener, and the insulator upper cover is provided with a plurality of first through holes; the insulator base is detachably fixed in the lower cavity through a second fastener, and the insulator base is provided with a plurality of second through holes; the pin sleeve is inserted into the second through hole of the insulator base, and the lower end of the pin sleeve is used for being electrically connected with peripheral equipment; the lower part of the conductive element is arranged in the upper end of the pin sleeve, and the upper part of the conductive element is arranged in the first through hole of the insulator upper cover in a penetrating manner and is used for being in butt joint with complementary side electric connection equipment; the insulator upper cover is of an integrally-formed structure, and the insulator upper cover is detached through the first fastener so as to complete replacement of the conductive element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of industrial automation technology, particularly the field of robotics, and specifically relates to a modular electrical connector and its assembly method. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial automation, particularly in robotics applications, tool changing systems are key components for achieving flexible manufacturing. They allow robotic arms to quickly switch between different end effectors (such as welding torches, grippers, and vision sensors). Besides mechanical locking, reliable electrical connections are essential for switching tool functions, transmitting power, control signals, and data communication.

[0003] As the signal and energy transmission hub in a system, the stability of electrical connectors directly determines the overall performance and reliability of the tool change system. In high-speed, high-precision automated operations, any momentary signal interruption, impedance change, or current fluctuation caused by vibration, wear during insertion and removal, or misalignment can lead to control command errors, sensor data loss, or even interruption of the entire production cycle. Therefore, electrical connectors with high physical mating accuracy and reliable electrical contact are the fundamental prerequisite for achieving rapid and seamless tool changeover and ensuring long-term stable system operation.

[0004] Existing technologies typically have the following problems and drawbacks: 1) Complex Structure and Difficult Assembly: Many existing electrical connectors employ an integrated or non-modular design, with internal conductive components (pins / coils) tightly coupled to the insulating shell. This design means that damage to any single component (such as wear from insertion / removal, or arcing) cannot be repaired locally in the field; the entire connector assembly must be removed from the equipment and returned to the manufacturer for repair. This process not only causes lengthy production downtime but also forces users to bear the cost of replacing the entire module for minor local faults and faces the risk of secondary damage to surrounding intact components during complex disassembly and assembly, resulting in exceptionally high life-cycle maintenance costs.

[0005] 2) Limited connection density and reliability: In pursuit of structural strength, the insulating shell of traditional connectors is often designed as a single piece, which restricts the layout density of conductive channels within the limited installation space. At the same time, under high-density layout, due to the accumulation of tolerances and the difficulty in ensuring mating alignment, it is very easy to cause excessive contact resistance of individual pins, signal attenuation, or even pin bending or damage during mating, which directly affects the stability and reliability of electrical signal transmission.

[0006] In summary, existing electrical connectors have failed to fully consider the needs of field maintenance and life cycle costs in their structural design, and generally suffer from the drawbacks of "minor faults, major repairs, and high costs," which has become a key bottleneck restricting the improvement of the overall efficiency and economic benefits of tool replacement systems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The main objective of this invention is to address the above-mentioned problems by providing a modular electrical connector and its assembly method that greatly simplifies the maintenance process, shortens downtime, and significantly reduces the maintenance cost throughout the equipment's lifecycle.

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a modular electrical connector, the main features of which are: The frame is configured with an upper chamber and a lower chamber. An insulator cover is detachably fixed in the upper chamber by a first fastener, and the insulator cover has several first through holes; An insulator base is detachably fixed in the lower chamber by a second fastener, and the insulator base has several second through holes; The needle sleeve is inserted into the second through hole of the insulator base, and the lower end of the needle sleeve is used to form an electrical connection with the peripheral equipment. A conductive element, the lower part of which is installed inside the upper end of the needle sleeve, and the upper part of which is inserted through the first through hole of the insulator cover, for docking with the complementary side electrical connection device. The insulator cover is a one-piece molded structure. The insulator cover is disassembled using the first fastener to replace the conductive component.

[0009] Preferably, there are no more than two first fasteners.

[0010] Preferably, the first fastener is a lock-on screw or a quick-lock fastener.

[0011] Preferably, the insulator cover is provided with an auxiliary disassembly hole for inserting an auxiliary disassembly tool.

[0012] Preferably, the interior of the insulator cover is provided with an embedded rigid body.

[0013] Preferably, the insulator cover and the insulator base are arranged along the same axis.

[0014] Preferably, the insulator base has two or more independent base modules.

[0015] Preferably, the frame is a one-piece molded frame, and the frame includes a side opening for connecting peripheral devices.

[0016] The present invention also provides an assembly method for the modular electrical connector described above, characterized in that the assembly method includes the following steps: Install the needle sleeve into the insulator base; The insulator base with the needle sleeve installed is fixed in the lower chamber of the frame; Insert the conductive element vertically into the needle sleeve from above; The insulator cover is fitted from top to bottom and passes through the conductive element, and then fixed in the upper chamber of the frame to form a separate conductive contact system.

[0017] Preferably, the needle sleeve is first electrically connected to the cable of the peripheral equipment, and then the insulator base with the needle sleeve installed is fixed in the lower cavity of the frame.

[0018] The modular electrical connector and its assembly method of the present invention, through a modular layered frame structure, sets the insulator cover and the insulator base as independent, quick-disassembly modules, thereby realizing the rapid replacement and maintenance of a single probe (or pin sleeve), greatly simplifying the maintenance process, shortening downtime, and significantly reducing the total life cycle maintenance cost of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figures 1 to 4 This is a schematic diagram of the tool-side modular electrical connector of the present invention.

[0020] Figures 5 to 6 This is a schematic diagram of the robot-side modular electrical connector of the present invention.

[0021] Figures 7 to 8 This is a schematic diagram of the insulator cover in the tool-side modular electrical connector of the present invention.

[0022] Figures 9 to 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the insulator cover in the robot-side modular electrical connector of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the insulator base in the modular electrical connector of the present invention.

[0024] Figures 12 to 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the tool-side modular electrical connector and the robot-side modular electrical connector of the present invention are connected. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To provide a clearer understanding of the technical content of this invention, the following embodiments are provided in detail. However, it is important to note that these descriptions are merely for further illustrating the features and advantages of this invention, and not for limiting the scope of the claims.

[0026] like Figures 1 to 13 The image shows an embodiment of the modular electrical connector of the present invention. Wherein, Figures 1 to 4 This is a schematic diagram of the modular electrical connector for the tool side according to the present invention. Figures 5 to 6This is a schematic diagram of the electrical connector for the robot side according to the present invention. The tool-side modular electrical connector has conductive contact elements protruding from its plane, forming a plug. The robot-side modular electrical connector has conductive contact elements forming a socket. The conductive contact elements are completely surrounded by insulating material. The tool-side and robot-side modular electrical connectors are used together to provide a conductive plug connection. This solves the core problems of difficult maintenance and high maintenance costs of electrical connection equipment in existing tool change systems.

[0027] In the illustrations of this invention, the same numerical designation represents the same component. The suffix 'a' of the numerical designation indicates a component of the tool-side modular electrical connector, the suffix 'b' of the numerical designation indicates a component of the robot-side modular electrical connector, and the absence of a suffix in the numerical designation indicates that it can be either a tool-side modular electrical connector or a robot-side modular electrical connector.

[0028] The following uses a modular electrical connector on the tool side as an example to illustrate the components and their connection relationships, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the tool-side modular electrical connector includes: a frame 1a, with an upper chamber 23a and a lower chamber 24a; and an insulator cover 4a, detachably fixed in the upper chamber 23a by a first fastener 3a. In this embodiment, the insulator cover 4a is provided with mounting holes 4-2a for mounting the first fastener 3a. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the insulator cover 4a has several spaced-apart first through holes 4-1a; the insulator base 13a is detachably fixed in the lower chamber 24a by a second fastener 14a, as shown. Figure 11 As shown, the insulator base 13a has mounting holes 13-2 for mounting the second fastener 14a. The insulator base 13a has several spaced-apart second through holes 13-1. A pin sleeve 12a is inserted into the second through holes 13-1 of the insulator base 13a, and its lower end is used to form an electrical connection with peripheral equipment. A conductive element 5a, in the tool-side modular electrical connector, is a male pin; in the robot-side modular electrical connector, it is a female pin. The lower part of the conductive element 5a is installed inside the upper end of the pin sleeve 12a, and its upper part passes through the first through hole 4-1a of the insulator cover 4a for docking with the complementary-side electrical connection equipment to transmit electrical signals. Simultaneously, the insulator cover also provides limiting protection for the conductive element. This assembly method makes the replacement of male and female pins particularly convenient; only the cover needs to be removed to replace a single probe.

[0029] The first through hole 4-1a and the second through hole 13-1 correspond to each other and are collinear. The peripheral equipment and the needle sleeve can be pre-assembled by welding, and then the needle sleeve can be inserted from the bottom of the insulator base for assembly. The lower chamber of the frame has space and openings to facilitate the lead-out of the peripheral devices.

[0030] The insulator cover 4a is a one-piece molded structure. The insulator cover 4a is disassembled using the first fastener 3a to replace the conductive element 5a. This invention, by setting the insulator cover and insulator base as independent, quickly detachable modules, enables rapid replacement and maintenance of single probes (or needle sleeves), greatly simplifying the maintenance process, shortening downtime, and significantly reducing the total lifecycle maintenance cost of the equipment.

[0031] In this embodiment, the male and female pins are connected by a plug to transmit electrical signals. There are 19 pins on each side, which can transmit control signals, servo signals, bus signals, etc. They can be transmitted uniformly or in several pins to correspond to different signals.

[0032] In this embodiment, there are two first fasteners 3a, which can be anti-loosening screws or quick-lock fasteners. The top cover can be quickly installed and removed using the two anti-loosening screws. The second fastener can also be an anti-fall-out pin, which can also achieve quick installation and removal while allowing for a slight amount of movement.

[0033] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the insulator cover 4a on the tool side is provided with an auxiliary disassembly hole 4-4a for inserting an auxiliary disassembly tool. Specifically, after removing the anti-loosening screw, a hook can be inserted through the auxiliary disassembly hole 4-4a and pulled upwards to resist the friction between the insulator cover and the inner wall of the upper cavity, thus achieving quick disassembly of the insulator cover. Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the insulator cover on the robot side can be directly pinched off by hand after the anti-loosening screws are removed. Therefore, the insulator cover on the robot side does not need to be provided with auxiliary disassembly holes 4-4a.

[0034] like Figures 7 to 10 As shown, embedded rigid bodies 4-3a and 4-3b are respectively provided inside the insulator cover 4a on the tool side and robot side, which serve as load-bearing bodies for the conductive elements, i.e., male and female pins, and can be made of metal materials.

[0035] like Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, the insulator cover 4a and the insulator base 13a are arranged along the same axis.

[0036] In this embodiment, the insulator base 13a has two independent base modules to facilitate independent disassembly, replacement, and interchangeability of individual modules. Both the tool-side and robot-side insulator bases are independent, while the tool-side and robot-side insulator covers are integral. The insulator cover and base are made of a non-conductive material, such as rubber. The insulator base also features a foolproof structure 13-3, which straightens the two sides of the cylindrical insulator base to facilitate positioning during installation. The tool-side and robot-side bases are structurally identical.

[0037] The frame 1a is a one-piece molded frame 1a, including a side opening forming a side channel 25a for connecting peripheral equipment. The frame 1a also includes a guide device 26a to facilitate rapid positioning during docking of the two sides. The frame structure on the tool side is basically the same as that on the robot side. The upper chamber is used to install the insulator cover, the lower chamber is used to install the insulator base and can accommodate cables connected to peripheral equipment, and the side channel is used to connect peripheral equipment such as DIP switches. The frame can be made of aluminum alloy.

[0038] The frame is also equipped with a sealing ring 2a, which docks with the robot's side guide device and undergoes elastic deformation under pressure to form an effective end face seal, ensuring the IP protection level of the docking interface.

[0039] Frame 1a is also equipped with a connector cover plate 19a. Screws 18a are used to fasten the connector cover plate 19a to the frame 1a. The connector cover plate 19a is used to install gland heads 20a and 21a for connecting peripheral equipment. The connector cover plate sealing gasket 22a is used for sealing between the connector cover plate 19a and the frame 1a. Screws 15a are used to fasten the rear cover plate 16a, which is used for overall structural installation. The rear cover plate sealing gasket 17a is used for sealing between the rear cover plate 16a and the frame 1a. Screws 6a are used to fix the frame 1a in place. Positioning sleeve 7a is used to position the frame 1a. Screws 8a are used to fix the transparent cover plate 9a in place. The transparent cover plate 9a is used to enclose peripheral equipment. The sealing gasket 10a is used for sealing between the transparent cover plate 9a and the frame 1a. Screws 11a are used to fasten the grounding terminal.

[0040] After the installation reference is established, the modular electrical connector of the present invention first assembles the conductive structure: the insulator base is fixedly installed in the lower cavity of the frame with screws; after the pin sleeve is connected to the peripheral device, the pin sleeve is inserted from the bottom of the insulator base for fixation; the male pin of the conductive element and the female pin of the conductive element on the other side device are vertically inserted into the pin sleeve and the pin sleeve, and the male and female pins are connected to transmit electrical signals; the insulator cover is vertically passed through the conductive element through its upper through hole and fixedly installed in the upper cavity of the frame with screws, and the insulator cover has an embedded rigid body; both the insulator cover and the insulator base are made of electrically insulating material; Next, the closed structure is assembled: the end face sealing ring is installed on the frame to achieve static sealing after docking; the connector cover is fastened to the rear of the frame with screws, and a sealing gasket is placed between it and the frame for sealing; the connector cover is provided with various types of mounting holes such as gland heads or other connectors for connecting peripheral equipment and achieving waterproof and pull-out prevention; the transparent cover is pressed with screws to the transparent cover sealing gasket on the side channel of the frame to achieve sealing such as a DIP switch; the rear cover is pressed with screws to the rear cover sealing gasket on the frame for overall sealing; Finally, the device is positioned on the quick-change plate using the positioning sleeve and then locked in place with screws.

[0041] This hierarchical assembly logic from the inside out, combined with a modular maintenance solution (such as removing the insulator cover by simply removing two screws to replace the male pin), enables the equipment to maintain high-density connection performance while also improving the product's engineering practicality and reliability.

[0042] The present invention also provides an assembly method for the modular electrical connector described above, characterized in that the assembly method includes the following steps: Install the needle sleeve into the insulator base; The insulator base with the needle sleeve installed is fixed in the lower chamber of the frame; Insert the male and female needles vertically into their respective needle sleeves from above; The insulator cover is fitted from top to bottom and passed through the male and female pins, and then fixed in the upper chamber of the frame, thereby limiting the conductive element with the insulator cover and forming a separate conductive contact system.

[0043] Before fixing the insulator base to the lower chamber, the needle sleeve is electrically connected to the cable of the peripheral device; the step of fixing the insulator cover to the upper chamber is to use anti-loosening screws for locking; after fixing the insulator cover, the step further includes installing an end face sealing ring to the mating end face of the frame; using a connector cover plate and gland to form a cable interface for the peripheral device on the frame; and / or using a transparent cover plate to form an observation and interface for the peripheral device on the side channel of the frame.

[0044] The modular electrical connector and its assembly method of this invention significantly improve the maintainability of the equipment and greatly reduce the life cycle cost through an innovative modular architecture. Specifically, the insulator cover is secured with two anti-loosening screws. This design makes the installation and removal of the cover extremely simple. When a single probe needs to be replaced, maintenance personnel only need to remove these two screws to remove the entire cover module from the frame and then replace the faulty probe. This achieves precise local maintenance and avoids the drawback of traditional structures where minor damage can render the entire connector unusable, greatly saving spare parts costs and maintenance time. This maintenance-oriented design concept fundamentally solves the core pain points of inconvenient and costly maintenance of existing electrical connection equipment, ensuring high availability of the equipment.

[0045] Through the above-mentioned systematic and innovative design, this invention successfully solves the industry pain points of traditional electrical connection equipment, such as difficult maintenance, high maintenance costs, and long downtime, and provides a high-performance and easy-to-maintain electrical connection solution for industrial robot tool changing systems.

[0046] In this specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. However, it will be apparent that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, this specification should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A modular electrical connector characterized by, The utility model relates to a detachable electric contact system, comprising: a frame, which sets up an upper chamber and a lower chamber; an insulator upper cover, which is detachably fixed in the upper chamber by a first fastener, the insulator upper cover having a plurality of first through holes; an insulator base, which is detachably fixed in the lower chamber by a second fastener, the insulator base having a plurality of second through holes; a needle sleeve, which is inserted into the second through holes of the insulator base, the lower end of the needle sleeve being used to form an electrical connection with peripheral equipment; a conductive element, the lower part of the conductive element being mounted in the upper end of the needle sleeve, the upper part of the conductive element being provided through the first through holes of the insulator upper cover, used to form a butt joint with a complementary side electrical connection device; the insulator upper cover is an integral structure, and the insulator upper cover is detached by the first fastener to complete replacement of the conductive element.

2. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The first fastener is not more than two.

3. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The first fastener is a non-removal screw or a quick-lock fastener.

4. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The insulator upper cover is provided with an auxiliary detachment hole, used to extend into an auxiliary detachment tool.

5. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The interior of the insulator upper cover is provided with an embedded rigid body.

6. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The insulator upper cover and the insulator base are arranged along the same axis.

7. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The insulator base has two or more independent base modules.

8. The modular electrical connector of claim 1, wherein, The frame is an integral frame, and the frame includes a side opening, used to connect peripheral equipment.

9. A method of assembling a modular electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that, The assembly method comprises the following steps: mounting the needle sleeve into the insulator base; fixing the insulator base with the needle sleeve in the lower chamber of the frame; vertically inserting the conductive element into the needle sleeve from above; sleeving and passing the conductive element from above to below, and then fixing the insulator upper cover in the upper chamber of the frame, forming an upper and lower separated conductive contact system.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, First, the needle sleeve is electrically connected with the cable of the peripheral equipment, and then the insulator base with the needle sleeve is fixed in the lower chamber of the frame.

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