Floating connector

Abstract

A floating connector includes an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder, and contact elements. The inner cylinder has a mating channel with an opening and a central axis. The inner cylinder is disposed within the outer cylinder. The contact element comprises multiple elastic arms, multiple bias arms, and a fixing portion integrally connecting the elastic arms and corresponding bias arms. The fixing portion is fixed to the inner cylinder. The elastic arms are disposed within the mating channel and around the central axis. The bias arms provide elasticity, allowing the inner cylinder to move biased within the outer cylinder. Compared to existing technologies, the contact element of this invention integrally forms multiple bias arms, which provide elasticity, allowing the inner cylinder to float within the outer cylinder. This saves on pressure-applying components and allows for more precise control of the dimensions of each component.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electronic device technology, and more particularly to a floating connector. Background Technology

[0002] CN115084900A discloses a floating receptacle connector. The receptacle connector includes a base, a barrel, and a pressure-applying element. The base is configured to be mounted to a component, having opposite first and second ends. The base defines a first channel extending along a first direction and opening to at least one of the first and second ends. The barrel is configured to hold a contact, and is also configured to move within the base. The barrel has opposite first and second ends, defining a second channel extending along the first direction to at least one of the first and second ends. The second channel is defined by an inner surface of a wall within the first channel. The barrel is configured to be held by the base such that it cannot be separated from the base. The pressure-applying element is configured to maintain an electrical connection between the base and the barrel, thereby maintaining an electrical connection between the component and the contact. The additional pressure-applying element complicates the connector structure, increases the number of components, and poses challenges to the precise control of the positional relationships between the components. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a floating connector with a simple structure.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a floating connector, comprising an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder, and contact elements, wherein the inner cylinder is provided with a mating channel, the mating channel having an opening and a central axis, and the inner cylinder is disposed within the outer cylinder; the contact elements include multiple elastic arms, multiple bias arms, and a fixing part integrally connecting the elastic arms and corresponding bias arms, the fixing part being fixed to the inner cylinder, the elastic arms being disposed within the mating channel and arranged around the central axis, and the bias arms providing elasticity so that the inner cylinder can be biased and moved within the outer cylinder.

[0005] Compared with the prior art, the contact element of the present invention is integrally formed with multiple bias arms, which provide elasticity, thus saving pressure application elements and allowing for more precise control of the dimensions of each element. Attached Figure Description

[0006] The following are descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention: Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the floating connector according to the first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the floating connector after it is mated with the plug; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view along the dashed line AA; Figure 4 for Figure 1 Another perspective of the exploded 3D view; Figure 5 for Figure 1 Another perspective of the exploded 3D view; Figure 6 This is a perspective view of four inner cylinders and contact components, with one of the metal terminals being disassembled. Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the floating connector according to the second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 for Figure 7 A three-dimensional view of the inner cylinder and contact components, showing one of the metal terminals disassembled; Figure 9 for Figure 8 A three-dimensional image from another angle; and Figure 10 for Figure 9 A bottom view.

[0007] The following is a description of the component symbols: Floating connectors 100, 100A Outer cylinder 10, upper inner wall 111, lower inner wall 112 Upper base 12, cylindrical ring 121, upper wall plate 122, vertical floating cavity 123 Lower base 13, bottom plate 131, side wall plate 132, horizontal floating cavity 133, opening 134 Inner cylinder 20, docking channel 21, opening 211, top surface 221, bottom surface 222 23 ring groove, 24 cylindrical part, 241 recessed part, 25 convex ring Contact 30, metal terminals 30A and 30B Elastic arm 31, contact part 311 Offset arm 32, fixing part 33, horizontal plate 34, additional part 35 First vertical plate 361, second vertical plate 362 200 inserts Central axis X YY in the horizontal direction. Detailed Implementation

[0008] The technical solutions of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 1-6In a first embodiment of the present invention, a floating connector 100 is provided. The floating connector 100 is used to be permanently mounted on an external component. A mating post 200 is inserted into the floating connector 100 to achieve an electrical path. The floating connector 100 includes an outer cylinder 10, an inner cylinder 20, and a contact member 30. The inner cylinder 20 has a mating channel 21 with an opening 211 and a central axis X. The inner cylinder 20 is disposed within the outer cylinder 10. The contact member 30 includes a plurality of elastic arms 31, a plurality of biasing arms 32, and a fixing part 33 integrally connecting the elastic arms 31 and the corresponding biasing arms 32. The fixing part 33 is fixed to the inner cylinder 20. The elastic arms 31 are disposed within the mating channel 21 of the inner cylinder and are arranged around the central axis X. The biasing arms 32 provide elasticity so that the inner cylinder 20 can be biased and moved within the outer cylinder 10. In this invention, the contact element 3 is integrally formed with multiple bias arms 32, which provide elasticity so that the inner cylinder 20 can float within the outer cylinder 10. This can save pressure application elements and at the same time allow for more precise control of the dimensions of each element.

[0010] Generally, the outer cylinder 10 is immovably mounted on external components such as printed circuit boards, flexible circuit boards, or busbars. The mating pins 200 can be inserted into and removed from the mating channel 21, thereby achieving electrical connection and disconnection. When the pins 200 are inserted into the mating channel 21 through the opening 211 on the top surface, there may be a certain deviation. Under the action of the offset arm 32, the inner cylinder 10 can move relative to the outer cylinder 10. Thus, even if the insertion of the pins 200 causes displacement of the inner cylinder, the outer cylinder 10 still maintains a good fixed position with the external component. Figure 3 As shown, there is a gap between the inner cylinder 20 and the outer cylinder 10 in the horizontal direction YY perpendicular to the central axis X, as... Figure 3 The portions indicated by arrows labeled 123 and 133 allow the inner cylinder 20 and outer cylinder 10 to move horizontally. The inner cylinder 10 also has a certain gap with the outer cylinder 10 in the X-axis direction. The inner cylinder 10 is supported by the offset arm 32, and it will also move downwards to a certain extent when the insert 200 is inserted and pressed downwards. The elasticity of the offset arm 32 will automatically compensate for the displacement deviation.

[0011] In this embodiment, the inner cylinder 20 has a top surface 221 and a bottom surface 222, with an opening 211 on the top surface 221. The fixing part 33 is fixed to the bottom surface 222 of the inner cylinder by laser spot welding. This permanently connects the contact part 30 to the bottom surface 222, providing stable dimensions and reliability during floating, and preventing improper jamming. In other embodiments, it can be fixed to the bottom surface 222 of the inner cylinder by adhesive or other means.

[0012] In the optimized configuration, the outer cylinder 10 is provided with an upper inner wall 111 and a lower inner wall 112, the inner cylinder 20 is constrained between the upper inner wall 111 and the lower inner wall 112, and the bias arm 32 presses down against the lower inner wall 112 to provide elasticity.

[0013] In this embodiment, each elastic arm 31, a corresponding bias arm 32, and a corresponding fixing part 33 constitute an independent metal terminal 30A. Multiple metal terminals 30A are arranged around the central axis X to form a contact element 30. It can be seen that the multiple single-piece metal terminals in this embodiment are arranged in a ring, which makes dimensional accuracy easier to control. At the same time, the number of independent metal terminals can be adjusted according to the current magnitude. In this embodiment, twenty-four independent metal terminals 30A are provided to increase current transmission. In other embodiments, multiple elastic arms are independent of each other, while multiple fixing parts are integrally connected and fixed to the bottom surface 222 of the inner cylinder, and multiple bias arms extend integrally from the fixing parts.

[0014] In this optimized configuration, each metal terminal 30A is formed by bending a metal plate. The upper end of its elastic arm 31 is bent to form a contact portion 311, and the lower end of the elastic arm 31 is bent outward to form a horizontal plate 34. An offset arm 32 is formed by stamping out from the horizontal plate 34 and tilting downward. The horizontal plate 34 is fixed to the bottom surface 222 of the inner cylinder. In this embodiment, the metal terminals are molded terminals, and the gap between adjacent metal terminals 30A along their arrangement direction is smaller than the wall thickness of the metal terminal material itself.

[0015] In an optimized design, the metal terminal 30A is bent upwards from the outer edge of the horizontal plate 34 to form an additional portion 35, which is attached to the outer wall of the inner cylinder. This helps to further secure the metal terminal. For example, the additional portion 35 can be laser-welded.

[0016] In this embodiment, the outer cylinder 10 is formed by assembling an upper base 12 and a lower base 13. The lower base 13 includes a bottom plate 131 and a side wall plate 132 extending upward from the bottom plate. The upper base 12 includes a cylindrical ring 121 and an upper wall plate 122 extending outward from the cylindrical ring 121. When the upper base 12 is assembled to the lower base 13, the cylindrical ring 121 is located inside the side wall plate, and the upper wall plate 122 sits on the upper surface of the side wall plate, thereby forming a horizontal floating cavity 133. A vertical floating cavity 123 penetrating vertically is provided inside the cylindrical ring 121. The inner cylinder 20 includes a cylindrical portion 24 and a protruding ring 25 integrally extending outward from the cylindrical portion 24. The cylindrical portion 24 passes through the vertical floating cavity 123, and the protruding ring 25 is housed within the horizontal floating cavity 133. The cylindrical portion 24 and the protruding ring 25 of the inner cylinder have movement space in both the horizontal direction and the central axis direction, and can automatically compensate for movement under the action of the offset arm 32. After multiple metal terminals 30A are fixed in the inner cylinder 10, they are placed in the lower base 13, and then the upper base is installed on the lower base. The upper wall plate 122 and the upper surface of the side wall plate 132 can be fixed by laser spot welding.

[0017] In the optimized design, the bottom surface of the convex ring 25 is coplanar with the bottom surface of the cylindrical part 24, forming the bottom surface 222 of the inner cylinder. The horizontal plate 34 of the metal terminal 30A is attached to the bottom surface 222 and fixed by spot welding, so that no additional parts are required for fixing.

[0018] In an optimized design, the upper wall plate 122 of the upper base is coplanar with the cylindrical ring 121, thereby reducing the height of the connector while ensuring functionality.

[0019] In an optimized configuration, the base plate 131 may be further provided with an opening 133 for a longer pin 200 to pass through.

[0020] Figure 7-10 The floating connector 100A of the second embodiment of the present invention has a structure that is largely the same as that of the first embodiment. The main differences are described below. An opening 211 is provided on the top surface 221, and an annular groove 23 is provided on the bottom surface 222 of the inner cylinder. The fixing part 33 is fixed in the annular groove 23.

[0021] In this embodiment, each metal terminal 30B is formed by cutting a metal plate. The lower end of the elastic arm is bent outward to form a first vertical plate 361 and a second vertical plate 362 that bends inward parallel from the first vertical plate 361. The biasing arm 32 extends downward at an incline from the lower edge of the first vertical plate 361 and the second vertical plate 362. Each metal terminal has two biasing arms 32, which makes the elastic support more stable. In this embodiment, the metal terminals are blanking terminals, and the gap along the annular arrangement direction is smaller than the thickness of the metal terminal material itself.

[0022] In an optimized configuration, the first vertical plate 361 and the second vertical plate 361 are confined within the annular groove 23 to form a fixing portion 33. Multiple monolithic metal terminals are arranged in a ring, providing a high number of flexible arms and contact portions; in this embodiment, fifty metal terminals are provided.

[0023] In the optimized configuration, the first vertical plate 361 and the second vertical plate 362 of adjacent metal terminals 30B elastically abut against each other, thereby reducing contact resistance and improving the positioning of each metal terminal in the interconnection. In an optimized configuration, the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 24 is further provided with a recess 241 at the position corresponding to the elastic arm 31 to provide horizontal movement space for the elastic arm.

[0024] The above description is only a partial embodiment of the present invention, not all embodiments. Any equivalent changes to the technical solutions of the present invention made by those skilled in the art through reading the present invention specification are covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A floating connector comprising an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder and a contact, the inner cylinder being provided with a mating channel, the mating channel being provided with an opening and a center axis, the inner cylinder being arranged in the outer cylinder and floating in the inner cylinder; characterized in that, The contact element includes multiple elastic arms, multiple bias arms, and a fixing part integrally connecting the elastic arms and the corresponding bias arms. The fixing part is fixed to the inner cylinder. The elastic arms are arranged in the docking channel around the central axis. The bias arms provide elasticity so that the inner cylinder can be biased and moved within the outer cylinder.

2. The floating connector of claim 1, wherein: The inner cylinder has a top surface and a bottom surface, the opening is located on the top surface, and the fixing part is fixed to the bottom surface of the inner cylinder by laser welding or adhesive.

3. The floating connector of claim 1, wherein: The inner cylinder has a top surface and a bottom surface, the opening is located on the top surface, the bottom surface of the inner cylinder has an annular groove, and the fixing part is fixed in the annular groove.

4. The floating connector of claim 1, wherein: The outer cylinder has an upper inner wall and a lower inner wall, and the inner cylinder is constrained between the upper inner wall and the lower inner wall; the offset arm presses downward against the lower inner wall to provide elasticity.

5. The floating connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Each of the elastic arms, a corresponding bias arm, and a corresponding fixing part constitutes an independent metal terminal, and a plurality of the metal terminals are arranged around the central axis to form the contact.

6. The floating connector as described in claim 5, characterized in that: Each of the metal terminals is formed by bending a metal plate, with the upper end of its elastic arm bent to form a contact portion, the lower end of the elastic arm bent outward to form a horizontal plate, the bias arm being punched out from the horizontal plate and inclined downward, and the horizontal plate being fixed to the bottom surface of the inner cylinder to form the fixing portion.

7. The floating connector as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The metal terminal bends upward from the outer edge of the horizontal plate to form an additional portion, which is attached to the outer wall surface of the inner cylinder.

8. The floating connector as described in claim 5, characterized in that: Each of the metal terminals is formed by cutting a metal plate. The lower end of the elastic arm bends outward to form a first vertical plate and a second vertical plate that bends inward parallel from the first vertical plate. The lower edges of the first vertical plate and the second vertical portion extend downward to form the bias arm. The inner cylinder has a top surface and a bottom surface, the opening is located on the top surface, and the bottom surface of the inner cylinder has an annular groove. The first vertical plate and the second vertical plate are confined within the annular groove to form the fixing part.

9. The floating connector as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The first vertical plate and the second vertical plate of the adjacent metal terminals elastically abut against each other.

10. The floating connector as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The outer cylinder includes an upper base and a lower base. The lower base includes a bottom plate and a side wall plate extending upward from the bottom plate. The upper base includes a cylindrical ring and an upper wall plate extending outward from the cylindrical ring. The cylindrical ring is located inside the side wall plate, and the upper wall plate sits on the upper surface of the side wall plate. Thus, a horizontal floating cavity is formed between the cylindrical ring and the bottom plate. The cylindrical ring is provided with a vertically extending floating cavity; The inner cylinder includes a cylindrical portion and a convex ring integrally extending outward from the cylindrical portion; The cylindrical portion passes through the vertical floating cavity, and the convex ring is housed within the horizontal floating cavity.

11. The floating connector as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The bottom surface of the convex ring is coplanar with the bottom surface of the cylindrical part, forming the bottom surface of the inner cylinder.

Images