A plug-in contact assembly, a connector socket, a connector assembly

Abstract

This invention discloses an insert-type contact assembly, a connector socket, and a connector assembly. The insert-type contact assembly includes sequentially mating springs, a steel shell, and a connecting strip. The springs are sequentially divided into a contact area, a transition area, and a connection area along the insertion direction. The contact area has multiple sets of opposing elastic cantilever arms. The cantilever bodies are arranged without gaps in the projection direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the contact ends are arranged with gaps. The contact ends are staggered back and forth along the insertion direction, and the cantilever bodies are staggered up and down along the perpendicular insertion direction. The transition area has a connecting strip positioning and stopping structure, and the connection area has a stopping groove. The steel shell achieves axial limiting by internally assembled barbs and the stopping groove. This invention improves contact density and current carrying capacity within a limited space through the refined arrangement of elastic cantilever arms and the coordinated assembly of core components, enhances conductivity, optimizes insertion and extraction forces, improves assembly convenience, stability, and structural reliability, reduces costs and weight, and is suitable for scenarios such as batch testing of new energy vehicles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrical connector technology, and more particularly to an insert contact assembly, a connector socket using the contact assembly, and a connector assembly including the socket. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, energy storage, and industrial testing industries, high-current electrical connectors, as core components for power transmission, face continuously increasing demands on their current-carrying capacity, mating efficiency, structural reliability, cost control, and scenario adaptability. Especially in batch testing scenarios within the new energy industry, traditional threaded locking high-current connectors require torque tools for assembly, which is time-consuming. Uneven torque can lead to fluctuations in contact resistance, interfering with the accuracy of test data. Furthermore, it demands high operator skills, significantly increasing testing costs and maintenance burdens. Therefore, the industry urgently needs a tool-free, manual, rapid mating product with high current carrying capacity, low contact resistance, high assembly reliability, and low cost.

[0003] Prior art: Chinese patent application CN120414135A, entitled "A Low-Cost Sheet Contact Socket Structure", discloses a sheet contact including a conductive body and a steel shell. The conductive body is divided into an elastic region, a transition region and a termination region. The elastic region is arranged in layers by tearing process to make the spring claws cantilevered, and the contacts are staggered along the insertion direction, thereby increasing the number of contacts within a limited width and improving the current carrying capacity. At the same time, the transition region and the termination region can be made of copper-aluminum composite material to achieve cost control.

[0004] However, after in-depth analysis, this existing technology has the following unavoidable core technical defects:

[0005] The lack of refined spatial arrangement and structural design for the elastic cantilever resulted in gaps between the cantilever bodies and low material utilization in the width direction of the spring, making it impossible to maximize the number of cantilever bodies and increase contact density within a limited installation space. Furthermore, the lack of differentiated arrangement design between the cantilever bodies and the contact ends made it impossible to balance the elastic deformation space and material utilization, leading to large fluctuations in the positive contact force, unstable contact resistance, poor optimization of the insertion and extraction force curve, and an inability to guarantee the electrical performance stability during long-term insertion and extraction.

[0006] The lack of a precise assembly and positioning structure for the connecting strip means there is no insertion limit when assembling the connecting strip with the conductive body, which can easily lead to problems such as excessive or incomplete assembly, poor assembly consistency, and high defect rate in mass production. At the same time, only a single axial limiting structure is set between the spring and the steel shell, which cannot achieve bidirectional axial limiting of the spring. During the insertion and removal process, the spring is prone to bidirectional movement, which can easily lead to loosening and poor contact after long-term use, resulting in insufficient structural reliability.

[0007] The reed structure design is simple, providing only an integrated conductive main body structure. It does not have a dual-configuration adaptation solution for integrated and assembled structures, which cannot meet the needs of mass automated production and flexible production of multiple specifications in small batches. Furthermore, the assembled structure lacks a reliable docking and positioning structure, making it difficult to guarantee assembly accuracy.

[0008] The steel shell structure has a single function, only providing basic support and limiting functions. The external assembly barbs and anti-deformation structure are not designed in a coordinated manner, which cannot provide reliable anti-deformation protection for the spring while ensuring stable engagement with the external sheath. At the same time, it does not integrate the combined functions of assembly status observation and secondary locking, and cannot meet the dual requirements of assembly error prevention and use anti-detachment, making it difficult to adapt to the use requirements of harsh vibration and impact scenarios such as vehicle and industrial testing.

[0009] The connector is not designed for standardization or customization, making it impossible to form a standardized assembly fit with springs of different configurations. The assembly positioning accuracy is low. At the same time, it does not provide adaptation solutions for multiple materials and structures, and cannot achieve a flexible balance between conductivity, cost, weight and installation space, resulting in poor adaptability to different scenarios.

[0010] It should be noted that the analysis of the above technical information is the result of creative labor. The detailed description of it in the background section is only intended to deepen the understanding of the non-obviousness of the overall background of this application by those skilled in the art, and should not be regarded as an admission or in any form an implication that the above technical information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0011] To address the aforementioned deficiencies and technical biases in existing technologies, this technical solution proposes an insert-type contact component, connector socket, and connector assembly. The technical problem to be solved is: how to maximize contact density and material utilization within a limited installation space, while simultaneously achieving high current carrying capacity, low cost and lightweight, high assembly precision and stable positioning structural reliability, and meeting the needs of tool-free manual quick insertion and removal in new energy batch testing scenarios.

[0012] The technical solution is as follows:

[0013] First, the present invention provides an insertable contact assembly, including a spring, a steel housing, and a connecting bar;

[0014] The spring is an elastic contact used to adapt to the pin to achieve electrical conduction. The spring is divided into a contact area, a transition area, and a connection area along the insertion direction of the pin. The transition area is reasonably bent to enhance the structural rigidity. The contact area is provided with multiple sets of oppositely arranged elastic cantilever arms. The cantilever bodies of adjacent elastic cantilever arms are arranged without gaps in the projection direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the contact ends of adjacent elastic cantilever arms are arranged with gaps in the projection direction. The contact ends of the multiple sets of elastic cantilever arms are staggered back and forth along the insertion direction, and the cantilever bodies of adjacent elastic cantilever arms are staggered in the up and down direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. The transition area is provided with a stop structure to limit the position of the connection row. The connection area is provided with a stop groove adapted to the steel shell.

[0015] The steel shell is sleeved on the outside of the spring, and the inner wall of the steel shell is provided with inwardly extending internal mounting barbs. The internal mounting barbs are adapted to and engaged with the stop groove to limit the axial relative displacement between the spring and the steel shell.

[0016] The connecting bar is electrically connected to the connecting area of ​​the spring sheet to enable the contact assembly to conduct to the external circuit.

[0017] Furthermore, the base width of the contact end of the elastic cantilever is smaller than the width of the cantilever body. Some of the contact ends of the elastic cantilever are provided with a local widening structure. The total width of the contact ends with the local widening structure is greater than the width of the cantilever body. The contact surfaces of each contact end and the contact surfaces of the local widening structures are all adapted to the arc-shaped contact surface of the outer wall of the pin.

[0018] Furthermore, the stop structure is an inwardly bent stop structure, which is used to limit the extreme position of the spring insert into the connecting strip; the end of the connecting area away from the contact area is provided with a U-shaped positioning groove, and the U-shaped opening direction of the U-shaped positioning groove is the same as the direction of the spring insert into the steel shell; the front end of the steel shell is provided with a tear-stop rib recessed into the interior of the steel shell, which is adapted to the U-shaped positioning groove to stop and limit the displacement of the spring relative to the steel shell in the insertion direction, and cooperates with the internal assembly barbs to realize the bidirectional axial positioning of the spring.

[0019] Furthermore, the spring is an integral structure or an assembled structure; the integral structure spring is an integrally formed cylindrical hollow structure, the connecting area at its rear end is a welding area adapted to the connecting bar, and the contact area at its front end is provided with several sets of upper and lower opposing elastic cantilever arms; the assembled structure spring includes two U-shaped structures arranged vertically and vertically, the two U-shaped structures are joined together to form a cylindrical hollow structure, the joining surfaces of the two U-shaped structures are respectively provided with adapted insertion protrusions and insertion grooves, and the rear ends of the two U-shaped structures are provided with positioning protrusions adapted to the connecting bar.

[0020] Furthermore, when the spring is an integral structure, the connecting area of ​​the spring and the connecting row are fixedly connected by welding, and the welding method is any one of laser welding, resistance welding or ultrasonic welding; when the spring is an assembled structure, the connecting row is provided with positioning through holes that are adapted to the positioning protrusions one by one. After the positioning protrusions are riveted and fixed to the corresponding positioning through holes, they are connected by laser welding, resistance welding or ultrasonic welding.

[0021] Furthermore, the steel shell is an integral stretch-formed structure or a bending-formed structure; the outer wall of the steel shell is provided with outwardly extending external mounting barbs through a tearing process, the position of the external mounting barbs corresponds vertically to the position of the elastic cantilever, and is used to snap and fix with the inner wall of the outer sheath, and anti-deformation ribs are provided on both sides of the opening corresponding to the external mounting barbs.

[0022] Furthermore, the side wall of the steel shell is provided with an observation locking hole that penetrates the shell. The observation locking hole corresponds to the assembly position of the spring and is used to observe the assembly state of the internal spring. The observation locking hole can be adapted to the hook structure of the outer sheath to achieve secondary locking with the outer sheath.

[0023] Furthermore, the connecting strip includes a standard connecting section adapted to the spring connecting area and an adapter section connected to an external circuit; the standard connecting section is provided with a positioning through hole adapted to the positioning protrusion of the assembled spring; the adapter section is any one of a standard structure with equal cross-section, a profile structure, or a variable thickness structure; the material of the connecting strip is any one of copper, aluminum, or copper-aluminum composite material.

[0024] Secondly, the present invention provides a connector socket, including an insulating socket housing, wherein at least one mounting cavity is provided inside the insulating socket housing, and an insertion contact component as described in any of the above claims is fixedly installed in the mounting cavity.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention provides a connector assembly, including the connector socket and the adapter plug described above. The adapter plug is fixedly provided with an adapter pin, which is pluggably inserted into the spring cavity of the insertable contact assembly along with the adapter plug, and makes electrical contact with the elastic cantilever.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following outstanding substantive features and significant technological advancements:

[0027] 1. This invention features a comprehensive and meticulous spatial arrangement and structural design for the elastic cantilever. Through a planar arrangement design of "cantilever bodies arranged without gaps in the projection direction and contact ends arranged with gaps," combined with a three-dimensional arrangement design of "contact ends staggered along the insertion direction and cantilever bodies staggered vertically along the perpendicular insertion direction," the width of the spring is maximized, improving material utilization. Within the same installation space, the number of contacts can be increased, effectively reducing contact resistance and significantly improving current carrying capacity. Simultaneously, the gap arrangement at the contact ends provides ample space for the elastic deformation of the cantilever, preventing interference between adjacent cantilever bodies during insertion and removal. This, combined with the double staggered arrangement, significantly optimizes the insertion and removal force curve, reducing peak insertion and removal force and enabling tool-free, rapid manual insertion and removal. This perfectly meets the efficiency requirements of batch testing scenarios in the new energy industry, fundamentally solving the core problems of low material utilization, limited contact density, unstable contact resistance, and poor insertion and removal force control in existing technologies.

[0028] 2. This invention constructs a collaborative structural system of precise positioning of the connecting strip and bidirectional axial limiting of the spring. Through the inward bending stop structure in the transition zone, the extreme position of the connecting strip inserted into the spring can be precisely limited. During assembly, the rear end of the connecting strip directly abuts against the bending stop structure, achieving precise blind insertion and avoiding problems of excessive or incomplete assembly. This improves assembly consistency and significantly reduces the defect rate in mass production. Simultaneously, the internal assembly barbs on the inner wall of the steel shell engage with the spring stop groove to limit the backward movement of the spring. The concave tear-stop rib at the front end of the steel shell, in conjunction with the U-shaped positioning groove of the spring, further limits the forward movement of the spring. These two elements work together to achieve complete bidirectional axial limiting of the spring within the steel shell, eliminating any movement gaps during insertion and removal. This fundamentally solves the problems of easy loosening and poor contact in existing single-limiting technologies, improving assembly accuracy, vibration and impact resistance, and significantly enhancing the structural reliability and service life of the product.

[0029] 3. This invention designs a dual-configuration spring solution: an integrated and an assembled type. The integrated type is a cylindrical, one-piece molded structure with no additional docking process, resulting in good structural consistency and suitability for mass automated production. The assembled type consists of two U-shaped structures precisely joined by interlocking protrusions and grooves, achieving high docking accuracy and allowing for flexible specification adjustment, suitable for flexible production of multiple specifications in small batches. Furthermore, differentiated connection schemes are designed for the two configurations: the integrated type uses welding for fixation, while the assembled type employs a dual fixation method of "riveting + welding," balancing assembly efficiency and connection reliability. This significantly expands the product's production adaptability range and solves the problem of existing spring structures being too simple to accommodate different production needs.

[0030] 4. The steel shell of this invention adopts a multi-functional integrated design. Externally assembled barbs are formed through a tearing process, with the barb positions corresponding vertically to the elastic cantilever. This allows for stable engagement with the external sheath while providing precise radial support for the elastic cantilever. Simultaneously, anti-over-deformation ribs are provided on both sides of the opening corresponding to the externally assembled barbs, eliminating the need for additional forming processes and achieving anti-over-deformation protection for the spring, preventing plastic deformation failure of the spring, and providing stable contact force for the elastic cantilever. The observation and locking holes on the side walls achieve both assembly status observation and secondary locking functions through a single structure, simplifying the steel shell forming process, reducing mold costs, and simultaneously meeting the dual requirements of assembly error prevention and anti-detachment during use. Compared to the single-function steel shells of existing technologies, the overall performance is significantly improved.

[0031] 5. The connector of this invention adopts a combination of standardized and customized design. The standard connector section achieves standardized adaptation with the assembled spring through positioning through holes, improving the assembly positioning accuracy. The customized adaptation section supports various structures such as equal cross-section, irregular profile, and variable thickness, as well as various materials such as copper, aluminum, and copper-aluminum composite. It can achieve a flexible balance between conductivity, cost, weight, and installation space. Compared with the pure copper solution, it can reduce weight and material cost, while adapting to different installation scenarios and external circuit connection requirements, greatly improving scenario adaptability. Attached Figure Description

[0032] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of this technical solution, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this technical solution. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the assembly of the insert-type contact component of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The main view;

[0035] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Top view;

[0036] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The right view;

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the integrated spring in this invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the U-shaped structure of the assembled spring in this invention;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the assembled spring in this invention;

[0040] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the assembled spring and connecting strip in the diagram;

[0041] Figure 9 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the steel shell structure;

[0042] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the irregular profile connecting row in this invention;

[0043] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the variable thickness connecting row in this invention;

[0044] Figure 12 This is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of the reed contact area in this invention;

[0045] The three-dimensional coordinate system in the figure is used to indicate the correspondence between the components in the various attached figures.

[0046] The correspondence between the markings and names of the components in the attached diagram is as follows:

[0047] 1-Adaptor pin, 2-Steel shell, 3-Spring, 4-Connecting bar, 31-Contact area, 32-Transition area, 33-Connecting area, 311-Elastic cantilever, 3111-Cantilever body, 3112-Contact end, 312-Partially widened structure, 321-Bending stop structure, 331-Stop groove, 332-U-shaped positioning groove, 333-Positioning protrusion, 334-Plug-in protrusion, 335-Plug-in groove, 34-Hollow cavity, 41-Standard connecting section, 42-Adaptor section, 411-Positioning through hole, 21-Internal assembly barb, 22-Tear stop rib, 23-External assembly barb, 24-Anti-deformation rib, 25-Observation locking hole. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The technical solutions of this technical solution will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this technical solution. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this technical solution, and not all embodiments. Based on the core concept of this technical solution and the following embodiments, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this technical solution.

[0049] It should be noted that these embodiments are provided to make the application thorough and complete, and to fully express the scope of the application to those skilled in the art. It should be observed that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of components and steps, material composition, numerical expressions, and values ​​described in these embodiments should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting.

[0050] In the description of this technical solution, it should be understood that the terms "axial," "radial," "left," "right," "top," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used solely for the convenience of describing the technical solution and for simplification, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this technical solution. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this technical solution, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0051] In this technical solution, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this technical solution can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0052] Explanation of relevant technical terms

[0053] The pin 1, which is a conductive pin that is adapted to be inserted into the plug-in contact assembly, is fixed inside the adapter plug and is a mating part of the connector assembly. It is used to cooperate with the contact assembly to realize plug-in electrical connection and complete the transmission of electrical energy and signals. It is not part of the main body of the plug-in contact assembly.

[0054] The steel shell 2, which is the steel support shell sleeved on the outside of the spring 3, is a component of the insert-type contact assembly. It is used to provide stable contact positive force, assembly limit and structural protection for the spring 3, and is the main support structure of the contact assembly.

[0055] The spring 3, which is the elastic contact element constituting the conductive contact unit, is the core component of the insert-type contact assembly. It is made of a highly elastic conductive copper alloy material and has a hollow cavity 34 inside for the insertion of the adapter pin 1. It makes elastic contact with the adapter pin 1 to achieve circuit conduction.

[0056] The connecting bus 4 is a connecting conductor used to enable the contact component to conduct electricity with the external circuit. It is a component of the plug-in contact component and replaces the traditional single pure copper bus. It is used to balance the conductivity, cost and weight of the product.

[0057] The contact area 31, which is the area where the front end of the spring 3 directly contacts the adapter pin 1, is the core area for realizing electrical conduction, and is provided with multiple sets of oppositely arranged elastic cantilever 311.

[0058] The transition area 32, which is the area connecting the contact area 31 and the connecting area 33, is formed by bending to provide structural rigidity for the spring 3, and at the same time, the built-in stop structure realizes the assembly positioning of the connecting row 4.

[0059] The connecting area 33, which is the area where the rear end of the spring 3 is fixedly connected to the connecting row 4, is used to realize the electrical conduction and mechanical fixation between the spring 3 and the connecting row 4, and at the same time, it works with the steel shell 2 to realize axial assembly limit.

[0060] The elastic cantilever 311, which is an elastic conductive arm formed in the contact area 31 of the spring 3 by a tearing process, is a conductive unit that is in direct contact with the adapter pin 1. It includes a cantilever body 3111 connected to the spring 3 body, and a contact end 3112 located at the front end of the cantilever body 3111 and in contact with the adapter pin 1.

[0061] The projection direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, i.e., the corresponding attachment Figure 3 The top-view projection direction is the reference projection direction for the planar arrangement of sheet contact components commonly used in the industry;

[0062] The direction in which the spring is inserted into the steel shell, that is, the direction in which the spring is inserted from the rear opening of the steel shell and pushed towards the front opening of the steel shell, is consistent with the insertion direction of the adapter pin into the spring.

[0063] Basic Implementation

[0064] This embodiment provides an insertable contact component, such as... Figures 1 to 4 As shown, it includes a spring 3, a steel shell 2, and a connecting strip 4, which are assembled to form a complete contact body.

[0065] The reed 3 is made of CuNiSi-based high-elasticity conductive copper alloy, with a hardness range of HV180~HV220 and a conductivity ≥45% IACS. The overall wall thickness of the reed 3 ranges from 0.2mm to 0.8mm, and is preferably 0.4mm in this embodiment. Figure 5 As shown, the spring 3 is divided into a front contact area 31, a middle transition area 32 and a rear connection area 33 along the insertion direction of the adapter pin 1. The three areas are integrally formed without splicing welds, ensuring the continuity of conductivity and structural strength.

[0066] The contact area 31 is located at the front end of the spring 3. Multiple sets of oppositely arranged elastic cantilever 311 are formed by tearing process. In this embodiment, 6 sets of elastic cantilever 311 are formed on the upper wall and the lower wall of the spring 3. The elastic cantilever 311 on the upper and lower walls are arranged opposite to each other to form 12 contact points.

[0067] The positional relationship between adjacent elastic cantilever 311 is as follows:

[0068] ① Planar arrangement: Along the top projection direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, the cantilever bodies 3111 of adjacent elastic cantilever 311 are arranged without gaps, that is, the sides of adjacent cantilever bodies 3111 are completely fitted without material gaps, maximizing the use of the width space of the spring 3; the contact ends 3112 of adjacent elastic cantilever 311 are arranged with gaps in this projection direction. In this embodiment, the gap between adjacent contact ends 3112 is in the range of 0.3mm~1.0mm, preferably 0.5mm, to reserve sufficient space for the elastic deformation of the contact ends 3112 and avoid interference between adjacent contact ends during insertion and removal.

[0069] ② Three-dimensional arrangement: Along the insertion direction of the adapter pin, the contact ends 3112 of multiple sets of elastic cantilever arms 311 are arranged in a staggered manner, with a staggered spacing ranging from 0.3mm to 1.5mm. In this embodiment, 0.8mm is preferred. This arrangement allows the contact ends 3112 of multiple sets of elastic cantilever arms 311 to contact the pin sequentially when the adapter pin 1 is inserted, effectively reducing the peak insertion and extraction force. At the same time, it optimizes the contact positive force of each elastic cantilever arm 311, ensuring uniform contact at multiple contact points and avoiding single-point overload. Along the vertical direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, the cantilever bodies 3111 of the elastic cantilever arms 311 are arranged in a staggered manner, and the contact surfaces of the contact ends 3112 of each elastic cantilever arm 311 are in the same horizontal plane. The staggered height of the cantilever bodies 3111 is consistent with the wall thickness of the spring 3. This arrangement can avoid interference between the cantilever bodies 3111 and ensure the independent elastic deformation space of each elastic cantilever arm 311.

[0070] The transition zone 32 is located at the junction of the contact zone 31 and the connection zone 33, and is provided with a stop structure for limiting the position of the connecting row 4. In this embodiment, the stop structure is a stamped limiting step, which can accurately limit the insertion position of the connecting row 4.

[0071] The connecting area 33 is located at the rear end of the spring 3 and is a flat sheet structure. A stop groove 331 adapted to the steel shell 2 is integrally stamped on it. The stop groove 331 is a through groove structure that penetrates the cylindrical wall of the spring 3.

[0072] The steel shell 2 is a sleeve structure made of 304 or 316 stainless steel, which is sleeved on the outside of the spring 3, and its inner wall abuts against the outer wall of the spring 3. The inner wall of the steel shell 2 is integrally stamped with inwardly extending internal mounting barbs 21. The position of the internal mounting barbs 21 corresponds to the position of the stop groove 331. During assembly, the internal mounting barbs 21 are engaged in the stop groove 331 to form an axial limiting structure, which can completely restrict the axial relative displacement between the spring 3 and the steel shell 2, and prevent the spring 3 from moving and loosening during insertion and removal.

[0073] The connection area 33 of the connecting strip 4 and the spring 3 is fixedly electrically connected to realize the conduction between the contact component and the external circuit. The length of the connecting strip 4 can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual installation requirements to adapt to different installation spaces.

[0074] The assembly process of this embodiment is as follows: First, the spring 3, steel shell 2, and connecting strip 4 are formed by stamping. The spring 3 is inserted forward from the rear opening of the steel shell 2 along the insertion direction until the inner mounting barbs 21 on the inner wall of the steel shell 2 are fully engaged in the stop groove 331 of the spring 3, thus completing the pre-assembly of the spring 3 and the steel shell 2. Then, the connecting strip 4 is inserted into the connection area 33 of the spring 3 and positioned by the stop structure of the transition area 32. Subsequently, the connecting strip 4 is fixedly connected to the connection area 33 of the spring 3, thus completing the overall assembly of the insert contact assembly. In use, the adapter pin 1 fixed on the adapter plug is inserted into the hollow cavity 34 of the spring 3 from the front opening of the steel shell 2 and tightly fitted with the elastic cantilever 311 to achieve electrical conduction. The entire insertion and removal process can be completed manually without the aid of any tools.

[0075] Implementation Examples

[0076] Example 1

[0077] Based on the basic embodiment, in this embodiment, as... Figure 12As shown, the basic width of the contact end 3112 of the elastic cantilever 311 is smaller than the width of the cantilever body 3111. In this embodiment, the width of the cantilever body 3111 ranges from 1.5mm to 3.0mm, preferably 2.0mm, and the basic width of the contact end 3112 ranges from 1.0mm to 2.5mm, preferably 1.5mm. Some elastic cantilever 311 contact ends 3112 are provided with a local widening structure 312. The total width of the contact ends 3112 with the local widening structure 312 is greater than the width of the cantilever body 3111. In this embodiment, after providing the local widening structure 312, the total width of the contact ends 3112 ranges from 2.0mm to 3.5mm, preferably 2.4mm. The contact surfaces of each contact end 3112 and the contact surfaces of the locally widened structure 312 are all arc-shaped contact surfaces that fit the outer wall of the adapter pin 1. The curvature of the arc-shaped contact surface is consistent with the curvature of the outer wall of the adapter pin 1, which can maximize the contact area, further reduce the contact resistance, improve the current carrying capacity and conductivity stability, and at the same time avoid stress concentration at the contact end, thus extending the fatigue life of the spring 3.

[0078] Example 2

[0079] Based on the basic embodiment, in this embodiment, the stop structure of the transition zone 32 is an inwardly bent stop structure 321. The bent stop structure 321 is formed by stamping and bending, and the bending angle range is 90°~150°, preferably 120°. The bent stop structure 321 protrudes into the hollow cavity 34 of the spring 3, and the protrusion height is adapted to the thickness of the connecting strip 4. During assembly, the connecting strip 4 is inserted from the rear end opening of the spring 3, and its front end directly abuts against the end face of the bent stop structure 321, and cannot be inserted further forward. This precisely limits the limit position of the connecting strip 4 inserted into the spring 3, and achieves precise blind insertion positioning.

[0080] The end of the connecting area 33 of the spring 3 facing away from the contact area 31 is provided with a U-shaped positioning groove 332. The U-shaped opening direction of the U-shaped positioning groove 332 is the same as the direction in which the spring 3 is inserted into the steel shell 2 (i.e., forward opening). The groove width of the U-shaped positioning groove 332 is in the range of 1.0mm~3.0mm, preferably 1.5mm. The front end of the steel shell 2 is provided with a tear-stop rib 22 that is recessed into the interior of the steel shell 2. The width of the tear-stop rib 22 is adapted to the groove width of the U-shaped positioning groove 332. During assembly, the tear-stop rib 22 is inserted into the U-shaped positioning groove 332, and its end face is engaged with the bottom of the U-shaped positioning groove 332 to completely restrict the displacement of the spring 3 relative to the steel shell 2 in the insertion direction (forward). It cooperates with the internal mounting barb 21 to achieve complete bidirectional axial positioning of the spring 3 in the steel shell 2 without any movement gap.

[0081] Example 3

[0082] Based on the basic embodiment, in this embodiment, the spring 3 is an integral structure. The integral spring 3 is a cylindrical hollow structure with a rectangular cross-section formed by integral stamping and bending. The connecting area 33 at its rear end is a welding area adapted to the connecting row 4. It is a flat sheet structure with symmetrical upper and lower parts. The upper and lower walls of the contact area 31 at its front end are each provided with 6 sets of upper and lower opposing elastic cantilever 311. The integral spring 3 has no additional docking process, good structural consistency, and high connection reliability, and is suitable for mass automated production scenarios.

[0083] As an alternative to this embodiment, the reed 3 has an assembled structure, such as... Figures 6 to 8 As shown, the spring 3 of the assembled structure includes two U-shaped structures arranged vertically and vertically, namely an upper U-shaped structure and a lower U-shaped structure. The openings of the two U-shaped structures face each other and are joined together to form a rectangular cylindrical hollow structure. The left and right mating surfaces of the two U-shaped structures are respectively provided with matching insertion protrusions 334 and insertion grooves 335. In this embodiment, the mating surface of the upper U-shaped structure has two insertion protrusions 334, and the mating surface of the lower U-shaped structure has two corresponding insertion grooves 335. During assembly, the insertion protrusions 334 are inserted into the insertion grooves 335 to achieve precise docking, with a docking accuracy of ±0.02mm. The rear ends of both U-shaped structures are integrally stamped with positioning protrusions 333 that are adapted to the connecting row 4. Each of the upper and lower U-shaped structures has one positioning protrusion 333, and the two positioning protrusions 333 are symmetrically distributed. The spring 3 with its assembled structure allows for flexible adjustment of the spacing between the two U-shaped structures, adapting to different specifications of the adapter pins 1 without the need for re-molding, making it suitable for multi-specification small-batch production scenarios.

[0084] Example 4

[0085] Based on Example 3, in this example, when the spring 3 is an integral structure, the connecting area 33 of the spring 3 and the connecting row 4 are fixedly connected by welding. The welding method can be any one of laser welding, resistance welding or ultrasonic welding. In this example, laser welding is preferred. The power range of laser welding is 500W~3000W, and the welding speed range is 20mm / s~100mm / s. In this example, the preferred power is 1500W and the welding speed is 50mm / s. After welding, the contact resistance of the connecting area is ≤0.5mΩ, the welding strength is ≥200N, there are no defects such as false welding or missing welding, the connection strength is high, and the conductivity is stable.

[0086] When the spring 3 is an assembled structure, the standard connecting section 41 of the connecting strip 4 is provided with positioning through holes 411 that are adapted to the positioning protrusions 333. The two positioning through holes 411 are symmetrically distributed. During assembly, the positioning protrusions 333 of the two U-shaped structures are inserted into the corresponding positioning through holes 411 respectively. The positioning protrusions 333 are plastically deformed by the riveting process to form an interference fit with the positioning through holes 411. After the riveting is completed, the riveting position is welded and fixed again by laser welding, resistance welding or ultrasonic welding. This achieves dual protection of mechanical fixation and electrical conduction, resulting in high assembly efficiency and strong connection reliability.

[0087] Example 5

[0088] Based on the basic embodiment, in this embodiment, as... Figure 9 As shown, the steel shell 2 is an integral stretch-formed structure. The integral stretch-formed process can achieve zero-waste production, improve production efficiency by more than 60%, and produce products with good structural strength, high dimensional consistency, and form and position tolerances that can be controlled within ±0.03mm, making it suitable for mass production.

[0089] As an alternative to this embodiment, the steel shell 2 is a bending and forming structure. The bending and forming process does not require customized stretching molds, reducing mold opening costs by more than 80% and significantly shortening the mold opening cycle, making it suitable for small-batch, multi-specification production scenarios.

[0090] The outer wall of the steel shell 2 is provided with outwardly extending external mounting barbs 23 through a tearing process. The position of the external mounting barbs 23 corresponds vertically to the position of the elastic cantilever 311. While being fixed with the outer sheath, it can provide precise radial support for the elastic cantilever 311. The external mounting barbs 23 are used to be fixed with the inner wall of the outer sheath to prevent the contact components from coming out of the sheath during use. The pull-out force is ≥150N. The two sides of the opening corresponding to the external mounting barbs 23 are integrally formed with anti-deformation ribs 24. The anti-deformation ribs 24 protrude outward from the steel shell 2. When the adapter pin 1 is inserted, the spring 3 is compressed and deformed. If the deformation exceeds the design threshold, the anti-deformation ribs 24 will rigidly abut against the outer sheath, limiting further deformation of the spring 3 and preventing plastic deformation failure of the spring 3. At the same time, it provides a stable contact positive force for the elastic cantilever 311, ensuring that the contact pressure is always within the design range under harsh environments such as vibration and impact, and avoiding contact interruption.

[0091] Example 6

[0092] Based on Example 5, in this example, the side wall of the steel shell 2 is provided with an observation locking hole 25 that penetrates the shell. The observation locking hole 25 is a rectangular through hole that corresponds to the assembly position of the spring 3. During the assembly process, the assembly position of the internal spring 3 can be observed through the observation locking hole 25 to confirm whether the internal assembly barbs 21 are fully engaged in the stop groove 331 and whether the tear stop ribs 22 are fully engaged in the U-shaped positioning groove 332, thereby preventing assembly errors and avoiding the outflow of defective products due to improper assembly. At the same time, the observation locking hole 25 can be adapted to the hook structure of the external sheath (such as an elastic locking tongue), so that the hook structure of the sheath can be engaged in the observation locking hole 25, thereby achieving secondary locking between the contact component and the external sheath, further improving the connection reliability. In harsh environments such as vibration and impact, it can effectively prevent loosening and meet the usage requirements of harsh scenarios such as automotive and industrial applications.

[0093] Example 7

[0094] Based on the basic embodiment, in this embodiment, as... Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, the connecting strip 4 includes a standard connecting section 41 that is adapted to the connecting area 33 of the reed 3, and an adapter section 42 that is connected to the external circuit. The standard connecting section 41 has a uniform structure and can be adapted to reeds 3 with different configurations, thus achieving standardized production.

[0095] The standard connecting section 41 is provided with a positioning through hole 411 that is adapted to the positioning protrusion 333 of the assembled spring 3. During assembly, the spring 3 and the connecting row 4 can be quickly positioned through the positioning through hole 411, with a positioning accuracy of ±0.05mm, which greatly improves the assembly accuracy and efficiency.

[0096] The adapter section 42 is a standard structure with a uniform cross-section, suitable for conventional circuit connection scenarios. As an alternative to this embodiment, the adapter section 42 can be designed as a profile structure or a variable thickness structure. The thickness of the variable thickness structure varies from 0.5mm to 8mm, which can adapt to different installation spaces and current carrying requirements. The profile structure can be customized according to the shape of the external connection interface to adapt to non-standard installation scenarios, without the need for additional adapters, thus reducing system costs.

[0097] In this embodiment, the material of the connecting busbar 4 is aluminum busbar, which can reduce the weight by more than 40% and the material cost by more than 30% compared with the traditional pure copper busbar, achieving a significant cost reduction and weight reduction effect. As an alternative to this embodiment, the material of the connecting busbar 4 can be pure copper busbar or copper-aluminum composite busbar. The copper-aluminum composite busbar can adopt a two-layer copper-aluminum composite structure or a three-layer copper-aluminum-copper composite structure, which can optimize cost and weight while ensuring conductivity and adapt to different current carrying requirements.

[0098] Connector Socket Examples

[0099] This embodiment provides a connector socket, including a socket housing made of insulating material. The socket housing is made of PA66-GF30 flame-retardant engineering plastic with a flame-retardant rating of UL94V-0. The socket housing has at least one independent mounting cavity. In this embodiment, the socket housing has eight mounting cavities arranged in a single row. Each mounting cavity is fixedly installed with an insertable contact component as described in any one of the basic embodiments or sub-embodiments 1-7. Multiple insertable contact components can also be arranged into multiple rows as needed to form a multi-circuit connector socket, which is suitable for multi-channel power transmission scenarios.

[0100] Connector assembly embodiment

[0101] This embodiment provides a connector assembly, including the aforementioned connector socket and adapter plug. The adapter plug is made of the same PA66-GF30 flame-retardant engineering plastic as the socket housing. An adapter pin 1 is fixedly provided on the adapter plug. The insertion end of the adapter pin 1 has a guide chamfer of 15°~30°, preferably 20° in this embodiment, which can guide the adapter pin 1 to smoothly insert into the hollow cavity 34 of the spring 3, avoiding damage to the component caused by pin misalignment. The adapter pin 1 is made of copper-aluminum composite material, which can further realize the lightweight design of the product. As an alternative, the adapter pin 1 can be made of pure copper or copper-clad aluminum, which can be flexibly selected according to current carrying requirements and cost requirements.

[0102] The adapter pin 1 can be plugged into the hollow cavity 34 of the spring 3 of the insert-type contact assembly along with the adapter plug, and is tightly fitted with the elastic cantilever 311 of the contact area 31 of the spring 3 to achieve electrical contact. The entire plugging and unplugging process can be completed manually without the aid of any tools, making it convenient to operate and suitable for various application scenarios such as batch testing in the new energy industry, vehicle electrical connection, industrial control, and energy storage.

[0103] Any aspects of this technical solution that are not detailed herein are conventional technical means known to those skilled in the art.

[0104] The above content shows and describes the basic principles, main features, and beneficial effects of this technical solution. The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this technical solution and is not intended to limit the scope of this technical solution. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this technical solution should be included within the protection scope of this technical solution.

Claims

1. An insertable contact assembly, characterized in that, Includes springs, steel housing, and connecting strips; The spring is an elastic contact used to adapt to the pin to achieve electrical conduction. The spring is divided into a contact area, a transition area, and a connection area along the insertion direction of the pin. The contact area is provided with multiple sets of oppositely arranged elastic cantilever arms. The cantilever bodies of adjacent elastic cantilever arms are arranged without gaps in the projection direction perpendicular to the insertion direction, and the contact ends of adjacent elastic cantilever arms are arranged with gaps in the projection direction. The contact ends of the multiple sets of elastic cantilever arms are staggered back and forth along the insertion direction, and the cantilever bodies of adjacent elastic cantilever arms are staggered in the up and down direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. The transition area is provided with a stop structure for limiting the position of the connection row. The connection area is provided with a stop groove adapted to the steel shell. The steel shell is sleeved on the outside of the spring, and the inner wall of the steel shell is provided with inwardly extending internal mounting barbs. The internal mounting barbs are adapted to and engaged with the stop groove to limit the axial relative displacement between the spring and the steel shell. The connecting bar is electrically connected to the connecting area of ​​the spring sheet to enable the contact assembly to conduct to the external circuit.

2. The insertable contact assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base width of the contact end of the elastic cantilever is smaller than the width of the cantilever body. Some of the contact ends of the elastic cantilever are provided with a local widening structure. The total width of the contact ends with the local widening structure is greater than the width of the cantilever body. The contact surfaces of each contact end and the contact surfaces of the local widening structures are all adapted to the arc-shaped contact surface of the outer wall of the pin.

3. The insertable contact assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The stop structure is an inwardly bent stop structure, which is used to limit the extreme position of the spring insert into the connecting strip; the end of the connecting area away from the contact area is provided with a U-shaped positioning groove, and the U-shaped opening direction of the U-shaped positioning groove is the same as the direction of the spring insert into the steel shell; the front end of the steel shell is provided with a tear-stop rib that is recessed into the interior of the steel shell, and the tear-stop rib is adapted to the U-shaped positioning groove to stop and limit the displacement of the spring relative to the steel shell in the insertion direction, and cooperates with the internal assembly barbs to realize the bidirectional axial limit of the spring.

4. The insertable contact assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The spring is either an integral structure or an assembled structure; the integral structure spring is a one-piece molded cylindrical hollow structure, the rear connection area of ​​which is a welding area adapted to the connecting bar, and the front contact area is provided with several sets of upper and lower opposing elastic cantilever; the assembled structure spring includes two U-shaped structures arranged vertically and vertically, the two U-shaped structures are joined together to form a cylindrical hollow structure, the joint surfaces of the two U-shaped structures are respectively provided with adapted insertion protrusions and insertion grooves, and the rear ends of the two U-shaped structures are provided with positioning protrusions adapted to the connecting bar.

5. The insertable contact assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the spring is an integral structure, the connecting area of ​​the spring and the connecting strip are fixedly connected by welding, which can be any one of laser welding, resistance welding or ultrasonic welding; when the spring is an assembled structure, the connecting strip is provided with positioning through holes that are adapted to the positioning protrusions one by one. After the positioning protrusions are riveted and fixed to the corresponding positioning through holes, they are connected by laser welding, resistance welding or ultrasonic welding.

6. The insertable contact assembly according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, and 5, characterized in that, The steel shell is an integral stretch-formed structure or a bending-formed structure; the outer wall of the steel shell is provided with outwardly extending external mounting barbs through a tearing process. The position of the external mounting barbs corresponds vertically to the position of the elastic cantilever and is used to snap and fix with the inner wall of the outer sheath. The two sides of the opening corresponding to the external mounting barbs are provided with anti-deformation ribs.

7. The insertable contact assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The side wall of the steel shell is provided with an observation locking hole that penetrates the shell. The observation locking hole corresponds to the assembly position of the spring and is used to observe the assembly status of the internal spring. The observation locking hole can be adapted to the hook structure of the outer sheath to achieve secondary locking with the outer sheath.

8. The insertable contact assembly according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7, characterized in that, The connecting bar includes a standard connecting section adapted to the spring connecting area and an adapter section connected to an external circuit; the standard connecting section is provided with a positioning through hole adapted to the positioning protrusion of the assembled spring; the adapter section is any one of a standard structure with equal cross-section, a profile structure or a variable thickness structure; the material of the connecting bar is any one of copper, aluminum or copper-aluminum composite material.

9. A connector socket, characterized in that, The device includes an insulating socket housing, wherein at least one mounting cavity is provided within the insulating socket housing, and an insertable contact assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 8 is fixedly installed within the mounting cavity.

10. A connector assembly, characterized in that, The connector socket and adapter plug as described in claim 9 are included. The adapter plug is fixedly provided with an adapter pin, which is pluggably inserted into the spring cavity of the insertable contact assembly along with the adapter plug, and makes electrical contact with the elastic cantilever.

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