A connector having a TPA structure

Abstract

The application provides a connector with a TPA structure, which comprises a socket shell, a terminal seat for mounting a high-voltage interlocking terminal is arranged in the socket shell, a plurality of first jacks for mounting the high-voltage interlocking terminal are arranged on the terminal seat in parallel and at intervals, a TPA lock block is assembled on the outside of the terminal seat, the TPA lock block is buckled with the terminal seat, the TPA lock block is limited and locked along the plug-in and pull-out axial direction of the high-voltage interlocking terminal, and the TPA lock block and the terminal seat have two-stage assembly structures, including a pre-assembly structure and a locking structure. The connector with the TPA structure has a compact structure layout, the TPA lock block and the terminal seat form the two-stage assembly structure, which is divided into the pre-assembly structure and the locking structure, an assembly worker can check whether the high-voltage interlocking terminal is assembled in place, and the high-voltage interlocking terminal is pushed to the locking position after it is confirmed that there is no error, so that the terminal is effectively prevented from being locked in advance when it is not in place, and the secondary fixation of the terminal in the locking state is more reliable and stable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electrical connector technology, specifically a connector with a TPA structure. Background Technology

[0002] In connector structures used in new energy vehicles and industrial high-voltage electrical applications, the TPA (Terminal Position Assurance) secondary locking structure is a core safety protection component. It is primarily used for secondary limiting and locking of the connector's internal terminals, effectively preventing terminal pin retraction, loosening, and poor contact caused by vehicle vibration, external force pulling, environmental impact, and other conditions during equipment operation. This ensures the stability and safety of the high-voltage connection circuit and is an indispensable fail-safe structure for high-voltage connectors, directly affecting the operational safety and service life of electrical equipment. Currently, most mainstream high-voltage connector secondary locking (TPA) structures on the market adopt a traditional press-type locking design. When the high-voltage interlock terminal is not installed, accidental activation of the secondary lock (TPA) can cause it to lock. Unlocking the traditional secondary lock (TPA) after pressing is inconvenient and can easily damage the product, rendering it unusable. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a connector with a TPA structure to solve the technical problems in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0005] A connector with a TPA structure includes a socket housing made of insulating material. The socket housing contains a terminal block for mounting high-voltage interlocking terminals. The terminal block has several first insertion holes spaced apart side-by-side for mounting the high-voltage interlocking terminals. A TPA locking block is mounted on the outside of the terminal block, and the TPA locking block engages with the terminal block. The TPA locking block limits and locks the high-voltage interlocking terminals along the insertion / removal axial direction. The TPA locking block and the terminal block have a two-stage assembly structure, including a pre-assembly structure and a locking structure.

[0006] The terminal block has pre-assembly slots at its left and right ends, arranged along the sliding direction of the TPA locking block. A locking slot is provided above the pre-assembly slot. A protruding retaining strip is provided between the pre-assembly slot and the locking slot. An inlet opening is provided in the sliding direction of the pre-assembly slot. The inlet opening has a guide surface with a beveled structure near the pre-assembly slot. The TPA locking block includes a base plate. A first locking arm and a second locking arm extend upward from the left and right sides of the base plate, respectively. The first locking arm and the second locking arm have the same structure. A first wedge-shaped boss protrudes along the direction of the terminal block on the first locking arm. The end of the first wedge-shaped boss has an arc surface. The first wedge-shaped boss can slide into the pre-assembly slot to achieve pre-positioning and can pass over the retaining strip to enter the locking slot, thereby completing the pre-assembly and locking assembly of the TPA locking block and the terminal block.

[0007] The substrate is provided with several upwardly protruding second wedge-shaped bosses with the same structure for axially limiting the high-voltage interlock terminal. The second wedge-shaped bosses are inserted into the terminal seat when the TPA locking block and the terminal seat are locked together, and are located on the outer side of the tail of the high-voltage interlock terminal.

[0008] The substrate has at least one limiting groove with an opening structure along the sliding direction of the TPA locking block, and a limiting plug is provided below the outer side of the terminal block to cooperate with the limiting groove.

[0009] The socket housing is also equipped with a shielding cover, which is an open annular structure. The shielding cover has an integrally formed anti-reverse barb, a shielded mating contact point, and a shielded grounding contact point. The anti-reverse barb is used to engage with the socket housing to prevent disengagement and limit movement. The shielded mating contact point is used to make elastic contact with the shielding structure of the mating connector. The shielded grounding contact point is used to achieve grounding conduction.

[0010] The socket housing is also equipped with a power terminal, which is inserted into the insulating rubber core block. The insulating rubber core block is snapped into the socket housing. The terminal block is located below the insulating rubber core block. The front end of the insulating rubber core block is integrally formed with a backstop hook, which limits the insulating rubber core block to engage with the socket housing.

[0011] The socket housing has a rectangular panel on its periphery. The panel has flange holes with the same structure at its four corners. The inner wall of the flange holes is evenly distributed with raised ribs along the circumference. Each flange hole is fitted with a reinforcing ring, which is made of stainless steel.

[0012] The socket housing has a plug-in anti-mistake block at the front end and an installation anti-mistake block at the rear end.

[0013] A sealing ring is installed on the rear side of the socket housing, and a corresponding mounting groove is provided on the rear side of the panel for assembling the sealing ring. The sealing ring is made of silicone rubber.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the connector with TPA structure of this application has a compact structure layout. It uses TPA locking blocks and terminal blocks to form a two-level assembly structure, which is divided into a pre-assembly structure and a locking structure. The assembly personnel can check whether the high-voltage interlocking terminals are assembled in place. After confirming that there are no errors, they can push them to the locking position, which effectively avoids locking prematurely when the terminals are not in place. The secondary fixation of the terminals in the locking state is more reliable and stable. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 : A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of this application;

[0016] Figure 2 : An exploded view of this application;

[0017] Figure 3 : The front view of this application;

[0018] Figure 4 : Figure 3 AA section view;

[0019] Figure 5 : Figure 3 BB cross-sectional view;

[0020] Figure 6 : 3D structural diagram of the socket housing;

[0021] Figure 7 : Figure 6 Enlarged view of point C;

[0022] Figure 8 : TPA locking block and locking groove installation structure diagram;

[0023] Figure 9 : Three-dimensional structural diagram of the socket housing from another direction;

[0024] Figure 10 : 3D structure diagram of TPA locking block;

[0025] Figure 11 : TPA lock block main view;

[0026] Figure 12 : 3D structural diagram of the shielding cover;

[0027] Figure 13 : 3D structural diagram of insulating rubber core block. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] Specific Implementation Example 1: Please refer to Figures 1 to 13In this embodiment of the invention, a connector with a TPA structure includes a socket housing 1, which is made of insulating material. The socket housing 1 has a terminal block 101 for installing a high-voltage interlock terminal 3 inside. The terminal block 101 has a plurality of first insertion holes 101-1 arranged side by side at intervals for installing the high-voltage interlock terminal 3. A TPA locking block 2 is assembled on the outside of the terminal block 101. The TPA locking block 2 is engaged with the terminal block 101. The TPA locking block 2 limits and locks the high-voltage interlock terminal 3 along the insertion and removal axis. The TPA locking block 2 and the terminal block 101 have a two-stage assembly structure, including a pre-assembly structure and a locking structure.

[0030] The terminal block 101 has pre-installation grooves 101-2 arranged along the sliding direction of the TPA locking block 2 at its left and right ends. A locking groove 101-4 is provided above the pre-installation groove 101-2. A protruding retaining strip 101-5 is located between the pre-installation groove 101-2 and the locking groove 101-4. An inlet opening 101-3 is provided in the sliding direction of the pre-installation groove 101-2. The inlet opening 101-3 has a guide surface 101-3-1 with a beveled structure near the pre-installation groove 101-2. The TPA locking block 2 includes a base plate 201. The base plate 201 has a left... The first locking arm 202 and the second locking arm 203 extend upwards from the right sides respectively. The first locking arm 202 and the second locking arm 203 have the same structure. The first locking arm 202 is provided with a first wedge-shaped boss 202-1 that protrudes along the direction of the terminal seat 101. The end of the first wedge-shaped boss 202-1 is provided with an arc surface. The first wedge-shaped boss 202-1 can slide into the pre-assembly groove 101-2 to achieve pre-positioning, and can pass over the locking strip 101-5 to enter the locking groove 101-4, thereby completing the pre-assembly and locking assembly of the TPA locking block 2 and the terminal seat 101. During assembly, the first wedge-shaped boss 202-1 slides into the pre-assembly groove 101-2 along the inclined guide surface 101-3-1 and reaches the pre-assembly position. After confirming that the high-voltage interlock terminal 3 is assembled in place, the TPA locking block 2 is pushed further, and the first wedge-shaped boss 202-1 elastically deforms and passes over the locking strip 101-5 to enter the locking groove 101-4, completing the locking assembly.

[0031] The substrate 201 is provided with several upwardly protruding second wedge-shaped bosses 204 with identical structures for axially limiting the high-voltage interlock terminals 3. The number of second wedge-shaped bosses 204 corresponds to the number of high-voltage interlock terminals 3. In this embodiment, two sets of high-voltage interlock terminals 3 are provided, that is, two second wedge-shaped bosses 204 are provided on the substrate 201. The second wedge-shaped bosses 204 are inserted into the terminal seat 101 when the TPA locking block 2 and the terminal seat 101 are locked together, and are located on the outer side of the tail of the high-voltage interlock terminals 3. The substrate 201 is provided with at least one limiting groove 201-1 with an open structure along the sliding direction of the TPA locking block 2. A limiting insert 105 is provided on the lower outer side of the terminal seat 101, which cooperates with the limiting groove 201-1.

[0032] The socket housing 1 is also equipped with a shielding cover 4, which is made of phosphor bronze. The shielding cover 4 has an open ring structure and has an integrally formed anti-reverse barb 401, a shielded mating contact point 403, and a shielded grounding contact point 402. The anti-reverse barb 401 is used to engage with the socket housing 1 to achieve anti-disengagement and limiting, the shielded mating contact point 403 is used to make elastic contact with the shielding structure of the mating connector, and the shielded grounding contact point 402 is used to achieve grounding conduction.

[0033] A power terminal 7 is also installed inside the socket housing 1. The power terminal 7 is inserted into the insulating core block 6. The insulating core block 6 is snapped into the socket housing 1. The terminal block 101 is located below the insulating core block 6. The front end of the insulating core block 6 has an integrally formed anti-retraction hook 601, which limits the locking of the insulating core block 6 against the socket housing 1. A wedge-shaped guide 602 is also provided at the rear of the insulating core block. This guide 602 facilitates the positioning and installation of the power terminal 7 with the PCB.

[0034] The socket housing 1 has a rectangular panel 102 on its periphery. Each of the four corners of the panel 102 has an identical flange hole 102-1. The inner wall of each flange hole 102-1 is evenly distributed with raised ribs 102-1-1 along its circumference. A reinforcing ring 8, made of stainless steel, is installed inside each flange hole 102-1. The raised ribs 102-1-1 and the outer wall of the reinforcing ring 8 are pressed together to form an interference fit, preventing the reinforcing ring 8 from loosening or axially falling off under vibration conditions.

[0035] The socket housing 1 has a plug-in anti-misfit block 103 at the front end and an installation anti-misfit block 104 at the rear end.

[0036] A sealing ring 5 is installed on the rear side of the socket housing 1. A corresponding mounting groove 102-2 is provided on the rear side of the panel 102 for assembling the sealing ring 5. The sealing ring 5 is made of silicone rubber. The sealing gasket is installed on the mating surface of the board end and the wire end to achieve airtight protection. After insertion, it can meet the IP67 and IP6K9K protection levels.

[0037] Compared with the prior art, the connector with TPA structure of this application has a compact structure layout. It uses TPA locking blocks and terminal blocks to form a two-level assembly structure, which is divided into a pre-assembly structure and a locking structure. The assembly personnel can check whether the high-voltage interlocking terminals are assembled in place. After confirming that there are no errors, they can push them to the locking position, which effectively avoids locking prematurely when the terminals are not in place. The secondary fixation of the terminals in the locking state is more reliable and stable.

[0038] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention. No reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

[0039] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative style is merely for clarity. Those skilled in the art should consider the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A connector with a TPA structure, characterized in that: The device includes a socket housing made of insulating material. Inside the socket housing is a terminal block for installing high-voltage interlocking terminals. The terminal block has several first insertion holes arranged side by side at intervals for installing high-voltage interlocking terminals. A TPA locking block is mounted on the outside of the terminal block. The TPA locking block engages with the terminal block and limits and locks the high-voltage interlocking terminals along the insertion and removal axis. The TPA locking block and the terminal block have a two-stage assembly structure, including a pre-assembly structure and a locking structure.

2. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal block has pre-assembly slots at its left and right ends, arranged along the sliding direction of the TPA locking block. A locking slot is provided above the pre-assembly slot. A protruding retaining strip is provided between the pre-assembly slot and the locking slot. An inlet opening is provided in the sliding direction of the pre-assembly slot. The inlet opening has a guide surface with a beveled structure near the pre-assembly slot. The TPA locking block includes a base plate. A first locking arm and a second locking arm extend upward from the left and right sides of the base plate, respectively. The first locking arm and the second locking arm have the same structure. A first wedge-shaped boss protrudes along the direction of the terminal block on the first locking arm. The end of the first wedge-shaped boss has an arc surface. The first wedge-shaped boss can slide into the pre-assembly slot to achieve pre-positioning and can pass over the retaining strip to enter the locking slot, thereby completing the pre-assembly and locking assembly of the TPA locking block and the terminal block.

3. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The substrate is provided with several upwardly protruding second wedge-shaped bosses with the same structure for axially limiting the high-voltage interlock terminal. The second wedge-shaped bosses are inserted into the terminal seat when the TPA locking block and the terminal seat are locked together, and are located on the outer side of the tail of the high-voltage interlock terminal.

4. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The substrate has at least one limiting groove with an opening structure along the sliding direction of the TPA locking block, and a limiting plug is provided below the outer side of the terminal block to cooperate with the limiting groove.

5. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The socket housing is also equipped with a shielding cover, which is an open annular structure. The shielding cover has an integrally formed anti-reverse barb, a shielded mating contact point, and a shielded grounding contact point. The anti-reverse barb is used to engage with the socket housing to prevent disengagement and limit movement. The shielded mating contact point is used to make elastic contact with the shielding structure of the mating connector. The shielded grounding contact point is used to achieve grounding conduction.

6. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The socket housing is also equipped with a power terminal, which is inserted into the insulating rubber core block. The insulating rubber core block is snapped into the socket housing. The terminal block is located below the insulating rubber core block. The front end of the insulating rubber core block is integrally formed with a backstop hook, which limits the insulating rubber core block to engage with the socket housing.

7. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The socket housing has a rectangular panel on its periphery. The panel has flange holes with the same structure at its four corners. The inner wall of the flange holes is evenly distributed with raised ribs along the circumference. Each flange hole is fitted with a reinforcing ring, which is made of stainless steel.

8. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The socket housing has a plug-in anti-mistake block at the front end and an installation anti-mistake block at the rear end.

9. A connector with a TPA structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: A sealing ring is installed on the rear side of the socket housing, and a corresponding mounting groove is provided on the rear side of the panel for assembling the sealing ring. The sealing ring is made of silicone rubber.

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