Terminal assembly, connector and connecting assembly

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of connectors, and discloses a terminal assembly, which comprises a terminal, the terminal is formed by superposing at least two layers of metal plates made of different materials, the top of the plug-in end of the terminal is provided with a protection piece, the protection piece comprises a cross beam and a side beam located at the end part of the cross beam, and the cross beam is provided with a through hole. The side beams are fixedly connected with the terminals or the shell, clamping grooves are formed in the end faces, facing the tops, of the cross beams, the tops are inserted into the clamping grooves, and all the layers of metal plates extend into the clamping grooves so that the metal plates on the outer layer can be prevented from being separated from the terminals. At least one reinforcing block used for supporting two groove walls in the length direction of the clamping groove is arranged in the clamping groove, and an avoiding groove corresponding to the reinforcing block in an inserted mode is formed in the top of the clamping groove. The utility model also discloses a connector and a connecting assembly comprising the terminal assembly. According to the utility model, the outer metal plate at the top of the terminal can be prevented from being separated from the terminal, and the terminal is prevented from being damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of connectors, and more specifically, to a terminal assembly, a connector and a connecting assembly. Background Art

[0002] In new energy vehicles, high-voltage connectors are used for high-voltage and high-current power transmission. One type of terminal is a row structure, that is, it is directly cut from copper plates into a predetermined shape. In order to reduce costs, some products use copper-aluminum rolled composite plates to replace copper plates to make terminals. However, in actual use, the outer metal plate on the top of the plug-in terminal of the composite plate terminal may be detached due to impact or extrusion with the mating terminal during the plug-in process, eventually causing damage to the connector. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a solution that can provide good protection for the top of the terminal made of composite plates. Utility Model Content

[0003] The utility model provides a terminal assembly to solve the problem that the outer metal sheet on the top of the terminal may be separated in the prior art, and also provides a connector and a connection assembly comprising the terminal assembly.

[0004] The first aspect of the utility model provides a terminal assembly, which is arranged in a shell of a connector, including a terminal fixedly installed in the shell, the terminal being formed by stacking at least two layers of metal plates of different materials, a protective member is provided on the top of the plug-in end of the terminal, the protective member includes a crossbeam and a side beam located at the end of the crossbeam, the side beam is fixedly connected to the terminal or the shell, a slot is provided on the end surface of the crossbeam facing the top, the top is inserted into the slot and each layer of metal plates extends into the slot to prevent the outer layer of metal plates from detaching from the terminal, at least one reinforcement block is provided inside the slot for supporting two slot walls in the length direction of the slot, and the top is provided with an avoidance groove corresponding to the insertion of the reinforcement block.

[0005] Optionally, there is a predetermined gap between the top of the terminal and the bottom of the slot.

[0006] Optionally, the reinforcement block and the protective member are integrally injection-molded, and the reinforcement block is extended from the bottom of the slot toward the terminal.

[0007] Optionally, the extension length of the reinforcement block is not less than the depth of the slot.

[0008] Optionally, the longitudinal section of one end of the reinforcement block facing the avoidance groove is trapezoidal.

[0009] Optionally, the width of the crossbeam is smaller than the thickness of the terminal, and the thickness of the top of the terminal gradually decreases to form a pointed structure and fits into the slot.

[0010] Optionally, the terminal comprises a base layer made of aluminum / aluminum alloy and surface layers made of copper / copper alloy located on both sides of the base layer.

[0011] A second aspect of the utility model provides a connector for connecting with a mating connector. The connector comprises a shell, and the shell is provided with the terminal assembly as described above.

[0012] The third aspect of the utility model provides a connection assembly, which includes the connector as described above, and a mating connector adapted to be connected to the connector, the mating connector is provided with a mating terminal that is inserted into the terminal in the connector, and the mating terminal is provided with a conductive spring for conductively connecting the terminal to the mating terminal.

[0013] Optionally, the mating terminal comprises a main body made of aluminum / aluminum alloy, and a conductive layer of copper / copper alloy is provided at least at a portion of the main body that contacts the conductive spring.

[0014] The utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1. The protective member provided in the utility model has a crossbeam located at the top of the terminal, so that when the terminal is plugged in or out of the mating terminal, the crossbeam can effectively prevent the mating terminal and its conductive spring from directly colliding with the top of the terminal, thereby protecting the top of the terminal and preventing the metal sheet on the top outer layer from being separated from the terminal, thereby ultimately preventing the terminal from being damaged.

[0016] 2. In the utility model, the top of the terminal can be further inserted into the slot of the beam, and each layer of metal plate at the top extends into the slot, so that the protective part can improve the stability with the help of the terminal through the slot, realize wrapping of the top of the terminal, prevent the beam and the terminal from being misaligned to cause protection failure, and enhance the protection ability of the top of the terminal.

[0017] 3. In the utility model, the reinforcing block in the card slot can increase the strength of the card slot wall, preventing the longer card slot wall from being deformed and damaged by warping outwards and affecting the insertion and extraction of the mating terminal.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connector and the protective part (without the terminal installed);

[0021] Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of the connector after the terminal is installed (the cross section passes through the card slot and the side beam);

[0022] Figure 3 Another cross-sectional view of the connector after the terminals are installed (cross section and Figure 2 The cross section is vertical);

[0023] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the terminal;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the connection components;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of the mating terminals and the conductive spring.

[0026] The following are marked in the figure:

[0027] 1. Connector; 11. Shell; 12. Protective member; 121. Side beam; 122. Cross beam; 123. Card slot; 124. Reinforcement block;

[0028] 2. Terminal; 21. Top; 22. Avoidance groove; 23. Surface layer; 24. Base layer;

[0029] 3. Mating connector; 31. Mating terminal; 311. Main body; 312. Conductive layer; 32. Conductive reed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangements of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0031] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

[0032] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0033] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0034] like Figure 1-4 As shown, this embodiment relates to a terminal assembly, which is arranged in the shell 11 of the connector 1, and includes a terminal 2 fixedly installed in the shell 11. The terminal 2 is formed by stacking at least two layers of metal plates of different materials. The terminal 2 of this embodiment is formed by stacking three layers of metal plates by rolling, so as to have a base layer 24 and two surface layers 23 on its outer side.

[0035] A protective part 12 is provided at the top 21 of the plug-in end of the terminal 2. The protective part 12 includes a cross beam 122 and a side beam 121 located at the end of the cross beam 122. The side beam 121 is fixedly connected to the terminal 2 or the shell 11. The fixed connection method can be one-piece injection molding or bonding, welding, etc. In this embodiment, considering the convenience of manufacturing, the side beam 121 and the shell 11 are integrally injection molded.

[0036] A slot 123 is provided on the end surface of the cross beam 122 facing the top 21. The top 21 is inserted into the slot 123 and each layer of metal sheet extends into the slot 123 to prevent the outer metal sheet from separating from the terminal 2. At least one reinforcement block 124 is provided inside the slot 123 for supporting the two slot walls in the length direction of the slot 123. The top 21 of the terminal 2 is provided with an avoidance groove 22 corresponding to the insertion of the reinforcement block 124.

[0037] In this embodiment, two reinforcing blocks 124 are provided to divide the slot 123 into three equal parts in consideration of factors such as the length of the slot 123. In other embodiments, a reasonable number of reinforcing blocks and their distribution can be selected according to actual needs.

[0038] The crossbeam 122 of the above-mentioned protective member 12 can effectively prevent the mating terminal 31 and its conductive spring 32 from directly colliding with the top 21 of the terminal 2 when the terminal 2 is plugged in or out of the mating terminal 31, thereby protecting the top 21 of the terminal 2 and preventing the outer layer of the metal sheet of the top 21 from being separated from the terminal 2, thereby ultimately preventing the terminal 2 from being damaged; and, the top 21 of the terminal 2 can be further inserted into the card slot 123 of the crossbeam 122, and each layer of the metal sheet at the top 21 extends into the card slot 123, so that the protective member 12 can improve the stability with the help of the terminal 2 through the card slot 123, thereby wrapping the top 21 of the terminal 2, preventing the crossbeam 122 and the terminal 2 from being misaligned and causing the protection to fail, and enhancing the protection capability of the top 21 of the terminal 2; in addition, the reinforcing block 124 in the card slot 123 can increase the strength of the slot wall of the card slot 123, thereby preventing the longer slot wall of the card slot 123 from being deformed and damaged due to pressure, thereby affecting the plugging in or out of the mating terminal 31.

[0039] In order to prevent the top 21 of the terminal 2 from excessively pushing the beam 122 and causing the beam 122 to bend and deform, in this embodiment, there is a predetermined gap h between the top 21 of the terminal 2 and the bottom of the slot 123. The specific value of h needs to be determined according to the actual processing dimensions of the terminal 2 and the protective member 12.

[0040] To facilitate processing and manufacturing, in this embodiment, the reinforcing block 124 and the protective member 12 are integrally injection molded, and the reinforcing block 124 is extended from the bottom of the slot 123 toward the terminal 2 .

[0041] In other embodiments, the separately manufactured reinforcement block may be fixed to the slot wall of the slot by bonding, welding or the like according to the actual production method.

[0042] Furthermore, in order to ensure that the reinforcing block 124 has a greater supporting effect on the slot wall of the slot 123, the extension length of the reinforcing block 124 is not less than the depth of the slot 123, that is, the extension length of the reinforcing block 124 is greater than or equal to the depth of the slot 123. In this embodiment, the extension length of the reinforcing block 124 is equal to the depth of the slot 123.

[0043] Furthermore, in order to improve the strength of the reinforcing block 124 and facilitate the insertion with the avoidance groove 22 of the top 21, in this embodiment, the longitudinal section of the end of the reinforcing block 124 facing the avoidance groove 22 is trapezoidal, that is, Figure 2 As shown, the longitudinal section of one end of the reinforcing block 124 facing the avoidance groove 22 along the length direction of the locking groove 123 is a trapezoidal structure.

[0044] In order to reduce or avoid the extrusion of the cross beam 122 by the mating terminal 31 and the conductive spring 32, the cross beam 122 is protected, thereby extending the service life of the cross beam 122 and the protective member 12. Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the width of the beam 122 is smaller than the thickness of the terminal 2, and the thickness of the top 21 of the terminal 2 is gradually reduced under processes such as extrusion to form a pointed structure and adapt to the insertion slot 123. In addition, in this embodiment, the end of the beam 122 away from the top 21 of the terminal 2 is also provided with a slope structure for guiding the movement of the mating terminal 31 and its conductive spring 32.

[0045] Considering the manufacturing cost, conductive properties and existing material technology, the terminal 2 includes a base layer 24 made of aluminum / aluminum alloy and a surface layer 23 made of copper / copper alloy located on both sides of the base layer 24. The surface layer 23 and the base layer 24 are combined together by a rolling process, and then the terminal 2 is made by a process such as stamping. In this embodiment, there is no improvement on the above-mentioned metals or alloys, and the existing materials and manufacturing processes are directly selected. The base layer 24 selects the existing conventional aluminum alloy used for transmitting electric energy, and the surface layer 23 selects the existing conventional copper alloy used for transmitting electric energy. The specific alloy model can be selected according to actual needs.

[0046] More, such as Figure 1-3 As shown, this embodiment also relates to a connector for connecting with a mating connector 3. The connector 1 includes a housing 11, and the housing 11 is provided with a terminal assembly as shown above.

[0047] More, such as Figure 5-6 As shown, the present embodiment also relates to a connection assembly, which includes the connector 1 as shown above, and a mating connector 3 adapted to be connected with the connector 1, wherein the mating connector 3 is provided with a mating terminal 31 inserted into the terminal 2 in the connector 1, and the mating terminal 31 is provided with a conductive spring 32 for conductively connecting the terminal 2 with the mating terminal 31. The specific installation and working method of the mating terminal 31 are conventional technologies in the field of connectors, so they are not described in detail.

[0048] Considering the good conductive transmission between the terminal 2, the mating terminal 31 includes a main body 311 made of aluminum / aluminum alloy, and the main body 311 is provided with a conductive layer 312 of copper / copper alloy at least at the part in contact with the conductive spring 32. The conductive layer 312 and the main body 311 are combined together through a rolling process and stamped and bent to form the mating terminal 31. In this embodiment, the main body 311 is made of aluminum alloy of the same material as the base layer 24 of the terminal 2, and the conductive layer 312 is made of copper alloy of the same material as the surface layer 23 of the terminal 2. The surface of the entire inner cavity of the mating terminal 31 for accommodating the conductive spring 32 and for inserting the terminal 2 is covered with the above conductive layer 312, and the conductive spring 32 is made of a conventional copper alloy and silver-plated on the surface.

[0049] Although some specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of examples, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above examples are for illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments may be modified without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A terminal assembly, arranged in a housing (11) of a connector, comprising a terminal (2) fixedly mounted in the housing (11), wherein the terminal (2) is formed by stacking at least two layers of metal plates of different materials, characterized in that: The top (21) of the plug-in end of the terminal (2) is provided with a protective member (12), the protective member (12) comprising a crossbeam (122) and a side beam (121) located at the end of the crossbeam (122), the side beam (121) being fixedly connected to the terminal (2) or the housing (11), the crossbeam (122) being provided with a slot (123) on the end surface facing the top (21), the top (21) being inserted into the slot (123) and each layer of metal sheet extending into the slot (123) to prevent the outer layer of metal sheet from being separated from the terminal, at least one reinforcing block (124) being provided inside the slot (123) for supporting two slot walls in the length direction of the slot (123), and the top (21) being provided with an avoidance slot (22) corresponding to the insertion of the reinforcing block (124).

2. A terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is a predetermined gap between the top (21) of the terminal (2) and the bottom of the slot (123).

3. A terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The reinforcing block (124) and the protective member (12) are integrally injection-molded, and the reinforcing block (124) is formed by extending from the bottom of the slot (123) toward the terminal (2).

4. A terminal assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The extension length of the reinforcement block (124) is not less than the depth of the clamping groove (123).

5. A terminal assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The longitudinal section of one end of the reinforcement block (124) facing the avoidance groove (22) is trapezoidal.

6. A terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the crossbeam (122) is smaller than the thickness of the terminal (2), and the thickness of the top (21) of the terminal (2) gradually decreases to form a pointed structure and fits into the slot (123).

7. A terminal assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal (2) comprises a base layer (24) made of aluminum / aluminum alloy and a surface layer (23) made of copper / copper alloy located on both sides of the base layer (24).

8. A connector for connecting to a mating connector (3), comprising a housing (11), characterized in that: The housing (11) is provided with a terminal assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A connection assembly, characterized in that: The invention comprises a connector (1) as claimed in claim 8, and a mating connector (3) adapted to be connected to the connector (1), wherein the mating connector (3) is provided with a mating terminal (31) inserted into a terminal (2) in the connector (1), and the mating terminal (31) is provided with a conductive spring (32) for conductively connecting the terminal (2) to the mating terminal (31).

10. A connection assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that: The mating terminal (31) comprises a main body (311) made of aluminum / aluminum alloy, and the main body (311) is provided with a copper / copper alloy conductive layer (312) at least at a portion in contact with the conductive spring sheet (32).

Images