Connector assembly with secondary locking function

Abstract

The utility model discloses a connector assembly with a secondary locking function, which is characterized in that a blocking piece is transversely inserted on a sheath through a sliding part and is matched with a positioning bulge arranged on the sheath through an elastic arm formed on a positioning part, so that the blocking piece can be switched between a preassembling position and a locking position; compared with an existing secondary lock structure, due to the fact that the secondary lock structure is transversely inserted in the sheath, the secondary lock structure can be suitable for the environment with the special requirements for the installation space and the size; and moreover, the independently arranged positioning part has better strength and positioning effect, so that the secondary lock failure caused by accidents such as damage of the blocking piece can be prevented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of connector technology, and in particular to a connector assembly with a secondary locking function. Background Technology

[0002] Connectors are used in products in transportation, communication, home appliances, and medical fields. The rapid development of technology and market growth in these supporting industries has strongly driven the development of connector technology. To date, connectors have evolved into a complete range of products with diverse specifications, varied structures, and standardized systems. To ensure reliable mating between male and female connectors, the Terminal Position Assurance (TPA) plays a crucial role as a secondary locking structure for the terminals. However, in some applications, due to space and size constraints, conventional TPA structures cannot meet installation requirements. Therefore, the design of customized connector TPA structures with specific limitations becomes particularly important. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a connector assembly with a secondary locking function to solve the technical problems mentioned in the background art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: a connector assembly with a secondary locking function, adapted for connection with mating connectors, comprising a sheath having a terminal receiving cavity, terminals installed in the terminal receiving cavity, and a blocking member for secondary locking of the terminals. A first blocking feature protrudes from the side wall of the terminal. A pull-out groove communicating with the terminal receiving cavity is laterally formed inside the sheath. The blocking member includes a main body and sliding parts symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main body. A second blocking feature is provided at the bottom of the sliding parts. The sliding parts slide within the pull-out groove, and the blocking member has a locking position that causes interference between the second blocking feature and the first blocking feature. The main body is provided with a pre-installed position that prevents interference between the second blocking feature and the first blocking feature. Positioning parts are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main body. Each positioning part has a positioning slide rail. The sheath has a positioning protrusion slidably disposed within the positioning slide rail. An elastic arm is formed on the positioning slide rail. A pre-installed slot / locking slot for engaging the positioning protrusion is formed between the inner side of the elastic arm and the positioning slide rail. A locking slot / pre-installed slot for engaging the positioning protrusion is formed between the free end of the elastic arm and the positioning slide rail. Pushing or pulling the main body allows the positioning protrusion to pass over the free end of the elastic arm and switch between the pre-installed slot and the locking slot, thereby enabling the blocking member to switch between the pre-installed position and the locking position.

[0005] In some embodiments, the elastic arm is connected to the positioning slide via a support base, and the extension direction of the elastic arm is opposite to the direction in which the blocking member is inserted into the sheath; a pre-installed slot for engaging the positioning protrusion is formed between the inner side of the elastic arm and the positioning slide, and a locking slot for engaging the positioning protrusion is formed between the free end of the elastic arm and the positioning slide.

[0006] In some embodiments, the support base has a guide groove formed on the side away from the pre-installation slot, and the positioning protrusion enters the pre-installation slot after hard interference through the guide groove, so that the blocking member enters the pre-installation position.

[0007] In some embodiments, a chamfered structure is provided between the guide groove and the positioning protrusion to cooperate with each other.

[0008] In some embodiments, the positioning portions located on both sides of the main body are connected by a plurality of longitudinally arranged beams to form a frame structure that can be plugged into and mated with the mating connector.

[0009] In some embodiments, the main body, positioning part and sliding part are integrally injection molded.

[0010] In some embodiments, the positioning part and the sliding part are fixedly connected by at least one reinforcing beam.

[0011] In some embodiments, the side of the main body away from the sliding part is formed with an overlapping beam, which abuts against the side wall of the sheath when the blocking member is in the locked position.

[0012] In some embodiments, at least one of the two sides of the sliding part in the sliding direction is provided with at least one limiting part, and the pull-out groove collapses inward to form a limiting groove that slides with the limiting part.

[0013] In some embodiments, the limiting portion is disposed on the side of the sliding portion away from the mating connector, and the limiting portion is integrally formed with the second blocking feature.

[0014] In some embodiments, a snap-fit ​​arm is formed on the side wall of the terminal, and a snap-fit ​​groove is provided on the inner wall of the terminal receiving cavity. After the terminal is inserted into the terminal receiving cavity, it is snapped into place by the snap-fit ​​arm and the snap-fit ​​groove.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: The blocking component in this utility model is horizontally inserted into the sheath through the sliding part, and the elastic arm formed on the positioning part cooperates with the positioning protrusion provided on the sheath to realize the switching between the pre-installed position and the locked position of the blocking component, thereby realizing the secondary locking of the terminal. Compared with the existing secondary locking structure, since it is horizontally inserted into the sheath, it can be applied to environments with special requirements for installation space and size. Moreover, the independently set positioning part has better strength and positioning effect, thereby preventing the secondary lock from failing due to damage to the blocking component or other unexpected situations. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the connector assembly provided by this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the connector assembly shown;

[0019] Figure 3 After removing the blocking component, Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the connector assembly.

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structure of the blocking element in the connector assembly.

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the structural diagram of the terminals in the connector assembly.

[0022] Figure 6 and Figure 7 These are side views of the connector assembly when the blocking element is in the pre-installed position and the locked position, respectively.

[0023] Figure 8 and Figure 9 These are schematic diagrams showing the interaction between the blocking component and the terminal when the blocking component is in the pre-installed position and the locked position, respectively.

[0024] The diagram is marked as follows:

[0025] 10. Sheath; 101. Terminal receiving cavity; 102. Pull-out groove; 103. Positioning protrusion; 104. Limiting groove; 105. Snap-fit ​​groove;

[0026] 20. Blocking component; 201. Main body; 202. Sliding part; 203. Second blocking feature; 204. Reinforcing beam; 205. Overlapping beam; 206. Limiting part;

[0027] 30. Positioning part; 301. Positioning slide; 302. Elastic arm; 303. Pre-installation slot; 304. Locking slot; 305. Support base; 306. Guide groove; 307. Longitudinal beam;

[0028] 40. Terminal; 401. First blocking feature; 402. Snap-fit ​​arm;

[0029] 50. The direction in which the blocking component is installed into the protective sleeve. Detailed Implementation

[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 arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps 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 and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or use.

[0032] Techniques, methods, and equipment known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

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

[0034] like Figures 1-3 As shown, a connector assembly with a secondary locking function is adapted to connect with a mating connector (not shown in the figure). It includes a sheath 10 with a terminal receiving cavity 101, a terminal 40 installed within the terminal receiving cavity 101, and a blocking member 20 for secondary locking of the terminal 40. A snap-fit ​​arm 402 is formed on the side wall of the terminal 40, and a snap-fit ​​groove 105 is provided on the inner wall of the terminal receiving cavity 101. After the terminal 40 is inserted into the terminal receiving cavity 101, it engages with the snap-fit ​​arm 402 and the snap-fit ​​groove 105 to achieve primary locking of the terminal 40. For details, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 2 .

[0035] like Figures 1-5As shown, a first blocking feature 401 protrudes from the side wall of the terminal 40. A pull-out groove 102 communicating with the terminal receiving cavity 101 is provided laterally inside the sheath 10. The blocking member 20 includes a main body 201 and sliding parts 202 symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main body 201. A second blocking feature 203 is provided at the bottom of the sliding part 202. The sliding part 202 slides within the pull-out groove 102. The blocking member 20 has a locking position that causes interference between the second blocking feature 203 and the first blocking feature 401, and a pre-installed position that prevents interference between the second blocking feature 203 and the first blocking feature 401. In this configuration, the second blocking feature 203 and the first blocking feature 401 are mutually cooperating protruding structures. When the blocking member 20 is in the pre-installed position, the second blocking feature 203 and the first blocking feature 401 do not interfere with each other, allowing the terminal 40 to be smoothly installed into the terminal receiving cavity 101, thus achieving a primary locking of the terminal 40. When the blocking member 20 is in the locked position, the second blocking feature 203 slides behind the first blocking feature 401 and engages with the first blocking feature 401 to prevent the terminal 40 from exiting the sheath 10, thus achieving a secondary locking of the terminal 40. For details, please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is a fairly common technical method in this field, and will not be described in detail here.

[0036] The main improvement of this utility model is that: positioning parts 30 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main body 201, and positioning slides 301 are provided on the positioning parts 30. The protective sleeve 10 has positioning protrusions 103 slidably disposed in the positioning slides 301. Elastic arms 302 are formed on the positioning slides 301. A pre-installation slot 303 / locking slot 304 for engaging the positioning protrusions 103 is formed between the inner side of the elastic arm 302 and the positioning slides 301. A locking slot 304 / pre-installation slot 303 for engaging the positioning protrusions 103 is formed between the free end of the elastic arm 302 and the positioning slides 301. Pushing and pulling the main body 201 allows the positioning protrusions 103 to pass over the free end of the elastic arm 302 and switch between the pre-installation slot 303 and the locking slot 304, thereby realizing the switching of the blocking member 20 between the pre-installation position and the locking position. Figure 6 and Figure 7These are side views of the connector assembly with the blocking member 20 in the pre-installed position and the locked position, respectively. In this invention, the blocking member 20 is laterally inserted into the sheath 10 via a sliding part 202. An elastic arm 302 formed on the positioning part 30 cooperates with a positioning protrusion 103 on the sheath 10, enabling the blocking member 20 to switch between the pre-installed and locked positions. This allows for secondary locking of the terminal 40. Compared to existing secondary locking structures, because it is laterally inserted into the sheath 10, it is suitable for environments with specific requirements for installation space and dimensions. Furthermore, the independently provided positioning part 30 has better strength and positioning effect, thus preventing secondary locking failure due to damage to the blocking member 20 or other unexpected situations.

[0037] In one implementation, such as Figure 4 As shown, the elastic arm 302 is connected to the positioning slide 301 via the support base 305, and the extension direction of the elastic arm 302 is opposite to the direction 50 of the blocking member being inserted into the sheath. The free end of the elastic arm 302 divides the positioning slide 301 into a pre-installation slide portion located inside the elastic arm 302 and a locking slide portion located outside the elastic arm 302. Specifically, a pre-installation slot 303 for engaging the positioning protrusion 103 is formed between the inner side of the elastic arm 302 and the positioning slide 301, and a locking slot 304 for engaging the positioning protrusion 103 is formed between the free end of the elastic arm 302 and the positioning slide 301. Further, a guide groove 306 is formed on the side of the support base 305 away from the pre-installation slot 303. After the positioning protrusion 103 is hard-interfered by the guide groove 306, it enters the pre-installation slot 303, so that the blocking member 20 enters the pre-installation position. To facilitate the positioning protrusion 103 entering the pre-installed slot 303, a chamfered structure is provided between the guide groove 306 and the positioning protrusion 103 to cooperate with each other.

[0038] In one implementation, such as Figure 4 As shown, the positioning parts 30 on both sides of the main body 201 are connected by a number of longitudinal beams 307 arranged along the longitudinal direction to form a frame structure that can be inserted and mated with the mating connector. The frame structure has a number of hole structures that correspond one-to-one with the terminals 40. After the mating connector is mated and connected with the connector assembly of this utility model, the mating terminals in the mating connector enter the connector assembly through the hole structures and are electrically connected to the terminals 40.

[0039] In one implementation, such as Figure 4As shown, the positioning part 30 and the sliding part 202 are fixedly connected by at least one reinforcing beam 204. The reinforcing beam 204 is arranged along the axial direction of the sheath 10. The end of the reinforcing beam 204 away from the mating connector extends outward and overlaps the outer side of the sheath 10, thereby improving the stability of the blocking member 20 when sliding. In order to further improve the stability of the blocking member 20 when sliding, at least one of the two sides of the sliding part 202 is provided with at least one limiting part 206. The pull groove 102 collapses inward to form a limiting groove 104 that slides with the limiting part 206. After the blocking member 20 is installed into the sheath 10, the limiting part 206 and the reinforcing beam 204 are distributed on opposite sides of the limiting groove 104, which can not only improve the stability of the sliding part 202 when sliding, but also limit the installation of the blocking member 20 and prevent misinsertion. Furthermore, the limiting part 206 is specifically disposed on the side of the sliding part 202 away from the mating connector, and the limiting part 206 is integrally formed with the second blocking feature 203. On the one hand, this can improve the strength of the second blocking feature 203, and on the other hand, it can reduce the manufacturing difficulty and cost of the blocking part 20. In addition, in order to further reduce the manufacturing cost of the blocking part 20, the main body 201, the positioning part 30 and the sliding part 202 are integrally injection molded from plastic material.

[0040] In one implementation, such as Figure 1 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, an overlapping beam 205 is formed on the side of the main body 201 away from the sliding part 202. When the blocking member 20 is in the locked position, the overlapping beam 205 abuts against the side wall of the sheath 10 to limit the extreme position of the blocking member 20 and prevent over-insertion from damaging the blocking member 20 and the sheath 10.

[0041] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail by way of examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the above examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can be made to the above embodiments 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 connector assembly with a secondary locking function, adapted for connection with a mating connector, comprising a sheath having a terminal receiving cavity, a terminal installed in the terminal receiving cavity, and a blocking member for secondary locking of the terminal, wherein a first blocking feature protrudes from the side wall of the terminal, a pull-out groove communicating with the terminal receiving cavity is provided transversely inside the sheath, the blocking member comprises a main body and sliding parts symmetrically arranged on both sides of the main body, a second blocking feature is provided at the bottom of the sliding parts, the sliding parts slide within the pull-out groove, and the blocking member has a locking position that causes interference between the second blocking feature and the first blocking feature, and a pre-installed position that prevents interference between the second blocking feature and the first blocking feature, characterized in that: The main body is symmetrically provided with positioning parts on both sides. The positioning parts are provided with positioning slides. The sheath has positioning protrusions that are slidably disposed in the positioning slides. The positioning slides are formed with elastic arms. The inner side of the elastic arm and the positioning slides form a pre-installed slot / locking slot for engaging the positioning protrusion. The free end of the elastic arm and the positioning slides form a locking slot / pre-installed slot for engaging the positioning protrusion. Pushing and pulling the main body can cause the positioning protrusion to pass over the free end of the elastic arm and switch between the pre-installed slot and the locking slot, so as to realize the switching of the blocking member between the pre-installed position and the locking position.

2. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic arm is connected to the positioning slide via a support base, and the extension direction of the elastic arm is opposite to the direction in which the blocking member is inserted into the protective sleeve; a pre-installed slot for engaging the positioning protrusion is formed between the inner side of the elastic arm and the positioning slide, and a locking slot for engaging the positioning protrusion is formed between the free end of the elastic arm and the positioning slide.

3. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The support base has a guide groove formed on the side away from the pre-installation slot. The positioning protrusion enters the pre-installation slot after being hard-interfered by the guide groove, so that the blocking component enters the pre-installation position.

4. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guide groove and the positioning protrusion are provided with a chamfered structure that matches each other.

5. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning parts located on both sides of the main body are connected by several longitudinal beams arranged along the longitudinal direction to form a frame structure that can be plugged into and mated with the matching connector.

6. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning part and the sliding part are fixedly connected by at least one reinforcing beam.

7. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main body has an overlapping beam formed on the side away from the sliding part. When the blocking member is in the locked position, the overlapping beam abuts against the side wall of the sheath.

8. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one of the two sides of the sliding part in the sliding direction is provided with at least one limiting part, and the pull groove collapses inward to form a limiting groove that slides with the limiting part.

9. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 8, characterized in that: The limiting part is disposed on the side of the sliding part away from the mating connector, and the limiting part is integrally formed with the second blocking feature.

10. A connector assembly with a secondary locking function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal also has a snap-fit ​​arm formed on its side wall, and a snap-fit ​​groove is provided on the inner wall of the terminal receiving cavity. After the terminal is installed into the terminal receiving cavity, it is snapped into place by the snap-fit ​​arm and the snap-fit ​​groove.

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