Electric connector

Abstract

The utility model discloses an electric connector, which comprises an insulating main body and a front cover which are assembled together, and a plurality of terminals accommodated in the insulating main body and the front cover, the front cover and the insulating main body jointly form an accommodating space for receiving a terminal locking piece, and the terminal locking piece is provided with a first locking part and a second locking part. And the first locking part and the second locking part are respectively clamped with the front cover and the insulating main body at the pre-locking position and the final locking position, so that the holding force of the terminal locking piece at the pre-locking position and the final locking position is enhanced, and the electric connector can be applied to a vibration environment to stably hold a plurality of terminals.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to an electric connector, especially an electric connector with a front cover and a terminal locking member.

BACKGROUND

[0002] An existing electric connector comprises an insulating body and a front cover assembled to the insulating body, the insulating shell and the front cover jointly form a plurality of receiving grooves to receive a plurality of terminals, a terminal locking member is inserted into a receiving space of the insulating body, wherein the receiving space is provided with a pre-locking matching part and a final locking matching part, an insertion end of the terminal locking member is provided with a locking part protruding to one side to selectively engage with the pre-locking matching part and the final locking matching part to keep the terminal locking member at a pre-locking position or a final locking position, and when at the pre-locking position, the terminal locking member allows the terminal to be assembled or pulled out, and when at the final locking position, the terminal locking member prevents the terminal from retreating backward.

[0003] However, when the terminal locking member is at the pre-locking position waiting for the terminal to be assembled, the terminal locking member is only provided with one locking part matched with the pre-locking matching part of the insulating body, so that the holding force of the terminal locking member at the pre-locking position is relatively weak, and the locking part and the pre-locking matching part are easy to be uncoupled, causing the terminal locking member to exit the insulating body or the terminal locking member to move from the pre-locking position to the final locking position, which is not conducive to further assembling the terminal subsequently, and when the terminal locking member is at the final locking position to lock the terminal, the locking part and the final locking matching part are only matched in a single direction, if the electric connector is applied to a vibration environment, the locking part and the final locking matching part matched in a single direction are also easy to be uncoupled when subjected to a force in the same direction due to vibration, causing the terminal locking member to leave the final locking position and resulting in failure of the terminal anti-retreat.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to design an improved electric connector to solve the above technical problems.

UTILITY MODEL CONTENTS

[0005] In view of the problems in the background art, the utility model aims to provide a terminal locking member with a first locking part and a second locking part, which are matched with the front cover and the insulating body at the pre-locking position and the final locking position respectively, thereby enhancing the holding force of the terminal locking member and stably keeping the electric connector of the terminal.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the utility model discloses the following technical scheme: an electric connector, comprising: an insulating body and a front cover assembled to the insulating body along the front-back direction, the insulating body and the front cover are respectively provided with the joint of the clamping portion and the fitting portion to prevent the front cover from separating from the insulating body, the insulating body and the front cover are provided with a plurality of terminal receiving grooves along the front-back direction to receive a plurality of terminals; the insulating body and the front cover are recessed with a receiving space along the first direction, the first direction is perpendicular to the front-back direction, the receiving space is located between the insulating body and the front cover along the front-back direction and is communicated with the plurality of terminal receiving grooves, the front cover is provided with a first pre-locking fitting portion and a first final locking fitting portion in the receiving space, the insulating body is provided with a second pre-locking fitting portion and a second final locking fitting portion in the receiving space; a terminal locking member is inserted into the receiving space along the first direction and can be selectively moved between a pre-locking position and a final locking position, the terminal locking member is provided with a first locking portion protruding forward and a second locking portion protruding along a second direction and a plurality of stop portions arranged along the second direction, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the front-back direction, the first locking portion and the second locking portion are separated by at least one stop portion along the second direction; when the terminal locking member is located at the pre-locking position, the first locking portion is clamped with the first pre-locking fitting portion, and the second locking portion is clamped with the second pre-locking fitting portion, so as to keep the terminal locking member at the pre-locking position, the stop portion is located on one side of the terminal receiving groove along the first direction to allow the terminal to be inserted or withdrawn from the terminal groove, when the terminal locking member is located at the final locking position, the first locking portion is clamped with the first final locking fitting portion, and the second locking portion is clamped with the second final locking fitting portion, so as to lock the terminal locking member at the final locking position, the plurality of stop portions correspond to the plurality of terminal receiving grooves to stop the plurality of terminals from retreating backward.

[0007] Further, the plurality of terminals are arranged in at least one column along the first direction, and the distance between the first locking portion and the second locking portion along the first direction is greater than the distance between the adjacent two terminal receiving grooves in the same column along the first direction.

[0008] Further, the plurality of terminals are arranged in multiple columns along a first direction, the receiving space comprises a first slot recessed along the first direction from a surface of the front cover side and a plurality of second slots recessed along the first direction from a surface of the same side of the insulating body, the plurality of second slots are arranged along a second direction and communicate with the first slot along the first direction, a second pre-locking fitting part and a second final-locking fitting part are recessed from an inner wall surface of one of the second slots along the second direction, the terminal locking member comprises a base and a plurality of extension arms extending from the base along the first direction, the base is received in the first slot, the plurality of extension arms are respectively inserted into the plurality of second slots, each extension arm protrudes a plurality of blocking parts along the second direction, the plurality of blocking parts on the same extension arm are arranged at intervals along the first direction to block the plurality of terminals in the same column, the second locking part is protruded from one of the extension arms along the second direction and is clamped into the second pre-locking fitting part or the second final-locking fitting part along the second direction.

[0009] Further, the plurality of extension arms are arranged at intervals along the second direction, the first locking part and the second locking part are respectively located on the two extension arms arranged at the outermost sides.

[0010] Further, a receiving groove is recessed from the rear end of the front cover to the front, the insulating body part is received into the receiving groove, a first pre-locking fitting part and a first final-locking fitting part are recessed from the front wall of the receiving groove, the first pre-locking fitting part and the first final-locking fitting part face the second slot at the outermost side, one of the extension arms at the outermost side is recessed a window along the front-rear direction, an elastic arm extends from the edge of the window along the first direction, the first locking part protrudes from the end of the elastic arm to the front, and the first locking part is clamped into the first pre-locking fitting part or the first final-locking fitting part.

[0011] Further, the other extension arm at the outermost side simultaneously protrudes the second locking part and the blocking part, and the two protrude in opposite directions, the second locking part is arranged at intervals with the blocking part along the first direction.

[0012] Further, a anti-extraction recess is recessed from the rear wall of at least one of the second slots, the end of at least one extension arm protrudes an anti-extraction protrusion, the rear side of the first slot is provided with a clearance slot corresponding to the anti-extraction protrusion, the anti-extraction protrusion is aligned with the clearance slot when the terminal locking member is inserted along the first direction, when the terminal locking member is in the pre-locking position, the anti-extraction protrusion is received in the anti-extraction recess and is blocked by the wall surface of the anti-extraction recess along the first direction, preventing the terminal locking member from being separated from the insulating body along the first direction.

[0013] Further, the one of the extension arms simultaneously has the anti-extraction protrusion and the first locking part, the anti-extraction protrusion and the first locking part are respectively located at the two ends of the extension arm along the first direction, and the anti-extraction protrusion and the first locking part are arranged at intervals along the first direction.

[0014] Further, the plurality of terminals include signal terminals for transmitting signals and power terminals for transmitting currents, the signal terminals have a width smaller than a width of the power terminals, the front cover and the insulating body are each divided into a signal area and a power area, the plurality of signal terminals are arranged in the signal area, the plurality of power terminals are arranged in the power area, the plurality of extension arms include extension arms with a narrower width provided with a stop portion for stopping the signal terminals and extension arms with a wider width provided with a stop portion for stopping the power terminals.

[0015] Further, the insulating body is provided with a locking arm on at least one side along the second direction, the locking arm is elastically deformable along the second direction for locking or unlocking with a mating connector, and a connector position assurance member is arranged on one side of the locking arm, and the connector position assurance member stops the locking arm from deforming along the second direction after the locking arm is locked to the mating connector.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the advantages that: the terminal locking member is provided with the first locking portion and the second locking portion, when the terminal locking member is located in the pre-locking position, the first locking portion and the second locking portion are matched with the first pre-locking matching portion of the front cover and the second pre-locking matching portion of the insulating body respectively, when the terminal locking member is located in the final locking position, the first locking portion and the second locking portion are matched with the first final locking matching portion of the front cover and the second final locking matching portion of the insulating body respectively, so the holding force of the terminal locking member in the pre-locking position and the final locking position is enhanced, the protruding directions of the first locking portion and the second locking portion are perpendicular, which means that the directions of the first locking portion and the second locking portion are also perpendicular, if the connector is applied to a vibration environment and the terminal locking member is subjected to a force along the front-back direction, even if the first locking portion is loosened under the influence of the force along the front-back direction and there is a risk of being unlocked from the first final locking matching portion, the second locking portion is also not loosened in the left-right direction and is not unlocked from the second final locking matching portion, the second locking portion is still well kept in the second final locking matching portion, and the terminal locking member is subjected to a force along the left-right direction, the first locking portion is also not loosened in the front-back direction and is not unlocked from the first final locking matching portion, so the terminal locking member can be stably kept in the final locking position to stop the plurality of terminals even if it is applied to a vibration environment, the first locking portion and the second locking portion are separated by at least one stop portion, so the first locking portion and the second locking portion are separated by a distance in the left-right direction, the positions of the first locking portion and the second locking portion are not too concentrated, the local force of the terminal locking member is not too large, the overall force of the terminal locking member is more balanced, the local fracture of the terminal locking member is avoided, the terminal locking member has good structural strength, the service life of the terminal locking member is prolonged, and the terminal locking member can be plugged and unplugged between the pre-locking position and the final locking position as needed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1The utility model discloses a three-dimensional exploded view of electric connector;

[0018] Figure 2 The utility model discloses a three-dimensional assembled view of electric connector;

[0019] Figure 3 The utility model discloses a top view of electric connector;

[0020] Figure 4 For Figure 3 The cross section view along A-A direction when the middle terminal locking piece is in the final locking position;

[0021] Figure 5 For Figure 4 The cross section view when the middle terminal locking piece is in the pre-locking position;

[0022] Figure 6 For Figure 3 The cross section view along B-B direction when the middle terminal locking piece is in the final locking position;

[0023] Figure 7 For Figure 3 The cross section view along C-C direction when the middle terminal locking piece is in the final locking position;

[0024] Figure 8 For Figure 7 The cross section view when the middle terminal locking piece is in the pre-locking position;

[0025] Figure 9 The utility model discloses a three-dimensional cross section view of insulating main body cut part;

[0026] Figure 10 The utility model discloses a three-dimensional schematic view of terminal locking piece;

[0027] Figure 11 The utility model discloses a three-dimensional schematic view of terminal locking piece and front cover pre-assembled.

[0028] Specific embodiment figure number explanation:

[0029]

Specific embodiment

[0030] For the purpose, structure, features and effects of the utility model, now combining with the drawings and specific embodiment, the utility model is further explained.

[0031] For example Figures 1 to 11The utility model discloses an electric connector, electric connector includes an insulating body 1 and assembles in the insulating body 1 front end a front cover 2, insulating body 1 and front cover 2 along the front -back direction common recess sets up multiple terminal receiving groove to receive multiple signal terminal 4a and multiple power terminal 4b, and insulating body 1 and front cover 2 along the perpendicular to the front -back direction a first direction recess sets up a receiving space, terminal lock piece 3 along the perpendicular to the front -back direction a first direction inserts in receiving space to prevent signal terminal 4a and power terminal 4b backward exit, terminal lock piece 3 is equipped with the first locking portion 325 that protrudes to the front and the second locking portion 326 that protrudes along the perpendicular to the front -back direction and the first direction a second direction, and the first locking portion 325 is locked with front cover 2, and the second locking portion 326 and insulating body 1 lock, the rear end of signal terminal 4a and power terminal 4b is connected multiple cable 5 respectively, and the outer periphery of each cable 5 is equipped with a sealing element 8 and is sealed and abuts the terminal receiving groove inner wall, multiple wire clamp 9 correspondingly clamps and sets up the outer periphery of the cladding multiple cable 5 and blocks the rear end opening of terminal receiving groove, and the both sides of insulating body 1 along the second direction are equipped with two lock arms 121, and two connector position guaranteeing members 6 are arranged on one side of two lock arms 121 respectively. In the embodiment, the front -back direction is the X axis direction in the drawing, the first direction is the up -down direction and is as the Z axis direction in the drawing, and the second direction is the left -right direction and is as the Y axis direction in the drawing, and in other embodiments, the first direction can also be the left -right direction, and the second direction is the up -down direction.

[0032] As Figure 1 , Figure 6 and Figure 9 , the insulating body 1 integrally forms an inner body 11 and an outer cover 12 surrounding the outer periphery of the inner body 11, the inner body 11 is provided with a plurality of rear through grooves 111 along the front -back direction to form the rear part of the terminal receiving groove, the upper surface and the lower surface of the inner body 11 are each inwardly recessed with a plurality of fitting portions 112, the front cover 2 is provided with a plurality of front through grooves 21 along the front -back direction to form the front part of the terminal receiving groove, as Figure 11The front cover 2 is provided with a receiving groove 24 at the rear end thereof, a plurality of front through grooves 21 are provided on the front wall of the receiving groove 24, and a plurality of clamping portions 22 are provided on the upper and lower inner walls of the receiving groove 24. When the front cover 2 is assembled to the insulating body 1, the outer cover 12 covers the outer periphery of the front cover 2, the receiving groove 24 receives the front end of the inner body 11, the front end of the inner body 11 is stopped by the front wall of the receiving groove 24, the clamping portions 22 are clamped in the corresponding embedding portions 112, the front cover 2 is prevented from being separated from the insulating body 1 in the forward direction, and the front through grooves 21 and the rear through grooves 111 are aligned and connected in the forward and backward directions, so that the aligned front through grooves 21 and rear through grooves 111 jointly form terminal receiving grooves. The front through grooves 21 are provided with anti-back-off clamping grooves 211 on one side (the upper side in the figure) in the first direction, for receiving the anti-back-off spring plates 42 on the signal terminals 4a / power terminals 4b, to achieve one-time locking of the signal terminals 4a / power terminals 4b. In this embodiment, since the power terminals 4b and the signal terminals 4a are different in size, the width of the signal terminals 4a in the second direction is smaller than the width of the power terminals 4b, and the sizes of the terminal receiving grooves for receiving the power terminals 4b and the terminal receiving grooves for receiving the signal terminals 4a are also different, and the terminal receiving grooves for receiving the power terminals 4b and the terminal receiving grooves for receiving the signal terminals 4a are arranged in regions in the second direction. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2 The front end of the front cover 2 is more protruded to the front than the left part, so that the front end of the front cover 2 forms a stepped shape, the protruded stepped part and the part of the insulating body 1 behind the protruded stepped part form a region for receiving a plurality of power terminals 4b (hereinafter referred to as a power region P), and the part not protruded and the part of the insulating body 1 behind the part not protruded form a region for receiving a plurality of signal terminals 4a (hereinafter referred to as a signal region S). The terminal receiving grooves are arranged in a plurality of columns in the first direction and a plurality of rows in the second direction in the power region P and the signal region S, and correspondingly, the signal terminals 4a are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns in the signal region S, and the power terminals 4b are arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns in the power region P.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6 , Figure 9 and Figure 11As shown, the accommodation space includes a first slot 23 recessed from the front cover 2 along the first direction and a plurality of second slots 113 recessed from the insulating body 1 along the first direction, the plurality of second slots 113 are arranged along the second direction, the first slot 23 and the plurality of second slots 113 are communicated along the first direction, specifically, the first slot 23 is recessed downward from the upper surface of the front cover 2, the plurality of second slots 113 are recessed downward from the upper surface of the inner body 11, the plurality of second slots 113 are communicated upward to the first slot 23, the plurality of second slots 113 further penetrate the front surface of the inner body 11 forward, so that the second slot 113 is communicated to the front through slot 21 forward and to the rear through slot 111 rearward when viewed along the second direction, and each second slot 113 is communicated to the plurality of terminal accommodation slots arranged along the first direction when viewed along the front-rear direction, specifically, one second slot 113 in the signal area S is communicated to a column of the plurality of terminal accommodation slots, one second slot 113 in the power area P is communicated to two columns of the plurality of terminal accommodation slots, and the width dimension of the second slot 113 of the power area P is greater than the width dimension of the second slot 113 of the signal area S.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 11 , the above-mentioned first slot 23 is located in front of the clamping portion 22 on the upper side, the first slot 23 penetrates downward to the accommodation slot 24, the front wall surface of the accommodation slot 24 is recessed forward in the power area P of the front cover 2 to form a first pre-locking portion 25 and a first final locking portion 26, the first pre-locking portion 25 and the first final locking portion 26 face the second slot 113 (the rightmost second slot 113) of the power area P of the insulating body 1, and the second pre-locking portion 114 and the second final locking portion 115 are recessed along the inner wall surface of the second slot 113 on the outer side in the signal area S, as shown in Figure 9 , the right wall surface of the signal area S in the leftmost second slot 113 is recessed with the second pre-locking portion 114 and the second final locking portion 115.

[0035] As shown in Figure 10 , the terminal locking member 3 includes a base portion 31 and a plurality of extension arms 32 extending from the base portion 31 along the first direction, the plurality of extension arms 32 are arranged along the second direction, as shown in Figures 4 to 8As shown, the terminal locking member 3 is selectively movable relative to the front cover 2 and the insulating body 1 between a pre-locking position and a final locking position, when the terminal locking member 3 is inserted into the receiving space along the first direction, the base 31 is received in the first slot 23, the plurality of extension arms 32 respectively pass through the first slot 23 and are correspondingly inserted into the plurality of second slots 113, a plurality of stop portions 321 are protruded from each of the extension arms 32 along the second direction, the plurality of stop portions 321 on the same extension arm 32 are arranged along the first direction to stop the same column of terminals 4, each of the stop portions 321 is arranged corresponding to one of the terminal receiving slots, the two extension arms 32 arranged at the outermost along the second direction are respectively provided with a first locking portion 325 protruded forward and a second locking portion 326 protruded along the second direction, in particular, a window 323 is formed through the top of the rightmost one of the extension arms 32 along the front-rear direction adjacent to the base 31, an elastic arm 324 is extended downward from the upper edge of the window 323, the elastic arm 324 is displaceable along the front-rear direction within the window 323, the first locking portion 325 is formed by protruding forward from the lower end of the elastic arm 324, the second locking portion 326 is formed by protruding rightward from the right side of the leftmost one of the extension arms 32; when the first locking portion 325 is clamped into and engaged with the first pre-locking engaging portion 25 and the second locking portion 326 is clamped into and engaged with the second pre-locking engaging portion 114, the terminal locking member 3 is kept at the pre-locking position, at this time, the plurality of stop portions 321 are arranged above the plurality of terminal receiving slots without protruding into the terminal receiving slots, so that the signal terminals 4a and the power terminals 4b can be loaded into the terminal receiving slots forwardly or withdrawn from the terminal receiving slots rearwardly; when the first locking portion 325 is clamped into and engaged with the first final locking engaging portion 26 and the second locking portion 326 is clamped into and engaged with the second final locking engaging portion 115, the terminal locking member 3 is kept at the final locking position, at this time, the plurality of stop portions 321 partially protrude into the corresponding plurality of terminal receiving slots, so that the signal terminals 4a and the power terminals 4b already loaded into the terminal receiving slots are stopped by the stop portions 321 and cannot be withdrawn from the terminal receiving slots.

[0036] As Figure 10The first locking part 325 is a flexible clamping point protruding forward on the elastic arm 324, and the second locking part 326 is a hard interference clamping point protruding right on the extension arm 32. Avoiding the situation that both are hard interference clamping points, which leads to too large plugging force when moving between the pre-locking position and the final locking position. Therefore, through the combination of a flexible clamping point and a hard interference clamping point, the terminal locking piece 3 has better holding force while the plugging force of the terminal locking piece 3 is relatively reduced. The first locking part 325 and the second locking part 326 are respectively located on the two extension arms 32 on the left and right sides of the terminal locking piece 3, so that the first locking part 325 and the second locking part 326 are separated by a plurality of stop parts 321 along the second direction. Avoiding the terminal locking piece 3 to be locally concentrated in force on the left or right side, so that the terminal locking piece 3 is balanced in force, ensuring that the terminal locking piece 3 has good structural strength. The second locking part 326 and the first locking part 325 are also arranged in the first direction, and the distance between the first locking part 325 and the second locking part 326 along the up-down direction is greater than the distance between the adjacent two terminal receiving grooves in the same column. Specifically, the second locking part 326 is closer to the lower end of the terminal locking piece 3 than the first locking part 325, which can also avoid the terminal locking piece 3 to be concentrated in force on the upper side or the lower side. The protruding directions of the first locking part 325 and the second locking part 326 are perpendicular, that is, the directions of the first locking part 325 and the second locking part 326 are also perpendicular. If the connector is applied to a vibration environment and the terminal locking piece 3 is subjected to a force in the front-back direction, even if the first locking part 325 is loose under the influence of the front-back direction force and there is a risk of being decoupled from the first final locking part 26, the second locking part 326 is also loose in the front-back direction, which will not cause it to be decoupled from the second final locking part 115 in the left-right direction. The second locking part 326 is still well maintained in the second final locking part 115 in the left-right direction. Similarly, when the terminal locking piece 3 is subjected to a force in the left-right direction, the first locking part 325 is loose in the left-right direction, which will not cause it to be decoupled from the first final locking part 26 in the front-back direction. Therefore, it is ensured that the terminal locking piece 3 can still be stably maintained in the final locking position to block a plurality of terminals 4 in a vibration environment.

[0037] As Figure 7 And Figure 10As shown, the plurality of extension arms 32 include first extension arms 32a with a narrow width for stopping the signal terminals 4a and second extension arms 32b with a wide width for stopping the power terminals 4b. In this embodiment, a plurality of first extension arms 32a are provided and only one second extension arm 32b is provided, wherein each first extension arm 32a corresponds to stopping a plurality of signal terminals 4a in a column, each first extension arm 32a only corresponds to protruding to the left side to form a plurality of stopping portions 321, and the second extension arm 32b corresponds to stopping the power terminals 4b in both left and right columns at the same time, the second extension arm 32b protrudes to the left side and to the right side to form a plurality of stopping portions 321, respectively. In other embodiments, the second extension arm 32b can also stop the power terminals 4b in a column alone like the first extension arm 32a, or the first extension arm 32a stops the signal terminals 4a in both left and right columns at the same time like the second extension arm 32b.

[0038] As Figure 5 and Figure 10As shown, the second locking portion 326 is arranged in the first direction with the plurality of stop portions 321 on the first extension arm 32a (i.e. the leftmost extension arm 32) where it is located, and the second locking portion 325 is arranged in the opposite direction to the protruding direction of the stop portions 321 on the first extension arm 32a, the second locking portion 326 is located between the two adjacent stop portions 321 in the up-down direction, rather than being arranged at the end position of the first extension arm 32a, which is conducive to reducing the size of the first extension arm 32a in the first direction; the first locking portion 325 is located on the second extension arm 32b (i.e. the rightmost extension arm 32), the width of the second extension arm 32b at the positions where the two stop portions 321 are protruded is greater than the width of other positions of the second extension arm 32b, the window 323 is arranged to pass through the middle of the two stop portions 321 on the second extension arm 32b, rather than being hollowed out at other positions on the second extension arm 32b to form the window 323, which is conducive to maintaining sufficient structural strength of the second extension arm 32b, the thickness of the elastic arm 324 is less than the thickness of the second extension arm 32b, so that the elastic arm 324 has a relatively slender force arm structure and better elasticity, the elastic arm 324 can be deformed in the front-back direction within the window 323, and a anti-disengagement protrusion 322 is protruded at the end of the second extension arm 32b, a anti-disengagement recess 116 is recessed at the back wall of the second slot 113 corresponding to accommodating the second extension arm 32b, when the terminal locking piece 3 is in the pre-locking position, the anti-disengagement protrusion 322 is accommodated in the anti-disengagement recess 116, and the upper surface of the anti-disengagement protrusion 322 is limited by the upper wall of the anti-disengagement recess 116, thereby further preventing the terminal locking piece 3 from disengaging from the insulating main body 1 upwardly from the pre-locking position, the first locking portion 325 protruding forwardly and the anti-disengagement protrusion 322 protruding rearwardly are arranged on the second extension arm 32b at the same time, which means that when the terminal locking piece 3 is in the pre-locking position and subjected to a force in the front-back direction, the first locking portion 325 is disengaged rearwardly, and the anti-disengagement protrusion 322 is disengaged forwardly, the anti-disengagement protrusion 322 is more tightly engaged with the anti-disengagement recess 116, and the first locking portion 325 is also more tightly engaged with the first pre-locking fitting portion 25, thereby enhancing the holding force of the terminal locking piece 3 in the pre-locking position; when the terminal locking piece 3 is viewed in the second direction, the first locking portion 325 and the anti-disengagement protrusion 322 are arranged in the first direction and located at the two ends of the second extension arm 32b in the first direction, respectively, which avoids the second extension arm 32b from being concentratedly stressed at the same position during the plugging and unplugging process, and ensures that the structural strength of the second extension arm 32b is good.In the embodiment, the end of the first extension arm 32a and the end of the second extension arm 32b are both provided with the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322, so that the two anti-withdrawal protrusions 322 are also evenly distributed on the terminal locking member 3, preventing the terminal locking member 3 from being withdrawn from one side and remaining in the housing from the other side, so that the terminal locking member 3 can be clamped by the two anti-withdrawal protrusions 322 and cannot be withdrawn from the insulating body in the pre-locking position. In other embodiments, the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 can be provided on only the middle extension arm 32, which can also enhance the holding force of the terminal locking member 3 in the pre-locking position.

[0039] Since the first extension arm 32a and the second extension arm 32b correspond to different terminals 4, the terminal locking member 3 needs to be assembled in the correct direction when assembled into the accommodation space, as shown in Figure 10 and Figure 11 The two anti-withdrawal protrusions 322 are respectively arranged at the lower end of the first extension arm 32a and the lower end of the second extension arm 32b, and the rear side of the first slot 23 of the front cover 2 is also provided with two accommodation grooves 231 corresponding to the two anti-withdrawal protrusions 322. When the terminal locking member 3 is assembled in the first direction (i.e., downward insertion), the two anti-withdrawal protrusions 322 are respectively aligned with the positions of the two accommodation grooves 231, thereby adjusting the insertion direction of the terminal locking member 3, i.e., the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 also plays a role in preventing incorrect insertion, so that the terminal locking member 3 is assembled into the accommodation space in the correct direction. The base 31 is provided with a pushing portion 311 protruding forward from the base 31, and the front cover 2 is provided with a tool slot 27 corresponding to the position of the pushing portion 311. When the terminal locking member 3 is installed in place, the pushing portion 311 is accommodated in the tool slot 27, and there is a gap (not shown) between the bottom of the pushing portion 311 and the bottom wall of the tool slot 27. The tool slot 27 penetrates the front end of the front cover 2 forward, so that an external pushing tool or a hand can be inserted into the gap from the front to the rear, and the installed terminal locking member 3 is moved upward from the final locking position to the pre-locking position by pushing the pushing portion 311 upward. The pushing portion 311 also protrudes forward more than other parts of the base 31, which can also be used as an identifier to identify the correct direction of the terminal locking member 3 during installation.

[0040] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 6As shown, the signal terminal 4a and the power terminal 4b each include a tubular contact portion 41 for insertion of a pin of a mating connector and forming an electrical connection (not shown), and a wiring portion 43 for clamping a conductor of the cable 5, and a retreat stop spring 42 is arranged on the upper side of the tubular contact portion 41, the retreat stop spring 42 is clamped in the retreat prevention slot 211, achieving a primary locking of the signal terminal 4a and the power terminal 4b, and when the terminal locking member 3 is in the final locking position, the stop portion 321 is stopped at the rear end of the tubular contact portion 41, achieving a secondary locking of the signal terminal 4a and the power terminal 4b, the stop portion 321 for stopping the signal terminal 4a and the stop portion 321 for stopping the power terminal 4b are integrated on one terminal locking member 3, and the stop structures are the same, facilitating the assembly of the two types of terminals 4, without the need to separately design two different terminal locking members 3 for stopping the signal terminal 4a and the power terminal 4b, reducing the mold development cost and simplifying the assembly process, which is conducive to the integration of power and signal in the electrical connector (such as in the automotive field).

[0041] In the present embodiment, since the cover 12 shields outside the terminal locking member 3, the terminal locking member 3 is assembled to the front cover 2 first, so that only the first locking portion 325 of the terminal locking member 3 first cooperates with the first pre-locking cooperation portion 25 of the front cover 2, and the second locking portion 326 does not interfere with the second pre-locking cooperation portion 114, so that the insertion force of the terminal locking member 3 is low, and then the front cover 2 with the terminal locking member 3 is assembled to the insulating main body 1, and the second locking portion 326 cooperates with the second pre-locking cooperation portion 114; in other embodiments, the insulating main body 1 can also not be provided with the cover 12 structure, and then the front cover 2 and the insulating main body 1 can be assembled first, and then the terminal locking member 3 is assembled.

[0042] As Figure 1 and Figure 6As shown, a sealing member 8 is sleeved on the outer periphery of each cable 5, and the sealing member 8 can be correspondingly attached to the inner wall surface of the rear through groove 111 to prevent water vapor from entering from the rear end opening of the terminal receiving groove, and the plurality of cables 5 connected to the plurality of signal terminals 4a in the same column share the same cable clamp 9, and the plurality of cables 5 connected to the plurality of power supply terminals 4b in the same column share another cable clamp 9, and the rear end of the insulating body is surrounded by a glue filling groove (not shown) formed outside the rear end openings of the plurality of terminal receiving grooves, and the plurality of cable clamps 9 are located in the glue filling groove, and the front ends of the plurality of cable clamps 9 are blocked at the rear end openings of the plurality of terminal receiving grooves, when filling glue in the glue filling groove, the arrangement of the cable clamps 9 prevents the plastic from flowing into the terminal receiving grooves, and after the glue filling is completed, the filled plastic colloid and the cable clamps 9 can well fix the positions of the plurality of cables 5 inside the insulating body 1, so that when the plurality of cables 5 exposed outside the insulating body 1 are pulled, the influence on the part of the cable 5 inside the insulating body 1 is weakened, and the part of the cable 5 inside the insulating body 1 is prevented from being pulled by the external cable 5 to cause the positional accuracy of the terminal 4 connected to the cable 5 to be poor, and the sealing and waterproof performance of the electrical connector is also improved. A sealing ring 7 is sleeved outside the inner body 11 to further improve the sealing and waterproof performance of the electrical connector and the mating connector at the mating position.

[0043] The left and right sides of the housing 12 are integrally formed with two locking arms 121 for locking with a mating connector (not shown), and the two locking arms 121 are formed on the left and right sides instead of the upper and lower sides, which is beneficial to reduce the size of the electrical connector in the up-down direction, and the two locking arms 121 have stronger holding force than a single locking arm 121. The locking arm 121 can be elastically deformed along the second direction to be unlocked or locked with the mating connector, and a connector position assurance member 6 is correspondingly arranged on one side of each locking arm 121. The connector position assurance member 6 can be blocked on one side of the locking arm 121 (not shown) after the electrical connector and the mating connector are locked together, preventing the locking arm 121 from deforming and unlocking, thereby ensuring that the electrical connector and the mating connector can be stably electrically connected.

[0044] In summary, the electrical connector has the following beneficial effects:

[0045] 1. The terminal locking piece 3 is provided with a first locking portion 325 and a second locking portion 326, when the terminal locking piece 3 is in the pre-locking position, the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 are matched with the first pre-locking matching portion 25 of the front cover 2 and the second pre-locking matching portion 114 of the insulating body 1 respectively, when the terminal locking piece 3 is in the final locking position, the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 are matched with the first final locking matching portion 26 of the front cover 2 and the second final locking matching portion 115 of the insulating body 1 respectively, so as to enhance the holding force of the terminal locking piece 3 in the pre-locking position and the final locking position; the protruding directions of the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 are perpendicular, that is to say, the directions of the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 are also perpendicular, if the connector is applied to a vibration environment and the terminal locking piece 3 is subjected to a force in the front-back direction, even if the first locking portion 325 is loosened under the influence of the force in the front-back direction and there is a risk of being disengaged from the first final locking matching portion 26, the second locking portion 326 is also loosened in the front-back direction and will not be disengaged from the second final locking matching portion 115 in the left-right direction, the second locking portion 326 is still well kept in the second final locking matching portion 115 in the left-right direction, and for the same reason, when the terminal locking piece 3 is subjected to a force in the left-right direction, the first locking portion 325 is loosened in the left-right direction and will not be disengaged from the first final locking matching portion 26 in the front-back direction, so as to ensure that the terminal locking piece 3 can be stably kept in the final locking position to stop the plurality of terminals 4 even if it is applied in a vibration environment; the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 are separated by at least one blocking portion 321 in the left-right direction, so that the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 are separated by a distance in the left-right direction, preventing the positions of the first locking portion 325 and the second locking portion 326 from being too concentrated and causing the terminal locking piece 3 to be locally stressed too much, which is beneficial to make the overall stress of the terminal locking piece 3 more balanced, avoiding the terminal locking piece 3 from being broken due to local stress, ensuring that the terminal locking piece 3 has good structural strength and prolongs the service life of the terminal locking piece 3, so as to facilitate the terminal locking piece 3 to be moved between the pre-locking position and the final locking position as needed.

[0046] 2. The first locking portion 325 is a flexible clamping point protruding on the elastic arm 324, and the second locking portion 326 is a hard interference clamping point protruding on the extension arm 32, avoiding that both of them are hard interference clamping points and the insertion force is too large when moving between the pre-locking position and the final locking position, so that the combination of a flexible clamping point and a hard interference clamping point reduces the insertion force of the terminal locking piece 3 while maintaining the terminal locking piece 3 with good holding force.

[0047] 3. The first locking portion 325 and the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 are respectively located on the same extension arm 32 and are arranged in the first direction, so that the first locking portion 325 and the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 are respectively located on the front and back of the same extension arm 32, when the terminal locking piece 3 is subjected to a front-back direction force, the first locking portion 325 is loosened backward, and the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 is backward and more closely engaged with the anti-withdrawal groove 116, and similarly, if the terminal locking piece 3 is subjected to a front-back direction force, the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 is loosened forward, and the first locking portion 325 is more closely engaged with the first pre-locking portion 25, thereby enhancing the holding force of the terminal locking piece 3 in the pre-locking position, and the first locking portion 325 and the anti-withdrawal protrusion 322 are respectively located on the two ends of the same extension arm 32 in the first direction, avoiding the second extension arm 32b from being concentratedly stressed at the same position during plugging and unplugging, and ensuring that the second extension arm 32b has good structural strength.

[0048] 4. The width of the signal terminal 4a is less than the width of the power terminal 4b, the plurality of extension arms 32 include the extension arm 32a with the width being narrower and provided with the blocking portion 321 for blocking the signal terminal 4a, and the extension arm 32b with the width being wider and provided with the blocking portion for blocking the power terminal 4b, the plurality of extension arms 32a with the width being narrower are arranged adjacent to each other, and the extension arm 32b with the width being wider is arranged at the edge of the base 31, facilitating molding and blocking different types of terminals 4, and making the blocking portion 321 for blocking the signal terminal 4a and the blocking portion 321 for blocking the power terminal 4b integrated on one terminal locking piece 3, and the blocking structures are the same, facilitating the assembly of the two types of terminals 4, without the need to separately design two different terminal locking pieces 3 for blocking the signal terminal 4a and the power terminal 4b, thereby reducing the mold development cost, simplifying the assembly process, and being beneficial to the integration of power and signal in the electric connector (such as in the automobile field).

[0049] The above detailed description is only for the preferred embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the patent range of the present application, therefore, any equivalent technical changes made according to the content of the present application are included in the patent range of the present application.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, characterized in that, include: An insulating body and a front cover assembled on the insulating body in the front-back direction. The insulating body and the front cover are respectively provided with a snap-fit ​​part and a fitting part to prevent the front cover from detaching from the insulating body. The insulating body and the front cover are provided with multiple terminal receiving slots in the front-back direction to receive multiple terminals. An insulating body and a front cover are recessed together along a first direction to form a receiving space. The first direction is perpendicular to the front-back direction. The receiving space is located between the insulating body and the front cover along the front-back direction and is connected to multiple terminal receiving slots. The front cover has a first pre-locking engagement part and a first final locking engagement part in the receiving space. The insulating body has a second pre-locking engagement part and a second final locking engagement part in the receiving space. A terminal locking member is inserted into a receiving space along a first direction and can be selectively moved between a pre-locked position and a final locked position. The terminal locking member has a first locking part protruding forward and a second locking part protruding along a second direction, as well as a plurality of stop parts spaced apart along the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the front-back direction. The first locking part and the second locking part are separated by at least one stop part along the second direction. When the terminal locking member is in the pre-lock position, the first locking part engages with the first pre-lock mating part, and the second locking part engages with the second pre-lock mating part to jointly hold the terminal locking member in the pre-lock position. The stop part is located on one side of the terminal receiving slot along the first direction to allow the terminal to be inserted into or removed from the terminal slot. When the terminal locking member is in the final lock position, the first locking part engages with the first final lock mating part, and the second locking part engages with the second final lock mating part to jointly lock the terminal locking member in the final lock position. Multiple stop parts enter multiple terminal receiving slots to prevent multiple terminals from retracting.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple terminals are arranged in at least one column along a first direction, and the distance between the first locking part and the second locking part along the first direction is greater than the distance between two adjacent terminal receiving slots located in the same column along the first direction.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple terminals are arranged in multiple rows along a first direction. The receiving space includes a first slot recessed along the first direction from the surface of one side of the front cover and multiple second slots recessed along the first direction from the surface of the same side of the insulating body. The multiple second slots are arranged along a second direction and connected to the first slot along the first direction. A second pre-locking engagement portion and a second final locking engagement portion are recessed from the inner wall surface of one of the second slots along the second direction. The terminal locking member includes a base and multiple extension arms extending from the base along the first direction. The base is received in the first slot. The multiple extension arms are respectively inserted into the multiple second slots. Each extension arm has multiple stop portions protruding along the second direction. The multiple stop portions on the same extension arm are spaced apart along the first direction to stop multiple terminals located in the same row. The second locking portion is formed by protruding from one of the extension arms along the second direction and is engaged with the second pre-locking engagement portion or the second final locking engagement portion along the second direction.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: Multiple extension arms are arranged at intervals along the second direction, with the first locking part and the second locking part located on the two outermost extension arms, respectively.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: A receiving groove is recessed forward from the rear end of the front cover, and the insulating main body is housed in the receiving groove. The front wall of the receiving groove is recessed forward to form a first pre-locking engagement part and a first final locking engagement part. The first pre-locking engagement part and the first final locking engagement part face the outermost second slot. One of the outermost extension arms is recessed in the front-rear direction with a window. An elastic arm extends from the edge of the window in the first direction. A first locking part protrudes forward from the end of the elastic arm. The first locking part is engaged forward into the first pre-locking engagement part or the first final locking engagement part.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The outermost extension arm is provided with a second locking part and a stop part, and the two protrusions are in opposite directions. The second locking part is offset from the stop part along the first direction.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: An anti-disengagement groove is recessed rearward from the rear wall of at least one of the second slots, and an anti-disengagement protrusion is protruded rearward from the end of at least one extension arm. A clearance groove corresponding to the recessed anti-disengagement protrusion is provided on the rear side of the first slot. When the terminal locking member is inserted in the first direction, the anti-disengagement protrusion is aligned with the clearance groove. When the terminal locking member is in the pre-locked position, the anti-disengagement protrusion is received in the anti-disengagement groove and blocked by the wall of the anti-disengagement groove in the first direction, preventing the terminal locking member from disengaging from the insulating body in the first direction.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 7, characterized in that: One of the extension arms is provided with both an anti-detachment protrusion and a first locking part. The anti-detachment protrusion and the first locking part are respectively located at both ends of the extension arm along the first direction, and the anti-detachment protrusion and the first locking part are staggered along the first direction.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: Multiple terminals include signal terminals for transmitting signals and power terminals for transmitting current. The width of the signal terminals is smaller than the width of the power terminals. The front cover and the insulating body are divided into signal areas and power areas. Multiple signal terminals are arranged in the signal area, and multiple power terminals are arranged in the power area. Multiple extension arms include a narrower extension arm with a stop to stop the signal terminals and a wider extension arm with a stop to stop the power terminals.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating body has a locking arm on at least one side along the second direction. The locking arm can be elastically deformed along the second direction to lock or unlock with a mating connector. A connector position guarantee is provided on one side of the locking arm. When the locking arm locks into the mating connector, the connector position guarantee prevents the locking arm from deforming along the second direction.

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