Lock catch structure and electronic connector thereof
By using the U-shaped locking structure design and the tongue plate to squeeze the locking angle and the spring-back mechanism, the problem of loosening of the TYPE-C connector in the female socket is solved, achieving a stable snap-fit connection and improved strength.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520170594.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-23
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-01-25
AI Technical Summary
The locking structure of existing TYPE-C connectors is difficult to maintain good spring return after insertion into the female socket, which makes the connector easy to loosen during use and affects the stability of the insertion.
The U-shaped locking design includes a support arm, an extension arm, and a clamping arm. The latch is opened by pressing the locking angle with the tongue plate and springs back under the reaction force to form a snap connection. The support arm provides sufficient reaction force for clamping and fixing, and the support ribs improve elasticity and strength.
This achieves a stable connection between the connector and the female socket, preventing loosening and improving connection strength and reliability.
Smart Images
Figure CN223828773U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of connector technology, and in particular to a locking structure and its electronic connector. Background Technology
[0002] Electrical connectors are a commonly used component in the electronics field. They are mainly used to bridge gaps in circuits or between isolated circuits, allowing current to flow and enabling the circuit to perform its intended function. Connectors are an indispensable component in electronic devices.
[0003] To allow for reversible insertion, Type-C connectors incorporate a locking mechanism inside the connector. This mechanism creates a snap-fit connection between the connector and the female connector after insertion, enhancing connection strength and preventing loosening during use. Therefore, the locking mechanism must maintain its elasticity and return to its original position even after being pressed by the female connector's inner tongue plate during insertion, thus securing the connector to the tongue plate and ensuring a stable connection. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a locking structure that can effectively clamp and fix the tongue plate in the female seat.
[0005] The technical solution adopted by the locking structure and its electronic connector disclosed in this utility model is as follows:
[0006] A locking structure includes two opposing clamping arms connected by a connecting arm. Each clamping arm includes a supporting arm, an extending arm, and a clamping plate arm. The extending arm is fixedly connected to the connecting arm. The supporting arm is located at the front end of the extending arm and is bent and protrudes away from the connecting arm. The front end of the supporting arm has a concave locking angle. The clamping plate arm is located at the rear end of the extending arm.
[0007] As a preferred embodiment, the supporting arm is provided with an outwardly protruding supporting rib on the side away from the connecting arm, and the supporting rib is gradually tapered along the extension direction of both ends of the supporting arm.
[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the locking angle has a V-shaped structure, and the middle part of the locking angle protrudes towards the side closer to the connecting arm.
[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the extending lever arm has a notch for the connecting arm, the surface of the connecting arm is wrapped with an insulating sleeve, and the two sides of the insulating sleeve extend through the notch and protrude from the extending lever arm to form a limiting step.
[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the number of clamping arms is two, and the clamping arms are arranged opposite each other to form a PCB board clamping area, and each of the two clamping arms has a welding boss on its opposite side.
[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the clamping arm is provided with a welding lug on the side away from the connecting arm, and the welding lug protrudes from the surface of the clamping arm.
[0012] An electronic connector includes a locking structure, a housing, a terminal group, and a circuit board as described above. The terminal group is mounted on one side of the connecting arm of the locking structure, and the locking structure and the terminal group are fixed inside the housing by an insulator. The circuit board is located at the tail of the housing, and the clamping arm of the terminal group and the locking structure is welded and fixed to one end of the circuit board.
[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the surface of the insulator is provided with a slot, and the outer shell is provided with a groove corresponding to the slot, the groove being embedded in the slot.
[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the terminal group includes a plurality of harpoon-type terminals, which are arranged laterally at intervals, and the surface of the harpoon-type terminals is provided with protrusions.
[0015] The beneficial effects of the locking structure disclosed in this utility model are as follows: Two opposing clamping arms are connected by a connecting arm to form a U-shaped structure. During connector assembly, the terminal group is first placed between the two clamping arms, and then the locking structure and terminal group are placed together inside. The clamping plate arm at the rear end of the clamping arm is soldered and fixed to the circuit board. When the connector is inserted, the clamping arms located on both sides inside the connector cooperate and are fixed with the tongue plate inside the female connector. During insertion, the tongue plate first presses the locking angle at the front end of the supporting arm, causing the locking angles of the two clamping arms to move away from each other. As the lever arm extends outward, it is also squeezed outward by the tongue plate, generating a release force that keeps the locking angle tightly against the tongue plate. When the locking angle moves to the position corresponding to the tongue plate of the female seat, it rebounds inward towards the tongue plate under the reaction force of the lever arm, thus forming a snap-fit connection. The lever arm bends outward away from the connecting arm, while the locking angle forms a concave structure. This makes the locking angle, lever arm, and extension arm form an arc-shaped structure, ensuring that the lever arm can provide sufficient reaction force to effectively clamp and fix the tongue plate in the female seat. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a locking structure according to the present invention.
[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a locking structure with an insulating sleeve according to the present invention.
[0018] Figure 3This is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic connector according to the present invention.
[0019] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of an electronic connector according to this utility model.
[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an electronic connector according to this utility model.
[0021] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of an electronic connector according to this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0022] The present invention will be further described and illustrated below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings:
[0023] Please refer to Figure 1 A locking mechanism 10 includes two opposing clamping arms 11 connected by a connecting arm 12. Each clamping arm 11 includes a supporting arm 111, an extending arm 112, and a clamping arm 113. The extending arm 112 is fixedly connected to the connecting arm 12. The supporting arm 111 is located at the front end of the extending arm 112 and bends outward toward the side away from the connecting arm 12. The front end of the supporting arm 111 is provided with a concave locking angle 114. The clamping arm 113 is located at the rear end of the extending arm 112. In actual production, the locking mechanism 10 is manufactured using an integral molding technique.
[0024] The two opposing clamping arms 11 are connected by the connecting arm 12 to form a U-shaped structure. When assembling the connector, the latch 10 first places the terminal group between the two clamping arms 11, and then places the latch 10 and the terminal group together inside. The clamping plate arm 113 at the rear end of the clamping arm 11 is soldered and fixed to the circuit board.
[0025] When the connector is inserted, the clamping arms 11 located on both sides inside the connector engage with the tongue plate inside the female connector for fixation. During insertion, the tongue plate first presses the locking angle 114 at the front end of the support arm 111, causing the locking angles 114 of the two clamping arms 11 to open away from each other. At the same time, the support arm 111 is also pressed outward by the tongue plate, thereby generating a release force to keep the locking angle 114 in close contact with the tongue plate. When the locking angle 114 moves to the position corresponding to the tongue plate of the female connector, it rebounds towards the inside of the tongue plate under the reaction force of the support arm 111, thereby forming a snap-fit connection. The support arm 111 bends outward away from the connecting arm 12, while the locking angle 114 forms a concave structure, thereby forming an arc-shaped structure with the locking angle 114, the support arm 111, and the extension arm 112, ensuring that the support arm 111 can provide sufficient reaction force to effectively clamp and fix the tongue plate in the female connector.
[0026] Since the support arm 111 needs to maintain a certain elasticity during use, in order to prevent the support arm 111 from losing its elasticity after long-term insertion and removal, an outwardly protruding support rib 115 is provided on the side of the support arm 111 away from the connecting arm 12. The support rib 115 is gradually tapered along the extension direction of both ends of the support arm 111. The support rib 115 is used to improve the strength of the support arm 111 and ensure that the support arm 111 has sufficient elasticity to reset.
[0027] The locking angle 114 has a V-shaped structure, and the middle part of the locking angle 114 protrudes towards the side closer to the connecting arm 12, so that the front end of the locking angle 114 has a beveled structure, which facilitates the guiding role during insertion, and the middle part of the locking angle 114 protruding inward can effectively lock in place.
[0028] Please refer to Figure 2 The extension arm 112 has a notch for the connecting arm 12, thereby providing a clearance for the setting of the connecting arm 12. The surface of the connecting arm 12 is wrapped with the insulating sleeve 121 to avoid the terminal group from contacting the connecting arm 12 and forming a short circuit during the assembly process. The extension arm 112 extends through the notch on both sides of the insulating sleeve 121 to form a limiting step. The limiting step enables the latch 10 to be limited when it is assembled into the housing, ensuring that the latch 10 is assembled into the designated position.
[0029] There are two clamping arms 113, which are arranged opposite each other to form a PCB board clamping area. Each of the two clamping arms 113 has a welding boss 116 on one side. The two clamping arms 113 clamp the upper and lower surfaces of the PCB board and are welded and fixed on the corresponding welding boss 116 to improve the connector strength between the latch 10 and the PCB board.
[0030] A welding ear 117 is provided on the side of the clamping arm 113 away from the connecting arm 12. The welding ear 117 protrudes from the surface of the clamping arm 113, thereby ensuring that the welding ear 117 can contact the inner wall of the outer shell after being assembled into the outer shell, so that the welding ear 117 is welded and fixed to the outer shell, so that the outer shell can achieve the effect of grounding between the outer shell and the latch 10 during the insertion process.
[0031] Please refer to Figures 3 to 6 An electronic connector includes a locking structure 10 as described above, a housing 20, a terminal group 30, and a circuit board 40. The terminal group 30 is mounted on one side of the connecting arm 12 of the locking structure 10, and the locking structure 10 and the terminal group 30 are fixed inside the housing 20 by an insulator 50. The circuit board 40 is located at the tail of the housing 20, and the clamping arm 113 of the terminal group 30 and the locking structure 10 is welded and fixed to one end of the circuit board 40.
[0032] The surface of the insulator 50 is provided with a slot 51, and the outer shell 20 is provided with a groove 21 corresponding to the slot 51. The groove 21 is embedded in the slot 51, so that the connection and alignment between the outer shell 20 and the insulator 50 is more accurate and firm.
[0033] The terminal group 30 includes several harpoon-type terminals 31, which are arranged horizontally at intervals to form double rows of contacts inside the connector, enabling square insertion. The surface of the harpoon-type terminals 31 is provided with protrusions 32, which allows the harpoon-type terminals 31 to have more contact area with the insulator 50, forming locking points and improving the fixing strength of the terminal group 30.
[0034] This utility model provides a locking structure that connects two opposing clamping arms to form a U-shaped structure. During connector assembly, the terminal group is first placed between the two clamping arms, and then the locking mechanism and terminal group are placed together inside. The clamping plate arm at the rear end of the clamping arm is soldered and fixed to the circuit board. When the connector is inserted, the clamping arms located on both sides inside the connector cooperate and are fixed with the tongue plate inside the female connector. During insertion, the tongue plate first presses the locking angle at the front end of the supporting arm, causing the locking angles of the two clamping arms to open away from each other. At the same time, the supporting arm is also squeezed outward by the tongue plate, thereby generating a release force, so that the locking angle always keeps in close contact with the tongue plate. When the locking angle moves to the position corresponding to the tongue plate of the female seat, it rebounds inward towards the tongue plate under the reaction force of the supporting arm, thereby forming a snap connection. The supporting arm bends outward away from the connecting arm, while the locking angle forms an inward concave structure, so that the locking angle, supporting arm and extension arm form an arc-shaped structure, ensuring that the supporting arm can provide sufficient reaction force to effectively clamp and fix the tongue plate in the female seat.
[0035] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this utility model without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solutions of this utility model.
Claims
1. A locking structure, characterized in that, It includes two opposing clamping arms connected by a connecting arm. Each clamping arm includes a supporting arm, an extending arm, and a clamping arm. The extending arm is fixedly connected to the connecting arm. The supporting arm is located at the front end of the extending arm and is bent and protrudes away from the connecting arm. The front end of the supporting arm has a concave locking angle. The clamping arm is located at the rear end of the extending arm.
2. The locking structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The supporting arm has an outwardly protruding supporting rib on the side away from the connecting arm, and the supporting rib is gradually tapered along the extension direction of both ends of the supporting arm.
3. The locking structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The locking angle has a V-shaped structure, and the middle part of the locking angle protrudes towards the side closer to the connecting arm.
4. The locking structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The extending lever arm has a notch for the connecting arm, the surface of the connecting arm is wrapped with an insulating sleeve, and the two sides of the insulating sleeve extend through the notch and protrude from the extending lever arm to form a limiting step.
5. A locking structure as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping arms are of two types, and the clamping arms are arranged opposite each other to form a PCB board clamping area. Each of the two clamping arms has a welding boss on its opposite side.
6. The locking structure as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The clamping arm is provided with a welding lug on the side away from the connecting arm, and the welding lug protrudes from the surface of the clamping arm.
7. An electronic connector, characterized in that, The device includes a locking structure, a housing, a terminal group, and a circuit board as described in any one of claims 1-6. The terminal group is mounted on one side of the connecting arm of the locking structure, and the locking structure and the terminal group are fixed inside the housing by an insulator. The circuit board is located at the tail of the housing, and the clamping arm of the terminal group and the locking structure is welded and fixed to one end of the circuit board.
8. An electronic connector as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The surface of the insulator is provided with a slot, and the outer shell is provided with a groove corresponding to the slot, the groove being embedded in the slot.
9. An electronic connector as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The terminal group includes several harpoon-type terminals, which are arranged horizontally at intervals, and the surface of the harpoon-type terminals is provided with protrusions.