A push-pull locking connector

Abstract

A push-pull locking connector comprises a socket and a plug, a socket cavity is arranged in a socket shell of the socket to accommodate the plug, a plurality of elastic claws are arranged on a plug shell of the plug near a plug-in end, the elastic claws are distributed along a circumference at intervals, an avoiding portion is arranged on an inner wall of the socket cavity near the plug-in end, a diameter of the avoiding portion is greater than a maximum outer diameter of the elastic claws on the plug, one end of the avoiding portion extends to the plug-in end of the socket and is open to an end face of the plug-in end, so that the elastic claws can enter the socket cavity through the avoiding portion without being squeezed when the plug is inserted into the socket, a guide portion for squeezing the elastic claws to shrink and deform is arranged in front of the avoiding portion, and a locking groove capable of being buckled with the elastic claws is arranged in front of the guide portion. The push-pull locking connector can reduce a plug-in force and improve a plug-in feeling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of connectors, specifically relating to a push-pull locking connector. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of technology, push-pull locking connectors have been widely used in medical, industrial, and communication fields due to their features of quick unlocking and reliable connection.

[0003] Current push-pull locking connectors, due to the elastic claw structure of their plugs, experience a first stage of force during insertion. During plug-socket insertion, the socket housing pushes against the inclined surface of the elastic claw on the plug housing, compressing it. This results in a relatively large initial insertion force. Simultaneously, when the plug and socket contacts come into contact, the pushing force between them creates a second stage of force. The presence of these two forces during plug-socket mating leads to a poor connector feel during insertion and removal, and it's easy to mistakenly believe that the first stage of force has passed, resulting in a poor connection and causing product performance issues. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a push-pull locking connector that can achieve quick locking by pushing and pulling, and can reduce insertion and extraction force and improve insertion and extraction feel.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: a push-pull locking connector, including a socket and a plug, wherein the socket housing is provided with a socket hole for accommodating the plug, and the plug housing is provided with a spring claw near the mating end, the spring claws being distributed circumferentially at intervals, and the inner wall of the socket is provided with a clearance portion near the mating end, the diameter of the clearance portion being larger than the maximum outer diameter of the spring claw on the plug, one end of the clearance portion extending toward the mating end of the socket and opening at the end face of the mating end, so that when the plug is inserted into the socket, the spring claw can enter the socket without being squeezed through the clearance portion; a guide portion for squeezing the spring claw to shrink and deform is provided in front of the clearance portion, and a locking groove for engaging with the spring claw is provided in front of the guide portion.

[0006] Its beneficial effects are as follows: By setting the clearance part, when the plug and socket are mated, the spring claw on the plug can pass through the clearance part without being squeezed until the spring claw interacts with the guide part and begins to compress and deform the spring claw. This is the first force stage of the plug. When the contact parts of the plug and socket come into contact, it is the second force stage of the plug. The setting of the clearance part can make the first force stage move backward and generate within a very small displacement range with the second force stage. This allows the two forces generated when the connector is mated to act on the connector within one range, reducing the insertion and extraction force, improving the insertion and extraction feel, and preventing the connector from being mistakenly considered to be fully inserted when it is not fully mated. This ensures the accuracy of connector mating and the good performance of the connector.

[0007] Alternatively, the avoidance part is an alternately distributed avoidance groove, with each avoidance groove corresponding to a spring claw.

[0008] Its beneficial effect is that it proposes a specific structure for the avoidance section, so that implementers can choose to implement it according to their needs.

[0009] Alternatively, the avoidance portion may be a circumferentially extending avoidance ring.

[0010] Its beneficial effect is that it proposes a specific structure for the avoidance section, so that implementers can choose to implement it according to their needs.

[0011] Preferably, the guide portion has a guide slope on the side facing the insertion end to compress the spring claw and cause it to shrink and deform.

[0012] Its beneficial effect is that the setting of the guide slope makes it easier to squeeze the spring claw and deform it.

[0013] Furthermore, the axial position of the guide ramp is determined by the fact that the spring claw can begin to contact the guide ramp when the contact parts of the plug and socket come into contact during the plug-in process.

[0014] Its beneficial effects are: it can further bring the first force stage corresponding to the contact between the spring claw and the guide slope and the second force stage corresponding to the contact of the contact element, so as to reduce the insertion and extraction force and improve the insertion and extraction feel.

[0015] Furthermore, the axial length of the guide portion is equal to the mating length of the contact parts of the plug and socket.

[0016] Its beneficial effects are: ensuring that the plug can be fully inserted when the spring claw passes the guide and enters the locking groove to reset, thus further aligning the first and second force-bearing stages and improving the insertion and removal feel. Furthermore, the tactile feedback from the spring claw's reset allows for confirmation that the plug is fully inserted, enabling rapid connector insertion.

[0017] Furthermore, the plug housing of the plug is provided with a number of positioning blocks on its outer circular surface, and the socket hole is provided with a number of positioning grooves on its inner wall. The positioning grooves extend toward the plug end of the socket and open at the end face of the plug end. The positioning blocks and the positioning grooves are in a convex-concave fit.

[0018] Its beneficial effects are: when the plug and socket are inserted, the positioning block and positioning groove cooperate to guide the insertion of the plug and ensure accurate insertion of the plug contact and the socket contact. On the other hand, it can also play a role in preventing rotation and avoiding twisting between the plug and the socket.

[0019] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: By providing an avoidance structure on the inner wall of the socket housing, the spring claw on the plug can pass smoothly without being squeezed during the plug-in process. Instead, the spring claw is squeezed only when it contacts the guide part of the socket housing (the first stage of force on the plug) until the spring claw passes the guide part and locks into the locking groove. In this way, the first stage of force on the plug when the spring claw retracts under force and the second stage of force on the plug generated by contacting the contact element are generated within a very small displacement range, or even simultaneously. This achieves the application of the two stages of force generated during connector mating within a single range, reducing insertion and extraction force, improving the insertion and extraction feel, and preventing the plug from being mistakenly considered to be fully inserted when it is not fully inserted, thus ensuring the accuracy of connector mating and the good performance of the connector. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the plug and socket being inserted in this utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the socket structure in Example 1;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the socket in Example 1;

[0023] Figure 4 This is an isometric view of the plug in Example 1;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a side view of the plug in Example 1;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the plug and socket being properly inserted in Example 1;

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the socket structure in Example 2;

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the plug and socket being properly inserted in Example 2;

[0028] The markings in the diagram are: 1. Socket, 2. Plug, 3. Clearance groove, 4. Positioning groove, 5. Guide slope, 6. Locking groove, 7. Guide part, 8. Spring claw, 9. Positioning block, 10. Clearance ring. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention in any way.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] See attached document Figure 1-6 As shown, a push-pull locking connector includes a socket 1 and a plug 2 that cooperate with each other. The plug 2 has a plurality of spring claws 8 on its outer side near the mating end. The spring claws 8 are spaced apart around the circumference of the plug 2. The front side of each spring claw 8 is a slope; when the slope is compressed by external force, the spring claw 8 retracts radially inward. The front end of the plug housing is the mating end, and a plug contact is provided inside the plug housing.

[0032] The socket 1 has a socket hole inside its housing to accommodate the plug 2. A socket contact is provided inside the socket hole, and the end face of the socket hole is the mating end. The plug 2 is inserted into the socket hole of the socket 1 from the mating end. The plug contact inside the plug 2 contacts and engages with the socket contact, achieving a mating connection between the plug 2 and the socket 1. Several clearance grooves 3 are provided on the inner wall of the socket hole near the mating end. The clearance grooves 3 extend axially to the end face of the mating end and are distributed circumferentially on the inner wall of the socket housing. Their distribution pattern is the same as that of the spring claws 8 on the plug 2, ensuring a one-to-one correspondence between the spring claws 8 and the clearance grooves 3 when the plug 2 and socket 1 are mated. The outer diameter of the clearance groove 3 is larger than the maximum diameter of the spring claw 8 in its natural state when not subjected to external force, allowing the spring claw 8 to pass smoothly through the clearance groove 3 in its natural state without being squeezed by the socket housing when the plug 2 and socket 1 are mated. The socket mating end is defined as the rear end of the socket 1. A guide part 7 is provided in front of the clearance groove 3. A guide slope 5 is provided on the side of the guide part 7 facing the mating end. The guide slope 5 can act on the slope of the spring claw 8, forcing the spring claw 8 to retract and deform radially inward so that it can pass over the guide slope 5. A locking groove 6 is provided in front of the guide slope 5. After the spring claw 8 passes over the guide slope 5 and the guide part 7, the squeezing force on the spring claw 8 disappears. Under the action of elastic force, the spring claw 8 opens outward and resets, thereby locking in the locking groove 6, realizing the axial locking of the plug 2 on the socket 1.

[0033] Preferably, the axial position of the guide slope 5 is set considering the contact timing between the plug contact and the socket contact. That is, during the insertion process of the plug 2 and the socket 1, when the plug contact and the socket contact begin to contact, the spring claw 8 also begins to contact the guide slope 5. In the previous insertion stage, the spring claw 8 is not subjected to external force. When the plug contact and the socket contact come into contact, the spring claw 8 also begins to contact the guide slope 5 and is subjected to the squeezing force of the guide slope 5. This causes the first force stage of the plug 2 when the spring claw 8 is compressed to occur within a very small displacement range, or even occur simultaneously, with the second force stage of the plug 2 generated by the contact with the contact. This achieves the effect of the two forces generated when the connector is inserted and removed within one range on the connector, improving the insertion and removal feel.

[0034] Furthermore, the axial length of the guide portion 7 is controlled to be equal to the contact length of the plug 2 and the socket 1. This ensures that when the spring claw 8 passes over the guide portion 7 and enters the locking groove 6, the plug 2 is fully inserted. It also allows the two force-bearing phases to overlap, further improving the insertion and removal feel and avoiding misjudgments of whether the insertion is complete based on the insertion and removal feel. Therefore, the tactile feedback from the reset of the spring claw 8 can determine that the plug 2 is fully inserted, enabling rapid connector insertion.

[0035] In other embodiments, the guide slope 5 may not be provided on the guide part 7, but the spring claw 8 can still be squeezed to cause it to shrink and deform.

[0036] Preferably, the outer circular surface of the plug housing of the plug 2 is further provided with a plurality of positioning blocks 9, which protrude from the outer circular surface and extend axially for a certain length. Correspondingly, the inner wall of the socket housing of the socket 1 is provided with a positioning groove 4 that convexly and concavely mates with the positioning blocks 9, and the positioning groove 4 extends axially to the mating end face of the socket 1. When the plug 2 and the socket 1 are inserted, the positioning blocks 9 and the positioning groove 4 cooperate to guide the insertion of the plug 2, ensuring the mating of the plug contact and the socket contact, and also to prevent rotation, avoiding twisting between the plug 2 and the socket 1. It is understood that the anti-rotation function of the positioning blocks 9 and the positioning groove 4 can continue to function after the plug 2 and the socket 1 are connected.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] like Figure 7 , 8As shown, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that an annular clearance ring 10 is provided on the inner wall of the socket housing near the mating end, replacing the plurality of clearance grooves 3 in Embodiment 1. The diameter of the clearance ring 10 is larger than the maximum diameter of the spring claw 8, and one end of the clearance ring 10 is open to the end face of the mating end, so that the spring claw 8 will not be squeezed when passing through the clearance ring 10 during the insertion of the plug 2. Similarly, a guide portion 7 with a guide slope 5 and a locking groove 6 located in front of the clearance ring 10 are provided. The configuration and function of the guide slope 5 and the locking groove 6 are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0039] In this embodiment, the positioning groove 4 is located in front of the avoidance ring 10 and communicates with the avoidance ring 10. It interacts with the positioning block 9 on the plug 2 to position the plug 2 and prevent it from rotating.

[0040] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the specific implementation of this utility model with reference to the above embodiments. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this utility model are within the protection scope of the pending claims.

Claims

1. A push-pull locking connector, comprising a socket (1) and a plug (2), wherein the socket (1) has a socket housing with a socket hole for accommodating the plug (2), and the plug housing of the plug (2) has a spring claw (8) near the mating end, the spring claws (8) being distributed circumferentially, characterized in that: The inner wall of the socket is provided with a clearance part near the insertion end. The diameter of the clearance part is larger than the maximum outer diameter of the spring claw (8) on the plug (2). One end of the clearance part extends toward the insertion end of the socket (1) and opens at the end face of the insertion end so that when the plug (2) is inserted into the socket, the spring claw (8) can enter the socket without being squeezed through the clearance part. A guide part (7) is provided in front of the clearance part for squeezing the spring claw (8) to shrink and deform. A locking groove (6) is provided in front of the guide part (7) to engage with the spring claw (8).

2. The push-pull locking connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The avoidance part is an alternately distributed avoidance groove (3), and the avoidance groove (3) is provided in a one-to-one correspondence with the spring claw (8).

3. The push-pull locking connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The avoidance part is an avoidance ring (10) that extends circumferentially.

4. The push-pull locking connector according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The guide portion (7) is provided with a guide slope (5) on the side facing the insertion end, so as to squeeze the spring claw (8) to shrink and deform it.

5. The push-pull locking connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The axial position of the guide slope (5) is determined by the fact that when the contact parts of the plug (2) and socket (1) come into contact during the insertion process, the spring claw (8) can start to contact the guide slope (5).

6. The push-pull locking connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: The axial length of the guide (7) is equal to the contact length of the plug (2) and the socket (1).

7. The push-pull locking connector according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: The plug (2) has several positioning blocks (9) on the outer circular surface of the plug housing. The socket (1) has several positioning grooves (4) on the inner wall of the socket hole. The positioning grooves (4) extend toward the insertion end of the socket (1) and open at the end face of the insertion end. The positioning blocks (9) and the positioning grooves (4) are in convex-concave fit.

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