Quick-change terminal and vehicle socket

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of quick-change terminal and vehicle socket, it is characterized by comprising power terminal, crown spring and fixed terminal, the power terminal front end and rear end are respectively provided with front end mounting hole and rear end mounting hole;The crown spring is two, respectively front crown spring and rear crown spring, the front crown spring is installed in the front end mounting hole, the rear crown spring is detachably installed in the rear end mounting hole, and two the crown spring is respectively contacted with the power terminal;The front end of the fixed terminal is provided with plug-in part, the plug-in part is inserted in the rear end mounting hole, and the outer surface of the plug-in part is closely contacted with the inner surface of the rear crown spring.The utility model improves the convenience of replacement, reduces subsequent maintenance replacement cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to an electrical connection structure, and more particularly to a quick-change terminal and a vehicle socket. Background Technology

[0002] New energy vehicles refer to automobiles that use unconventional vehicle fuels as their power source (or use conventional vehicle fuels but employ new onboard power devices), integrating advanced technologies in vehicle power control and drive, resulting in vehicles with advanced technical principles and new technologies and structures. Among these, vehicles that use charging generally require a charging gun to be plugged into a new energy electric vehicle socket for charging.

[0003] In existing technologies, vehicle sockets have multiple power terminals (with sockets at the front end) and are connected to the vehicle's wiring harness via welding or crimping at the rear end. Charging is achieved through electrical connections between the sockets and the plug's terminals. To reduce resistance during charging, a plating layer is applied to the socket's surface. However, this vehicle socket structure has the following drawbacks:

[0004] After repeated plugging and unplugging and power cycling, the plating on the terminals of sockets and plugs will wear and oxidize, leading to increased resistance and temperature rise. Since the power terminals are directly connected to the vehicle's wiring harness, replacing the power terminals requires re-crimping or soldering the new power terminals and wiring harness, or replacing both the power terminals and the wiring harness connected to them, resulting in higher maintenance costs. Therefore, solving these technical problems is a direction that those skilled in the art need to address. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a quick-change terminal and vehicle socket. By using this structure, the terminal can be easily replaced, reducing maintenance costs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is: a quick-change terminal, comprising:

[0007] The power terminal has a front mounting hole and a rear mounting hole respectively at its front end and rear end.

[0008] The crown springs consist of two springs: a front crown spring and a rear crown spring. The front crown spring is installed in the front mounting hole, and the rear crown spring is detachably installed in the rear mounting hole. Both crown springs are in contact with the power terminal.

[0009] A fixed terminal is provided with a connector at its front end. The connector is inserted into the mounting hole at the rear end, and the outer surface of the connector is in close contact with the inner surface of the rear crown spring.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the crown spring includes two elastic support rings and multiple elastic connectors. The two elastic support rings are coaxial and spaced apart. The multiple elastic connectors are arranged in a ring between the two elastic support rings. The two ends of the elastic connectors are respectively connected to the two elastic support rings, and the middle part of the elastic connector is bent towards the axial direction of the elastic support ring. The outer surface of the plug abuts against the inner wall of the middle part of the multiple elastic connectors of the rear crown spring.

[0011] In the above technical solution, a through groove is formed between adjacent elastic connecting members.

[0012] In the above technical solution, each of the elastic support rings of the rear crown spring is provided with a notch on its outer surface. The inner end of the notch is connected to the inner wall of the corresponding elastic support ring, the outer end of the notch is connected to the outer end face of the corresponding elastic support ring, the inner end of the notch is connected to a through groove, and the inner ends of the notches on the two elastic connectors are connected to the same through groove.

[0013] In the above technical solution, an opening is provided on the outer surface of the rear crown spring, the inner end of the opening is connected to the inner surface of the rear crown spring, and the two ends of the opening are connected to the front end face and the rear end face of the rear crown spring, respectively.

[0014] In the above technical solution, a rear annular groove is also provided on the inner surface of the middle part of the rear mounting hole, the rear crown spring is disposed in the rear annular groove, the two ends of the rear crown spring abut against the front end face and the rear end face of the rear annular groove respectively, and the inner diameter of the middle part of the rear crown spring is smaller than the diameter of the rear mounting hole.

[0015] In the above technical solution, a front annular groove is also provided on the inner surface of the middle part of the front mounting hole, the front crown spring is disposed in the front annular groove, the two ends of the front crown spring abut against the front end face and the rear end face of the front annular groove respectively, and the inner diameter of the middle part of the front crown spring is smaller than the diameter of the front mounting hole.

[0016] In the above technical solution, the outer diameter of the connector is smaller than the width of the fixed terminal, and the front end face of the fixed terminal contacts the rear end face of the power terminal.

[0017] In the above technical solution, the rear end of the fixed terminal is provided with a connection end for connecting to the wire harness.

[0018] This utility model also provides a vehicle socket, which includes the above-mentioned quick-change terminal.

[0019] Due to the application of the above technical solution, this utility model has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0020] 1. The terminal in this utility model is composed of a power terminal, a crown spring, and a fixed terminal. The fixed terminal is used to connect the power terminal to the wire harness. The fixed terminal is detachably connected to the power terminal by inserting it into the rear crown spring. The rear crown spring is detachably connected to the power terminal. Compared with the previous method of the terminal being an integral structure, it is convenient to quickly replace the power terminal, effectively reducing the difficulty of terminal replacement and also reducing maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the quick-change terminal in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the quick-change terminal in Embodiment 1 of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the rear crown spring in Embodiment 1 of this utility model.

[0024] The components are: 1. Power terminal; 2. Fixed terminal; 3. Front mounting hole; 4. Rear mounting hole; 5. Front crown spring; 6. Rear crown spring; 7. Connector; 8. Connecting end; 9. Elastic support ring; 10. Elastic connector; 11. Through groove; 12. Notch; 13. Rear annular groove; 14. Front annular groove. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments:

[0026] Example 1: See Figure 1-3 As shown, a quick-change terminal includes a power terminal 1, a crown spring, and a fixing terminal 2;

[0027] The power terminal 1 is provided with a front mounting hole 3 and a rear mounting hole 4 at its front and rear ends, respectively.

[0028] There are two crown springs, namely a front crown spring 5 and a rear crown spring 6. The front crown spring 5 is installed in the front mounting hole 3, and the rear crown spring 6 is detachably installed in the rear mounting hole 4. The two crown springs are respectively in contact with the power terminal 1.

[0029] The front end of the fixed terminal 2 is provided with a connector 7, which is inserted into the rear mounting hole 4, and the outer surface of the connector 7 is in close contact with the inner surface of the rear crown spring 6.

[0030] This utility model also provides a vehicle socket, which includes the above-mentioned quick-change terminal, wherein the vehicle socket is a DC vehicle socket.

[0031] In this embodiment, the terminal includes a power terminal, a fixed terminal, and two crown springs, forming a separate structure. The terminal serves as an electrical connection component in the car socket. The rear end of the fixed terminal connects to the wiring harness, which in turn connects to the vehicle. The vehicle socket contains multiple terminals for connecting to the charging gun. The power terminal, fixed terminal, and crown springs are all made of conductive materials, such as copper. The rear end of the fixed terminal has a connection end 8 for connecting to the wiring harness. This connection end connects to the wiring harness via crimping or welding (in this embodiment, the fixed terminal and wiring harness are welded using ultrasonic welding). The front end of the fixed terminal has a connector. The rear crown spring is detachably installed in the rear mounting hole. Because the front and rear crown springs are in contact with the power terminal, an electrical connection is achieved between the power terminal and the two crown springs. The fixed terminal is electrically connected to the rear crown spring via the connector. Because the wiring harness connects to the vehicle, an electrical connection is achieved between the vehicle and the power terminal and the front crown spring. During charging, the connector of the charging gun is inserted into the front crown spring, achieving an electrical connection between the charging gun and the car socket.

[0032] In this invention, the fixed terminal is an integral structure, comprising a middle section, a plug-in component disposed at the front end of the middle section, and a connecting end disposed at the rear end of the middle section. The width and length of the middle section are both greater than the diameter of the plug-in component, the width of the connecting end is equal to the width of the middle section, and the height of the connecting end is less than the height of the middle section. Of course, the fixed terminal can also have other shapes, or it may not be an integral structure. Its front end can be used to plug into the rear crown spring, and its rear end can be used to connect to the wire harness, thus achieving an electrical connection between the wire harness and the rear crown spring.

[0033] Because the front crown spring needs to be frequently plugged in and out of the charging gun, repeated plugging and unplugging may cause wear on the plating on its inner surface (leading to increased resistance and temperature rise), and the plastic deformation of the front crown spring may cause a decrease in stress (leading to poor contact). Therefore, it needs to be replaced after a period of use. In this utility model, there are two connection structures between the front crown spring and the power terminal:

[0034] The first structure: The front crown spring is fixedly installed in the front mounting hole (e.g., by welding). This structure prevents the front crown spring from being pulled out of the front mounting hole when the charging gun's connector is plugged in or unplugged. The front crown spring can be connected to the power terminal as an integral structure to ensure stability during repeated plugging and unplugging of the charging gun. In this method, if replacement is needed, both the power terminal and the front crown spring must be replaced together. The vehicle socket includes a socket body, a socket sleeve installed inside the socket body, and multiple terminals. The socket body is a hollow structure with an open front end. The socket sleeve is used to limit the terminals and prevent them from moving forward and detaching from the socket body. When replacing the socket, first remove the socket sleeve from the socket body. The wiring harness will pass through the rear of the socket body and connect to the fixed terminal of the terminal block. The fixed terminal block is connected to the connector and the rear crown spring. After removing the socket sleeve from the socket body, apply a forward pulling force to the power terminal. This will move the power terminal and the rear crown spring forward (the fixed terminal block and wiring harness will be limited by the socket body and will not move forward). This will disengage the rear crown spring from the connector, allowing you to remove the power terminal and both crown springs from the socket body. Since the rear crown spring is not frequently plugged in and out, its performance is basically unaffected and it can continue to be used. Since the power terminal is detachably connected, the working rear crown spring can be removed from the rear mounting hole and then inserted into the rear mounting hole of the new power terminal (which has a front crown spring). The power terminal with the rear crown spring is then inserted into the socket body, with the rear crown spring facing the connector so that the connector is inserted into the rear crown spring. The socket sleeve is then installed, and the socket sleeve is connected to the socket body (by screwing, snapping, or other means). This allows for easy replacement of the terminal without replacing the wiring harness and rear crown spring, improving the convenience of replacement and reducing subsequent maintenance costs.

[0035] The socket sleeve has a cavity on its rear end face for installing power terminals. The socket sleeve has a insertion hole communicating with the cavity. The cavity accommodates the power terminals, which are inserted into and tightly fitted within it. The diameter of the insertion hole is smaller than the diameter of the cavity, and it faces the front crown spring for inserting the charging gun's insertion terminal. The tight fit force between the power terminals and the cavity can be greater than the insertion force between the rear crown spring and the connector. In this design, when removing the socket sleeve from the socket body, all terminals can be directly removed from the socket body, along with all power terminals, the front crown spring, and the rear crown spring. Subsequently, the power terminals are removed from the socket sleeve, the rear crown spring is removed, and it is inserted into a new power terminal. The new power terminal is then inserted into the cavity. When installing the socket sleeve again, the rear crown springs of multiple power terminals are simultaneously engaged with their corresponding connectors, making installation convenient and quick.

[0036] The second structure: The front crown spring is detachably installed in the front mounting hole. In this structure, when replacing the terminals later, only the front crown spring needs to be replaced, without replacing the power terminals, reducing maintenance costs. Of course, compared with the first structure, its stability during repeated plugging and unplugging of the charging gun is slightly worse. In this method, if replacement is needed, only the front crown spring needs to be replaced, making the replacement cost even lower. The vehicle socket includes a socket body, a socket sleeve installed inside the socket body, and multiple terminals. The socket body is a hollow structure with an open front end, and the socket sleeve is used to limit the terminals, preventing them from moving forward and detaching from the socket body. When replacing the socket, first remove the socket sleeve from the socket body. The wiring harness will pass through the rear of the socket body and connect to the fixed terminal of the terminal block. The fixed terminal block is connected to the connector and the rear crown spring. After the socket sleeve is removed from the socket body, apply a forward pulling force to the power terminal. This will move the power terminal and the rear crown spring forward (the fixed terminal block and wiring harness will be limited by the socket body and will not move forward with the power terminal). This will disengage the rear crown spring from the connector, allowing the power terminal and both crown springs to be removed from the socket body. (This method provides more operating space and makes it easier to remove and replace the front crown spring.) Since the rear crown spring is not frequently inserted and removed, its performance is basically unaffected and it can continue to be used. Therefore, there is no need to replace the rear crown spring, and the power terminals are not worn and do not need to be replaced. Since the front crown spring and the power terminals are detachably connected, the front crown spring is removed from the front mounting hole, and a new front crown spring is installed into the front mounting hole of the power terminal. Then, the power terminal with the front and rear crown springs is inserted into the socket body, with the rear crown spring facing the connector, so that the connector is inserted into the rear crown spring. Then, the socket sleeve is installed, and the socket sleeve is connected to the socket body (it can be screwed, snapped, or connected in other ways). The terminals can be replaced easily without replacing the wiring harness, rear crown spring, and power terminals, which improves the convenience of replacement and reduces subsequent maintenance costs.

[0037] The socket sleeve has a cavity on its rear end face for installing power terminals. The socket sleeve has a insertion hole communicating with the cavity. The cavity accommodates the power terminals, which are inserted into and tightly fitted within it. The diameter of the insertion hole is smaller than the diameter of the cavity, and it aligns with the front crown spring for inserting the charging gun's connector. The tight fit force between the power terminals and the cavity can be greater than the insertion force between the rear crown spring and the connector. This design allows for direct removal of all terminals from the socket body when the socket sleeve is removed, simultaneously taking out all power terminals, the front crown spring, and the rear crown spring. Subsequently, the power terminals are removed from the socket sleeve, the front crown spring is replaced, and the power terminals with the new front crown spring are inserted into the cavity. When reinstalling the socket sleeve, the rear crown springs of multiple power terminals are simultaneously engaged with their corresponding connectors, making installation convenient and quick.

[0038] Of course, the vehicle socket can also be other structures that prevent the power terminals from moving axially (plus axial rotation) during use, ensuring that the power terminals and the internal front and rear crown springs will not move when plugged in and out of the charging gun, thus ensuring the stability of the connection.

[0039] In this invention, the first method is preferred to ensure the stability of the connection between the charging gun and the vehicle socket.

[0040] See Figure 3 As shown, the crown spring includes two elastic support rings 9 and multiple elastic connectors 10. The two elastic support rings 9 are coaxial and spaced apart. The multiple elastic connectors 10 are arranged in a ring between the two elastic support rings 9. The two ends of each elastic connector 10 are connected to the two elastic support rings 9 respectively, and the middle part of each elastic connector 10 is bent towards the axis of the elastic support ring 9 (crown spring). The outer surface of the insert 7 abuts against the inner wall of the middle part of the multiple elastic connectors 10 of the rear crown spring 6. A through groove 11 is formed between adjacent elastic connectors 10.

[0041] The annular structure formed by the inner surface of all the elastic connectors initially has a smaller diameter than both the connector and the charging gun's connector terminal. When the connector, connector terminal, and crown spring are inserted, the elastic connector's curved portion is compressed, causing it to deform elastically and press firmly against the outer surface of the connector or connector terminal. This ensures stable contact between the elastic connector and the connector or connector terminal, guaranteeing a stable electrical connection. Simultaneously, the elastic support ring of the rear crown spring contacts the rear mounting hole, and the elastic support ring of the front crown spring contacts the front mounting hole, ensuring a stable electrical connection between the front and rear crown springs and the power terminal. Furthermore, the crown spring's elastic structure allows for easy detachable installation into the corresponding front or rear mounting holes on the power terminal.

[0042] The outer surface of the rear crown spring 6 has an opening, the inner end of which is connected to the inner surface of the rear crown spring, and the two ends of which are connected to the front end face and the rear end face of the rear crown spring, respectively.

[0043] With the opening designed so that both ends of the opening are the ends of the rear crown spring, when it is necessary to remove the rear crown spring from the rear mounting hole, a tool (such as tweezers) is used to grasp the opening, deforming one or both ends of the opening towards the axis of the rear crown spring, thereby reducing the diameter of the rear crown spring and allowing it to be removed from the rear mounting hole. During installation, the diameter is first reduced before inserting it into the rear mounting hole, and then the opening is enlarged before inserting it into the rear mounting hole, thus enabling detachable connection and replacement of the rear crown spring to the power terminal. Similarly, if the front crown spring is detachably connected to the power terminal, the front crown spring also has an opening, and its structure is the same as the rear crown spring. The installation and removal methods for the front crown spring and the power terminal are the same as those for the rear crown spring.

[0044] See Figure 3 As shown, each of the elastic support rings 9 of the rear crown spring 6 has a notch 12 on its outer surface. The inner end of the notch 12 is connected to the inner wall of the corresponding elastic support ring 9, and the outer end of the notch 12 is connected to the outer end face of the corresponding elastic support ring 9. The inner end of the notch is connected to a through groove 11, and the inner ends of the notches 12 on the two elastic connectors 10 are connected to the same through groove 11.

[0045] The opening is formed by two notches and a through slot. In this structure, the rear crown spring is a metal component. Its initial state can be a strip-shaped plate with multiple through slots punched in its middle. It is then bent into a ring shape. After bending, elastic support rings at both ends are fixed, causing the two elastic support rings to rotate in opposite directions and move closer together. This twists the elastic connector, causing its middle part to bend and deform towards the axis of the rear crown spring. Similarly, the structure of the front crown spring can be the same as that of the rear crown spring. If the front crown spring is fixedly connected to the power terminal, it can be welded to the front mounting hole of the power terminal. If the front crown spring and the front mounting hole are detachably connected, welding is not required.

[0046] See Figure 1 As shown, a rear annular groove 13 is also provided on the inner surface of the middle part of the rear mounting hole 4. The rear crown spring 6 is disposed in the rear annular groove 13. The two ends of the rear crown spring 6 abut against the front end face and the rear end face of the rear annular groove 13, respectively. The inner diameter of the middle part of the rear crown spring 6 is smaller than the diameter of the rear mounting hole 4.

[0047] The rear annular groove can restrict the forward and backward movement of the rear crown spring, thereby achieving axial positioning of the rear crown spring and preventing it from coming off the rear mounting hole during use.

[0048] The front mounting hole 3 is further provided with a front annular groove 14 on its middle inner surface. The front crown spring 5 is disposed in the front annular groove 14. The two ends of the front crown spring 5 abut against the front end face and the rear end face of the front annular groove 14, respectively. The middle inner diameter of the front crown spring 5 is smaller than the diameter of the front mounting hole 3.

[0049] The annular groove at the front end is used to axially limit the front crown spring and prevent it from coming off the front mounting hole during use.

[0050] The outer diameter of the connector is smaller than the width of the fixed terminal, and the front end face of the fixed terminal contacts the rear end face of the power terminal. In this configuration, when the fixed terminal and the power terminal are connected, the connector is inserted into the rear crown spring, and the front end face of the fixed terminal abuts against the rear end face of the power terminal, thereby ensuring that the connection position of the power terminal and the fixed terminal is limited.

[0051] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. In the description of the invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0052] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For instance, the two components can be mechanically connected by contact or abutting; they can also be directly hooked or connected by an intermediate medium; or they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

Claims

1. A quick-change terminal, characterized by: The utility model relates to a quick-change terminal for vehicle socket, which comprises a power terminal, a fixing terminal and a crown spring. The power terminal is provided with a front mounting hole and a rear mounting hole at the front end and the rear end respectively. The crown spring is provided with two elastic supporting rings and a plurality of elastic connecting pieces. The two elastic supporting rings are coaxial and spaced apart.

2. The quick change terminal of claim 1, wherein: The two ends of the elastic connecting piece are connected with the two elastic supporting rings respectively.

3. The quick change terminal of claim 2, wherein: The middle part of the elastic connecting piece is bent towards the axis direction of the elastic supporting ring.

4. The quick change terminal of claim 3, wherein: The outer surface of the plug-in part is in close contact with the inner wall of the middle part of the elastic connecting piece of the rear crown spring.

5. The quick change terminal of claim 1, wherein: Adjacent elastic connecting pieces form a through groove.

6. The quick change terminal of claim 1, wherein: Each elastic supporting ring of the rear crown spring is provided with a notch on the outer surface.

7. The quick change terminal of claim 1, wherein: The inner end of the notch is in communication with the inner wall of the corresponding elastic supporting ring.

8. The quick change terminal of claim 1, wherein: The outer end of the notch is in communication with the outer end face of the corresponding elastic supporting ring.

9. The quick change terminal of claim 1, wherein: The inner end of the notch is in communication with one through groove.

10. A vehicle socket, characterized by: The inner end of the notch of two elastic connecting pieces is in communication with the same through groove. The rear crown spring is provided with an opening on the outer surface. The inner end of the opening is in communication with the inner surface of the rear crown spring. The two ends of the opening are in communication with the front end face and the rear end face of the rear crown spring respectively. The middle part of the inner surface of the rear mounting hole is further provided with a rear end annular groove. The two ends of the rear crown spring are respectively in contact with the front end face and the rear end face of the rear end annular groove. The middle inner diameter of the rear crown spring is smaller than the diameter of the rear mounting hole. The middle part of the inner surface of the front mounting hole is further provided with a front end annular groove. The two ends of the front crown spring are respectively in contact with the front end face and the rear end face of the front end annular groove. The outer diameter of the plug-in part is smaller than the width of the fixing terminal. The rear end of the fixing terminal is provided with a connecting end connected with a wire harness. The vehicle socket comprises the quick-change terminal according to any one of claims 1-9.

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