Connector and electrical apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a connector and an electrical equipment, and belongs to the technical field of connectors. The connector comprises a female end assembly and a male end assembly. The female end assembly comprises a female end shell and a female end terminal. The female end terminal is arranged on both sides of the female end shell along a first direction. The male end assembly comprises a male end shell and a male end terminal. The male end shell has a groove body. The male end terminal is arranged on the side wall of the groove body and connected with the male end shell. At least part of the female end assembly is arranged in the groove body along a second direction. The female end terminal is connected with the male end terminal along the first direction. The first direction intersects with the second direction. In the application, the male end terminal is arranged on the side wall of the groove body of the male end shell. The female end terminal is connected with the male end terminal in a single-point contact mode. The space in the matching interface can be saved. The 48V voltage requirement is met, the volume of the connector is reduced, and the miniaturization, low cost and high reliability of the connector are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of connector technology, and more particularly to a connector and electrical equipment. Background Technology

[0002] With advancements in automotive safety and infotainment features, the automotive industry is transitioning from 12V to 48V electrical systems. To support the integrated architecture of 48V electrical systems, low-voltage connectors require suitable connection system solutions. However, to meet the electrical clearance and creepage distance requirements of 48V electrical systems, the terminal spacing increases, leading to a larger overall connector size. This makes the connectors difficult to support in many highly integrated applications with limited space. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides a connector and electrical device to at least partially solve the technical problem of the increased size of the connector, making it difficult to install in environments with high integration and limited space.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, according to a first aspect of this application, a connector is provided, comprising: The female end assembly includes a female end housing and female terminals, with the female terminals disposed on both sides of the female end housing along a first direction. The male terminal assembly includes a male terminal housing and a male terminal. The male terminal housing has a groove, and the male terminal is disposed on the side wall of the groove and connected to the male terminal housing. At least a portion of the female terminal assembly is inserted into the groove along a second direction. The female terminal and the male terminal are connected along a first direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction.

[0005] According to a second aspect of this application, an electrical device is provided, including the connector described above.

[0006] This application provides a connector including a female terminal assembly and a male terminal assembly. The female terminal assembly includes a female terminal housing and a female terminal, with the female terminal disposed on both sides of the female terminal housing along a first direction. The male terminal assembly includes a male terminal housing and a male terminal. The male terminal housing has a groove, and the male terminal is disposed on the side wall of the groove and connected to the male terminal housing. At least a portion of the female terminal assembly passes through the groove along a second direction. The female terminal and the male terminal are connected along the first direction, and a limiting component is connected to the bottom wall of the groove. The first direction and the second direction intersect. This application provides a connector by setting the male terminal on the side wall of the groove in the male terminal housing, and the female terminal is mated and connected to the male terminal using a single-point contact method. This saves space within the mating interface, achieving a reduction in connector size while meeting the 48V voltage requirement, thereby realizing connector miniaturization, low cost, and high reliability.

[0007] The electrical device in this application includes the connector described above, and therefore the electrical device includes all the beneficial effects of the connector described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0008] Other features and advantages of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0009] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0010] To gain a more complete understanding of this application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals in the following description denote the same parts.

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the connector provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the connector provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connector structure provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 4 yes Figure 3 AA section diagram; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connector structure provided in yet another exemplary embodiment of this application; Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Middle BB section view; Figure 7 yes Figure 5 C-section view; Figure 8 This is a partial structural diagram of the connector provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application.

[0012] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Female end assembly; 2. Male end assembly; 10. Female end housing; 11. Female terminal; 12. Limiting member; 13. Barrier member; 20. Male end housing; 21. Male terminal; 22. Stepped portion; 110. Body portion; 111. Bending portion; 120. Clearance groove; 121. Clamping portion; 200. Groove; 201. Side wall; 202. Bottom wall; 203. Groove; X, First direction; Y, Second direction; Z, Third direction. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the protection scope of this application.

[0014] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application 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 on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, and "at least one" can mean one, two, or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified. In the description of this application, "perpendicular" means completely perpendicular to 90° or almost completely perpendicular, for example, the range of included angles between 80° and 100° is considered perpendicular. Similarly, "parallel" means completely parallel or almost completely parallel, for example, the range of completely parallel angles between 10° is considered parallel.

[0015] The applicant noted that with the improvement of automotive safety and infotainment functions, the automotive industry is shifting from 12V electrical systems to 48V electrical systems. To support the integrated architecture of 48V electrical systems, low-voltage connectors require suitable connection system solutions. However, to meet the electrical clearance and creepage distance requirements of 48V electrical systems, the terminal spacing increases, resulting in a larger overall connector size, making it difficult to support in many highly integrated applications with limited space.

[0016] In view of this, this application provides a connector including a female end assembly 1 and a male end assembly 2. The female end assembly 1 includes a female end housing 10 and a female terminal 11, with the female terminal 11 disposed on both sides of the female end housing 10 along a first direction X. The male end assembly 2 includes a male end housing 20 and a male terminal 21. The male end housing 20 has a groove 200, and the male terminal 21 is disposed on the side wall 201 of the groove 200 and connected to the male end housing 20. At least a portion of the female end assembly 1 passes through the groove 200 along a second direction Y. The female terminal 11 and the male terminal 21 are connected along the first direction X, which intersects with the second direction Y. By providing the male terminal 21 on the side wall 201 within the groove 200 of the male end housing 20, and by using a single-point contact method to mate and connect the female terminal 11 to the male terminal 21, the space within the mating interface can be saved. While meeting the 48V voltage requirement, the size of the connector is reduced, thereby achieving miniaturization, low cost, and high reliability of the connector.

[0017] The connector and electrical device of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the features of the following embodiments and implementations can be combined with each other.

[0018] This application provides a connector; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The connector includes a female terminal assembly 1 and a male terminal assembly 2. The female terminal assembly 1 includes a female housing 10 and female terminals 11, with the female terminals 11 disposed on both sides of the female housing 10 along a first direction X. The male terminal assembly 2 includes a male housing 20 and male terminals 21. Please continue reading. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The male end housing 20 has a groove 200. A male terminal 21 is disposed on the side wall 201 of the groove 200 and connected to the male end housing 20. At least a portion of the female end assembly 1 passes through the groove 200 along a second direction Y. The female terminal 11 is connected to the male terminal 21 along a first direction X, which intersects with the second direction Y. It can be understood that the male terminal 21 is disposed on the side wall 201 of the groove 200 along the first direction X, and the female terminal 11 is disposed on both sides of the female end housing 10 along the first direction X and passes through the groove 200 along the second direction Y, thereby achieving a mating connection with the male terminal 21 in the first direction X. In the embodiments of this application, the first direction X refers to the connection direction of the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11, and the second direction Y is the insertion and removal direction of the female end assembly 1 into the groove 200 of the male end housing 20. The first direction X is perpendicular to the second direction Y. In this embodiment, a male terminal 21 is provided on the side wall 201 inside the groove 200 of the male terminal housing 20, and the female terminal 11 is mated and connected to the male terminal 21 by a single-point contact method. This can save space in the mating interface, and while meeting the 48V voltage requirement, it can reduce the size of the connector, thereby achieving miniaturization, low cost and high reliability of the connector.

[0019] In some embodiments, the female terminal 11 includes a resilient structure. This configuration allows the female terminal 11 to deform during mating, generating continuous positive pressure to ensure a single-point tight contact between the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11. Furthermore, the resilient structure can buffer the impact force during insertion and removal, reducing wear on the female terminal 11 and extending the service life of the connector.

[0020] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4 The female terminal assembly 1 also includes a limiting member 12, which is disposed on one side of the female terminal housing 10 along the second direction Y and is used to connect with the bottom wall 202 of the groove 200. The limiting member 12 can directly abut against the bottom wall 202 of the groove 200 along the second direction Y, which can be used to limit the maximum insertion position of the female terminal assembly 1, preventing deformation of the female terminal 11 due to over-insertion or poor contact due to insufficient insertion. In addition, the limiting member 12 serves as a docking fulcrum between the female terminal assembly 1 and the male terminal housing 20, which can reduce the shaking of the female terminal assembly 1 during insertion and removal, indirectly ensuring the contact stability of the male and female terminals 11.

[0021] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4 The limiting member 12 has a relief groove 120, through which at least a portion of the female terminal 11 passes and is connected to the limiting member 12. This configuration allows the relief groove 120 to provide deformation space for the female terminal 11, ensuring that the female terminal 11 can achieve single-point contact with the male terminal 21. Simultaneously, considering the risk of contact breakage due to springback at the contact interface under vibration, this application adds a fixed fulcrum to the female terminal 11 by having the female terminal 11 pass through the relief groove 120 and connect it to the limiting member 12. This reduces the displacement of the female terminal 11 during vibration, avoids contact gaps under vibration, and ensures reliable contact at the mating interface.

[0022] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4 The limiting member 12 includes a clamping part 121, which is disposed between the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11 and connected to both terminals respectively. A clearance groove 120 is provided between the clamping part 121 and the female end housing 10. It is understood that the clamping part 121 is located between the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11 and is fixedly connected to both terminals respectively, while the clearance groove 120 is formed by the gap between the clamping part 121 and the female end housing 10. This configuration, where the clamping part 121 connects both the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11, can reduce the risk of misalignment of the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11 under vibration conditions.

[0023] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4The female terminal 11 includes a body portion 110 and a bent portion 111 connected to each other. The body portion 110 is connected to the female terminal housing 10. The bent portion 111 protrudes towards the male terminal 21 and is spaced apart from the female terminal housing 10 along a first direction X. The protruding portion of the bent portion 111 contacts the male terminal 21, thereby forming a single-point contact structure of the mating interface. Compared with the traditional two-point contact terminal, this reduces the contact area and material usage. Furthermore, since the female terminal 11 is an elastic structure, the protruding structure of the bent portion 111 has elastic deformation capability. During mating, the protruding structure of the bent portion 111 is subjected to pressure from the male terminal 21 away from the male terminal 21 and slides on the contact surface of the male terminal 21 until the bent portion 111 passes through the relief groove 120 and abuts against the limiting member 12, thus completing the mating.

[0024] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 4 Along the first direction X, at least a portion of the bent portion 111 facing the male terminal 21 is higher than the side of the limiting member 12 facing the male terminal 21. It is understood that the design of the protruding portion of the bent portion 111 being higher than the limiting member 12 ensures that when the female terminal assembly 1 is inserted, the bent portion 111 can contact the male terminal 21 and slide along the contact surface of the terminal until the bent portion 111 passes through the relief groove 120 and abuts against the limiting member 12, thus completing the mating. With this configuration, the bent portion 111 of the female terminal 11 provides positive pressure at the contact point between the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11, ensuring effective contact between the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11. Furthermore, the female terminal 11 adopts a monolithic elastic structure, which reduces the assembly space between the female terminal 11 and the female terminal housing 10, thereby achieving connector miniaturization.

[0025] In some embodiments, the female terminal assembly 1 includes a plurality of female terminals 11, which are spaced apart along a third direction Z; see reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 The female terminal assembly 1 also includes a barrier 13, which is connected to the female terminal housing 10 and is disposed between two adjacent female terminals 11. The barrier 13's location between adjacent female terminals 11 allows current to flow around it. When the connector is fully mated, the creepage distance between the terminals increases due to the barrier 13, eliminating the need to increase the creepage distance by increasing the terminal spacing as in conventional designs. Therefore, this embodiment allows for more terminals to be arranged within a limited space, and the barrier 13 isolates adjacent female terminals 11 to improve the creepage distance, enhancing the connector's electrical safety and meeting the requirements of 48V applications.

[0026] In some embodiments, refer to Figure 6The barrier 13 protrudes from the connection point with the limiting member 12 toward the bottom wall 202; the groove 200 has a recess 203, and the barrier 13 passes through the recess 203. The groove 203 in the groove 200 and the barrier 13 are interlocked in the second direction Y. On the one hand, it can play a guiding role during mating. On the other hand, after mating, it can restrict the movement of the female end assembly 1, reduce the displacement of the female terminal 11 during vibration, and indirectly ensure the contact reliability of the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11.

[0027] In some embodiments, the female terminal housing 10, the limiting member 12, and the blocking member 13 are integrally molded. Specifically, the female terminal housing 10, the limiting member 12, and the blocking member 13 are integrally injection molded. This integral molding structure reduces production steps and assembly errors, simplifies the production process, and lowers manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the injection-molded female terminal housing 10, the limiting member 12, and the blocking member 13 ensure the insulation stability of the connector and meet the electrical safety requirements of 48V applications. In some embodiments, refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 The male terminal assembly 2 includes a stepped portion 22, which is disposed on both sides of the male terminal 21 along a third direction Z. The third direction Z intersects the first direction X and the second direction Y in pairs. It can be understood that the third direction Z is the arrangement direction of the multiple female terminals 11, and the third direction Z is perpendicular to the first direction X and the second direction Y. The stepped portion 22 is fixed on both sides of the male terminal 21 along the third direction Z and connected to the male terminal housing 20. The stepped portion 22 can restrict the displacement of the male terminal 21 from the third direction Z, preventing the male terminal 21 from shifting position due to assembly or vibration, and ensuring precise docking between the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11. Furthermore, the stepped portion 22 and the male terminal housing 20 are made of insulating material, which can increase the creepage distance between adjacent male terminals 21. Unlike traditional designs that increase the creepage distance by increasing the terminal spacing, this allows for adaptation to 48V voltage requirements while ensuring that the creepage distance meets electrical safety requirements.

[0028] Please see Figure 7 In an embodiment of this application, a connector is provided, which includes a male end assembly 2 and a female end assembly 1. The male end assembly 2 has a male end housing 20 and 12 male end pins, taking the cross-sectional size of the male end pins as 0.5mm×0.4mm and the spacing between two adjacent male end pins as an example; the female end assembly 1 has a female end housing 10 and female ends 11 corresponding one-to-one with the male end 21.

[0029] When male terminal component 2 and female terminal component 1 are mated to form a mating interface, a barrier 13 is provided at the root of the mating interface between male terminal component 2 and female terminal component 1. The barrier 13 ensures that the current path between adjacent terminals must bypass the barrier 13, thereby increasing the creepage distance. (Refer to...) Figure 6 In the bottom surface gap of the mating interface, the creepage distance between adjacent terminals reaches 2.8mm; (Refer to...) Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the side gap of the mating interface, the female terminal 11 is in a pressed state. The creepage distance between the female terminals 11 is 1.86 mm, and the creepage distance between the male terminals 21 is 1.84 mm. Therefore, the minimum creepage distance between adjacent terminals is 1.84 mm.

[0030] In the mating state of this connector, there is no direct electrical clearance between the terminals within the mating interface due to the partition; therefore, only creepage distance needs to be considered. Referring to IEC 60664, the international standard developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which regulates the insulation design requirements of low-voltage electrical equipment, it ensures that the equipment has sufficient insulation performance in the intended operating environment, avoiding safety risks such as electric shock, short circuits, and arcing caused by insulation failure. IEC 60664 considers the rated voltage of the equipment; in this embodiment, the rated voltage is 48V, and the pollution level of the operating environment (from level 1, no pollution, to level 4, heavily polluted; automotive and industrial equipment often involve level 3 pollution, i.e., the environment contains conductive dust, moisture, and other factors that may affect insulation). According to the electrical requirements of IEC 60664, at pollution level 3 and a rated voltage of 48V, the creepage distance between terminals must be greater than 1.6mm. In this embodiment, the minimum creepage distance within the connector mating interface is 1.84mm, which meets the application requirements of 48V voltage.

[0031] This application provides an electrical device including the connector described above. The connector includes a female terminal assembly 1 and a male terminal assembly 2. The female terminal assembly 1 includes a female terminal housing 10 and a female terminal 11, with the female terminal 11 disposed on both sides of the female terminal housing 10 along a first direction X. The male terminal assembly 2 includes a male terminal housing 20 and a male terminal 21. Please continue reading. Figure 3 and Figure 4The male end housing 20 has a groove 200. A male terminal 21 is disposed on the side wall 201 of the groove 200 and connected to the male end housing 20. At least a portion of the female end assembly 1 passes through the groove 200 along a second direction Y. The female terminal 11 is connected to the male terminal 21 along a first direction X, which intersects with the second direction Y. It can be understood that the male terminal 21 is disposed on the side wall 201 of the groove 200 along the first direction X, and the female terminal 11 is disposed on both sides of the female end housing 10 along the first direction X and passes through the groove 200 along the second direction Y, thereby achieving a mating connection with the male terminal 21 in the first direction X. In the embodiments of this application, the first direction X refers to the connection direction of the male terminal 21 and the female terminal 11, and the second direction Y is the insertion and removal direction of the female end assembly 1 into the groove 200 of the male end housing 20. The first direction X is perpendicular to the second direction Y. In this embodiment, a male terminal 21 is provided on the side wall 201 inside the groove 200 of the male terminal housing 20, and the female terminal 11 is mated and connected to the male terminal 21 by a single-point contact method. This can save space in the mating interface, and while meeting the 48V voltage requirement, it can reduce the size of the connector, thereby achieving miniaturization, low cost and high reliability of the connector.

[0032] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0033] The embodiments, implementation methods, and related technical features of this application can be combined and substituted for each other without conflict.

[0034] The present application provides a detailed description of a connector and electrical device through its embodiments, and uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the technical solutions and core ideas of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A connector, characterized in that, include: A female end assembly includes a female end housing and female terminals, wherein the female terminals are disposed on both sides of the female end housing along a first direction; A male terminal assembly includes a male terminal housing and a male terminal. The male terminal housing has a groove, and the male terminal is disposed on the side wall of the groove and connected to the male terminal housing. At least a portion of the female terminal assembly passes through the groove along a second direction, and the female terminal is connected to the male terminal along a first direction, the first direction intersecting the second direction.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The female end assembly also includes a limiting member, which is disposed on one side of the female end housing along the second direction and is used to connect with the bottom wall of the tank.

3. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The limiting member has a clearance groove, and at least a portion of the female terminal passes through the clearance groove and is connected to the limiting member.

4. The connector according to claim 3, characterized in that, The limiting member includes a clamping part, which is disposed between the male terminal and the female terminal and connected to the male terminal and the female terminal respectively. The clamping part has the clearance groove between itself and the female terminal housing.

5. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The female terminal includes a body portion and a bent portion connected to each other. The body portion is connected to the female terminal housing. The bent portion protrudes towards the male terminal and is spaced apart from the female terminal housing along the first direction.

6. The connector according to claim 5, characterized in that, Along the first direction, at least a portion of the bent portion facing the male terminal is higher than the side of the limiting member facing the male terminal.

7. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The female terminal includes an elastic structure.

8. The connector according to claim 2, characterized in that, The female terminal assembly includes a plurality of female terminals, which are spaced apart along a third direction. The female terminal assembly also includes a barrier member connected to the female terminal housing, and the barrier member is disposed between two adjacent female terminals.

9. The connector according to claim 8, characterized in that, The barrier protrudes from the connection point with the limiting member toward the bottom wall; The groove has a recess, and the barrier is inserted through the recess.

10. The connector according to claim 8, characterized in that, The female end shell, the limiting member, and the blocking member are integrally formed.

11. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, The male terminal assembly includes a stepped portion, which is disposed on both sides of the male terminal along a third direction, and the third direction intersects the first direction and the second direction in pairs, respectively.

12. An electrical device, characterized in that, Includes the connector as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

Images