Connection block device and associated plug for electrical connection of the locking type

Abstract

A terminal block device and the associated locking-type electrical connector (100) are provided. The terminal block device comprises the locking-type electrical connector (100) and an electrical socket (500) connected to each other. The locking-type electrical connector (100) includes a housing (1) and a locking handle (3). The housing (1) has a guide groove (15) divided into two segments. The locking handle (3) has a pressure part (311), a locking element (321), and an actuating section (33). The locking element (321) engages the electrical socket (500). The actuating section (33) includes two shafts and an elastic component (36). The two shafts are guided by the two segments. The elastic component (36) exerts an elastic force on the housing (1).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTechnical FieldThe present disclosure relates to a terminal block, particularly a terminal block device and an associated lock-type electrical connection connector.Description of the Prior ArtThe terminal blocks include an electrical connection plug and an electrical connection socket. The electrical connection connector is provided with a plurality of wire insertion holes and a plurality of clamping terminals each corresponding to a wire insertion hole. The electrical connection socket is provided with a plurality of conductive terminals and is electrically welded to a circuit board. The circuit board, the terminal terminals of the electrical connection connector, and the conductive terminals of the electrical connection socket are electrically connected to each other by detachably fitting the electrical connection connector into the electrical connection socket.However, after their male and female electrical connections are connected, conventional terminal blocks rely solely on the tight fit with each other and the clamping force of the clamping terminals on the conductive terminals to maintain the connection. When an external force exceeding the tight fit and the clamping force is applied, the electrical connection connector still disengages from the socket, which has been a long-felt criticized problem.Thus, the improvement of the inadequacies of the above-mentioned prior art is a significant problem that the inventor of this disclosure wants to solve urgent.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present disclosure to provide a terminal block device and an associated lock-type electrical connection plug that are mainly designed to lock to the electrical connection socket by means of the lock handle and to achieve unlocking by pressing the pressing part of the lock handle.Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a lock-type electrical connection connector including: a housing provided with a guide groove, the guide groove being divided into a first segment and a second segment, and one end of the first segment being located away from one end of the second segment, while another end of the first segment is located close to another end of the second segment; and a lock handle including a pressing part, a lock member, and an operating portion disposed between the pressing part and the lock member, wherein the operating portion is located inside the housing and includes a first shaft and a second shaft, and the first shaft is guided by the first segment, the second shaft is guided by the second segment, and the lock handle further includes an elastic component that applies an elastic force to the housing, wherein when the pressing part is pressed, the first shaft and the second shaft slide in the first segment and the second segment, respectively, the lock handle swings in a direction relative to the housing, the lock member with the lock handle moves in this direction to be raised relative to the housing, and the elastic component stores elastic energy as the lock handle swings along the unlocking direction.Further, the present disclosure provides a terminal block device including: a socket for electrical connection with a locking part; and the above-mentioned lock-type electrical connection plug. The lock-type electric connection plug and the electric connection socket may be detachably connected to each other, and the locking member of the lock handle and the locking part are respectively engaged with each other. When pressing the pressing part, the first shaft and the second shaft slide in the first segment and the second segment, respectively, the lock handle swings in a direction relative to the housing, the lock member moves with the lock handle in this direction to be raised relative to the housing and thus to disengage from the lock part, and the elastic component stores elastic energy as the lock handle swings along the unlocking direction.Compared with the prior art, the present disclosure provides advantages of achieving a better additional fastening effect and thus ensures that the lock-type electrical connection plug has a better pull-out resistance.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock-type electrical connection connector of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lock-type electrical connection connector of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the latch handle of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the latch handle of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a housing in FIG. 2 after assembly according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lock-type electrical connection connector of the present disclosure after assembly. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lock-type electric connection plug and an electric connection socket of the present disclosure when the lock-type electric connection plug is inserted into the electric connection socket. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present disclosure showing the lock-type electric connection connector and the electric connection connector after being fitted together, according to FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the present disclosure showing a state after pressing the lock handle in FIG. 8.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONDetailed explanations and technical contents relating to this disclosure will be illustrated below in conjunction with the drawings. However, the accompanying drawings are provided for reference and explanation purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.This disclosure provides a terminal block device and an associated lock-type electrical connection connector as shown in FIG. 7. The terminal block device includes a lock-type electrical connection plug 100 and an electrical connection socket 500. The lock-type electrical connection plug 100 can be detachably connected to the electrical connection socket 500, both of which are electrically conductive after being connected to each other. The electrical connection socket 500 is mounted on a circuit board (not shown in the drawings) and electrically connected to the circuit board. Further, the socket 500 for electrical connection includes a socket body 5 equipped with a locking part 51 or including a locking part.As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the lock-type electric connection connector 100 includes a housing 1 and a lock handle 3. the lock handle 3 allows the lock-type electric connection connector 100 and the electric connection socket 500 to be releasably lock-engaged with each other.The housing 1 may have a one-piece structure (not shown in the drawings) and is provided with a guide groove 15 as shown in FIG. 5. The guide groove 15 has a generally V-shape and is divided into a first segment 151 and a second segment 152. An end of the first segment 151 and an end of the second segment 152 are arranged apart from each other, and the other ends of the first segment 151 and the second segment are close to each other. More specifically, the above-mentioned other ends of the first segment 151 and the second segment 152 are joined to each other to form the above-mentioned V shape. In addition, the housing 1 is also provided with a stopper 113 and includes a side opening 123 as shown in FIG. 1 and an upper opening 16 as shown in FIG. 5.The housing 1 may also have a two-part structure (or a structure consisting of more than two parts) as shown in the drawings. The two-piece housing 1 has a first shell 11 and a second shell 12, and the first shell 11 and the second shell 12 together form the above-mentioned guide groove 15 and the upper opening 16 when they are connected to each other. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the first shell 11 includes a first groove structure 111 and the second shell 12 includes a second groove structure 121. The first groove structure 111 and the second groove structure 121 together form the guide groove 15. the second groove structure 121 includes an upper component 1211 and a lower component 1212 which are spatially separated from each other, the first groove structure 111 includes another lower component (not shown in the drawings), and these three components together form the guide groove 15.The lock handle 3 is inserted into the housing 1 and includes a pressing part 311, a locking member 321, and an operating portion 33. The operating portion 33 is disposed in the housing 1 and includes a first shaft 34 and a second shaft 35 that are spaced side by side. The first shaft 34 is guided by the first segment 151 and the second shaft 35 is guided by the second segment 152. In addition, the lock handle 3 is provided with an elastic component 36 that exerts an elastic force on the stopper 113 inside the housing 1. Note that the first shaft 34 and the second shaft 35 are obliquely disposed as shown in FIG. 6 in conjunction with FIG. 5, and thus the first shaft 34 is located adjacent to the above-mentioned one end of the first segment 151 and the second shaft 35 is located adjacent to the above-mentioned other end of the second segment 152.More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6, the operation portion 33 is an inverted triangular body having three vertices. The operating portion 33 extends with a link arm 31 and a lock arm 32, and the link arm 31 and the lock arm 32 form a generally L-shape. The link arm 31 extends beyond the above-mentioned upper opening 16 so that the pressing part 311 protrudes from the upper opening 16, and the locking arm 32 extends beyond the above-mentioned lateral opening 123 and includes the locking member 321 protruding from the lateral opening 123. The first shaft 34, the second shaft 35 and the locking arm 32 are respectively arranged corresponding to the three vertices, and the connecting arm 31 and the elastic component 36 are similarly arranged at the same vertex as the first shaft 34. It should be noted that the locking arm 32 and the elastic component 36 extend in opposite directions from the operating portion 33 so that the locking arm 32 and the elastic component 36 extend away from each other and the operating portion 33 is accordingly located between the locking arm 32 and the elastic component 36.The elastic component 36 may be any component that exerts an elastic force, such as a spring (not shown in the drawings) or an elastic arm as shown in the drawings. In this embodiment, an elastic arm is shown as an example. The elastic component 36 is arranged at one end of the operating portion 33 and, as mentioned above, connected to one of the three vertices. The other end of the elastic component 36 elastically abuts against the stopper 113. Due to the inclined position of the elastic component 36 against the stop 113, the elastic component 36 is susceptible to elastic biasing when a force is applied.The first shaft 34 includes two end portions 341 and a shaft body 342 located between the two end portions 341. The end portions 341 protrude on both sides of the operation portion 33, and the shaft body 342 protrudes only partially beyond a vertex (the first vertex) of the operation portion 33. Similarly, the second shaft 35 includes two end portions 351 and a shaft body 352 disposed between the two end portions 351. The end portions 351 also protrude on both sides of the operation portion 33, and the shaft body 352 only partially protrudes beyond another vertex (the second vertex) of the operation portion 33. Accordingly, the first shaft 34 can slide along in the first segment 151 of the guide groove 15 at its end portions 341 and / or at its shaft body 342. Here, the shaft body 342 is in contact with the first segment 151 at the partially protruding part thereof. Similarly, the second shaft 35 can slide along the second segment 152 of the guide groove 15 at the end portions 351 thereof and / or the shaft body 352 thereof, and the shaft body 352 is also in contact with the second segment 152 at the partially protruding portion thereof.Consequently, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the link arm 31 can be connected to the operation portion 33 by a user pressing the pressing member 311. At this time, due to the guidance of the first shaft 34 by the first segment 151, the link arm 31 moves in a certain direction (clockwise) and descends into the housing 1 (see FIG. 9 ). In addition, since the second shaft 35 is guided by the second segment 152, the locking arm 32 swings in an upward arc in the same direction (clockwise, see FIG. 9 ) and thereby causes the locking member 321 to follow the movement and move upward together with the locking arm 32. Thus, the entire lock handle 3 can swing relative to the housing 1 in the same direction (clockwise) as a cradle. At the same time, the elastic component 36 retained by the stopper 113 is biased after the movement of the lock handle 3, thereby storing elastic energy. In other words, the lock-type electrical connection connector 100 can achieve a better additional fastening effect (less likelihood of disconnection) by means of the lock handle 3 and the guide groove 15, and thus also has a better pull-out resistance.When the user releases the pressure on the pressing member 311, the entire lock handle 3 is retracted to its original position (as shown in FIG. 6 ) in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) by the elastic restoring force of the elastic component 36.As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9 in conjunction with FIG. 5, during the fitting process of the above terminal block device, when the lock-type electric connection plug 100 is fitted into the electric connection socket 500, the locking member 321 of the lock handle 3 is engaged in the locking part 51 of the electric connection socket 500 accordingly (as shown in FIG. 8 ), thereby providing an expanded additional attachment for the terminal block device and improving its pull-out resistance.Consequently, first, the pressing part 311 of the lock handle 3 is pressed when it is desired to remove the lock-type electric connection connector 100 from the electric connection socket 500 as shown in FIG. 9. Subsequently, as described above, the entire lock handle 3 swings like a cradle in the same direction (clockwise) relative to the housing 1. This stroke movement allows the raised locking member 321 to disengage from the locking part 51 (and at the same time causes the elastic component 36 to be biased and store elastic energy due to the movement of the locking handle 3). This operation releases the locking of the lock handle 3 to the electrical connection socket 500, and thus enables the lock-type electrical connection plug 100 to be removed from the electrical connection socket 500 in the reverse direction.Specifically, when the lock handle 3 swings in the above-mentioned direction (clockwise) during the locking process like a cradle, it causes the lock member 321 and the lock member 51 to engage with each other in the opposite direction after the swing motion. This particularly ensures a tight fit of the electrical connection socket 500 to the lock-type electrical connection plug 100, and thus ensures that no clearance is generated between the lock-type electrical connection plug 100 and the electrical connection socket 500. Moreover, since the lock handle 3 also swings like a cradle but in the opposite direction (counterclockwise), the lock handle 3 causes the lock member 321 to move away from the lock part 51 and upward at the same time when unlocked. Thus, the unlocking operation not only disengages the locking member 321 from the locking part 51 in the opposite direction, but also lifts the locking member 321 away from the locking part 51, thereby ensuring that the locking-type electric connection connector 100 can be smoothly removed from the electric connection socket 500.In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, a second screw component (for example, a nut) S 2 may be pre-installed inside the electrical connection socket 500. Once the lock-type electric connection plug 100 and the electric connection socket 500 are connected to each other, a first screw component (for example, a screw) S 1 may be inserted into the electric connection socket 500 through the lock-type electric connection plug 100 and then screwed into the second screw component S 2. This makes it possible to further fasten the lock-type electric connection connector 100 and the female electric connection connector 500 to each other by screw fastening.In summary, the terminal block device and the related plug for locking type electrical connection disclosed in the present disclosure can actually achieve the intended purpose and effect, and are capable of eliminating the deficiencies of the conventional technique.The above description relates only to some realizable embodiments of this disclosure and is not intended to limit the scope of the patent for this disclosure. All equivalent structural changes made from the contents of the application text and the drawings of this disclosure are to be considered as included within the scope of the patent rights of this application and are hereby clarified.

Claims

An electrical connection connector (100) comprising: a housing (1) having a guide groove (15) divided into a first segment (151) and a second segment (152), wherein one end of the first segment (151) is located away from one end of the second segment (152), and another end of the first segment (151) is located close to another end of the second segment (152); and a lock handle (3) having a pressing part (311), a lock member (321), and an operating portion (33) located between the pressing part (311) and the lock member (321), wherein the operating portion (33) is disposed in the housing (1) and has a first shaft (34) and a second shaft (35), and the first shaft (34) is guided by the first segment (151), the second shaft (35) is guided by the second segment (152), and the lock handle (3) further has an elastic component (36) that applies an elastic force to the housing (1); wherein, upon pressing the pressing part (311), the first shaft (34) and the second shaft (35) slide in the first segment (151) and the second segment (152), respectively, the lock handle (3) swings in a direction relative to the housing (1), the lock member (321) moves with the lock handle (3) in this direction to be raised relative to the housing (1), and the elastic component (36) stores elastic energy when the lock handle (3) swings in this direction.The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 1, wherein the elastic component (36) is disposed on the operation portion (33).The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 2, wherein the elastic component (36) is an elastic arm, one end of the elastic component (36) is connected to the operation portion (33), and another end of the elastic component (36) elastically abuts on the housing (1).The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 1, wherein the second shaft (35) includes a shaft body (352), and a portion of the shaft body (352) protrudes beyond the operation portion (33) and is in contact with the second segment (152).The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 4, wherein the operating portion (33) is an inverted triangular body and has three vertices, the operating portion (33) has a locking arm (32) extending therefrom, the locking arm (32) has the locking member (321), and the locking arm (32), the first shaft (34), and the second shaft (35) are respectively disposed at the three vertices.The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 5, wherein the elastic component (36) is an elastic arm, one end of the elastic component (36) corresponding to one of the three vertices is connected to the operation portion (33), and another end of the elastic component (36) elastically abuts against the housing (1).The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 1, wherein the first shaft (34) and the second shaft (35) each have two end portions and a shaft body (352) connected to the two end portions, the first shaft (34) and the second shaft (35) each slide in the guide groove (15) at the two end portions and / or the shaft body (352).The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 1, wherein the housing (1) comprises a first shell (11) and a second shell (12), and the first shell (11) and the second shell (12) are connected to each other to collectively define the guide groove (15).The electrical connection connector (100) according to claim 8, wherein the first shell has a first groove structure (111) disposed in the first shell (11), the second shell (12) has a second groove structure (121) disposed in the second shell (12), and the first groove structure (111) and the second groove structure (121) are connected to each other to collectively define the guide groove (15).The electrical connection connector (100) of claim 1, wherein the first shaft (34) is disposed adjacent to the one end of the first segment (151), and the second shaft (35) is disposed adjacent to the other end of the second segment (152).A terminal block device comprising: an electrical connection socket (500) comprising a locking part (51); and an electrical connection plug (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the electrical connection plug (100) and the electrical connection socket (500) are detachably connected to each other, and the locking member (321) of the lock handle (3) is engaged with the locking part (51); wherein, upon pressing the pressing part (311), the first shaft (34) and the second shaft (35) slide in the first segment (151) and the second segment (152), respectively, the lock handle (3) swings in a direction relative to the housing (1), the lock member (321) moves with the lock handle (3) in this direction to be raised relative to the housing (1) and thus released from the lock part (51), and the elastic component (36) stores elastic energy when the lock handle (3) swings in this direction.

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