Quick-connect terminal block

Abstract

Quick-connect terminal block, including: a first connection seat arrangement (100) comprising a plurality of wiring slots (111) extending along a plugging direction (D); a second connecting seat arrangement (200) which is detachably mounted on the first connecting seat arrangement (100) along the insertion direction (D); and a locking element (300) located on one side of each of the wiring slots (111) comprising a fastening structure (310), a locking arm structure (320) and a release structure (330), wherein the fastening structure (310) is attached to one of the first connection seat arrangement (100) and the second connection seat arrangement (200), the locking arm structure (320) extending from the fastening structure (310) and interlocking with the other to lock the first connection seat arrangement (100) and the second connection seat arrangement (200) along the plugging direction (D), the release structure (330) extending from the fastening structure (310); wherein when the unlocking structure (330) is pressed, the unlocking structure (330) presses the locking arm structure (320) to unlock the first connecting seat assembly (100) and the second connecting seat assembly (200).

Description

BACKGROUND Technical area

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a terminal block, in particular a quick-connect terminal block. Description of the related technique

[0002] Quick-connect terminal blocks primarily separate the wiring end and the PCB end into two components. The wiring end can be quickly mounted onto the PCB end, which is soldered and secured to the circuit board. A variety of wires are then inserted into the wiring end to establish the electrical connection with the circuit board. Therefore, quick-connect terminal blocks offer the advantages of easy assembly and space saving. The connection between the wiring end and the PCB end relies on embedding or locking mechanisms. However, these embedding and locking mechanisms make disassembly and maintenance of quick-connect terminal blocks difficult.On the other hand, the locking mechanisms typically rely on a lever inside the terminal block for unlocking, which not only makes the internal structure of the terminal block too complex, but also takes up space in the wiring slot to reduce the number of wires that can be inserted within a given volume.

[0003] In light of the above, the inventor is attempting to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages associated with current technology and aims to provide an effective solution through extensive research along with the use of academic principles and knowledge. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The primary purpose of the present disclosure is to efficiently simplify the unlocking structure of the quick-connect terminal block and to avoid taking up space in the wiring slots.

[0005] To achieve the aforementioned task, the present disclosure provides a quick-connect terminal block comprising a first connection seat assembly, a second connection seat assembly, and a locking element. The first connection seat assembly has a plurality of wiring slots extending along a mating direction. The second connection seat assembly is detachably mounted to the first connection seat assembly along the mating direction. The locking element is located on one side of each of the wiring slots and includes a fastening structure, a locking arm structure, and a release structure. The fastening structure is attached to one of the first connection seat assemblies and to the second connection seat assembly.The locking arm structure extends from the mounting structure and interlocks with it to lock the first and second connecting seat assemblies along the mating direction. The release structure extends from the mounting structure. When the release structure is pressed, it pushes the locking arm structure to release the first and second connecting seat assemblies.

[0006] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the fastening structure includes a fastening pin, the first connecting seat arrangement or the second connecting seat arrangement has a fastening groove, and the fastening pin is fastened in the fastening groove.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the fastening structure further includes a connecting rod, wherein the locking arm structure and the unlocking structure each extend from the connecting rod.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the fastening structure further includes an extension rod, wherein the extension rod extends from the connecting rod, and wherein the fastening pin extends from the extension rod.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the locking arm structure includes an elastic arm and a hook, wherein the elastic arm extends from the fastening structure, and the hook is arranged on one side of the elastic arm to lock the first connecting seat arrangement or the second connecting seat arrangement.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the first connecting seat arrangement or the second connecting seat arrangement has a locking groove, wherein the hook is locked in the locking groove.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the first connecting seat arrangement or the second connecting seat arrangement has a stop block, wherein the hook is locked to the stop block.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the unlocking structure includes a pivot arm, a pressure section, and a stop section, wherein the pivot arm extends from the fastening structure, the pressure section is bent and extends from the pivot arm, and the stop section extends from the pressure section to one side of the elastic arm that is arranged on the hook, wherein when the pressure section is pressed, the pressure section moves relative to the fastening structure through the pivot arm to drive the stop section to push the locking arm structure to unlock the first connecting seat assembly and the second connecting seat assembly.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the stop section has a stop chamfer, wherein the locking arm structure has a guide chamfer, wherein the stop chamfer is formed on a side of the stop section facing the locking arm structure, wherein the guide chamfer is formed on a side of the locking arm structure facing the stop section, wherein when the pressure section is pressed, the stop section is attached to the guide chamfer by the stop chamfer in order to press the locking arm structure.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides that the locking element includes two locking arm structures, each of the locking arm structures being arranged symmetrically on one side of the fastening structure, the pivot arm being located between each of the locking arm structures, the unlocking structure including two stop sections, each of the stop sections extending from the pressure section to each of the locking arm structures.

[0015] In the quick-connect terminal block of the present disclosure, the locking element is located on one side of the wiring slots, wherein the fastening structure is attached to one of the first connection seat arrangements and the second connection seat arrangements along the plugging direction, wherein the locking arm structure extending from the fastening structure is interlocked with the other to lock the first connection seat arrangements and the second connection seat arrangements along the plugging direction, so that the release structure can push the locking arm structure to unlock the first connection seat arrangements and the second connection seat arrangements when the release structure is pushed, in order to efficiently simplify the release structure and avoid taking up space in the wiring slots. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is an exploded view of the first connecting seat arrangement and the locking element of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the locking element of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional front view of the first embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of the present disclosure in the state of use; Fig. Figure 7 is another perspective view of the first embodiment of the present disclosure in the state of use; Fig. Figure 8 is a perspective view of the locking element of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional front view of the second embodiment of the present disclosure; and Fig. Figure 11 is a perspective view of the second embodiment of the present disclosure in the state of use. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] It is understood that the terms used to indicate positions and spatial relationships, for example "front", "rear", "left", "right", "front end", "rear end", "distal end", "longitudinal direction", "lateral direction", "vertical direction", "top" and "bottom", are based on the positions and spatial relationships disclosed in the drawings and are used only to disclose the present disclosure and are not used to indicate or imply the specified location of the device or components or the specified structure and operation at a particular location; therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be restrictive.

[0017] For example, the terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and "fifth" are used to illustrate each unit, component, area, layer, and / or part. The component, unit, area, layer, and / or part are not restricted by these terms. These terms are used only to separate the element, array, area, layer, or part. Unless clearly stated within the overall description, terms such as "the first," "the second," "the third," "the fourth," and "the fifth" are not used to imply order or sequence.

[0018] As used herein and not otherwise defined, the terms "essentially" and "approximately" are used to describe and express small variations. When used in conjunction with an event or situation, the terms may include the precise moment the event or situation occurs, as well as the event or situation occurring in close approximation. For example, when combined with a numerical value, the terms may include a range of variation equal to or less than ±5% of the numerical value, such as equal to or less than ±4%, equal to or less than ±3%, equal to or less than ±2%, equal to or less than ±1%, equal to or less than ±0.5%, equal to or less than ±0.1%, or equal to or less than ±0.05%.

[0019] The technical content of this disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description of embodiments and the accompanying drawings as follows. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings serve only for illustrative purposes and are therefore not to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0020] The present disclosure provides a quick-connect terminal block for inserting and connecting a variety of wires (not shown in the figures). It is based on Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. Reference is made to Figure 5, which shows the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The quick-connect terminal block of the present disclosure comprises a first connecting seat arrangement 100, a second connecting seat arrangement 200 and a locking element 300.

[0021] The first connection seat arrangement 100 comprises a first insulating shell 110 and a plurality of first terminals 120 arranged within the first insulating shell 110. The first connection seat arrangement 100 has a plurality of wiring slots 111 for the insertion of the wires. Specifically, the wiring slots 111 extend inward from a top surface of the first insulating shell 110 along a insertion direction D (i.e., from top to bottom), and the wiring slots 111 are arranged at equal intervals or in a matrix. The first terminals 120 are each located within the wiring slots 111, so that the wires can be electrically connected to the first terminals 120 after being inserted into the wiring slots 111. Additionally, a front surface of the first insulating shell 110 forms a plurality of adjustment grooves 112. The adjustment grooves 112 are each connected to the wiring slots 111.Each of the adjusting grooves 112 serves to receive an adjusting element 113 (e.g., a bolt), and each of the adjusting elements 113 rests against one side of the corresponding first terminal 120. The user can cause the first terminal 120 to clamp or release the corresponding wire by rotating the corresponding adjusting element 113.

[0022] The second connection assembly 200 comprises a second insulating shell 210 and a plurality of second terminals 220 arranged within the second insulating shell 210. The second connection assembly 200 is detachably mounted on the first connection assembly 100 along the insertion direction D. In this embodiment, the first insulating shell 110 of the first connection assembly 100 is of a plug type (convex block) and the second insulating shell 210 of the second connection assembly 200 is of a socket type (concave groove), so that the first connection assembly 100 can be inserted into the second connection assembly 200; however, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment.For example, the first insulating shell 110 of the first connection assembly 100 can be of the socket type, and the second insulating shell 210 of the second connection assembly 200 can be of the plug type for mating the first connection assembly 100. After the second connection assembly 200 is mounted along the mating direction D on the first connection assembly 100, the second terminals 220 of the second connection assembly 200 can each be electrically connected to the first terminals 120 of the first connection assembly 100; that is, each of the second terminals 220 can be electrically connected to the corresponding wire by each of the first terminals 120.

[0023] The locking element 300 is located on one side of each of the wiring slots 111. In this embodiment, the locking element 300 is located on a front side of the first insulating shell 110 and on a front side of the wiring slots 111; however, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. The locking element 300 comprises a fastening structure 310, at least one locking arm structure 320, and a release structure 330. The fastening structure 310 is attached along the insertion direction D to one of the first connection seat arrangements 100 and the second connection seat arrangement 200. In this embodiment, the locking element 300 is fastened in the first connection seat arrangement 100 by the fastening structure 310; however, in another embodiment, the locking element 300 can also be fastened in the second connection seat arrangement 200 by the fastening structure 310.The locking arm structure 320 extends from the mounting structure 310 and is locked to the first connecting seat arrangement 100 and the second connecting seat arrangement 200 to lock the first connecting seat arrangement 100 and the second connecting seat arrangement 200 along the insertion direction D. In this embodiment, the mounting structure 310 is attached to the first connecting seat arrangement 100, and the locking element 300 is locked to the second connecting seat arrangement 200 to lock the first connecting seat arrangement 100 and the second connecting seat arrangement 200. However, the mounting structure 310 can also be attached to the second connecting seat arrangement 200, and the locking element 300 can also be locked to the first connecting seat arrangement 100. The unlocking structure 330 extends from the mounting structure 310.When the release structure 330 is pressed, the release structure 330 can press the locking arm structure 320 such that the locking arm structure 320 can be released from the corresponding first connecting seat arrangement 100 or the second connecting seat arrangement 200 in order to unlock the first connecting seat arrangement 100 and the second connecting seat arrangement 200.

[0024] Details are provided below. The fastening structure 310 comprises a connecting rod 311, at least one extension rod 312, and at least one fastening pin 313. The first connecting seat arrangement 100 or the second connecting seat arrangement 200 has at least one fastening groove 114. In this embodiment, there are two extension rods 312, two fastening pins 313, and two fastening grooves 114, the extension rods 312, the fastening pins 313, and the fastening grooves 114 being arranged symmetrically. However, this disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only one extension rod 312, one fastening pin 313, and one fastening groove 114 are used for the description; however, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure.The extension rod 312 extends approximately from the connecting rod 311 along the insertion direction D, and the fastening pin 313 extends from the extension rod 312 and approximately parallel to the connecting rod 311. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. Since the fastening structure 310 of the embodiment is attached to the first connecting seat arrangement 100, the fastening groove 114 of the embodiment is additionally formed on the first insulating shell 110 of the first connecting seat arrangement 100.The fastening pin 313 is secured in the fastening groove 114 along a direction that crosses the insertion direction D, in order to prevent the fastening pin 313 from detaching from the fastening groove 114 along the insertion direction D or in a reverse direction thereto, in order to prevent the locking element 300 from detaching from the first connecting seat arrangement 100 along the insertion direction D or in a reverse direction thereto.

[0025] In this embodiment, the number of locking arm structures 320 is two, wherein the locking arm structures 320 are arranged symmetrically on one side of the fastening structure 310. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. In detail, the locking arm structures 320 and the unlocking structure 330 each extend from the connecting rod 311 of the fastening structure 310 along the insertion direction D. The unlocking structure 330 is located between the locking arm structures 320. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment. For the sake of simplicity, only one locking arm structure 320 is used for the description; however, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure. The first connecting seat arrangement 100 or the second connecting seat arrangement 200 has a locking groove 211.Since the locking element 300 is locked to the second connecting seat assembly 200, the locking groove 211 is formed on the second insulating shell 210 of the second connecting seat assembly 200 and is located on a front face of the second insulating shell 210 that corresponds to the locking element 300. The locking arm structure 320 includes an elastic arm 321 and a hook 322. The elastic arm 321 extends from the connecting rod 311 of the fastening structure 310 along the insertion direction D. The hook 322 is arranged on one side of the elastic arm 321 to lock the first connecting seat assembly 100 or the second connecting seat assembly 200.In detail, the hook 322 of the embodiment is arranged on one side of the elastic arm 321 away from the unlocking structure 330 (an outside of the elastic arm 321) and is locked in the locking groove 211 of the second insulating shell 210 to lock the first connecting seat arrangement and the second connecting seat arrangement 200 along the plugging direction D.

[0026] Details are provided below. The release structure 330 comprises a pivot arm 331, a pressure section 332, and at least one stop section 333. The pivot arm 331 extends from the connecting rod 311 of the fastening structure 310 along the insertion direction D, and the pivot arm 331 is located between the locking arm structures 320. The pressure section 332 is curved and extends from the pivot arm 331 in a direction away from the first insulating shell 110. Therefore, when the user presses the pressure section 332 of the release structure 330, the pressure section 332 can move through the pivot arm 331 toward the first insulating shell 110. In this embodiment, there are two stop sections 333, the stop sections 333 being arranged symmetrically on the pressure section 332; however, the present disclosure is not limited to this embodiment.For the sake of simplicity, only one stop section 333 is used for the description; however, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure. The stop section 333 extends from the pressure section 332 to one side of the elastic arm 321, which is arranged on the hook 322. In detail, since the hook 322 is located on the side of the release structure 330 away from the elastic arm 321 (outside the elastic arm 321), the stop section 333 extends from the pressure section 332 to the side of the corresponding elastic arm 321 (outside the elastic arm 321) away from the release structure 330. That is, the locking arm structure 320 is located between the pivot arm 331 and the corresponding stop section 333. As in . Fig. 6 and Fig. As shown in Figure 7, when the user presses the pressure section 332 of the release structure 330, the pressure section 332 can move relative to the fastening structure 310 through the pivot arm 331 towards the first insulating shell 110 to drive the stop section 333, which in turn pushes the locking arm structure 320 to shrink towards the pivot arm 331 and cause the hook 322 to be released from the locking groove 211. Therefore, the first connecting seat assembly 100 and the second connecting seat assembly 200 can be unlocked and released along the insertion direction D.

[0027] Additionally, the stop section 333 has a stop chamfer 333A, and the locking arm structure 320 has a guide chamfer 323. The stop chamfer 333A is formed on a side of the stop section 333 facing the locking arm structure 320, and the guide chamfer 323 is formed on a side of the locking arm structure 320 facing the stop section 333. In other words, the stop chamfer 333A of the stop section 333 and the guide chamfer 323 of the corresponding locking arm structure 320 face each other and are approximately parallel to each other.When the user presses the pressure section 332 to cause it to move towards the first insulating shell 110, the stop section 333 can therefore be attached to the guide slope 323 of the locking arm structure 320 by the stop slope 333A to push the locking arm structure 320 to shrink towards the pivot arm 331 to unlock.

[0028] It should be noted that, since the locking element 300 is located on the front of the first insulating shell 110 and the front of the wiring slots 111, and is misaligned with the adjustment grooves 112, the user can easily operate the locking element 300 or the adjustment elements 113 from the same side. Furthermore, the arrangement of the locking element 300 does not interfere with the arrangement of the wiring slots 111 and the arrangement of the adjustment grooves 112, thus maximizing the number of connected wires without losing space in at least one wiring slot 111. Since the structure of the locking element 300 is simple, this also does not excessively increase the structural complexity of the first insulating shell 110 and the second insulating shell 210.Since the user only needs to press the pressure section 332 of the release structure 330 to unlock, the quick-connect terminal block of the present disclosure can also be operated and unlocked in a limited space to effectively increase the application scenarios and applicability.

[0029] It will be on Fig. 8, Fig. 9 and Fig. Reference is made to Figure 10, which shows the second embodiment of the quick-connect terminal block of the present disclosure. The main differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment are that the specific structure of the locking element 300 and the first connecting seat arrangement 100 or the second connecting seat arrangement 200 has a stop block 212 instead of the locking groove 211. Details are provided below. It should be noted that the number of stop blocks 212 in the embodiment is the same as the number of locking grooves 211 in the first embodiment, which is two. For the sake of simplicity, only one stop block 21 is used for the description; however, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0030] In this embodiment, each of the hooks 332 is arranged on the side of the corresponding elastic arm 321 facing the release structure 330 (within the elastic arm 321). Since the fastening pin 313 of the fastening structure 310 is still secured in the fastening groove 114 of the first insulating shell 110, the stop block 212 is arranged on the second insulating shell 210 of the second connecting seat assembly 200. The hook 322 of the locking arm structure 320 is locked to a bottom surface of the stop block 212 of the second insulating shell 210 to lock the first connecting seat assembly 100 and the second connecting seat assembly 200 along the insertion direction D.Since the hook 322 of the embodiment is arranged on the side of the corresponding elastic arm 321 facing the release structure 330 (within the elastic arm 321), the stop section 333 also extends from the pressure section 332 to the side of the corresponding elastic arm 321 facing the release structure 330 (within the elastic arm 321). That is, the stop section 333 is located between the pivot arm 331 and the corresponding locking arm structure 320. As shown in . Fig.As shown in Figure 11, when the user presses the pressure section 332 of the embodiment to cause it to move in the direction of the first insulating shell 110, the stop section 333 can be attached to the guide slope 323 of the corresponding locking arm structure 320 by the stop slope 333A in order to push the locking arm structure 320 away from the pivot arm 331 in order to cause the hook 322 to be released from the stop block 212 in order to unlock the first connecting seat arrangement 100 and the second connecting seat arrangement 200.

[0031] In the quick-connect terminal block of the present disclosure, the locking element 300 is located on one side of the wiring slots 111, wherein the fastening structure 310 is attached to one of the first connection seat arrangements 100 and the second connection seat arrangement 200 along the plug-in direction D, wherein the locking arm structure 320, extending from the fastening structure 310, is interlocked with the other to lock the first connection seat arrangement 100 and the second connection seat arrangement 200 along the plug-in direction D, so that the release structure 330 can push the locking arm structure 320 to unlock the first connection seat arrangement 100 and the second connection seat arrangement 200 when the release structure 330 is pushed, in order to efficiently simplify and avoid the release structure 330 of the quick-connect terminal block of the present disclosure.that space in the wiring slots 111 is required.

[0032] It is understood that the present disclosure may include other types of embodiments and that a person skilled in the art in the field of the present disclosure may make various changes and modifications in accordance with the present disclosure without deviating from the principle and content of the present disclosure; however, such corresponding changes and modifications are to be regarded as being within the claimed scope of the present disclosure.

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