Self-locking connector assembly and oil pump comprising same

Abstract

The present invention provides a self-locking connector assembly, comprising: a female connector which comprises an insertion hole formed therein; a male connector which comprises a plug capable of being inserted into the insertion hole of the female connector in a first direction; and a positioning device which fix the male connector relative to the female connector when the plug is inserted into the insertion hole, wherein the positioning device comprises a first snap-fit portion formed at the insertion hole of the female connector and a second snap-fit portion formed at the plug of the male connector, and when the plug is inserted into the insertion hole, the first snap-fit portion is snap-fitted with the second snap-fit portion to limit the movement of the male connector away from the female connector. The present invention further provides an oil pump comprising the self-locking connector assembly.

Description

Self-locking connector assembly and oil pump including the same Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of connectors, and in particular to a self-locking connector assembly and an oil pump comprising the self-locking connector assembly. Background Art

[0002] The split connector includes a female connector and a male connector that are plugged into each other. The male connector is subjected to a high pull-out force during use, so the male connector must be firmly fixed to the female connector.

[0003] In the prior art, it is known to use screws or interference fit to fix the male connector relative to the female connector. However, in order to ensure a stable connection between the female connector and the male connector without causing damage to the components due to a large force, when fixing with screws, it is necessary to precisely control the torque required to rotate the screws, and when fixing with a press fit, it is usually necessary to precisely control the pressure pressing the male connector, which results in higher connection costs.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention proposes a self-locking connector assembly, which does not require the application of torque or pressure during the connection process, and therefore does not require precise control of the torque or pressure, thereby reducing connection costs.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a self-locking connector assembly is provided, comprising: a female connector, which includes a plug hole formed therein; a male connector, which includes a plug connector that can be inserted into the plug hole of the female connector along a first direction; and a positioning device, which fixes the male connector relative to the female connector when the plug connector is inserted into the plug hole, wherein the positioning device includes a first clamping portion formed at the plug hole of the female connector and a second clamping portion formed at the plug connector of the male connector, and when the plug connector is inserted into the plug hole, the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion engage with each other to limit the movement of the male connector away from the female connector.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first clamping portion includes a protrusion protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the plug-in hole toward the center of the plug-in hole, and the second clamping portion includes an accommodating portion formed on the outer circumferential surface of the plug connector for accommodating the protrusion and a positioning pin that can abut against the protrusion to limit the protrusion from disengaging from the accommodating portion along the first direction.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plug connector includes a first plug-in section and a second plug-in section, and the outer diameter of the first plug-in section is larger than the outer diameter of the second plug-in section, thereby forming a step portion between the first plug-in section and the second plug-in section, and the step portion and the positioning pin respectively abut against the opposite sides of the protrusion.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second clamping portion further includes a mounting portion protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the second plug-in section, the mounting portion is formed with a groove extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the positioning pin is partially inserted into the groove.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second clamping portion further includes an elastic member, which is arranged on the second plug-in section and abuts against the end of the positioning pin that is not inserted into the groove along the second direction to limit the positioning pin from disengaging from the groove along the second direction, and the elastic member is at least partially made of elastic material.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the self-locking connector assembly further comprises: a sealing member 40 , which is sealingly connected between the plug connector and the plug section.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple protrusions, and the multiple protrusions are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the inner circumferential surface of the plug-in hole in a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction; and, a plurality of accommodating portions and a plurality of positioning pins corresponding to the multiple protrusions are formed at the second plug-in section, and the positioning pins located on opposite sides of the second plug-in section have different orientations from each other.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the male connector further comprises a flange portion connected to the plug connector, and an outer diameter of the flange portion is larger than an outer diameter of the plug hole.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the male connector further comprises a main body portion extending from the flange portion toward a side away from the plug connector.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an oil pump is provided, which includes the self-locking connector assembly according to the above.

[0016] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a positioning pin inserted into the plug connector is used to position the protrusion on the plug hole relative to the receiving portion on the plug connector in a first direction, and an elastic member provided on the plug connector is used to position the positioning pin in a second direction, so that the plug connector can be stably locked into the plug hole. In this process, no screws or press fits are used, so there is no need to precisely control the torque or pressure, thereby reducing the connection cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The features, advantages and technical effects of exemplary embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] FIG1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG2 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] FIG3 shows a schematic structural diagram of a female connector of a self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG4 shows a schematic structural diagram of a male connector of a self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings are used to illustrate the principles of the present application, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present application, that is, the present application is not limited to the described embodiments.

[0023] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," "outer," etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are intended only to facilitate the description of this application and simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. The directional terms appearing in the following description refer to the directions shown in the drawings and are not intended to limit the specific structure of this application.

[0024] It should also be noted that, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0025] The self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a female connector 10 and a male connector 20 that can be plugged into each other, and a positioning device 30 that fastens the female connector 10 and the male connector 20 to each other when the male connector 20 is inserted into the female connector 10. The self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used in an electronic oil pump, which includes a cover body, and the female connector 10 can be formed on the cover body. Of course, it should be understood that the self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention can also be used in other devices. The self-locking connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

[0026] The female connector 10 includes a socket 11 formed therein. When the female connector 10 is used on the cover of the electronic oil pump, the socket 11 extends through the cover along a first direction. The first direction is the direction in which the male connector 20 is inserted into the female connector 20, and also the height direction of the male connector 20, i.e., the vertical direction in Figure 4. The socket 11 is generally an oblong hole.

[0027] The male connector 20 includes a plug connector 21, a flange portion 22, and a main body 23. The plug connector 21 has a shape that matches the shape of the plug hole 11, thereby allowing the plug connector 21 to be inserted into the plug hole 11 along a first direction. Because the plug connector 21 has a shape corresponding to the oblong hole of the plug hole 11, the plug connector 21 will not rotate in the plug hole 11. The flange portion 22 is arranged between the main body 23 and the plug connector 21. The outer diameter of the flange portion 22 is larger than the outer diameter of the plug connector 21 and correspondingly larger than the outer diameter of the plug hole 11. Therefore, when the plug connector 21 is inserted into the plug hole 11 along the first direction, the flange portion 22 can abut against the edge of the plug hole 11, thereby limiting the male connector 20. The main body 23 is arranged on the side of the flange portion 22 away from the plug connector 21. The main body 23 is generally tubular, so as to facilitate the user to grasp when inserting the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20 into the plug hole 11 of the female connector 10 .

[0028] The positioning device 30 includes a first clamping portion formed at the plug hole 11 of the female connector 10 and a second clamping portion formed at the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20. When the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20 is inserted into the plug hole 11 of the female connector 10, the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion can engage with each other to limit the male connector 20 from moving away from the female connector 10.

[0029] For example, the first engaging portion includes a protrusion 12 projecting from the inner circumference of the insertion hole 11 toward the center of the insertion hole 11, while the second engaging portion includes a receiving portion 24 formed on the outer circumference of the plug connector 21 and accommodating the protrusion 12, and a positioning pin 25 capable of abutting against the protrusion 12 to prevent the protrusion 12 from disengaging from the receiving portion 24 in a first direction. Therefore, when the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20 is inserted into the insertion hole 11 of the female connector 10, the protrusion 12 on the inner circumference of the insertion hole 11 and the corresponding receiving portion 24 on the outer circumference of the plug connector 21 can engage with each other, and the positioning pin 25 on the outer circumference of the plug connector 21 can prevent the protrusion 12 from disengaging from the receiving portion 24 in the first direction, thereby ensuring a stable connection between the plug connector 21 and the insertion hole 11. The protrusion 12 can be molded into the insertion hole 11 by injection molding or casting, which is a simple molding method that does not increase the production cost of the entire product.

[0030] Of course, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, corresponding protrusions may be provided on the outer circumference of the plug connector 21, and a recessed portion away from the center of the plug hole may be provided on the inner circumference of the plug hole 11. Furthermore, positioning pins 25 may be provided on the inner circumference of the plug hole 11 to prevent the protrusion 12 and the recessed portion 24 from separating from each other. The following embodiments are described using the example of forming the protrusion 12 on the inner circumference of the plug hole 11 and the recessed portion 24 on the outer circumference of the plug connector 21.

[0031] The plug connector 21 includes a first plug section 211 and a second plug section 212. The first plug section 211 is positioned closer to the flange portion 22 than the second plug section 212. The outer diameter of the first plug section 211 is larger than the outer diameter of the second plug section 212, thereby forming a step portion 213 between the first plug section 211 and the second plug section 212. An accommodation portion 24 is formed on the second plug section 212. As shown in FIG2 , when the plug connector 21 is inserted into the insertion port, the protrusion 12 of the insertion hole 11 is located in the accommodation portion 24 on the second plug section 212. One side surface of the protrusion 12 in the first direction can abut against the step portion 213, while the other side surface of the protrusion 12 in the first direction abuts against the positioning pin 25. As a result, the positioning pin 25 can be used to limit the protrusion 12 in the first direction.

[0032] A mounting portion 26 is protrudingly provided on the outer circumferential surface of the second plug-in section 212. The mounting portion 26 is molded on the outer circumferential surface of the second plug-in section 212 by injection molding or casting. A groove 261 extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is formed on the mounting portion 26. The second direction is the width direction of the male connector 20, that is, the left-right direction in Figure 4. The positioning pin 25 is partially inserted into the groove 261. As a result, the positioning pin 25 extends in the width direction of the male connector 20. Therefore, the step portion 213 and the positioning pin 25 jointly define the position of the accommodating portion 24 in the accommodating portion 24.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4, the second engaging portion further includes an elastic member 27 disposed on the second insertion section 212 for positioning the locating pin 25 in the second direction. The elastic member 27 protrudes from the outer circumference of the second insertion section 212 and opposes the mounting portion 26 in the second direction. The elastic member 27 abuts the end of the locating pin 25 not inserted into the groove 261 in the second direction, thereby preventing the locating pin 25 from sliding out of the groove 261 in the second direction. The elastic member 27 is made of an elastic material, including but not limited to rubber and plastic. Because the elastic member 27 is elastically deformable, it can be squeezed or pushed during installation to create a clearance space to facilitate the insertion of the locating pin 25. Once the locating pin 25 is installed, the elastic member 27 can return to its original shape, abutting against the end of the locating pin 25, thereby securing the locating pin 25 and preventing it from sliding out of the groove 261 in the second direction.

[0034] The elastic member 27 may be formed in an L-shape, comprising a connecting portion extending from the step portion 213 of the plug connector 21 in a first direction and a supporting portion extending from the connecting portion in a second direction toward the groove 261. The supporting portion may be supported in the second direction against the end of the positioning pin 25 that is not inserted into the groove 261. When the elastic member 27 has an L-shape, during the installation of the male connector 20 and the female connector 10, the supporting portion may be pressed toward the step portion 213 in the first direction to bend upward, thereby forming a clearance space for inserting the positioning pin 25 into the groove 261. After the positioning pin 25 is inserted into the groove 261, the supporting portion may be released to restore its elastic deformation so that the supporting portion is supported against the end of the positioning pin 25.

[0035] Of course, it should be understood that the elastic member 27 of the present invention is not limited to an L-shape and may also be formed in other shapes, such as an "I" shape, as long as the elastic member 27 can abut against the positioning pin 25 from one side to prevent the positioning pin 25 from sliding out of the groove 261 along the second direction. The elastic member 27 can be molded on the plug connector 21 by injection molding or casting. This molding method is simple and does not increase the production cost of the entire product.

[0036] Therefore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the protrusion 12 on the plug hole 11 is positioned in a first direction relative to the receiving portion 24 on the plug connector 21 by using the positioning pin 25 inserted into the plug connector 21, and the positioning pin 25 is positioned in a second direction by using the elastic member 27 provided on the plug connector 21, so that the plug connector 21 can be stably locked into the plug hole 11. In this process, no screws or press fits are used, and therefore there is no need to precisely control the torque or pressure, thereby reducing the connection cost.

[0037] When the connector assembly of the present invention is used in an oil pump, a seal 40 is required between the plug connector 21 and the insertion hole 11 to form an airtight connection. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the seal 40 is annular and is located where the step 213 of the plug connector 21 contacts the insertion hole 11. This prevents oil in the oil pump from leaking from the connection between the plug connector 21 and the insertion hole 11.

[0038] Preferably, there are multiple protrusions 12, each disposed on opposite sides of the inner circumference of the plug hole 11 in a third direction. The third direction is perpendicular to both the first and second directions, i.e., the third direction is the thickness direction of the male connector 20. Specifically, the inner circumference of the plug hole 11 includes a first side surface 111 and a second side surface 112 that oppose each other in the third direction. Each of the first and second side surfaces 111 and 112 is formed with a protrusion 12 that projects toward the center of the plug hole 11. Accordingly, the second plug section 212 of the plug connector 21 is formed with a plurality of receiving portions 24 and a plurality of positioning pins 25 on opposite sides of the second plug section 212 in the third direction, corresponding to the plurality of protrusions 12. The positioning pins 25 on the opposite sides of the second plug section 212 have different orientations, preferably opposite orientations. For example, the positioning pin 25 on one side of the second plug section 212 is inserted into its groove 261 toward the left along the second direction, while the positioning pin 25 on the other side of the second plug section 212 is inserted into its groove 261 toward the right along the second direction. With this asymmetric structure, the plug connector 21 can be stably positioned relative to the plug hole 11.

[0039] FIG3 shows that a protrusion 12 is formed on each of the first side surface 111 and the second side surface 112. However, it should be understood that two or more protrusions 12 may be formed on each of the first side surface 111 and the second side surface 112. Alternatively, the protrusion 12 may be provided on only one of the first side surface 111 and the second side surface 112, without providing the protrusion 12 on the other of the first side surface 111 and the second side surface 112.

[0040] Next, the installation process of the connector assembly according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 .

[0041] During the installation process, the sealing ring is first placed on the step 213 of the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20, and then the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20 is pushed toward the plug hole 11 of the female connector 10 along the first direction. When the flange 22 of the male connector 20 abuts against the outer edge of the plug hole 11, the protrusion 12 on the inner circumferential surface of the plug hole 11 moves into the receiving portion 24 on the outer circumferential surface of the plug hole 11. At this time, one side of the protrusion 12 abuts against the step 213 of the plug connector 21 of the male connector 20; then, the elastic member 27 is pushed away to allow the positioning pin 25 to be inserted into the groove 261 along the second direction, and then the elastic member 27 is released so that it abuts against the end of the positioning pin 25 that is not inserted into the groove 261 under the action of the elastic restoring force, thereby allowing the positioning pin 25 to be used to position the protrusion 12 relative to the receiving portion 24, thereby stably fixing the male connector 20 to the female connector 10. During the disassembly process, the elastic member 27 is pushed aside and the positioning pin 25 is pulled out from the groove 261 to release the limiting effect of the positioning pin 25 on the protrusion 12 and the receiving portion 24, thereby the male connector can be pulled out from the female connector.

[0042] Although the present application has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications may be made thereto and components may be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of the present application. In particular, the various technical features described in the various embodiments may be combined in any manner as long as there are no structural conflicts. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A self-locking connector assembly, comprising: A female connector (10) including a plug hole (11) formed therein; A male connector (20) comprising a plug connector (21) capable of being inserted into the plug hole (11) of the female connector (10) along a first direction; as well as A positioning device (30) is provided for fixing the male connector (20) relative to the female connector (10) when the plug connector (21) is inserted into the plug hole (11), wherein: The positioning device (30) includes a first clamping portion formed at the plug hole (11) of the female connector (10) and a second clamping portion formed at the plug connector (21) of the male connector (20). When the plug connector (21) is inserted into the plug hole (11), the first clamping portion and the second clamping portion engage with each other to limit the movement of the male connector (20) away from the female connector (10).

2. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first clamping portion comprises a protrusion (12) protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the plug hole (11) toward the center of the plug hole (11), and the second clamping portion comprises a receiving portion (24) formed on the outer peripheral surface of the plug connector (21) for receiving the protrusion (12) and a positioning pin (25) capable of abutting against the protrusion (12) to limit the protrusion (12) from disengaging from the receiving portion (24) along the first direction.

3. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The plug connector (21) comprises a first plug section (211) and a second plug section (212); the outer diameter of the first plug section (211) is larger than the outer diameter of the second plug section (212); thereby, a step portion (213) is formed between the first plug section (211) and the second plug section (212); the step portion (213) and the positioning pin (25) respectively abut against opposite sides of the protrusion (12).

4. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The second clamping portion further includes a mounting portion (26) protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the second plug-in section (212), the mounting portion (26) being formed with a groove (261) extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the positioning pin (25) is partially inserted into the groove (261). middle.

5. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The second clamping portion further includes an elastic member (27), which is arranged on the second plug-in section (212) and abuts against the end of the positioning pin (25) that is not inserted into the groove (261) along the second direction to limit the positioning pin (25) from disengaging from the groove (261) along the second direction. The elastic member (27) is at least partially made of elastic material.

6. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: A sealing member (40) is connected sealingly between the plug connector (21) and the plug hole (11).

7. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The number of the protrusions (12) is plural, and the protrusions (12) are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the inner circumference of the plug hole (11) in a third direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to both the first direction and the second direction; and The second plug-in section (212) is respectively formed with a plurality of accommodating portions (24) and a plurality of positioning pins (25) corresponding to the plurality of protrusions (12) on opposite sides in the third direction, and the positioning pins (25) on the opposite sides of the second plug-in section (212) have different orientations from each other.

8. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The male end connector (20) further comprises a flange portion (22) connected to the plug connector (21), and the outer diameter of the flange portion (22) is larger than the outer diameter of the plug hole (11).

9. The self-locking connector assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The male end connector (20) further includes a main body portion (23) extending from the flange portion (22) toward a side away from the plug connector (21). 10 . An oil pump comprising the self-locking connector assembly according to claim 1 .

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