CN110911877B

CN110911877B - Electric connector

Info

Publication number: CN110911877B
Application number: CN201911326373.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 许永丰; 廖胜华
Original assignee: Yongxun Electronic Technology Shanghai Co ltd
Current assignee: Yongxun Electronic Technology Shanghai Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-20
Filing date: 2019-12-20
Publication date: 2024-05-31
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-20
Also published as: CN110911877A

Abstract

The invention provides an electrical connector, comprising: an insulating housing having a terminal chamber therein; a conductive terminal mounted in the terminal chamber; a retainer having a locking piece for locking the conductive terminal in the terminal chamber, the retainer being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulative housing and being foldable and unfoldable relative to the insulative housing; when the retainer is at the first position, the retainer is in a folding state relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is clamped with the conductive terminal to lock the conductive terminal; when the retainer is in the second position, the retainer is in an unfolded state relative to the insulating housing, and the locking piece is separated from the conductive terminal to release the locking. The retainer is integrated on the electric connector, so that the manufacturing process is simplified, and the electric connector with the structure is convenient to use.

Description

Electric connector

Technical Field

The present invention relates to electrothermal mechanical devices, and more particularly, to an electrical connector.

Background

Connectors are electro-thermal mechanical devices that allow for detachable connection to transmit electrical power and electrical signals. Signals or electrical power are transmitted through the metal conductors, while plastic housings are used for connectors to isolate the metal conductors from each other. The plastic housing also serves to align the conductors and ensure that the conductors are securely locked to the female housing. The electric connector is used for electric connection among different electronic products so as to carry out signal transmission among the electronic products.

The female connector is internally provided with a conductive female terminal, and the conductive female terminal needs to be fixed. In the conventional female connector, the conductive terminals are fixed to the inside of the female housing by the retainer provided additionally, and in addition to the conductive female terminals and the female housing, the retainer is processed as a component part at the time of actual production, and the female housing, the conductive terminals, and the retainer are assembled. The term "assembly" refers to the assembly of the retainer into the female housing prelock. After the conductive female terminal is assembled into the female housing, the conductive female terminal enters the terminal chamber, and the clamping arm elastic sheet abuts against the positioning groove of the female housing to form a first-stage lock. The retainer is then assembled to the female housing full lock. The retainer will lock against the conductive female terminal at this time.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide an electric connector which is convenient to process and use, so as to reduce the process and production cost.

An embodiment of the present invention discloses an electrical connector, comprising: an insulating housing having a terminal chamber therein; a conductive terminal mounted in the terminal chamber; a retainer having a locking piece for locking the conductive terminal in the terminal chamber, the retainer being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulative housing and being foldable and unfoldable relative to the insulative housing; when the retainer is at the first position, the retainer is in a folding state relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is clamped with the conductive terminal to lock the conductive terminal; when the retainer is in the second position, the retainer is in an unfolded state relative to the insulating housing, and the locking piece is separated from the conductive terminal to release the locking.

By adopting the technical scheme, the retainer is integrated on the electric connector, the manufacturing process is simplified, and meanwhile, the electric connector with the structure is convenient to use.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed in which the retainer is in an expanded state relative to an original state of the insulative housing, and in the original state, the retainer has an expanded included angle greater than 90 degrees relative to the insulative housing.

By adopting the technical scheme, the electric connector can be prevented from being locked prematurely when not in use.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, the retainer further comprising a cover plate having a first inner surface and a second outer surface opposite in a thickness direction thereof, the second outer surface being further away from the insulating housing than the first inner surface in the first position, wherein an end of the second outer surface engaging the insulating housing is provided with a recess recessed toward the first inner surface.

By adopting the technical scheme, the retainer can be folded flatly easily.

According to another embodiment of the invention, an electrical connector is disclosed wherein the junction of the retainer and the insulating housing has a thickness of less than 0.5mm.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the locking member is a bump, and the conductive terminal is provided with a concave opening engaged with the bump.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed in which an insulative housing has a recess into which a tab is inserted, the recess being in communication with a conductive terminal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed wherein the retainer further comprises a cover plate, the recess having an outer notch on an outer surface of the insulative housing, the retainer defining a first direction from the fixed end to the free end of the retainer in the first position, along the first direction, the outer edge of the cover plate exceeding the outer notch.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed in which the recess has an internal slot on an inner surface of the insulative housing defining a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing where the insulative housing is connected to the retainer to an opposite inner surface, the retainer having a tab in a first position with a tail end distal from the cover plate in the second direction, the tail end passing through the internal slot in the second direction, wherein an outer edge of the tail end exceeds the internal slot in the first direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed wherein the recess has a first recess wall and a second recess wall disposed opposite each other in a first direction between the outer recess and the inner recess, the first recess wall being further away from the junction of the cover plate and the insulating housing than the second recess wall in the first direction, the tab further including an intermediate portion between the cover plate and the tail end, wherein the first recess wall is progressively closer to the second recess wall in the second direction, the intermediate portion conforming to a plane of the first recess wall.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer and a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing to an opposite inner surface of the retainer when the retainer is in a first position, wherein,

At least one of the two opposite ends of the retainer along the third direction is provided with a side latch, at least one of the two opposite ends of the insulating shell along the third direction is provided with a side buckle matched with the side latch, when the retainer is positioned at the first position, the side latch is locked with the matched side buckle in a clamping way, and the third direction forms an included angle with the first direction and the second direction.

According to another embodiment of the invention, an electrical connector is disclosed wherein the free end of the retainer has a chamfer with an outer edge that is insertable into a housing of another connector mated with the electrical connector.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer when the retainer is in a first position, the terminal chamber extends in the first direction and is blocked at one end to limit movement of the conductive terminal in the first direction, and the locking member is configured to limit movement of the conductive terminal in a direction opposite to the first direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed in which a first direction is located in a horizontal direction, a direction from an outer surface where an insulating housing is connected to a holder to an opposite inner surface is a second direction, the second direction is located in a vertical direction, a third direction is located in the horizontal direction, the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, and lugs are provided on opposite sides of the insulating housing along the third direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer and a direction of the retainer when the retainer is in a first position, and a second direction from an outer surface of the insulating housing to which the retainer is connected to an opposite inner surface of the retainer, wherein the plurality of conductive terminals are arranged in a third direction, and the third direction forms an angle with the first direction and the second direction.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention, the conductive terminal further includes a clamping arm spring, and the insulating housing is provided with a positioning slot into which the clamping arm spring is inserted, so as to lock the conductive terminal.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention, wherein the positioning groove has a first positioning groove wall for supporting the clamping arm spring, a second positioning groove wall opposite to the first positioning groove wall, and a positioning groove opening facing the conductive terminal, wherein at least a distance between a first positioning groove wall and the second positioning groove wall gradually increases along a direction from the positioning groove opening toward the inside of the positioning groove.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector is disclosed, wherein a distance between a first slot wall and a second slot wall gradually increases from a position of a slot opening toward an inside of the slot.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a structure of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in an unfolded state;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a deployed state with a portion of the electrical connector broken away;

fig. 3 is a schematic view showing a first structure of the electrical connector in a folded state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 shows a second schematic structural view of the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention in a folded state;

FIG. 5 illustrates a third schematic diagram of a partially broken away side latch electrical connector in a folded state according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an electrical connector according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the invention in an expanded state;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a folded state of the electrical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention after the electrical connector is partially cut away;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention in a folded state;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing the structure of a conductive terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 11 is a schematic view showing a structure in a state where a female connector and a male connector are separated according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a schematic view showing a structure in a state where a female connector and a male connector are connected according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which a female connector and a male connector are connected according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Further advantages and effects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification, by describing the embodiments of the present invention with specific examples. While the description of the invention will be described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the inventive features to the implementation. Rather, the purpose of the invention described in connection with the embodiments is to cover other alternatives or modifications, which may be extended by the claims based on the invention. The following description contains many specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the present invention. The invention may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, some specific details are omitted from the description in order to avoid obscuring the invention. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other.

It should be noted that in this specification, like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further definition or explanation thereof is necessary in the following figures.

In the description of the present embodiment, it should be noted that, the azimuth or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the azimuth or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the azimuth or positional relationship in which the inventive product is conventionally put in use, are merely for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and are not indicative or implying that the apparatus or element to be referred to must have a specific azimuth, be configured and operated in a specific azimuth, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

The terms "first," "second," and the like are used merely to distinguish between descriptions and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1 to 9, the present invention proposes an electrical connector comprising an insulating housing 1 having a terminal chamber 11 inside; a conductive terminal 2 mounted in the terminal chamber 11, wherein a space for placing the conductive terminal 2 is provided in the terminal chamber 11, such as a channel in the terminal chamber 11 in fig. 8; a holder 3 having a locking piece 31 for locking the conductive terminal 2 in the terminal chamber 11, the holder 3 being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulating housing 1 and being foldable and unfoldable with respect to the insulating housing 1; when the retainer 3 is at the first position, the retainer is in a folded state relative to the insulating shell 1, and the locking piece 31 is clamped with the conductive terminal 2 to lock the conductive terminal 2; when the retainer 3 is in the second position, it is in an expanded state with respect to the insulating housing 1, and the locking piece 31 is separated from the conductive terminal 2 to release the lock. Wherein unlocking means unlocking between the locking piece 31 and the conductive terminal 2. Because the retainer 3 is integrally formed with the outer surface of the insulating housing 1, the joint of the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 is a fixed end of the retainer 3, and the other end of the retainer 3 can rotate relative to the fixed end to drive the retainer 3 to turn over, and the other end is a free end of the retainer 3.

Fig. 1 and 2 are exemplary views of the retainer 3 being unfolded with respect to the insulating housing 1, and fig. 3 and 4 are exemplary views of the retainer 3 being folded with respect to the insulating housing 1. The first position described above is not limited to the state in which the holder is completely folded flat to the insulating housing 1 in fig. 3 and 4, as long as the locking piece 31 can achieve the snap-lock with the conductive terminal 2 by folding of the holder 3, which represents the state of the first position. Also, the second position is not limited to the angle at which the holder 3 is spread out from the insulating housing 1 in fig. 1 and 2, and a state of the second position may be represented as long as the locking piece 31 and the conductive terminal 2 are unlocked by spreading out the holder 3 from the insulating housing 1. Thus, the first position and the second position represent two states, and are not limited to the case where only two positions exist.

As can be seen from fig. 7, the connection between the holder 3 and the insulating housing 1 is integrally formed, for example, by injection molding by adding molten resin to a previously prepared mold. The material of the insulating housing and the holder is for example insulating plastic.

The prior art holders having a locking function, particularly the holders locking the conductive terminals as shown in fig. 10, are generally produced separately from the insulating housing. And after the manufacturing is completed, assembling the retainer and the insulating shell. Such holders, which are separate from the insulating housing, are prone to loss during use and add to the complexity of the electrical connector structure and manufacturing process. The electric connector of the invention integrates the retainer and the insulating shell, which is equivalent to integrating the retainer on the insulating shell, can lock and unlock the conductive terminal in the insulating shell only by folding and unfolding the retainer and the insulating shell, has simple manufacturing process, and can also realize firm locking and increase the convenience of use.

Further, as shown in fig. 7, for example, the electrical connector of the present invention is formed by injection molding, the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 are unfolded in the initial state of the molding, and the original shape is such that the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 form an angle α of more than 90 degrees. In the original electric connector, the retainer is separated from the shell, and after the retainer is combined with the conductive terminals in the shell, the retainer is kept at a certain distance from the conductive terminals in the shell so as to prevent the retainer from locking the conductive terminals. The assembled electrical connector is prone to causing the retainer to snap into engagement with the dielectric housing under external forces, resulting in premature locking. The integral electrical connector of the present invention maintains the retainer at an angle alpha greater than 90 degrees with the insulative housing when not in use, such that the arrangement maintains the unfolded state between the retainer and the insulative housing without premature locking even when the electrical connector is subjected to an external force F as shown in fig. 7 (e.g., pressure from above after stacking of goods). If the angle α is smaller than 90 degrees, the force F forces the retainer 3 to fold towards the insulating housing 1. The included angle α in this embodiment is greater than 90 degrees, and further, the included angle α is preferably in the range of 95 to 150 degrees.

Further, the holder 3 further includes a cover plate 32, and the cover plate 32 covers the surface of the insulating housing 1 when folded. The cover plate 32 itself has a thickness, and there are first and second opposite outer surfaces 321 and 322 along the thickness direction of the cover plate 32. In the first position, the cover plate 32 covers the insulating housing 1, and the second outer surface 322 is further away from the insulating housing 1 than the first inner surface 321. In other words, when the cover plate 32 is folded flat to completely cover the outer surface of the insulating housing 1, the first inner surface 321 is facing the insulating housing and the second outer surface 322 is facing away from the insulating housing. Referring to fig. 7, in the present embodiment, the end of the second outer surface 322 that engages with the insulating housing is provided with a recess 30 (shown by dotted circle demarcation in fig. 7) recessed toward the first inner surface. The position of engagement is the junction of the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1, the junction functioning like a rotation axis when the retainer 3 performs folding and unfolding actions. The recess 30 may be a depression formed by cutting a small piece from the second outer surface 322, or may be a notch formed by cutting a part of the second outer surface 322. In the present embodiment, forming the recess 30 can facilitate the flat folding of the holder 3 toward the outer surface of the insulating housing 1.

In the above embodiment, the insulating housing 1 and the retainer 3 may be made of plastic materials, and have a certain rigidity as an electrical connector, so that the thickness of the joint between the retainer 3 and the insulating housing 1 may be less than 0.5mm, and further may be less than 0.35mm, in order to enable the retainer 3 to be easily bent and rotated. The control of the thickness may be adjusted by the thickness of the lid surface 32 itself, or may be combined with the adjustment of the depth of the recess 30. Advantageously, the thickness of the junction of the holder 3 with the insulating housing 1 is greater than 0.1mm, to ensure the strength of the junction between the holder and the insulating housing.

With continued reference to fig. 1-10, in each of the above embodiments, the locking member 31 is a bump, and accordingly, the conductive terminal 2 is provided with a concave opening 21 engaged with the bump. For example, the holder 3 of the present embodiment further includes the above-described cover plate 32, the cover plate 32 having the first inner surface 321 and the second outer surface 322 opposed in the thickness direction thereof. Wherein the bump is located at one side of the first inner surface 321. The bump may be provided on the surface of the first inner surface 321, or may be a protruding structure extending from the second outer surface 322 to the first inner surface 321 in the thickness direction of the cover plate 32. In this embodiment, the bump and the first inner surface 321 may be integrally formed. In actual fitting, the protruding block on the retainer 3 is embedded into the insulating housing 1, the concave opening 21 of the corresponding conductive terminal 2 is opposite to the embedded protruding block, and the protruding block is engaged with the concave opening 21 to lock the conductive terminal. In another embodiment, the conductive terminal may be provided with a protruding structure, the locking member may be provided with an open recess, and the protruding structure on the conductive terminal may be embedded in the recess on the holder to achieve locking when the holder is folded.

Further, the insulating housing 1 is provided with the groove 12 embedded by the convex block, and the groove 12 is communicated with the conductive terminal 2, so that the convex block can pass through the groove 12 to reach the conductive terminal 2 to be clamped with the concave opening 21 of the conductive terminal 2.

For convenience of description, referring to fig. 1 to 10, the direction from the fixed end to the free end of the holder 3 is defined as a first direction when the holder 3 is in the first position. The fixed end is the joint of the retainer 3 and the insulating shell 1, and the free end is the end where the retainer 3 can rotate around the fixed end, namely the opposite end of the joint of the retainer 3 and the insulating shell 1; the first direction defines a second direction from an outer surface where the insulating housing 1 is connected to the holder 3 to an opposite inner surface; the third direction is defined to form an included angle with the first direction and the second direction. The first direction, the second direction and the third direction may form a right angle with each other, and may be a non-right angle in other embodiments. For example, when the retainer is not fully folded flat but is slightly tilted relative to the insulating housing, the defined first direction is not a horizontal direction. For another example, the direction from the outer surface of the insulating housing to the opposite inner surface may be a diagonal direction forming an acute angle with the horizontal plane, in addition to a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In the following embodiments, the first direction, the second direction and the third direction may have right angles, and the first direction and the third direction are exemplified as horizontal directions, for example, the first direction is the x direction in fig. 4, 5, 8 and 9, and the third direction is the z direction in fig. 4, 5 and 8. The second direction is exemplified as a vertical direction, for example, a y direction in fig. 8 and 9, but the present invention is not limited to the directions shown in the following drawings.

With continued reference to fig. 1-9, in each of the embodiments described above, the retainer 3 includes a cover plate 32. The recess 12 has an outer notch on the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. Taking fig. 3 as an example, the groove 12 is a through hole from the outer surface to the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, and the opening above the groove 12 is an outer notch. The recess 12 also has an internal notch on the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, i.e. the opening below the recess 12 is an internal notch.

When the retainer is in the first position, the outer edge of the cover plate 32 extends beyond the outer notch in the first direction. Specifically, as described above, the cover plate 32 has the first inner surface 321 and the second outer surface 322 opposed in the thickness direction thereof, and in the first position, the second outer surface 322 is farther from the insulating housing 1 than the first inner surface 321 in the second direction, and the outer edge of the first inner surface 321 exceeds the outer notch in the first direction. The above arrangement is such that the outer edge of the cover plate 32 has a stopper function to block the cover plate 32 from further movement in the second direction such that the locking member is embedded in the groove 12, and the cover plate 32 covers the outer surface of the insulating housing 1 without sinking into the inside of the insulating housing 1.

Further, the tab has a trailing end that is remote from the cover plate 32 in the second direction when the retainer 3 is in the first position. For ease of understanding, the tail end is, for example, the tail end a as outlined by the dashed box in fig. 8, but this is not limiting. The tail end passes through the inner notch along the second direction and reaches the conductive terminal, and in the embodiment, the tail end is clamped with the concave opening 21. Wherein, along the first direction, the outer edge of the tail end exceeds the inner notch. Similarly, the tail end in the embodiment also acts as a stop member beyond the inner notch in the first direction to block the bump from further moving in the opposite direction to the second direction, so that the bump can be stably clamped with the conductive terminal, and a proper holding force is provided for the conductive terminal.

Further, between the outer and inner slot openings, the groove 12 has first and second groove walls disposed opposite in the first direction. The recess 12 in this embodiment is a rectangular recess having four side walls, wherein two side walls opposite in a first direction are a first recess wall and a second recess wall. In the first direction, the first groove wall is a side wall farther from the junction of the cover plate 32 and the insulating housing 1 than the second groove wall. It is also understood that the first groove wall is a side wall which is further away from the fixed end of the holder 3 than the second groove. The tab further includes an intermediate portion between the cover plate 32 and the trailing end, the first groove wall gradually approaching the second groove wall in the second direction. For example, referring to fig. 9, the first groove wall forms an angle β with the first direction that is less than 90 degrees such that the opening tapers from the outer slot opening to the inner slot opening. The arrangement described above allows the locking element in the holder to be more easily inserted into the recess 12.

Further, the surface where the middle part is attached to the first groove wall, that is, the surface where the middle part is attached to the first groove wall and the surface where the first groove wall are located have the same extension trend and trend.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, in connection with the above embodiments, an inner recess is formed between the cover plate 32 and the tail end of the bump, and the cover plate is engaged with the first recess wall, the outer surface of the insulating housing 1, and the inner surface of the insulating housing 1 by the insertion recess 12, thereby clamping the insulating housing 1.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, in combination with the above embodiments, in the first position, the tail end of the bump forms an included angle with the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, and the included angle is an acute angle, that is, the tail end is not attached to the inner surface of the insulating housing 1, so that the bump is not easy to be separated from the groove 12, and can be conveniently operated when the bump needs to be separated from the groove 12.

In the above embodiments, the holder 3 has opposite ends in the third direction, one of which is provided with the side latch 33. The insulating housing 1 has opposite ends in the third direction, one of the ends of the insulating housing 1 is provided with a side catch 13 mating with a side latch 33, and when the holder 3 is folded in the first position, the side latch 33 on the holder 3 mates with and snap locks the side catch 13 on the insulating housing 1, thereby providing a more reliable connection between the holder 3 and the insulating housing, preventing the locking member 31 from being easily disengaged from the conductive terminal, providing a more appropriate holding force for the conductive terminal. When the retainer is in the second position, the side latch 33 is disengaged from the side catch 13. Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of the engagement of the side latch 33 with the side clasp 13, with the side latch 33 partially broken away. In addition, the holder 3 may be provided with side latches 33 at both ends in the third direction, and corresponding side catches 13 at both ends in the third direction of the insulating housing 1.

As shown in fig. 13, in each of the above embodiments, the retainer 3 has opposite ends, i.e., a fixed end and a free end, in the first direction, wherein the fixed end is the end where the retainer 3 is joined to the insulating housing 1, and the outer edge of the free end of the other end is provided with a chamfer. Specifically, the cover plate 32 has a fixed end and a free end, the junction of the cover plate 32 and the insulating housing 1 is the fixed end, and the free end that can rotate freely is the free end. The free end of the cover plate 32 is chamfered to fit into another connected housing that mates with the electrical connector. For example, the electrical connector of the present invention is a female connector 01, and fig. 11 and 12 are schematic views before and after the female connector 01 and the male connector 02 are connected, respectively, in this embodiment. The female connector 01 can be connected with the male connector 02 more easily by the provision of the chamfer.

In the above embodiments, the terminal chamber 11 of the present invention extends in the first direction, and one end thereof is blocked, for example, in fig. 8, the left end of the terminal chamber 11 is blocked, and the conductive terminal 2 is mounted in the terminal chamber 11 from right to left and abuts against the left end of the terminal chamber 11 at the time of assembly, so that the movement of the conductive terminal in the first direction is restricted. In use, the retainer 3 is folded into the first position and the locking member 31 engages with the conductive terminal 2 to limit movement of the conductive terminal 2 in a direction opposite to the first direction, in combination with the movement of the conductive terminal to the right in fig. 8. This allows the conductive terminal 2 to be locked inside the terminal chamber 11 by restriction in both left and right directions.

In the above embodiments, the number of the conductive terminals 2 may be plural, and accordingly the number of the locking pieces 31 on the holder 3 may be plural, and the number of the grooves 12 may be plural. The conductive terminals 2 are arranged in the third direction in the present embodiment, and accordingly the plurality of locking pieces 31 are arranged in the third direction, and the holder 3 extends in the third direction. In this embodiment, each groove corresponds to one locking member 31, and each locking member 31 is correspondingly clamped to one conductive terminal 2.

Referring to fig. 1 to 10, in each of the above embodiments, the conductive terminal 2 further includes a holding arm spring 22, and a positioning slot 14 into which the holding arm spring 22 is inserted is provided on the insulating housing 1 to lock the conductive terminal 2. Besides the locking of the locking piece 31 and the conductive terminal 2, the conductive terminal 2 can be provided with a clamping arm spring piece 22, so that the two-stage locking of the conductive terminal 2 is realized. In this embodiment, the positioning groove 14 may be located on the opposite side of the surface of the groove 12, and when the conductive terminal 2 is installed in the terminal chamber 11, the retaining arm spring 22 is embedded into the positioning groove 14 under the action of elastic force, so as to complete the first-stage locking. After that, the retainer 3 is folded, and the locking piece 31 is engaged with the conductive terminal 2, thereby completing the second-stage locking. In this embodiment, the limiting direction of the clamping arm spring 22 and the locking piece 31 to the conductive terminal is the same. The positioning groove 14 may be a through hole groove with two open ends, or may be an opening near one end of the clamping arm elastic sheet 22 and a blocking end. The two-stage locking enhances the fixation of the conductive terminal 2, which in this embodiment needs to be able to withstand a tensile force of 60 n or more to ensure the reliability of the locking.

Further, the positioning groove 14 has a first positioning groove wall 141 for abutting against the holding arm spring piece 22, a second positioning groove wall 142 opposite to the first positioning groove wall, and a positioning groove opening 143 facing the conductive terminal 2. Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the positioning groove 14 has a first positioning groove wall 141 and a second positioning groove wall 142 opposite in the first direction, wherein the first positioning groove wall 141 is used for abutting against the end of the holding arm spring piece 22. The positioning slot 14 is provided with a positioning slot opening 143 for embedding the clamping arm spring 22 at one end closer to the clamping arm spring 22 along the second direction. Wherein, at least one first slot wall 141 is gradually increased in distance from the slot opening 143 toward the inside of the slot to the second slot wall 142. In the present embodiment, at least a section of the first positioning groove wall 141 has a gradually increasing distance from the second positioning groove wall 142 in the first direction along the second direction. That is, at least one ramp is formed on the first positioning groove wall 141, against which the retaining arm spring piece 22 abuts, and the ramp can increase reliability of the retaining arm spring piece 22 abutting against the first positioning groove wall 141, as compared to a perpendicular groove wall, providing a higher holding force for locking of the conductive terminal 2.

Further, the ramp is formed from the position of the slot opening 143, and the distance between the first slot wall 141 and the second slot wall 142 along the direction of the slot opening toward the inside of the slot 14 becomes gradually larger. In the present embodiment, a part of the first detent wall 141 starts from the detent opening 143 to be a ramp, and the distance between the ramp and the second detent wall 142 in the first direction gradually increases along the second direction.

In the above embodiments, the first direction is located in the horizontal direction, the second direction is located in the vertical direction, the third direction is located in the horizontal direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. Referring to fig. 11, the first direction is the width direction of the female connector 01, the third direction is the length direction of the female connector 01, and the insulating housing 1 and the holder 3 extend along the third direction. The second direction is the height direction of the female connector 01. The insulating housing 1 is provided with lugs 15 on opposite sides in the third direction. When the female connector 01 and the male connector 02 are connected, the lugs 15 are engaged with corresponding recesses in the male connector 02. In the prior art, the clamping structure of the female connector and the male connector is arranged in the height direction of the female connector, the female connector in the embodiment is provided with the earpieces at two sides in the length direction, compared with the prior art, the height of the electric connector can be reduced, and the electric connector of the embodiment can be conveniently installed for some electronic systems with limited heights.

In the above embodiments, the electrical connector is, for example, a female connector, and the conductive terminal is, for example, a conductive female terminal. The female connector is connected with the male connector to form a connector system, one end of the connector system is provided with the male connector which can be welded to the PCB, and the other end is provided with the female connector which clamps the terminal on the cable. Signals are connected from the printed circuit board to another printed circuit board by a cable connection. The retainer and the insulating shell are unfolded when the electric connector is not used, and the conductive terminal is firmly locked by folding the retainer when the electric connector is used, so that the operation is simple and convenient.

The invention relates to an electric connector, which belongs to an electric heating mechanical device and can be applied to the fields of automobiles and industrial application. Specifically, it can be used in BMS (battery management system), car lights, electric bicycles, etc. in new energy automobiles.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is a further detailed description of the invention with reference to specific embodiments, and it is not intended to limit the practice of the invention to those descriptions. Various changes in form and detail may be made therein by those skilled in the art, including a few simple inferences or alternatives, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical connector, comprising:

an insulating housing having a terminal chamber therein;

A conductive terminal mounted within the terminal chamber;

a retainer having a locking member for locking the conductive terminal into the terminal cavity, the retainer being integrally formed with an outer surface of the insulative housing and being foldable and unfoldable relative to the insulative housing;

When the retainer is at the first position, the retainer is in a folded state relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is clamped with the conductive terminal so as to lock the conductive terminal; when the retainer is in the second position, the retainer is in an unfolding state relative to the insulating shell, and the locking piece is separated from the conductive terminal so as to release the locking;

The locking piece is a protruding block, and the conductive terminal is provided with a concave opening which is clamped with the protruding block;

The conductive terminal further comprises a clamping arm elastic sheet, a positioning groove for embedding the clamping arm elastic sheet is formed in the insulating shell so as to lock the conductive terminal, the positioning groove is provided with a first positioning groove wall for propping against the clamping arm elastic sheet, a second positioning groove wall opposite to the first positioning groove wall and a positioning groove opening facing the conductive terminal, and at least one section of first positioning groove wall is gradually enlarged along the direction from the positioning groove opening to the inside of the positioning groove and the distance between the second positioning groove wall.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the retainer is in an expanded state relative to an original state of the insulative housing in which the retainer is at an expanded angle greater than 90 degrees relative to the insulative housing.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the retainer further comprises a cover plate having first and second inner surfaces opposite each other in a thickness direction thereof, the second outer surface being further away from the insulating housing than the first inner surface in the first position, wherein an end of the second outer surface that engages the insulating housing is provided with a recess recessed toward the first inner surface.

4. An electrical connector as in any of claims 1-3 wherein the thickness of the junction of the retainer and the dielectric housing is less than 0.5mm.

5. An electrical connector as in any one of claims 1-3 wherein the insulative housing has a recess into which the tab is inserted, the recess being in communication with the conductive terminal.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein the retainer further comprises a cover plate, the recess having an outer notch on an outer surface of the dielectric housing, the retainer defining a direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer in the first position as a first direction in which an outer edge of the cover plate exceeds the outer notch.

7. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein the recess has an inner slot on an inner surface of the insulative housing defining a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing to which the retainer is connected to an opposite inner surface, the tab having a tail end in the second direction away from the cover plate when the retainer is in the first position, the tail end passing through the inner slot in the second direction, wherein an outer edge of the tail end exceeds the inner slot in the first direction.

8. The electrical connector of claim 7, wherein the recess has first and second recess walls disposed opposite in the first direction between the outer and inner recess openings, the first recess wall being further away from the junction of the cover plate and the dielectric housing than the second recess wall in the first direction, the tab further comprising an intermediate portion between the cover plate and the tail end, wherein the first recess wall is progressively closer to the second recess wall in the second direction, the intermediate portion conforming to a face of the first recess wall.

9. An electrical connector according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the retainer in the first position defines a first direction from the fixed end to the free end of the retainer and a second direction from the outer surface of the insulating housing to which the retainer is connected to the opposite inner surface, wherein,

The retainer is provided with a side latch at least one of two opposite ends along a third direction, the insulating shell is provided with a side buckle matched with the side latch at least one of two opposite ends along the third direction, when the retainer is positioned at the first position, the side latch is locked with the matched side buckle in a clamping way, and an included angle is formed between the third direction and the first direction and between the third direction and the second direction.

10. An electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the outer edge of the free end of the retainer is provided with a chamfer which is insertable into the housing of the other connector with which the electrical connector is to be mated.

11. An electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer when in the first position, the terminal chamber extending in the first direction and being blocked at one end to limit movement of the conductive terminal in the first direction, the locking member being adapted to limit movement of the conductive terminal in a direction opposite the first direction.

12. The electrical connector of claim 11, wherein the first direction is oriented in a horizontal direction, the second direction is oriented in a vertical direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing to which the retainer is attached to an opposite inner surface, the third direction is oriented in a horizontal direction, and the insulative housing is provided with tabs on opposite sides along the third direction.

13. An electrical connector as in any one of claims 1-3 wherein the retainer defines a first direction from a fixed end to a free end of the retainer and a second direction from an outer surface of the insulative housing to which the retainer is attached to an opposite inner surface when in the first position, wherein the conductive terminals are in plurality and aligned along a third direction, the third direction forming an angle with the first direction and the second direction.

14. An electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein, from the location of the detent opening, there is a length of first detent wall which progressively increases in distance from the second detent wall in a direction from the detent opening towards the interior of the detent.