CN219226695U - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The present utility model provides an electrical connector comprising a body comprising an interior cavity for receiving a terminal assembly, the body comprising a front end and a rear end opposite each other along a longitudinal axis, wherein the front end is for accessing a cable, wherein the electrical connector further comprises a rear cover assembly mated to the body from the rear end and having a locking aperture for a bonding cable, wherein the rear cover assembly is capable of being in a pre-lock state and a final lock state, in which the locking aperture provides for locking of the cable, and in which the locking aperture of the rear cover assembly is enlarged to enable movement of the cable relative to the locking aperture. The electric connector can ensure that the terminal group is not easy to shake or deform in the inner cavity of the connector body, and improves the reliability of the electric connector.

Description

Electrical connector

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to the field of electrical connection technology, and more particularly, to an electrical connector with a cable locking mechanism.

Background

Various types of vehicle connectors are available on the market for making electrical cable connections on vehicles. In a typical female connector, an electrically conductive terminal assembly is secured within a cavity formed by the connector body. One end of the terminal assembly is clamped to the cable by the ferrule, and the cable extends out of the cable hole at the rear end of the connector body.

However, it has been found during use that some existing female end connectors have an internal terminal assembly and cables that are not very reliably mounted, especially when the cables extending from the body of the connector are pulled in a rearward direction, resulting in deformation or loosening of the terminal assembly, negatively affecting the reliability of the connection between the cable and the terminal assembly, and seriously affecting the current transmission.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in existing connectors to provide a more reliable electrical connector.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome the deficiencies of the prior art electrical connectors, the present utility model provides an electrical connector comprising a body including an interior cavity for receiving a terminal assembly, the body including a front end and a rear end opposite each other along a longitudinal axis, wherein the front end is adapted to mate with a mating connector, and further comprising a rear cover assembly mated to the connector body from the rear end and having a locking aperture for a cable, wherein the rear cover assembly is capable of being in a pre-lock state in which the locking aperture provides for locking of the cable and a final lock state in which the locking aperture of the rear cover assembly is enlarged to enable movement of the cable relative to the locking aperture.

According to one aspect of the utility model, the back cover assembly includes a back cover and a clamp member configured to snap-connect in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis at a first snap-fit position and a second snap-fit position, the back cover assembly being in a pre-lock state when the clamp member and the back cover snap-connect in the first snap-fit position, and the back cover assembly being in a final-lock state when the clamp member and the back cover snap-connect in the second snap-fit position.

According to another aspect of the utility model, the clamping member has a spool and the rear cover has a receptacle that slidably mates with the spool. The engagement of the slide and the receptacle provides a guiding action for movement of the clip relative to the back cover and also provides an orienting action.

According to yet another aspect of the present utility model, the back cover assembly includes a first snap feature providing a first snap location and a second snap location, the first snap feature including a mating snap slot and flange portion.

According to still another aspect of the present utility model, the rear cover assembly further includes a second engagement structure, the first engagement structure being defined at the first engagement position when the second engagement structure is in the engaged state, and the second engagement structure releasing the engaged state when the rear cover assembly is mounted to the predetermined position on the main body so that the first engagement structure can enter the second engagement position.

According to still another aspect of the present utility model, the second engagement structure includes a flexible resilient arm formed on the clamp member, the rear end of the main body being provided with a protrusion, and the protrusion abutting at least a portion of the resilient arm to move the resilient arm away from the engagement position when the rear cover assembly is mounted to a predetermined position on the main body.

According to still another aspect of the present utility model, the second engagement structure further includes a hole formed in the rear cover, the free end of the elastic arm is provided with a snap piece, and the second engagement structure is in a snap-fit state when the snap piece is snapped into the hole, and a protrusion on the main body enters the hole, abuts the snap piece, and moves the snap piece out of the hole when the rear cover assembly is mounted to a predetermined position on the main body, so that the snap-fit state is released.

According to yet another aspect of the present utility model, the rear cover has a body engagement structure engaged to the body and a cable locking portion for engaging the clamp member to lock the cable, wherein the cable locking portion has a first locking hole half and the clamp member has a second locking hole half, the first and second locking hole halves forming a locking hole when the clamp member is engaged to the cable locking portion of the rear cover.

According to yet another aspect of the utility model, the first and second locking hole halves are provided with gripping ribs on their surfaces.

The electric connector provided by the utility model is convenient to use, and the locking operation of the rear cover assembly can be realized by pushing the clamping piece towards the rear cover only by directly inserting the rear cover assembly into the connector main body, and no special jig is required.

By adopting the electric connector with the rear cover component, the terminal component is not easy to shake or deform in the inner cavity of the connector main body by virtue of the locking effect of the rear cover component, and particularly the terminal component can not move under the action of backward tension, so that the electric connector is stable in current transmission and more reliable in use.

With the electrical connector having the rear cover assembly according to the present utility model, the mating structure of the rear cover and the clamping member determines that it can provide a large holding force.

Drawings

For a more complete understanding of the present utility model, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an electrical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the utility model.

Fig. 2A and 2B are perspective views respectively showing a rear cover assembly in an electrical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model from two viewpoints.

Fig. 3A and 3B are perspective views showing a clamping member in an electrical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model from two viewpoints, respectively.

Fig. 4A illustrates a perspective view of a back cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 4B illustrates a front view of the back cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 4C illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rear cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, taken along line A-A in fig. 4B.

Fig. 5A shows an end view of the rear cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model after being mounted to the connector body, wherein the rear cover assembly is in a pre-lock state.

Fig. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of an electrical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model taken along line B-B in fig. 5A.

Fig. 6A shows an end view of the rear cover assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model after being mounted to the connector body, wherein the rear cover assembly is in a final locked state.

Fig. 6B shows a cross-sectional view of the electrical connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model taken along line C-C in fig. 6A.

Fig. 7A illustrates a front view of a rear cover assembly to which a cable is connected according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model.

Fig. 7B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rear cover assembly with the cable connected thereto according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model taken along line D-D in fig. 7A.

List of reference numerals

1. Electrical connector

10. Connector body

11 front end

12 rear end

104. Fitting convex part

105. Protrusion

20. Rear cover assembly

21 first clamping structure

22 second clamping structure

23 locking hole

30. Rear cover

31 main body engaging portion

311 retaining wall

312 perforation

313 longitudinally extending wall

314 clamping hole

315 longitudinal slot

316. Hole(s)

32 cable locking part

321 first locking hole half

322 clamping groove

323 jack

325. Concave part

40. Clamping piece

421 second locking hole half

41 elastic arm

412. Fastening piece

42 flange portion

43. Slide column

50 cable

80. Terminal assembly

Detailed Description

The present utility model will be further described with reference to specific embodiments and drawings, in which more details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present utility model, but it will be apparent that the present utility model can be embodied in many other forms than described herein, and that those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations and deductions depending on the actual application without departing from the spirit of the present utility model, and therefore should not be construed to limit the scope of the present utility model in terms of the content of this specific embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows an electrical connector 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the utility model. The electrical connector 1 is illustratively shown as a female (female) electrical connector 1, which is typically used with a mating male (male) electrical connector. The electrical connector 1 comprises a connector body 10, the body 10 comprising a front end 11 and a rear end 12 opposite each other along a longitudinal axis L thereof, wherein the front end 11 generally refers to an end adapted to be adjacent to a male connector for mating therewith, and the rear end 12 refers to an end from which a cable 50, such as a coaxial cable, is fitted within the connector and extends. Further, as shown in fig. 5B, the connector body 10 is formed with an inner cavity, and the terminal assembly 80 may be inserted into the inner cavity of the connector body 10 through an opening formed at the rear end 12.

In order to ensure that the terminal assembly 80 can be reliably held in the interior cavity of the connector body 10, in particular in order to avoid loosening of the terminal assembly 80 therein by pulling the cable 50 extending outside the connector body 10, the electrical connector 1 further comprises a rear cover assembly 20, which rear cover assembly 20 in particular provides an additional retention lock of the cable 50. As shown in fig. 1, the rear cover assembly 20 is mounted on the rear end 12 of the connector body 10. In the preferred embodiment, the rear cover assembly 20 mates with the connector body 10 by way of a snap-fit connection, and the rear cover assembly 20 directly clamps the cable 50, thereby providing a positional lock of the cable 50 at the rear end 12. The rear cover assembly 20 is a separable component with respect to the connector body 10, and is mounted to the rear end 12 of the body 10 after the cable 50 is connected to the connector body 10. Preferably, the rear cover assembly 20 may be molded using a resin material.

In a preferred embodiment according to the present utility model, the rear cover assembly 20 may be a two-piece structure including a rear cover 30 and a clamping member 40, as shown in fig. 2A and 3A, respectively. The rear cover 30 and the clamping member 40 are preferably snap-connected in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. Preferably, the snap-fit connection between them is detachable. As shown in fig. 4A and 4B, when the rear cover 30 and the clamp 40 are fitted together, the two cooperate to form a locking hole 23, the locking hole 23 extending substantially in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis L when the rear cover assembly 20 is mounted to the main body 10, and the cable 50 connected to the inner cavity of the connector main body 10 can extend out of the electrical connector 1 through the locking hole 23.

The back cover assembly 20 includes a first snap structure 21, as shown in fig. 4A, which is provided on a side of the back cover assembly 20. The rear cover 30 and the clamping member 40 are snap-coupled by means of the first snap-in structure 21. In particular, the first engagement structure 21 comprises two engagement positions: a first engaged position in which the back cover assembly 20 is set in its pre-lock state and a second engaged position in which the back cover assembly 20 is set in its final lock state. The pre-locked state of the back cover assembly 20 means that the locking hole 23 in the back cover assembly 20 is in an enlarged state, and the cable 50 can be easily passed through the locking hole 23, and the locking hole 23 in the enlarged state can be clearly seen in fig. 4B. The final locked state of the rear cover assembly 20 means that the locking hole 23 of the rear cover assembly 20 is retracted to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter size of the cable 50, thereby locking the cable 50 in the locking hole 23, as shown in fig. 6B.

In addition, as shown in fig. 4C, the rear cover assembly 20 further includes a second engagement structure 22. The second engagement structure 22 is configured such that the second engagement structure 22 is engaged to restrict the first engagement structure 21 to the first engagement position when the rear cover assembly 20 is not mounted to the predetermined position of the main body 10, and such that the second engagement structure 22 is disengaged when the rear cover assembly 20 is mounted to the predetermined position of the main body 10, so that the first engagement structure 21 can enter the second engagement position.

The two component parts of the back cover assembly 20, the back cover 30 and the clamp 40, are described in further detail below in conjunction with the drawings. Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate a rear cover 30 according to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model. The rear cover 30 is a single piece having a main body engaging portion 31 for engaging to the main body 10 and a cable locking portion 32 for locking the cable 50.

Preferably, the body engagement portion 31 has a transverse wall 311 disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L, the transverse wall 311 being substantially parallel to the end face of the rear end 12 when connected to the connector body 10. Two perforations 312 are provided in the transverse wall 311, the two perforations 312 having a diameter that is set to be greater than the outer diameter of the adapter cable 50 for the cable 50 to pass through. The body engagement portion 31 also has a longitudinally extending wall 313 with a pair of engagement holes 314 formed therein adapted to engage with the pair of mating projections 104 on the connector body. The longitudinally extending wall 313 of the body engagement portion 31 is elastically deformable outwardly during the engagement of the rear cover 30 to the body 10, so that the engagement hole 314 is engaged to the engagement protrusion 104. To facilitate outward elastic deformation of a portion of the wall longitudinal extension wall 313 provided with the snap holes, the longitudinal extension wall 313 is provided with a longitudinal slot 315, as shown in fig. 2A, to divide the longitudinal extension wall 313 into several parts, so that the snap holes 314 are formed in a cantilever-like portion of the wall.

On the other hand, a portion of the rear cover 30 extending in the rear direction along the longitudinal axis L constitutes a cable lock portion 32 for locking the cable 50. Specifically, the cable locking portion 32 includes a first locking hole half 321 forming a locking hole of the rear cover assembly 20, the locking hole half 321 extending a length rearward from the penetration hole 312 on the body engagement portion 31. A clamping rib for enhancing locking is provided on the inner surface of the first locking hole half 321. In addition, the cable locking portion 32 of the rear cover 30 includes the clamping grooves 322 located at the outer side, the clamping grooves 322 are disposed at both sides of the paired through holes 312, and the clamping grooves 322 at each side have two clamping positions, whereby the clamping grooves 322 form a part of the first clamping structure 21 of the rear cover assembly 20, and the two clamping positions of the clamping grooves 322 at each side realize the first clamping position and the second clamping position of the first clamping structure 21.

Furthermore, the rear cover 30 is provided with a receptacle 323 between the two locking hole halves 321, which is adapted to be connected to a mating slide post 43 in the clamping element 40. The shape of the spool 43 and the receptacle 323 are set to have directionality so that the rear cover 30 and the clamp 40 can be secured together in the correct orientation.

Fig. 3A and 3B illustrate the clamping member 40 of the back cover assembly 20 for use with the back cover 30. The clamping member 40 is also a unitary member having a second locking aperture half 421 and, likewise, the second locking aperture half 421 has clamping ribs thereon for enhanced locking. The second locking hole half 421 of the clamping member 40 can be fitted together with the first locking hole half 321 of the rear cover 30, thereby forming the complete locking hole 23 in the rear cover assembly 20. In other words, in the pre-locked state of the rear cover assembly 20, the second locking hole half 421 and the first locking hole half 321 are relatively far apart, and in the final locked state of the rear cover assembly 20, the second locking hole half 421 and the first locking hole half 321 are close to each other.

On the other hand, on both sides of the second locking hole half 421 of the clamp 40, there are flange portions 42 protruding inward. The flange portion 42 is another component of the first engagement structure 21 of the rear cover assembly 20, and the flange portion 42 is adapted to engage in the engagement groove 322 of the rear cover 30 when the rear cover 30 is engaged with the clamp 40.

Furthermore, as can be seen clearly in fig. 4C (and in combination with fig. 5B and 6B), the clamping member 40 also has a resilient arm 41 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. When the catch 412 at the free end of the resilient arm 41 of the clip 40 engages the aperture 316 (fig. 2A) in the transverse wall 311 of the rear cover 30 as shown in fig. 4, the catch 412 of the resilient arm 41 abuts against the rear cover 30, in particular, in the vicinity of the outer edge of the transverse wall 311. At this time, the second engaging structure 22 may include the catch 412 of the resilient arm 41 and the hole 316 in the transverse wall 311, and the engagement of the catch 412 and the hole 316 brings the second engaging structure 22 into an engaged state, thereby preventing the clamp 40 from moving relative to the rear cover 30 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L. In other words, when the second engaging structure 22 is in the engaged state, the first engaging structure 21 is limited to the first engaging position, i.e., the position shown in fig. 4A to 4C, at which time the clamping member 40 cannot move further toward the rear cover 30, the locking hole is in an enlarged state, and the cable 50 can easily pass through the locking hole.

As shown in fig. 5B, the engagement state of the second engagement structure 22 is released by the projection 105 provided on the connector body 10. The protrusion 105 is formed on the rear end 12 of the body 10. When the rear cover assembly 20 is mounted to the connector body 10 in a predetermined position, i.e., when the snap hole 314 in the rear cover 30 is snapped into engagement with the mating protrusion 104 in the connector body 10, the protrusion 105 protrudes into the hole in the rear cover transverse wall 311, thereby ejecting the snap piece 412 of the free end of the resilient arm 41 out of engagement with the rear cover 30, so that the clamp piece 40 is disengaged from the rear cover 30, and further, the clamp piece 40 can be moved relative to the rear cover 30 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L, so that the locking hole 33 is narrowed, thereby clamping the cable 50 extending out of the body 10.

The rear cover assembly 20 of the electrical connector 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the present utility model can be mounted as follows.

First, the cable 50 connected to the inner cavity of the electrical connector 1 is inserted into the through hole 312 of the rear cover 30, and at this time, the first engaging structure 21 is in the first engaging position, that is, the first engaging structure 21 is in the position shown in fig. 4A to 4C, and the second engaging structure 22 is in the engaged state. At this time, the back cover assembly 20 is in the pre-lock state and the locking hole 23 is in the expanded state, and thus, the back cover assembly 20 can be easily moved along the wire 50.

Next, the rear cover assembly 20 is joined to the rear end 12 of the connector body 10 as shown in fig. 5A and 5B. As is clear from fig. 5B in particular, when the predetermined position of the rear cover assembly 20 fully mounted to the connector body 10 is, that is, the engagement hole 314 on the body engagement portion 31 of the rear cover 30 has been fully engaged with the engagement protrusion 104 on the connector body 10, the protrusion 105 on the body 10 protrudes into the hole 316 on the lateral wall 311 of the rear cover 30, so that the catch 412 of the elastic arm 41 is ejected out of the hole 316, such that the catch 412 no longer abuts against the edge of the hole 316, thereby releasing the engaged state of the second engagement structure 22.

Finally, the clamp 40 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L, so that the first engagement structure 21 is brought into the second engagement position, i.e., as shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the flange portion 42 is brought into the second engagement position of the engagement groove 322 in the rear cover 30, and the flange portion 42 of the free end of the elastic arm 41 of the clamp 40 is brought into the recess 325 on the lateral wall 311 of the rear cover 30 to release the flexed state of the elastic arm 41. In addition, the area through which the locking hole 23 can pass is reduced, and finally the inner surface of the locking hole 23 is clamped to the outer surface of the sheath of the cable 50, so that locking of the cable 50 is realized at the position of the rear end 12 of the electric connector 1. The locked state of the rear cover assembly 20 relative to the cable 50 can be seen in fig. 7A and 7B.

It should be understood that the subject matter of the present utility model is not limited to female electrical connectors 1, but may be used with other types of electrical connectors or for other purposes. In the preferred embodiment, the flange portion 42 of the clamping member 40 and the catch groove 322 on the rear cover 30 form a first catch structure, but it should be understood that in other embodiments, the first catch structure may include other implementations, such as a single catch portion on the rear cover 30 and a catch groove on the clamping member 40.

The electric connector 1 according to the present utility model is convenient to use, and the locking operation of the rear cover assembly 20 can be achieved by pushing the clamping member 40 toward the rear cover only by directly inserting the rear cover assembly 20 into the rear end of the connector body, without using any special jig.

With the electrical connector 1 with the rear cover assembly 20 according to the present utility model, the terminal assembly 80 is not easy to shake or deform in the inner cavity of the connector body 10, and particularly the terminal assembly 80 is not moved under the action of a backward pulling force, so that the current transmission is stable, and the electrical connector 1 is more reliable to use.

With the electrical connector 1 having the rear cover assembly 20 according to the present utility model, the mating structure of the rear cover 30 and the clamping member 40 determines that it can provide a large holding force. The rear cover assembly 20 of the present utility model is referred to as a Terminal Position Assurance (TPA) member in some instances.

While the utility model has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limiting, but rather to the utility model, as will occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model. Therefore, any modification, equivalent variation and modification of the above embodiments according to the technical substance of the present utility model fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present utility model.

Claims (9)

1. An electrical connector comprising a body (10) including an interior cavity for receiving a terminal assembly, the body including a front end (11) and a rear end (12) opposite each other along a longitudinal axis, wherein the front end is for mating with a mating connector,

it is characterized in that the method comprises the steps of,

the electrical connector further comprises a rear cover assembly (20) fitted to the main body from the rear end and having a locking hole (23) for a bonding cable,

wherein the rear cover assembly is capable of being in a pre-lock state in which the locking hole provides locking of a cable and a final lock state in which the locking hole of the rear cover assembly is enlarged to enable the cable to move relative to the locking hole.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1, wherein the rear cover assembly includes a rear cover and a clamping member configured to snap-connect in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis at a first snap-fit location and a second snap-fit location,

when the clamping piece and the rear cover are in clamping connection at a first clamping position, the rear cover component is in the pre-locking state,

when the clamping piece and the rear cover are in clamping connection at the second clamping position, the rear cover assembly is in the final locking state.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein,

the clamping piece is provided with a slide column (43), and the rear cover is provided with a jack (323) in sliding fit with the slide column.

4. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein the rear cover assembly (20) includes a first snap feature providing the first and second snap locations, the first snap feature including a mating snap slot (322) and flange portion (42).

5. The electrical connector of claim 4, wherein the rear cover assembly further comprises a second engagement structure (22), the first engagement structure (21) being defined in the first engagement position when the second engagement structure is in the engaged state,

and when the rear cover assembly is mounted to a predetermined position on the main body, the second engagement structure releases the engaged state so that the first engagement structure can enter the second engagement position.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5, wherein the second snap-fit structure includes a deflectable resilient arm (41) formed on the clamp, and the rear end of the body is provided with a tab (105) that abuts at least a portion of the resilient arm when the rear cover assembly is mounted to the body in a predetermined position to move the resilient arm from the snap-fit position.

7. The electrical connector of claim 6, wherein the second snap-fit structure further comprises a hole (316) formed in the rear cover, the free end of the resilient arm (41) is provided with a snap-fit element (412), and,

when the clamping piece (412) is clamped in the hole (316), the second clamping structure (22) is in the clamping state,

when the rear cover assembly is mounted to a predetermined position on the main body, the protrusion (105) on the main body enters the hole (316), abuts the catch (412) and moves the catch (412) out of the hole (316) to release the engaged state.

8. The electrical connector of claim 2, wherein the rear cover (30) has a body snap structure (31) engaged to the body and a cable lock portion (32) for engaging the clamp (40) to lock the cable, wherein the cable lock portion has a first locking hole half (321) and the clamp has a second locking hole half (421),

when the clamping member (40) is engaged to the cable locking portion (32) of the rear cover (30), the first locking hole half (321) and the second locking hole half (421) form the locking hole (23).

9. The electrical connector of claim 8, wherein the first locking hole half (321) and the second locking hole half (421) are provided with clamping ribs on their surfaces.

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