Patent Application
20240136775
This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. CN 202222754357.1 filed on Oct. 19, 2022, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a connector and a connector assembly.
In modern electric vehicles, a power bolt-type connector is a very important component, which is generally used to connect a power supply and a motor to transmit electric energy from the power supply to the motor. Due to the increasingly strict requirements for the internal wiring of these vehicles, the power bolt-type connector is required to have different angles of output directions and a simpler structure, so that the occupied space will be smaller and the cost will be reduced.
Existing power bolt-type connectors typically have a 180-degree straight line output direction, which leads to the need to bend a cable if a 90-degree direction is required for later wiring. For thicker cables, it is necessary to reserve a larger bending radius, resulting in occupying more space, which is obviously a great waste for the internal space of the motor. In addition, if the cables are bent manually, the consistency of the products will decrease, and even the rejection rate will increase. Further, as this type of connector is a high-voltage and high-current connector, it is also necessary for this type of connector to have functions such as shielding, insulation, waterproof, and electric shock prevention. Moreover, the number of parts in the connector in the prior art is enormous, and the assembly is complicated, resulting in cost higher.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a connector comprises a housing in a form of a bent tube. The housing includes a first tubular portion, a second tubular portion, and a bent portion connected between the first tubular portion and the second tubular portion. The first tubular portion and the second tubular portion extend at an angle of more than 0 degree and less than 180 degrees relative to each other. The housing is adapted to hold a cable extending through an interior thereof, wherein the cable is bent within the bent portion.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying Figures, of which:
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
With reference to
The housing 1 is made of conductive material, preferably metal such as aluminum alloy and stainless steel. In one embodiment, the housing is made of aluminum alloy. However, in other embodiments, the housing can also be made of non-metallic materials such as plastic.
In the illustrated embodiment, the bent portion 103 is bent at an angle of 90 degrees, so that the cable 12 held in the housing is bent at an angle of 90 degrees inside the housing 1. However, according to the conditions of specific applications, the bent portion 103 can be bent at an acute angle less than 90 degrees, such as 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, etc., or can be bent at an obtuse angle greater than 90 degrees, such as 120 degrees, 135 degrees, 150 degrees and other angles, which are not limited in this application.
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In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the connector further comprises a first clamping member 10 accommodated in the sheath 11. The first clamping member comprises an annular portion 1002 adapted to be sleeved over the outer peripheral surface of the cable 12 and a flange 1001 adapted to extend radially outward from the annular portion 1002. The annular portion 1002 is adapted to be positioned between the outer peripheral surface of the cable 12 and the inner edge of the through hole of the cover portion 113 of the sheath to clamp the cable 12, thereby preventing the cable 12 from moving relative to the first tubular portion 101. The flange 1001 is adapted to abut against the inner surface of the cover portion 113 of the sheath, so as to prevent the first clamping member 10 from being axially and outwardly detached from the sheath 11.
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The sheath 11, the first clamping member 10 and the first seal 9 are combined together at the end of the first tubular portion 101 so as to fix the cable 12 held in the housing 1. This arrangement precents other components inside the housing 1 from detaching from the housing through the opening at the end of the first tubular portion 101, and hermetically separates the interior of the housing 1 from the exterior of the connector.
In the illustrated example, the connector can further comprise shielding rings 7, 8 inside the first tubular portion 101. The shielding rings 7, 8, are adapted to contact a portion of the shielding layer 124 exposed at the terminating portion of the end of the second insulating layer 123. The outer surfaces of the shielding rings are adapted to contact the inner surface of the first tubular portion 101.
The shielding rings 7, 8 are made of conductive material, so that the shielding layer 124 of the cable 12 and the housing 1 made of conductive material have the same electric potential. In addition, the housing 1 of the connector, which is made of conductive material, is connected with a motor housing, in the illustrated example, through the lug 15 on the housing 1 and fasteners such as bolts. As a result, the shielding layer 124 of the cable 12 and the housing 1 of the connector have the same electric potential as the motor housing, thereby realizing the overall shielding function.
In the illustrated example, the shielding rings 7, 8, can comprise a first shielding ring 8 and a second shielding ring 7 adapted to be sleeved in the first shielding ring. The portion of the shielding layer 124 exposed at the terminating portion of the end of the second insulating layer 123 is adapted to be tightly clamped between the first shielding ring 8 and the second shielding ring 7.
The first shielding ring 8 comprises a first cylindrical portion and a second cylindrical portion extending in the axial direction. The diameter of the first cylindrical portion is greater than that of the second cylindrical portion, so that the outer surface of the first cylindrical portion abuts against the inner surface of the first tubular portion 101. The portion of the shielding layer 124 exposed at the terminating portion of the end of the second insulating layer 123 is folded over to be tightly clamped between the second cylindrical portion of the first shielding ring 8 and the second shielding ring 7, as shown in
In the illustrated preferred embodiment, the connector further comprises a spacer 6 located in the first tubular portion 101. An end of the spacer 6 facing the bent portion 103 is trumpet-shaped to form a trumpet portion 61. The trumpet portion 61 is adapted to guide the cable 12 held in the housing to extend and bend from the first tubular portion 101 to the second tubular portion 102 at the trumpet portion 61, thereby preventing the first insulating layer 122 of the cable 12 from wearing away at the bent portion 103 of the housing and thus preventing the risk of electric leakage.
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The connector may further comprise a connection terminal 5 partially inserted into the heat shrinkable tube 13. The connection terminal is adapted to be electrically connected with the connection end 1202 of the cable 12 exiting the second tubular portion 102 and to be electrically connected to the motor. In the illustrated example, the connection terminal 5 comprises a connection hole 51 penetrating through the connection terminal, and the cable 12 is adapted to be fixed to and electrically connected to the motor by a bolt extending through the connection hole 51.
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Another aspect of the present disclosure further provides a connector assembly, which comprises at least two connectors according to the above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure. As best shown in
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The connector and the connector assembly provided by the present disclosure have a non-linear structure, so that the cable held in the connector housing can be bent and extended therein, thereby reducing space waste. In addition, it realizes a predetermined non-linear wiring direction for the cable through the connector and the connector assembly, thereby increasing product consistency and reducing rejection rate. Moreover, the connector and the connector assembly provided by various embodiments of the disclosure can further provide shielding, insulation, waterproof, electric shock prevention and other functions. The connector and connector assembly comprise fewer parts, which makes the assembly simpler and convenient and has lower cost.
In addition, those areas in which it is believed that those of ordinary skill in the art are familiar, have not been described herein in order not to unnecessarily obscure the invention described. Accordingly, it has to be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the specific illustrative embodiments, but only by the scope of the appended claims.
It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of the elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202222754357.1 | Oct 2022 | CN | national |
