Patent Application
20230054113
This application claims the priority benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 202121945130.4 filed on Aug. 18, 2021 in the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an electrical connector, and in particular, to a connector assembly and a connector having a structure for restricting excessive oblique-insertion of the connector during the mating of the connector assembly.
Electrical connectors are commonly used to establish electrical connections between electronic elements, such as cables and circuit boards. Conventional wire-to-board electrical connectors typically adopt a design in which a plug connector and a socket connector mate with each other. During insertion of the plug connector into the socket connector, the plug connector is often initially inserted partially into the socket connector with an oblique attitude. This may be due to limited operation space, or for ease of operation. However, a plug connector that is inserted obliquely cannot align with terminals or pins in the socket connector. Thus, it may cause the terminals or the pins in the socket connector to be bent or skewed, thereby resulting in poor electrical contact.
A connector assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a first connector and a second connector. The first connector includes a first housing and first connection terminals. The first housing defines a receiving cavity with an open upper end. A second connector includes a second housing and second connection terminals. The second housing is adapted to be partially inserted into the receiving cavity such that the second connection terminals electrically contact the first connection terminals. The second housing defines an oblique-insertion restriction structure protruding from a remaining uninserted portion of the second housing and sized and positioned to abut against an upper end surface of the first housing as the second housing is inserted into the receiving cavity in an oblique posture relative to the first housing.
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.
Exemplary embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide a connector assembly, for example, for electrically connecting a cable 10 to a circuit board, such as a circuit board or control panel disposed within a housing of an electrical apparatus. Such a connector assembly can be used, for example, for electrical connection of various domestic appliances and in-vehicle appliances, and the like.
In embodiments as illustrated in
The second connector 200 includes a second housing 210 and one or more second connection terminals 220 disposed in the second housing 210. The second connection terminals 220 are adapted to be electrically connected with the cable 10, for example. The cable 10 can be plugged into the second housing 210 to be electrically connected with the second connection terminals 220. The second housing 210 is adapted to be partially inserted into the receiving cavity 101 of the first housing 110, so that the second connection terminals 220 are in electrical contact with the corresponding first connection terminals 110 for electrically connecting the second connector 200 and the first connector 100.
In the illustrated embodiments, the first housing 110 and the second housing 210 each have a length extending in a horizontal direction X, a width extending in a horizontal direction Y, and a height extending in a vertical direction or up-down direction Z. Typically, matching guide structures are provided on the first housing 110 and the second housing 210 so as to properly guide the insertion of the second housing 210 into the receiving cavity 101 of the first housing 110. As an example, as shown in
During the assembling, in a manner that the second connector 200 is aligned with the first connector 100, such as in the up-down direction or the vertical direction Z as shown in the figures, the first guide ribs 211 may be aligned with the corresponding first guides grooves 111 in the up-down direction or the vertical direction Z. In this way, the second connector 200 is plugged into the first connector 100 in a correct manner, and a proper connection is realized between the second connection terminals 220 and the corresponding first connection terminals 110. However, in actual operation, due to the limitation of the working environment or operating space or for the convenience of operation, the operator usually makes the second connector 200 in an oblique posture (e.g., deviating from the alignment in the up-down direction or the vertical direction Z) such that the first guide ribs 211 slide on the upper end surface of the first housing 110 to seek the corresponding first guide grooves 111, that is, a pre-insertion or tentative insertion operation is performed. During this seeking process, a portion of the second connector 200 in the oblique posture (e.g., the corner of the second housing 210) moves within the receiving cavity 101, thereby causing the portion of the second housing 210 to enter into the receiving cavity 101 too deeply, which may contact or touch the first connection terminals 120 in the first housing 110. Such contact or touch may cause the first connection terminals 120 to be skewed or bent, which may lead to subsequent poor electrical connection.
Therefore, in the exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure, the second housing 210 is provided with oblique-insertion restriction structures 213 configured for abutting against the upper end surface of the first housing 110 during a process in which the second housing 210 is inserted into the receiving cavity 101 in the oblique posture relative to the first housing 110. This arrangement prevents the second housing 210 from entering into the receiving cavity 101 too deeply due to the skew. Thus, the second housing 210 is prevented from being inserted obliquely further, so that the second housing 210 in the oblique posture is prevented from contacting or touching the first connection terminals 120 disposed in the first housing 110.
In an exemplary embodiment, a portion, such as the lower portion, of the second housing 210, is adapted to be inserted and positioned in the receiving cavity 101, as shown in parts (b) of
In some examples, after the lower portion of the second housing 210 is inserted into the receiving cavity 101, or after the second connector 200 is properly assembled to the first connector 100, the oblique-insertion restriction structures 213 can abut against the upper end surface of the first housing 110. Alternatively, the restriction structures 213 are located above, for example directly above, the upper end surface of the first housing 110, so that in some unexpected situations, for example in an case in which the second connector is accidentally touched or squeezed, the second housing 210 is prevented from entering into a too deep position in the receiving cavity 101 of the first housing 110. In this way, damage to the connection terminals or poor contact of the connection terminals caused by displacements is avoided.
As an example, the oblique-insertion restriction structure 213 may include a protruding ridge which extends downwardly for a certain length (for example, this length is smaller than the dimension of the second housing in the up-down direction Z) from the upper end of the second housing 210. The lower end surface of the oblique-insertion restriction structure 213 will abut against the upper end surface of the first housing 110 during the process in which the second housing 210 is inserted into the receiving cavity 101 in the oblique posture relative to the first housing 110.
It will be understood that the position and/or the extended length of the oblique-insertion restriction structure 213 can be set such that during a process in which the second housing 210 is inserted into the receiving cavity 101 in any oblique posture or during a process in which the guide ribs 211 slide on the upper end surface of the first housing 110 while the second housing 210 is in any oblique posture, the oblique-insertion restriction structures 213 abuts against the upper end surface of the first housing 110. In this way, the second housing 210 is ensured to not contact or touch the first connection terminals 120 in the first housing 110. After the first guide grooves 111 are located, the operator can convert the second housing 210 from the oblique posture to a correct posture in which the second housing is aligned with the first housing 110 in the up-down direction Z. In this aligned posture, the second connection terminals 220 in the second housing 210 will align with the corresponding first connection terminals 110 in the first housing 110, so that the first guide ribs 211 enter into the first guide grooves 111, and the second housing 210 is inserted into the receiving cavity 101 of the first housing 110 correctly or in align under the guiding effect of the first guide ribs 211 and the first guide grooves 111 matching each other.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the oblique-insertion restriction structure 213 located at the corner of the upper portion of the second housing 210 may bridge two adjacent outer surfaces of the second housing 210, so that the posture of the second housing 210 can be more stably maintained during the process in which the second housing 210 is pre-inserted into the receiving cavity 101 and after the second housing 210 is inserted into the receiving cavity 101.
Two or more first guide grooves 111 can be formed on the inner surface of the first housing 110, and one second guide groove 112 can be disposed between the two adjacent first guide grooves 111 (see
In some embodiments the second guide groove 112 is provided at different distances from the two adjacent first guide grooves 111, that is, the second guide rib 212 is provided at different distances from the two adjacent second guide ribs 211. Therefore, it can be ensured that the second housing is guided and inserted into the receiving cavity in the correct posture.
In some embodiments, as shown in
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202121945130.4 | Aug 2021 | CN | national |
