This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 202021217906.6, filed on Jun. 28, 2020. This application also claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 202010599155.7, filed on Jun. 28, 2020. The entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a first electrical connector, a second electrical connector, and a method for mating and unmating the two.
As transmission mediums, electrical connectors have been widely used in electronic products; they may be used to establish communication or fast power connections between systems and devices. With the dawn of the information age, people have increasingly stricter requirements on the frequency of use of and functions of electronic products, and electronic products have become more and more compact. As a result, more requirements have been imposed on electrical connectors.
Because conventional electrical connectors have large and complicated locking mechanism. If another element is arranged around the electrical connector, it is necessary to maintain a sufficient distance between the electrical connector and the element; consequently, its application scope is significantly limited. This goes against the trend towards increasingly miniaturized, integrated, and multi-functional electronic products.
Embodiments of electrical connectors are described.
Some embodiments relate to an electrical connector. The electrical connector may include a housing; a locking arm comprising a first end, a second end, and an intermediate portion between the first end and the second end, wherein the first end comprises a locking portion, the intermediate portion is pivotably mounted to the housing, and the second end comprises a cam surface; a biasing member engaged with the locking arm to drive the first end in a first direction; and a sliding member slidably connected to the housing, wherein the sliding member is configured to slide in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and contact the cam surface such that the second end moves in the first direction, the locking arm pivots with respect to the housing, and the first end moves in a direction opposite to the first direction.
In some embodiments, the biasing member may be engaged with a portion of the locking arm between the pivot and the first end and configured to push the portion in the first direction.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector may further comprise a pull tab coupled to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the pull tab may be rotatably coupled to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the pull tab may comprise a protrusion configured to engage with the sliding member and block further rotation of the pull tab when the pull tab is rotated into a predetermined angle with respect to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the biasing member may comprise a coil spring.
In some embodiments, the locking portion may comprise a hook extending in the first direction.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector may comprise a right-angle plug electrical connector.
In some embodiments, the locking arm is a first locking arm, and the electrical connector may further comprise a second locking arm.
In some embodiments, the second locking arm may be the mirror image of the first locking arm.
In some embodiments, the sliding member may comprise a protrusion between the first locking arm and the second locking arm and configured to contact the cam surface of the first locking arm and the cam surface of the second locking arm.
In some embodiments, the housing may comprise a first chute and a second chute that are spaced apart in the second direction and extend in the second direction. The sliding member may comprise a first sliding block matching the first chute and a second sliding block matching the second chute.
Some embodiments relate to an electrical connector. The electrical connector may include a housing, the housing being provided with an elongated opening, configured to accommodate a mating portion of a mating electrical connector. The elongated opening may be surrounded by a wall of the housing. The wall may comprise a middle portion having at least one groove. The opposite sides of the at least one groove may comprise an undercut portion. The undercut portion may be configured to engage with the locking portions of the two locking arms inserted into the at least one groove when the mating electrical connector is inserted.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector may comprise a mounting surface arranged in a plane and configured to be mounted to a surface of a printed circuit board, wherein the elongated opening and the at least one groove are formed on a surface of the housing opposite to the mounting surface.
Some embodiments relate to a method for operating a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector to mate and unmate, wherein the first electrical connector comprises at least one locking arm pivotably mounted to a first housing. The method may include: mating the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector by: inserting the first electrical connector into the second electrical connector such that a first end of the locking arm contacts a member of the second electrical connector; further inserting the first electrical connector into the second electrical connector such that the first end of the locking arm pivots away from the components of the second electrical connector; further inserting the first electrical connector into the second electrical connector such that the locking portion at the first end of the locking arm clears the member of the second electrical connector and the first end of the locking arm springs back towards the member of the second electrical connector to lock the first electrical connector to the second electrical connector; unmating the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector by: sliding the sliding member of the first electrical connector relative to the first housing such that the sliding member of the first connector contacts a second end of the locking arm; further sliding the sliding member of the first electrical connector relative to the first housing such that the sliding member of the first connector pushes the second end of the locking arm toward the member of the second electrical connector and the first end of the locking arm pivots away from the member of the second electrical connector to unlock the first electrical connector from the second electrical connector; and withdrawing the first electrical connector from the second electrical connector.
In some embodiments, sliding the sliding member of the first electrical connector may comprise pulling a pull tab connected to the sliding member of the first electrical connector.
In some embodiments, the method may further comprise rotating the pull tab relative to the sliding member and pulling the pull tab in a direction in which the sliding member slides.
In some embodiments, the member of the second electrical connector may comprise an undercut portion on a side surface of at least one groove in a second housing. The locking arm may lock the first electrical connector to the second electrical connector by latching to an underside of the undercut portion.
In some embodiments, the locking arm is a first locking arm and the first electrical connector may further comprise a second locking arm. Further inserting the first electrical connector into the second electrical connector such that the first end of the locking arm pivots away from the member of the second electrical connector may comprise pivoting a first end of the first locking arm towards a first end of the second locking arm.
In some embodiments, the locking arm is a first locking arm and the first electrical connector may further comprise a second locking arm. Further sliding the sliding member of the first electrical connector relative to the housing such that the sliding member of the first connector pushes the second end of the locking arm toward the member of the second electrical connector and the first end of the locking arm pivots away from the member of the second electrical connector may comprise pushing the second end of the first locking arm and the second end of the second locking arm in opposite directions.
These techniques may be used alone or in any suitable combination. The foregoing summary is provided by way of illustration and is not intended to be limiting.
The following drawings of the present disclosure are used herein as a part of the present disclosure for understanding the present disclosure. The drawings show embodiments of the present disclosure. In the drawings:
The above drawings contain the following reference numerals:
100: First electrical connector; 110: Circuit board; 120: Cable; 200: First housing; 210: Guide groove; 221: First chute; 222: Second chute; 223: Interval; 230: Stopper; 300X1: First locking arm; 300X2: Second locking arm; 310X1, 310X2: First end; 311: Locking portion; 320X1, 320X2: Second end; 321X1, 321X2: Cam surface; 330: Intermediate portion; 341, 343: Pin roll; 342: Pivot hole; 350: Positioning column; 400: Biasing member; 500: Sliding member; 521: First sliding block; 522: Second sliding block; 530: Contact protrusion; 540: Space; 600: Pull tab; 610: Operating portion; 620: Protrusion; 700: Second electrical connector; 710: Second housing; 720: Elongated opening; 730: Hole; 740: Groove; 741: Middle portion; 750: Undercut portion; 760: Mounting surface.
In the following description, great details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, those of ordinary skill in the art may understand that the following description only exemplarily shows preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and that the present disclosure may be implemented without one or more such details. In addition, in order to avoid confusion with the present disclosure, certain technical features known in the art have not been described in detail.
The first electrical connector 100 may be provided with a locking mechanism that is configured to hold the first electrical connector 100 on the second electrical connector 700 after the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 are mated together, thereby establishing a reliable electrical connection between the circuit board 110 and the second electrical connector 700. The locking mechanism may enable a receptacle connector (e.g., the second electrical connector 700) to be mounted to a printed circuit board near other components that block access to the sides of the receptacle connector. The locking mechanism will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
As shown in
The first locking arm 300X1 may comprise a first end 310X1, a second end 320X1, and an intermediate portion 330. The intermediate portion 330 may be located between the first end 310X1 and the second end 320X1. Optionally, the first end 310X1, the second end 320X1, and the intermediate portion 330 may be spliced together by welding, bonding, etc. Optionally, the first locking arm 300X1 may also be an integrally formed component. The intermediate portion 330 may be pivotably mounted to the first housing 200 about a pivot. In the illustrated embodiment, a pin roll 341 may be arranged on the first housing 200. A pivot hole 342 mating the pin roll 341 is arranged on the second end 320X1. The pin roll 341 is pivotable in the pivot hole 342 so that the first locking arm 300X1 is pivotably mounted to the first housing 200 with the pin roll 341 as the center. In this case, the pivot is the central axis of the pin roll 341. In another embodiment not shown, a pin roll may be arranged on the first locking arm 300X1, and a pivot hole matching the pin roll may be provided on the first housing 200. Optionally, the intermediate portion 330 may also be pivotably mounted to the first housing 200 about a pivot in any other suitable manner.
The first end 310X1 may comprise a locking portion 311. The locking portion 311 is configured to be inserted into the second electrical connector 700 when the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 are mated together, and to engage with a component in the second electrical connector 700, thereby locking the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700.
As shown in
The second end 320X1 may comprise a cam surface 321X1. The cam surface 321X1 protrudes toward the direction X2 opposite to the first direction X1. Restricted by the pivot, the cam surface 321X1 and the locking portion 311 always move in opposite directions.
The biasing member 400 may be engaged with the first locking arm 300X1. The biasing member 400 may drive the first end 310X1 in the first direction X1. The biasing member 400 may be engaged with any suitable location on the first locking arm 300X1. The biasing member 400 may be engaged with a portion of the first locking arm 300X1 located between the pin roll 341 and the first end 310X1. In this embodiment, the biasing member 400 may push the portion between the pivot and the first end 310X1 in the first direction X1. This portion corresponds to the portion between the pivot hole 342 and the first end 310X1 as shown in the figure. Thus, the space between the pivot hole 342 and the second end 320X1 remains unaffected, and this facilitates the installation of the sliding member 500, which will be described in detail below. In another embodiment not shown, the biasing member 400 may be engaged with the portion of the first locking arm 300X1 between the pivot hole 342 and the second end 320X1. In this embodiment, the biasing member 400 may pull the portion between the pivot and the first end 310X1 in the direction X2. Thus, the biasing member 400 may drive the first end 310X1 in the first direction X1.
The biasing member 400 may be engaged with the first locking arm 300X1 in any manner. In the illustrated embodiment, a positioning column 350 may be arranged on the first locking arm 300X1, and the biasing member 400 may be sleeved on the positioning column 350 to engage the biasing member 400 with the first locking arm 300X1. This makes it convenient to install and remove the biasing member 400. The biasing member 400 may comprise an elastic member, for example, a piece of rubber. Preferably, the biasing member 400 may comprise a coil spring. The coil spring has the advantages of a simple structure, reliable performance, and a low price. In this embodiment, the coil spring may be directly sleeved on the positioning column 350, making it more convenient to engage the biasing member 400 with the first locking arm 300X1. Preferably, a guide groove 210 may be provided on the first housing 200. The biasing member 400 may be accommodated in the guide groove 210. Arrangement of the guide groove 210 makes it difficult for the biasing member 400 to deviate from its operating position, thereby ensuring the stability of the operating performance of the biasing member 400.
The sliding member 500 is slidably connected to the first housing 200. The sliding member 500 may be slidably connected to the first housing 200 in any manner, for example, by a sliding block and a chute. The sliding member 500 may be configured to slide in a second direction Y1 perpendicular to the first direction X1, and contact the cam surface 321X1 at the start of sliding or during the sliding process. When the sliding member 500 continues to slide in the second direction Y1 after contacting the cam surface 321X1, the sliding member 500 pushes the cam surface 321X1 so that the second end 320X1 of the first locking arm 300X1 moves in the first direction X1, and the first locking arm 300X1 is pivotable relative to the first housing 200, thereby driving the first end 310X1 to move in a direction X2 opposite to the first direction X1. Thus, the locking portion 311 may retract from a state of being engaged with a component in the second electrical connector 700; at this time, a force may be exerted on the first electrical connector 100 in the second direction Y1 so that the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 are unmated.
Although the principle of the present disclosure has been explained above using a right-angle electrical connector as an example, those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that the locking mechanism described above may be used for vertical electrical connectors, coplanar electrical connectors, etc., in addition to right-angle electrical connectors.
As shown in
In the process of mating together the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700, referring to
With this arrangement, while it is ensured that the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 may be reliably mated together, the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 are relatively compact in structure, have regular dimensions, and are small. When the mated first electrical connector 100 and second electrical connector 700 are mounted on a printed circuit board, the second electrical connector 700 may be arranged closer to surrounding components on the printed circuit board. Therefore, under the condition that the size of the printed circuit board remains unchanged, more components may be arranged on a printed circuit board, so that an electronic product provided with the printed circuit board can achieve the purpose of being miniaturized, integrated, and multi-functional.
Preferably, as shown in
Further, as shown in
Still further, as shown in
Preferably, as shown in
Still further, as shown in
When only one locking arm is provided, the position and operating principle of the contact protrusion 530 are the same as when two locking arms are provided; therefore, for the sake of brevity, no further details will be given herein.
As shown in
The sliding member 500 is then connected to the first housing 200, referring to
If a pull tab 600 is provided, then the pull tab 600 may be mounted on the sliding member 500, as shown in
Referring back to
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for mating and unmating a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector is further provided.
A method for mating the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 comprises the following steps: first, insert the first electrical connector 100 into the second electrical connector 700 so that the first end of the locking arm contacts members 751 of the second electrical connector 700; then, further insert the first electrical connector 100 into the second electrical connector 700; taking the first locking arm 300X1 as an example, the first end 310X1 of the first locking arm 300X1 pivots in the direction X2 away from the member 751 of the second electrical connector 700, as shown in
A method for unmating the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 comprises the following steps: first, slide the sliding member 500 of the first electrical connector 100 relative to the first housing 200 (as shown in
As shown in
As mentioned above, the first electrical connector 100 may further comprise a second locking arm 300X2, and the second locking arm 300X2 and the first locking arm 300X1 are arranged in a mirror image. In this case, actions of the second locking arm 300X2 and of the first locking arm 300X1 during the process of mating and unmating the first electrical connector 100 and the second electrical connector 700 are also mirrored.
Therefore, while the present disclosure has been explained with reference to the above-described embodiments, it should be understood that those of ordinary skill in the art can make more variations, modifications and improvements to the embodiments based on the teachings of the present disclosure, and that such variations, modifications, and improvements all fall within the spirit and the scope of protection of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and equivalent scopes thereof. The above-described embodiments only serve purposes of illustration and description, instead of being intended to limit the present disclosure to the scope of the described embodiments.
According to some embodiments, an electrical connector is provided. The electrical connector comprises a housing, a locking arm, a biasing member, and a sliding member. The locking arm comprises a first end, a second end, and a middle portion, the middle portion being located between the first end and the second end, wherein the first end comprises a locking portion, the middle portion is pivotably mounted to the housing about a pivot, and the second end comprises a cam surface. The biasing member is engaged with the locking arm to drive the first end in a first direction. The sliding member is slidably connected to the housing, the sliding member being configured to slide in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and contact the cam surface, so that the second end moves in the first direction, the locking arm pivots relative to the housing, and the first end moves in a direction opposite to the first direction.
In some embodiments, the biasing member is engaged with a portion of the locking arm between the pivot and the first end, the biasing member pushing the portion in the first direction.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector further comprises a pull tab, the pull tab being connected to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the pull tab is rotatably connected to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the pull tab comprises a protrusion that is configured to engage with the sliding member and prevent the pull tab from further rotating when the pull tab rotates to a predetermined angle relative to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the biasing member comprises a coil spring.
In some embodiments, the locking portion comprises a hook extending in the first direction.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector comprises a right-angle plug electrical connector.
In some embodiments, the locking arm is a first locking arm, and the electrical connector further comprises a second locking arm.
In some embodiments, the second locking arm and the first locking arm are arranged in a mirror image.
In some embodiments, the sliding member comprises a contact protrusion between the first locking arm and the second locking arm, the contact protrusion contacting the cam surface of the first locking arm and the cam surface of the second locking arm.
In some embodiments, the housing is provided with a first chute and a second chute that are spaced apart in the second direction and extend in the second direction, the sliding member is provided with a first sliding block matching the first chute and a second sliding block matching the second chute, and the first sliding block slides into the first chute from the gap between the first chute and the second chute.
According to some embodiments, an electrical connector is further provided, comprising a housing provided with an elongated opening that is configured to accommodate a fitting portion of the fitting electrical connector, wherein the elongated opening is surrounded by a wall of the housing. The wall comprises a middle portion having at least one groove, and the opposite sides of the at least one groove comprise an undercut portion that is configured to engage with the locking portions of the two locking arms inserted into the at least one groove when the fitting electrical connector is inserted.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector is a vertical electrical connector.
In some embodiments, the electrical connector comprises a mounting surface arranged in a plane, the mounting surface is configured to be mounted to a surface of a printed circuit board, and the elongated opening and the at least one groove are formed on a surface of the housing opposite to the mounting surface.
According to some embodiments, a method for fitting and unfitting a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector is further provided, wherein the first electrical connector comprises at least one locking arm pivotably mounted to a first housing, the method comprising:
In some embodiments, sliding the sliding member of the first electrical connector comprises pulling a pull tab connected to the sliding member of the first electrical connector.
In some embodiments, the pull tab is rotatably connected to the sliding member.
In some embodiments, the method further comprises rotating the pull tab relative to the sliding member and pulling the pull tab in a direction in which the sliding member slides.
In some embodiments, the components of the second electrical connector include an undercut portion on a side surface of at least one groove in a second housing; and the locking arm locks the first electrical connector to the second electrical connector by being locked to the underside of the undercut portion.
In some embodiments, the locking arm is a first locking arm, and the first electrical connector further comprises a second locking arm; and further inserting the first electrical connector into the second electrical connector so that the first end of the locking arm pivots in the first direction comprises pivoting a first end of the first locking arm towards a first end of the second locking arm.
In some embodiments, the locking arm is a first locking arm, and the first electrical connector further comprises a second locking arm; and further sliding the sliding member of the first electrical connector relative to the housing so that the sliding member of the first connector pushes a second end of the locking arm in the opposite direction and the first end of the locking arm is away from the components of the second electrical connector comprises pushing a second end of the first locking arm and a second end of the second locking arm in opposite directions.
With this arrangement, the first electrical connector may be reliably connected to the second electrical connector, and the structure of the first electrical connector is relatively compact, allowing regular and small dimensions. When the fitted first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are mounted on a printed circuit board, the second electrical connector may be arranged closer to surrounding components on the printed circuit board. Therefore, under the condition that the size of the printed circuit board remains unchanged, more components may be arranged on a printed circuit board, so that an electronic product provided with the printed circuit board can achieve the purpose of being miniaturized, integrated, and multi-functional.
Various changes may be made to the structures illustrated and described herein. For example, while the locking mechanism described above is used for a right-angle electrical connector, the locking mechanism is applicable to any suitable electrical connectors, such as vertical electrical connectors and coplanar electrical connectors. For another example, in the description given above, the first electrical connector 100 is connected to a cable, and the second electrical connector 700 is connected to a printed circuit board; however, the second electrical connector 700 may also be connected to cables to establish an electrical connection between the cables.
Moreover, although a number of creative aspects are described above with reference to a cable connector having a right-angle structure, it should be understood that aspects of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Any one of the creative features, whether alone or in combination with one or more other creative features, may also be used in other types of electrical connectors, such as backplane connectors, daughter card connectors, stacking connectors, mezzanine connectors, I/O connectors, and chip sockets.
It should be understood that in the description of the present disclosure, orientations or positional relationships indicated by orientation words, such as “front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “perpendicular”, “horizontal”, “top”, and “bottom”, are usually based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only intended for convenience of describing the present disclosure and brevity of description; under circumstances where no explanations are given to the contrary, these orientation words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the protection scope of the present disclosure; orientation words “inside” and “outside” refer to the inside and outside with respect to the contour of each component itself.
For convenience of description, spatial relative terms, such as “on . . . ”, “above . . . ”, “on the upper surface of . . . ”, and “on top of”, may be used herein to describe a spatial relationship between one or more components or features and another component or feature shown in a figure. It should be understood that spatial relative terms include not only orientations of a component shown in a figure, but also different orientations in use or operation. For example, if the components in a drawing are inverted as a whole, then a component's being “above another component or feature” or “on another component or feature” will include circumstances in which the component is “below another component or structure” or “under another component or structure”. Therefore, the exemplary term “above . . . ” can include both orientations “above . . . ” and “below . . . ” In addition, these components or features may also be positioned at other different angles (for example, by being rotated through 90 degrees or another angle), and it is intended to cover all of these circumstances herein.
It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific implementations, instead of being intended to limit exemplary implementations according to the present application. As used herein, unless expressly indicated otherwise in the context, a singular form is also intended to include its plural form; in addition, it should also be understood that when the terms “comprising” and/or “including” are used in this description, they indicate the existence of features, steps, operations, parts, components, and/or a combination thereof.
Note that terms such as “first” and “second” used in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to differentiate between similar targets, instead of describing a specific sequence or a precedence relationship. It should be understood that data used in this way are interchangeable where appropriate, so that embodiments of the present application described herein may be implemented in a sequence other than any of those shown or described herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202010599155.7 | Jun 2020 | CN | national |
202021217906.6 | Jun 2020 | CN | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20210408727 A1 | Dec 2021 | US |