阅读说明：本技术 第一连接器、第二连接器及电连接器组合 (First connector, second connector and electric connector combination ) 是由 杨云芳 于 2020-03-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一第一连接器、一第二连接器及电连接器组合。该第一连接器包括一连接器主体、一弹性卡扣件及一位置保证滑块；该连接器主体的壳体的上表面突伸出一定位突柱和两锁固突起；两个锁固突起的内侧相对地突伸出一锁固凸部；该弹性卡扣件的弹性部悬空于该壳体的上表面；该位置保证滑块可前后滑动于该壳体与该弹性卡扣件之间；该位置保证滑块的锁定部在前后滑动的过程中与该锁固凸部相配合,而使该弹性卡扣件处于一锁固状态或一非锁固状态；其中在该锁固状态时,该位置保证滑块的舌片处于该弹性部的下方来阻止该弹性部向下运动,从而阻止该弹性卡扣件的卡钩脱钩。本发明结构简单可实现牢靠锁固。(The invention provides a first connector, a second connector and an electric connector combination. The first connector comprises a connector main body, an elastic clamping piece and a position assurance sliding block; the upper surface of the shell of the connector main body protrudes out of a positioning projecting column and two locking projections; a locking convex part oppositely protrudes out of the inner sides of the two locking bulges; the elastic part of the elastic buckle piece is suspended on the upper surface of the shell; the position ensures that the sliding block can slide back and forth between the shell and the elastic clamping piece; the position ensures that the locking part of the sliding block is matched with the locking convex part in the process of sliding back and forth, so that the elastic clamping piece is in a locking state or a non-locking state; when the locking state is carried out, the position ensures that the tongue piece of the sliding block is positioned below the elastic part to prevent the elastic part from moving downwards, so that the hook of the elastic clamping piece is prevented from being unhooked. The invention has simple structure and can realize firm locking.)

1. A first connector adapted to be inserted into a second connector, comprising:

the connector comprises a connector main body, a first connector assembly and a shell, wherein the shell is sleeved on the periphery of the first connector assembly; the upper surface of the shell extends upwards to form a positioning convex column and two locking bulges which are respectively arranged at two sides of the positioning convex column; the inner sides of the two locking protrusions oppositely protrude out of a locking convex part respectively;

the elastic clamping piece comprises a fixed part, an elastic part extending forwards from the fixed part and a clamping hook arranged at the front end of the elastic part; the fixing part is provided with a positioning hole for the positioning protruding column to be inserted and fixed; the elastic part is suspended on the upper surface of the shell; and

a position assurance slide block which can slide back and forth between the housing and the elastic buckle piece; the position assurance slide comprises a base, a tongue piece extending forwards from the base and two locking parts arranged at two sides of the tongue piece; the tongue piece is provided with a positioning groove extending forwards and backwards so that the positioning protruding column can be relatively slidably arranged in the positioning groove in a protruding manner; the locking part is matched with the locking convex part in the process of sliding back and forth, so that the elastic buckle piece is in a locking state or a non-locking state; when the locking state is in the locked state, the tongue piece is positioned below the elastic part to prevent the elastic part from moving downwards, so that the hook is prevented from unhooking.

2. The first connector according to claim 1, wherein the elastic latch is made of metal, the front end of the elastic portion is further bent reversely to extend an abutting portion, the abutting portion abuts against the housing, and the hook protrudes upward from the elastic portion.

3. The first connector of claim 1, wherein two sides of the fixing portion of the elastic latch member are respectively bent downward to extend a side fixing piece, and the two side fixing pieces are respectively provided with a latching hole; two lateral surfaces of the shell are respectively provided with a clamping and fixing protrusion which is combined with the corresponding clamping and fixing hole.

4. The first connector according to claim 1, wherein a space is provided between the locking portion of the position assurance slider and the tongue piece for allowing the locking portion to elastically deform inward, the locking portion protrudes outward to form a snap-fit portion, and the snap-fit portion is correspondingly snapped to the locking protrusion of the housing.

5. The first connector according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the positioning protrusion is located at a rear end of the positioning groove when the elastic locking member is in the locked state; when the positioning groove is in the unlocked state, the positioning protruding column is positioned at the front end of the positioning groove.

6. The first connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein two front positioning ribs are correspondingly disposed on the upper surface of the housing in front of the two locking protrusions, and the two front positioning ribs are respectively disposed on two sides of the elastic portion of the elastic buckling member and clamp the elastic portion therein.

7. An electrical connector assembly comprising a first connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 and a mating second connector; the second connector comprises a second connector component, a fixed shell used for fixing the second connector component and an outer shielding shell sleeved on the periphery of the fixed shell; the front end of the outer shielding shell surrounds to form a locking cavity, and the top of the outer shielding shell is provided with a clamping hole; when the first connector is in butt joint with the second connector, the front end of the shell of the first connector is inserted into the locking cavity, and the clamping hook of the elastic clamping piece is upwards hooked and buckled to the clamping hole, so that the first connector and the second connector are locked together.

8. The electrical connector assembly of claim 7, wherein the bottom of the outer shielding shell is bent upward to form a spring, and the spring is pressed against the housing of the first connector, so as to cooperate with the hook of the elastic fastener to fix the housing of the first connector.

9. The electrical connector assembly of claim 7 wherein the fixed housing of the second connector extends forwardly to form a projecting plate having at least one anti-misinsertion notch formed therein; the shell of the first connector is convexly provided with at least one misplug-preventing rib, and the at least one misplug-preventing rib is correspondingly inserted into the at least one misplug-preventing groove.

10. A second connector, comprising:

a second connector assembly, which comprises an insulating seat body, a plurality of conductive terminals fixed on the insulating seat body and a metal shell sleeved outside the insulating seat body; two sides of the metal shell are respectively bent outwards to form a fixed convex rib;

a fixing housing fixed to the second connector assembly, the fixing housing having a receiving hole extending in a front-rear direction, both sides of the fixing housing having a fixing groove, respectively; the front end of the metal shell is accommodated in the accommodating hole, and the fixing convex rib of the metal shell is inserted in the corresponding fixing groove; and

and the outer shielding shell is sleeved on the periphery of the fixed shell.

11. The second connector according to claim 10, wherein the two fixing ribs are bent horizontally outward from both sides of the metal shell, respectively, and the two fixing grooves are opened in a rear surface of the fixing housing to extend forward and backward.

12. The second connector according to claim 11, wherein the rear end of the metal shell is provided with a fixing piece bent upward and a fixing hole provided on the fixing piece, the fixing hole being combined with the fixing housing.

13. The second connector of claim 12, wherein the fixing housing extends rearward to form a fixing post, and the fixing post is fixed with the fixing hole of the metal shell.

14. An electrical connector assembly comprising a first connector as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 and a mating second connector;

the second connector comprises a second connector component, a fixed shell used for fixing the second connector component and an outer shielding shell sleeved on the periphery of the fixed shell, wherein the front end of the outer shielding shell surrounds to form a locking cavity, a protruding plate extends forwards from the fixed shell, and at least one misplug-preventing slot is formed in the protruding plate;

when the first connector is butted with the second connector, the front end of the shell of the first connector is inserted into the locking cavity; the shell of the first connector is provided with at least one misplug-preventing rib in a protruding mode, and the at least one misplug-preventing rib is correspondingly inserted into the at least one misplug-preventing groove.

15. The electrical connector assembly of claim 14, wherein a spring piece protrudes from the bottom and two sides of the outer shielding shell into the locking cavity, and the spring pieces elastically abut against the housing of the first connector when the first connector is mated with the second connector.

16. The electrical connector assembly of claim 15, wherein the protruding plate has a recess formed in a middle portion thereof, the resilient portion of the bottom of the outer shield projects upwardly from the recess, and the at least one anti-misinsertion notch is formed in at least one side edge of the protruding plate.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of electrical connectors, and more particularly, to a first connector, a second connector and an electrical connector assembly with simple structure and capable of securely locking.

Background

CN1123097C discloses a connector assembly, which comprises: a first connector housing extending from a first end toward an opposite second end, the housing comprising: a projection extending from a first connector housing wall; a second connector housing extending from one end toward an opposite end, the housing including a resilient locking tab; said locking tab including a first tab portion extending from a fixed end connected to a second connector housing wall to a first free end and a second tab portion extending from said first free end to an opposite second free end, said second free end including engagement means; said second connector housing being slidably engaged with said first connector housing along a longitudinal axis for engaging and disengaging said male portion and said engagement member, respectively; said locking tab being constructed and arranged such that movement of said first tab portion toward said longitudinal axis moves said engagement member in a disengaged manner away from said longitudinal axis and disengagement of said first tab portion retracts said engagement member in an engaged manner toward said longitudinal axis; a positioning assurance member movably connected with said second connector housing and constructed and arranged such that movement of said positioning assurance member in a locking direction positions said positioning assurance member relative to said locking tab sufficiently to prevent movement of said first tab portion toward said longitudinal axis and movement of said engagement member away from said longitudinal axis to lockingly engage said projection with said engagement member in said locking manner in accordance with said engagement.

In the structure of the connector assembly, the combination part of the elastic locking tongue piece is hidden in the structure, and the elastic locking tongue piece is integrally formed on the shell and extends along two directions through the shell wall, so that the structure is complex and the elasticity is poor. The positioning safety part can be locked and combined only by being connected with the other butted second connector shell, the structure is complex, the positioning safety part is difficult to disengage after being locked and combined, the positioning safety part is inconvenient to be applied to occasions where the first connector and the second connector need to be frequently separated and combined, and the elastic locking tongue piece made of plastic is easy to break after being repeatedly assembled and disassembled for a long time to cause latch failure.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, and to provide a first connector, a second connector and an electrical connector assembly with simple structure and capable of realizing reliable locking.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a first connector includes a connector body, an elastic locking member, and a position assurance slider; the connector main body comprises a first connector component and a shell sleeved on the periphery of the first connector component; the upper surface of the shell extends upwards to form a positioning convex column and two locking bulges which are respectively arranged at two sides of the positioning convex column; the inner sides of the two locking protrusions oppositely protrude out of a locking convex part respectively; the elastic fastener comprises a fixed part, an elastic part extending forwards from the fixed part and a hook arranged at the front end of the elastic part; the fixing part is provided with a positioning hole for the positioning protruding column to be inserted and fixed; the elastic part is suspended on the upper surface of the shell; the position ensures that the sliding block can slide back and forth between the shell and the elastic clamping piece; the position assurance slide comprises a base, a tongue piece extending forwards from the base and two locking parts arranged at two sides of the tongue piece; the tongue piece is provided with a positioning groove extending forwards and backwards so that the positioning protruding column can be relatively slidably arranged in the positioning groove in a protruding manner; the locking part is matched with the locking convex part in the process of sliding back and forth, so that the elastic buckle piece is in a locking state or a non-locking state; when the locking state is in the locked state, the tongue piece is positioned below the elastic part to prevent the elastic part from moving downwards, so that the hook is prevented from unhooking.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides an electrical connector assembly, including the first connector and a second mating connector as described above; the second connector comprises a second connector component, a fixed shell used for fixing the second connector component and an outer shielding shell sleeved on the periphery of the fixed shell; the front end of the outer shielding shell surrounds to form a locking cavity, and the top of the outer shielding shell is provided with a clamping hole; when the first connector is in butt joint with the second connector, the front end of the shell of the first connector is inserted into the locking cavity, and the clamping hook of the elastic clamping piece is upwards hooked and buckled to the clamping hole, so that the first connector and the second connector are locked together.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a second connector is further provided, which includes a second connector assembly, a fixed housing and an outer shielding shell; the second connector assembly comprises an insulating seat body, a plurality of conductive terminals fixed on the insulating seat body and a metal shell sleeved outside the insulating seat body; two sides of the metal shell are respectively bent outwards to form a fixed convex rib; the fixed shell is fixed to the second connector assembly, an accommodating hole extending front and back is formed in the fixed shell, and two fixing grooves are formed in two sides of the fixed shell respectively; the front end of the metal shell is accommodated in the accommodating hole, and the fixing convex rib of the metal shell is inserted in the corresponding fixing groove; the outer shielding shell is sleeved on the periphery of the fixed shell.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides an electrical connector assembly, comprising the first connector and the second mating connector as described above; the second connector comprises a second connector component, a fixed shell used for fixing the second connector component and an outer shielding shell sleeved on the periphery of the fixed shell, wherein the front end of the outer shielding shell surrounds to form a locking cavity, a protruding plate extends forwards from the fixed shell, and at least one misplug-preventing slot is formed in the protruding plate; when the first connector is butted with the second connector, the front end of the shell of the first connector is inserted into the locking cavity; the shell of the first connector is provided with at least one misplug-preventing rib in a protruding mode, and the at least one misplug-preventing rib is correspondingly inserted into the at least one misplug-preventing groove.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has at least the following advantages: in the first connector, the hook on the elastic fastener is used for realizing firm connection with the second connector which is butted with the first connector; the elastic fastener can be in a locked state and an unlocked state by adjusting the front position and the rear position of the slide block at the position. In a locked state, the clamping hook is ensured not to be separated from the second connector in butt joint, and firm locking connection is realized. And under the non-locking state, the hook can be released from being connected with the hook buckle of the second connector by pressing the elastic part, thereby facilitating the separation of the connectors.

The elastic fastener and the position guarantee that the sliding block is positioned through the positioning protruding column protruding out of the shell and the locking protrusion, the structure is simple, and assembly is facilitated. The fixing part of the elastic clamping piece is arranged on the shell, the elastic part is suspended on the shell, and compared with a clamping structure which is integrally arranged on the shell, the elastic clamping piece made of metal has better elasticity and clamping strength, and is convenient for realizing firmer locking connection. The position assurance sliding block can realize stable front and back sliding through the sliding fit of the positioning groove and the positioning convex column, and the front and back positions of the position assurance sliding block can be fixed through the fit of the locking part and the locking protrusion, so that the firmness of locking connection is ensured.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention, wherein the electrical connector assembly is assembled and locked.

Fig. 2 is a front view of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view a-a of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view B-B of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical connector assembly of fig. 1 in an unlocked state.

Fig. 6 is a front view of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view C-C of fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line D-D of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the electrical connector assembly of fig. 1 in a separated state.

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the first connector of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of another viewing angle direction further exploded on the basis of fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of the position assurance slide of fig. 9 in a mated configuration with the connector body, wherein the resilient latch has been disengaged.

Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the second connector of fig. 9 with the circuit board and the outer shield shell removed.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view from another perspective view of the second connector of fig. 13 further exploded.

Fig. 15 is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the electrical connector assembly of the present invention with the outer shield shell of the second connector removed.

Fig. 16 is a bottom view of an electrical connector assembly according to another preferred embodiment, also with the outer shield shell of the second connector removed.

Wherein the reference numerals are as follows: 100. an electrical connector assembly; 400. a circuit board; 401. a pad;

1/1a, a first connector;

10. a connector body; 11. a first connector assembly; 111. a shield case; 1111. a holding part; 112. a plug; 12/12a, a housing; 121. positioning the protruding column; 122. a locking protrusion; 1221. a locking protrusion; 123. a rear positioning rib; 1231. a containing chute; 124. a front positioning rib; 125. clamping and fixing the protrusion; 126. a card slot; 127/127a, misplug prevention ribs; 13. an insulating covering member;

14. an elastic fastener; 141. a fixed part; 1411. positioning holes; 1412. a side fixing sheet; 1415. a clamping hole; 142. an elastic portion; 143. a hook; 144. an abutting portion;

15. a position assurance slide; 151. a base; 152. a tongue piece; 1521. positioning a groove; 153. a locking portion; 1531. a clamping part; 154. a spacing groove;

2/2a, a second connector;

21. a second connector assembly; 211. a metal shell; 2111. a fixing sheet; 2112. positioning holes; 2113. a fixing rib; 2114. a docking chamber; 212. a conductive terminal; 213. an insulating base body;

22. fixing the housing; 221. an accommodating hole; 222. fixing a column; 223. fixing grooves; 224/224a, a protruding plate; 2241. an avoidance groove; 2242/2242a, false insertion preventing slot;

23. an outer shield shell; 231. a clamping hole; 232. a locking cavity; 233. an elastic sheet.

Detailed Description

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present description is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to that as illustrated.

Thus, a feature indicated in this specification is intended to describe one of the features of an embodiment of the invention and does not imply that every embodiment of the invention must have the described feature. Further, it should be noted that this specification describes many features. Although some features may be combined to show a possible system design, these features may also be used in other combinations not explicitly described. Thus, the combinations illustrated are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, directional references (such as upper, lower, left, right, front and rear) are used to explain the structure and movement of the various elements of the invention, rather than absolute, and relative. These descriptions are appropriate when the elements are in the positions shown in the drawings. If the description of the positions of these elements changes, the indication of these directions changes accordingly.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to fig. 1 to 9, the present preferred embodiment provides an electrical connector assembly 100, which includes a first connector 1 and a second connector 2. The first connector 1 can be correspondingly inserted into the second connector 2, and in the preferred embodiment, the first connector 1 is provided with a hook 143, the second connector 2 is provided with a mating fastening hole 231, and the hook 143 is correspondingly hooked to the fastening hole 231, so that the electrical connector assembly 100 can be locked together.

In other embodiments, not shown, the latching hole 231 disposed on the second connector 2 may be any other structure capable of latching with the latching hook 143, for example, a latching structure may be disposed on the second connector 2 to latch with the latching hook 143.

In the preferred embodiment, the first connector 1 is provided with a position assurance slide 15, and the front and rear positions of the position assurance slide 15 can be adjusted so as to further determine the locked state as shown in fig. 1 to 4 or the unlocked state as shown in fig. 5 to 8 when the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are hooked together.

In the locked state, the position of the position assurance slider 15 can prevent the hook 143 and the hook hole 231 from being disengaged, so that the unlocking caused by an improper collision can be prevented, the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are firmly locked together, the reliability of the electrical connection between the two is improved, and the device is suitable for a working environment with strong vibration.

In the unlocked state, the position ensures that the slide 15 will not prevent the downward movement of the hook 143, and the hook 143 and the locking hole 231 can be separated by a proper detaching operation, so as to facilitate the disconnection of the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 to assume the state shown in fig. 9.

As shown in fig. 9, in the preferred embodiment, the first connector 1 is a cable connector with USB-C plug, which is applied to cable end. The second connector 2 is a USB-C socket connector that can be plugged into, preferably used in an electronic device (not shown), and the second connector 2 is soldered to a circuit board 400 of the electronic device.

It can be understood that, in the preferred embodiment, the technical solution of locking the position of the slide 15 by the cooperation of the hook 143 and the hook hole 231 and the position assurance is not limited to the form of the electrical connection interface. In other embodiments not shown, the interface between the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 is not limited to USB-C, but may be USB2.0, HDMI, lighting, or the like.

With reference to fig. 10 to 14, the specific structures of the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are further described below for better understanding of the present invention.

For convenience of description, the direction of the end where the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are butted is defined as "front", and the direction of the end away from is defined as "rear".

As shown in fig. 10, the first connector 1 of the preferred embodiment includes a connector body 10, an elastic latch 14 and the position assurance slide 15. The connector body 10 includes a first connector component 11, a housing 12 sleeved on the periphery of the first connector component 11, and an insulating covering 13 covering the rear end of the first connector component 11. The elastic fastener 14 and the position assurance slider 15 are correspondingly disposed on the upper surface of the housing 12, wherein the position assurance slider 15 can slide back and forth between the housing 12 and the elastic fastener 14.

Referring to fig. 11, the first connector assembly 11 of the preferred embodiment is in the form of a USB-C, and generally includes a shielding shell 111 and a plug 112 disposed in the shielding shell 111, wherein the plug 112 extends forward out of the shielding shell 111 for mating with the second connector 2. The rear end of the shielding shell 111 is provided with a holding portion 1111 for holding a cable (not shown) extending into the shielding shell 111 and electrically connected to the plug 112. Other specific structures of the first connector assembly 11 can refer to the related art, and are not described herein. The first connector assembly 11 may accordingly have different configurations based on different interface formats.

Referring to fig. 10 and 11, the housing 12 is a hollow rectangular column penetrating front and back, and is sleeved outside the shielding shell 111, and has an opening at the front end for the plug 112 to extend out and an opening at the rear end for the cable to pass through.

A positioning post 121 and two locking protrusions 122 respectively disposed on two sides of the positioning post 121 protrude upward from the upper surface of the housing 12. The positioning post 121 is located at the center of the housing 12 in the width direction. The locking protrusions 122 extend in the front-rear direction, the outer side surfaces of the two locking protrusions 122 are flush with one side surface of the housing 12, and the inner sides of the front ends of the two locking protrusions 122 protrude out of a locking protrusion 1221. The convex locking portion 1221 is substantially in the shape of a right trapezoid, and has a front end surface corresponding to a right-angled waist of the right trapezoid and being a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and a rear end surface being an inclined surface inclined inward from rear to front.

Further, two rear positioning ribs 123 protrude from the upper surface of the housing 12 behind the locking protrusion 122. The rear positioning ribs 123 are L-shaped, short sides of the L-shape are connected to the locking protrusions 122, long sides of the L-shape extend to the rear end face of the housing 12 in the front-rear direction, and the L-shaped short sides of the two rear positioning ribs 123 are opposite. An accommodating sliding groove 1231 is formed between the two rear positioning ribs 123; the width of the receiving groove 1231 is greater than the interval between the two locking protrusions 122.

In addition, two front positioning ribs 124 protrude from the upper surface of the housing 12 in front of the locking protrusion 122. The front positioning rib 124 extends in the front-rear direction, is connected to the front end of the locking protrusion 122, and has a distance from the front end surface of the housing 12. The spacing between the two front positioning ribs 124 is greater than the spacing between the two locking projections 122.

The rear positioning rib 123 and the front positioning rib 124 extend beyond the locking protrusion 122 along the height direction and the width direction of the housing 12, so as to form a concave structure at the locking protrusion 122 for positioning the elastic buckling member 14. In addition, two side surfaces of the housing 12 are respectively provided with a fastening protrusion 125, and the fastening protrusion 125 and the positioning stud 121 are approximately on the same vertical section. The front end of the housing 12 is further provided with a locking slot 126, and the opening of the locking slot 126 faces forward.

Still referring to fig. 10 and 11, the front end of the insulating covering member 13 extends into the housing 12, and the rear end thereof is exposed behind the housing 12 to cover the connection between the first connector element 11 and the cable, so as to protect the connection. The insulating covering member 13 may be formed by plastic injection molding.

Referring to fig. 10 and 12, the position assurance slide 15 includes a base 151, a tongue 152 extending forward from the base 151, and two locking portions 153 respectively provided on both sides of the tongue 152. The position assurance slide 15 is preferably integrally injection molded from a plastic material.

The base 151 has a substantially rectangular columnar shape, and is operated by an operator to slide the position assurance slide 15 forward and backward. The base 151 is accommodated in the accommodating groove 1231 of the housing 12 and can slide back and forth along the accommodating groove 1231.

The tongue 152 has a plate shape, and the thickness thereof is smaller than that of the base 151. The tongue piece 152 is provided with a positioning groove 1521 extending forwards and backwards, the width of the positioning groove 1521 is matched with the width of the positioning protruding column 121 so as to be in sliding fit with the positioning protruding column 121, the extending direction of the positioning groove 1521 guides the position assurance sliding block 15, the position assurance sliding block 15 can stably slide forwards and backwards, and the limit position of the position assurance sliding block 15 sliding forwards and backwards is limited.

The locking portion 153 is generally elongated in the front-rear direction. Two locking parts 153 are symmetrically located on both sides of the tongue 152 and located on the same plane as the tongue 152, both ends of the locking part 153 are respectively connected to the tongue 152, and a space groove 154 is provided between a main body part of the locking part 153 and the tongue 152, so that the locking part 153 can be elastically deformed inward in the width direction. The two locking portions 153 respectively protrude outward to form a locking portion 1531 for locking with the locking protrusion 1221 to determine the locking state or the non-locking state.

In the preferred embodiment, the engaging portion 1531 is trapezoidal, and the front end and the rear end are inclined surfaces, so as to be in pressing contact with the protruding locking portion 1221 during the sliding process to drive the locking portion 153 to elastically deform.

With reference to fig. 10, the elastic locking element 14 is preferably a metal bending element, and includes a fixed portion 141, an elastic portion 142 extending forward from the fixed portion 141, the hook 143 protruding upward from the middle of the elastic portion 142, and an abutting portion 144 further bent and extending backward from the front end of the elastic portion 142.

The fixing portion 141 is in a flat shape, extends along the width direction of the housing 12, and is provided with a positioning hole 1411 for being matched and fixed with the positioning protrusion 121 of the housing 12. Preferably, the left and right sides of the fixing portion 141 are further bent downward to form a fixing piece 1412. The side fixing plate 1412 is provided with a fastening hole 1415 for being fixed with the fastening protrusion 125 of the housing 12, so that the elastic bayonet member 14 is more firmly combined with the housing 12.

The elastic portion 142 is substantially in the shape of a flat sheet and extends forward from the front side of the fixing portion 141, and the width of the elastic portion 142 is smaller than the length of the fixing portion 141. The middle portion of the elastic portion 142 is narrowed with respect to the rear portion thereof, and the front end thereof is bent slightly downward and then continues to extend forward.

The hook 143 can preferably be punched and protruded upward from the middle of the elastic portion 142, so as to have better fastening strength.

The abutting portion 144 further bends and extends from the front end of the elastic portion 142 in the opposite direction, i.e., bends and extends from the front end edge of the elastic portion 142 downward and rearward. The abutting portion 144 abuts against the engaging groove 126 of the housing 12, so as to provide a support for the end of the elastic portion 142, and make the elastic locking member 14 have better elasticity.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, the elastic latch 14 covers the housing 12 and keeps the slider 15 at a predetermined position. The positioning studs 121 of the housing 12 are inserted into the positioning holes 1411 fixed to the fixing portions 141, and the two fastening protrusions 125 of the housing 12 are respectively fastened to the fastening holes 1415 of the corresponding side fixing pieces 1412, so that the elastic fastening member 14 is fixedly mounted on the housing 12. The front positioning rib 124 and the rear positioning rib 123 of the housing 12 sandwich the fixing portion 141 and the side fixing piece 1412 in the front-rear direction, thereby playing a role of auxiliary limit. The elastic portion 142 is suspended on the upper surface of the housing 12, and the hook 143 can be driven to move downward by pressing the elastic portion 142, and after the external pressing force is removed, the elastic portion 142 elastically restores to drive the hook 143 to move upward. The elastic portion 142 is sandwiched between two front positioning ribs 124 in the width direction of the housing 12, and the two front positioning ribs 124 protect both sides of the elastic portion 142, thereby preventing the elastic portion 142 from being erroneously touched by an external force from a side direction. The abutting portion 144 abuts against the engaging groove 126 of the housing 12, so as to ensure the overall strength and elasticity of the elastic locking member 14.

The assembly process of the first connector 1 is substantially: sleeving the housing 12 on the outer periphery of the first connector assembly 11, and forming the insulating cover 13 at the rear end of the housing 12, thereby forming the connector body 10; the position assurance slide 15 is installed on the housing 12 such that the positioning slot 1521 of the position assurance slide 15 is fitted over the positioning protrusion 121 of the housing 12 and the base 151 is received in the receiving groove 1231; finally, the elastic locking member 14 is mounted on the housing 12, such that the abutting portion 144 of the elastic locking member 14 abuts against the locking slot 126 of the housing 12, and the fixing portion 141 and the positioning stud 121 are fixed together, and the two side fixing pieces 1412 are fixed together with the two locking protrusions 125, respectively.

Referring to fig. 9, 13 and 14, the second connector 2 of the preferred embodiment includes a second connector element 21, a fixed housing 22 fixed to the second connector element 21, and an outer shielding shell 23 sleeved on the periphery of the fixed housing 22.

In the preferred embodiment, the second connector element 21 is a USB-C socket corresponding to the first connector element 11, and generally includes an insulating base 213, a plurality of conductive terminals 212 fixed on the insulating base 213, and a metal shell 211 sleeved outside the insulating base 213. The rear ends of the conductive terminals 212 extend out from the insulating housing 213 and are used for soldering with the pads 401 of the circuit board 400. The front end of the metal shell 211 encloses a mating cavity 2114 for mating with the plug 112 of the first connector assembly 11. The rear end of the metal shell 211 is provided with a fixing plate 2111 bent upward, the fixing plate 2111 is provided with a fixing hole 2112, and both sides of the front end of the metal shell 211 are respectively bent outward horizontally to protrude a fixing rib 2113.

The fixing housing 22 is preferably formed by plastic injection molding, and has a receiving hole 221 extending forward and backward, and fixing grooves 223 extending forward and backward on both sides of the rear surface thereof. The fixing housing 22 is fixed to the outer circumference of the metal case 211, wherein the front end of the metal case 211 is received in the receiving hole 221, and the fixing ribs 2113 are respectively inserted into the corresponding fixing grooves 223.

A fixing post 222 extends from the fixing housing 22 above the receiving hole 221, and the fixing plate 2111 of the metal shell 211 is fixed to the fixing post 222 through the fixing hole 2112, specifically, the fixing hole 2112 is sleeved on the fixing post 222, and then the end of the fixing post 222 is heat-melted to combine and fix the fixing plate 2111 and the fixing post 222.

In the second connector 2, the receiving hole 221 of the fixing housing 22 is matched with the metal shell 211 in a positioning manner, and the fixing groove 223 of the fixing housing 22 is matched with the fixing rib 2113 of the metal shell 211, so that the fixing housing 22 and the second connector assembly 21 can be assembled easily and quickly. The fixing rib 2113 is bent horizontally, and the fixing groove 223 is opened at the rear surface of the fixing housing 22 to extend forward and backward, thereby facilitating the forward and backward assembly and positioning of the metal shell 211 and the fixing housing 22. Further, the fixing piece 2111 is combined with the fixing post 222, so that the fixing housing 22 and the second connector assembly 21 are firmly combined together, and the structure is simple and reliable.

The outer shielding shell 23 is made of metal, and surrounds the periphery and the rear of the fixed housing 22 and the second connector assembly 21, so as to shield signal interference. The front end of the external shielding shell 23 surrounds to form a locking cavity 232, and the bottom and two sides of the front end of the external shielding shell 23 are respectively provided with a spring plate 233 bending elastically into the locking cavity 232 to guide the insertion and butt joint of the first connector 1 and hold the housing 12 of the first connector 1, so as to facilitate the butt joint of the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 and maintain the butt joint state.

The elastic sheet 233 at the bottom is bent upwards and extends out of the escape slot 2241 of the fixed housing 22. The outer shield shell 23 is provided with the catching hole 231 at the top of the front end thereof.

Based on the above description of the specific structure of the first connector 1 and the second connector 2, referring to fig. 1 to 8, when the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are mated, the plug 112 of the first connector 1 extends into the mating cavity 2114 of the second connector 2, so that the first connector assembly 11 is electrically connected to the second connector assembly 21. Meanwhile, the front end of the housing 12 of the first connector 1 is inserted into the locking cavity 232 of the second connector 2, and the hook 143 of the elastic fastener 14 is hooked into the fastening hole 231 of the outer shielding shell 23 to achieve locking. The elastic sheet 233 at the bottom of the outer shielding shell 23 is pressed against the housing 12 of the first connector 1, and is matched with the hook 143 to fix the housing 12 of the first connector 1 from the upper and lower sides, so that the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are locked more firmly.

At this time, the position assurance slider 15 is slidably located between the housing 12 and the elastic locking member 14, and the elastic locking member 14 is in a locked state or an unlocked state by changing the front and rear positions of the position assurance slider 15.

Fig. 3 and 4 illustrate the locked state. Referring to fig. 3, at this time, the position ensures that the slider 15 is located at the front limit position, the base 151 is located at the foremost end of the accommodating slide 1231, and the positioning protrusion 121 is located at the rear end of the positioning slot 1521. At this time, the engaging portion 1531 of the locking portion 153 is located in front of the convex locking portion 1221, and engages with the front end of the convex locking portion 1221, thereby fixing the position assurance slide 15 at the front limit position.

Referring to fig. 4, in the locked state, the tongue piece 152 of the position assurance slider 15 abuts against the lower side of the elastic portion 142 of the elastic locking member 14, so that the elastic portion 142 is prevented from moving downward, and thus the hook 143 is difficult to move downward to release the locking relationship with the locking hole 231. At this time, the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 can be firmly locked together and are not easily affected by external force.

Fig. 7 and 8 illustrate the unlocked state. As shown in fig. 7, at this time, the position-assurance slider 15 is located at the rear limit position, the base 151 is located at the rearmost end of the accommodating slide 1231, and the positioning protrusion 121 is located at the front end of the positioning slot 1521. At this time, the engaging portion 1531 of the locking portion 153 is located behind the convex locking portion 1221, and engages with the rear end of the convex locking portion 1221, so as to fix the position assurance slide 15 at the rear limit position.

Referring again to fig. 8, in the unlocked state, the position ensures that the tongue 152 of the slider 15 is retracted rearward and no longer prevents downward movement of the resilient portion 142. When the elastic portion 142 is pressed, the hook 143 is driven to move downward to release the hooking relationship with the hook hole 231, and then the first connector 1 is pulled out by further applying a force backward to release the electrical connection between the first connector 1 and the second connector 2.

Referring to fig. 3 and 7, the locked state and the unlocked state of the elastic latch 14 are switched by changing the front-back position of the position assurance slider 15. In the initial state of the locked state of fig. 3, the position assurance slider 15 is pulled backward, and the locking portion 153 is elastically deformed inward by the pressing of the locking protrusion 1221 by the catching portion 1531. When moving backward to the unlocked state of fig. 7, the engaging portion 1531 moves to the rear of the locking protrusion 1221, and the locking portion 153 elastically returns, thereby maintaining the unlocked state. On the contrary, taking the non-locking state of fig. 7 as the initial state, the position assurance slider 15 is pushed forward to elastically deform the locking portion 153 inward until the engaging portion 1531 moves to the front of the locking protrusion 1221, so that the elastic engaging member 14 is in the locking state.

As can be seen from the above description, in the first connector 1 of the preferred embodiment, the hooks 143 of the elastic buckling members 14 are used to realize a firm connection with the buckling holes 231 of the second connector 2; by adjusting the front and rear positions of the position assurance slider 15, the elastic fastener 14 can be in a locked state or an unlocked state. In the locked state, the hooks 143 are prevented from being separated from the hooking holes 231, so that the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are firmly locked and connected. In the unlocked state, the hook 143 and the hook hole 231 can be released from the hook connection by pressing the elastic portion 142, thereby facilitating the separation of the connectors.

The elastic fastener 14 and the position assurance slider 15 are positioned by the positioning protrusion 121 and the locking protrusion 122 protruding from the housing 12, and the structure is simple and the assembly is convenient. The fixing portion 141 of the elastic locking member 14 is mounted on the housing 12, and the elastic portion 142 is suspended on the housing 12, so that the metal elastic locking member 14 has better elasticity and locking strength, and is convenient for realizing more firm locking connection, compared with the locking structure integrally arranged on the housing. The position assurance slider 15 can slide back and forth stably by the sliding fit of the positioning groove 1521 thereof with the positioning stud 121, and the position assurance slider 15 can be fixed back and forth by the fit of the locking portion 153 thereof with the locking protrusion 122, thereby ensuring the stability of the locked state and the firmness of the locking connection.

Referring to fig. 14 and 15, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a protruding plate 224 extends forward from the bottom of the fixed housing 22 of the second connector 2, a front middle portion of the protruding plate 224 is provided with a avoiding groove 2241, and a side edge of the protruding plate 224 is provided with an anti-misinsertion groove 2242.

The structure of the protruding plate 224 of the fixed housing 22 in the second connector 2 is matched, and a mis-insertion preventing protrusion 127 is protruded from the bottom of the housing 12 in the first connector 1. The erroneous insertion preventing protrusion rib 127 is inserted into the erroneous insertion preventing groove 2242 of the protruding plate 224 when the first connector 1 and the second connector 2 are mated.

Referring to fig. 16, in another preferred embodiment, two mis-insertion preventing slots 2242a are formed on the protruding plate 224a of the second connector 2a, and the two mis-insertion preventing slots 2242a are respectively located on two side edges of the protruding plate 224 a. Correspondingly, the bottom of the housing 12a of the first connector 1a is provided with two misplug-preventing ribs 127a spaced apart from each other. When the first connector 1a and the second connector 2a are mated, the two mis-insertion preventing ribs 127a are inserted into a mis-insertion preventing slot 2242a, respectively.

The structure and arrangement position of the above-mentioned mis-insertion preventing protrusion 127/127a, corresponding to the structure and position of the mis-insertion preventing slot 2242/2242a of the protruding plate 224/224a, will not mate in the non-mated condition, thereby ensuring that only one first connector 1/1a can mate with only one second connector 2/2a of the mating type, thereby ensuring that only the first connector and the second connector having the corresponding mis-insertion preventing structures can be mated together correspondingly when there are a plurality of types of the first connector and the second connector.

In other embodiments not shown in the drawings, the misplug-preventing rib and the misplug-preventing slot are not limited to be respectively arranged at the bottom of each connector, and the specific structures and arrangement modes of the misplug-preventing rib and the misplug-preventing slot are not limited to the two listed structures, and can be flexibly arranged according to actual conditions, and only the misplug-preventing rib in the first connector is required to be matched with the misplug-preventing slot in the second connector which is connected with the first connector, so that the situation that the first connector and the second connector which are not matched are mistakenly connected is avoided, and the first connector and the second connector are ensured to be accurately connected.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can easily make various changes and modifications according to the main concept and spirit of the present invention, so the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.