Patent Description:
The present invention relates to a connection assembly, a connector including the connection assembly, and a connector assembly including the connector.

In the prior art, in order to realize the rapid electrical connection of the high-voltage electrical circuit in the automobile, a connector is required, which can quickly realize the electrical connection between the high-voltage cable and the bus bar. The connector is internally provided with a terminal electrically connected with the high-voltage cable and the bus bar. Generally, the terminal is connected to the high-voltage cable through a bolt. In order to operate the bolt, a mounting hole needs to be formed on the housing of the connector so that an external tool can enter into the housing through the mounting hole to operate the bolt.

However, in the prior art, the mounting hole is usually not blocked and is in an open state, resulting in the connector having no waterproof and electromagnetic shielding functions. In order to realize waterproof and electromagnetic shielding, it is necessary to set a metal cover on the housing to close and seal the mounting hole. However, this will lead to the complexity of the housing and increase the production cost and operation difficulty of the connector.

<CIT> discloses a connector structure of cable. <CIT> discloses cable connectors for connection to the end terminals of electric accumulators. <CIT> discloses a cable connector having a clamp lug with an insulating sheathing, for securing the cable connector to an electrical conductor via a screw. The insulating sheathing has an opening on the opposite side of the clamp lug to the electrical conductor for reception of the screw. The insulating sheath may be provided with a cap which fits over the opening for the clamp screw and which is secured to the remainder of the insulation via a snap-fitting connection.

The present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages. The invention is defined in the independent claim.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connection assembly for connecting a high-voltage cable. The connection assembly comprises: a threaded fastener for fixedly connecting the high-voltage cable to a mating connection part, the threaded fastener comprising an insulation member; and a conductive plug connected with the insulation member to allow the threaded fastener to be tightened or loosened by rotating the conductive plug.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the threaded fastener comprises a conductive threaded connecting member; the insulation member is engaged between the conductive plug and the threaded connecting member and electrically isolating the conductive plug from the threaded connecting member.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member comprises a circumferential insulation part, which is arranged around the conductive plug to increase a creepage distance between the threaded connecting member and the conductive plug.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member is simultaneously formed on the threaded connecting member and the conductive plug; or the insulation member is formed separately from the threaded connecting member and the conductive plug and is sleeved on the threaded connecting member and the conductive plug; or the insulation member is formed on one of the threaded connecting member and the conductive plug and sleeved on the other of the threaded connecting member and the conductive plug.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member and the conductive plug are separately molded and sleeved on the conductive plug; an annular groove is formed on one of the inner wall of the insulation member and the outer wall of the conductive plug, and an annular protrusion suitable for engagement with the annular groove is formed on the other.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member further comprises an intermediate convex part, and the circumferential insulation part surrounds the intermediate convex part and is connected to the intermediate convex part, the conductive plug is engaged between the circumferential insulation part and the intermediate convex part of the insulation member, so as to prevent the conductive plug from being rotated with respect to the insulation member, the threaded connecting member is engaged in the intermediate convex part of the insulation member, so as to prevent the threaded connecting member from being rotated with respect to the insulation member.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the threaded connecting member is a bolt, and the head of the bolt is engaged into the insulation member; or the threaded connecting member is a nut, and the nut is engaged into the insulation member.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the threaded connecting member is a bolt, and the head of the bolt is engaged into the insulation member; and the connection assembly further comprises an insulation cap which is sleeved on the end of the bolt opposite to the head to prevent the end of the bolt from being contacted by a finger.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a blind slot hole is formed in the outer end of the conductive plug, and the blind slot hole is used to engage with an external tool for driving the conductive plug to rotate.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the connection assembly further comprises an elastic sealing sleeve sleeved on the conductive plug to seal a gap between the conductive plug and a conductive housing.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector comprising: a conductive housing having a mounting hole; an inner insulator mounted in the conductive housing; a terminal provided on the inner insulator; a mating threaded connecting member provided on the inner insulator; and the above connection assembly. The connection assembly enters the conductive housing through the mounting hole and is connected with the mating threaded connecting member for electrically connecting the terminal to a high-voltage cable.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive plug of the connection assembly is arranged in the mounting hole for blocking the mounting hole; the elastic sealing sleeve of the connection assembly is sleeved on the conductive plug to seal a gap between the conductive plug and the conductive housing.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the size of the gap between the conductive plug and the conductive housing is set to prevent electromagnetic waves from being leaked to the outside of the conductive housing through the gap.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the elastic sealing sleeve is an elastic conductive seal made of an elastic conductive material, and the conductive plug is electrically connected to the conductive housing through the elastic sealing sleeve.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a slot is formed on the terminal, and the mating threaded connecting member is positioned in the slot of the terminal to prevent the mating threaded connecting member from being rotated with respect to the terminal.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive plug comprises a columnar body part, and the elastic sealing sleeve comprises a cylindrical body part; the cylindrical body part is sleeved on the columnar body part and is radially compressed between the columnar body part of the conductive plug and the inner wall of the mounting hole to seal the gap between them.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the conductive plug further comprises an annular brim part formed at the outer end of the columnar body part, and the elastic sealing sleeve further comprises a radially extending annular lip part formed at one end of the cylindrical body part; the annular lip part is axially compressed between the annular brim part of the conductive plug and the outer surface of the conductive housing to seal the gap between them.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector assembly comprising: the above connector; and a cable assembly comprising a cable and a cable terminal connected with the cable. The cable terminal is arranged in the conductive housing and is electrically connected with the terminal of the connector.

In the above exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, the conductive plug arranged in the mounting hole can realize the electromagnetic shielding function, and the elastic sealing sleeve sleeved on the conductive plug can seal the gap between the conductive plug and the inner wall of the mounting hole, so as to realize the waterproof function.

The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in 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.

According to a general concept of the present invention, there is provided a connection assembly for connecting a high-voltage cable, the connection assembly comprises: a threaded fastener for fixedly connecting the high-voltage cable to the mating connection part, wherein the threaded fastener comprises an insulation member; and a conductive plug connected with the insulation member so that the threaded fastener can be tightened or loosened by rotating the conductive plug.

According to another general technical concept of the present invention, there is provided a connector, which comprises: a conductive housing with a mounting hole; an inner insulator installed in the conductive housing; a terminal arranged on the inner insulator; a mating thread connector arranged on the inner insulator; and the connection assembly, which enters the conductive housing through the mounting hole and is connected with the mating threaded connecting member for electrically connecting the terminal to the high-voltage cable.

<FIG> shows an illustrative perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. <FIG> shows a sectional view of the connector shown in <FIG>. <FIG> shows an illustrative perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, wherein the conductive housing <NUM> is removed. <FIG> shows an exploded schematic diagram of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the connector mainly includes: a conductive housing <NUM>, an internal insulator <NUM>, a terminal <NUM>, a threaded connecting member <NUM>, a mating threaded connecting member <NUM>, a conductive plug <NUM>, an elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> and an insulation member <NUM>. The conductive housing <NUM> has a mounting hole <NUM>. The inner insulator <NUM> is mounted in the conductive housing <NUM>. The terminal <NUM> is provided on the inner insulator <NUM>. The inner insulator <NUM> is used to hold the terminal <NUM> and electrically isolate the terminal <NUM> from the conductive housing <NUM>.

<FIG> shows the assembly diagram of the connection assembly in the connector shown in <FIG>; <FIG> shows a sectional view of the connection assembly shown in <FIG>; <FIG> shows an exploded schematic of the connection assembly shown in <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the threaded connecting member <NUM>, the conductive plug <NUM> and the insulation member <NUM> form a connection assembly. The connection assembly enters the conductive housing <NUM> through the mounting hole <NUM> of the conductive housing <NUM>. The threaded connecting member <NUM> of the connection assembly is threaded with the mating threaded connecting member <NUM> to connect the terminal <NUM> to the cable terminal <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, one end <NUM> of the cable terminal <NUM> is crimped to the conductor of the high voltage cable <NUM>, and the other end <NUM> is connected to one end <NUM> of the terminal <NUM> of the connector. In this way, the terminal <NUM> of the connector is connected to the high voltage cable <NUM>. Although not shown, the connector also includes a shield connecting member installed in the conductive housing <NUM> for electrically connecting the shielding layer of the high voltage cable <NUM> to the conductive housing <NUM>. For example, the aforementioned shield connecting member may be a conductive ring sheathed on the shielding layer of the high-voltage cable <NUM>, the conductive ring has a conductive spring, and the conductive spring is in contact with the inner wall surface of the conductive housing <NUM>. If there is a waterproof requirement, the connector also includes a sealing ring arranged between the conductive housing <NUM> and the high-voltage cable to seal the mating interface between them.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive plug <NUM> is arranged in the mounting hole <NUM> to block the mounting hole <NUM> to realize the electromagnetic shielding function. The elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> is sleeved on the conductive plug <NUM> and seals the gap between the conductive plug <NUM> and the conductive housing <NUM> to achieve the waterproof function. Please note that if the installation environment has no waterproof requirements, the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> can be omitted. The insulation member <NUM> is engaged between the conductive plug <NUM> and the threaded connecting member <NUM> and electrically isolates the conductive plug <NUM> from the threaded connecting member <NUM>, so that the threaded connecting members <NUM>, <NUM> can be tightened or loosened by rotating the conductive plug <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the threaded connecting member <NUM> is conductive, and the insulation member <NUM> can prevent the operator from contacting the conductive threaded connecting member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, in order to realize the electromagnetic shielding function, the size of the gap between the conductive plug <NUM> and the conductive housing <NUM> is set to prevent electromagnetic waves from being leaked to the outside of the conductive housing <NUM> through the gap. The size of the gap between the conductive plug <NUM> and the conductive housing <NUM> includes two sizes, one is the width of the gap, and the other is the length of the gap. The two sizes can be reasonably set according to the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> may be made of a common elastic material, such as rubber. The elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> usually only has a waterproof function and has no conductive function. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> may be an elastic conductive seal made of an elastic conductive material, so that the conductive plug <NUM> can be electrically connected to the conductive housing <NUM> via the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM>. In this way, the electromagnetic shielding effect of the connector can be further improved.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member <NUM> can be simultaneously molded on the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM> by injection molding. In this way, the insulation member <NUM> can be engaged to the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM> at the same time. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member <NUM> may be formed separately from the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM> and sleeved on the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM>. Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the insulation member <NUM> may be formed on one of the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM> and sheathed on the other of the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the insulation member <NUM> is formed separately from the conductive plug <NUM> and sheathed on the conductive plug <NUM>. An annular groove 61a is formed on one of the inner wall of the insulation member <NUM> and the outer wall of the conductive plug <NUM>, and an annular protrusion suitable for engagement with the annular groove 61a is formed on the other. When the insulation member <NUM> is sleeved on the conductive plug <NUM>, the annular groove 61a is engaged with the annular protrusion to prevent the conductive plug <NUM> from being axially separated from the insulation member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the insulation member <NUM> includes a circumferential insulation part <NUM> and an intermediate convex part <NUM>. The intermediate convex part <NUM> is located in the circumferential insulation part <NUM> and connected to the circumferential insulation part <NUM>. The conductive plug <NUM> is engaged between the circumferential insulation part <NUM> and the intermediate convex part <NUM> of the insulation member <NUM> so that the conductive plug <NUM> cannot be rotated with respect to the insulation member <NUM>. The threaded connecting member <NUM> is engaged in the intermediate convex part <NUM> of the insulation member <NUM> so that the threaded connecting member <NUM> cannot be rotated with respect to the insulation member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the insulation member <NUM> is molded on the threaded connecting member <NUM>. The insulation member <NUM> and the threaded connecting member <NUM> together form a threaded fastener.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the threaded connecting member <NUM> is a bolt, the mating threaded connecting member <NUM> is a nut, and an external thread <NUM> connected with the nut thread is formed on the bolt. The head <NUM> of the bolt is engaged in the insulation member <NUM>, and the nut is fixed to the terminal <NUM>. The bolt passes through the cable terminal <NUM> and the connector terminal <NUM> and is threaded with the nut to connect the cable terminal <NUM> and the connector terminal <NUM> together. In the illustrated embodiment, the bolt can be rotated by rotating the conductive plug <NUM> so that the bolt can be tightened or loosened.

However, please note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the threaded connecting member <NUM> is a nut and the mating threaded connecting member <NUM> is a bolt. The nut is engaged in the insulation member <NUM>, and the head <NUM> of the bolt is fixed to the terminal <NUM>. The bolt passes through the cable terminal <NUM> and the connector terminal <NUM> and is threaded with the nut to connect the cable terminal <NUM> and the connector terminal <NUM> together.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the connector also includes an insulation cap <NUM>, which is sleeved on the end <NUM> of the bolt <NUM> opposite to the head <NUM> to prevent the operator from contacting the end <NUM> of the bolt <NUM>. In this way, electric shock accidents can be prevented.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, a blind slot hole <NUM> is formed on the outer end of the conductive plug <NUM>, which is used to engage with an external tool (not shown), so that the conductive plug <NUM> can be driven to rotate by the external tool. In this way, the threaded connecting member <NUM> can be tightened or loosened.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive plug <NUM> includes a columnar body part <NUM>, and the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> includes a cylindrical body part <NUM>. The cylindrical main body <NUM> is sheathed on the columnar body part <NUM> and is radially compressed between the columnar body part <NUM> of the conductive plug <NUM> and the inner wall of the mounting hole <NUM> to seal the gap between them.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the conductive plug <NUM> also includes an annular brim part <NUM> formed at the outer end of the columnar body part <NUM>, and the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> also includes an annular lip part <NUM> formed at one end of the cylindrical body portion <NUM> and extending radially. The annular lip part <NUM> of the elastic sealing sleeve <NUM> is axially compressed between the annular brim part <NUM> of the conductive plug <NUM> and the outer surface of the conductive housing <NUM> to seal the gap between them.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the connector also includes an elastic sealing ring <NUM> arranged at the bottom of the conductive housing <NUM>. When the conductive housing <NUM> of the connector is installed on a housing of an electrical equipment, the elastic sealing ring <NUM> is compressed between the conductive housing <NUM> of the connector and the housing of the electrical equipment to seal the mating interface between them.

<FIG> shows a three-dimensional schematic view of the connector shown in <FIG> when viewed from one direction, wherein the inner insulator <NUM> is removed. <FIG> shows a schematic stereoscopic view of the connector shown in <FIG> when viewed from another direction, wherein the inner insulator <NUM> is removed. <FIG> shows a sectional view of the connector shown in <FIG> and <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminal <NUM> of the connector is suitable for electrical connection with a bus bar (not shown). One end <NUM> of the cable terminal <NUM> is cylindrical and crimped to the high-voltage cable <NUM>. The other end <NUM> of the cable terminal <NUM> is electrically connected with one end <NUM> of the connector terminal <NUM>. The other end <NUM> of the terminal <NUM> of the connector is plate-shaped and suitable for connection to the bus bar. In the illustrated embodiment, the other end <NUM> of the cable terminal <NUM> and one end <NUM> of the connector terminal <NUM> are stacked together and can be connected together through the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the mating threaded connecting member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, a slot is formed at one end <NUM> of the terminal <NUM> of the connector, and the mating threaded connecting member <NUM> is positioned in the slot at one end <NUM> of the terminal <NUM> so that the mating threaded connecting member <NUM> cannot be rotated relative to the terminal <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connector assembly is also disclosed. The connector assembly mainly includes the above connector and cable assembly. The cable assembly includes a high-voltage cable <NUM> and a cable terminal <NUM> electrically connected to a conductor of the high-voltage cable <NUM>. The terminal <NUM> of the connector is electrically connected with the cable terminal <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connection assembly for connecting a high-voltage cable <NUM> is also disclosed. The connection assembly mainly includes: a threaded fastener <NUM>, <NUM> and a conductive plug <NUM>. The threaded fastener <NUM> and <NUM> is used to fixedly connect the high-voltage cable <NUM> to the mating connection part (for example, terminal <NUM> in the figure). The threaded fastener <NUM> and <NUM> includes an insulation member <NUM> and a conductive threaded connecting member <NUM>. The conductive plug <NUM> is connected with the insulation member <NUM> so that the threaded fastener <NUM>, <NUM> can be tightened or loosened by rotating the conductive plug <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the insulation member <NUM> is engaged between the conductive plug <NUM> and the threaded connecting member <NUM> and electrically isolates the conductive plug <NUM> from the threaded connecting member <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the insulation member <NUM> includes a cylindrical circumferential insulation part <NUM>, which is arranged around the conductive plug <NUM> and is suitable to be sheathed on the conductive plug <NUM> to increase the creepage distance between the threaded connecting member <NUM> and the conductive plug <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the circumferential insulation part <NUM> also axially limits the axial position of the elastic seal <NUM> to prevent the elastic seal <NUM> from being moved downward.

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 of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims.

Claim 1:
A connection assembly for connecting a high-voltage cable (<NUM>), the connection assembly comprising:
a threaded fastener (<NUM>, <NUM>) for fixedly connecting the high-voltage cable (<NUM>) to a mating connection part, the threaded fastener comprising an insulation member (<NUM>); characterized by
a conductive plug (<NUM>) connected with the insulation member (<NUM>) to allow the threaded fastener (<NUM>, <NUM>) to be tightened or loosened by rotating the conductive plug (<NUM>).