Patent Description:
In the prior art, a connector typically includes an outer housing, an inner housing, a terminal and a shielding shell. The inner housing is installed in the outer housing, the terminal is installed in the inner housing, and the shielding shell is sheathed on the outside of the inner housing. The outer housing is usually an integral injection molded part, while the shielding shell is usually an integral metal stamped part. The shielding shell usually includes an end wall and two half shells connected to the end wall, and the two half shells are combined to form the outer circumference wall of the shielding shell. In the prior art, in order to facilitate injection molding, the outer housing needs to have a certain slope, which causes the two half shells of the shielding shell cannot be closed, resulting in a certain gap between the splicing edges of the two half shells, which will reduce the electromagnetic shielding effect of the connector.

<CIT> discloses a sealing ring positioning component according to the preamble of independent claim <NUM>. Other known sealing ring positioning components are disclosed in <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

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

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sealing ring positioning component. The sealing ring positioning component is adapted to be fitted on an outer housing of a connector to positioning a sealing ring on the outer housing. The sealing ring positioning component comprises of: a peripheral wall; and a pushing protrusion formed on an inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall. The pushing protrusion is adapted to be pushed on the outer sides of two half shells of a shielding shell of the connector, so that the splicing edges of the two half shells of the shielding shell are in contact with each other.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing protrusion comprises multiple protruding ribs extending along an axial direction of the sealing ring positioning component, the multiple protruding ribs are spaced in a circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing protrusion comprises multiple protruding ribs extending along a circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component, the multiple protruding ribs are spaced in the circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing protrusion comprises a single protruding rib continuously extending one circle along a circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the protruding ribs are plate-shaped and perpendicular to the peripheral wall.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a guide surface is formed on the front end of the protruding ribs, the guide surface is inclined to the axial direction of the sealing ring positioning component and is used to guide the two half shells of the shielding shell into a space surrounded by the multiple protruding ribs.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the peripheral wall has a front end and a rear end that are opposite to each other in the axial direction of the sealing ring positioning component; the front end of the peripheral wall is used to rest against the rear side of the sealing ring to axially position the sealing ring.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the multiple protruding ribs are adjacent to the rear end of the peripheral wall and used to rest against the outer sides of the rear ends of the two half shells of the shielding shell.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring positioning component further comprises a positioning flange which is formed on the rear end of the peripheral wall and radially protrudes towards the inner side of the sealing ring positioning component, the positioning flange is adapted to rest against a rear end face of a first peripheral wall of the outer housing for axially positioning the sealing ring positioning component.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the rear end of the protruding rib is connected to the inner side of the positioning flange.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring positioning component further comprises a buckle protrusion formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall, the buckle protrusion is adapted to be snapped into a snapping slot on the outer housing, for fixing the sealing ring positioning component to the outer housing.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring positioning component further comprises a fool-proofing protrusion formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall, the fool-proofing protrusion is adapted to be inserted into a fool-proofing slot on the outer housing to ensure that the sealing ring positioning component is installed in the correct orientation on the outer housing.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the sealing ring positioning component is an integral part.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connector. The connector comprises of: an outer housing including a first peripheral wall and an inner cavity enclosed by the first peripheral wall; an inner housing installed in the inner cavity of the outer housing and formed with a terminal slot; a terminal provided in the terminal slot of the inner housing; a shielding shell in which the inner housing is provided; a sealing ring sleeved on the first peripheral wall of the outer housing; and the above sealing ring positioning component which is sleeved on the rear end of the first peripheral wall and rests against the sealing ring. The shielding shell includes an end wall and two half shells connected to the end wall, the two half shells are combined to form the outer peripheral wall of the shielding shell; the pushing protrusion of the sealing ring positioning component is pushed onto the outer sides of the two half shells, so that the splicing edges of the two half shells of the shielding shell are in contact with each other without a gap.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, multiple slots are formed on the rear end of the outer housing, and the multiple slots are spaced in a circumferential direction of the outer housing; the pushing protrusion of the sealing ring positioning component includes multiple protrusion ribs, which are respectively inserted into the multiple slots and rest against the outer sides of the two half shells of the shielding shell.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a snapping slot is formed on the first peripheral wall, and the snapping slot is engaged with the buckle protrusion on the sealing ring positioning component to fix the sealing ring positioning component to the first peripheral wall.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a fool-proofing slot is formed on the first peripheral wall, and the fool-proofing slot is engaged with the fool-proofing protrusion on the sealing ring positioning component to ensure that the sealing ring positioning component is installed on the outer housing in the correct orientation.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the outer housing further comprises of: a second peripheral wall surrounding the first peripheral wall; and a radial wall connected between the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall. A gap is formed between the first peripheral wall and the second peripheral wall to allow the insertion of a mating housing of a mating connector; the front and rear sides of the sealing ring respectively rest against the radial wall and the sealing ring positioning component to axially position the sealing ring; the sealing ring is adapted to be radially compressed between the mating housing and the first peripheral wall of the outer housing to achieve sealing between the two.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the outer housing further comprises a front end wall connected to the front end of the first peripheral wall, a cable hole is formed in the front end wall of the outer housing, and a cable through hole is formed in the end wall of the shielding shell. The connector further comprises a cable, one end of which is inserted into the terminal slot through the cable hole and the cable through hole and electrically connected to the terminal.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, multiple first elastic pieces bent towards the interior of the shielding shell are formed on the rear edge of the outer peripheral wall of the shielding shell, and the first elastic pieces are used for electrical contact with a mating shielding shell of the mating connector; multiple second elastic pieces bent towards the interior of the shielding shell are formed on the edge of the cable through hole of the shielding shell, and the multiple second elastic pieces are used for electrical contact with a shielding layer of the cable; the pushing protrusions of the sealing ring positioning component rest against the outer side of the rear end of the shielding shell to provide support for the first elastic pieces.

In the aforementioned exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the sealing ring positioning component can push the two half shells of the shielding shell towards the closed direction, so that the splicing edges of the two half shells of the shielding shell come into contact with each other without gap, improving the electromagnetic shielding effect of the connector.

In addition, in the aforementioned exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the sealing ring positioning component can also provide support for the first elastic piece on the shielding shell to ensure reliable electrical contact between the shielding shell and the mating shielding shell. At the same time, the sealing ring positioning component can also push the shielding shell onto the inner housing, ensuring that the buckle structure on the shielding shell and the inner housing are reliably engaged to each other.

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 sealing ring positioning component. The sealing ring positioning component is adapted to be fitted on an outer housing of a connector to positioning a sealing ring on the outer housing. The sealing ring positioning component comprises of: a peripheral wall; and a pushing protrusion formed on an inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall. The pushing protrusion is adapted to be pushed on the outer sides of two half shells of a shielding shell of the connector, so that the splicing edges of the two half shells of the shielding shell are in contact with each other.

According to another general concept of the present invention, there is provided a connector. The connector comprises of: an outer housing including a first peripheral wall and an inner cavity enclosed by the first peripheral wall; an inner housing installed in the inner cavity of the outer housing and formed with a terminal slot; a terminal provided in the terminal slot of the inner housing; a shielding shell in which the inner housing is provided; a sealing ring sleeved on the first peripheral wall of the outer housing; and the above sealing ring positioning component which is sleeved on the rear end of the first peripheral wall and rests against the sealing ring. The shielding shell includes an end wall and two half shells connected to the end wall, the two half shells are combined to form the outer peripheral wall of the shielding shell; the pushing protrusion of the sealing ring positioning component is pushed onto the outer sides of the two half shells, so that the splicing edges of the two half shells of the shielding shell are in contact with each other without a gap.

<FIG> shows an illustrative perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; <FIG> shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; <FIG> shows an illustrative exploded view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, the connector includes: an outer housing <NUM>, an inner housing <NUM>, a terminal (not shown), a shielding shell <NUM>, a sealing ring <NUM>, and a sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. The outer housing <NUM> includes a first peripheral wall <NUM> and an inner cavity <NUM> surrounded by the first peripheral wall <NUM>. The inner housing <NUM> is installed in the inner cavity <NUM> of the outer housing <NUM>. The terminal is arranged in a terminal slot <NUM> of the inner housing <NUM>. The inner housing <NUM> is arranged in the shielding shell <NUM>. The sealing ring <NUM> is installed on the first peripheral wall <NUM>. The sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is installed on the rear end of the first peripheral wall <NUM> and rests against the sealing ring <NUM>. The shielding shell <NUM> includes an end wall <NUM> and two half shells 31a connected to the end wall <NUM>. Two half shells 31a can be opened and closed. When the two half shells 31a are closed, the two half shells 31a are combined to form the outer peripheral wall <NUM> of the shielding shell <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an illustrative perspective view of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> of the connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the rear side; <FIG> shows an illustrative perspective view of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> of the connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the front side; <FIG> shows a transverse cross-sectional view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, where the outer housing <NUM> is not shown; <FIG> shows an illustrative perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention when viewed from the front side, where the outer housing <NUM> is not shown.

As shown in <FIG>, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is disclosed. The sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is suitable for fitting on the outer housing <NUM> of the connector, and is used to position the sealing ring <NUM> on the outer housing <NUM>. The sealing ring positioning component <NUM> includes: a peripheral wall <NUM> and a pushing protrusion <NUM>. The pushing protrusion <NUM> is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall <NUM>. The pushing protrusion <NUM> is used to push on the outer sides of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM> of the connector, so that the splicing edges 31b of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM> come into contact with each other without gap, thereby improving the electromagnetic shielding effect of the connector.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the pushing protrusion <NUM> includes multiple protrusion ribs <NUM>. Each protruding rib <NUM> extends along the axial direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. Multiple protruding ribs <NUM> are distributed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>, used to push the outer sides of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the protruding rib <NUM> is plate-shaped and perpendicular to the peripheral wall <NUM>.

However, please note that the structure of the pushing protrusion <NUM> is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing protrusion <NUM> may include multiple protruding ribs, each extending along the circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. Multiple protruding ribs are distributed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>, used to push the outer sides of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM>.

Although not shown, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pushing protrusion <NUM> may include a single protrusion rib, which extends one circle along the circumferential direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> to push the outer sides of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, a guide surface 53a is formed on the front end of the protruding rib <NUM>, which is inclined to the axial direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>, used to guide the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM> into the accommodation space surrounded by multiple protruding ribs <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the peripheral wall <NUM> of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> has a front end and a rear end opposite to each other in the axial direction of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. The front end of the peripheral wall <NUM> of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is used to rest against the rear side of the sealing ring <NUM> to axially position the sealing ring <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, multiple protruding ribs <NUM> are adjacent to the rear end of the peripheral wall <NUM>, used to push the outer sides of the rear ends of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear end of the shielding shell <NUM> is an opened end with a rear port.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> also includes a positioning flange <NUM>, which is formed on the rear end of the peripheral wall <NUM> and radially protrudes towards the inner side of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. The positioning flange <NUM> is suitable for resting against the rear end face of a first peripheral wall <NUM> of the outer housing <NUM>, and is used for axial positioning of the sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. In the illustrated embodiment, the rear end of the protruding rib <NUM> is connected to the inner side of the positioning flange <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> further includes a buckle protrusion <NUM>, which is formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall <NUM>. The buckle protrusion <NUM> is adapted to be engaged into a snapping slot 1c on the outer housing <NUM>, and is used to fix the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> to the housing <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> further includes a fool-proofing protrusion <NUM>, which is formed on the inner surface of the peripheral wall <NUM>. The fool-proofing protrusion <NUM> is suitable for inserting into the fool-proofing slot 1b on the outer housing <NUM> to ensure that the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is installed in the correct orientation on the outer housing <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is an integral part. For example, the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> can be an integrated injection molded part.

As shown in <FIG>, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connector is also disclosed. The connector includes: an outer housing <NUM>, inner housing <NUM>, a terminal (not shown), a shielding shell <NUM>, a sealing ring <NUM>, and the aforementioned sealing ring positioning component <NUM>. The outer housing <NUM> includes a first peripheral wall <NUM> and an inner cavity <NUM> surrounded by the first peripheral wall <NUM>. The inner housing <NUM> is installed in the inner cavity <NUM> of the outer housing <NUM>. The terminal is arranged in a terminal slot <NUM> of the inner housing <NUM>. The inner housing <NUM> is arranged in the shielding shell <NUM>. The sealing ring <NUM> is installed on the first peripheral wall <NUM>. The sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is installed on the rear end of the first peripheral wall <NUM> and rests against the sealing ring <NUM>. The shielding shell <NUM> includes an end wall <NUM> and two half shells 31a connected to the end wall <NUM>. Two half shells 31a can be opened and closed. When the two half shells 31a are closed, the two half shells 31a are combined to form the outer peripheral wall <NUM> of the shielding shell <NUM>. The pushing protrusion <NUM> is pushed onto the outer sides of the two half shells 31a, causing the splicing edges 31b of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM> to come into contact with each other without gap.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, multiple slots 1a are formed on the rear end of the outer housing <NUM>, and the multiple slots 1a are spaced in the circumferential direction of the outer housing <NUM>. The multiple protruding ribs <NUM> on the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> are inserted into multiple slots 1a and rest against the outer sides of the two half shells 31a of the shielding shell <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, a snapping slot 1c is formed on the first peripheral wall <NUM>, and the snapping slot 1c engages with the buckle protrusion <NUM> on the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> to fix the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> to the first peripheral wall <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, a fool-proofing slot 1b is formed on the first peripheral wall <NUM>, and the fool-proofing slot 1b is engaged with the fool-proofing protrusion <NUM> on the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> to ensure that the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> is installed on the outer housing <NUM> in the correct orientation.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the outer housing <NUM> further comprises a second peripheral wall <NUM> and a radial wall <NUM>. The second peripheral wall <NUM> surrounds the first peripheral wall <NUM>. The radial wall <NUM> is connected between the first peripheral wall <NUM> and the second peripheral wall <NUM>. There is a gap <NUM> between the first peripheral wall <NUM> and the second peripheral wall <NUM> to allow the insertion of a mating housing (not shown) of a mating connector (not shown). The sealing ring <NUM> is suitable for being radially compressed between the first peripheral wall <NUM> of the outer housing <NUM> and the mating housing to achieve sealing between the two. In the illustrated embodiment, the front and rear sides of the sealing ring <NUM> respectively rest against the radial wall <NUM> and the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> to axially position the sealing ring <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiment, the housing <NUM> further includes a front end wall <NUM>, which is connected to the front end of the first peripheral wall <NUM>. A cable hole <NUM> is formed in the front end wall <NUM> of the outer housing <NUM>, and a cable through hole <NUM> is formed in the end wall <NUM> of the shielding shell <NUM>. The connector also includes a cable (not shown), with one end of the cable inserted into the terminal slot <NUM> through cable hole <NUM> and cable through hole <NUM> and electrically connected to the terminal (not shown).

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, multiple first elastic pieces 3a are formed on the rear edge of the outer peripheral wall <NUM> of the shielding shell <NUM>, which are bent towards the interior of the shielding shell <NUM>. The first elastic pieces 3a are used for elastic electrical contact with a mating shielding shell (not shown) of the mating connector. Multiple second elastic pieces 3b are formed on the edge of the cable through hole <NUM> of the shielding shell <NUM>, bent towards the interior of the shielding shell <NUM>, and are used for elastic electrical contact with a shielding layer (not shown) of the cable (not shown). The shielding shell <NUM> is in direct contact with the shielding layer of the cable, which can improve the electromagnetic shielding effect of the connector.

As shown in <FIG>, in the illustrated embodiments, multiple protruding ribs <NUM> on the sealing ring positioning component <NUM> rest against the outer side of the rear end of the shielding shell <NUM>, providing support for multiple first elastic pieces 3a. In this way, the elastic contact force between multiple first elastic pieces 3a and the mating shielding shell can be increased, thereby ensuring reliable electrical contact between the shielding shell <NUM> and the mating shielding shell.

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.

Claim 1:
A sealing ring positioning component, which is adapted to be fitted on an outer housing (<NUM>) of a connector to position a sealing ring (<NUM>) on the outer housing (<NUM>), wherein the sealing ring positioning component (<NUM>) comprises:
a peripheral wall (<NUM>);
characterized in that the sealing ring positioning component (<NUM>) further comprises
a pushing protrusion (<NUM>) formed on an inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall (<NUM>),
wherein the pushing protrusion (<NUM>) is adapted to be pushed on the outer sides of two half shells (31a) of a shielding shell (<NUM>) of the connector, so that the splicing edges (31b) of the two half shells (31a) of the shielding shell (<NUM>) are in contact with each other.