ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
20220209463 · 2022-06-30
Inventors
- Peixing CHEN (Dongguan, CN)
- Jingxiao CHEN (Shanghai, CN)
- Fugao ZHAO (Dongguan, CN)
- Jian GONG (Dongguan, CN)
- Xiangtao Meng (Dongguan, CN)
Cpc classification
H01R13/639
ELECTRICITY
H01R13/53
ELECTRICITY
H01R13/20
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
An electrical connector includes a first plug-connection module and a second plug-connection module, and the first plug-connection module and the second plug-connection module fit with each other through a plug-connection in a first direction. The first plug-connection module includes a first housing component and a first wiring portion. The second plug-connection module includes a second housing component, a second wiring portion, and a sliding conductor. A locking mechanism and a trigger mechanism are disposed between the first plug-connection module and the second plug-connection module; and while the locking mechanism is in a locked state, the locking mechanism locks the sliding conductor and the first wiring portion, to keep the sliding conductor connected to the first wiring portion. An elastic reset member is disposed between the second housing component and the sliding conductor.
Claims
1. An electrical connector, comprising: a first plug-connection module; a second plug-connection module, wherein the first plug-connection module fits with the second plug-connection module through a plug-connection in a first direction, wherein the first plug-connection module comprises a first housing component, and a first wiring portion that is disposed in the first housing component; and the second plug-connection module comprises a second housing component, a second wiring portion and a sliding conductor that are disposed in the second housing component, wherein the sliding conductor is slidably connected to the second wiring portion in the first direction, and wherein the second wiring portion is connected to the second housing component through fastening; a locking mechanism; a trigger mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism and the trigger mechanism are disposed between the first plug-connection module and the second plug-connection module; and while the locking mechanism is in a locked state, the locking mechanism locks the sliding conductor and the first wiring portion, to keep the sliding conductor connected to the first wiring portion; or while the locking mechanism is in an unlocked state, the connection between the sliding conductor and the first wiring portion is released; and an elastic reset member that is disposed between the second housing component and the sliding conductor; and while the first housing component and the second housing component are moved away from each other to a preset position, the trigger mechanism triggers the locking mechanism to enable the locking mechanism to be in the unlocked state, and the elastic reset member is in a force accumulation state to drive the sliding conductor to move in the first direction, and to separate the sliding conductor from the first wiring portion.
2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism comprises: a locking hole disposed in the first housing component; a first convex lug connected to the sliding conductor, wherein the first convex lug protrudes in a second direction and is capable of moving in the second direction, and wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and an elastic body configured to provide the first convex lug with a force for enabling the first convex lug to move in a direction that is opposite to a surface of the sliding conductor, wherein while the first convex lug is inserted into the locking hole, the locking mechanism is in the locked state; or while the first convex lug is detached from the locking hole, the locking mechanism is in the unlocked state.
3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the locking hole is a through hole or a blind hole.
4. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the trigger mechanism comprises: a second convex lug that protrudes in the second direction and that is connected to the sliding conductor, wherein the second convex lug is disposed through fastening relative to the first convex lug, a protrusion height of the second convex lug is greater than a protrusion height of the first convex lug, and a height difference between the second convex lug and the first convex lug is greater than a height of the locking hole; and a guide portion formed in the second housing component, wherein in a process in which the first plug-connection module is detached from the second plug-connection module, while the first housing component and the second housing component are moved away from each other to the preset position, the guide portion abuts against the second convex lug to press the second convex lug to an unlocked position, and wherein the second convex lug drives the first convex lug to detach the first convex lug from the locking hole.
5. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the locking mechanism further comprises a lock body, the first convex lug and the second convex lug are fastened to the lock body, the lock body is connected to the sliding conductor, the elastic body is disposed between the lock body and the sliding conductor, and the lock body moves relative to the sliding conductor in the second direction.
6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein a base is connected to a peripheral side surface of the sliding conductor through fastening, a sliding slot extending in the second direction is disposed in the base, and the lock body slidably fits with the base through the sliding slot.
7. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein the elastic body is disposed between the lock body and the base, and two ends of the elastic body respectively abut against the lock body and the base.
8. The electrical connector according to claim 6, wherein a limiting mechanism is disposed between the sliding slot and the lock body, and the limiting mechanism is configured to limit a maximum sliding stroke of the lock body relative to the base.
9. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first wiring portion comprises a pin, and a contact that is disposed at an end of the pin and that is configured to be connected to the sliding conductor.
10. The electrical connector according to claim 9, wherein a material of the contact is copper or a copper alloy.
11. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the first housing component comprises a first insulation housing and a first guide sleeve that is disposed in the first insulation housing and that is connected to the first insulation housing through fastening, and wherein one end of the first wiring portion is disposed in the first guide sleeve.
12. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein an arc extinguishing chamber is disposed in the first guide sleeve, and an end of the first wiring portion that is configured to be connected to the sliding conductor is located in the arc extinguishing chamber.
13. The electrical connector according to claim 12, wherein a plurality of arc extinguishing grids spaced at intervals are disposed on an inner surface of the arc extinguishing chamber.
14. The electrical connector according to claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of arc extinguishing grids is an annular protrusion that is circumferentially disposed along an inner surface of the first guide sleeve.
15. The electrical connector according to claim 14, wherein a cross-section of each of the plurality of arc extinguishing grids is rectangular, trapezoidal, or arc-shaped.
16. The electrical connector according to claim 11, wherein the first housing component comprises a first metal layer and a second metal layer that are embedded in the first insulation housing, the second metal layer is disposed inside the first insulation housing, the first metal layer is disposed near an outer surface of the first insulation housing relative to the second metal layer, wherein the first metal layer is connected to a zero potential, and wherein the second metal layer is equipotentially connected to the first wiring portion.
17. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein a first sliding hole that fits with the first wiring portion is disposed at an end of the sliding conductor that is configured to be connected to the first wiring portion.
18. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the second housing component comprises a second insulation housing, and a second sliding hole that is disposed at an end of the second wiring portion that is configured to be connected to the sliding conductor.
19. The electrical connector according to claim 18, wherein a wiring terminal is disposed on a side of the second wiring portion that is away from the sliding conductor, and wherein the wiring terminal protrudes from the second insulation housing and is configured to be connected to an external line.
20. Electrical equipment, comprising: a first circuit unit; a second circuit unit; and an electrical connector, wherein the electrical connector comprises a first plug-connection module and a second plug-connection module, wherein the first plug-connection module fits with the second plug-connection module through a plug-connection in a first direction, wherein the first plug-connection module comprises a first housing component, and a first wiring portion that is disposed in the first housing component; and the second plug-connection module comprises a second housing component, a second wiring portion and a sliding conductor that are disposed in the second housing component, wherein the sliding conductor is slidably connected to the second wiring portion in the first direction, and wherein the second wiring portion is connected to the second housing component through fastening; a locking mechanism; a trigger mechanism, wherein the locking mechanism and the trigger mechanism are disposed between the first plug-connection module and the second plug-connection module; and while the locking mechanism is in a locked state, the locking mechanism locks the sliding conductor and the first wiring portion, to keep the sliding conductor connected to the first wiring portion; or while the locking mechanism is in an unlocked state, the connection between the sliding conductor and the first wiring portion is released; and an elastic reset member that is disposed between the second housing component and the sliding conductor; and while the first housing component and the second housing component are moved away from each other to a preset position, the trigger mechanism triggers the locking mechanism to enable the locking mechanism to be in the unlocked state, and the elastic reset member is in a force accumulation state to drive the sliding conductor to move in the first direction, and to separate the sliding conductor from the first wiring portion, and wherein the first wiring portion is connected to the first circuit unit, and the second wiring portion is connected to the second circuit unit.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
[0037]
[0038]
[0039]
[0040]
[0041]
[0042]
[0043]
[0044]
[0045]
[0046]
[0047]
[0048]
[0049]
[0050] Reference numerals: 1—first plug-connection module; 11—first housing component; 111—first insulation housing; 111a—gap; 112—first guide sleeve; 112a—first chamber; 112b—second chamber; 1121—arc extinguishing grid; 12—first wiring portion; 121—pin; 122—contact; 113—first metal layer; 114—second metal layer; 2—second plug-connection module; 21—second housing component; 211—second insulation housing; 212—second guide sleeve; 2121—guide hole; 2122—first fastener; 213—third metal layer; 214—fourth metal layer; 22—second wiring portion; 221—second sliding hole; 222—second split groove; 223—wiring terminal; 23—sliding conductor; 231—first sliding hole; 232—first split groove; 233—stiffener; 234—mounting hole; 24—base; 241—sliding slot; 242—mounting post; 243—second fastener; 3—locking mechanism; 31—locking hole; 32—first convex lug; 33—elastic body; 34—lock body; 35—limiting mechanism; 351—limiting hole; 352—limiting protrusion; 4—trigger mechanism; 41—guide portion; 42—second convex lug; and 5—elastic reset member.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0051] The following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0052] Terms used in the following embodiments are merely intended to describe specific embodiments, but are not intended to limit this application. The terms “one”, “a” and “this” of singular forms used in this specification and the appended claims of this application are also intended to include plural forms, for example, “one or more”, unless otherwise specified in the context clearly.
[0053] Reference to “an embodiment”, “some embodiments”, or the like described in this specification indicates that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described with reference to the embodiments. Therefore, in this specification, statements, such as “in an embodiment”, “in some embodiments”, “in some other embodiments”, and “in other embodiments”, that appear at different places do not necessarily mean referring to a same embodiment, instead, they mean “one or more but not all of the embodiments”, unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms “include”, “comprise”, “have”, and their variants all mean “include but are not limited to”, unless otherwise specifically emphasized.
[0054] In an existing data center system, a power frequency transformer is commonly used to implement transformation of medium-voltage power distribution into low-voltage power distribution. When the power frequency transformer is replaced with a solid state transformer, a power supply link architecture can be effectively simplified, thereby improving power supply efficiency and reducing a volume. In alternating current voltage levels, usually, a voltage lower than or equal to 1 kV is referred to as a low voltage, and a voltage higher than or equal to 10 kV and lower than or equal to 35 kV is referred to as a medium voltage. However, in a current data center system, medium-voltage power distribution usually has no hot swap maintenance function. To implement a swappable maintenance function, a corresponding electrical connector needs to be disposed for each function module in the medium-voltage power distribution for accessing a backbone circuit, to implement connection.
[0055] In an existing connection solution, in a manner, a medium-voltage circuit breaker is used as a swap mechanism. The swap mechanism of the structure cannot resist an electric arc generated by a medium-voltage hot swap, and a device needs to be powered off when a function module is maintained. In another manner, power-on/off control is implemented by using a control module. When a function module is maintained, a power-on current of the function module is cut off by using the control module, and then the function module is unplugged to maintain the function module. In a swap process in this manner, a current is almost zero, and only a voltage swap rather than a real hot swap is implemented. Therefore, if a modular hot swap needs to be implemented, a weak current that supports soft start inevitably needs to be internally provided for a module. In a medium-voltage scenario, an electric arc is generated due to the weak current in an actual swap process, causing damage to a terminal. Therefore, a current electrical connector has no fast hot swap function in a power-on case.
[0056] To resolve the foregoing problem, embodiments of this application provide an electrical connector, and the electrical connector can implement a hot swap in a power-on case, to improve maintenance efficiency.
[0057]
[0058]
[0059]
[0060] The arc extinguishing grid 1121 may be made of high-temperature-resistant metal or a non-conductive high-temperature-resistant material. When the arc extinguishing grid 1121 is made of high-temperature-resistant metal, an electric arc in the arc extinguishing chamber is extinguished by using a short-arc-based arc extinguishing principle. When the arc extinguishing grid 1121 is made of a non-conductive high-temperature-resistant material such as ceramic, an instantaneous high temperature generated by an electric arc may be resisted by using a high-temperature-resistant characteristic of the non-conductive high-temperature-resistant material such as ceramic.
[0061] As an example description, refer to
[0062] Refer to
[0063] In an embodiment of this application, a material of the contact 122 may be high-temperature-resistant metal, for example, may be copper or a copper alloy. The copper alloy includes but is not limited to a tungsten copper alloy. The tungsten copper alloy is an alloy consisting of tungsten and copper, with a copper content of 10 wt % to 50 wt %. The tungsten copper alloy may be prepared by using, for example, a powder metallurgy method, and has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, relatively good high temperature strength, and specific plasticity. At a high temperature, such as a temperature higher than or equal to 3000° C., copper in the tungsten copper alloy is liquefied and evaporated, to absorb a large amount of heat, thereby reducing a material surface temperature.
[0064]
[0065]
[0066] As shown in
[0067] It may be understood that, in an embodiment of this application, the end that is of the first wiring portion 12 and that is on which the contact 122 is disposed may be disposed as a pyramidal structure, and an outer diameter of the contact 122 is slightly smaller, to facilitate plugging of the first wiring portion 12 into the first sliding hole 231 in a plugging process.
[0068] In addition,
[0069] Still refer to
[0070]
[0071] In addition, refer to
[0072]
[0073]
[0074] As shown in
[0075] Refer to
[0076] When the first convex lug 32 is detached from the locking hole 31, the elastic body 33 is in a force accumulation state, to provide the first convex lug 32 with a force for enabling the first convex lug 32 to move in a direction oppositely to a surface of the sliding conductor 23. The elastic body 33 may be a spring, and in addition, may be alternatively a spring plate. The first convex lug 32 moves in a direction away from the sliding conductor 23 in the second direction under the action of the elastic body 33. When a combined force received by the first convex lug 32 is directed to the sliding conductor 23, the first convex lug 32 may alternatively move in a direction near the sliding conductor 23 in the second direction.
[0077] Still refer to
[0078] Still refer to
[0079] In addition, as shown in
[0080] Still refer to
[0081] In the second direction, a protrusion height of the second convex lug 42 is greater than a protrusion height of the first convex lug 32, and a height difference between the second convex lug 42 and the first convex lug 32 is greater than a height of the locking hole 31. When the guide portion 41 applies pressure to the second convex lug 42 to enable the second convex lug 42 to move in the direction near the sliding conductor 23, due to setting of the height difference, the first convex lug 32 can be detached from the locking hole 31, to unlock the locking mechanism 3.
[0082] When the first convex lug 32 is located in the locking hole 31, the second convex lug 42 is located outside the first housing component 11, for example, at an edge of the first housing component 11. Also refer to
[0083] Refer to
[0084] Still refer to
[0085]
[0086] Refer to
[0087]
[0088]
[0089] Refer to
[0090] For example, the elastic reset member 5 is a spring. When the base 24 is located at an end that is of the guide hole 2121 and that is near the second wiring portion 22, a position of the sliding conductor 23 relative to the second guide sleeve 212 is in the initial state and is in a stable state, and the elastic reset member 5 may be in a non-force accumulation state or the force accumulation state; or when the base 24 is located at an end that is of the guide hole 2121 and that is away from the second wiring portion 22, the elastic reset member 5 is in a stretched force accumulation state, to provide power for a return movement of the base 24.
[0091]
[0092] When the electrical connector in embodiments of this application is used as a medium-voltage plug connector, the electrical connector is usually mounted at a rear end of a power/signal module of a product, to implement drawer-type plugging/unplugging for use. In a medium-voltage hot swap process, electric arcs may be generated in both plugging and unplugging processes. In the plugging process, due to a good air state (that is, there are no diffused charged ions or particles in the air), an electric arc is generated only when a plugging distance is extremely short (about 10 mm is obtained through actual measurement at 10 kV). When a plugging action is actually performed, because the module is relatively heavy, relatively large inertia exists in an actual pushing process. When a rear end distance is extremely short, fast pushing is implemented. The pushing usually can be completed at the distance within 1 s. Therefore, impact of an electric arc generated in the process can be ignored. In the unplugging process, because the module is relatively heavy, if fast pulling cannot be implemented, in a slow pulling process, due to an extremely short distance of or a discharge electric arc generated on a front end of the connector, and due to a relatively low movement speed, copper in a conductor may be vaporized at an extremely high temperature of the electric arc, and a large quantity of conductive ions/particles are generated in the air. As a result, an arc extinguishing distance of a terminal is increased to an extremely large degree. In addition, arc extinguishing can be implemented only when the terminal is separated relatively far enough, and the electric arc climbs with the conductive ions/particles. This is likely to implicate a surrounding structure, causing a second accident. However, the electrical connector in this application can implement fast separation in a hot swap case.
[0093] The following briefly describes a separation process of the electrical connector in this application with reference to
[0094] First, refer to
[0095] Refer to
[0096] Refer to
[0097] Because a current flowing through the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 is an alternating current, an electrical change rule for generating an electric arc between the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 is: generation.fwdarw.0 point.fwdarw.generation. When an electric arc generated between the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 is just at the 0 point, air insulation strength is greater than voltage breakdown strength of the electric arc, so that the electric arc can be extinguished. If the first wiring portion 12 is separated from the sliding conductor 23 excessively slowly, an electric arc is generated between the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 for long time. In this case, air insulation strength is affected. However, in the technical solutions provided in embodiments of this application, the first wiring portion 12 can be fast separated from the sliding conductor 23, thereby reducing impact of an electric arc on air insulation strength.
[0098] In addition, an electric arc generated in the process in which the first wiring portion 12 is separated from the sliding conductor 23 may act on the contact 122 of the first wiring portion 12 and the end portion of the sliding conductor 23. In particular, the contact 122 and the end portion of the sliding conductor 23 may be made of a copper tungsten alloy, and the copper tungsten alloy has an extremely high heat-resistant characteristic. Therefore, the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 are not damaged.
[0099] In addition, an electric arc generated between the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 passes through the arc extinguishing grids 1121. The arc extinguishing grids 1121 can cut one long electric arc into a plurality of short electric arcs. When an alternating current flows through a zero point, all the short electric arcs are simultaneously extinguished. Due to a near cathode effect, start dielectric strength of a specific voltage immediately appears near a cathode of each short electric arc. Provided that a start dielectric strength sum obtained after all the short electric arcs are connected in series is greater than a voltage between the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23, the electric arc no longer reignites, to implement arc extinguishing. In a process in which the first wiring portion 12 is separated and pulled out from the sliding conductor 23, all electric arcs generated between the first wiring portion 12 and the sliding conductor 23 are limited inside the first housing component 11 and the second housing component 21. Therefore, the electric arcs are not leaked, to implement safety and reliability.
[0100] The electrical connector in embodiments of this application is in a medium-voltage electric field environment in a use process. Due to pointing from a high-voltage side to a low-voltage side in terms of voltage, in a path from a middle voltage to a low voltage, it should be noted that partial discharge may be caused in a case of extremely little air. A hazard of the partial discharge is mainly reflected in a damage effect on an insulation structure, for example, the first housing component and the second housing component. If the partial discharge continuously develops, deterioration and damage of an insulation material are gradually expanded, and finally a normal life of the insulation structure is shortened, short-term insulation strength is reduced, and even the entire insulation structure may be broken down. To prevent partial discharge from being caused in use of the electrical connector in embodiments of this application, in an embodiment of this application, in an embodiment of this application, a homogenized electric field is designed for the electrical connector.
[0101] There are mainly three manners of processing partial discharge from a medium voltage to a low voltage. In a first manner, an enough air distance is kept between a medium voltage and a low voltage. In this case, due to a relatively large air distance, it is difficult to cause partial discharge. However, this design requires a large product volume and has strong product design limitation. For example, in a case of 10 kV, a difference of an insulation housing of a live electrical connector from zero-potential sheet metal needs to be greater than or equal to 90 mm. In a second manner, partial discharge is controlled by using a combination of air and a solid insulation medium. A specific solid insulation material may be disposed between a medium voltage and a low voltage for blocking. In this case, a required air insulation distance can be greatly reduced. However, a valid air distance still needs to be greater than or equal to 25 mm, and a relatively large quantity of limitations are imposed on an actual design of an entire product. In a third manner, partial discharge is controlled by using a solid insulation medium. Glue filling or equipotential processing is performed on medium voltage and low voltage parts, to ensure that there is no extremely little air between a medium voltage and a low voltage, so that an electric field from the medium voltage to the low voltage can be applied to a solid insulation material. Insulation strength of the solid insulation material may be implemented by selecting different insulation materials, so that a volume of an entire design can be further reduced.
[0102]
[0103] A third metal layer 213 and a fourth metal layer 214 are embedded in a second insulation housing 211, the third metal layer 213 is disposed near an outer surface of the second insulation housing 211, the fourth metal layer 214 is disposed inside the second insulation housing 211, the third metal layer 213 is connected to a zero potential, and a potential of the fourth metal layer 214 is equipotentially connected to a second wiring portion 22. A thickness of the second insulation housing 211 between the third metal layer 213 and the fourth metal layer 214 needs to be greater than an insulation requirement, to prevent the second insulation housing 211 between the third metal layer 213 and the fourth metal layer 214 from being broken down. Therefore, a medium voltage.fwdarw.low voltage electric field can be transferred to the second insulation housing 211. The third metal layer 213 is connected to a low-voltage potential point, and the fourth metal layer 214 is connected to a middle-voltage potential point. Both the third metal layer 213 and the fourth metal layer 214 may be connected to the potential points by using bumps or wires, and the connections are used as only equipotential connections, to implement voltage consistency. In this manner, a problem of air partial discharge inside the electrical connector is resolved.
[0104] According to the homogenized electric field design in the foregoing embodiment of this application, a space requirement for an entire system in which the electrical connector is used can be reduced, so that the entire system is more conveniently designed, and a smaller entire system can be designed.
[0105] Based on a same technical concept, this application provides electrical equipment in an embodiment. The electrical equipment includes a first circuit unit, a second circuit unit, and the electrical connector in the first aspect of this application. The first wiring portion is connected to the first circuit unit, and the second wiring portion is connected to the second circuit unit.
[0106] It may be understood that at least two electrical connectors may be disposed between the first circuit unit and the second circuit unit in this application, to form an electrical connection loop.
[0107] The electrical equipment in this embodiment of this application includes the electrical connector in the foregoing embodiments of this application. When the electrical connector in this application has a hot swap function, a function module corresponding to the first circuit unit or the second circuit unit in the electrical equipment in this application can be overhauled and maintained under a condition of a weak current, for example, a current lower than 500 mA or lower than 300 mA, thereby improving overhaul and maintenance efficiency, and reducing maintenance time. The weak current is merely an example description rather than a specific limitation, and may be specifically determined based on a specific application range of the electrical equipment and a value of a current used by the electrical equipment.
[0108] The foregoing description is merely a specific implementation of this application, but is not intended to limit the protection scope of this application. Any variation or replacement readily figured out by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application shall fall within the protection scope of this application recited in the claims.