EP2866306B1 - Contact socket for an electric plug - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an electrical connecting means according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a two-piece connecting means is from the EP 0 784 356 A1 known. While the male part inserted into the socket section serves to contact a plug contact inserted into the socket section, the female part is typically designed such that the connecting means can be connected to an electrical line. The electrical path from the line to the plug contact thus leads via the female part and the male part. In the known connecting means, the male part and the female part are welded together to produce an improved electrical and mechanical connection. The welded connection can be formed at several points, for example by a laser welding process. The connecting means can then be connected to an electrical conductor, for example an electrical line. Ultrasonic-based connection technologies are often used in the assembly of electrical cables. Lanyards that have been improved by means of welded joints, however, are sensitive to vibrations. The welding spots can break open due to the vibrations that arise during ultrasonic welding and continue to the welding spots on the connecting means. The breaking of the welding spots is unpredictable and changes the electrical and mechanical properties of the connection means. This makes it impossible to maintain quality standards when assembling cables.

The WO2012 / 176936 A1 , DE 20 2008 004957 U1 and US 6 394 858 B1 also disclose electrical connection means.

The invention has for its object to provide an electrical connection means of the type mentioned, which is insensitive to vibrations, withstands an increased current flow and at the same time can be produced with less economic effort.

The object is achieved by an electrical connecting means with the features of claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the invention can be found in the subclaims, the description and the drawing.

A method for producing a connecting means is also disclosed, comprising the following steps:
Providing a female part having a cavity and protrusions at one end, inserting a male part having openings into the female part, the parts being aligned such that the protrusions protrude into the openings. Deform the projections.

In the method, the material of the projections can be deformed in such a way that the material thickness, at least on the punched surfaces, essentially corresponds to the material thickness of the male part.

The projections can be bent into the openings during alignment.

The material of the projections can be deformed in such a way that the projections projecting into the openings are positively connected to the male part in the openings.

A connection line comprising an electrical connection means and an electrical conductor is also disclosed.

• Fig. 1 eine perspektivische Darstellung eines Verbindungsmittels gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform;
• Fig. 2 einen Schnitt entlang der Längsachse des Verbindungsmittels;
• Fig. 3 eine perspektivische Darstellung eines Teils des Buchsenabschnitts nahe der Einführöffnung gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform (ohne männliches Teil);
• Fig. 4 eine perspektivische Darstellung eines männlichen Teils gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform;
• Fig. 5 eine perspektivische Darstellung des Buchsenabschnitts; Im Folgenden werden bevorzugte Ausgestaltungen der Erfindung näher beschrieben. Ähnliche oder korrespondierende Einzelheiten des erfindungsgemäßen Gegenstandes sind mit denselben Bezugszeichen versehen.

The invention is described below using an advantageous embodiment, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

• Fig. 1 a perspective view of a connecting means according to a first embodiment;
• Fig. 2 a section along the longitudinal axis of the connecting means;
• Fig. 3 a perspective view of a part of the socket portion near the insertion opening according to a first embodiment (without a male part);
• Fig. 4 a perspective view of a male part according to a first embodiment;
• Fig. 5 a perspective view of the socket section; Preferred embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below. Similar or corresponding details of the subject matter of the invention are provided with the same reference numerals.

With the one in the Figures 1 and 2nd The connecting means 1 shown according to the invention is a two-part design Electrical connection means 1, which comprises a female part 10 and a male part 12. The female part 10 and the male part 12 are each formed as a stamped and bent part and each have an electrically conductive material.

How Figure 1 shows, the female part 10 comprises a socket section 14 for receiving a plug contact, not shown, and a crimp section 16 with first and second crimping tabs 18, 20 for the electrical and mechanical connection of the connecting means 1 to an electrical line, not shown. The male part 12 is inserted in the socket section 14. The female part 10 has two webs 38 in the socket section 14, which extend from two opposite side walls 26, 30 in the direction of the insertion opening 62. Protrusions 36 extend from these webs 38, perpendicular to the plug-in direction. The male part 12 is located between the webs 38. The male part 12 is inserted into the socket section 14 in such a way that it abuts with a stop surface 48 against the stop surface 24 of the socket section . The projections 36 are bent inwards so that they protrude into the openings 44, the base 40, of the male part 12 and are caulked there. After caulking, the projections 36 are connected to one another in the holding regions 60, where the punching surfaces 22, 46 of the projections 36 and openings 44 lie opposite one another.

Figure 2 shows a sectional view of the connecting means 1 along the section axis A. The male part 12 lies with its base 40 between the webs 38 of the female part 10. Two contact spring arms 50, 52 extend from the base 40, counter to the insertion opening 62 Base 40 the contact spring arms 50, 52 run towards one another in the direction of their free ends 54. In one, for electrical and mechanical contacting of a plug contact inserted into the socket section 14 (not shown) provided, contact area 56, the contact spring arms 50, 52 are at a minimum distance from each other. In the area of the contact area 56, the contact spring arms 50, 52 are each provided with a longitudinal gap 58 which extends in the plugging direction and which leads to the fact that a plug contact (not shown) inserted into the socket section 14 makes total contact in four different areas by the contact spring arms 50, 52 and thereby the reliability of the contact is increased. Starting from the contact area 56, the contact spring arms 50, 52 diverge again in the direction of their free ends 54 in order to facilitate the insertion of a plug contact. The contact spring arms 50, 52 are pressed against the inside of the female part 10 when the plug contact is inserted, which results in additional contact points between the male part 12 and the female part 10.

As the Figures 3 and 4th show, the socket section 14 has a substantially cuboid basic shape with an approximately square cross section in the illustrated embodiment. The socket section 14 comprises four side walls 26, 28, 29, 30, which delimit a receiving space 32 for the plug contact and the male part 12. The base 40 also has an essentially cuboid basic shape with an approximately square cross section, so that it bears against the inner sides of the webs 38 when the male part is inserted into the female part 10. The base 40 comprises four side walls 42 with openings 44 in the walls 42. The projections 36 and the openings 44 have a rectangular shape in this embodiment. The punched surfaces 22 which surround the projections 36 are located with the male part 12 and curved projections 36 opposite the punched surfaces of the openings 44 of the base 40. After the male part 12 has been inserted into the socket section 14 and the projections 36 of the If the bushing section 14 protrudes into the openings 44 of the base 40, there is still no positive connection between the bushing section 14 and the male part 12. There is still a small gap between the parts. A mechanical process now applies pressure to the projections 36 to deform the material. The pressure is exerted in such a way that the wall thickness of the projections 36, at the points of the pressurization, decreases and the metal flows in the direction of the punched edges. The flow process is terminated when the punch surface 22 of the protrusion 36 abuts the punch surface 46 of the opening 44 of the base 40. If the material can no longer flow when pressure is applied, the surfaces are pressed together. This state remains even after the pressure has been removed and keeps the parts together. This process is known as caulking. In mechanical engineering, caulking (press-fit stem) refers to the establishment of a non-positive and positive connection between two individual workpieces through plastic deformation.

Figure 5 shows that the socket section 14 has been formed from four wall sections 26, 28, 29, 30 into a box-shaped socket region. The side walls of the sheet metal sections forming the box were formed into a closed outer surface by three 90 ° bends. The outer edge, which closes the box after the bending, is connected to the latter by a press fit, by means of a laterally projecting tab 78 which projects into a window 80 into a side wall 29. A latching projection 70 is formed from the upper side wall 26 by cutting out a strip from the side wall 26, an area remaining connected to the upper side wall 26. As a result, the locking projection 70 can be moved against the upper side wall 26. A first nose 74 and a second nose 75 are formed on one side of the latching projection 70, each of which has a first side wall opening 76 and protrude a second side wall opening 77. The side wall openings 76, 77 are dimensioned such that the lugs 74, 75 are at a short distance from the edges of the side wall openings 76, 77. This allows the lugs 74, 75 to move within the side wall openings 76, 77. The range of movement of the locking projection 70 is thus determined by the sizes of the lugs 74, 75 and the side wall openings. The locking projection 70 is bent outwards at the end with which it is not fastened to the upper side wall, insofar as the side wall openings 76, 77 allow it. When the connecting element 1 is inserted into a housing (not shown), the latching projection 70 can move inwards and when the connecting element has reached the end position in the housing, it can move outwards again and hold the connecting element 1 in the housing chamber (not shown). The pull-out force required for unintentional pulling out increases in comparison to a conventional latching device, since the lugs 74, 75 of the latching projection 70 are held in the side wall openings 76, 77 and prevent the latching projection 70 from being bent over.

As in Figure 2 and 3rd can be seen, the female part has a retaining catch 33 in a web 38 which interacts with a mounting opening 34 in the base 40 in order to prevent the male part from inadvertently slipping in the female part, as long as the projections 36, during manufacture, are not bent into the openings 44. When the male part 12 is inserted, the retaining catch 33 projects into the mounting opening 34 and thus prevents the male part 12 from accidentally slipping.

Figure 4 shows that the male part 12 inside the base 40 has a curved shape 49 in a side wall, which serves as an insertion aid for a plug contact (not shown). If the plug contact is not centered in the insertion opening 62, it bumps against the expression 49 and is guided into a more favorable insertion position by the curved shape.

The base of the male part is not itself intended for contacting a plug contact inserted into the socket section. It can therefore be designed regardless of the design of the contact spring arms for a stable connection to the socket section. When caulking, the two parts are connected to each other in areas on their punching surfaces. This results in a relatively large contact area between the parts. This creates not only a secure mechanical connection between the male part and the female part, but also an improved electrical and thermal coupling of the male part and female part compared to a welded connection. Thus larger currents can flow over the connection without the connection means heating up significantly in the area of the connection. Consequently, the maximum current that can flow through the connecting means according to the invention is significantly higher than with a connecting means in which the insert part and the receiving part are welded to one another.

In addition, the disclosed connection is easier to establish than a welded connection. In particular, there is no need to invest in a welding device, for example a laser welding device. Instead, the caulking connection can e.g. be produced by a punch bending device, which is also used to produce the male part or the female part. The reduced investment costs contribute to the fact that the connecting means according to the invention can be manufactured overall with less economic effort.

According to one embodiment, the female part and the male part can be designed as a stamped and bent part, resulting in a contributes to cost-effective production. The male part and the female part are only connected on punching surfaces, which means that no further holding devices or contacting devices have to be provided. In this way, a connecting means can be provided which is free of parts projecting into the receiving space, which reduces the overall cross section of the connecting means.

Preferably, the female part and the male part are made of different metals or alloys, because the requirements for the male part are to safely and permanently contact a complementary contact part which is inserted into the connecting means, whereas the female part has the task to hold the male part and to provide the contact with a conductor (electrical line) and to fix the connecting means in a housing. Preferred materials for the male part are, for example, copper-nickel-silicon alloys because they have particularly good spring properties. The female part can be manufactured inexpensively from a sheet of bronze, with good electrical conductivity between the male part and the connecting line being ensured.

The female part and the male part can preferably have different wall thicknesses. The female part can have a slightly larger wall thickness than the male part. This has the effect that the wall thicknesses on the punched edges of both parts are roughly the same after caulking. This is advantageous because the entire contact area between the parts can then be used for holding and electrical contact. In addition, there are no corners where dirt can collect that leads to corrosion. A promising combination consists of a male part with a material thickness of 0.15 mm and a material thickness of 0.20 mm for the female part. It would of course also be conceivable to have the same wall thicknesses to be used and to design the caulking process in such a way that the wall thickness is retained on the punched surfaces, but the material becomes thinner in other places. However, this process may be more difficult to control in production.

According to a further embodiment, the electrical contacting of the socket section and the male part takes place mainly via the punched surfaces of both parts, because a large-area contact surface is achieved which has a low electrical resistance and is largely corrosion-resistant since moisture does not get into the separating surface. Further secondary current paths are formed when areas of the male part are pressed against the female part after a plug contact has been inserted into the connecting means. The additional connection points between the male part and the female part further reduce the overall resistance of the connecting means.

The male base preferably forms the insertion opening of the socket section, so the area which represents the insertion opening for the complementary plug contact can be adapted to the plug contact in order to optimally guide it into the male part when plugged in.

According to a further embodiment, the female part and the projections are formed in one piece from a sheet metal. The female part is punched out of sheet metal and folded into shape. This enables cost-effective production. The male part can also be punched out of sheet metal and shaped. The openings of the male part are punched into the male part.

The projections preferably protrude from one or more side walls of the bushing section so that they can be fitted into the openings of the male part. The arrangement of the projections can be realized in a wide variety of ways. The prerequisite, however, is that a projection must be arranged so that it protrudes into an opening in the wall of the male part and can be fixed and electrically contacted by caulking in the opening.

According to a further embodiment, the projections can protrude from a side wall of the socket section in the plug-in direction or perpendicular to the plug-in direction. As already mentioned, the projections can protrude from the female part at different angles. The bushing section can have side walls which are elongated to form webs and are suitable for mechanically supporting the male part. These webs extend from the side walls. The projections in turn extend from the webs. In this embodiment, after the male part has been inserted, the projections do not protrude into the openings, but are bent into the openings before caulking. This structure increases the mechanical stability of the connecting means.

The bushing section preferably has a rectangular or square cross section so that it can be held in a housing in a manner that prevents it from rotating. However, it is conceivable to provide a socket section with a circular or oval cross section and to design the male part accordingly.

Reference list

1

Lanyard

10th

Female part

12th

Male part

14

Bushing section

16

Crimp section

18th

First crimping strap

20

Second crimp tab

22

Punching surface

24th

Abutment surface

26

Upper side wall

28

Side wall,

29

Side wall

30th

Lower side wall

32

Recording room

34

Assembly opening

36

head Start

38

web

40

Base

42

Side wall

44

openings

46

Punching surface

49

Expression

48

Abutment surface

50

Contact spring arm

52

Contact spring arm

54

Free ends

56

Contact area

58

Longitudinal gap

60

Stopping area

62

Insertion opening

70

Locking projection

74

First nose

75

Second nose

76

First side wall opening

77

Second side wall opening

78

Tab

80

window

Claims (8)

1. An electrical connection means (1) comprising a female part (10) having a socket section (14) in which a male part (12) is received, said male part (12) having openings (44) in the region of a base (40), wherein the socket section (14) has projections (36) which project into the openings (44) and which, in the openings (44), are connected in a form-fitted manner to the male part (12),
   characterized in that
   an elastic latch projection (70) is formed from a part of a wall (26) of the socket section (14) and projects outwardly, with a nose (74, 75) being formed at a side of the latch projection (70) and projecting into a wall opening (76, 77) of the socket section (14), with the wall opening (76, 77) being larger than the nose (74, 75) so that the latch projection (70) is movable.
2. An electrical connection means (1) in accordance with claim 1, wherein the male part (12) comprises at least one contact spring arm (50, 52) which is resilient at one end and which is adapted to contact the inner surface of the female part (10).
3. An electrical connection means (1) in accordance with claim 1, wherein the male part (12) is sleeve-shaped.
4. An electrical connection means (1) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the female part (10) has a holding latch (33) in its interior, said holding latch (33) cooperating with an assembly opening (34) in the male part (12).
5. An electrical connection means (1) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the male part (12) has at least one stamped portion (49) at its inner side.
6. An electrical connection means (1) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the female part (10) and the male part (12) comprise different metals or alloys.
7. An electrical connection means (1) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the female part (10) and the male part (12) have different wall thicknesses.
8. A connection line comprising an electrical connection means (1) in accordance with claim 1 and an electrical conductor.

Images