AU2008250785B2

AU2008250785B2 - Plug contact pairing

Info

Publication number: AU2008250785B2
Application number: AU2008250785A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Willi Kussel; Peter Rahms
Original assignee: Tiefenbach Control Systems GmbH
Current assignee: Tiefenbach Control Systems GmbH
Priority date: 2007-05-12
Filing date: 2008-05-06
Publication date: 2012-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2028-05-06
Also published as: PL2149176T3; DE102008022397A1; AU2008250785A1; EP2149176A1; EP2149176B1; DE112008001198A5; WO2008138303A1

Abstract

A plug contact pairing comprises a plug pot (1) with contact pins (31), as well as a plug head (2) with contact circuits (32) for connection of electrical line ends (25, 26). A profiled ring (securing ring) is used to mount the plug head in an interlocking manner in the plug pot, is incorporated with a part of its cross section in a circumferential groove in the plug head and, during closure of the plug contact pairing, latches with the rest of its cross section into a groove on the internal circumference of the plug pot. By virtue of the shape and material of the securing ring and the slot shape, the plug head (2) can be pulled out of the plug pot (1) only with a tensile force which is greater than the limit value. In one development, the plug head (2) is mounted with an identical connection in the plug housing (3), in which case the mounting ring connection is designed in comparison to the securing ring connection such that the tensile force with which the plug head can be pulled out of the plug pot is less than that by means of which the plug head is held in the plug housing by the mounting ring connection.

Description

Plug contact pairing The invention concerns a plug contact pairing. 5 A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is not to be taken as an admission that that document or matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims. 10 Throughout the description and claims of this specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word, such as "comprises" and "comprising", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps. Numerous types of plug contact pairings have general usage and are 15 commercially available. These pairings have a cylindrical, mostly circular cylindrical plug receptacle firmly mounted in a machine housing by, for example, screws, and contact pins in the interior of the plug receptacle. The contact pins are parallel with the axis of the receptacle. The movable part of the plug contact has a plug head with contact bushes. Contact pins and contact bushes are 20 joined, for example, soldered, to the ends of electric leads. In this application as machine housing any housing is understood, that accommodates an electrical or electronic equipment, for example electronic computers or electronic control device and is detachably connected with another electrical or electronic equipment, be it a current source or current consumer. To prevent an 25 unintentional pulling out of the plug head from the plug receptacle or falling out due to, for example, vibration, instead of a friction-locked fastening in most cases a form-locked fastening of the plug head in the plug receptacle is provided by, for example, screwing them together in the inserted state. When pulling out the movable plug part from the stationary part this fastening is often troublesome and 30 there is the danger of the detaching being carried out improperly or even leading to damages. It would therefore be desirable to provide a fastening that is simple to produce, yet is secure and simple to detach.

2 According to the present invention, there is provided a plug contact pairing comprising: a plug receptacle and contact pins in the interior of the plug receptacle; and a plug head, which has at one end contact bushes for the connection of electrical lead ends, and which is fastened with its other end in a movable plug housing congruent to this end and with a form-locked fastening both of the plug contact pairing of plug head and plug receptacle as well as of the pairing of plug head and plug housing, each in the inserted state, wherein the form-locked fastening of the plug contact pairing comprises a fastening ring and a securing ring comprising profiled rings, wherein the securing ring of plug contact pairing including plug head and plug receptacle is placed with a portion of its cross section in a circumferential groove of the plug head and engages a groove on the internal circumference of the plug receptacle by the rest of its cross section upon the plug contact pairing being closed, wherein the securing ring connection includes grooves and the shape and material of the securing ring as well as the shape of the groove is so constructed that the plug head can be pulled out from the plug receptacle only with a tensile force exceeding a boundary value, wherein a portion of the cross section of the fastening ring of the pairing of plug head and plug housing is placed in a circumferential groove on the external circumference of the said end of the plug head and engages with a groove on the internal circumference of the plug housing with the rest of the profile cross section of the fastening ring, wherein the fastening ring connection, including the grooves and the shape and material of the fastening ring and shape of the groove of the fastening ring is so constructed that, compared with the securing ring connection, the tensile force, by which the plug head can be pulled out from the plug receptacle, is smaller than that holding the plug head in the plug housing by means of the fastening ring connection.

3 The movable plug part, namely the plug head, can be reliably fastened in its plug housing, that the fastenings of the plug head in the plug receptacle on the one hand and in the plug housing on the other are so harmonised that the function of the detachable plug is ensured and can be executed without damaging the plug. 5 In some embodiments, the plug receptacle with contact pins is firmly mounted in the machine housing and that the plug housing contains the stationary portion of a second plug contact pairing for contacting additional leads/ ends of leads. This provides a simple yet secure construction with small dimensions of a plurality of plug contact pairings for an electronic equipment. In some embodiments, the cylindrical plug receptacle of the second plug contact pairing including contact pins and contact bushes is mounted in the plug housing of the first plug contact pairing, said contact pins and contact bushes forming a connection to further electrical lead ends . In this embodiment, the second movable plug part, namely the plug head, can be also simply and reliably inserted into the stationary part of the second pairing. In some embodiments, the direction of insertion of the first plug contact pairing is the same as that of the second plug contact pairing. This feature is space-saving and therefore can be used for very small electronic equipment. The fastening ring and securing ring are preferably 0-rings. 10 The invention is described in the following based on the drawing of embodiments. They show in: 15 Fig.1 - a simple plug contact pairing, Fig.2 - a double plug contact pairing. The following description applies to both figures: 4 The plug head 1 of the plug contact pairing is firmly mounted in the housing of an electrical equipment machine housing. In its cylindrical interior it has contact pins 31, that are parallel with the axis of the plug receptacle, pass through the bottom of the receptacle and protrude into the interior of the plug head. The ends of the 5 leads 25, 26 are soldered to the ends of the contact pins which protrude from the bottom of the receptacle, facing away from the bottom of the receptacle. The shape of movable plug head 2 corresponds to the interior of the plug receptacle. It has contact bushes 32 aligned parallel with the axis of its cylinder, the contact bushes having the same geometric arrangement as the contact pins in the plug 10 head and are brought into contact by inserting the plug head into the plug receptacle. Because the contact pins and the contact bushes are asymmetrically distributed, a guide pin 6 protrudes parallel with the contact pins into the interior of the receptacle and in the geometrical identical position the plug head has a guide bore 7. The free ends of the contact bushes, facing away from the insertion 15 openings, are soldered to the ends of the electrical leads 25, 26. The electrical leads 25, 26 are guided in the plug housing, facing away from the plug head. That portion of the plug head, which in the inserted state protrudes past the edge of the plug receptacle, is fastened in the interior of the plug housing that is so far congruent. 20 This is achieved by a form-locked fastening. For this purpose a profiled ring, preferably an O-ring, designated as fastening ring 4, with a portion of its section is placed into a circumferential groove on the external circumference at that end of the plug head which is accommodated in the interior of the plug housing. The 25 remainder the section of the fastening ring 4 engages a groove on the internal circumference of the plug housing, while the cross-sectional plane of the plug head, in which the groove is situated, determines the depth of insertion of the plug head in the plug housing.

4A For a form-locked fastening after the insertion of the plug head into the plug receptacle a further profiled ring, preferably an 0-ring, is used, that is designated as retaining ring 5. Part of its cross-section is embedded in a circumferential groove of the plug head and during the insertion of the plug head into the plug 5 receptacle the retaining ring 5 engages with the rest of its cross-section a groove on the internal circumference of the plug receptacle. By doing so, this retaining ring connection, including the grooves and the retaining ring 5, is so constructed with regard to shape and material, that the movable plug head 2 can be pulled out from the plug receptacle 1 mounted in the machine frame only by using a 10 tensile force that exceeds a boundary value. In particular the unintentional falling out of the plug head from the plug receptacle or without human interference is to be avoided. On the other hand the fastening of the plug head 2 in the plug housing 3 by the 15 fastening ring 4 is even "sturdier"; i.e. the fastening ring connection between the plug housing and the plug head, including the grooves and the ring 4 with regards to shape, material and shape of the groove, when compared with the retaining ring connection, including grooves and the ring 5, is so designed that the tensile force, with which the plug head can be pulled out from the plug receptacle, is 20 smaller than that holding the plug head in the plug housing by means of the fastening ring connection. That will also prevent that, when trying to pull out the plug head from the plug receptacle, the plug housing would be inadvertently pulled off the plug head and due to this the ends of the leads, possibly the ends of the contact bushes, would be tom off. 25 For Fig.2 the following additional description applies: The plug housing 3.1 of the first plug contact pairing comprises the stationary part, i.e. the plug head 2.1 of a second plug contact pairing. In the example it is identically constructed with the first one containing the parts 2.2 instead of 2, plug 30 head 1.1 instead of 1, housing 3.1 instead of 3, leads/ends of leads 27, 28 in addition to leads/ends of leads 25, 26, contact pins 31.2 instead of 31, contact bushes 32.2 instead of 32, fastening ring 4.2 instead of 4, retaining ring 5.2 instead of 5.

4B The following peculiarities are particularly valid for the embodiment: The inserting directions are the same for both pairings. The exit directions of the ends of the leads 27, 28 and of the ends of the lines 25, 26 are in the same direction. 5 The first plug contact pairing has lead connections to the contact bushes 32.2 and contact pins 32.2 of the second plug contact pairing. For this purpose in the embodiment the plug receptacle and plug head of the first plug contact pairing have holes 33 for the contact pins 31.2 of the second plug contact pairing that are fastened with the appropriate length in the plug head 2.1 of the second plug 10 contact pairing. The plug receptacle 2.1 is firmly mounted in the plug housing 3.1 of the first plug contact pairing in a recess provided for this purpose. The guide pins 6, 6.2 and guide bores are offset relative one another.

Claims

1. A plug contact pairing comprising: a plug receptacle and contact pins in the interior of the plug receptacle; and a plug head, which has at one end contact bushes for the connection of electrical lead ends, and which is fastened with its other end in a movable plug housing congruent to this end and with a form-locked fastening both of the plug contact pairing of plug head and plug receptacle as well as of the pairing of plug head and plug housing, each in the inserted state, wherein the form-locked fastening of the plug contact pairing comprises a fastening ring and a securing ring comprising profiled rings, wherein the securing ring of plug contact pairing including plug head and plug receptacle is placed with a portion of its cross section in a circumferential groove of the plug head and engages a groove on the internal circumference of the plug receptacle by the rest of its cross section upon the plug contact pairing being closed, wherein the securing ring connection includes grooves and the shape and material of the securing ring as well as the shape of the groove is so constructed that the plug head can be pulled out from the plug receptacle only with a tensile force exceeding a boundary value, wherein a portion of the cross section of the fastening ring of the pairing of plug head and plug housing is placed in a circumferential groove on the external circumference of the said end of the plug head and engages with a groove on the internal circumference of the plug housing with the rest of the profile cross section of the fastening ring, wherein the fastening ring connection, including the grooves and the shape and material of the fastening ring and shape of the groove of the fastening ring is so constructed that, compared with the securing ring connection, the tensile force, by which the plug head can be pulled out from the plug receptacle, is smaller than that holding the plug head in the plug housing by means of the fastening ring connection.

2. A plug contact pairing according to claim 1, 6 wherein the plug receptacle with contact pins is firmly mounted in a machine housing and that the plug housing contains the stationary portion of a second plug contact pairing for contacting additional leads/ ends of leads.

3. A plug contact pairing according to claim 2, wherein the cylindrical plug receptacle of the second plug contact pairing including contact pins and contact bushes is mounted in the plug housing of the first plug contact pairing, said contact pins and contact bushes forming a connection to further electrical lead ends .

4. A plug contact pairing according to claim 2, wherein the direction of insertion of the first plug contact pairing is the same as that of the second plug contact pairing.

5. The plug contact pairing according to any preceding claim, wherein fastening ring comprises an O-ring.

6. The plug contact pairing according to any preceding claim, wherein the securing ring comprises an O-ring.

7. A plug contact pairing substantially as herein before described with reference to any one of the accompanying figures.