CN212011336U

CN212011336U - Plug-in connector

Info

Publication number: CN212011336U
Application number: CN201890001319.8U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 亚历山大·希伯
Original assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Phoenix Contact GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2017-11-06
Filing date: 2018-08-24
Publication date: 2020-11-24
Anticipated expiration: 2028-08-24
Also published as: DE102017125811A1; DE202018006398U1; WO2019086066A1

Abstract

A plug connector, wherein the plug connector comprises at least one contact carrier for receiving and positioning at least one angled contact relative to a surface of a circuit board. The angled contact has a first leg facing the surface of the circuit board and a second leg, which can be designed as a contact pin or a contact sleeve at the end of the contact. The contact carrier is designed for receiving at least one angled contact and for this purpose encloses a channel-like recess on the outside, which extends between two different outer sides of the contact body, one of which faces the surface of the circuit board. In the at least one contact body of the plug connector, the at least one angled contact can be fixed or fixed in the region of the first leg of the contact on the contact body in the axial direction and in the radial direction at least one location.

Description

Plug-in connector

The invention relates to a plug connector for establishing an external connection with a circuit board, wherein the plug connector comprises at least one contact carrier for receiving and positioning at least one angled contact with respect to a surface of the circuit board, wherein the angled contact has a first leg and a second leg.

Various possibilities for establishing an external connection with a circuit board are known from the prior art.

DE 19714878C 1 describes a pin strip (Stiftleiste) which can be pressed into a circuit board and which contains bent contact pins arranged in a housing. The contact pins are held without play around the bent-over portion by the housing and a holder additionally arranged in the housing and are actually clamped. The holder or the housing then receives the forces which are exerted on the contact pins and which are generated when the contact pins are pressed into the circuit board. This prevents a change in the position of the contact pins, which would affect the function, as well as also prevents the contact pins from being deformed or damaged. Damage and deformation of the housing and/or the circuit board can likewise be avoided.

DE 29904493U 1 describes a pin strip which can be mounted on a circuit board and has bent contact pins and which is distinguished by a particularly simple design. Here, a substantially square plastic part fixes the part of the contact pin which is parallel to the circuit board, while the part which is perpendicular to the circuit board can be fixed by lateral projections on the plastic part relatively close to the circuit board surface and can be fastened with minimal positional tolerances at the corresponding contact on the circuit board surface. In order to increase the strength of the entire structure and to position it towards the underside of the circuit board, the plastic part has pins or the like which are inserted into corresponding recesses in the circuit board. Furthermore, the plastic part can also have a wire or a metallized contact surface in order to fasten it in this way still additionally at corresponding points on the surface of the circuit board by means of a soldering method. On the side opposite the circuit board, the plastic part can be provided with a suction side of an automatic positioning system for batch processing of such components.

DE 13947 a1 describes a connector strip with bent pins, in particular for soldering circuit boards. The connector strip is formed by a base body of the connector housing, which has press-in or injection-molded, bent contact pins, which are arranged in the circuit board for insertion or press-in. The parts of the contact pins which are bent perpendicularly to the circuit board are fixed firmly on the whole by the guide plate sections in the immediate vicinity of the surface of the circuit board. The guide plate section is designed in one piece with the connector housing. The connector strip is optimized, in particular for a multiple-row plug connection with a plurality of contact pins having a narrow pitch and being thin, wherein the accuracy of the adaptation of the contact pins is also important as is the stability when the connector strip is mounted on a circuit board.

An electrical plug connector for mounting on a circuit board is disclosed in EP 1109259B 1. This plug connector has a carrier which contains at least one surface contact element. The carrier has a plug-in region for connection to a complementary plug connector on one end and a connection region for connection to a circuit board on the other end. A mechanically flexible and electrically conductive connecting element is connected to the connecting region and can be soldered to a conductor path of the circuit board. The surface contact element is designed in multiple parts and the individual sub-elements can be displaced relative to one another. This results in tolerance compensation during the assembly of the surface contact elements and permanent mobility over the entire service life of the plug connector. The mechanical decoupling of the circuit board and the surface contact elements should improve the service life of the soldered parts. The optional combination with, for example, a through-hole plug element serving as a ground contact makes it possible to achieve a further increase in the strength and the tolerance of the overall structure formed by the plug connector and the circuit board.

In commercially available plug connectors with angled contacts, two variants are generally widespread: in a first variant, the angled contact is fixed in the insulator by means of a form fit or press fit. Additional members radially guide the legs of the angled contacts oriented toward the surface of the circuit board. Thereby, tolerances can be compensated during manufacturing and the radial guidance provides additional protection against twisting of the contacts when assembled (typically by hand) onto a circuit board. The second variant does not require additional components for guiding, but relies on a better form fit between the insulator and the contacts, in order to effectively increase the resistance against twisting of the contacts, in particular during assembly.

However, the two variants of angled plug connectors discussed in the above solutions only involve a radial positioning of the contacts with respect to the circuit board surface, but do not involve the ever-increasing need for an axial positioning of the contacts with respect to the circuit board surface, which arises from the novel method for fastening the plug connector on a circuit board. In this connection, the axial position refers to the height of the contact piece relative to a certain point of the circuit board surface, i.e. the vertical distance of the contact piece relative to a certain point of the circuit board surface. Radial positioning accordingly relates to the position of the contact at a certain point on the surface of the circuit board or on a plane parallel to the plane defining the surface of the circuit board. In this case, tolerances of the various possible combinations in the axial direction and in the radial direction must be taken into account when fitting the plug connector to the circuit board. Here, tolerances resulting from the bending process are to be taken into account in particular in the case of angled contacts.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide axial and radial positioning of an angled contact piece relative to a circuit board which is as simple as possible to handle and which can be fitted, yet is precise, which positioning overcomes inaccuracies in the bending process when producing the angled contact piece in terms of axial position relative to the circuit board to be contacted.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a plug connector according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments can be derived from the dependent claims.

The plug connector according to the invention for producing an external plug connection to a circuit board has at least one contact carrier. The contact carrier is designed such that it can receive at least one angled contact. These contact elements are formed from a suitable, electrically conductive material in the form of a rod or wire, wherein the cross-section along the longitudinal extension of the contact element can vary in size and shape. For reasons of convenience and to keep manufacturing costs low, the angled contact piece is in most cases bent over at a point along its longitudinal axis. The angled contact can thus be divided in general into two straight legs and a more or less protruding region between the two legs, which region has a curvature. The end of each leg is at the same time also one of the two ends of the contact piece, the respective other end of the leg adjoining the region between the two legs having the curvature. The angle between the two legs of the angled contact is typically a right angle. What is referred to below as the first leg is the leg of the two legs of the angled contact, the end of which is directed towards the circuit board and which is oriented with its central axis generally perpendicular to the surface of the circuit board. If the two legs of the angled contact are at right angles to each other, the central axis of the second leg thus lies in a plane parallel to the surface of the circuit board. The second leg can be designed as a contact pin or as a contact sleeve on the end of the angled contact piece. In order to receive at least one angled contact, at least one contact carrier of the plug connector has at least one recess in the shape of a channel on the outer side, which recess extends between two different outer sides of the contact carrier. The recess is designed such that the angled contact is at least completely inserted or can be inserted into the contact carrier relative to its lateral extension at any point of the recess. However, the contour of the recess does not necessarily need to be adapted completely to the contour of the contact. In the longitudinal direction, the contact piece inserted into the recess extends beyond the respective end of the recess at both ends thereof. The recess can also be divided into two linearly extending legs, which have a region with a curvature located between them, corresponding to the shape of the angled contact piece. The leg of the recess whose end faces the circuit board is referred to hereinafter as the first leg, and the remaining other leg as the second leg, corresponding to the name of the leg in the contacts. If the recess is designed for receiving a contact at right angles, the first leg of the recess is oriented perpendicular to the surface of the circuit board and the second leg extends parallel to the surface of the circuit board. The contact piece inserted or insertable into the recess is fixed or fixable in the region of the first leg of the recess or of the first leg of the contact piece on the contact piece carrier, so that the axial position as well as the radial position of the contact piece relative to the surface of the circuit board is unambiguously determined or can be determined. In the case of, for example, THT (through hole technology, i.e. the insertion of component through holes onto a circuit board), the exact axial position of the contacts relative to the surface of the circuit board is determined such that the contact overhang does not have to be checked on the rear side of the circuit board, which reduces the manufacturing effort. The fixing on the contact body can be effected, for example, by a spring clip or by a fixing means inserted into the first leg of the recess. In the region of the recess or the bend of the contact and/or in the region of the recess or the second leg of the contact, the respective recess for receiving the contact in the contact carrier of the plug connector according to the invention is designed wider in its lateral dimension than the dimension of the contact, whereby tolerances can be compensated in this region of the recess.

In a further embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, the at least one angled contact in the at least one contact carrier is fixed or fixable in the axial direction and in the radial direction at least in the region of the end of the first leg of the recess (for receiving the contact in the receiving carrier) facing the circuit board. Fixing the contact at least in this location in the immediate vicinity of the circuit board ensures that the contact is positioned as accurately as possible relative to the surface of the circuit board.

In a further preferred embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, the at least one contact is fixed or can be fixed to the at least one contact carrier by means of at least one clamping device.

In a further preferred embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, the at least one clamping device is embodied as a spring clamp ("clip"). This makes it possible to secure the contacts on the contact carrier of the plug connector reliably, yet simply and to be achieved with low expenditure during assembly.

In a further preferred embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, the plug connector is designed in one piece. Such a contact carrier formed from a plastic material can thus be produced easily and inexpensively in large numbers. The single-piece embodiment minimizes the subsequent assembly effort in the production of the plug connector.

In a further preferred embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, the spring clip ("clip") is embodied in one piece with the contact carrier, whereby the effort required for mounting the plug connector can be further reduced.

In a further preferred embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, at least one contact carrier of the plug connector has at least one profile facing the circuit board. The at least one shaped part can be formed in one piece with the contact carrier. The profile can be embodied in particular as a spacer, a base or a bracket. Furthermore, the at least one molded part can be a part of a plug connection for fixing the contact carrier to the circuit board. Furthermore, the contact body can simultaneously have different types of such shaped parts in any combination.

In a further preferred embodiment of the plug connector according to the invention, the plug connector has an insulator which surrounds the at least one contact at least in the axial direction at least in a region between an open end of the second leg of the recess in the contact carrier for receiving the at least one contact of the plug connector and an end of the second leg of the contact which extends beyond the contact carrier. The insulator can serve, for example, to protect the parts of the second legs of the contacts which extend beyond the contact carrier from inadvertent touching, to insulate contacts from one another, and to further fix the contacts after tolerance compensation is achieved when the insulator is fitted on the contact body. Conveniently, the insulator is designed such that it can receive a complementary plug connector. The insulator can be fastened to the contact body, for example, by means of a plug connection or a screw connection.

The invention is shown below by way of example by means of an embodiment shown in the drawings. The features or feature combinations which are shown individually in the above description of the invention and in the following description of the figures and/or in the figures themselves can be used not only in the respective combinations but also in other combinations which are not shown or individually. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a plug connector according to the invention, which is fastened to a partially indicated circuit board, with a contact carrier, four angled contacts and an insulator;

figure 2 shows a perspective view of a contact carrier of a plug connector according to the invention with four angled contacts,

fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a plug connector according to the invention with four angled contacts and a removed insulator;

fig. 4 shows a further perspective view of a plug connector according to the invention with four angled contacts and a removed insulator;

fig. 5 shows a longitudinal section through a plug connector according to the invention with a contact carrier and an insulator;

fig. 6 shows a partially enlarged view of the detail a marked in fig. 5 around a clamping device for fixing an angled contact on a contact carrier;

fig. 7 shows a perspective illustration of a single angled contact of the plug connector according to the invention.

The plug connector 1 according to the invention, which is shown by way of example in the figures, has four angled contacts 9 with contact pins, which are inserted into the contact body 3. The plug connector 1 is fixed on a circuit board 2 indicated partially in fig. 1. The plug connector 1 has an insulator 4 in addition to the angled contacts 9 and the contact body 3. The contact body 3 receives one of four angled contacts 9 in each of its four recesses 5 provided for this purpose. The channel-shaped recesses 5 for receiving the contacts 9 each extend along a side face of the contact body 3 between two different side faces, one of which faces the circuit board 2 when the contact body 3 or the plug connector 1 with the contact body 3 is fixed on the circuit board 2. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the depth of the recesses 5 each for receiving a contact 9 is significantly greater than would be necessary for completely receiving a contact 9 relative to the lateral extent of the contact in the recess 5. The contact 9 in the contact body 3 is thereby optimally protected against unintentional contact.

The angled contact piece 9, which is shown in detail in fig. 7 by way of example, is designed at right angles with two

legs

19 and 21 extending in a straight line. The two

legs

19, 21 each adjoin the curved central region 20 with one end. The leg 19 having the end directed towards the circuit board perpendicular to the surface of the circuit board 2 is referred to as the first leg 19 and the remaining other leg is referred to as the second leg 21. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the second leg 21 is significantly longer than the first leg 20.

The channel-like recess 5 of the contact body 3, which is designed in each case for receiving a contact 9, can likewise be divided into two

legs

6 and 8 and a curved central region 7, as is shown in detail in fig. 2. The open end of the first leg 6 is directed towards the circuit board 2 and the leg 6 is oriented perpendicular to this circuit board. The second leg 21 of the contact piece 9 extends significantly beyond the open end of the second leg 8 of the associated recess 5. In this region, in order to protect them from inadvertent touching and in order to insulate them from one another, the contact pieces 9 are surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator 4 which extends a little beyond the ends of the contact pieces 9. The exemplary illustrated insulator 4 is an open-sided, partially hollow body having a cylindrical envelope 14. The solid, circular rear side 15 of the insulator 4 facing the contact body 3 comprises: a recess 16 for passing through the contact 9; a profile 13 for fixing the insulating body 4 to the contact body 3 as part of a plug connection, as is shown in detail in fig. 3. For this purpose, the contact body 3 has a corresponding recess 12, as shown in fig. 4.

It is important for the invention and therefore also for this embodiment that the contact 9 is fixed in the recess 5 of the contact body 3. The individual contacts 9 are fixed or can be fixed by means of spring clips ("clips") 18 on the end of the first leg 6 of the respective recess 5 facing the circuit board 2, as can be seen in detail from fig. 5 and 6. The fastening is therefore carried out as close as possible to the surface of the circuit board 2, in order to determine the axial and radial position of the respective contact 9 relative to the surface of the circuit board 2 towards the end of the circuit board 2 as accurately as possible. In order to fix the contact piece 9 in the recess 5 in the axial direction, the recess 5 is abruptly narrowed in this region at the spring clip 18. Each contact element 9 has on its first leg 19 a corresponding, abrupt reduction of its cross section at the constricted region 17. In the embodiment shown, the spring clip 18 is implemented in one piece with the contact body 3, which is conveniently made of plastic material.

In this exemplary embodiment, the molded

parts

11 and 12 facing the printed circuit board 2 are likewise formed in one piece with the contact body 3. The molding 11 is part of a plug connection for fastening the contact body 3 or the entire plug connector 1 with the contact body 3 to a circuit board 2, which has a corresponding recess 5 for this purpose. The molding 12 serves as a support on the outer side of the contact body 3 facing the circuit board 2.

In the region of the bend 20 of the contact 9 or in the region of the associated bend 7 of the recess 5 for receiving the contact 9 and in the region of the recess 5 and the

second legs

8 and 21 of the contact 9, the cross section of the recess 5 is designed to be wider than would be necessary for receiving the contact 9. This cross section serves to compensate for tolerances, in particular with regard to the curvature of the bent contact piece 9. Tolerance compensation is then carried out with the insulator 4 being fixed to the contact body 3, which insulator surrounds the region of the second leg 21 of the contact 9 outside the contact body 3.

Claims

1. A plug connector (1) for establishing an external connection with a circuit board (2), wherein the plug connector (1) comprises at least one contact carrier (3) for receiving and positioning at least one angled contact (9) with respect to a surface of the circuit board (2), wherein the angled contact (9) has a first leg (19) and a second leg (21), characterized in that the contact carrier (3) along the outer side comprises at least one angled recess (5) with a first leg (6) and a second leg (8) extending between two different outer sides, wherein the end of the first leg (6) of the recess (5) is directed towards the circuit board (2), the recess (5) being designed for receiving the angled contact (9), and the contact piece (9) can be fixed or fixed on the contact piece carrier (3) at the first leg (6) oriented towards the circuit board (2) at least one position (18) in the axial direction and the radial direction.

2. Plug connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one contact (9) can be fixed or fixed in the contact carrier (3) in the axial and radial direction at least at the end of the first leg (6) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) oriented towards the circuit board (2).

3. Plug connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one contact (9) can be fixed on the contact carrier (3) by means of at least one clamping device (18).

4. Plug connector (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the at least one contact (9) can be fixed on the contact carrier (3) by means of at least one clamping device (18).

5. Plug connector (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one clamping device (18) of the contact carrier (3) is designed as a spring clamp.

6. Plug connector (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least one clamping device (18) of the contact carrier (3) is designed as a spring clamp.

7. Plug connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

8. Plug connector (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

9. Plug connector (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

10. Plug connector (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

11. Plug connector (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

12. Plug connector (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

13. Plug connector (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is embodied in one piece.

14. Plug connector (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the at least one spring clamp (18) for fixing the at least one contact (9) is embodied in one piece with the contact carrier (3).

15. Plug connector (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the at least one spring clamp (18) for fixing the at least one contact (9) is embodied in one piece with the contact carrier (3).

16. Plug connector (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the contact carrier (3) has at least one profile (11, 12) facing the circuit board (3).

17. Plug connector (1) according to claim 13, characterised in that the contact carrier (3) has at least one profile (11, 12) facing the circuit board (3).

18. Plug connector (1) according to claim 14, characterised in that the contact carrier (3) has at least one shaped part (11, 12) facing the circuit board (3).

19. Plug connector (1) according to claim 15, characterised in that the contact carrier (3) has at least one shaped part (11, 12) facing the circuit board (3).

20. Plug connector (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

21. Plug connector (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

22. Plug connector (1) according to claim 14, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

23. Plug connector (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

24. Plug connector (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

25. Plug connector (1) according to claim 17, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

26. Plug connector (1) according to claim 18, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.

27. Plug connector (1) according to claim 19, characterized in that the second leg (21) of the at least one contact (9) is surrounded in the axial direction by an insulator (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and which can be designed for receiving a complementary plug connector, at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) which extends beyond the contact carrier.