DE102015007725B4 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

Electrical connectors (10) are used to make electrical contacts between a printed circuit board (18) and an external connection means. For this purpose, the connector (10) often associated with a plurality of electrical terminals forming pins (14). Electrical connectors (10) are known in which the installation of the plurality of pins (14) is difficult and therefore time consuming due to the limited space and prone to vibration. The invention provides an electrical connector (10) which is easy to manufacture and very robust. For this purpose, a stamped grid (19), which has at least one conductor (15), fixedly arranged in a holder (20).

Description

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

Electrical connectors are used to make electrical contacts between an electrical device or a printed circuit board (such as a PCB, printed circuit board) and an external connection means, such as a plug. For this purpose, the connector is often associated with a plurality of electrical connections forming pins. About each pin of the connector is a single contact on the circuit board can be controlled by a conductor.

There are known electrical connectors in which the installation of the plurality of pins is difficult and therefore time-consuming due to the limited space. Out DE 10 2006 062 313 For example, it is known that an arrangement of connector pins, which are assigned via conductor tracks of a connection side, is pushed into a connector strip. This insertion of the arrangement of connector pins in a Vergusswanne requires a lot of effort and is therefore time consuming and costly. DE 41 36 381 A1 discloses an electrical appliance having an electrical connector having a plurality of juxtaposed pins, conductors, and contacts arranged in multiple planes. In this case, a holder is connected to a circuit board. DE 10 2006 052 118 A1 discloses a power electronics circuit and power electronics device with a meander-shaped contact, which is designed as a stamped sheet metal part.

Another disadvantage of the connectors known from the prior art is that the pins of the connectors are very susceptible to vibrations and extreme temperatures. For example, in equipment subject to increased vibration, a pin in the connector may become disconnected and a faulty contact or short circuit may occur in the connector. A similar risk exists at high or low temperatures. Due to local stresses of the material, individual pins in the connector can be solved, which in addition to the above-mentioned disadvantage, moisture and dirt can penetrate into the connector.

On this basis, the present invention seeks to provide an electrical connector that is easy to manufacture and very robust against mechanical and thermal environmental influences.

An electrical connector for solving this problem has the features of claim 1. Accordingly, it is provided that in the electrical connector according to the invention in a connector part a plurality of pins is arranged, wherein the pins are electrically connectable by a respective conductor with contacts of a contact strip, which is arranged in particular in a housing. At least one conductor is arranged in a stamped grid and the stamped grid is fixedly arranged in a holder. This arrangement of the at least one conductor having stamped grid in a holder, the conductor arrangement designed as very compact and robust. Mechanical vibrations on the conductor are absorbed by the holder. From a production point of view, the holder can also be referred to as a semi-finished product. It is further provided that in each case a pin with a conductor and a contact are integrally formed from the at least one stamped grid. Thus, a one-piece conductor piece consisting of a pin, a conductor and a contact punched out of the stamped grid and arranged in the holder.

Furthermore, it is provided that the stamped grid in each case has a strain relief in the region of the conductors, the strain reliefs being punched out of the stamped grid in meandering fashion. This meandering strain relief is a kind of spring element which can balance or cushion relative movements between the pin and the contact or between the semifinished product and the contact strip. This meandering design of the conductors and their attachment in the holder or on the contact strip lead to a robust electrical connection in the connector.

A further possible embodiment of the invention may provide that the at least one stamped grid is firmly cast in the holder, preferably encapsulated, in particular the stamped grid is mounted in the holder prior to casting or encapsulation. The holder can thus form a frame-like body or cuboid by the conductors are arranged. This pouring of the stamped grid is a very compact and easy to handle arrangement of the ladder. After the conductors are embedded in the holder, a punch bridge of the stamped grid connecting the pins and / or the conductors can be removed.

Next, the invention provides that a plurality of leadframes, each having juxtaposed pins and conductors and contacts arranged in the holder one above the other, in particular cast or molded, are to form a plurality of rows of pins and conductors and contacts. It is also conceivable that an arbitrary arrangement of the pins can be realized by the stamped grid. If the individual punched grids are arranged one above the other, they have one another in each case large distance, so that the pins or the lines or the contacts do not interfere with each other or no breakdowns occur.

Preferably, the present invention can further provide that the holder is connectable to the at least one stamped grid with the connection part and / or the housing, in particular with the connection part and / or the housing can be brought into a latching connection, preferably with the connection part and / or castable to the housing, in particular can be sprayed or glued. The holder is the punched grid or with the dedicated pins, the conductors and the contacts an integral part, which is zusammenbringbar when assembling the connector with the other parts. Thus, the holder having the pins can be plugged together with the connection part of the connector.

A further alternative embodiment may provide that the holder is inserted into the housing of an electrical device or through the housing into the connection part. Due to the fixed assignment of the pins to the holder, the pin arrangement designed as very compact and easy to handle.

In particular, the present invention may further provide that the contact strip is associated with the stamped grid decoupled from the housing and / or the connecting part, in particular that the contact strip is associated with a printed circuit board or a printed circuit board. By decoupling the contact strip from the housing or from the connection part, all mechanical impacts or vibrations are decoupled from the contact strip. Thus, by decoupling the contact strip from the housing and / or the connection part, a mechanical resistance to vibrations can be created. The printed circuit board can alternatively also be any circuit of an electrical device having any contacts.

Another embodiment of the invention is that the contacts or the lead frame at least partially cast in the contact strip, in particular encapsulated or stamped or pressed or welded. This creates a continuous, constant connection between the contact strip and the pins. This one-piece design of the pins, the conductors and the contacts makes the connector or the contacting extremely robust. The type of connection between the conductor and the pin or the contact is determined by the material of the components or the method of manufacture. Furthermore, the type of contact can change according to the requirements of the electrical connector.

The invention can provide that the meander-shaped strain reliefs are aligned parallel to a punch plane of the stamped grid. Moreover, it can be inventively provided that the conductors of a stamped grid between the pins and the contacts are arranged parallel to each other, in particular that the strain relief are arranged parallel to each other. The parallel arrangement of the conductors is advantageous insofar as thus a contacting of the individual conductors is avoided. Since the ends of all conductors are in the holder or on the common rigid contact strip, the conductors move in a relative movement between the holder and contact strip alike. The formation of a short circuit by at least short-term contact of conductors can thus be avoided. It is according to the invention, however, also conceivable that the conductors are not parallel, in particular arbitrarily to each other, are arranged.

The invention can further provide that the stamped grid is bent at the transitions from the pins to the conductors and from the conductors to the contacts, in particular in each case has deflections from the punching plane. Due to these deflections, the pins or the conductors which are assigned to the different stamped gratings arranged one above the other can be brought to the same level of the contact strip. Depending on the positioning of the individual stamped grid in the holder, the deflection is different strong. For the punched grid located at the top, the deflection between pin and conductor or between conductor and contact is the strongest; whereas the deflection is lowest for stamped grid located at the bottom. The production of the deflections to the individual punched screens takes place before pouring into the holder, but can also be done after pouring into the holder.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing. In this show:

1 a perspective view of an electrical connector,

2 a sectional view through the electrical connector, and

3 a perspective view of a holder.

In order to connect an electrical device or the circuits of the electrical devices with an external device or plug, the electrical device can be an electrical connector 10 exhibit. The Indian 1 illustrated electrical connectors 10 is in a housing 11 arranged only an implied electrical device. For receiving an external connection means, not shown, the electrical connector 10 a connection part 12 on. This connection part 12 extends through a wall 13 in the case 11 of the electrical device.

Over a variety of arranged in a grid pins 14 can the external connection means be over the pins 14 associated conductors 15 with a circuit board 18 connect ( 1 . 2 ).

In the embodiment shown here are the pins 14 in multiple rows in the electrical connector 10 arranged. The case-side ends of the pins 14 each in one piece go into a ladder 15 above. This ladder 15 go in each case, also in one piece, in a contact 16 over that of a contact strip 17 assigned. About this contact strip 17 becomes the electrical contact of each pin 14 with the circuit board 18 produced ( 1 ).

The ladder 15 describe between the pins 14 and the contacts 16 a meandering strain relief 21 ( 3 ). These strain reliefs 21 run for the pins 14 arranged side by side in a row. Characterized in that the illustrated embodiment of an electrical connector 10 several rows of pins 14 has, there are several meandering ladder 15 offset parallel to each other ( 3 ). However, the invention is not limited to those in 3 illustrated arrangement of the pins 14 limited; rather, it is also conceivable that the connector only a few pins 14 or a plurality in any arrangement.

The pins 14 , Ladder 15 and contacts 16 form a stamped grid as a single, continuous part 19 ie pins 14 , Ladder 15 and contacts 16 are punched together from one piece. A punched grid 19 each forms a series of juxtaposed pins 14 , Ladders 15 and contacts 16 , Because of the pins 14 , Ladder 15 and contacts 16 are made of a single, coherent piece of material, they are integrally formed. In the embodiment of the connector shown in the figures 10 are three punched grids 19 arranged one above the other. So the contacts 16 each in the plane of the contact strip 17 lie, has the punched grid 19 , or one "pin - conductor - contacts - triplet" two deflections 22 on. These deflections 22 describe a deflection from a punch plane ( 2 ). Depending on the positioning of the individual punched grids 19 fall the distractions 22 the leader 15 different strong.

The punched grid 19 , or the pins 14 , Ladder 15 and contacts 16 are electrically isolated from each other a holder 20 firmly assigned ( 3 ). The holder 20 forms a cuboid recording and is at least partially around the stamped grid 19 or around the pins 14 and / or the ladder 15 poured or sprayed, preferably after the stamped grid 19 in the holder 20 was mounted. This will usually use a plastic. It can therefore be provided that the at least one stamped grid 19 first in the holder 20 is mounted and then encapsulated with, for example, a plastic or molded.

The contacts 16 are in the contact strip 17 cast in, injected, stamped, pressed or welded. Through this solid connection of the contacts 16 in the contact strip 17 or the pins 14 in the holder 20 and by the meandering configuration of the ladder 15 The present invention provides a robust and durable connection between a connector and a printed circuit board 18 produced.

While the punched grid 19 together with the ladder 15 , the pins 14 and the contacts 16 is prefabricated, is used for final assembly of the connector 10 the holder 20 in the connection part 12 plugged. For this, the holder 20 and / or the connection part 12 For example, have locking elements. The holder 20 can therefore also be referred to as semi-finished products. In addition, the connection part 12 Apertures assigned to the exact arrangement of the pins 14 correspond and the recording of the pins 14 serve. In order to additionally strengthen the mechanical connection, it may be provided that the holder 20 with the connection part 12 is shed.

The through the contacts 16 contacted contact strip 17 is from the connection part 12 or from the housing 11 decoupled the circuit board 18 assigned. In this case, the contact strip 17 for example, on the circuit board 18 screwed or clamped or glued.

A further embodiment may provide that the connection part 12 from the outside to the wall 13 is set and the holder 20 together with the pins 14 and the leader 15 from the inside of the case 11 through the wall 13 in the connection part 12 pushed and possibly shed. In this way, the electrical connector 10 firmly with the electrical device or the housing 11 connect.

Claims (8)

Electrical connector ( 10 ) with a connection part ( 12 ), which has a large number of pins ( 14 ), the pins ( 14 ) by one conductor each ( 15 ) with contacts ( 16 ) a contact strip ( 17 ), which are housed in a housing ( 11 ) arranged is electrically connected, wherein at least one punched grid ( 19 ), which at least one of the conductors ( 15 ), in a holder ( 20 ) is fixed, characterized in that in each case a pin ( 14 ) with a ladder ( 15 ) and a contact ( 16 ) in one piece from the at least one stamped grid ( 19 ) are formed, the punched grid ( 19 ) in the area of the ladder ( 15 ) each a strain relief ( 21 ), the strain reliefs ( 21 ) meandering from the stamped grid ( 19 ) are punched out. Electrical connector ( 10 ) According to claim 1, characterized in that the (at least one punched grid 19 ) in the holder ( 20 ), preferably encapsulated, wherein the punched grid ( 19 ) before pouring or encapsulating in the holder ( 20 ) is mounted. Electrical connector ( 10 ) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of punched grid ( 19 ), each having a plurality of juxtaposed pins ( 14 ) and ladder ( 15 ) and contacts ( 16 ), in the semifinished product ( 20 ) are stacked, molded or overmolded to form multiple rows of pins ( 14 ) and ladder ( 15 ) and contacts ( 16 ) to build. Electrical connector ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holder ( 20 ) with the at least one stamped grid ( 19 ) with the connection part ( 12 ) and / or the housing ( 11 ) and with the connection part ( 12 ) and / or the housing ( 11 ) is brought into a latching connection and with the connecting part ( 12 ) and / or the housing ( 11 ) potted or sprayed or glued. Electrical connector ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact strip ( 17 ) the punched grid ( 19 ) decoupled from the housing ( 11 ) and / or the connection part ( 12 ), the contact strip ( 17 ) a printed circuit board ( 18 ) assigned. Electrical connector ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contacts ( 16 ) and / or the punched grid ( 19 ) at least partially in the contact strip ( 17 ), or molded or stamped or pressed or welded. Electrical connector ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the meandering strain reliefs ( 21 ) parallel to a punching plane of the stamped grid ( 19 ) are aligned. Electrical connector ( 10 ) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stamped grid ( 19 ) at the transitions from the pins ( 14 ) to the ladders ( 15 ) and the ladders ( 15 ) to the contacts ( 16 ) and deflections ( 22 ) has from the punching plane.

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