DE102015218327B4 - Flange for attaching a connector and set of flanges - Google Patents

Abstract

Flange (1) for fastening a plug connector in an opening, in particular in a housing wall, the flange (1) having at least two fastening points (3) within a flange plane (E) which project outwards from it in the flange plane (E), the at least two fastening points (3) are arranged on opposite sides (5) of the flange (1) and are arranged offset to one another with respect to a direction (L) of the flange (1) running parallel to these sides (5), characterized in that the Fastening points (3) have guides (45) through which a fastening point (3) of a further flange (1) can be guided parallel to the sides (5) having the fastening points (3).

Description

The invention relates to a flange for fastening a connector in an opening, in particular in a housing wall, the flange having at least two fastening points within a flange plane that project outwards from it in the flange plane, the at least two fastening points being arranged on opposite sides of the flange and are offset from one another with respect to a direction of the flange parallel to said sides.

Flanges for attaching connectors are known. With the help of the flanges, connectors can be held in openings so that cables can be routed through obstacles such as housing walls. The flanges usually have attachment points that can be used to attach the flanges to a housing wall, for example. In the simplest case, the attachment points have openings for attachment means such as screws.

Flanges that can be lined up are known from US 2013/0 102 200 A1, of which each flange has projections that can be inserted into recesses in an adjacent flange. From the DE 10 2011 112 120 A1 stackable block clamps are known, each block clamp having two projections which are hollow on the inside and each serve to accommodate the projection of an adjacent block clamp.

A disadvantage of the known flanges is that they are generally bulky, making it difficult to achieve a high packing density. The accommodation of a plurality of flanges of the known type usually requires a large area.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a flange of the type mentioned above which at least reduces the disadvantages mentioned, i.e. the flange according to the invention should enable a high packing density.

For a flange of the type mentioned above, the object according to the invention is achieved in that the fastening points have guides through which a fastening point of a further flange can be guided parallel to the sides having the fastening points.

The solution according to the invention allows a plurality of flanges according to the invention to be arranged on an area which is smaller than in the case of conventional flanges. If the flanges according to the invention lie next to one another with the sides having the attachment points, with the sides of adjacent flanges running parallel to one another at the same height, the attachment points of two adjacent flanges do not abut one another. Compared to a flange in which attachment points on both sides are opposite across the center of the flange, i.e. not offset with respect to the sides of the flange, the flanges according to the invention can be brought closer together because the attachment points of two adjacent flanges do not abut and space the flanges apart.

The flange can have any shape required for the connectors to be used. However, the flange is preferably round, square or rectangular, it being possible for the corners to be rounded off in the case of angular flanges. The flange plane runs through the flange and thus generally at right angles to a plug-in direction of the connector. The plane of the flange generally runs parallel to a wall section containing the opening when the flange is fastened to such a wall section. The sides of the flange having the attachment points and the direction parallel to those sides of the flange are parallel to, preferably inside, the plane of the flange.

The guides of the attachment points can be helpful in connecting at least two flanges together. In particular, the guides can serve to align two adjacent flanges with each other. In this way, for example, manufacturing tolerances of the flanges themselves, the connectors to be connected or the structure to which the flanges are to be attached can be compensated for.

The solution according to the invention can be further improved by various configurations that are advantageous in and of themselves and can be combined with one another as desired. These embodiments and the advantages associated with them are discussed below.

According to a first advantageous embodiment of the flange according to the invention, the at least two fastening points can each have at least one coupling element, with the at least one fastening point arranged on one side of the flange having a coupling element which is designed to be complementary to the coupling element of the at least one fastening point on the opposite side of the flange is. Flanges can be coupled or connected to one another with the aid of the coupling elements. This can be particularly beneficial around two or to connect more flanges together before assembly. When mounting several flanges, for example on a housing wall, each flange does not have to be gripped individually and inserted into an opening, but the connected flanges can be held with one grip or, in the case of automated assembly, with a single movement of a gripper and are led to the breakthrough or breakthroughs.

A coupling element on one side of the flange can be designed as a pocket and a coupling element on the opposite side of the flange can be designed as a tab complementary to the pocket. Coupling elements configured in this way are particularly effective on the one hand, since a tab can be held securely in a pocket. On the other hand, the coupling elements can be designed in a particularly simple manner and easy to manufacture in this way. In particular, the tab can extend, at least in sections, parallel to a side of the tab that has the attachment point. The pocket can be designed to complement it. The bag does not necessarily have to be closed all around. A bottom of the pocket can form a stop for the strap, so that an end position for the strap can be predetermined by the bottom of the pocket.

In order to hold a flange securely on at least one other flange, each of the at least two coupling members can be connectable to a complementary coupling member, forming a locking form fit. The form fit can act at least in one direction transversely to the sides having the attachment points. In this way, two or more flanges connected to one another can remain connected to one another when the flanges are moved transversely to the sides having the fastening points. The form fit can in particular also act in a direction perpendicular to the flange plane.

A particularly high packing density of several flanges can be obtained if the coupling elements within the flange plane do not protrude beyond the fastening points belonging to them in a direction transverse to the sides having the fastening points. This allows the flanges to be packed tightly together when the flanges are in abutment with the sides containing the attachment points.

A particularly compact flange can be obtained if the coupling members have the guides. The mutually complementary coupling elements can then be brought together for connection to one another through the guides.

The guides can be designed as compulsory guides. As a result, effective guidance can be achieved on the one hand, and on the other hand the positive guidance can also contribute to the form fit between two coupling elements.

A particularly simply constructed guide can be obtained in that the guides each have at least one latching projection running parallel to the sides having the fastening points. Alternatively or additionally, the guides can each have at least one locking recess running parallel to the sides having the fastening points. In particular, a latching projection of one guide can be accommodated in a latching recess of another guide, so that together they form a guide. A coupling element preferably has at least one latching projection and the coupling element which is complementary to this coupling element has at least one latching recess which is complementary thereto. A coupling element can also have at least one latching projection and at least one latching recess. Then the complementary coupling member has the corresponding complementary elements, ie a locking recess for each locking projection of the first-mentioned coupling member and a locking projection for each locking recess.

In order to make it easier to align several flanges with one another, there can be at least one stop for the guides, which stops the fastening points or the coupling elements from being displaced beyond an end position. If, for example, two coupling elements are formed as a pocket and a tab that are complementary to one another, the tab can be guided through the pocket. As already described above, the bottom of the pocket can serve as a stop for the flap. The design as a pocket and strap does not exclude additional guides being attached inside the pocket or on an outside of the strap. For example, the pocket and the tab can each have mutually complementary latching projections and/or latching recesses.

According to a further improvement, the attachment points can be arranged in such a way that the flange is designed to be rotationally symmetrical when rotated about an axis arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the flange. This allows a flange to be used regardless of orientation. Due to the rotational symmetry, the property of the flange is retained that fastening points arranged opposite one another across the flange are arranged offset to one another. The flange is preferably not mirror-symmetrical. In the case of a mirror-symmetrical configuration of the flanges, there is a risk that attachment points of two adjacent flanges will abut one another in such a way that the flanges are kept at a distance from one another by the attachment points.

There can be at least two pairs of attachment points, with two attachment points each having mutually complementary coupling members being arranged on a common side of the flange. As a result, two adjacent flanges can be connected to one another by two coupling elements.

The attachment points are preferably formed monolithically with the flange. In particular, the coupling members are also monolithic with the attachment points and the flange. The flange according to the invention is preferably formed as an injection molded part. The flange can be designed in such a way that a connector can be inserted into it and connected to the flange.

Preferably, however, a connector is formed monolithically with the remainder of the flange. For example, the flange can have a plug face which has receiving shafts for contact elements. As an alternative or in addition to this, the flange can have a connector strip into which contact pins can be inserted. The flange is preferably formed monolithically with a plug-in collar and a pin strip surrounded by the plug-in collar. The shroud and the pin strip together can form a box connector.

A plurality of flanges according to the invention can form a set of flanges, with one coupling element of each flange being connected to a complementary coupling element of an adjacent flange, and the flanges being displaceable within a common flange plane at least parallel to the sides of the flanges that have the fastening points are held. The assembly of several flanges at the same time can be considerably simplified by the set of flanges connected to one another, since the plurality of flanges can be gripped and assembled at the same time. The positioning of the flanges can be simplified by the at least partially displaceable mounting of the flanges on one another, which can be provided by the guides.

In order to provide a set of flanges with a small installation space or with a high packing density of the flanges, adjacent ends of two adjacent flanges can be aligned with each other.

The invention is explained in more detail below by way of example using an advantageous embodiment with reference to the drawings. The combination of features shown as an example in the embodiment can be supplemented by further features in accordance with the above statements for a specific application. Also, also in accordance with the above statements, individual features can be omitted from the embodiment described if the effect of this feature is not important in a specific application.

In the drawings, the same reference symbols are always used for elements with the same function and/or the same structure.

• 1 einen erfindungsgemäßen Flansch in einer perspektivischen Darstellung;
• 2 eine vergrößerte Darstellung einer ersten Befestigungsstelle des Flansches aus 1;
• 3 eine vergrößerte Darstellung einer zweiten Befestigungsstelle des Flansches aus 1;
• 4 zwei erfindungsgemäße Flansche vor dem Verbinden in einer perspektivischen Darstellung;
• 5 ein Satz von drei erfindungsgemäßen Flanschen in einem miteinander verbundenen Zustand in einer Aufsicht senkrecht zur Flanschebene.

Show it:

• 1 a flange according to the invention in a perspective view;
• 2 an enlarged view of a first attachment point of the flange 1 ;
• 3 an enlarged view of a second attachment point of the flange 1 ;
• 4 two flanges according to the invention before connecting in a perspective view;
• 5 a set of three flanges according to the invention in a connected state in a plan view perpendicular to the plane of the flange.

The following is an advantageous embodiment of the flange 1 according to the invention based on the 1 until 3 described. The 2 an enlarged view of the area marked A 1 and the 3 an enlarged view of the area marked B 1 . In both enlarged representations, there is also a slightly different perspective compared to the 1 chosen to improve visibility.

The flange 1 spans a flange plane E. Within the plane of the flange, four fastening points 3 project outwards from the flange 1 . As an alternative to this, the flange 1 can also have a different number of attachment points 3 . The flange 1 preferably has an even number of attachment points 3 .

Two fastening points 3 each are arranged on one side 5 of the flange 1 . Preferably, the two sides 5 and the fastening points 3 arranged thereon are formed identically, so that the flange 1 as a whole is rotationally symmetrical when rotated about a perpendicular to the flange level E standing axis A is configured. The longitudinal direction L of the flange 1 runs parallel to the sides 5. The sides 5 therefore represent the longitudinal sides of the flange 1. Alternatively, the fastening points 3 can also be arranged on the narrow sides of a flange 1.

The flange 1 is preferably formed as an injection molded part. A sliding direction for an injection molding tool preferably runs parallel to axis A, which is perpendicular to flange plane E. In a preferred embodiment, the flange 1 is formed monolithically with a connector face 7 . The plug face 7 can in particular have a plug-in collar 9 which extends parallel to the axis A away from the rest of the flange 1 and surrounded by the plug-in collar 9 receptacles 11 for contact pins. The receptacles 11 can serve as pin strips, for example, so that a box connector 13 is formed together with the plug-in collar 9 . The plug-in collar 9 runs between the attachment points 3 and the receptacles 11.

The attachment points 3 preferably have continuous openings 15 which extend parallel to the axis A through the attachment points 3 . A fastener such as a screw or a pin with locking elements can be guided through the openings 15 in order to hold the flange 1 .

Sleeves 17 can be inserted into the openings 15, which sleeves can stabilize the fastening points 3 in the area of the openings 15. For example, the sleeves 17 can be made of a material that has a higher pressure stability than the material of the flange 1 . In particular, the sleeves 17 can be made of a metal. The higher pressure stability can prevent a fastening means from damaging the flange 1 in the region of a fastening point 3 when fastening the flange 1 .

Two fastening points 3 each lie opposite one another over the longitudinal direction L of the flange 1 . The opposite attachment points 3 form a pair 19 of attachment points 3. The two attachment points 3 of the pair 19 are offset relative to one another with respect to the sides 5 or the longitudinal direction L. The in the 1-5 The embodiment shown as an example has two pairs 19 of attachment points 3 . The pairs 19 are arranged at opposite ends 20 of the flange 1 as viewed in the longitudinal direction L.

Each attachment point 3 has a coupling element 21 . One attachment point 3 of a pair 19 has a coupling member 21a and the other attachment point 3 of the pair 19 has a coupling member 21b. The coupling members 21a and 21b are designed to complement one another. The two coupling members 21 on each side 5 of the flange 1 are also mutually complementary coupling members 21a and 21b. As a result, the rotational symmetry of the flange 1 is retained.

The coupling members 21a are designed as tabs 23 which extend away from the other attachment points 3 essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction L. According to the rotational symmetry of the flange 1, the two tabs 23, which are arranged on opposite sides 5, extend in opposite directions. The tabs 23 of the two coupling members 21a preferably extend away from one another.

The coupling members 21b are designed as pockets 25 complementary to the tabs 23 . The tabs 23 and the pockets 25 are dimensioned so that the tabs 23 can be accommodated in the pockets 25 . This is further below with reference to the 4 and 5 described.

The pockets 25 are open in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis L. FIG. Preferably, the pockets 25 are open towards the coupling member 21a arranged on the same side 5 of the flange 1. The pockets 25 are not closed all around, but are formed from webs 27, 29 and 31, so that open pockets 25 are formed.

The webs 27, 29 and 31 extend from the rest of the attachment point 3 essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction L and in the opposite direction to the lug 23 of the complementary coupling member 21a. In the illustrated embodiment, the webs 27, 29 and 31 therefore extend to the second attachment point 3 on the same side 5 of the flange 1.

The two webs 27 and 29 are arranged with respect to the axis A at the same height. In a transverse direction Q, which runs transversely to the longitudinal direction L, the two webs 27 and 29 are spaced apart from one another. The web 31 is arranged above the webs 27 and 29 as seen in the direction of the axis A. With respect to the transverse direction Q, the web 31 is arranged between the webs 27 and 29 . A width 33 of the web 31 is preferably at most as large as the distance 35 between the webs 27 and 29. As a result, the production process can be significantly simplified by injection molding. As already described above, a preferred direction of displacement of an injection molding tool runs parallel to axis A. Seen in the direction of axis A, the top and bottom sides of webs 27, 29 and 31 are free are accessible, these elements and thus the pocket 25 can be produced without having to use an additional sideshift for these elements.

In the direction of the axis A, the distance 37 between the webs 27 and 29 lying at the same height and the web 31 arranged above it is approximately as much as the thickness 39 of the tab 23, the thickness 39 also being measured parallel to the axis A. This allows the tab 23 to be inserted into the pocket. If the thickness 39 is smaller than the distance 37, the tab 23 can be easily inserted into the pocket 25. If the thickness 39 is equal to the distance or slightly larger, the tab 23 can be inserted into the pocket 25 by applying force, since the two parts then deform plastically and/or elastically. Both variants are possible. The first allows easy insertion with little or no wear and tear on the elements, while the second variant allows the tab 23 to be firmly seated in the pocket 25 .

A tab 23 accommodated in a pocket 25 is held in a form-fitting manner in a direction perpendicular to the flange plane E in the latter. The webs 27, 29 and 31 prevent movement of the tab transverse to the flange plane E.

The coupling members 21 do not protrude beyond the remaining attachment points 3 in the transverse direction Q. The ends 41 of the coupling members 21 pointing away from the flange 1 are preferably flush with the edges 43 surrounding the openings 15 . The ends 41 of all coupling members 21 pointing away from the flange 1 in the transverse direction Q are preferably equidistant from a center line M of the flange 1 running parallel to the longitudinal direction L. The ends 41 of the two coupling elements 21 on one side 5 of the flange 1 are flush with an imaginary line which runs parallel to the longitudinal direction L.

The attachment points 3 have guides 45 . The fastening points 3 of two adjacent flanges 1 can be guided parallel to the sides 5 having the fastening points 3 by the guides 45 . The guides 45 in the coupling members 21 are preferably formed monolithically. By way of example only, the guides 45 are in the form of latching recesses 47 embossed in the tabs 23 and latching projections 49 embossed in the pockets 25 .

Each of the webs 27, 29 and 31 has a latching projection 49 on the coupling members 21b. The locking projections 49 are arranged opposite one another. The latching recesses 47 on the tabs 23 are formed to complement the latching projections in 49 of the pockets 25 . One side of the tab 23 has a latching recess 47 and the opposite side of the tab 23 has two latching recesses 47 .

The locking recesses 47 and the locking projections 49 each have an overall elongated shape and run essentially parallel to the sides 5 or to the longitudinal direction L.

In an assembled state, one latching projection 49 is accommodated in a complementary latching recess 47, so that the attachment points 3 or the coupling elements 21 are guided parallel to the sides 5. In an assembled state, the guides 45 also hold the coupling elements 21 in a form-fitting manner in the transverse direction Q. The guides 45 therefore form positive guides 50 for the attachment points 3.

In order to specify an end position P for the guides 45 or for the flanges 1 guided through the guides 45, stops 51 are present at which the fastening points 3 or parts of the coupling elements 21 can abut one another in order to move beyond the end position P to avoid. The ends 53 of the coupling elements 21 pointing away from the attachment points 3 can serve as stops 51 . Likewise, the bases 55 of the pockets 25 and/or the areas 57 of the attachment points 3 that protrude beyond the tabs 23 parallel to the axis A can serve as stops.

The following is with reference to the 4 and 5 the assembly of several flanges 1 according to the invention is shown. The 4 two flanges 1 before assembling and the 5 three interconnected flanges 1.

Before assembly, it is helpful if two flanges 1 are aligned with one another in such a way that two mutually complementary coupling members 21 are located opposite one another. In the illustrated embodiment, a tab 23 points to an open pocket 25. In this case, a tab 23 and a pocket 25 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction L opposite one another.

Before they are assembled, both flanges 1 are positioned in such a way that the respective flange planes E are congruent or form a common flange plane E. If the flanges 1 are then moved towards one another parallel to the longitudinal direction L, the complementary coupling elements 21 can engage in one another. That is, for the illustrated embodiment, the tabs 23 can be inserted into the pockets 25. Thereby can NEN the guides 45 of the attachment points 3, or the coupling members 21 interlock. The tabs 23 can be inserted into the pockets 25 until further displacement by at least one of the stops 51 (see 1-3 ) is prevented. The flanges 1 have then reached their end positions P.

The end position P is in 5 shown by way of example using three flanges 1 connected to one another. In the end position P, the ends 20 of the flanges are flush with one another. In the assembled state, or when the flanges 1 have assumed their end positions P, the coupling elements 21 are connected in such a way that a positive fit is formed transversely to the longitudinal directions L of the flanges, ie in the transverse direction Q and also perpendicularly to the flange planes E. The flanges 1 can thereby be held together. This can be useful for assembling a plurality of flanges 1 at the same time. The flanges 1 are preferably held displaceably out of their end positions P. The displaceable mount can be useful in order to compensate for manufacturing tolerances in the flanges 1 itself, in particular in the plug-in collars 9 or the receptacles 11 .

In the assembled state, the ends 41 of the coupling members 21 and the aligned edges 43 of the openings 15 of a flange 1 abut against the sides 5 of the adjacent flanges 1. This allows a plurality of flanges 1 to be accommodated in a smaller area than would be the case if the attachment points 3 were each located at the same height relative to the sides 5 and were thus abutting and thereby spacing the flanges 1 apart.

Reference List

1

flange

3

attachment point

5

page

7

connector face

9

pin collar

11

Recordings for contact pins

13

tub connector

15

opening

17

sleeve

19

pair of attachment points

20

ends of the flange

21:21a,21b

coupling organs

23

tab

25

bag

27,29,31

web

33

width of the bridge

35

distance between the bars

37

distance between the bars

39

thickness of the tab

41

Ends of the coupling members pointing away from the flange

43

edges of the openings

45

guide

47

recess

49

locking projection

50

restraint

51

attack

53

ends of the coupling organs

55

reason of the bag

57

area of the attachment point

A

axis

E

flange level

L

longitudinal direction

M

centerline

P

final position

Q

transverse direction

Claims (14)

Flange (1) for fastening a plug connector in an opening, in particular in a housing wall, the flange (1) having at least two fastening points (3) within a flange plane (E) which project outwards from it in the flange plane (E), the at least two fastening points (3) are arranged on opposite sides (5) of the flange (1) and are arranged offset to one another with respect to a direction (L) of the flange (1) running parallel to these sides (5), characterized in that the Fastening points (3) have guides (45) through which a fastening point (3) of a further flange (1) can be guided parallel to the sides (5) having the fastening points (3). Flange (1) after claim 1 , characterized in that the at least two fastening points (3) each have at least one coupling element (21, 21a, 21b), the at least one fastening point (3) arranged on one side (5) of the flange (1) having a coupling element (21 , 21a, 21b) which complement tär to the coupling member (21, 21a, 21b) of the at least one attachment point (3) on the opposite side (5) of the flange (1) is formed. Flange (1) after claim 2 , characterized in that a coupling element (21, 21a, 21b) on one side (5) of the flange (1) as a pocket (25) and a coupling element (21, 21a, 21b) on the opposite side (5) of the flange (1) is designed as a flap (23) complementary to the pocket (25). Flange (1) after claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that each of the at least two coupling members (21, 21a, 21b) can be connected to a complementary coupling member (21, 21a, 21b) to form a locking form fit. Flange (1) according to one of claims 2 until 4 , characterized in that the coupling members (21, 21a, 21b) within the flange plane (E) in a direction (Q) transverse to the sides (5) having the attachment points (3) do not extend beyond the attachment points (3) belonging to them protrude. Flange (1) according to one of claims 2 until 5 , characterized in that the coupling members (21, 21a, 21b) have the guides (45). Flange (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 , characterized in that the guides (45) are designed as forced guides (50). Flange (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 7 , characterized in that the guides (45) each have at least one locking projection (49) running parallel to the sides (5) having the attachment points (3). Flange (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 8th , characterized in that the guides (45) each have at least one locking recess (47) running parallel to the sides (5) having the fastening points (3). Flange (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 9 , characterized in that at least one stop (51) for the guides (45) is present, which prevents the fastening points (3) from being displaced beyond an end position (P). Flange (1) according to one of Claims 1 until 10 , characterized in that the fastening points (3) are arranged in such a way that the flange (1) is rotationally symmetrical when rotated about an axis (A) arranged perpendicularly to the flange plane (E). Flange (1) according to one of claims 2 until 11 , characterized in that there are two pairs (19) of attachment points (3), two attachment points (3) each with mutually complementary coupling members (21, 21a, 21b) being arranged on a common side (5) of the flange (1). . Set of flanges (1) according to any of claims 2 until 12 , characterized in that one coupling member (21, 21a, 21b) of a flange (1) with a complementary coupling member (21, 21a, 21b) of an adjacent flange (1) is connected, the flanges (1) within a common Flange plane (E) are held displaceably on one another at least parallel to the sides (5) of the flanges (1) having the fastening points (3). Set of flanges (1) after Claim 13 , characterized in that adjacent ends (20) of two adjacent flanges (1) are aligned with each other.

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