DE8804630U1 - Connectors - Google Patents

Description

&ngr; A. "JV. Pust

_ _ site

Patent Attorneys Munich

Applicant:

SOURIAU Electric GmbH
Heinrich-Hertz-Strasse 1

4006 Erkrath 24 March 1988

S20799

Connectors

The innovation concerns a plug connector with a socket housing designed for inserting an insert part (e.g. insulating body) in the axial direction. The generic object also includes plug housings designed in an analogous manner. Such plug connectors are used in numerous areas of technology, in particular in electrical engineering and electronics, and are also used in fluid connections, hydraulic connections, pneumatic connections and the like. In such plug connectors, the insert part is pre-assembled with the actual connecting elements, for example electrical contact pins and/or electrical contact sockets, and then inserted in the axial direction into the socket housing. For final assembly, the insert part must then be attached to the socket housing, for which the insert part has previously been primarily glued there. It can then no longer be removed. Other known connections using screws are complicated and time-consuming to assemble and are also not always safe.

The innovation is therefore based on the task of further developing such connectors and providing a connector in which the fastening

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of the insertion part in the socket or plug housing is improved in such a way that it fits firmly, easily and securely and preferably detachably.

According to the innovation, the object is achieved by a connector with a socket housing designed for inserting an insert part in the axial direction, in which locking means for locking the insert part relative to the socket housing in an axial seal are provided between the outer circumference of the insert part ^and the inner circumference of the socket housing.

According to the innovation, the insert part is now secured to the socket housing by means of locking means fitted inside the connector. It is therefore no longer possible, as in the above-mentioned state of the art, for separate fastening means to be inserted from the outside, which could come loose or even be lost. The locking means proposed according to the innovation can be designed in a variety of ways.

In addition, the arrangement of locking means inside the socket housing ensures that these locking elements are not subject to any external influences on the socket housing, such as impact stress, corrosive influences or the like. The new arrangement therefore significantly increases the safety of connectors.

According to a particularly simple embodiment of the innovation, at least one locking projection is provided on the inner circumference of the socket housing, which projects radially inwards into the socket housing and is provided with an inclined surface which, in the direction of insertion of the insert part g into the socket housing, defines the free cross section of the socket housing.

gradually reduced. Preferably, such a

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The locking projection is formed in one piece with the socket housing! When the insert part is pushed in, it therefore runs onto the ^inclined surface, whereby the cross section of the insert part is momentarily reduced in accordance with the radial extent of the inclined surface. For this purpose, the insert part is preferably made of a relatively soft and/or elastic material in relation to the socket housing. The deformation of the insert part caused by this Sshr3"£Isshs dss RsStVSrE ⁰ I ¹ Un ⁰ S when inserted in the axial direction is therefore only temporary, and in the insertion direction behind the locking projection the material of the insert part which was compressed by the locking projection when inserted expands again in the radial direction and thus ensures that the insert part is reliably prevented from slipping out against the insertion direction. For this purpose, for example, the socket housing can be made of a relatively hard plastic or metal and the insert part can be made of a relatively soft, elastic synthetic rubber, such as is commercially available under the name neoprene.

What is particularly important about the innovation is that it basically does not impose any restrictions on the shape of the socket housing or the insert part. The socket housing can have practically any shape in cross-section, such as the shape of a circle, rectangle, triangle, oval or the like. The shape of the connector can therefore be optimally adapted to the respective purpose, in particular to the type of parts to be connected.

While the embodiment described above is particularly suitable for cases in which without the provision of further means, a relatively

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If a good seal between the insert part and the socket housing is to be achieved, there are numerous applications in which the insert part is designed _to be as rigid as the socket housing and thus cannot be deformed or, in particular, should be designed to be detachable. In this case, a further advantageous embodiment of the innovation is recommended, in which a ring part is provided, which is partially seated in a first recess in the socket housing and partially in a second recess in the insert part. Such a ring part is advantageously made of an at least slightly resilient material, which is pushed either into the recess in the socket housing or into the recess in the insert part for assembly and is held there. When the insert part is pushed into the socket housing, the ring part then snaps into the corresponding recess of the other part and thus prevents further axial displacement after snapping in. By taking further measures if necessary, it can also be achieved with such a ring part that the axial locking is restored. is solvable. This will be explained in more detail below.

A particularly simple design, which covers a large part of the possible applications, is achieved if the can housing is hollow-cylindrical and the insert part is cylindrical.

Preferably, the first recess in the socket housing is provided with stop surfaces which interact with corresponding surfaces of the ring part and fix it in the axial direction of the socket housing.

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If the outer circumference of the ring part is smaller than the inner circumference of the first recess in the can housing, a rigid, radially inflexible insert part can also be inserted into the can housing, since when the insert part is inserted the ring part can then move into the free space of the first recess in the can housing. For this purpose the ring part is advantageously provided with a fine inclined surface arranged at the rear in the insertion direction of the insert part, which gradually reduces the free cross section of the ring part in the insertion direction. When the insert part is inserted, it therefore runs up against the inclined surface and presses the ring part radially outwards and into the first recess in the can housing, whereby the interior of the can housing is released to such an extent that the insert part can be inserted further in the axial direction until the ^first ring springs back into the recess in the insert part and secures the insert part against the can. The insertion is made even easier if the insertion part has an inclined surface on its front section in the insertion direction which tapers the insertion part. Then, when the insert part is inserted, the inclined surface of the insert part and the inclined surface of the ring part work together. For this purpose, the angle between the axial direction, i.e. the insertion direction, and the inclined surface of the ring part is preferably greater than the angle between the axial direction and the inclined surface of the insert part.

Preferably, the ring part is provided with a slot running radially through it and its diameter can be varied by changing the width of the slot. This change in diameter is necessary so that the ring part can be pushed into the can housing, for example. To insert the ring part into the recess of the can housing, it is first pressed together, inserted into the can and then in the area of the

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radial inner groove in the can wall is released again, whereby the ring part expands again due to its own elasticity and initially lies loosely in the groove. It can no longer fall out of this recess, f When the insert part is pushed in, the slot in the ring part increases in turn (due to the expansion by the insert part with a larger diameter), which means that the insert part can be pushed into the ring part until the second recess in the insert part reaches the ring part. Then the ring part snaps together again slightly and also lies in the second recess in the insert part, which achieves the axial locking of the insert part relative to the can housing.

In order to be able to achieve the required expansion of the ring part in the first recess of the can housing, as mentioned above, the outer circumference of the ring part in the rest position is smaller than the inner circumference of the first recess in the can housing. This leads to a relatively loose fit of the ring part in the first recess of the can housing. In order to achieve a more secure fit here and at the same time still allow the ring part to expand in this first recess of the can housing, the ring part is advantageously provided on its outer circumference with at least one spring part, which resiliently supports the ring part against the bottom of the recess of the can housing. When the ring part expands, the spring part is therefore compressed slightly and thus enables the clear width of the ring part to be increased for inserting the insert part. Advantageously, several spring parts are provided distributed over the outer circumference of the ring part, preferably spaced equally from one another. The ring part and the spring part or the spring part is or are preferably made in one piece. For this purpose, the spring part can be arranged as an obliquely projecting part of the outer circumference of the ring part.

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standing spring rib formed sfine.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the innovation, it is provided that the ring part is provided with an inclined surface arranged at the front in the direction of insertion of the insert part, which gradually widens the free cross section of the ring part in the direction of insertion, that the insert part has a smaller diameter in its front section than the inner diameter of the can housing, so that an annular gap is formed between the insert part and the can housing in the area of the front section, and that the area of the can housing located at the front in the direction of insertion is open in order to press an unlocking tool that can be inserted into the annular gap onto the inclined surface of the ring part arranged at the front and thus release the ring part from the recess in the insert part. This makes it easy to unlock the insert part from the can housing. In an embodiment of the connector in which the insert part is cylindrical and the socket housing is hollow-cylindrical, the resulting annular gap is therefore also hollow-cylindrical, and the unlocking tool can simply be a piece of pipe that is adapted to the annular gap and whose wall thickness is preferably somewhat smaller than the width of the annular gap.

The innovation is explained in more detail below using illustrated embodiments, from which further advantages and features emerge.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a partial view of a connector according to the innovation;

Figures 2a and 2b show in cross section two embodiments of a connecting part for the connector shown in figure 1; and

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Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of a connector according to the innovation, which has a particularly simple structure, in longitudinal section.

Since the embodiment of the innovation shown in Fig. 3 is specially constructed, this will be discussed first. Fig. 3 shows a longitudinal section of a plug connector 70 with an essentially hollow cylindrical socket housing 74, into which an insert part 72 (here an insulating body) is inserted in an insertion direction indicated by an arrow 84.

The insert part is provided, for example, with an electrical contact plug 80 which extends further through the insert part 72 and has a connection lug 82 at the opposite end to which a cable can be attached, for example, by means of a screw connection, solder connection or the like.

In the interior of the socket housing 74, locking means are provided, which in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 are designed as a locking lug 76 running around the inner circumference of the socket housing 74. The locking lug 76 has, in the insertion direction 84 of the insert part 72 on the input side, an inclined surface 78 which gradually reduces the cross section of the socket housing 74 in the insertion direction 84 and then ends at a surface which recedes perpendicularly onto the inner wall of the socket housing 74.

The socket housing 74 is made of aluminum, while the insert part 72 is made of rubber and is relatively soft and elastic in the radial direction in particular. When the insert part 72 is pushed into the socket housing

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the front face of the insert part 72 runs to

at a certain point in time onto the inclined surface 78.

% This results in the relevant area of operation

partly 72 a compression in radial direction, which

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if regresses, since after passing the locking lug 76

the insert part 72 expands radially outwards again.

Inserting the insert part 72 in the insertion direction

j 84 is continued until the insert part 72 &n a

unspecified ring flange at the end of the box housing 74 and the insulating body 72 with a

'; corresponding to the locking lug formed circumferential groove the

J; locking lug engages positively. On a backward movement

, (in the opposite direction of arrow 84) is the insert part

72 is prevented by the circumferential locking projection 76.

: Cie elasticity of the insert part 72, which leads to

that it fits tightly to the inner wall of the box housing 74 everywhere, represents a relatively good

Sealing is secure and thus prevents foreign bodies from penetrating between the inner surface of the socket housing 74 and the outer surface of the insert part 72.

Since in the embodiment of the connector according to the invention shown in Fig. 3 the locking is achieved by the interaction of the locking projection 76 and the elasticity of the insert part 72, this locking can practically only be released by damaging the outer circumference of the insert part 72. Such an embodiment is therefore recommended for cases in which a particularly simple and therefore cost-effective construction is required and in ^{which the insert part and the socket housing are to be prevented from being detached from one another.}

become.

üäö'Syen is up to the execution form shown in Fig. i

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The innovation makes it possible to solve the problem of axially locking an insert part against a socket housing.

The plug connector 10 shown in Fig. 1 has a substantially hollow cylindrical socket housing 14, in which an insert part 12 with a substantially cylindrical shape is arranged. The insert part 12 is in its locked end position in the socket housing 14 in the illustration according to Fig. 1.

The locking of the insert part 12 in the socket housing 14 is achieved by a first groove 16 in the socket housing 14, a second groove 32 in the insert part 12, and a locking device that partially engages in both grooves 16, 32, namely a ring part 24. The ring part 24 has the shape of a circular ring interrupted by a gap (not shown) with the approximately double trapezoidal cross-section that can be seen in the sectional view of Fig. 1. The outer circumference of the ring part 24 is smaller than the inner circumference of the first recess 16 of the socket housing 14, which is clear in Fig. 1 from the distance between the bottom 18 of the recess 16 and the ring part 24. The axial extent of the ring part 24 is slightly less than the distance between two stop surfaces 20, 22 of the recess 16, so that the ring part 24 is securely fixed axially in the recess 16. The axial extent and the depth of the recess 32 of the insert part 12 are each less than the corresponding dimensions of the recess 16 of the can housing 14. In particular, the depth of the recess 32 in the insert part 12 is less than the distance between the ring part 24 and the bottom 18 of the first recess 16. Therefore, if the ring part is pushed so far (downwards in Fig. 1)

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pressed, the diameter of the ring part 24 is thus expanded, until the ring tail 24 with its outer circumference touches the bottom 18 of the recess 16 in the socket housing 14, the ring part 24 no longer sits in the recess 32 of the insert part 12, so that this is now unlocked.

The direction in which the insert part 12 is inserted into the socket housing 14 is indicated by an arrow 44 in Fig. 1. At the front end of the insert part 12, an electrical plug contact 40 is provided, which continues electrically conductively through the insulating body 12 and opens at the opposite end into a connection lug 42, to which an electrical line can be connected by means of a suitable fastening device. The plug contact 40 is designed to engage in an electrical socket (not shown) of a corresponding counterpart of the plug connector 10.

At its front end, the insert part is tapered by an inclined surface 34. Furthermore, the front section of the insert part 12 is designed to form an annular gap 46 in its front section with a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the socket housing 14 in this area. The resulting annular gap 46 between the insert part 12 and the socket housing 14 serves, as will be explained in more detail below, for inserting an unlocking tool. This interacts with an inclined surface 26 of the annular part 24 in the manner described below.

Starting from a locking lug 30, which locks the ring part 24 in the recess 32 of the insert part 12, a further

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When inserting the insert part 12 into the socket housing 14 in the insertion direction 44, the insert part 12 can initially be freely pushed into the socket housing 14 until the front edge of the inclined surface 34 of the insert part 12 runs onto the inclined surface 28 of the ring part 24. The interaction of the two inclined surfaces 34, 28 expands the ring part 24 and thus provides a larger clear width so that the insert part 12 can be pushed further in the direction of the arrow 44. As soon as the front edge of the groove 32 of the insert part reaches the locking lug 30 of the ring part 24, the ring part 24 snaps back and presses into the recess 32 of the insert part. A further forward movement (in the direction of arrow 44) is prevented by a stop surface 28 of the insert part 12 coming to rest against a corresponding stop surface 36 of the socket housing 14. The insert part is now prevented from moving backwards (opposite the direction of arrow 44) by the wall of the groove 32 and the locking lug 30 of the insert part 24 resting thereon.

The insert part 12 is sealed against the socket housing 14 by an O-ring 50 seated in a groove 48 of the socket housing 14.

For unlocking, an unlocking tool adapted to the shape of the annular gap 46, i.e. a tubular unlocking tool in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, is inserted into the annular gap 46 in the opposite direction to the arrow 44. As soon as the unlocking tool (not shown) acts on the inclined surface 26 of the annular part 24, the annular part

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24 extends outwards accordingly and thus increases its diameter, namely until the outer circumference of the ring part 24 comes to rest approximately on the bottom 18 of the recess 16. This leads to the locking projection 30 of the ring part 24 sliding out of the recess 32 of the insert part 12 and releasing it. The insert part 12 can then be pulled out of the housing 14 again in the opposite direction to the insertion direction 44. After removing the unlocking tool from the area 46, the ring part 24 springs back into its rest position and the entire device is ready for the renewed insertion of an insert part 12 (or another insert part) in the insertion direction 44.

The ring part 24 shown in Fig. 1 is relatively simple in construction. To form the free area between the ring part 24 and the bottom 18 of the groove 16, the ring part 24 is seated in the groove 16 in a radially displaceable manner. This ring part is shown again in Fig. 2a,

Ij If a tighter fit of the ring part in the groove 16 is achieved

p and still retain the unlocking function bpi

Boll, we recommend the design shown in Fig. 2b.

'} ring shape of a ring part. A ring part marked with the reference number

jl 54 designated ring part is in its interior also

j; ^d formed by the ring part 24, as clearly seen from the

f; Comparison of Fig. 2a 2b shows.

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: inclined surface 26) for attaching a release tool

&bull;uf _t a locking lug 60 (corresponding to the locking lug 30) and an inclined surface 58 (corresponding to the inclined surface

: 28) for interaction with the inclined surface 3' d~ in

; Fig. 1 shown insert part 12.

In addition, the ring part 54 shown in Fig. 2b is provided with a resilient projection 62 that projects outward from the body of the ring part 54. The resilient projection 62 is designed so that when the ring part 54 is in the rest position, it touches the bottom 18 of the recess 16 of the can housing 14 and thus lies centrally and securely in the groove. If the ring part 54 is expanded in diameter by inserting the insert part 12 (inclined surface 34), the distance between the free end of the resilient projection 62 and the body of the ring part 54 is reduced. As a result of the resilient support of the ring part 54 by the resilient projection 62, the ring part 54 is now held in the groove 16 of the can housing 14 with practically no play, even in the radial position.

The ring part 54 can be made of plastic or metal, wherein the resilient radial projection is preferably made in one piece with the other parts.

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Claims (14)

Connector protection claims 1. Connector with a socket housing designed for the insertion of an insertion part in the axial direction , characterized in that locking means (76; 16, 24, 32) for locking the insert part (72, 12) relative to the socket housing (74, 14) in the axial direction are provided between the outer circumference of the insert part (72, 12) and the inner circumference of the socket housing (74, 14). 2. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one locking projection (76) is provided on the inner circumference of the socket housing (74), which projects radially inwards into the socket housing (74) and is provided with an inclined surface (78) which gradually reduces the free cross section of the socket housing (74) in the insertion direction (84) of the insert part (72) into the socket housing (74), 3. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that a ring part (24, 54) is provided, which is partially inserted in a first recess (IG) in the socket Bs«nhätlertfeimfle2'B-4O3ORällfigen\ Te)e(ön!(P)ä)l}2/^3Ö88i-Wij5iot ■ &Tgr;&iacgr;&idiagr;&egr;&kgr;_#17&idigr;)1)23&iacgr;3i · telelex2102323-palbreV· Facsimile (0)2102/83069 ■ · · ■ ■ ■ « t a · ti * ■ ■ · IB· housing (14) and partially in a second recess (32) in the insert part (12). 4. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the socket housing (14, 74) is hollow-cylindrical and the insert part (12, 72) is cylindrical. 5. Connector according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the first recess (16) in the socket housing (14) is provided with stop surfaces (20, 22) which fix the ring part (24) in the axial direction of the socket housing (14). C-connector according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the outer circumference of the ring part (24, 54) is smaller than the inner circumference of the first recess (16) in the socket housing (14). 7. Connector according to claim 6, characterized in that the ring part (24, 54) is provided with an inclined surface (28, 58) arranged at the rear in the insertion direction (44, 84) of the insert part (12, 72), which gradually reduces the free cross section of the ring part in the insertion direction. 8. Connector according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the insert part (12) has on its front section in the insertion direction an inclined surface (34) tapering the insertion part (12). 9. Connector according to claim 8, characterized in that the angle between the axial direction and the inclined surface (28, 58) of the ring part (24, 54) is greater than the angle between the axial direction and the inclined surface (34) of the insert part (12). 10. Connector according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the ring part (24, 54) has a slot extending radially through it. 11. Connector according to claim 10, characterized in that the ring part (54) is provided on its outer circumference with at least one spring part (62) which resiliently supports the ring part (54) against the bottom (18) of the recess (16) of the socket housing (14). 12. Connector according to claim 11, characterized by a plurality of spring parts distributed at a distance from one another over the circumference of the ring part. 13. Connector according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the ring part (54) and the spring part (62) (the spring parts) are made in one piece with each other. * * M if* !til «It I ItIi «'II ' (I lit &igr; rill &igr; I '&bull;It i · I I t · ti at &igr; 4 - 14. Connector according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the ring part (24, 54) is provided with an inclined surface (26, 56) arranged at the front in the insertion direction (44, 84) of the insert part (12), which gradually widens the free cross section of the ring part (24, 54) in the insertion stroke direction (44, 84), that the insert part (12) has a smaller diameter in its front section than the inner diameter of the socket housing (14), so that an annular gap (46) is formed in the area of the front section, and that the area of the socket housing (14) located at the front in the insertion direction is open for inserting an unlocking tool over the annular gap (46) onto the inclined surface (26, 56) of the ring part arranged at the front (24, 54).