EP0125498B1 - Connector assembly - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an electrical connector of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

Such connectors are generally mounted in such a way that the contact carrier element connected to a connecting cable is inserted into one of the half-shells and then the second half-shell is connected to the first and fastened to it. Until the housing is finally closed, there is always the risk that the contact carrier element or the connecting cable will move within the housing and then impede closing. It is therefore necessary to hold the contact carrier element and the cable connected to it in its intended position within the first half-shell substantially until shortly before the housing is closed. This is particularly difficult if the two half-shells have to be folded together in a certain mutual position in a conventional manner and connected to one another by means of a plurality of fastening screws.

An electrical connector of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1 is also known, in which the complementary connecting elements arranged on the half-shells cause the two half-shells to be mutually aligned before closing (DE-U-8 032 509). These connecting elements are designed as simple connecting pins or connecting bores which are oriented perpendicular to the plane of separation of the half-shells and which interlock only relatively shortly before the housing is closed. Although the means for locking the two half-shells can thus be simplified, the problem described above is not eliminated.

In particular, a partial opening of the housing, for example for the purpose of an inspection of the contact carrier element, is also not possible without losing the mutual alignment of the two half-shells.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1, which enables simple assembly and in which a partial opening of the housing is possible without losing the mutual alignment of the half-shells.

This object is achieved according to the invention by the features contained in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The connecting elements according to the invention allow the two half-shells to be preassembled at a time when the contact carrier element and the cable connected to it have not yet been inserted into the first half-shell. After this pre-assembly, the two half-shells assume a mutual swivel opening position, but are already connected to one another and aligned with one another via the connecting elements. In this position, the contact carrier element can be inserted with the connecting cable. The housing is closed by simply pivoting the two half-shells into their closed position, the mutual alignment of the half-shifts not being lost. The arrangement according to the invention also allows a pivot opener of the housing, for example for the purpose of inspecting or repairing the contact carrier element, without the two half-shells having to be completely detached from one another.

The connecting elements hold the two half-shells immovably in the plane of separation, so that only simple locking means must be provided which prevent the half-shells from opening about the pivot axis. These locking means can be formed, for example, by a single connecting screw through which the two half-shells are screwed together in a manner known per se.

Characterized in that a single screw or the like is sufficient as a lock for the two half-shells, the interior of the housing is scarcely restricted, so that with the smallest possible external dimensions there is sufficient space for arranging the cable or the cable cores in the interior of the housing.

The holding hooks hold the mounting flange of the contact carrier element against the projections of the housing; the contact carrier element is secured against displacement in the flange plane in that the actual contact carrier body is surrounded by the receiving opening of the housing with relatively little play. Retaining profiles similar to retaining hooks are already known per se (Berger catalog, page 1023). In this known housing, however, the holding profiles extend essentially along the entire longitudinal edges of the flange. The base of the housing must therefore be wider than the mounting flange by the amount of the material thickness of the holding profiles. In order to achieve the most compact possible construction for the housing, the holding profiles are therefore designed according to the present invention as holding hooks oriented perpendicular to the parting plane of the half-shells, which engage essentially flush with the outer contour of the fastening flange in recesses formed thereon. It is thereby achieved that the dimensions of the base of the cover hood do not have to or do not have to go significantly beyond the dimensions of the fastening flange.

The connecting elements of a half shell are in one embodiment of the Invention of a hole perpendicular to the plane of the mounting flange fully penetrated and the connecting elements of the other half-shell penetrated by circular segment-like recesses, which together with the holes serve for receiving fastening screws for fastening the flange of the contact carrier element. The holes and recesses can have smooth inner walls, whereby they serve to receive either self-tapping screws or screw / nut arrangements; however, they can also be provided with an internal thread and then serve to accommodate screws which interact with the internal threads.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, a shim is provided on the outside of the mounting flange of the contact carrier element, the outline of which corresponds approximately to the outline of the mounting flange and has coding teeth directed towards the plugging direction, which serve as plug coding with a correspondingly designed shim on the mating connector.

On the shim, similar to the coding teeth holding tabs with receiving openings for pivoting mounting of a bracket can be arranged, which can be snapped in a conventional manner behind holding surfaces of a mating connector to be coupled to the connector.

In a further embodiment of the invention it is provided that the half-shells of the housing have an approximately trapezoidal cross-section in their plane of separation. Recesses are provided in the side walls of the housing with the bores and the cutouts in the connecting elements for receiving the heads of the fastening screws for the fastening flange of the contact carrier element; the arrangement of these recesses is such that the heads of the fastening screws lie within the trapezoidal outline.

In one embodiment of the invention, the half-shells are each designed as aluminum die-cast bodies; in another version, they each consist of metallized plastic.

• Fig. 1 einen Steckverbinder in einer Explosionsdarstellung; .
• Fig. 2 einen Steckverbinder gemäß Fig. 1 in einer Seitenansicht während des Zusammenbaus;
• Fig. 3 zwei miteinander gekuppelte Steckverbinder;
• Fig. 4 einen Ausschnitt aus einer Anordnung etwa gemäß Fig. 3 mit demgegenüber geänderten Einzelheiten;
• Fig. 5 eine Anordnung etwa gemäß Fig. 3 in einer Explosionsdarstellung.

Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the patent claims. Several exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing and described in more detail below. Show it:

• Figure 1 shows a connector in an exploded view. .
• FIG. 2 shows a connector according to FIG. 1 in a side view during assembly;
• Fig. 3 two connectors coupled together;
• FIG. 4 shows a detail from an arrangement roughly according to FIG. 3 with details that have been changed;
• 5 shows an arrangement approximately according to FIG. 3 in an exploded view.

1 essentially consists of a first half-shell 2, a second half-shell 4 and a contact carrier element 6.

The first half-shell 2 has a front surface 8, which essentially has the shape of a trapezoid, on the obliquely converging side edges of which the side walls 10, 12 are formed. These side walls continue on the top 14 of the half-shell 2, but leave a cable feed opening 16 for the cable 18 free. No wall is provided on the lower edge of the trapezoidal front surface 8, so that a receiving opening 22 for the contact carrier element 6 remains on the underside 20.

Correspondingly, the second half-shell 4 has a front surface 24 with the side walls 10 ′, 12 ′, which continue on the upper side 14 ′ and leave a feed opening 16 ′ that complements the cable feed opening 16. As can be seen in FIG. 1, a second cable feed opening 26 or 26 'can be provided for a lateral cable feed. Both cable feed openings can remain closed in a known manner until they are used by thin, easily removable covers.

The end faces 28, 30 of the side walls 10, 12 (and correspondingly the end faces 28 ', 30' of the rare walls 10 ', 12') are provided, at least in their upper part, with folded profiles 32, 32 'which are formed when the half-shells 2 and 4 complementary one another and thus ensure a mutual fixation of the two half-shells against movement in their parting plane and for a sealing of the half-shells against each other.

The half-shell 4 also has no wall on its lower edge, so that on the underside 20 of the assembled cover housing the u.a. through the front surfaces 8 and 24 limited receiving opening 22 remains.

The narrow-side boundaries of the receiving opening 22 are formed by projections 34, 36 arranged on the first half-shell 2, which represent parts of the connecting elements. The undersides of these projections form the contact surfaces 38, 40 for the flange 42 of the contact carrier element 6. On the upper side of the projections 34, 36, pivot guide surfaces 44, 46 are formed, which represent approximately a section of a circular cylindrical surface, the axis of which in the pivot axis for the Merger movement of the two half-shells is. This pivot axis 48 lies approximately in the region of the front lower edge of the Projections 34, 36, as will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

Arranged on the second half-shell 4 are the second projections 50, 52 opposite the projections 34, 36, on the undersides of which concave pivoting guide surfaces 54, 56 cooperating with the swivel guide surfaces 44, 46 are formed. As can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, the guide surfaces 54, 56 are pushed over the guide surfaces 44, 46 to join the two half shells 2, 4 so that they interlock with one another during the pivoting movement about the pivot axis 48 such that the two half shells are secured against mutual lifting in their lower area.

On the projections 34, 36 there are also lateral guide surfaces 58 which are perpendicular to the pivot axis 48 and which cooperate with lateral guide surfaces 60 on the projections 50, 52 and ensure lateral guidance of the half-shells.

The plug arrangement is assembled in such a way that the wires 62 of the cable 18 are first connected to the solder sockets 64 of the contact carrier element 6. Then it is inserted with its contact carrier body 66 into the receiving opening 22 until the flange 42 bears against the contact surfaces 38, 40. The contact carrier element 6 is held in this position by two holding hooks 68 (only one of which is visible) which are arranged on the underside of the half-shell 2 and which grip around the edge of the flange 42. It is achieved by recesses or grooves 70 formed in the flange 42 that the retaining hooks 68 can be substantially flush with the outer contour of the flange 42. The cable 18 is inserted into one of the cable feed openings 16, 26 and clamped by means of a strain relief clamp 72, the associated fastening screws 74 being able to be passed through screw holes 76. Then the second half-shell 4 is attached to the first half-shell 2 in such a way that the retaining hooks 78 formed thereon encompass the flange 42, as can be seen in particular in FIG. 2. The front upper edge of the retaining hook defines the pivot axis 48 about which the half-shell 4 is pivoted against the half-shell 2. The closed half-shells are then locked by a screw 80 which is passed through a through hole 82 formed in the first half-shell 2 and screwed into a threaded bore 84 in the second half-shell 4 which is flush therewith. It should be mentioned that by arranging the pivot axis approximately below the parting plane of the half-shells or by chamfering the upper sides of the projections 52, the half-shell 4 can be pivoted relative to the half-shell 2 without loosening the fastening screws 106, so that a Visual inspection of the cable connections is possible without dismantling the connector arrangement.

FIG. 3 shows an upper connector 86 which corresponds to the arrangement described in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is coupled to a lower mating connector 88. In order to ensure a secure coupling, a pivotably mounted retaining bracket 90 is arranged on the mating connector 88, which bracket can be pivoted from the dashed position in the direction of arrow 92 via the connector 86, engaging behind retaining surfaces formed thereon. These holding surfaces are designed as cylindrical projections 94 on the half-shells 2, 4.

3 and 4, the mating connector 88 is constructed essentially the same as the connector 86, i.e. it also has a contact carrier element assembled with the housing, of which only the flange 96 is visible.

Against the flange 42 of the upper connector 86 or against the flange 96 of the lower mating connector 88, shims 43 and 97 are respectively created, which can essentially fulfill two functions, namely the mounting of the retaining bracket 90 and a coding of the connector against faulty Couple together. For the mounting of the retaining bracket 90, retaining tabs 98 are formed on the shim 97 on the two opposite longitudinal sides (only one of which can be seen); in each of these retaining tabs 98, a receiving opening 99 is formed, into which the two ends of the retaining bracket 90 engage. In addition, coding teeth 126, 128 are formed on each of the two shim plates and arranged in such a way that, in the case of matching connectors, the coding teeth on one side each engage in gaps between the coding teeth on the opposite side, so that coupling together is possible; if the connectors do not match, coupling is prevented by the fact that the coding tooth bumps against the coding tooth (see also FIG. 5). The shim 43 is held, for example, by contact pins 118, the threads of which penetrate through threaded holes formed in the shim 43. The shim 97 is held by the screw heads 122 of the fastening screws 124.

Another possibility of connecting the two plug arrangements to one another is to screw them together. For this purpose, bores 102, 104 are formed in the projections 34, 36 which run perpendicular to the plane of the flange 42 and which are aligned with bores 100 in this flange and which allow fastening screws 106, 108 to be passed through (see FIG. 4). Insofar as the projections 50, 52 of the second half-shell 4 protrude into these bores 102, 104, they are provided with corresponding, Provide these bores with openings 110, 112 (see FIG. 1). As FIG. 4 shows, the fastening screw 108 has a screw head 114, in which a threaded bore 116 is formed for receiving the fastening screw 106. In order to enable the screw rotation of the fastening screw 106 when screwing into the screw head 114, the fastening screw 106 in the region between the screw head and the underside of the shim can be threadless and of a smaller diameter, so that it is free in the holes in the cover, the flange and the shim can turn. 3, the fastening screws 106 can be replaced by contact pins 118 which engage to produce a low-resistance ground contact between the two plug connectors in the opening 120 in the screw head 122 in the screw head 122 of the fastening screws 124 (FIG. 3).

FIG. 5 shows the connector 86 and the mating connector 88 approximately in accordance with FIG. 3 in an exploded view. For the sake of clarity, only the half-shell 2 of the plug connector 86 is shown. The contact carrier element 6 or its flange 42 is arranged between the underside 20 of the upper housing and the shim 43 in the manner already described. The shim 43 has a plan shape which essentially corresponds to that of the flange 42. A central recess 130 allows the contact carrier body 66 to pass through. Two bores 132 are aligned with the bores 100 of the flange 42. The coding teeth 126 are formed on each of the two long sides of the shim 43 by bending corresponding projections downward. In contrast to the representation according to FIG. 3, two fastening screws 134 are provided for fastening the shim 43 to the upper connector, the screw heads of which are configured as contact sockets 136, as the left fastening screw, shown in a partial cross section, shows above all. The fastening screws 134 reach through the bores 132, 100, which in this case can be designed as smooth, unthreaded bores. They are then screwed into the bores 102, 104 from below. These bores can either be designed as smooth bores, with the fastening screws 134 being self-tapping, or they can already be provided with threads. To accommodate the head of the holding hooks 68, the auxiliary hunting plate 43 is provided with corresponding recesses 138. The counter connector 88 also consists of a hood and a contact carrier element, as need not be described in detail. The flange 96 of the contact carrier element is in turn arranged between the housing and a shim 97, which corresponds in plan to that of the flange 96 substantially. For fastening the shim 97 to the housing of the lower connector 88, fastening screws 140 are used, on the screw heads of which contact pins 142 are formed, which engage when the two connectors are coupled into the contact sockets 136 and ensure a low-resistance ground contact. On the shim 97 holding tabs 98 for the bracket 90 and coding teeth 128 are formed in the manner already described, which are arranged with the coding teeth 126 of the shim 43 on a gap so that they do not hinder coupling of the two connectors. The fastening screws 140 can in turn engage in threaded bores on the housing of the connector 88 or self-tapping in smooth bores. Of course, an arrangement with a screw and nut, for example according to FIG. 3, is also possible, as need not be described in more detail.

The half-shells of the housing can be produced as die-cast aluminum parts or consist of metallized plastic, both designs ensure good electrical shielding of the contact carrier elements and cable connections.

It should also be mentioned that instead of a mating connector of the type described in FIGS. 3 or 5, a mating connector can also be provided, which can be attached directly to a device housing, on a printed circuit board or the like, as is easily done by itself understands.

As can be seen in particular from FIG. 1, recesses 103 and 105 or 103 'and 105' are formed in the side walls 10 and 12 of the half-shell 2 and in the side walls 10 'and 12' of the half-shell 4, respectively. These are designed so that they can hold the fastening screws 106 within the outer contour of the plug arrangement (see, for example, also FIGS. 3 and 4).

Claims (13)

1. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter (86) with

a) a housing consisting of two half-shells (2,4) and adapted to accommodate a contact carrier element (6),

b) in the corner zones of each half-shell (2,4) which are towards the contact carrier element (6), matchingly constructed connecting elements (34, 36; 50, 52) which engage separably into one another when the housing is assembled,

c) in the region of the housing end opposite the contact carrier element (6), means for the reciprocal interlocking of the closed half-shells (2,4),

characterised by the following features:

d) the connecting elements (34, 36; 50, 52) are constructed as projections which bear on the inside of a fixing flange (42) of the contact carrier element (6) and which, when the half-shells are assembled, have adjacently disposed surfaces extending at a right-angle to and parallel with the plane of the fixing flange (42) and which engage each other pairwise,

e) disposed on the half-shells (2,4), in each corner zone, there is on the end face a retaining hook (68, 78) which engages over the fixing flange (42) of the contact carrier element (6) and which, when the half-shells (2,4) are closed, bears on the outside of the fixing flange (42),

f) those faces of the projections (34, 36; 50, 52) which extend parallel with the plane of the fixing flange (42) on one half-shell (2) are of convex construction, taking the form of part of a cylinder to serve as pivotally guiding faces (44,46) while those of the other half-shell (4) are of matchingly concave construction to serve as pivotally guiding faces (54, 56),

g) the front edges of the retaining hooks (78) which bear on the outside of the fixing flange (42) and which are provided on the half-shell (4) which has the concave pivotally guiding faces (54, 56) lie on the longitudinal axis (48) of the cylinder,

h) when the half-shells (2,4) are closed, the concave pivotally guiding faces (54, 56) engage behind the convex faces (44, 46) when, during pivoting of the halfshells (2,4) about the longitudinal axis (48) of the cylinder, a predetermined minimum angle is attained and passed.

2. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to Claim 1, characterized in that each of the connectimg elements (34, 36) of one half-shell (2) is completely traversed by a bore (102, 104) extending at a right-angle to the plane of the contact carrier element while the connecting elements (50, 52) of the other half-shell (4) are traversed by circularly segmental recesses (110, 112) which, together with the bores (102, 104) serve to accommodate fixing screws (106, 108, 118,124,134,140) of the flange (42) of the contact carrier element (6).

3. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to Claim 2, characterized in that the bores (102, 104) and the recesses (110, 112) have smooth walls.

4. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to Claim 3, characterized in that the fixing screws (134,140) are self-tapping.

5. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to Claim 2, characterized in that the walls of the bores (102, 104) and recesses (110, 112) are provided with a screwthread.

6. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that there is on the outside face of the fixing flange (42) of the contact carrier element (6) a packing plate (43), the plan of which corresponds substantially to the plan of the fixing flange (42) and which has, pointing in the direction of push- in of the connecter, coded teeth (126) which, with a correspondingly constructed filler plate on the matching connecter, serve as a plug coding.

7. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the half-shells (2,4) of the housing are of substantially trapezoidal cross-section in their plane of separation.

8. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claim 1 to 7, characterized in that the edges (28, 28'; 30, 30') of the two half- shells (2,4) which bear on each other are at least partially provided with matchingly interengaging groove profiles (32, 32').

9. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the means of locking the two half-shells (2,4) together comprise a locking screw (80) adapted to pass through a bore (82) constructed in one half-shell at a right-angle to the plane of separation and into a threaded bore (84) aligned therewith and disposed in the other half-shell (4).

10. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that there are in the side walls (10, 10'; 12, 12') of the housing and in each case aligned with the bores (102,104) and the recesses (110, 112) in the connecting elements (34, 36, 50, 52) recesses (103, 103'; 105, 105') to receive the heads of the fixing screws (106, 118, 124, 134, 140) for the fixing flange (42) of the contact carrier element (6) within the trapezoidal contours.

11. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the half-shells (2,4) are in each case constructed as aluminium pressure die-castings.

12. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the half-shells (2, 4) consist in each case of metallized synthetic plastics material.

13. Electrical pin-and-socket connecter according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the retaining hooks (68, 78) in each case engage flush into corresponding grooves (70) constructed in the fixing flange (42).

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