EP0343550A2 - Electrical flat plug socket - Google Patents

Abstract

In an electrical panel connector, the male part surrounds a blade contact element, while the female part has a socket element, constructed with a bevelled flat profile. In order to improve the making of contacts and hence, nevertheless, to keep the insertion forces low it is proposed to use a complete rectangular profile for the socket element, the narrow and broad sides of which rectangular profile are split by longitudinal slots into a family of parallel webs which form a bevelled cage, with contact webs which are kinked or bent into the interior of the cage. In consequence, in the event of coupling, the kinked or bent tips of a contact web also come into contact on the blade edge of the male part. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention is directed to a flat plug connection of the type specified in the preamble of claim 1. In the known connection (DE-PS 32 44 939), the socket member has a C-shaped flat profile, the profile leg ends of which are rolled up and in the case of coupling with one blade surface contact the knife contact member on the male part, while the opposite blade surface is spring-loaded by a tongue formed on the C-profile web and bent back into the profile interior. The C-legs merge with longitudinal edges into the C-web connecting them and form a receiving channel containing the tongue, which only touches the knife contact element in places. The areas of the C-leg located on the narrow sides of the flat profile do not come into contact with the knife edges of the male part. In order to improve the contact, one had to rely on a high spring load to be exerted by the tongue, which, however, had the disadvantage of requiring a high plug-on force on the die part when the knife contact element was engaged.

The invention has for its object to develop a space-saving tab connector due to the knife contact member of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1, which on the one hand has good contacting and on the other hand manages with low insertion forces during the coupling process. The invention has made it possible to reconcile these two apparently contradicting demands for good contact and low attachment forces and is characterized by the following special features.

Because the socket member is equipped as a rectangular tube with webs created by longitudinal slots on all tube sides, contact webs also come to rest on the rectangular narrow sides, which come into contact with the knife edges of the male part in the event of a coupling. The socket member is thus designed on all sides as a cage, the cage webs of which have single or multiple kinks or arches and thus run in a V or W shape. The kink or arch apex produced in this way springs on all sides against the knife contact element coupled into the interior of the cage and is effective in contact. This gives contact points distributed over the entire circumference of the profile, which summatively produce a large contact area. Each kinked or curved contact web is under its own spring load due to its V- or W-shape, which is sufficient for good contacting, but due to the very slim, long web shape requires surprisingly low attachment forces during the coupling process to deform it. During the coupling process, the course of the kink or curve is leveled in the contact web and contacts with its apex. Coupling is thus easy and you get a good electrical transition even for higher electrical currents. A single kink in each contact web, which establishes a V-shaped web profile, is particularly advantageous.

There are other types of plug connectors (DE-PS 35 02 633), in which the socket member is designed as a full rectangular tube, but this does not have a cage structure, but on the broad sides molded, mutually curved spring arm pairs, on which a pair of reinforcing springs presses, in a corresponding manner Is integrally formed on a reinforcing sleeve to be pushed over the socket member.

Finally, it is known with a circular plug-in connection (DE-OS 3625384) to arrange an inner sleeve, which is divided by longitudinal slots in lamellae, in a pin member designed as a solid round tube, which is inserted as a male part into the interior of a socket member designed as a double-layered, full round tube, which at the same time has an axial one Contact pin carries. During the coupling process, the contact pin leads to a limited longitudinal displacement of the longitudinally slotted inner sleeve and generates a first current path, while a second current path takes place between the round tubes of the plug and socket member which are fitted into one another. This circular connector is bulky.

If the vertices of the contact webs are offset longitudinally against one another according to the invention, this not only results in more favorable contacting, but also a further reduction in the attachment forces. Because of the longitudinal staggering of their kinks or arches, the contact webs are not all deformed at the same time during the coupling process, but rather with a time offset, which is why all the deformation forces of the contact webs need not be applied immediately. In terms of manufacturing technology, it is, according to claim 3, to design the V or arc shape of the contact webs asymmetrically. It is already sufficient, which also simplifies the manufacture and the tool, to form such asymmetrically bent contact webs from two mutually identical groups which are mutually provided in the rectangular tube cage of the invention. The contact webs located on the narrow sides of the cage can, as proposed in claim 4, be designed symmetrically because they are then deformed in time between the aforementioned asymmetrical kinks or bends of the other contact webs when coupling. The simplest version of the die part can be formed in one piece.

For reasons of strength and better production, however, it is recommended, according to claim 5, to form the socket member only from this rectangular tube cage and to use this as an insert in a box-shaped quiver which, as a further component of the die part, forms a base member on which the The conductors are connected. As an alternative or in addition, one can finally, as recommended in claim 6, have a protective sleeve encased in the cage or quiver, which serves to hold an insulation housing with retaining tongues. With this two-part or three-part structure in the sheet metal material of the die part, to which the insulation housing is then added, it is possible to form each of these components from the specifically cheapest material, as recommended by claim 7. This sheet material is, according to claim 8, angled and folded until it creates the cage designed as a rectangular tube, quiver or protective sleeve with a longitudinal joint. These longitudinal joints will be placed, mainly between the quiver and the protective sleeve, on different sides of the rectangular tube, the narrow side being particularly suitable for the protective sleeve, because the holding hooks for the insulation housing can be positioned more favorably on the broad side .

The above-mentioned components should be fixed to one another by closing elements, such as interlocking elevations and depressions or stop shoulders, whereby their correct mounting position is defined in accordance with claim 10. To determine the mounting position but also, as recommended by claim 12, welds can be used, preferably by the action of a laser be generated. The location of these welds is recommended, according to claim 13, the longitudinal joint, because this does not result in an annoying projection. Such welds can finally, according to claim 14, create a closed ring profile in the rectangular tube, which improves its shape, which is particularly interesting for the protective sleeve. To mutually secure the mounting position, an insertion funnel provided at the front end of the rectangular tube cage can also be used, which is stop-effective with the quiver of the base member. The strength could finally, according to claim 15, also be increased without welding if the longitudinal joint of the sheet material folded into a rectangular tube was made to maze like a labyrinth between two adjacent sides of the rectangle, thus creating mutually interdigitated fingers in the tube wall that extend over the edge of the rectangle.

• Fig. 1 in starker perspektivischer Vergrößerung und teilweise im Ausbruch eine erste Ausführung der zum erfindungsgemäßen Matrizenteil gehörenden Blechformteil vor ihrem Anschluß am zugehörigen Leiter,
• Fig. 2 in Explosionsdarstellung die Bestandteile des in Fig. 1 gezeigten Matrizenteils, zu denen noch ein nicht näher dargestelltes Isolationsgehäuse kommt,
• Fig. 3 eine alternative Ausbildung des Matrizenteils,
• Fig. 4 die Draufsicht, teilweise im Ausbruch ,auf den innersten Bestandteil des Matrizenteils von Fig. 2 in abgewandeter, schmalerer Bauart,
• Fig. 5 und 6 einen Längsschnitt durch den Bestandteil von Fig. 4 längs der dortigen Schnittlinien V-V bzw. VI-VI,
• Fig. 7 die vordere Stirnansicht auf den Bestandteil von Fig. 4,
• Fig. 8 eine Abwicklung des Bestandteils von Fig. 4 in die Ebene, die den Blechzuschnitt des Formteils von Fig. 4 wiedergibt,
• Fig. 9, teilweise im Ausbruch, die Draufsicht auf den darüber gesetzten weiteren Bestandteil des Matrizenglieds von Fig. 2, in schmalerer Bauart,
• Fig. 10 eine Querschnittansicht längs der Schnittlinie X-X von Fig. 9,
• Fig. 11 einen Längsschnitt längs der Schnittlinie XI-XI von Fig. 9,
• Fig. 12 die entsprechende Abwicklung des Bestandteils von Fig. 9,
• Fig. 13, 14 die Drauf- bzw. Seitenansicht des äußeren Bestandteils von Fig. 2 teilweise ausgebrochen, in abgewandeter, zu Fig. 4 passender, schmalerer Bauart,
• Fig. 15 die vordere Stirnansicht des Bestandteils von Fig. 13 bzw. 14,
• Fig. 16 die Abwicklung dieses äußeren Bestandteils von Fig. 13 bzw. 14 und
• Fig. 17 in Vergrößerung und perspektivischer Ansicht ein zu Fig. 2 passendes Messerkontaktglied des zugehörigen Patrizenteils.

The invention is shown in several exemplary embodiments in the drawings. The invention is directed to all new measures, even if these are not expressly stated in the claims. Show it:

• 1 in a large perspective enlargement and partially in the cutout a first embodiment of the sheet metal part belonging to the die part according to the invention before its connection to the associated conductor,
• 2 in an exploded view the components of the die part shown in FIG. 1, to which there is also an insulation housing (not shown in more detail),
• 3 shows an alternative design of the die part,
• 4 shows the top view, partly in cutout, of the innermost component of the die part of FIG. 2 in a modified, narrower design,
• 5 and 6 is a longitudinal section through the component of FIG. 4 along the section lines VV and VI-VI,
• 7 is the front end view of the component of FIG. 4,
• 8 is a development of the component of FIG. 4 in the plane which shows the sheet metal blank of the molded part of FIG. 4,
• 9, partly in the cut-out, the top view of the further component of the die element of FIG. 2 placed above it, in a narrower design,
• 10 is a cross-sectional view along the section line XX of FIG. 9,
• 11 is a longitudinal section along the section line XI-XI of FIG. 9,
• 12 shows the corresponding processing of the component from FIG. 9,
• 13, 14 the top and side view of the outer component of FIG. 2 partially broken away, in a modified, narrower design matching FIG. 4,
• 15 is the front end view of the component of FIGS. 13 and 14,
• Fig. 16 shows the processing of this outer component of Fig. 13 and 14 and
• 17 shows an enlarged and perspective view of a knife contact member of the associated male part that matches FIG. 2.

In the drawings, only the metallically conductive core of a die part 10 of a flat plug connection according to the invention is shown, which still includes an insulation housing (not shown in more detail). Of the complementary male part 20 of this flat plug connection, only the contact member to be connected to the associated conductor is shown in FIG. 17 without the insulation housing there. The contact member comprises an extremely flat knife blade 21 with a full rectangular cross-section, which is why this member will be referred to as "knife contact member 20" for short. In addition to the knife blade 21, it comprises a one-piece, customary connection area 22 for the conductor (not shown in more detail), which in the present case includes conductor wire claws 23 and conductor insulation claws 24. The knife blade 21 is characterized by upper and lower blade surfaces 25, which are connected on both sides by extremely flat surface zones, which will be referred to as "knife edge 26" in the following. The tip 27 of the knife blade 21 is sharpened for a good introduction. The entire knife contact element is designed as a shaped sheet metal body, the knife blade 21 of which is produced by folding the sheet metal into a compressed double position.

The conductive member 10 of the die part shown in its assembled state in FIG. 1 comprises three components, the appearance of which results from the diagrammatic representation of FIG. 2, the structure of which is detailed in FIGS. 4 to 8 of the first component, 9 to 12 of the second component and 13 to 16 of the third component.

The innermost component of this die part 10 consists of a socket designed as a rectangular tube 11 for receiving the aforementioned knife blade 21 from the male part 20. As can be seen from FIG. 7, the sheet material 12 is cut through in a flat blank resulting from FIG 7 shaped, which has two broad sides 14 on the long rectangular webs and its two narrow sides 15 on the short rectangular webs. The longitudinal slots 13 extend over a substantial length of the rectangular tube and between them a family of longitudinal parallel webs 16 are formed, each having a V-shaped longitudinal profile through a transverse kink 17 and 17 'and thereby with their V-bend inside 18 Rectangular tube 11 are directed. This creates contact webs 16 which surround the knife blade 21 of the coupled male part 20 on all sides. This gives the rectangular tube 11 the appearance of a cage 19, in which, depending on the blade width, a plurality of contact webs 16 each contact the two blade surfaces 25, namely two in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7 and four in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2. However, even against the knife edge 26, a single contact web in the coupling case is pressed in contact with the area of its V-bend apex 17 ''. This kink apex 17, 17 'are in one Longitudinal offset to one another, as can be seen from FIGS. 4 to 7.

On the broad sides 14 of the cage 19 there are basically two groups of contact webs 16, which have an eccentrically arranged kink apex 17, 17 ', but are mirror images of one another in adjacent webs. The eccentric kinks 17, as can be seen in FIG. 4, form a long and a short V-leg 28, 29, 28 ', 29' in pairs, but these are arranged in alternating order with adjacent contact webs 16, as in the alternative 2 can be seen. The located on the narrow side 15 of the cage 19 contact web 16 has an approximately in the longitudinal center seated kink apex 17 '', which is why both V-legs are of equal length and therefore there is a shorter offset distance 37˝ of the kink 17˝, in the cage 19 . Corresponding to this offset 37, 37˝, the individual contact webs 16 are deformed one after the other during the coupling process, which is why only a small push-on force occurs in each case with a time delay. The webs 16 also have such a long web length and such a small web width and such a flat kink that only a relatively small deformation force is required in any case for their deformation. The longitudinal joint 31 which arises in the case of the described bending of the sheet material 12 in the rectangular tube 11 is located, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, on one broad side 14 of the rectangular profile. The position of the fold lines 30 in the sheet metal material 12 is indicated by dash-dotted lines in FIG. 8. At the outer end of the cage 19 is a funnel-shaped flange 32, which is interrupted for easier bending in the area of the folding lines 30 due to cutouts 33 in the sheet metal material 12 and during later assembly serves as a stop for the next component 40 of the die part 10. A locking opening 34 in one broad profile side 14 also serves to secure the mounting position.

This next component consists of a two-part base member 40, which, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 9 to 12, forms in one piece from its sheet metal material 42 a box-shaped quiver 41 at one end and a usual connection area 43 for the conductor with corresponding claws. The box-shaped quiver 41 consists of a rectangular profile 44 which results from FIG. 10 and which is designed to closely match the dimensions of the cage 19, which in this case forms an insert to be positioned in the quiver interior 48 in the case of assembly. The cage 19 is inserted from the free end 45 into the base member 40 until finally the aforementioned funnel flange 32 strikes there. The closed broad side of the quiver 41 is provided with a latching projection 35 which, in the case of assembly, cooperates with the already mentioned grid opening 34 of the cage 19, while on the opposite broad side, which is interrupted by a longitudinal joint 49 during box formation, a bead 46 is formed, which for the Engagement relationship of the aforementioned locking halves 34, 35 provides. The locking connection is thereby secured. Contrary to the orientation of FIG. 2, one could ensure that the longitudinal joints 31, 49 on both sides come to lie on opposite sides of the respective rectangular profile.

The mutual mounting position of the two parts 19, 40 can additionally or additionally also be achieved by welded connections, which are expediently carried out in the region of the longitudinal joint 49 or 31. Welds, mainly if they extend over a larger joint length, then create an annular closed rectangular profile, which contributes to the stiffening. The quiver 41 is finally provided on its outer broad sides with projecting latching hooks 47, 38, which serve to position and secure the position of a third component 50 of the die part 10 according to the invention, the appearance of which is described in more detail in FIGS. 13 to 16.

This third component consists of a protective sleeve 50 which has the rectangular profile 51 shown in FIG. 15 and is made of a specific material with high strength, such as steel sheet 52, which in the first phase of its shaping is the stamped sheet metal shown in FIG. 16. Like the other diecuts of sheet material 12 and 42 from FIGS. 8 and 12, this is related to the other sheet web, which is moved from station to station in strip form, of course, via a projection 36 indicated in FIG. The sheet material 12 in the rectangular tube quiver 19 is of a different type and consists of a material with a high spring constant, which satisfies the elastic properties of the contact webs 16. The sheet metal sheet 42 of the base part 40, on the other hand, consists of a material with particularly good conductivity, which is why a high copper content in the sheet metal alloy is desirable here.

The steel sheet 52 is already provided with two windows 53 in the die-cut of FIG. 6, in which, in the later shaping, outwardly bent retaining tongues 57 are cut, which are used for the later assembly of the insulation housing of this die part 10 mentioned at the beginning.

The rectangular profile 51 is again created by folding the steel sheet 52 on parallel lines that determine the profile corners, the analog longitudinal joint 59 that arises here being located on one profile narrow side 55, while the aforementioned windows 53 with the retaining tongues 57 on both profile broad sides 54 are positioned.

The protective sleeve 50 has a profile size 51 which can encase the box-shaped case 41 of the base member 40 in a close fit. The aforementioned latching hooks 47 and 38 serve to mutually secure the position of these two components. The inner latching hook 47 serves as an end stop for the inner end 58 of the protective sleeve 50. The outer latching hooks 38, on the other hand, move into the window 53 located on the broad sides 54 mentioned and engage behind the inner window edge 56 shown in FIG. 13. The length of the protective sleeve 50 is selected to match the quiver 41; in particular, the above-mentioned end face 45 with the funnel flange 32 of the cage 19 inserted there lies after the position secured by the latching hooks 38, 47 flush with the outer end 39 of the protective sleeve. Here, too, the mutual position between the protective sleeve 50 and the base member 40 can alternatively or additionally be determined by welding, in particular laser welding. Welded connections are expediently carried out again in the longitudinal joint 59 of the rectangular profile 51 and can also serve to create a rectangular profile 51 which is closed in a ring-shaped manner.

It goes without saying that other closing elements can also contribute to securing the mounting position instead of the latching connections mentioned. You can do this by touching the surface nested tubes 11, 41, 50 may be provided with aligned openings, in which elevations engage in an interlocking manner. This applies, for example, to the die part 10˝ shown in FIG. 3, where instead of the holding tongues 57 described above for latching with the associated die housing, the protective sleeve 50˝ there has a fully cut-out window 53˝, which in the case of installation has an opening 60 in the broad side wall of Quiver 41˝ of the associated base member is aligned. After the assembly of the associated insulation housing, a locking projection extends through the window 53˝ and the opening 60 and thereby fixes the position of these parts in the die part 10˝ and locks the die part with the associated insulation housing. Another specialty of FIG. 3 is finally that at least in the protective sleeve 50˝, the resulting joint 59˝ runs like a labyrinth and extends over both the broad profile side 54 and the narrow profile side 55. This crenellated labyrinth course creates upper and lower fingers 61, 62, which engage in one another and extend from one profile side 54 to the other 55 or vice versa. This makes the rectangular profile of the protective sleeve 50hül more rigid and improves the mounting position with the other components of this die part 10˝.

In principle, as already mentioned, the design of the die part shown in FIG. 1 has the same appearance as the components of a modification described in FIGS. 4 to 16. These only differ in the dimensioning of the profile widths; the rectangular profile shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a larger dimension Broadside 54 and therefore belongs to an analog flat connector of a different size, which of course also includes a knife contact member with a correspondingly widened blade surface 25. Accordingly, a larger number of contact webs 16 is also possible there, as has already been described. 4 to 6, the cage 19 can be provided on its broad side 14 provided with the longitudinal joint 31 with a projection 63, the top of which cooperates with the inner wall surface of the quiver 41 from the base member 40 when the assembly is required. In the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 3, the longitudinal joints 31, 49 of the cage 19 and the quiver 41 are in alignment with one another, which is favorable for the welded connection mentioned, for example by laser welding.

Reference symbol list:

• 10 die part, conductive links
• 10˝ die part of Fig. 3 (conductive members)
• 11 rectangular tube
• 12 sheet material from 19, 11
• 13 longitudinal slot
• 14 broadside of 11
• 15 narrow side of 11
• 16 contact bridge
• 17, 17 ′ cross bend, V-bend apex
• 17˝ symmetrical articulated crown
• 18 interior of the cage
• 19 cage
• 20 male part, knife contact element
• 21 knife blade
• 22 connection area of 20
• 23 wire claw
• 24 conductor insulation claw
• 25 blade surface of 21
• 26 knife edge
• 27 blade tip
• 28, 28 ′ long V-leg
• 29, 29 ′ short V-leg
• 30 folding line from 12
• 31 longitudinal joint in 11
• 32 funnel flange from 19
• 33 cutout at 32
• 34 locking opening from 19
• 35 locking projection of 40
• 36 approach of 12 on sheet metal
• 37, 37˝ longitudinal offset between 17, 17 'and 17, 17˝
• 38 locking hooks
• 39 outer forehead of 50
• 40 base link
• 41 quivers out of 40
• 41˝ quiver of Fig. 3
• 42 sheet material of 40
• 43 connection area of 40
• 44 rectangular profile of 41
• 45 free end of 41
• 46 surround
• 47 locking hooks
• 48 quiver interior
• 49 longitudinal joint of 41
• 50 protective sleeve
• 50˝ protective sleeve from FIG. 3
• 51 rectangular profile of 50
• 52 sheet steel for 50
• 53 windows in 54
• 53˝ window at Fig. 3
• 54 broadside of 51
• 55 narrow side of 51
• 56 inner window edge
• 57 retaining tongue
• 58 inner forehead
• 59 longitudinal joint of 50
• 59˝ labyrinth joint in Fig. 3
• 60 breakthrough in 41˝
• 61 upper fingers of 50˝
• 62 lower fingers of 50˝
• 63 head start

Claims (16)

1.) Electrical flat connector with a male and female part (20,10) on the two lines to be coupled, consisting
from a knife contact element (20) connected to the one conductor in the male part
and from a socket member connected to the other conductor and having an angular flat profile with resilient contact points on the die part (10),
in the case of coupling, the two narrow sides of the bushing flat profile face the knife edges (26) of the male part (20),
characterized by
that both the narrow and the broad sides (15, 14) of the bushes having a full rectangular profile (11) are divided by longitudinal slots (13) into a family of parallel webs (16)
and form a rectangular tube cage (19) with contact webs (16) which are bent or bent into the interior of the cage (18),
of which, in the case of coupling, the kink or arch apex (17˝) contacts at least one contact web (16) the knife edge (26) of the male part. 2.) Electrical flat plug connection according to claim 1, characterized in that the kink or arch apex (17, 17 ', 17˝) adjacent contact webs (16) are longitudinally offset from one another (37,37'). 3.) Electrical flat connector according to claim 2, characterized in
that the contact webs (16) located in particular on the broad sides (14) of the rectangular tube cage (19) due to the eccentric position of a single bent or curved apex (17, 17 ') each have a pair of legs of different lengths (28, 28', 29, 29 ′) form
wherein - seen in the order of successive contact webs (16) - each a long leg (28) with a short (29 ') changes. 4.) Flat connector according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a on the narrow side (15) of the rectangular tube cage (19) located contact web (16) by the central position of its individual kink or arch apex (17˝) a pair of the same length Has thighs. 5.) Flat connector according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized in
that the die part (10) has a base member (40) with connections (43) for the conductor and with a box-shaped quiver (41) for the full-surface reception of the socket member,
wherein the socket member consists only of the rectangular tube cage (19) which is manufactured for itself and this (19) forms a fixed insert in the holder (41) of the base member (40). 6.) Flat plug connection according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the die part (10) one the sleeve (41) of the base member (40) or the cage (19) of the socket member sheathed protective sleeve (50) with a rectangular profile (51) has
which holding elements for an insulation housing, such as holding tongues (57) which can be locked therein. 7.) Flat plug connection according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the sheet materials (12,42,52) of the rectangular tube cage (19), the base member (40) with quiver (41) or the protective sleeve ( 50) are specifically different from one another, in the first case (12) they have a high spring constant, in the second case (42) they have good electrical conductivity and in the third case (52) they have high strength. 8.) Flat plug connection according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the longitudinal joints (31, 49, 59) formed when folding (30) the sheet metal material (12, 42, 52) to the rectangular tube (11, 44, 51) ) are in the cage (19) and / or quiver (41) and / or the protective sleeve (50) at least in pairs (59, 49) on different pipe sides. 9.) flat connector according to claim 8, characterized in that the longitudinal joint (59) in the protective sleeve (50) on the narrow side (55) of its rectangular profile (51). 10.) Flat plug connection according to one or more of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that in order to secure the mutual mounting position between the cage (19), the quiver (41) and the protective sleeve (50), complementary closing elements are integrally formed on the tubular bodies, such as interlocking elevations (38, 47, 46) and depressions (34, 53) or stops (32) abutting shoulders (45, 58). 11.) flat plug connection according to claim 10, characterized in that a molded on the quiver (41) of the base member (40) locking hook (38) engages behind the edge (56) of a window (53) which cuts out the retaining tongue (57) arises in the wall of the protective sleeve (50). 12.) Flat plug connection according to one or more of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that welds, in particular laser welds, to secure the mutual mounting position between the cage (19) and / or the quiver (41) and / or the protective sleeve (50) serve. 13.) Flat connector according to claim 12, characterized in that the welds in the region of the longitudinal joint (31,49,59) of the rectangular tube from the cage (19) and / or quiver (41) and / or the protective sleeve (50) are arranged. 14.) Flat connector according to claim 13, characterized in that, at least in places, the longitudinal joint (59) at least the protective sleeve (50) is closed by welded connections, such as laser welding, and produces a self-contained ring profile in the rectangular profile (51). 15.) Flat connector according to one or more of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the longitudinal joint (59˝) of the rectangular tube jumps like a labyrinth and extends over at least two rectangular sides (54,55). 16.) Flat plug connection according to one or more of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the rectangular tube cage (19) has an insertion funnel (32) which is effective in abutment on the outer end face (45) of the quiver (41).

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