EP1429423B1 - Electrical plug connector having a casing and a heavy current contact - Google Patents

Description

The present invention describes an electrical connector according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Such connectors are used in particular to obtain an electrical contact for high current flows, ie with a large amperage. For this purpose, electrically conductive plug in the form of pins are inserted into the contact portion of a high-current socket of this connector in order to obtain an electrically conductive connection via the high-current socket with other components.
The high-current socket is inserted into a recess of an insulating housing surrounding the high-current socket or in the body of the housing and usually set therein. For this purpose, the high-current socket through the Opening the recess introduced into this and z. B. attached via a locking connection.

The high-power socket is divided into three sections, which are integrally formed with each other in the manufacture of the high-current socket. The first section is a contact section at which the actual electrical connection is made with another plug / pin. The contact portion consists of several, in particular resilient, tongues between which the pin is inserted. The second portion is the intermediate portion on which elastic spring tongues are formed to allow the locking connection described above in the surrounding housing. The third section is the fastening section with which the high-current socket can be fastened to other components.

Such a high current socket in the form of an electrical terminal is from the DE 2 227 204 A1 known. The mounting portion of this electrical terminal is designed for crimping with an electrical cable.

A similar in nature, in details but differently designed high power jack is with the GB-A-1 463 528 disclosed in the form of an electrical connection.

A disadvantage of these two Hochstrombuchsen is that the or the guide projections on the. High current jack are arranged so that they cooperate with the provided inside the respective housing guide grooves. The provided at the intermediate portion of the high-power bush spring-elastic spring tongues, which cooperate with locking projections in the housing, guarantee a determination in the axial longitudinal extent of the high-current bushing relative to the housing in one direction only. In addition, an attachment of the mounting portions of these high-current jacks on other components, such as circuit boards / boards or similar components or attachment of the high-current jack together with the housing to the aforementioned other components is not possible.

The high-power bushes are punched out of a flat metal plate, wherein the punching already takes place in the later desired shape of the high-current socket. Suitable metallic materials which conduct the current well are known to the person skilled in the art. Subsequently, this flat material blank z. B. rolled around a mandrel or pressed it to the substantially in the axial extent of the High current socket seen to obtain hollow cylindrical outer shape. In this case, the contact portion and the intermediate portion are bent toward each other approximately to a closed cylindrical shape and the mounting portion is bent only to a half or three-quarter circle, so that lateral portions of the mounting portion substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the high-voltage socket to connect with these areas a connection with others To allow components.

The DE 693 21 708 T2 describes such an electrical connector, in which case at the contact tongues of the contact portion for clamping the associated pin of the electrical connection near the free ends of the contact tongues a bend in the contact tongues is provided to enclose this pin. Furthermore, mounting legs are provided on the mounting portion, with which the high-current socket can be fastened to a further base. In the interior of the recess of the housing, which surrounds this high-current socket, elongated centering guide elements are formed integrally with the housing, with which a guidance of the contact tongues of the contact section takes place in the recess. Furthermore, locking projections are formed in the recess, which with Coupling locking tongues on the high-current socket to secure them in the housing. A determination in the axial longitudinal extent of the cavity bushing relative to the housing takes place here only in a longitudinal direction. The too wide insertion of the cavity bushing in the housing is not avoided here.

Based on this prior art, the skilled artisan has the object to improve an electrical connector with a housing and a high-power socket to the effect that the production of the high-current socket and in particular the contact tongues simplifies avoiding damage to the contact tongues when inserted into the housing and the Alignment in the longitudinal extent of the high-current socket relative to the housing in the desired position can be fixed.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a connector according to claim 1. The claims 3 and 6 disclose a new inventive designed high-power socket and an associated housing for this connector. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are each the subject of dependent claims.

The core idea of the invention is that a guidance / alignment of the high-current bushing relative to the housing does not take place with guide devices in the interior of the recess, but with guide devices which are arranged in the region of the opening of the recess, in particular outside / in front of the recess. This avoids that the resilient contact tongues are bent in an incorrect insertion of the high current socket in the recess by the guide means arranged therein and thus the high-current socket or the entire connector are unusable. By arranged already in the region of the opening of the recess in the housing of the electrical connector guide means the contact tongues in the recess, during further insertion, already arranged in the correct position. The resilient tongues at the intermediate section are preferably obtained by a flat embossing in order to obtain a stepless reduction of the cross section and thus a better spring action.

In addition, the high-power bushing or the material blank from which the high-power bushing is made, is designed such that the material thickness of the fastening portion is greater than the material thicknesses of Intermediate and the contact sections. Thus, a step-like transition between the respective material thicknesses in the region between the intermediate portion and the mounting portion is obtained, this stage serves as a stop surface, which cooperates with a counter-stop surface in the recess of the housing of the electrical connector.

This means that the high-current socket can only be pushed into the recess in the body of the housing until the respective abutment surfaces lie directly against one another. With a suitable choice of the respective position along the longitudinal extent of the high-current socket and the mutual distance of adjacent high-current bushes in the longitudinal extent, seen between the spring tongue at the intermediate portion and the abutment surface between the intermediate portion and mounting portion and the counter stop surface in the body of the housing and a further stop surface for the spring tongue at the intermediate section, the high-current socket can be fixed in the desired position in the axial direction in the housing. This means that the depth at which the high-current socket is inserted into the housing is desirably selectable and adjustable.

For this purpose, the housing of the electrical connector made of an insulating material, for. B. an injection molded part made of a suitable plastic, as is known in the art, which forms a body. In the body, a recess is provided, into which through the opening of the recess, the high-current socket is inserted. In the recess locking projections are formed in a conventional manner, which cooperate with the spring tongues described above at the intermediate portion of the high-current bushing to avoid that the high-current bushing can be pulled out of the recess again.

For aligning the high-current bushing relative to the recess in the body of the housing, guide grooves are formed on the housing in the region of the opening in the housing, into which correspondingly formed guide projections of the high-current bushes can be brought into engagement, so that the high-current bushing is in the correct position even before the insertion of the contact tongues into the recess is aligned and bending of the reeds is avoided. Furthermore, the body has a counter stop surface, which cooperates with the abutment surface on the high current bush, which is formed by the change in the material thickness of the high power jack, to the depth at which the High current socket is inserted into the recess, limit. In this way, the axial position of the high-current bushing in the housing, together with the above-described latching projections and spring tongues, can be fixed in the desired manner. The housing itself is about other fastening devices, such. B. press-fit, with other components such as, inter alia, circuit boards or boards connectable.

In order to ensure a permanent and reliable electrical contact between the resilient contact tongues and the pin described above, it is proposed that further projections or a projection extending continuously in the recess be formed in the interior of the recess of the body of the housing. These can serve on the one hand to limit the depth at which the high-current bush is inserted into the recess by the contact tongues abut the projection. On the other hand, the projections can also be formed as a continuous cross-sectional constriction of the recess, so that the contact tongues of the narrowing cross-section of the recess when inserting uniformly to each other, ie in the radial direction inwardly, are pressed, so as a pin for producing an electrically conductive Clamp connection and reliable contact. For this purpose, slots are formed during punching between adjacent contact tongues. With such a projection, it is also possible to pre-center the pin to be inserted from the other side into the housing in order to avoid damage to the contact tongues.

The high-current socket is formed as described above, ie it has a guide projection on the attachment portion, with which the high-power socket is aligned in the correct position to the recess in the body of the housing. Further, at the transition from the intermediate portion to the fixing portion, a step-like increase in the material thickness of the blank from which the high-current bush is obtained is formed. This stage serves as a stop surface, which cooperates with the counter stop surface described above in the housing. Such a stage in the material blank can, for. Example be obtained by a material blank in the thickness of the mounting portion in the areas that form the later intermediate and contact portions, is reduced by a milling in its material thickness. Subsequently, the punching process and the forming process can take place.

Preferably, the contact tongues are formed straight or rectilinear over their respective longitudinal extent, which means that they have no kinks or curves seen in the longitudinal direction, so that their production is possible by a single deformation of a flat material blank to a high-power socket.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a plurality of guide projections are formed on the attachment portion, for. B. two, which are formed on opposite sides of the mounting portion. A corresponding configuration of the housing with a corresponding number and arrangement of the guide grooves is then also advantageous.

In a simple manner, the attachment of the attachment portion to other components, in particular printed circuit boards or boards, carried out in that the fastening device either as soldering pins, which are soldered to the components, or formed as a press-in zone, ie that part of the mounting portion with a correspondingly formed Section of the other component is pressed together to obtain a permanent connection. Furthermore, the fastening device can be configured as an SMD contact region.

For permanent contacting of an electric pin is further proposed that the contact tongues are inclined toward each other towards its free end, so that the inside width of the cavity bushing is reduced towards the free end. This allows the electric pin to be clamped. This inclination is either predetermined during the production of the cavity bushing by appropriate forming processes or is obtained by a correspondingly formed recess in the body of the housing, whose cross section is reduced.

To facilitate the insertion of the pin in the cavity bushing, the free ends of the contact tongues are provided with inclined surfaces which together form a conical widening.

Fig. 1:

eine elektrische Steckverbindung in teilweise geschnittener Darstellung,

Fig. 2:

eine in ein Gehäuse eingeschobene Hochstrombuchse in geschnittener Darstellung,

Fig. 3:

eine Hochstrombuchse beim Einschieben in ein Gehäuse,

Fig. 4a, 4b:

eine Hochstrombuchse im Querschnitt und in perspektivischer Darstellung, und

Fig. 5:

eine weitere Ausführung der Hochstrombuchse in perspektivischer Darstellung.

Further details, features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following part of the description, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in more detail with reference to drawings. Show it:

Fig. 1:

an electrical connector in a partially cutaway view,

Fig. 2:

an inserted into a housing high-power socket in a sectional view,

3:

a high-power socket when inserted into a housing,

4a, 4b:

a Hochstrombuchse in cross-section and in perspective, and

Fig. 5:

a further embodiment of the high current socket in perspective view.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4a and 4b is an electrical connector 1 consisting of a housing 2 and a high-power socket 3. The housing 2 is of a body 15, z. B. a plastic injection molded part formed. In the body 15, a recess 16 is formed in the form of an opening. The metallic high current socket 3 is inserted from one side in the insertion direction E in the body 15. To produce an electrical connection, a plug / pin (not shown here) is inserted from the left into the recess 16 and contacted by the contact tongues 7.

For the correct alignment of the high-current bushing 3 relative to the body 15, guide projections 9 are formed on the attachment section 6 of the high-current bushing 3, which interact with guide grooves 10 on the body 15. The guide grooves 10 are outside / in front of the opening of the Recess 16 arranged to align the high-power socket 3 already during insertion.
To fix the axial position of the high current bushing 3 in the recess 16 serve for a spring tongues 8, which are formed on the intermediate portion 5 and project in the radial direction over the intermediate portion 5 and cooperate with locking projections 17 in the interior of the recess 16 in a conventional manner. The spring tongues 8 are preferably shaped flat. For fixing in the opposite direction is a step 14 on the high-current bushing 3, which cooperates with a counter-stop surface 11 on the housing 2, and in the recess 16 of the body 15. By this definition in both axial directions of the longitudinal extension of the high-power bushing 3, this can be fixed in the desired position without play in the housing 2.

As can be seen in FIG. 4 a, the step 14 is obtained by a change in the material thickness t 1 of the intermediate section 5 and of the contact section 4 with respect to the material thickness t 2 of the fastening section 6. This stage 14 may e.g. prior to punching / forming the high-power bushing 3 by milling the material blank are obtained.

The contact portion 4 is formed by a plurality of preferably resilient contact tongues 7, which at their free ends have an inclined surface 21, so that at this free end of the contact portion 4, a conical widening to facilitate the insertion of an electrical pin from the other side of the recess 16 ago in the electrical connector 1 is facilitated.

Preferably, a plurality of high-power bushes 3 are arranged side by side and / or one above the other in a housing 2 in order to obtain a multiplicity of electrical contacts.

To fix the electrical connector 1 or the attachment portion 6 to other components, such as circuit boards or boards, is used in this embodiment, an SMD contact portion 12 which is formed with openings 13 in the mounting portion 6. The SMD contact region 12 is formed in a manner known per se. The apertures 13 are required to prevent spreading of the solder over the entire contact during soldering. However, soldering pins or a press-in zone on the attachment section 6 could also serve for attachment.

On the housing 2 and other fastening devices 18, z. As a press-fit, be provided to connect the housing 2 itself with other components.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, further projections 20 or a collar-shaped continuous circumferential projection 20 are formed in the interior of the recess 16. This can serve on the one hand to limit the depth of insertion of the high current socket 3 in the housing 2 by the contact tongues 7 are present at it. On the other hand, such a projection 20, when formed in the form of a continuous cross-sectional constriction of the recess 16, serve to tilt the spring tongues 7 towards one another towards their respective free ends, as can be seen in the cross-sectional illustration in FIG clear width of the high current socket 3 is reduced to its free end. Thus, electrical pins in the high current socket 3 can be clamped by the contact tongues 7. For this purpose, the slots 19 obtained by punching are provided between the contact tongues 7.

However, the projection 20 can also be designed such that it has on the side facing the pin to be inserted, an inclined surface, so as to act as a centering for this pin to avoid damage to the contact tongues 7.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown, but in the context of the disclosure often variable. Thus, an embodiment is shown in Figure 5, in which the contact region 12 'facing transition portion 6' of the mounting portion 6 of the power jack 3 'has a further embodiment variant. The high-current bushing 3 'shown in FIG. 5 is designed differently in details than in the high-power bushing 3 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4b. In this embodiment, at each provided, the contact region 12 'directed towards, transition portion 6' of the attachment portion 6 frontally, so pointing towards the intermediate section 5, a guide groove 9b incorporated. In addition, in each case laterally in the rear portion, approximately the same height as the guide groove 9b, a guide projection 9a is provided. The guide groove 9b and the guide projection 9a have the same function as the guide projection 9 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4b.
The guide projection 9a is in the assembled state in the guide groove 10 of the housing 2. The guide groove 9b on the attachment portion 6 of the high-power bushing 3 'engages over a counter stop surface 11 of the housing second arranged, not shown in the figures pin.
In this perspective view, the two SMD contact areas 12 'are placed on a board 22; at 23, the relevant solder pad on the board 22 is designated. The breakthroughs concerning the influence of the solder are designated here by 13 '.
This embodiment variant of a high-power socket will be used in particular when the overall length in the axial direction, that is seen in the insertion direction, must be kept short and the height of the connector, so the height of the mounting portion, can be more variable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

electrical plug connection

2

Housing of item 1

3, 3 '

High current socket from item 1

4

Contact section of Pos. 3

5

Intermediate section of pos. 3

6

Fixing section of Pos. 3

6 '

Transitional section from item 3 '

7

Reed of Pos. 4

8th

Tongue at pos. 5

9

Guide projection at pos. 6

9a

Guide projection at pos. 6 '

9b

Guide groove in Pos. 6 '

10

Guide groove on Pos. 2

11

Counter stop surface at pos. 2

12, 12 '

SMD contact area at pos. 6

13, 13 '

Breakthrough in pos. 12

14

Step at pos. 3

15

Body of Pos. 2

16

Recess in pos. 15

17

Locking projection in pos. 16

18

Fastening device to pos. 2

19

Slots between pos. 7

20

Projection in pos. 16

21

inclined surface at pos. 7

22

circuit board

23

solder field

e

Insertion direction from pos. 3 to pos. 2

t1, t2

Material thickness of Pos. 3

Claims (13)

1. Electrical plug connection (1) with a insulating housing (2) with a recess (16) and a high-current socket (3; 3'), which is arranged therein, with a contact section (4), an intermediate section (5) and a fastening section (6), which are formed integrally with one another from a material blank, wherein

   - the contact section (4) is formed by several contact tongues (7),

   - a resilient tongue (8) for fixing the high-current socket (3; 3') in the surrounding housing (2) is provided at the intermediate section (5),

   - at least one guide projection (9) is formed at the fastening section (6) and the housing (2) has at least one guide groove (10) for the same (9),

   - devices for fastening the high-current socket (3; 3') to a further component, particularly to a circuitboard, are provided at the fastening section (6),

   and with a plug/pin insertable into the high-current socket (3; 3'),
   characterised in that

   - the guide groove (10) for the guide projection (9) provided at the fastening section (6) is arranged at the housing (2) in the region of an opening of the recess (16),

   - the material thickness (t2) of the fastening section (6) is greater than the material thickness (t1) of the intermediate section (5) and of the contact section (4) so that through change in the material thickness of the high-current pocket (3; 3') a step-like transition (14) between the intermediate section (5) and the fastening section (6) is created, wherein this step (14) is an abutment surface which co-operates with a counter-abutment surface (11) arranged at the body (15) of the housing (2) in the region of the opening of the recess.
2. Electrical plug connection (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the guide projection (9) is a stamped-out portion of material (9a) which is arranged in the rear region, which is remote from the housing (2), of a transition region (6') of the fastening section (6) and is adapted in its position to the guide groove (10) and that a guide groove (9b) is arranged in the end face, which faces the housing (2), of the transition region (6').
3. Housing (2) for an electrical plug connection (1) according to claim 1, with a body (15), in which a recess (16) for receiving a high-current socket (3; 3') is formed, wherein detent projections (17) for fixing the high-current socket (3; 3') to resilient tongues (8) arranged in the intermediate section (5) thereof are provided in the recess (16),
   characterised in that

   - a guide groove (10) is provided at the housing (2) in the region of the opening of the recess (16) and a counter-abutment surface (11) is formed at the body (15) of the housing and

   - the housing consists of an insulating material.
4. Housing (2) according to claim 3, characterised in that further fastening devices (18) for fastening the housing (2) to further components such as inter alia circuitboards or plates are formed at the housing (2).
5. Housing (2) according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that further projections (20) for limitation of the insertion depth of the high-current socket (3) or for limitation of the radial movability of the resilient contact tongues (7) of the contact section (4) are formed in the recess (16).
6. High-current socket (3) for an electrical plug connection according to claim 1, with a contact section (4), an intermediate section (5) and a fastening section (6), which are formed integrally with one another from a material blank and which are arranged partly in a recess (16) of the housing (2), in which

   - the contact section (4) is formed from several resilient contact tongues (7),

   - a resilient tongue (8) is provided at the intermediate section (5),

   - devices for fastening the high-current socket (3) to a further component, particularly to a circuitboard, are provided at the fastening section (6),

   characterised in that

   - a guide projection (9) is formed at the fastening section (6),

   - the material thickness (t2) of the fastening section (6) is larger than the material thickness (t1) of the intermediate section (5) and of the contact section (4), the material thickness (t2) of the fastening section (6) is larger than the material thickness (t1) of the intermediate section (5) and of the contact section (4), wherein a step-like transition (14) is formed between the intermediate section (5) and the fastening section (6).
7. High-current socket (3) according to claim 6, characterised in that the guide projection (9) is a stamped-out portion of material (9a) which is arranged in the rear region, which faces the free end, of a transition region (6') of the fastening section (6) and a guide groove (9b) is arranged in the end face, which faces the intermediate section (5), of the transition region (6').
8. High-current socket (3, 3') according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that the contact tongues (7) are straight over the length thereof, in particular do not have any bends.
9. High-current socket (3; 3') according to claim 6, 7 or 8, characterised in that several guide projections (9) or guide projections and guide grooves (9a and 9b) are formed at the fastening section (6), in each instance, in particular, two.
10. High-current socket (3; 3') according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterised in that the devices for fastening at the fastening section (6) are solder pins, a press-in zone or an SMD contact region (12; 12').
11. High-current socket (3; 3') according to one of claims 6 to 10, characterised in that the contact tongues (7) are uniformly inclined towards one another at the free ends thereof.
12. High-current socket (3; 3') according to one of claims 6 to 11, characterised in that the contact tongues (7) have a conical widening at the free ends thereof.
13. High-current socket (3; 3') according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterised in that the tongues (8) are stamped to be flat at the intermediate section (5).

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