EP1595311B1 - Plug-in connector - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a plug connection, comprising a plug and a plug receptacle with a basket, for connecting lines to a consumer, preferably to an electronic controller or an electronic control system of a motor vehicle, wherein the contacts of the plug with the terminal contacts of the plug receptacle engaged become.

The invention relates to a substantially consisting of a plug and a plug receptacle connector for connecting a cable, which may contain at least a plurality of signal lines and possibly also power supply lines to a consumer, wherein the contacts of the plug with the terminal contacts of the plug receptacle in Are engaged.

Connectors are known, for example, from EP-A 592212 and JP-A-9102362. If e.g. the connector is part of a door control unit of a motor vehicle, which is to be housed in the door of the motor vehicle, it is absolutely necessary to adapt the connector and thus the controller to the space requirement of the door interior, and thus form the connector the ruling in the door interior tight spaces according to kleinbauend. The plug of the connector and the plug basket or plug collar should be designed in terms of the number of contacts required so that they u.dgl to the different equipment variants, such as electrically adjustable and / or heated mirrors, central locking, lighting variants. can be easily adapted to a motor vehicle, are inexpensive and still ensure a maintenance-free connection over the life of the motor vehicle at the exposed in a motor vehicle high loads.

Further reference is made to US 5,727,969, which discloses the features of the preamble of claim 1.

The invention is therefore based on the object to design a connector of this type such that they relatively small, yet robust design and high mechanical strength and resistance to continuous use a small footprint and a high, scalable Einzelsteckverbindungen own flexibility while maintaining the compact design large has multipolar connectors. In addition, it should be an easy to close and re-release connector to minimize the assembly effort in manufacturing the vehicle and maintenance.

It has been found that this object can be achieved by the connector described in claim 1, whose peculiarity is that the plug receptacle is designed so that when plugging individual plugs into the plug basket a modular composite plug group with at least two arranged in series Single plug is assembled

Particularly advantageous from the plug and the connector basket existing connector is used in a door control unit of a vehicle.

Vorteithafte embodiments of the invention are part of the further claims.

In order to achieve a compact, space-saving design of a large multipolar connection, the connector is advantageously designed so that the individual plugs each have a connection unit that connects the one individual plug with the back of the other single plug. It is advantageous that the connection is a non-positive and / or positive fit. Here, the connection unit has a lock which engages when inserting individual plugs into the plug basket via an elastic element with a detent in the rear wall of the respective other single plug.

For easy disassembly of the connector group is advantageously provided that the connection unit has an unlocking, which removes the detent on retraction of the elastic element from the rear wall of the other individual plug.

To demonstrate the plug and thus "Finding" the contacts is advantageously provided that each individual plug has a guide and coding web, which engages with a correspondingly profiled component in the connector basket and the mating of individual components and plug receptacle, the joining of the components. By coding a mounting protection is ensured against a twisted by 180 degrees single connector, since the rib is arranged off-center and possibly one-sided on the individual connector relative to the center thereof.

The position of the contacts is independent of the number of contact types used and allows a high flexibility of the printed circuit boards used in the door control unit. The adaptation of the footprint on the PCB to the currently used custom connector systems with different grid / row spacing can be easily standardized.

The individual plugs can advantageously be connected to form a compact multi-pole plug group for connecting cables to a consumer, wherein it is advantageously provided that the plug group is composed of modular single plugs such that at least two individual plugs arranged one behind the other form a plug group. Advantageously, each individual plug has a guide and coding web.

Single plug are advantageously designed so that they have a connection unit with a locking and unlocking unit, which has an elastic element with a detent and wherein the elastic element at one, the contacts facing side of the single plug and attached to the contacts the side of the single plug is freely movable.

A reduction in the space requirement is advantageously achieved in that the connector basket has no intermediate walls in the connection region of the individual plug. In the plug basket receptacles for guiding and coding bars are advantageously provided, which lead to the mating of the components when mating of individual plugs and plug receptacle

Fig. 1

eine vereinfachte perspektivische Darstellung einer Steckverbindung mit Steckerkorb und eingesteckten Einzeisteckern

Fig. 2

einen Schnitt durch einen Steckerkorb mit den Einzeisteckern

Fig.2a

Detailansicht eines entsprechenden Einzelsteckers

Fig. 3

Draufsicht auf eine Türsteuerung mit eingesteckten Steckern

Fig. 4

eine Draufsicht auf eine Türsteuerung mit Steckerkorb

Fig. 5

perspektivische Draufsicht auf einen Schnitt im Steckerkorb mit Einzelsteckern, die seitliche Verriegelungen aufweisen

Fig. 6

Funktionsschema für die Anordnung gemäß Figur 5

Fig. 7

Explosionsskizze zur Detailansicht für eine Ausführung gemäß Figur 5

An embodiment is shown in the drawing and will be described in more detail below. Show it

Fig. 1

a simplified perspective view of a connector with connector basket and plugged Einzeisteckern

Fig. 2

a section through a plug basket with the Einzeisteckern

2a

Detail view of a corresponding single plug

Fig. 3

Top view of a door control with inserted plugs

Fig. 4

a plan view of a door control with connector basket

Fig. 5

perspective top view of a section in the plug basket with single connectors, which have lateral locks

Fig. 6

Functional diagram for the arrangement according to FIG. 5

Fig. 7

Explosion sketch for a detailed view of an embodiment according to Figure 5

The embodiments of the plug connection according to the invention shown below in the figures will be used in particular in applications with installation space problems, e.g. for an electronic control of a motor vehicle, the door control unit used and the units to be controlled, such as central locking, exterior mirrors, lighting and the like, electrically connected. Such a connector must be made particularly space-saving and robust when the electronic control is located in the door of the vehicle.

If identical reference symbols are used, identical parts are meant, wherein the same reference symbols with different indices refer to similar parts on the respective single-use plugs.

The connector size is system-dependent and can be flexibly adapted to the requirements of a motor vehicle, for example. Be designed as a 26-pin and 47-pin connector with 2 to 10 pin single connectors. Of course, the construction according to the invention is also suitable for other sizes.

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a modular constructed of a plurality of individual plugs 10,11,12 plug plugged into the plug basket 15th

The illustrated plug basket or plug collar 15 is part of a plug receptacle. The plug collar 15 sits on or as shown in Figures 3 and 4, in a control housing 30 and can be made together with this, e.g. to be sprayed; the use of a preform or a corresponding prefabricated insert is also possible.

• Vorführung des Einzelsteckers 10, 11 oder 12:
  • Durch die Bauhöhe der Führungsnuten 16, 16.1 16.2 wird sichergestellt, dass bei der Montage der Einzelstecker 10, 11, 12 zuerst die Führungsrippen 13, 13.1, 13.2 jedes Einzelsteckers in die Führungsnuten eintauchen. Hierdurch entsteht eine genauere Vorführung; die Findung der Kontakte der Streckerverbindung - Stecker und Stecker-Aufnahme- wird erleichtert. Es besteht eine kürzere "Toleranzkette" als bei entsprechenden Steckern ohne solche Führungsrippen.
• Codierung:
  • Durch Anordnung von außermittig angeordneten Führungsrippen übemehmen diese auch eine Codierfunktion. Es wird ein Montageschutz gegen einen um 180 Grad verdrehten Einzelstecker 10, 11,12 erzielt, da die Rippen 13 auf Längsrichtung der Einzelstecker 10, 11, 12 bezogen außermittig angeordnet ist.

In the plug basket are in the illustrated embodiment in the transverse direction aligned guide grooves 16 which together with the guide and Codierrippen 13 of the plug 10, 11, 12 together assume the following functions:

• Demonstration of the single plug 10, 11 or 12:
  • Due to the overall height of the guide grooves 16, 16.1 16.2 it is ensured that during assembly of the individual plugs 10, 11, 12, the guide ribs 13, 13.1, 13.2 of each individual plug first dive into the guide grooves. This creates a more accurate demonstration; the finding of the contacts of the Streckerverbindung - plug and Steckeraufnahme- is facilitated. There is a shorter "tolerance chain" than with corresponding connectors without such guide ribs.
• Encoding:
  • By arranging eccentrically arranged guide ribs, these also assume a coding function. There is a mounting protection against a twisted by 180 degrees single connector 10, 11,12 achieved because the ribs 13 is arranged eccentrically relative to the longitudinal direction of the individual plugs 10, 11, 12.

The individual plugs 10, 11, 12 are arranged essentially in a form-fitting manner in the plug-in basket 15 and have an elastic, substantially planar operating element 14, which on the side 17 facing away from the contacts (compare No. 101 in FIG. 2 and FIG protrudes from the front 18 of the single connector and on the side facing the contacts side 22 with the front of the single connector 10, 11, 12 is connected. The elastic control element 14, 14.1, 14.2 has a partially projecting beyond the single connector control surface 19, on which the elastic control element 14 in the direction of the front side 18 of the single connector 10, 11, 12 can be moved. Each elastic control element 14 with the control surfaces 19 are associated with lateral guide elements 9. The guide elements 9 cover the elastic controls 14, 14.1, 14.2 on the left and right sides and thus protect it from breaking off. The control surfaces 19 are supported in that shown in Fig. 1 by the guide elements 9 and limited in their end positions by means of stops 8.

At the elastic controls 14, in the region in which the individual plugs are located in the plug-in basket 15, locking elements 20, e.g. as "locking lugs", which engage when inserting each individual connector 10, 11, 12 in the connector basket 15 in correspondingly profiled recesses 23 on the back 21 of each individual connector or recesses 24 of the connector basket 15 and form a compact multi-pin connector group.

FIGS. 1, 2 and 2a illustrate the concept according to the invention, according to which the individual plugs 10, 11 and 12 combined to form the modular plug group 4 are connected to one another via the first connection unit consisting of a locking element 20.1 on the individual plug 11 with engagement in FIG the recess 23 on the single plug 10. The first single plug of a modular composite plug, eg. No. 10 engages with its locking element 20 in a corresponding recess 24 on the plug basket 15th

Thanks to the elastic control elements 14, to understand as front swing, can via the control surfaces 19, the locking between the locking lugs 20th and the recesses 23,24 also canceled and the individual plugs are removed again.

The sketched in Figure 1 embodiment also uses the stops 8 of the guide elements 9 to specify the insertion and removal sequence of the individual plugs by the stops 8 engage in recesses 7 of the respective previous connector, so for example. Stop 8.11 in recess 7.10.

This results in a plug-in order of the individual plug 10, then 11, then 12. The removal can be done either as a modular connector group 4 consisting of the individual plugs 10,11,12 completely in one piece, in which the control unit 14,10, the foremost connection unit to the plug basket 15 is opened or successively the individual plugs are removed in reverse order, so starting with single plug 12th

As shown in Figures 5 to 7, the single plug 10, 11, 12 according to a further advantageous embodiment of the connector additional to the front controls 14 side elastic elements, such as rockers 40, 41 and 42, 43, on the rear each individual plug are arranged so that they laterally, ie perpendicular to the connectors arranged in series each of each individual plug engage in the outside in the lateral wall 45 of the connector basket 15. Between the right wing, e.g. 40 and the left wing, e.g. 41 on the back of the first connector 1 preferably remains a gap for the central elastic control element 14.2 with the guide elements 9.2 of the subsequent single connector, for example, The rockers 40 to 43 have locking elements 44, which corresponding recesses 46 are assigned in the connector basket. Of course, other embodiments of the locking elements are possible.

When inserting the second single connector 2 (see Figures 5 to 7), the lateral "wings" eg 40, 41 of the "first" single connector eg 1 are blocked by means of the guide elements 9.2 of the "second" single connector 2. When releasing the central locking 14.1 or latching of the single connector 1, the two lateral locks 40, 41 are still blocked in the connector basket 15. The unlocking of the multi-pin connector group can therefore be done only in a predetermined order. The last inserted single connector, for example in Figure 5 single connector 2, can be solved by an operation of the control element 19 in the direction of the front side 18, whereby the locking member 20.2 is withdrawn from the recess 23.1 on the plug 1, from the previous single connector 1 become. The two lateral wings 42, 43 with their locking elements 44 can be withdrawn from the walls 45 of the plug basket 15, since they are not locked.

In addition, a locking wedge 47 could be inserted between the last individual plug, for example 2 in FIG. 6 and the plug-in basket 15, and thus also its lateral rockers 43, 44 could be locked. Preferably, a control surface for removal is provided on such a locking wedge 47.

The individual plugs in the figures can be removed from the plug basket, which leads to a good recyclability of the individual plugs. The so locked in series single plug need no intermediate walls in the plug basket 15, resulting in a compact design while maintaining a scalable connector. FIG. 4 shows a door control device 30 for a vehicle, in which the plug-in basket 15 is introduced into the control housing without intermediate walls for the individual plugs 10, 11, 12.

FIG. 3 shows a door control device for a vehicle in which single plugs latched into the plug-in basket 15 without partitions to a multi-pin plug group, e.g. four individual plugs 31, 32, 33, 34 are inserted in series. When inserting the locking takes place automatically due to the over the elastic element 14.X effected frictional engagement of the locking elements 20.X. As shown in Figure 3, the modular construction of a plug of individual plugs 32 to 34 with the same dimensions or as shown in the single plug 31 can be made with different dimensions.

In Figure 7, the electrical components of the connector were sketchily added. Thus, in the plugs in openings 124 in this embodiment, metallic sleeves 123 are formed, which act as sockets for corresponding pins 101,102, the pins 101,102 mounted on a located inside the housing circuit board 100 in corresponding openings 153 and are electrically connected to conductor tracks. The metallic sleeves 123 of the connectors are connected to connection cables 125. Of course, the electrical connections are only to be understood as examples here and arbitrarily variable, in particular the assignment of sleeves and pins to plug or housing exchangeable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1,2,10, 11,12, 31, 32, 33, 34

Einzeistecker

3.4

modular plug composed of single plugs

5.6

single-standing plug

7

Recess at the back of the single plug for the attacks of the adjacent single plug

8th

Stops on the guide elements to determine the order of stacks

9

Guide elements on the basket

13

Guide and coding ribs of the connectors

14

planar control element on the plug

15

Plug basket for plug receptacle

16

Guide grooves in the plug basket

17

remote from the contacts top of the plug

18

Front side of the single plug

19

Control surface of the controls 14

20

Locking elements on the controls 14th

21

Back of the single plug

22

the contacts in the connector basket facing bottom of the plug

23

profiled recesses on the back of the single connector for receiving the locking element 20 of the subsequent single connector

24

Recesses on the plug basket for receiving the locking element 20 of the foremost single plug of a modular plug group

25

elastic connection between individual plug and control element 14th

26

Dividers for dividing the plug receptacle into several parts

30

Control housing / door control unit

40, 41, 42, 43

Swing as lateral elements on the individual plugs

44

Locking elements of the rockers 40 to 43

45

Walls of the plug basket 15

46

Recesses on the wall 45 for the locking elements 44th

47

Locking wedge for side wings of the last connector

100

electrical circuit board inside the housing

101,102

electrical connection pins that protrude through the connector basket

123

electrical contact sleeve in the plug

124

Opening in plug for contact sleeve 123

125

Connecting tracks on the plug

153

Openings in the circuit board 100 for the connection pins 101,102

Claims (11)

1. A plug connection, consisting of a plug and a plug receptacle with a basket (15) for connecting wires to a consumer load, preferably to an electronic regulator or electronic control unit of a motor vehicle, the contacts of the plug (123), together with the connection contacts (101, 102), gripping into the plug receptacle, wherein

   a) a plug group (3, 4) compiled of several individual plugs (1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 31-34) is provided, and

   b) the plug receptacle is designed in such a manner that when the individual plugs are inserted into the plug basket (15), the individual plugs are joined together to form a plug group with at least two individual plugs (1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 31-34) which are arranged adjacent to each other in the plug direction, wherein

   c) on one front side of all the individual plugs (2, 12) which runs parallel to the plug direction, a locking arm (14) with a latch (20) is provided in each case, wherein

   c1) for the front plug in a plug group in the sequence direction, the locking arm (14) grips into the plug basket (15), characterised in that

   c2) for all subsequent plugs of a plug group, the respective locking arm (14, 2) on the front side (18) of the subsequent individual plug (2, 12) grips directly into the rear side (21) of the previous individual plug (1, 11) which faces this individual plug (2, 12).
2. A plug connection according to claim 1, characterised in that the lock comprises a release, in which the latch is connected with an operating element (14) which can be operated, and in which the operating element (14) can be used to remove the latch from the rear wall of the respective other individual plug, or from the plug basket (15).
3. A plug connection according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that at least one individual plug (1, 2, 10-12, 31-34) comprises two side connection units (40-43) which grip vertically to the direction of the sequence into the side wall (45) of the plug basket (15), thus connecting the individual plug (1, 2, 10-12, 31-34) with the plug basket (15).
4. A plug connection according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that means are provided on the individual plugs, so that the individual plugs

   a) can only be inserted into the plug basket in a specified sequence, and can only be removed

   b1) in the opposite sequence, and/or

   b2) together as a plug group.
5. A plug connection according to claim 4, characterised in that on at least one first individual plug (1, Fig. 6), the side connection units (40, 41 - Fig. 6), and on a second individual plug, a mould (9.2) are provided in such a manner that the side connection units (40, 41) on the first individual plug (1) are locked when inserted, so that the first individual plug (1) can only be removed following the removal of the second individual plug (2).
6. A plug connection according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that each individual plug (1, 2, 10-12, 31-34) comprises a guide and coding bar (13) which grips with an accordingly profiled component (16) in the plug basket (15), and which guides the joining together of the components when the individual plug (1, 2, 10-12, 31-34) and the plug receptacle are plugged together.
7. An individual plug for a plug connection according to any one of the above claims 1 to 6, characterised in that:

   - on the front side (18) of the plug (1, 2), at least one first connection unit (14) with a locking and releasing unit is provided, which comprises an operatable, elastic operating element (14) with a latch (20), the operating element (14) being attached to the individual plug (25) on an underside (22) of the individual plug which faces towards the contacts (101, 102), and being moveable on the upper side (17) of the individual plug which faces away from the contacts (101, 102), and being connectable with the rear side (21) of a further individual plug (1) or the plug basket, and

   - on the rear side, at least one second connection unit with a locking and releasing unit is provided, which comprises an element which is elastic at the side (40-43) with a latch (44), which connects the individual plug with the side wall (45) of the plug basket (15).
8. A plug receptacle with a basket for a plug connection according to any one of the above claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the plug basket (15) comprises no interim walls in the connection area of the individual plugs (10-12, 31-34) which can be joined together to form a modular plug group.
9. A plug receptacle according to claim 8, characterised in that the plug basket comprises recesses (24) for the latches (20) of the operating element (14) of the first individual plug (1, 10) of the plug group which is arranged in sequence and modularly joined together, and recesses (48) for the latches (44) on the side connection units (41-43).
10. A plug receptacle according to any one of claims 8 or 9, characterised in that in the plug basket (15), recesses for guide and coding bars (13) are provided, which guide the joining together of the components when the individual plugs (1, 2, 10-12, 31-34) and the plug receptacle are joined together, only precisely one individual plug being insertable at one position in each case, and being only insertable in precisely one alignment to the plug basket.
11. A door control device for a motor vehicle, characterised by a plug connection with a plug and a plug receptacle according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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