EP1730819A1

EP1730819A1 - Zero insertion force electrical connector piece

Info

Publication number: EP1730819A1
Application number: EP05716394A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wolfgang Mohs
Original assignee: Kostal Kontakt Systeme GmbH
Current assignee: Kostal Kontakt Systeme GmbH
Priority date: 2004-03-30
Filing date: 2005-03-26
Publication date: 2006-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2025-03-26
Also published as: BRPI0508757B1; JP4809827B2; BRPI0508757A; EP1730819B1; ATE526707T1; JP2008535146A; DE102004015344A1; US20070099508A1; WO2005096449A1; US7291030B2

Abstract

A zero insertion force electrical connector part includes a sleeve contact (socket contact) and an activation element associated with the sleeve contact. The sleeve contact has contact members with a plug contact receptacle situated between the contact members for receiving an electrical plug contact. Each contact member has a contact region. The activation element is enclosed around the contact members. The activation element is displaceable relative to the sleeve contact between non-activated and activated positions. The activation element applies a contact force to the contact members of the sleeve contact which forces the contact regions against a plug contact inserted into the plug contact receptacle of the sleeve contact to make contact with the plug contact while the activation element is in the activated position.

Description

Electric zero force connector

The invention relates to an electrical zero force connector part.

Zero force connectors are used in electronic devices for contacting individual assemblies, flexible foils and printed circuit boards. The term "zero-force plug" or "zero-force connector part" is used because these connector parts can be contacted without effort. From DE 197 42 400 A1 a circuit board zero force connector is known, which is used to connect two circuit boards. This zero-force connector has a receptacle for inserting the edge of a circuit board to be contacted. This circuit board is inserted into a slot of the zero force connector. This zero-force connector has two connector halves which can be pivoted towards and away from one another. The circuit board to be contacted is inserted in a position of the connector halves in which they are pivoted away from one another. After the circuit board has been inserted, these connector halves are moved toward one another in order to bring about the desired contacting of the conductors of the circuit board used. This is done by moving a safety catch. However, the zero-force connector described in this document is not suitable for forming a multi-pole, in particular multi-row connector. Such connectors are used, for example, in the automotive sector, for example for contacting control units or for connecting the electrical / electronic modules integrated in the dashboard to the vehicle electrical system. As a result of the multipolarity of these connectors, there is a desire to be able to use zero-force connector parts for such connectors as well. The force required to bring together multi-pole complementary connector parts is not insignificant. This is due to the fact that a relatively high contact force has to be exerted by the sleeve contact on the plug contact used in order to make the intended contact, so that contacting is guaranteed even under the most varied of environmental conditions. In order to facilitate the plugging or joining of such plug-in connection parts, joining aids, for example levers or the like, have been developed with which two plug-in connection parts can be electrically connected to one another with a reasonable amount of force Can be connected. In numerous places within a motor vehicle, in which multipole plug connection parts have to be connected to one another, however, there is not sufficient installation space to accommodate a plug connection part with such an assembly aid or to leave sufficient space to be able to operate such an assembly aid.

Starting from this discussed prior art, the invention is therefore based on the object of forming an electrical zero-force plug-in connector part which is designed to be able to be used as a multi-pole, in particular multi-row plug-in connector part.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a zero-force connector part, in which the zero-force connector part has one or more sleeve contacts, each having at least one contact area, each designed to accommodate a complementary electrical connector contact, and each sleeve contact is assigned an activating element that is adjustable relative to it, by means of which it is assigned activated position for contacting a plug contact inserted into a sleeve contact, the contact force is applied to the contact areas of the sleeve contact.

This electrical zero-force plug connector has several individual sleeve contacts, each with one, expediently several contact areas. The contact areas can be designed as a contact bead and / or as a contact bead. The contact sockets are designed to receive a plug contact, expediently designed as a knife contact, in their plug receptacle. An activation element is assigned to the sleeve contacts, which is adjustable relative to the sleeve contact. Such adjustability between the activating element and the sleeve contact can be realized, for example, by a relative longitudinal displacement of the two elements to one another. The activating element of each sleeve contact serves the purpose of applying the contact force required for the intended contact to the contact areas of the sleeve contact when the plug contact is inserted. This contact force is applied by the activating element to the sleeve contact in its activated position. If the activation element is not activated, the sleeve contact consequently acts the force applied by the activating element for the intended contact does not apply. Consequently, when the activating element is not activated, a plug contact can be inserted into the sleeve contact virtually without force.

The activating element is expediently designed such that, in its non-activated position, the contact area of the sleeve contact is lifted off the electrical surface of a plug contact inserted or to be inserted into the plug receptacle of the sleeve contact.

Only when the connector is properly inserted into the sleeve contact, by activating the activating element, the desired contact force is applied to the contact area of a sleeve contact. Such activation of the activation element can, according to one embodiment, be coupled to the insertion movement of the connector part. According to a further exemplary embodiment, it is provided that the activation element is actuated together with a secondary locking device. The activation elements of a multi-pole plug connection part can be actuated together without a large amount of force by appropriately designing inclined surfaces between the activation element or a control cam appropriately assigned to the activation element and the sleeve contact. The individual assignment of an activation element to each sleeve contact makes it possible to jointly activate individual rows of activation elements of a multi-row connector part or even individual contact socket groups.

An expedient embodiment of such a sleeve contact has two contact lamellae which are opposite one another with respect to the plug receptacle, each with two contact areas separated from one another by a contact lamella section which bulges outward toward the activating element. The inclined surfaces of the bulge serve as a setting slope for a respective cam of the activating element, which acts on the central region of the bulge in the activated position of the activating element. The arrangement of an actuating cam in the central region of the bulge when the activation element is activated likewise brings the desired contact force onto both adjacent contact surfaces. hand up.

In the event that the activating element or the contact areas in the non-activated position are raised from the surface of a plug contact inserted into the plug receptacle, and the activating element is designed as a sheet metal part, the sides of the activating element facing the plug receptacle are expediently coated in an electrically insulating manner ,

The invention is described below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

1: a schematic perspective view of a two-pole connector comprising a zero-force connector part,

2a, 2b: a section through the connector of Figure 1 along the line A - B in a first joining position (Figure 2a) and in a parallel sectional plane (Figure 2b),

3 is an enlarged view of the contacting area of the connector of Figure 2,

4a, 4b: a perspective view of the sleeve contact of the connector of the previous figures with its activating element in the position of FIG. 3 (FIG. 4a) and in its activated position (FIG. 4b),

5: a representation corresponding to that of FIG. 3 with the two plug-in connection parts provided for forming the plug connector in their electrically contacted position to one another and

6a, b: a perspective view in the manner of an exploded view (FIG. 6a) and a longitudinal sectional view (FIG. 6b) through a sleeve contact according to a further embodiment for a zero-force plug connection part. A plug connector 1 comprises a two-pole zero-force plug connector part 2, which is designed as a socket part, and a complementary plug connector part 3, which carries the plug contacts. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the plug connector part 3 is molded onto the outer wall of a control unit, which is otherwise not shown in detail.

Two electrical conductors Li, L _{2 are led} out of the rear of the zero-force plug connector part 2. The electrical conductors Li, L ₂ are connected with their front end, which extends into the plug connection part 2, to a respective sleeve contact, as can be seen in the sectional illustration in FIG. 2a. In this figure, the sleeve contact is identified by the reference number 4. The sleeve contact 4 has two contact lamellae 5, 5 ', between which a plug contact receptacle is arranged. In the plug contact receptacle, a plug contact 6 of the complementary plug connection part 3, designed as a knife contact, is inserted. The sleeve contact 4 has, in its section adjoining the contact lamellae 5, 5 'and connecting them to one another, a primary locking recess 7, into which a locking pin 8 is arranged to engage (cf. FIG. 2b). The locking pin 8 is part of an insert 10 belonging to the housing 9 of the connector part 2.

Associated with the sleeve contact 4 is an activation element 11 designed as a spring, which can be seen in particular in the enlarged illustration in FIG. 3. The activation element 11 is a sheet metal part and includes the contact lamellae 5, 5 'in the manner of a cage. The contact blades 5, 5 'are constructed identically; for this reason, the activation element 11 of the exemplary embodiment shown is likewise constructed in terms of its spring-over properties with respect to the contact blades 5, 5 'in the same way on its two sides, each interacting with a contact blade 5 or 5'. Only the contact plate 5 and the section of the activating element 11 that is assigned to the contact plate 5 are described below. The statements in this regard apply accordingly to the contact lamella 5 '.

The contact lamella 5 comprises two contact areas Ki, K ₂ , which are each formed by a bead carrying a contact bead. The con- Cycle areas Ki, K ₂ serve to contact the surface of the plug contact 6 inserted in the plug-in contact of the sleeve contact 4. The contact area Ki is located at the lower end of the contact lamella 5 while leaving a positioning extension 12. The contact area K ₂ is at a distance from the contact area Kj. Between the two contact areas Ki, K ₂ there is an outward bulge 13, formed by two surfaces which are inclined to the apex of the bulge 13. The activation element 11 has at its lower end a U-shaped adjusting tab 14 which engages behind the positioning extension 12 of the contact plate 5, as can be seen in FIG. 3. The adjusting tab 14 serves to lift the contact lamella 5 with its contact areas Ki, K ₂ from the surface of the plug contact 6 in the non-activated position of the activating element 11 shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 3. To lift the contact area K ₂ from the surface of the Plug contact 6 serves a further setting tab 15, which represents a U-shaped fold of the activating element 11 and is guided around the contact plate 5 behind it, so that the setting tab 5 is arranged between the side of the contact plate 5 facing the plug contact 6 and the plug contact 6 , The setting tab 15 is in the position of the activation element 11 shown in FIG. 3 directly below the contact area K ₂ . Both the setting tab 14 and the setting tab 15 are coated in an electrically insulating manner on their surface facing the plug contact 6, so that electrical contact is only established between the sleeve contact 4 and the plug contact 6 when the activating element 11 is activated.

The activating element 11 has an actuating cam 16 which, in the exemplary embodiment shown, is arranged opposite the actuating tab 15 on the other upper side of the contact lamella 5.

In the position of the activating element 11 shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 3, the plug contact 6 is pushed into the plug contact receptacle of the sleeve contact 4. Since the contact lamellae 5, 5 'are not in contact with the top of the plug contact 6 in this position, the two plug-in connection parts 2, 3 are joined without any particular effort. The force required for joining results in particular from the insertion of the seals into their respective seat. Therefore, the plug connection part 3 is referred to as a zero force plug connection part. FIG. 4a shows a perspective view of the sleeve contact 4 and the activating element 11 cut open on one side and designed in the manner of a cage. This illustration also shows the primary locking recess 7 which is in the sleeve contact 4 in its adjoining the contact lamellae 5, 5 ' Section is introduced. 4a shows the sleeve contact 4 with its activating element 11 in the position of FIG. 3, FIG. 4b shows the arrangement of FIG. 4a in the activated position of the activating element 11.

To apply the desired contact force for contacting the plug contact 6 with the two contact plates 5, 5 ', the activating element 11 is displaced in the plug-in direction of the two connector parts 2, 3 with respect to the contact plates 5, 5', as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4a. In the exemplary embodiment shown, this takes place in the course of a last stroke for joining the two plug-in connection parts 2, 3. The locking pin 8 which engages in the primary locking recess 7 serves to hold the contact socket 4 in place, while the locking element 11 relative to the locking pin 8-bearing insert 10 for the plug-in connection part 3 is moved further. During this relative movement between the locking element 11 and the two contact lamellae 5, 5 ', the actuating cam 16 is pushed over the inclined surfaces forming the bulge 13 to the apex of the bulge 13. The inclined surfaces serve as shelves. During this movement, the adjusting tabs 14, 15 are moved away from the contact areas Ki and K ₂ , respectively, so that the force exerted on the vertex of the bulge 13 by the actuating cam 16, which is supported on the insert 10 on the back, on the contact areas Ki and K ₂ acts to bring about the desired contacting with the surface of the plug contact 6 (cf. FIG. 5). The contact lamellae 5, 5 'with their contact areas Ki, K ₂ on the upper side of the plug contact 6 are shown in FIG. The inclination of the placement surfaces of the bulge 13 is designed in such a way that the actuating cam 16 can be shifted into the activated position of the locking element 11 shown in FIG. 4b without great effort.

Detaching the zero-force plug connector part 2 from the plug connector part 3 takes place in the reverse order, with the acti- four element 11 is withdrawn into its position shown in FIG. 3 before the plug contacts 6 are pulled out of the respective contact sockets 4 by pulling off the plug connection part 2 from the plug connection part 3.

Figure 6a shows a perspective view of another sleeve contact 17 for use in a zero-force connector part. The sleeve contact 17 is basically constructed like the sleeve contact 4 described in the preceding figures. The sleeve contact 17 differs from the sleeve contact 4 in that its two contact blades 18, 18 'each have an opening 19 in their front area. The opening 19 separates the two contact areas of the contact blades 18, 18 'from one another. An activating element 20 is assigned to the sleeve contact 17, which is also basically constructed like the activating element 11 of the previous figures. In contrast to the activating element 11, the activating element 20 has in each case a positioning extension 21 designed as a tab, which extends through the openings 19 of the contact lamella 18, 18 'and thus the rear contact area of the contact lamella 18, 18' in the non-activated position of the activating element 20 lifts off the surface of a plug contact. The non-activated position of the activation element 20 relative to the sleeve contact 17 is shown in FIG. 6b. It is clear from the contact lamella 18 that the positioning extension 21 of the activating element 20 engages behind the contact lamella 18. The front contact area of the contact lamellae 18 is brought about by a U-shaped front bevel to form an adjusting tab, as has already been described for the activating element in FIGS. 1-5. By longitudinally displacing the activating element 20, the contact areas of the contact lamellae 18, 18 'are brought into contact with the surface of a plug contact inserted into the plug contact receptacle. In this exemplary embodiment, the contact force also results from a control cam 22 supported on the rear, which acts on a bulge 23 of each contact lamella 18 or 18 '.

The description of the claimed zero-force plug connector part makes it clear that by providing an activation element assigned to each contact socket, each contact socket can in principle be activated individually. Nevertheless, an arrangement is moves in which all the activation elements of a connector part are activated at the same time. The described zero-force plug connector part is particularly suitable for the formation of multi-pole plug connector parts and in particular those in which several rows of poles are provided. Activation of the activation element can be triggered both by the joining process itself or by actuation of a further element, for example by bringing about a secondary locking.

Another particular advantage of the subject matter of the invention is that the activating element is no larger than conventional spring springs, and thus the sleeve contacts with their locking elements can in principle be used in conventional socket housings. In particular, the sleeve contacts carrying the locking elements are assembled in the same way as conventional ones. This also means that the sleeve contacts are expediently arranged in a floating manner in their housing chamber in order to compensate for tolerances between the plug-in connection parts to be connected to one another. The possibility of applying a high contact force to the contact areas also has the advantage that such contacting is a purely metallic contacting. Any contamination layers on the interacting contacts can be safely penetrated. Therefore, low currents and voltages can be transmitted safely.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 connector 2 zero force connector 3 connector 4 sleeve contact

5, 5 'contact lamella 6 plug contact 7 primary locking recess 8 locking pin 9 housing 10 insert 11 activating element 12 positioning extension 13 bulge 14 positioning lug 15 positioning lug 16 positioning cam

17 sleeve contact, 18 'contact lamellae 19 openings 20 activating element 21 positioning extension 22 adjusting cam 23 bulge

, κ ₂ contact area, L ₂ conductor

Claims

claims

1. Electrical zero-force connector part, characterized in that the zero-force connector part (3) has one or more sleeve contacts (4, 17), each having at least one contact area (Ki, K ₂ ), each designed to accommodate a complementary electrical connector contact (6) and each sleeve contact (4, 17) is assigned an activating element (11, 20) which is adjustable relative to it, by means of which, in its activated position, for contacting a plug contact (6) inserted in a sleeve contact (4, 17), the contact force on the contact areas (Ki , K ₂ ) of the sleeve contact (4, 17) is applied.

2. Zero force plug connection part according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact areas (Ki, K ₂ ) of the sleeve contacts (4, 17) in the non-activated position of the activating elements (1 1, 20) from the contact surface of a into a sleeve contact (4, 17th ) inserted plug contact (6) are lifted off.

3. Zero force plug-in connector part according to claim 2, characterized in that the activating elements (1 1, 20) have a contact plate (14, 15; 21) assigned to each contact area (KL K ₂ ) of the sleeve contact (4, 17), through which in the non-activated position of the activation element (1 1, 20) or the contact areas (Ki, K ₂ ) are lifted off the contact surface of a plug contact inserted into a sleeve contact (4, 17).

4. Zero-force plug-in connection part according to claim 3, characterized in that the adjusting tabs (14, 15; 21) are electrically insulated at least on their side pointing into the plug receptacle of a sleeve contact (4, 17).

5. Zero force plug connector according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sleeve contacts (4, 17) two opposite each other with respect to the longitudinal axis of a sleeve contact (4, 17), each having at least one as a contact area (Ki, K ₂ ) provided contact point or contact bead, by a cage-shaped activating element (1 1, 20) connected contact lamellae (15, 15 '; 18, 18').

6. Zero force plug connector according to claim 5, characterized in that each contact lamella (15, 15 '; 18, 18') in the region of its free end facing the plug receptacle while leaving a positioning extension (12) a first contact area (Ki) and one has a second contact area (K ₂ ) arranged at a distance from it and that the activating element (1 1, 20) has a U-shape on the front to form an adjusting tab (14) which is assigned to the first contact area (K-ι) and engages behind the positioning extension (12) is trained.

7. zero-force plug-in connection part according to claim 6, characterized in that the activating element (1 1) has a second, laterally formed U-shaped, the second contact area (K ₂ ) associated adjusting tab (15).

8. Zero force plug connector according to claim 6, characterized in that the contact lamellae (18, 18 ') from the direction of the mouth of the plug receptacle have an opening (19) in front of their second contact area, through which a cranking of the activating element (20) as an adjusting tab (12) for the second contact area.

9. zero force plug connector according to one of claims 5 to 8, characterized in that between the two contact areas (Ki, K ₂ ) of a contact lamella (15, 15 '; 18, 18') this one to the activating element (1 1, 20) facing bulge (13) and the activating element (11, 20) carries an actuating cam (16, 22) which, in the activated position of the activating element (11, 20), the contact force via the bulge (13) into the contact plate (15, 15 '; 18, 18 ') is initially arranged.

10. Zero force plug connector according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the activating element (1 1, 20) in its activated position on both equally trained Contact blades (15, 15 '; 18, 18') of a sleeve contact (4, 17) acts to provide the contact force.

11. Zero force plug connector according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the sleeve contact (4) relative to the activating element (11) and its socket housing (9) in the plug direction for contacting a plug contact (6) is longitudinally displaceable and the socket housing (9) one Has locking pin (8), which comes to rest against a stop (7) of the sleeve contact (4) when the sleeve contact is primarily locked in a socket housing (9), and by means of an executed movement to connect the plug connection part (2) a further plug connection part (3) carrying the plug contacts (6), the activating element (11) is moved relative to the sleeve contact (4) in order to apply the contact force to the sleeve contact (4).

12. Zero-force connector part according to claim 1 1, characterized in that during an insertion movement for connecting the connector part (2) with a further connector part (3) carrying the plug contacts (6) the activating element (1 1) in the course of the insertion movement for connecting the two connector parts (2, 3) relative to each other relative to the sleeve contact (4) for applying the contact force on the sleeve contact (4).

13. Zero-force connector part according to claim 1 1, characterized in that the activating element is connected to a secondary locking device, upon actuation of which the activating element is moved relative to the application of the contact force on the sleeve contact.