EP2045882A1 - Self-adjusting device connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The connector (1) has a connector plug (2) regulated by a fastening unit and a plug-side fastening unit for fastening to a housing wall (4). A device socket (3) is regulated by another fastening unit and a socket-side fastening unit for fastening to a housing wall (5). The plug and the socket are regulated by tolerance compensation elements for movably placing the plug and the socket at the walls such that the elements are designed as compressible slipping clutches in thickness. The clutches permit movable assembly parallel to a mounting plane of the connector.

Description

The invention relates to an electrical appliance connector, according to the preamble of claim 1.

The invention relates in particular to a device connector, consisting of a device connector and a device socket. Device plug and device socket and device connectors, in the context of the present invention, such connectors are to be understood, which are fixedly mounted on a device preferably in a mounting cutout of a housing wall. In known applications, in each case a cable plug or a cable socket can be inserted into such a device socket or in such a device plug for electrical connection with this. Cable connectors and cable sockets mean corresponding connectors that are connected to a cable. However, there are numerous applications in which it is not necessary to connect a so-called free cable plug or a free cable socket to such a device plug or a device socket, but to bring a first device into electrical contact with a second device. Preferably, the first device is a Appliance plug and mounted on the second device, a device socket, which are aligned with each other and are to bring so in motion of the second device relative to the first device in electrical contact.

In practice, for example, such devices are mounted on conveyor rails or attached to mounting devices which are movable relative to each other. For example, in electrically powered bicycles or vehicles, the supply battery pack is brought into electrical connection with the charge battery pack when needed and disconnected from it after a charge. For this purpose, the loading device is mounted on a frame on the vehicle, which is arranged to be movable to the supply device. For contacting, the first device is moved relative to the second device until the first device plug is brought into engagement with the corresponding device socket on the second device. However, the problems arise here that the first device and the second device in terms of installation position and position, as well as manufacturing tolerances subject, that is, on the one hand tolerances caused by the installation of the devices to each other, on the other hand by the geometric dimensions of the devices themselves and thirdly by the guide elements and moving elements to the devices relative to each other to move relative. By adding all these tolerances, it may happen that when moving the first device to the second device this can no longer be brought into electrical connection with the first, or the device plug and the device socket are no longer aligned and therefore incorrectly aligned. Similar difficulties arise in articulated interconnected and mutually movable components which are equipped with electrical consumers, which are fed by a common, installed in one of the components electrical energy source, namely to produce a functional and störungsunanfällige electrical connection between the moving components. In this case, on the one hand, the mobility of the components by the electrical connections must not be limited, but also the operation and the life adversely affected adversely.

The DE 35 36 142 is devoted to the same problem, namely the elimination of tolerances in articulated to each other mounted electrical components, ie in a car car door and the car itself, in which corresponding connector pairs are housed, by opening the door or by closing the door either in electrical contact or be brought into electrical disconnection. Again, play manufacturing and assembly-related position tolerances between the assembled components an essential role for the operation and life of such electrical connector.

Object of the present invention is therefore to provide an electrical connector device generic type, the manufacturing and assembly-related bearing tolerances between the moving devices, in particular the device connector and the device socket, compensate allowed or to eliminate them during the insertion process by tolerance compensation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device plug and a device socket, which is easy to assemble and no changes to the device side are necessary, so that such connector pairs in conventional Housing walls of equipment can be used to compensate for manufacturing and assembly-related positional tolerances to each other. Another object of the present invention is to simultaneously design the device connector or the device socket such that a sealing effect is given to the environment in particular against environmental influences moisture and dirt. Another object of the present invention is to find such a solution which, in addition to the aforementioned properties, enables safe and stable assembly.

According to the invention the object is solved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

The invention is based on the idea to equip a device connector with a sliding coupling, so that the entire appliance connector is slidably movable in its mounting position relative to its position. Furthermore, the invention is based on the idea that the sliding coupling also serves as a tolerance compensation means for the device plug connection in a direction perpendicular to the sliding plane and is resilient in its thickness. Thereby, the holding force for a fastening means for locking the connector is generated on the device wall by the sliding coupling.

In the following, the concept of the invention is described on only one of the two connector pairs, namely the device plug. Preferably, the device connector is formed with a flange which forms a contact surface for the device connector perpendicular to its plugging direction. The connector also has a plug contour, which is also arranged perpendicular to the flange. An inventive device connector therefore comprises a flange on which a sliding coupling is mounted, which is arranged between the housing wall and the abutment flange of the connector to the housing. In other words, this means when mounting a device connector in a housing, or in a corresponding housing opening, the flange is located on the outside of the housing and between the housing wall and a fastening means a sliding coupling is arranged such that the housing flange on the sliding coupling relative to Housing surface is movable back and forth and thus parallel to the flange surface is displaced and indeed so far until the outer contour of the device plug, which projects into the housing, with the edges of the Housing opening comes to the plant. Preferably, therefore, selected as the housing cutout a diameter, or selected a cutout shape that corresponds to the geometry of the connector, but is formed to this enlarged by the desired tolerance compensation range. The connector according to the invention further comprises a plurality of locking lugs, which are adapted to lock the connector from the inner side of the housing, by means of the above-mentioned fastening means on the housing via the sliding coupling. In order to achieve the most uniform and flat contact, it is advantageous to attach a plurality of radially peripheral latching means, preferably latching lugs on the connector device and that on the part of the device plug, which projects into the housing, or through the housing opening to be mounted, in the housing in a position in which a fastening means against the latching lug and under compression of the sliding clutch is to be arranged latched.

According to the sliding coupling has four tasks in the installation situation. Namely, the tolerance compensation means perpendicular to the direction of insertion and thus perpendicular to the flange, and the function of achieving the desired freedom of movement parallel to the flange, continue the task of sealing the housing interior and the generation of the necessary holding force by compression.

In a preferred embodiment, the device connector is thus suitable for a front wall or optionally rear wall mounting. When mounting on the wall, the connector is pushed from the outside through the housing until the flange rests against the housing wall. From the inside of the housing, the sliding coupling is brought into abutment with the housing wall in such a way that it is pushed over the connection contour of the connector piece protruding into the housing and then brought into contact with the housing wall by means of the fastening means, such that the fastening means is pressed against the sliding coupling, until this is locked with the locking lugs and the device plug in its mounting position with the housing wall slidably fixed. In this installation situation, it is ensured that the device plug can be slid parallel to the surface of the housing, depending on how large the mounting hole was chosen. For this purpose, flange diameter, housing opening and Gleitkupplungsgröße and compressibility are each matched to each other and interpreted according to the expected tolerances in the overall system.

At the plug contour of the device connector are inlet slopes for finding the corresponding mating connector, namely the device socket. According to the insertion bushes are formed on the socket side of the bushings openings, which ensure that within the tolerance of the corresponding opposite side of the device plug, namely the plug contour runs on the slope of the sleeve-shaped openings and as a result of the force generated during increasing plugging operation, parallel to the housing wall as desired is shifted due to the function of the sliding coupling. In other words, this means that two devices that are positioned to each other and are to be engaged with each other and not exactly aligned with each other, the plug contour of the device plug runs on the flange of the corresponding device socket and thereby plugging would be prevented. In the present case, however, the funnel is formed so far that the manufacturing and assembly-related tolerances are intercepted so that meet the plug contour, ie the insertion bevels on the plug contour of the device plug on the slopes of the insertion funnel on the device socket side and this in its relative Shift the position via the sliding coupling until the plug contour can be dipped into the corresponding socket contour. If both pairs of plugs, ie the appliance plug and the appliance socket, are provided with a sliding coupling according to the invention, double compensation paths can be used in this frame without having to correspondingly enlarge the monthly cutouts. By choosing the sliding coupling unevenness in the housing wall are at the same time collected and tolerances that cause the parallelism of the first housing wall to the second housing wall, also compensated.

• Fig. 1 eine perspektivische, teilgeschnittene Darstellung eines Gehäusesteckverbinders, bestehend aus einem Gehäusestecker und einer Gehäusebuchse,
• Fig. 2 eine seitliche Ansicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Steckverbinders gemäß Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3 eine geschnittene Darstellung der Steckverbindung gemäß Fig. 2,
• Fig. 4 eine Schnittdarstellung des erfindungsgemäßen Steckverbinders gemäß Fig. 2 im gesteckten Zustand.

According to the invention is preferably suitable for the formation of such a sliding coupling with tolerance compensation effect and with the function of the seal to the outside, a sliding coupling of cellular rubber. In addition to the training with a sliding coupling on the inside of the housing and mounting wall of course, the connector according to the invention can also be performed with a sliding coupling on the outside of the flange. Alternatively, of course, to form the plug contour with chamfers and the corresponding insertion funnel on the female side a contour are arranged, which serves to align the connector over a defined tolerance range along a formed on the opposite side guide surface or chamfers formed so that the connector in the desired location is moved. Further advantages and expedient embodiments of the invention are explained in the further claims, the description of the figures and the drawings. Show it:

• Fig. 1 a perspective, partially cutaway view of a housing connector, consisting of a housing plug and a housing socket,
• Fig. 2 a side view of a connector according to the invention Fig. 1 .
• Fig. 3 a sectional view of the connector according to Fig. 2 .
• Fig. 4 a sectional view of the connector according to the invention Fig. 2 in mated condition.

In Fig. 1 exemplified a four-pin connector 1, comprising a connector 2 and a device socket 3 is shown. The device plug 2 is installed in a housing, of which only a partially oval section of the first housing wall 4 is shown. Similarly, the device socket 3 is inserted into a second housing, of which only a second housing portion, that is, a second partial section of a housing wall 5 is shown. The appliance plug 2 is shown pushed from the outside through the first housing wall 4 and secured from behind with a first fastening means 11, namely a fastening ring. Between the mounting ring 11 and the first housing wall 4 there is a first sliding coupling, designed as a tolerance compensation means. The device connector 2 further has first latching lugs 15 which are arranged circumferentially on the device connector 2, namely on a ring portion 19 which is arranged radially around the connection region 21 of the device connector 2. The connection region 21 which protrudes into the housing, not shown here, has four contact receptacles, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 and is designed as an annular contour. To this, arranged in the connection area 21, there is the ring portion 19, as shown here Fig. 1 is shown resilient and has the first locking lugs 15. In order to optimize the spring properties, the ring portion 19 is not circumferentially closed, but has a slot 22. Each locking lug 15 is arranged on the ring portion 19, that it is interrupted by recesses 23 in the ring portion 19. As a result, on the one hand, the ring portion 19, due to the slot 22, springs and additionally the locking lugs 15 additionally spring through the recesses 23. This facilitates the assembly of the first fastening means 11 with the first plug-side fastening means 13. As a plug-side fastening means 13 is here the Ring section 19 meant with the locking lugs 15. Not shown in this view is the flange 6 of the appliance plug 2, which comes to rest on the outside of the first housing wall 4. Corresponding to this is further up in the right in the Fig. 1 , the device socket 3, which was brought from outside through a second housing wall 5 in its mounting position. Here comes the flange 7 of the device socket 3 with the second housing wall 5 of the second housing to the plant. The structure and the attachment to the housing wall and the second sliding coupling 10, according to Fig. 2 , is formed substantially mirror-inverted to that of the device connector 2.

As in Fig. 2 can be seen in this embodiment, the device connector 2 is provided with a contact-carrying plug contour 8, at the plug-side end insertion bevels 17 are arranged. As continues in Fig. 2 As can be seen, the flange 7 and the second sliding coupling 10 each abut the inner or outer side of the second housing wall 5. The device socket 3 has an annular gap 24, at the plug-side end insertion funnel 18 are formed, which are increasingly open to the outside. The angle of the insertion funnel of the device socket 3 are formed corresponding to the insertion bevels 17 of the plug contour 8. The ideal angle here is an angle between 30 ° and 45 ° with respect to the stub axle. When inserting the connector 3 by moving one of the devices relative to the other device, the insertion bevels 17 of the plug contour 8 hit the bevels on the insertion funnel 18 and slide into the annular gap 24 to the fully inserted position, as in Fig. 4 shown. Ideally, the plug contour 8 and the annular gap 24 are aligned in a direction parallel to the insertion direction, so that use of the sliding coupling is not necessary. Due to the manufacturing and assembly technical tolerances but the plug contour 8 is not ideal meet with the annular gap 24 in practice, but the insertion bevel 17 so meet the insertion funnel 18, that at least one of the device connector 1, namely the device connector 2 or the device socket 3 align themselves along their sliding coupling relative to each other and find their insertion position. Upon further actuation of a device in the direction of the other device device connector 2 and device socket 3 are brought into the desired electrical contacting position. When separating the two devices to each other, ideally this position is maintained, which by the action of the sliding coupling 9, 10 of the two Appliance connector 1 has been achieved with each other. When replacing or maintaining one of the devices and later reassembling, each time, the previously described mode of operation would change to Fig. 3 to Fig. 4 run again.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS Self-adjusting device connector

1

connectors

2

connectors

3

Appliance socket

4

first housing wall

5

second housing wall

6, 7

flange

8th

male profile

9

first sliding coupling

10

second sliding coupling

11

first attachment

12

second fastening means

13

first plug-side fasteners

14

second socket-side fastening means

15

first locking lugs

16

second locking lugs

17

bevels

18

insertion funnel

19

ring section

20

ring section

21

terminal area

22

slot

23

recesses

24

annular gap

Claims (9)

Device connector (1) comprising an appliance plug (2) for attachment to a first housing and a device socket (3) for attachment to a second housing, wherein the appliance plug (2) via fastening means (11, 13) has for attachment to a first housing wall ( 4) and the device socket (3) via fastening means (12, 14) has for attachment to a second housing wall (5), characterized in that the device connector (2) and the device socket (3) via at least one tolerance compensation means (9, 10) in order to be able to attach the appliance plug (2) and the appliance socket (3) movably to first and second housing walls (4, 5) of a first and second housing, and wherein the tolerance compensating means (9, 10) as slidable clutches which are compressible in thickness (9, 10) are formed, which cause a movable mounting parallel to the mounting plane of the connector. Appliance connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the appliance plug (2) has latching means (15) and first fastening means (11) in order to connect via the compressible sliding coupling (11) with a first housing wall (4) can. Device connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device socket (3) has latching means (16) and second attachment means (12) to the device socket (3) via the compressible sliding coupling (10) with a second housing wall ( 5) to be able to connect a second housing. Device connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latching means (15,16) as resilient latching lugs (15, 16) on ring portions (19, 20) of the device plug (2) or the device socket (3) are formed. Device connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device plug (2) via a flange (6) and the device socket (3) via a flange (7), for each surface-mounted mounting on a first and second housing wall (4, 5). Device connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device plug (2) between the flange (6) and the first sliding coupling (9) has a receiving space for a first housing wall (4). Device connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device socket (3) between the flange (7) and the second sliding coupling (10) has a receiving space for a second housing wall (5). Appliance connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the appliance plug (2) has a plug-in contour (8) with insertion chamfers (17) at the end. Appliance connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the appliance bushing (3) has an annular gap (24) which has insertion on insertion funnel (18).

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