EP2695249B1 - Leading contact to ground by means of spring element - Google Patents

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to an electrical connector, an electrical connector and a method for connecting a connector with a complementary connector.

State of the art

An electrical connector usually includes two electrical connectors which are nested to produce an electrical connection between electrical contact elements of a connector with the electrical contact elements of the other connector. Normally, the one electrical connector is designed as a plug or a socket and the other electrical connector as a complementary can or complementary plug. A can is understood to be a plug connector which has an opening or a cavity designed to receive the plug.

In electrical connectors, which are used to connect electronic components together or to connect an electronic component with its power supply, it is known to perform a ground contact as so-called preemptive ground contact. A ground contact is an electrical contact between two contact elements, which are connected to the ground potential, which is usually 0 volts, or between two lines that should lead the ground potential. An anticipatory ground contact is designed so that it establishes the electrical ground contact during mating of the connector before other electrical contact elements of the connector with each other in contact to step. In this way it can be avoided that electronic circuits are put under voltage before they are connected to the ground potential. Thus, damage to the electronic circuits can be avoided when the connector is made and lines are already powered.

For leading ground contacts different solutions are known from the prior art. For example, one of the connector pins, that is, rods of an electrically conductive material, comprise as contact elements and the other connector to complementary receptacles for the pins. An anticipatory ground pin can now be created by making the ground pin longer than the other pins, elongating the receptacle for the ground pin, or being displaced from the other receptacles such that its leading edge extends beyond the leading edges of the other receptacles.

Such a connector according to the preamble of claim 1 is in the DE102007039066 A1 disclosed.

In the case of plug-in connections in which one plug connector comprises a printed circuit board on which the electrical contact elements are designed as strip conductors, that is to say so-called "lands", it is also known to provide an anticipatory ground contact in that the land connected to the ground potential is connected via the ground Lands protrudes for the other electrical contacts in the plug-in direction.

Disclosure of the invention

All the above-mentioned solutions may have the disadvantage that they need to be converted consuming when retrofitting existing projects that use the connector.

Also special contacts or special contact elements such as pins, recordings or Lands are usually necessary, with which the anticipatory ground contact is realized. Since the corresponding contact element differs from the other electrical contact elements, it is exposed to other mechanical stresses during mating than the remaining contact elements, which can lead to an increased susceptibility to wear of the leading ground contact.

The extension of the ground contact element can also lead to an increase in space in the plug-in connection or in the connector concerned.

In the case of plug-in connections which comprise a printed circuit board, moreover, when the plug-in connection is plugged in, damage to the electrical contacts which are not anticipatory can occur since the front edge of the printed circuit board is farther away from the front edges of the land in these contacts than in the leading mass -Lands.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide an electrical connector in which an anticipatory ground contact is present without the ground contact is exposed to increased wear and without increasing the space of the connector in the insertion direction.

This object is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims.

A first aspect of the invention relates to an electrical connector for connection to a complementary electrical connector. The connector may be a plug or a socket and may also include pins or receptacles for pins as electrical contact elements. It is also possible for the plug connector to comprise a printed circuit board which has the electrical contact elements as conductor tracks or the plug connector comprises clamps which are designed to contact the lands of a printed circuit board.

Overall, it is possible that the connector has a plurality of electrical contact elements for connection to electrical contact elements of the complementary connector. These electrical contact elements are usually all carried out the same, for example, the same length pins or the same length or equal running recordings for pins or equal running Lands on a circuit board.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the connector has a spring element which is electrically connected to a ground line of the connector. The connector is designed such that when connecting the connector to the complementary connector, which usually by Pushing together or plugging together the two connectors, the spring element electrically contacted a ground contact element of the complementary connector. Conversely, the complementary connector having a contact element which is electrically connected to a ground line and which is designed such that it can touch the spring element during mating or connecting the connector. The contacting of the spring element with the ground contact element of the complementary connector takes place before another electrical contact element of the connector contacts a corresponding electrical contact element of the complementary connector. In this way, a ground contact is made via the spring element and the ground contact element of the complementary connector, before the other electrical contacts of the connector are produced.

Under a ground line is a line to understand that has a ground potential when it is connected to a corresponding voltage source or when the power supply is turned on.

The use of a spring element for producing the ground contact may have the advantage that no extended contact elements for the connector must be used, whereby space can be saved. In addition, the mechanical stress of a spring element in that it can easily spring back and is deformable, not as large as with rigid electrical contact elements. Thus, the risk is reduced to damage the leading ground contact of the connector, and also the mechanical wear of the connector is reduced.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the electrical contact elements are mounted as printed conductors on a printed circuit board, which is part of the connector. In particular, in such a connector designed the electrical contact elements can then all be made the same, which means that when plugging the connector with a corresponding connector, the electrical contact elements are all equally heavily mechanically stressed, resulting in a uniform wear.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the electrical contact elements of the connector are enclosed by a socket. In other words, the connector may include a socket. In such a connector, the spring element can be mounted on an inner wall of the socket, so that in addition to the electrical contact elements and the spring element is protected by the socket when the connector is not connected to the other component, that is the plug of the connector.

According to one embodiment of the invention, it is alternatively possible for the plug connector to comprise a plug, that is to say to be plugged into a corresponding socket. In this case, the spring element, for example, from the plug to the outside, for example, orthogonal to the plug-in direction, protrude. In this case, it is possible that the complementary connector has a ground contact element which is connected to the ground line of the complementary connector, wherein the ground contact element is attached to an inner wall of a socket of the complementary connector. The attachment of the spring element on the plug and not in the box, for example, be of advantage if the can should be as simple as possible.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the connector in addition to the spring element additionally comprise a ground contact element for connection to a ground contact element of the complementary connector. For example, this ground contact element can then be constructed in the same way as the other electrical contact elements of the connector and by the spring element can then still be made an anticipatory ground contact. The additional ground contact element may have the advantage that the spring element for producing the ground contact only during the mating has to establish the electrical connection between the two ground lines of the connector and the complementary connector. If the connector is completely plugged into the complementary connector or connected thereto, the ground contact can be made additionally or alternatively to the spring element with the additional ground contact element.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the spring element comprises a pressing spring for pressing the ground contact element of the connector to the ground contact element of the complementary connector. That's the way it is not necessary that the connector comprises an additional spring element for establishing the grounding. For this purpose, simply the existing pressure spring can be used.

For example, the connector may be an interface to a printed circuit board, which may include electronic components and includes the electrical contact elements as traces on the edge of the circuit board. Such an interface may comprise a bush, which is made of plastic, for example, which is attached to the edge of the circuit board and encloses the electrical contact elements, that is, Lands. Such an interface generally has for each electrical contact element at least one spring element which serves to press an electrical contact element of the plug, which is inserted into the interface, on the land of the printed circuit board. The pressing elements are, for example, orthogonal to the insertion direction of the inner wall. The plug is usually connected to a wire harness that connects the electronic circuits on the board with other components

An electrically conductive pressure spring can now be connected for the ground contact element of the interface with the ground potential of the circuit board or the ground potential of the interface. Conversely, the location of the carrier of the electrical contact element of the plug, to which the pressure presses when the plug is plugged into the interface, be provided with an electrical contact element which is connected to the ground line of the plug. The spring element can now be attached to a point in the interface, that the contact between the pressure spring and the ground contact element of the plug takes place before inserting the plug into the interface, the other electrical contact elements of the connector, the contact elements on the circuit board, that is, for example, the Lands , touch. In this way, an anticipatory mass contacting is created without the problems presented above having to arise.

Such a construction also has the additional advantage that the EMC shielding (that is, the electromagnetic shielding) of the connector is improved, since at least the ground potential of the conductive spring element, which is at ground potential, is shielded.

In the just described arrangement of interface for a printed circuit board and plug, the principle of the invention can also be applied when an electrically conductive spring element is mounted on the plug side. In this case, a ground contact element may be present at the interface, for example a, for example, a rigid contact element injected into the interface collar wall, that is to say the inside of the socket.

In general, an anticipatory ground contact via a spring element is always possible if a pressing element between two electrical contact elements, such as a contact carrier and an electrical conductor of the interface, is already present. Such pressing elements are usually made of metal and thus electrically conductive.

However, it is also possible that the spring element is not a pressing element, but a separately mounted spring element. This may be, for example, an injected spring element on the interface collar, which may contact a ground contact element on the harness connector.

Another aspect of the invention also relates to a connector comprising a connector and a complementary connector as described above and below.

Another aspect relates to a method of connecting a connector to a complementary connector. The connector and the complementary connector may be again connectors, as described above and below.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises the steps of: electrically contacting a spring element connected to the ground line of the connector with a ground contact element of the complementary connector; then electrically contacting at least one electrical contact element of the connector with a complementary electrical contact element of the complementary connector. In other words, the preparation of the leading ground contact via a spring element and not via a rigid ground contact element, which is generally similar in construction as the other electrical contact elements of the Connector. It should be understood that the connectors can be made such that the steps in the process of plugging a connector into the other connector.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the figures

• Fig. 1A shows a connector according to a first embodiment of the invention in a decoupled position.
• Fig. 1B shows the connector according to the embodiment of Fig. 1A in a coupled position.
• Fig. 2A shows a connector according to a second embodiment of the invention in a decoupled position.
• Fig. 2B shows the connector according to the embodiment of Fig. 2A in an intermediate position.
• Fig. 2C shows the connector according to the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B in a coupled position.

Detailed description of embodiments

The Fig. 1A shows a connector 10 in longitudinal section. The connector 10 comprises a socket 12 and a plug 14. The socket 12 is an interface or interface for a printed circuit board 16, at the edge of a socket 18 is mounted, which surrounds the edge of the circuit board 16. On the circuit board 16 is an electrical contact element 20 in the form of a conductor 20, which is connected to the schematically illustrated ground potential 22 on the circuit board. On the inside of the bushing 18 or on the interface collar wall, in each case above and below the printed circuit board 16, a first conductive spring element 24a and a second conductive spring element 24b attached. The spring elements 24a, 24b may, for example, be leaf springs made of a metal strip. Like in the Fig. 1A shown schematically, the two spring elements 24a, 24b are connected via lines 26 to the ground potential 22. However, it is also possible that only the lower spring element 24b or the upper spring element 24a is connected to the ground potential 22.

In addition, the can 18 has on its outer side an elevation 28, which can engage behind a corresponding clip element 30 of the plug 14 in order to fix the plug 14 to the can 12.

The plug 14 is connected to a wiring harness 32, which identifies a line 34 which is to be connected to the ground potential 22. In other words, the line 34 is the ground line of the wiring harness 32 and the plug 14. The plug 14 further comprises a contact carrier 36 which includes the electrical contact element 38, after the mating of the two connectors 12, 14 with the conductor 20 in contact should occur. For example, the contact carrier 36 may be made entirely of metal and be connected to the electrical line 34 or the contact carrier 36 may be made of plastic, in which the electrical contact element 38, which is electrically connected to the line 34, is cast.

On its upper side, the contact carrier 36 has an elevation 40, which is electrically conductive and is also connected to the ground line 34. This elevation 40 may be cast in en contact carrier 40 when it is made of plastic.

The Fig. 1B shows the connector 10 in a mated condition by the plug 14 is completely pushed into the box 12. Like from the Fig. 1B shows the clip 30 while the edge 28 on the socket 12 and thus prevents falling out of the plug 14 from the box 12. In addition, the spring element 24b presses from below against the plug 14 and the spring element 24a from above on the contact carrier 26, in On the one hand, an electrical connection between the line 34 via the elevation 40, the spring element 24a created with the ground potential 22 and on the other hand directly from the line 34 via the contact carrier 36, of the spring element 24a on the conductor 20th is pressed.

The electrical connection between the line 34 and the ground potential 22 on the circuit board 16 is in Fig. 1B schematically indicated by the arrow 42.

The spring element 24a is arranged in such a way in the socket 12 that upon mating of the plug 14 and the socket 12, the spring element 24a comes into contact with the superelevation 40 before the contact carrier 36 contacts the conductor track 20.

Overall, it should be understood that the connector 10 and the box 12 and the plug 14 have a plurality of electrical contacts, as in the cross-section in the Fig. 1A and 1B are shown. In the Fig. 1A and 1B only the electrical contact elements for the ground contact are shown. With respect to the plane of the figure in front or behind, there may be a further number of analogously or identically or similarly constructed contact elements in the socket 12 and the plug 14, in which the spring element 24a or the spring element 24b is not connected to the corresponding electrical line 22 are connected. Similarly, for these other electrical contact elements, the contact carriers corresponding to the contact carrier 36, no elevations 40 which are electrically conductive or which are connected to the line 34 corresponding line.

Further electrical contact element 36a of the plug 14 and further contact elements 20a of the socket 12 are in the Fig. 1A indicated by dashes.

By this arrangement it is achieved that when pushing together the plug 14 and the socket 12, first a ground contact between the spring element 24a and the increase 40 takes place before the other electrical contacts, such as the contact between the conductor 20 and the contact carrier 36 and the corresponding other electrical contacts 36a, 20a of the electrical connector takes place.

In the in the Fig. 1B shown end position of the connector 10, the grounding occurs via the spring or the spring element 24a. In addition, however, the short to ground can still take place via the associated country 20 of the contact 36, 20 or via another contact 36a, 20a.

The Figs. 2A, 2B and 2C show a further embodiment of a connector 10 ', the can 12 and plug 14 is constructed substantially identical to the embodiment shown in the Fig. 1A and 1B is shown. However, in the case of Fig. 2A to 2C In the embodiment shown, the elevation 40 and the spring element 24a are arranged in such a way that a temporarily leading ground contact is produced via their contacting.

The Fig. 2A shows the connector 10 'or from the connectors 12, 14 existing plug-in system 10' in a position in which the connection is imminent. Neither the spring element 24a nor the conductor track 20 or the land 20 are in this first step with the contact carrier 36 in connection.

The Fig. 2B shows the connector 10 'in an intermediate position between the in Fig. 2A shown position and in the Fig. 2C shown position in which the plug 14 has not been pushed completely into the box 12. In this second step, the spring 24a has already contacted the elevation 40 and thus the contact carrier 36 so that a ground contact already exists over the spring element 24, but the contacting of the conductor track 20 with the contact carrier 36 has not yet taken place. The ground contact via the spring element 24a or the pressure spring 24a is in the Fig. 2B schematically represented by the arrow 44.

In a third step, which takes place in a position of the connector 10 ', which between the Figs. 2B and 2C is to settle, there is the ground contact between the pressure spring 24a and the elevation 40 still and a contact between the conductor 20 and the contact carrier 36 is carried out, so that at the same time both ground contacts exist.

In a fourth step, in which the plug 14 is fully inserted into the socket 12, the electrical connection between the pressure spring or the spring element 24a and the superelevation 40 dissolves and the ground contact between the contact carrier 36 and the conductor track 20 remains. In the in the Fig. 2C shown position, the end position of the plug 14 is reached in the box 12. The spring element 24a no longer presses on the electrically conductive elevation 40, but on an insulating element 46 of the plug 14. There is only one ground contact between the ground potential 22 on the circuit board 16 and the line 34 on the contact between the contact carrier 36th and the trace 20. This is in the Fig. 2C schematically represented by the arrow 48.

Alternatively to the described procedure, the contact element after loss of contact by the pressure spring or the spring element 24a, the ground contact completely abandon when before other contact elements of the connector 10 are already contacted and this includes also ground contacts. Therefore, no land 20 would be necessary for the temporary contact on the circuit board 16. The contact element is merely designed to establish a ground contact between the spring element 24a and the contact carrier 36. In this case, the leading ground contact of this contact element would be completely temporary. The anticipatory ground contact occurs only temporarily during mating. After plugging, there is no electrical contact.

Unlike in the Fig. 1A and 1B the embodiment shown, the short to ground of the connector 10 'in the end position, the in Fig. 2C is shown exclusively via the standard contact between the contact carrier 36 and the conductor 20. This has the advantage that the leading ground contact is not permanent, and therefore does not have to be subject to dynamic wear. In this way, the contact point on the spring element 24a need not be optimized with respect to a permanent ground contact. Thus, a design of the spring element 24a can be avoided as a contact element, which could be expensive and possibly limit the connector 10 'in terms of their dynamic capacity.

Claims (9)

1. Plug connector (12) for connection to a complementary plug connector (14), the plug connector (12) comprising:

   at least one electrical contact element (20, 20a) for connection to an electrical contact element (36, 36a) of the complementary plug connector,

   wherein the plug connector (12) has a spring element (24a) which is electrically connected to an earth line (22) of the plug connector (12) and the plug connector (12) is designed in such a way that, when the plug connector (12) is connected to the complementary plug connector (14), the spring element (24a) makes electrical contact with an earth contact element (40) of the complementary plug connector (14) before the electrical contact element (20, 20a) of the plug connector makes contact with the electrical contact element (36, 36a) of the complementary plug connector,

   characterized in that

   the plug connector is designed in such a way that the spring element (24a) makes electrical contact with the earth contact element (36) of the complementary plug connector only during the plug-connection of the plug connector to the complementary plug connector.
2. Plug connector (12) according to Claim 1,
   wherein the plug connector comprises a printed circuit board (16) on which the at least one electrical contact element (20) is fitted as a conductor track.
3. Plug connector (12) according to Claim 1 or 2,
   wherein the plug connector comprises a socket (18) which surrounds the at least one electrical contact element (20).
4. Plug connector (12) according to Claim 3,
   wherein the spring element (24a) is fitted to an inner wall of the socket (18).
5. Plug connector according to Claim 1 or 2,
   wherein the plug connector comprises a plug,
   wherein the spring element is designed to make electrical contact with an earth contact element of the complementary plug connector, which earth contact element is connected to an earth line of the complementary plug connector,
   wherein the earth contact element is fitted to an inner wall of a socket of the complementary plug connector.
6. Plug connector (12) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

   an earth contact element (20) for connection to an earth contact element (36) of the complementary plug connector (14),

   wherein the spring element (24a) comprises a contact-pressure spring for pressing the earth contact element (36) of the plug connector (12) onto the earth contact element (36) of the complementary plug connector (14).
7. Plug connector (12) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

   an earth contact element (20) for connection to a complementary earth contact element (36) of the complementary plug connector (14),

   wherein the plug connector (12) is designed in such a way that the earth contact element (20) makes contact with the complementary contact element (36) after the spring element (24a) has made contact with the earth contact element (36).
8. Plug connection (10, 10'), comprising:

   a plug connector (12) according to one of Claims 1 to 7 and a complementary plug connector (14).
9. Method for connecting a plug connector (12) to a complementary plug connector (14), comprising the steps of:

   making electrical contact between a spring element (24a) which is connected to the earth line (22) of the plug connector and an earth contact element (36) of the complementary plug connector;

   subsequently making electrical contact between at least one electrical contact element (20, 20a) of the plug connector and a complementary electrical contact element (36, 36a) of the complementary plug connector,

   characterized in that the plug connector is designed in such a way that the spring element (24a) makes electrical contact with the earth contact element (36) of the complementary plug connector only during the plug-connection process of the plug connector to the complementary plug connector.

Images