EP4078734A1

EP4078734A1 - Plug connection, plug module and contact element

Info

Publication number: EP4078734A1
Application number: EP20829869.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pascal Wölffle
Original assignee: Amphenol Tuchel Industrial GmbH
Current assignee: Amphenol Tuchel Industrial GmbH
Priority date: 2019-12-16
Filing date: 2020-12-15
Publication date: 2022-10-26
Also published as: DE102019134579A1; WO2021122624A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a plug module for receiving at least one contact element having an overmold, comprising at least one receiving chamber for a contact element, wherein the plug module has at least one latching hook adjoining the at least one receiving chamber, which latching hook corresponds with a latching shoulder of the contact element to be received, such that the contact element can be locked in the receiving chamber. The invention furthermore relates to a contact element corresponding to the plug module, said contact element having an overmold and at least one latching shoulder and a plug connection formed from plug modules and contact elements.

Description

description

Plug connection, plug-in module and contact element

The invention relates to a plug-in module for receiving at least one contact element with an encapsulation! having at least one receiving space for a contact element. Furthermore, the invention relates to a contact element corresponding to the plug-in module, having an extrusion coating and at least one locking shoulder, and a plug-in connection formed from plug-in modules and contact elements.

Plug-in connections, contact-making elements, pole connectors, plug-in sleeves, etc. in a wide variety of designs and variants are used to make contact or to produce detachable electrically conductive connections. In particular, but not exclusively for electrical contacting tasks in the higher power range, contact systems have been developed that are based on prismatic or round geometries to accommodate one or more contact pins.

High-voltage connectors are often implemented with one or more plug-in contact pins and, in addition to reliable, detachable and permanent contact, must in particular also be secured against unintentional disconnection or disconnection caused by axial tensile loads.

If connectors that can be flexibly adapted to the contacting task are required, multi-part connecting elements are often used. One contacting possibility consists in the use of modularly constructed square or rectangular plug connectors with a plurality of contacting elements which can be arranged in one or more modules within the plug connector. Such connectors can be adapted very flexibly to different contacting tasks, power ranges, IP protection classes, etc. due to the modular structure due to the use of different modules.

Depending on the embodiment of the modular connector, one or a plurality of modules can be received within module slots in the connector. The modules are constructed in such a way that at least one plug contact pin is integrated. Modules with a large number of plug contact pins are also implemented. Considerable efforts are required to make the modular and multi-part connector solutions reliable, both in terms of assembly and operational quality. Especially at the interfaces of the connector elements, ie at the

Connection points and locking and fixing devices are subject to high requirements. It must be ensured that the components of the multi-part connectors can be joined together well, without damage, clearly, temporarily or permanently, in a defined, precise and functional manner. For this purpose, various connection techniques have been developed, for example crimping, pressing, locking, gluing, welding and / or connecting elements such as bayonet locks, screws, rivets, union nuts, etc. are used.

Further requirements can be made of modular and multi-part connector assemblies, which further increase their complexity. For example, depending on the application and environmental conditions, sealed plug connections may be required or shielding measures must be taken to improve electromagnetic compatibility. If multi-pole connectors are implemented in a round design, coding or asymmetrical connector faces may be required for correct orientation.

DE 102007 026 582 B3 shows a connector housing for an electrical connector with a fixing element in the form of a latching hook for locking an electrical contact element and an electrical line in the connector housing, whereby the electrical contact element can be fixed in the connector housing by means of the fixing element, and the electrical contact element can be fixed by means of the fixing element Line can be clamped on the connector housing. The fixing element is an integral part of the connector housing. The aim of the disclosed invention is to fix an electrical contact element and an electrical line in the connector housing. For this purpose, a fixing element is proposed with a double function: a clamping function fixes the line within the connector housing in a non-positive manner, the latching function positively positions the contact element in the connector housing. Plug connector contact carriers with contact chambers for receiving contact elements of various forms are disclosed in DE 102013 019695 A1. The basic idea of the teaching according to the invention is to provide a connector contact carrier with a plurality of contact chambers, the contact chambers according to the invention being designed so that both a screw contact element and a crimp contact element can be optionally mounted in the same contact chamber. The background is that there is a considerable need for connector solutions due to the many different applications, there is an increasing need to reduce the number and thus the variety of parts of connectors and to provide a connector system in which a variety of different application solutions can be implemented with one connector contact carrier can.

It is structurally provided that the contact chambers have a common contact surface for contact of a corresponding counter surface on the optionally usable crimp contact element or the screw contact element.

In order to fasten a connector contact insert in a connector housing consisting of two rectangular half-shells that can be coupled to one another, the prior art proposes z. B. before that a fastening device is used, which is arranged in the corner areas of the half-shells. The device comprises two projections which are spaced apart from one another and which form a receiving slot onto which, depending on the application, spring elements of different shapes can be pushed or can be fixed to the half-shell housing. The spring elements are electrically conductively connected to the half-shells and act on the sheet metal flanges of the contact inserts so that they are fixed.

An arrangement of connectors fixed by gluing is shown in DE 202015 105458 U1. The connector assembly includes a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector, each connector including a housing with an input and an output. In this case, the housing of at least one of the plug-in connectors encloses an interior space, wherein litz wires with cable cores are arranged in the interior space between the input and the output and are encased in at least one protective sheath. The housings of both connectors are encased in hot melt adhesive and connected to one another. The material of the at least one protective cover has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the hot-melt adhesive and is harder; specifically, a Shore hardness of A 75 is proposed.

The object of the invention is to further develop a multi-part, modular connector arrangement so that the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art are at least partially reduced and the reliability of the plug contacting, its assembly and the manufacture of the connector components are improved.

The invention recognizes that the new arrangement of the latching means on the plug-in module, receiving module and the contact element or elements, and combined with the suitable design of the contact elements to be received, offers a number of improvements over the prior art.

The receptacle module according to the invention, plug-in module both on the pin side and on the socket side has at least one latching hook for fixing, latching of contact elements designed as pin or socket contact elements with an overmolding, having at least one latching shoulder corresponding to the latching hook. To implement a use of the encapsulation, an optional shielding of the cable is attached to the pin or socket contact element on the socket side by means of an internal lamellar strip. This at least reduces any widening of the socket contour and the shielding is improved by a largely reduced-gap shield arrangement.

The encapsulation of the contact elements with their at least one locking shoulder, preferably in the form of a recess, depression, notch, can be supplemented by at least one guide element extending largely in the axial direction. The guide element is designed as a projection and corresponds to a groove-like recess in the receiving module. In this way, the insertion movement of the contact element into the receiving module is defined in a rotative position and the linear movement is supported. The pin or socket contact element is fixed by latching the at least one latching hook of the receiving module into the latching shoulder-forming recess of the encapsulation in the contact end position relative to the plug-in module. The construction and position of the corresponding locking hook-locking shoulder combination is matched to the respective directions of movement and assembly of the connector. The latching as a form-fitting and / or force-fitting connection in the direction of the plugging process of the connector plug and mating plug counteracts the plugging force and locks the contact elements within the receiving modules.

The improved assembly of the contact elements at the end of the lines in the receiving modules is achieved in that the socket or pin contact elements are pushed into the contact chamber and latched, if necessary after orientation in the correct position.

The invention supports both various codings and the requirement for shielding. Both D-codings (four-pole contact situations with or without shielding) and X-codings (four times two-pole contact situations with or without shielding) are provided according to the invention. All plastic-based or composite materials can be used.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment in conjunction with the figures. Show:

1 shows a perspective view of the plug contact arrangement with a line attached to a pin contact element and encompassed by an overmolding in two orientationally different layers;

2 shows a perspective view of the plug contact arrangement with a line attached to a socket contact element and encompassed by an extrusion coating in two orientationally different layers;

3 shows the three-dimensional representation and the top view of a pin contact plug-in module with at least one receiving space for pin contact elements;

4 shows the three-dimensional representation and the top view of a

Socket contact plug-in module with at least one receiving space for socket contact elements; 5 shows the sectional representation of the front view of the socket contact plug-in module with a lamellar strip.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the plug contact arrangement with a line 20 attached to a pin contact element 30 'and encompassed by an extrusion coating 10 in two orientationally different layers. The pin contact element 30 'can optionally be designed with a coding K in the form of a spring. The same applies to an optional on the outer circumference of the preferably cylindrical pin contact element 30 '.

The encapsulation 10 forms on the plug contact arrangement at least in some areas an outwardly directed surface which extends at least partially in a prismatic or cylindrical manner in the longitudinal axis. The encapsulation 10 can the pin contact element 30 ^! at least partially encompass and / or enclose the area of the connection between line 20 and pin contact element 30 ′. The encapsulation 10 preferably extends over a region of the pin contact element 30 ′ as well as the connecting region of the pin contact element 30 ′ and line 20 and also an area of the line 20.

On the outside and preferably in one piece, at least one projection, guide element 13 can be provided on the encapsulation 10. The at least one guide element 13 can have different cross-sectional geometries, for example triangular, flap-like, feather-key-like, square, and extends longitudinally and largely axially parallel.

The guide element 13 corresponds to a groove-like recess in the receiving module 30 and thus supports the insertion movement of the contact element 30 'into the receiving module 30 in the correct orientation and at the same time the insertion kinematics as a linear movement. The encapsulation 10 can be supplemented with one or more guide surfaces 14. In addition to or as an alternative to a guide function, the at least one guide surface 14 can be provided in order to reduce the space required for the enclosing receiving module 30. The longitudinal rotative position of the optional, at least one guide element 13 and the optional at least one guide surface 14 both to one another and to the coding K of the pin contact element 30 'are coordinated so that the orientation of the contact pins in the pin contact element 30' corresponds to the socket contact element in the correct manner 40 'in the socket contact plug-in module 40.

The encapsulation 10 has at least one locking shoulder 12, which is on the outside of the encapsulation 10 and corresponding, d. H. is arranged in alignment with an associated latching hook 32 of the pin contact plug module 30. The latching shoulder 12 is preferably a component of a recess, depression 11, which is introduced into the extrusion coating 10. So that the latching hook 32 of the socket contact plug-in module 40 can engage in the recess 11 and lock onto the latching shoulder 12, their axial positions in the longitudinal direction are coordinated in such a way that the engagement in the plug-in end position of the socket contact plug-in module 40 and pin contact plug-in module 30 is supported.

The latching shoulder 12 is preferably designed as an abutment surface for an end opposing surface of the latching hook 32. A largely positive locking is achieved in that the invention provides the pairing of the locking shoulder 12 and the opposite surface of the locking hook 32 at a largely right angle (approx. 90 °) or as a rear grip with a larger than the right angle viewed in the insertion direction. If the surface pairing of the locking shoulder 12 and the opposite surface of the locking hook 32 is formed at a smaller angle than the right angle, a largely non-positive connection is present, the connector holding forces of which are primarily influenced by the spring action of the locking hook 32 and the coefficients of static and sliding friction between the surfaces.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the plug contact arrangement with a line 20 attached to a socket contact element 40 ′ and encompassed by an extrusion coating 10 in two orientationally different positions.

In a manner analogous to the encapsulation 10 of the pin contact element 30 ', at least one guide element 13 can also be provided on the encapsulation 10 of the socket contact element 40', which corresponds to a groove-like recess in the receiving module 40 and thus the insertion movement of the contact element 40 'into the receiving module 40 in the correct orientation and at the same time supports the slide-in kinematics as a linear movement. The respective end sides of the extrusion coating 10 can have different geometries, for example a bevel, a bevel or a sharp-edged outlet.

The further embodiment according to the invention of the encapsulation 10 of the socket contact element 40 ‘corresponds to the encapsulation 10 of the pin contact element 30‘. The same applies in turn to the at least one latching hook 42 of the socket contact plug-in module 40.

The optional coding K of the socket contact element 40 ‘can correspond to the coding K of the pin contact element 30‘, in the embodiment shown, a groove is introduced as a mating mating partner to the spring-shaped coding K of the pin contact element 30 ‘.

Figure 3 shows the three-dimensional representation and the top view of a pin contact plug-in module 30 with at least one receiving space 31 for pin contact elements 30 '. The embodiment shown is equipped with two receiving spaces 31 for one pin contact element 30 'each. According to the invention, pin contact plug-in modules 30 with one or more than two receiving spaces 31 are also supported.

At least one latching hook 32 is arranged within the at least one receiving space 31. The at least one latching hook 32 is positioned in terms of orientation, position and axial arrangement corresponding to the latching shoulder 12 and recess 11 of the encapsulation of the pin contact element 30 ', so that by engaging the at least one latching hook 32 of the pin contact plug-in module 30 in the recess 11 of the encapsulation 10 that forms the latching shoulder Contact end position relative to the pin contact plug-in module 30, the pin contact element 30 'can be fixed.

The pin contact element 30 ′ is introduced into the receiving space 31 of the pin contact plug module 30 in the direction of the plug connector plugging direction and from opposite the contacting zone of the plug connector modules. It is possible to arrange two or more pin contact elements 30 'at the same height, ie parallel in the axial direction (this case is shown in FIG. 3) or to lock at least one of the pin contact elements 30' with an axial offset and thus leading or lagging. According to the invention, such a geometric situation is achieved by suitable positioning of the locking hook 32 and / or the recess 11 with the locking shoulder 12. Optionally, a coding device K can be provided in the at least one receiving space 31, which takes up a defined, positionally correct arrangement relative to the position of the latching hook 32 and corresponding to the coding K of the pin contact element 30 'to be received. In principle, all means are suitable as coding devices K that modify the mating face in such a way that the mating position defines the mating partner in an orientation with respect to one another. Geometric shapes have proven themselves to form an asymmetrical overall situation of the elements to be connected.

FIG. 4 depicts the three-dimensional representation and the top view of a socket contact plug-in module 40 with at least one receiving space 41 for socket contact elements 40 '.

Analogously to the exemplary embodiment of the pin contact module 30 in FIG. 3, at least one latching hook 42 is arranged within the at least one receiving space 41. The at least one latching hook 42 is positioned in terms of orientation, position and axial arrangement corresponding to the latching shoulder 12 and recess 11 of the encapsulation of the socket contact element 40 'so that by engaging the at least one latching hook 42 of the socket contact plug-in module 40 in the recess 11 of the encapsulation 10 that forms the latching shoulder Contact end position relative to the socket contact plug-in module 40, the socket contact element 40 'can be fixed.

The socket contact element 40 ′ is introduced into the receiving space 41 of the socket contact plug-in module 40 in the direction of the plug connector plug-in direction and from opposite the contacting zone of the plug connector modules. It is possible to arrange two or more socket contact elements 40 'analogous to the number of pin contact elements of the pin contact plug-in module 30 at the same height, ie parallel in the axial direction (this case is shown in FIG. 4, it corresponds to the embodiment of the embodiment of the pin contact plug-in module 30 shown in FIG. 3) or to lock at least one of the socket contact elements 40 'with a longitudinal offset and thus leading or lagging. According to the invention, such a geometric situation is achieved by suitable positioning of the locking hook 42 and / or the recess 11 with the locking shoulder 12. Coding devices can also be provided in the socket contact plug-in module 40 with characteristics as described for the pin contact plug-in module 30.

FIG. 5 illustrates the sectional view of the front view of the socket contact plug-in module 40 with a lamellar strip 20 '. The lamellar strip 20 'is inserted adjacent to the plug-in zone of the socket contact plug-in module 40 and at the level of the socket contact element 40' to be locked on the inside of the receiving space 41. The lamellar strip 20 'serves as an optionally provided shielding of the line or the plug connection. The invention provides the lamellar strip 20 'on the inside of the socket contact plug-in module 40 or the receiving space 41, so that an expansion of the socket contour is at least reduced and the shielding is improved by a largely gap-reduced shield arrangement. Another, technically largely equivalent possibility is to arrange the lamellar bath 20 'inside the socket contact element 40' on the inside of the socket. In this embodiment variant according to the invention, when using tongue and groove combinations as coding K, the lamellar strip is not completely circumferential. In this design according to the invention, too, widening of the socket contour is at least reduced and the shielding is improved by a shield arrangement that is largely reduced in gaps.

List of reference symbols

10 encapsulation

11 recess, depression

12 rest shoulder

13 guide element, projection

14 guide surface

20 management

20 ‘slat belt

30 receptacle module, plug-in module, pin contact plug-in module 30 ‘contact element, contact pin, pin contact element

31 Space for pin contact element

32 locking hooks

40 receiving module, plug-in module, socket contact plug-in module

40 'contact element, contact socket, socket contact element

41 Space for socket contact element

42 locking hooks

K coding

Claims

Expectations

1. Plug-in module (30, 40) for receiving at least one contact element (30 ', 40') with an extrusion coating (10), having at least one receiving space (31, 41) for a contact element (30 ', 40'), characterized in that, that the plug-in module (30, 40) has at least one latching hook (32, 42) adjacent to the at least one receiving space (31, 41) which corresponds to a latching shoulder (12) of the contact element (30 ', 40') to be received, so that the Contact element (30 ', 40') can be locked in the receiving space (31, 41).

2. plug-in module (30, 40) for receiving at least one contact element (30 ', 40 ‘) according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug-in module is a pin contact plug-in module (30) with a receiving space (31) for a pin contact element (30‘).

3. plug-in module (30, 40) for receiving at least one contact element (30 ‘, 40‘) according to claim 1, characterized in that the plug-in module is a socket contact plug-in module (40) with a receiving space (41) for a socket contact element (40 ‘).

4. plug-in module (30, 40) for receiving at least one contact element (30 ', 40') according to claim 1, characterized in that in the case of a plurality of receiving spaces (31, 41) the respectively associated latching hooks (32, 42) in such a longitudinal direction of the plug-in module (30, 40) are arranged so that the locking of the contact elements (30 ', 40') is parallel and / or longitudinally offset.

5. plug-in module (30, 40) for receiving at least one contact element (30 ‘, 40 ') according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact elements (30‘, 40 ‘) are shielded by a lamellar strip (20‘).

6. plug-in module (30, 40) for receiving at least one contact element (30 ', 40') according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one coding K for the defined, positionally correct arrangement relative to the position of the latching hook (32, 42) and corresponding is provided for the coding K of the respective plug contact partner.

7. contact element (30 ', 40') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to one of the preceding claims, having a hinged line (20) and an externally arranged encapsulation (10), characterized characterized in that the extrusion coating has at least one latching shoulder (12) which functionally corresponds to the latching hook (32, 42) of the plug-in module (30, 40).

8. contact element (30 ‘, 40‘) for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to claim 7, characterized in that the locking shoulder (12) is attached to a recess (11).

9. contact element (30, 40 ') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to claim 7, characterized in that the encapsulation (10) has at least one guide element (13).

10. Contact element (30 ', 40') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to claim 9, characterized in that the cross-sectional geometry of the at least one guide element (13) with a groove-like recess in the Plug-in module (30, 40) corresponds, so that the correct orientation position of the contact element (30 ', 40') is defined and its linear insertion kinematics in the plug-in module (30, 40) is supported.

11. Contact element (30 ^£ , 40 ') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to claim 7, characterized in that the encapsulation (10) has at least one guide surface (14).

12. Contact element (30 ', 40') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to one of claims 9 and / or 11, characterized in that the at least one guide element (13) and / or the longitudinal rotary position of the at least one guide surface (14) is matched to the position of the latching shoulder (12) so that the plug-in position corresponds both to one another and to the coding (K) of the contact element (30 ', 40').

13. Contact element (30 ', 40') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to claim 7, characterized in that the encapsulation (10) covers the area of the contact element (30 ', 40' ) and / or at least partially encloses the adjoining area of the line (20).

14. Contact element (30 ‘, 40 ') for receiving in a receiving space (31, 41) of a plug-in module (30, 40) according to claim 7, characterized in that the encapsulation (10) is integrally formed.

15. Plug connection consisting of at least two plug contact plugs with at least two corresponding plug-in modules (30, 40) according to one of claims 1 to 6, each having at least one contact element (30 ', 40') according to one of claims 7 to 14, each locked by one Latching hooks (32, 42) of the plug-in module (30, 40) and a latching shoulder (12) of the extrusion coating (10) of the contact element (30 ', 40).