EP4139996A1

EP4139996A1 - Plug-in connector with screw connection

Info

Publication number: EP4139996A1
Application number: EP21719901.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Kurt Ellensohn; Alexander Schmid; Markus Battisti; Jan-Patrick Schulz; Jonas Daenicke
Original assignee: Hirschmann Automotive GmbH
Current assignee: Hirschmann Automotive GmbH
Priority date: 2020-04-20
Filing date: 2021-04-16
Publication date: 2023-03-01
Also published as: US20230163541A1; CN115428263A; DE102021109667A1; WO2021213928A1

Abstract

Plug-in connection, comprising a plug-in connector (1) and a mating plug-in connector that can be plugged together with the latter, wherein the plug-in connector (1) has a housing (2) into which an electrical conductor (3) is inserted, wherein the electrical conductor (3) is electrically contacted with a contact partner (4), likewise arranged in the housing (2), by means of their surfaces coming to rest on each other, wherein the contact partner (4) is contacted, in particular via its circumferential end face (5), with a contact partner of the mating plug-in connector in such a way that the end faces come to rest on each other, and the plug-in connector (1) and mating plug-in connector are plugged together, wherein this plugging-together is effected and supported by a tightening means, in particular a screw (6), wherein an insulation, in particular an insulating element (12) or a coating of the screw (6), is provided, wherein this insulation has the effect that the screw (6) does not touch voltage-carrying parts such as the electrical conductor (3) and/or the contact partner (4).

Description

Connector with screw connection

description

The invention relates to a plug connection, consisting of a plug connector and a mating plug connector that can be plugged together therewith, according to the features of the preamble of the respective independent claim.

Such a plug connection is known from the American patent US Pat. No. 9,048,551 B2 and is shown in FIG. 1 of this patent application.

To transmit high currents, it is necessary that the connector is not only plugged together with the mating connector, but also that at least one tightening means is provided with which the mating process is effected and thus supported and that the connector is permanently fixed in the mating connector after the mating process has been completed is.

Such plug connections are used in particular in the high-voltage range, for example at voltages greater than 42 volts, and / or when transmitting higher currents, so that care must be taken that the live parts cannot be touched. This applies both to the plugged-together state of the plug connection, but above all also to the case that the plug connector and the mating plug connector have not yet been plugged together. It is therefore necessary, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 9,048,551 B2, for example, that the current-carrying parts, in particular also the tightening means, are protected from contact. The tightening means, for example a screw, is made of metal, since no electrical voltages or currents are to be transmitted with it, but the necessary tightening and securing forces can be implemented, which are not only required during assembly, but also during use of the Plug connection must be applied permanently. In US 9,048,551 B2 it is provided that the tightening means is a screw that is surrounded on the one hand by an insulating sleeve and on the other hand an insulating cap made of plastic is arranged on the free end face, which points in the direction of the mating connector. The insulating sleeve in connection with the insulating cap effectively protects the live parts (contact partner of the connector and the screw) against contact, in particular with a finger.

The invention is based on the object of designing the contact protection of such a plug connection, in particular its plug connector, in an alternative manner.

This object is achieved, on the one hand, in that the tightening means, in particular the screw, consists entirely of an electrically non-conductive material, such as a plastic. Such a tightening means, in particular a screw, can be produced simply and inexpensively from the electrically non-conductive material and is therefore particularly well suited for large quantities. There is also a tightening agent made entirely from the electrically non-conductive material made, then considered when the tightening forces with which the connector and the mating connector are brought together, are not too high. When certain tightening forces are exceeded, however, a tightening means, in particular a screw, made of electrically non-conductive material can no longer be considered, since the required tightening forces can no longer be achieved with this material. In addition, such a material is above all out of the question when certain requirements are placed on the long-term stability of the plug-in connection. On the other hand, the object is achieved in that the core of the tightening means, in particular the screw, consists of a metal material that is preferably completely provided with an electrically non-conductive coating on its surface, at least in those areas in which it can be touched . This can be, for example, a nano-coating, a plastic encapsulation or the like. With such a tightening means, in particular the screw, with a core made of a metal material, the tightening forces that cannot be achieved with a plastic material can easily be achieved. The required long-term stability of the plug connection, namely when the connector and mating connector have been plugged together and brought into permanent operative connection with the tightening means, can be achieved with the tightening means, in particular the screw, which consists of the metal material in its core. At the same time, the contact protection is achieved by the electrically non-conductive coating. Furthermore, the object is achieved in an alternative embodiment in that the tightening means, in particular the screw, consists of a metal material as in the prior art, but with additional means from the live parts of the connector, in particular its electrical conductor and / or its contact partner, is arranged isolated in the connector. A corresponding insulating element, for example made of plastic, is provided for this purpose. This eliminates the need for additional means for realizing the contact protection, such as the cap 7 from the prior art, which is attached to the end of the screw.

In a particularly important embodiment of the invention, the insulating element has a circumferential collar and the circumferential collar of the insulating element is followed by an insulating sleeve, the circumferential collar and the insulating sleeve being made of different electrically non-conductive materials. The outer diameter of the circumferential collar is larger than the feed-through opening for the insulating element in the electrical conductor, in particular in the busbar, whereas the outer diameter of the insulating sleeve largely corresponds to the inner diameter of the feed-through opening for the insulating element, so that this insulating element can be inserted into the feed-through opening in the electrical conductor can be used. On the one hand, to avoid leakage currents and to achieve contact protection and, on the other hand, to achieve the required tightening forces with the tightening means, especially the screw, and to ensure long-term stability, the circumferential collar of the insulating element is made of a different, electrically non-conductive material Material of the insulating sleeve. This is because the area of the insulating sleeve is not acted upon by the tightening forces and compressive forces of the tightening means and can therefore be made from a different, in particular a more cost-effective material, such as a plastic. That area of the insulating element, namely the circumferential collar, which is acted upon by the tightening and compressive forces and which is also in the When the plug-in connection is plugged together, it is exposed to permanent forces, is made of a material which permanently withstands these forces.

The plastic material of the insulating sleeve can, for example, be polybutylene terephthalate (PBT, or also PTMT), polyetheretherketone (PEEK is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic with very good mechanical properties, even under thermal stress, which is also characterized by its high long-term service temperature) or the like. The insulating sleeve thus consists entirely of one of the aforementioned materials, for example. As an alternative to this, however, it is also possible to think of producing the insulating sleeve from more than one material, for example from two materials or even more materials. For example, a core of the insulating sleeve can consist of one material (possibly also a metal material) and the exterior of this insulating sleeve can be coated or surrounded by a different material (in any case an electrically insulating material).

In contrast to this, the circumferential collar of the insulating element consists of harder materials, such as ceramic or metal materials. Since a ceramic material (for example aluminum oxide Al2O3) is electrically insulating, the circumferential collar can only consist of this one material, so that, for example, a further coating of the ceramic material is not necessary, but can certainly be carried out. If the circumferential collar of the insulating element is made of a metal material, it is necessary to coat or surround it so that it is no longer electrically conductive. Such a surrounding can take place, for example, by applying a plastic (the materials used for the insulating sleeve are conceivable here), but an insulating effect can also be achieved by coating, anodizing and the like. For example, a core of the circumferential collar made of a metal material (such as aluminum) that is anodized to achieve insulation. Nevertheless, the use of plastic materials for the circumferential collar is not excluded. For example, the material with the designation “PEEK GF20” or “PEEK GF30” comes into consideration, this material being a polyetheretherketone

(PEEK) is filled with a glass fiber reinforcement. An unfilled plastic (PEEK) can also be used.

If the insulating element consists of individual parts, in particular of the two individual parts, namely the circumferential collar and the insulating sleeve, it is still necessary to assemble these parts after the individual parts, in particular these two individual parts, have been manufactured separately from one another. These two individual parts are connected, for example, by pressing, gluing or the like. In addition, the circumferential collar has a feed-through opening through which the insulating sleeve is passed and fixed. This configuration is suitable for pressing the insulating sleeve with its outer surface in the feed-through opening in the circumferential collar. An upper circumferential end of the insulating sleeve terminates in an advantageous manner with one surface of the circumferential collar. Alternatively, it is conceivable to arrange the one upper circumferential end of the insulating sleeve on the surface of the circumferential collar and to fix it there.

As an alternative to the two or more parts of the insulating element described above, consisting of different materials, it is conceivable that the insulating element is one-piece and completely made of a single insulating material, in particular PEEK GF20, PEEK GF30 (or comparable materials) or a ceramic material or from an anodized Metal material consists. Instead of anodizing the metal material, this one-piece component can also be designed to be electrically insulating in some other way (for example by means of a lacquer, a plastic coating or the like).

As already stated, the one-piece insulating sleeve, just like the two-part or multi-part insulating sleeve, for example only consist of PEEK GF 20 or PEEK GF 30 or generally of a filled or unfilled plastic and optionally of other insulating materials

Further embodiments of the invention, from which the corresponding advantages result, are specified in the subclaims and are also explained in connection with the following description of the figures. The figures show both an exemplary embodiment from the prior art (FIG. 1) and an exemplary embodiment according to the invention (FIGS. 2 to 4).

In Figure 1, the embodiment of a known from the American patent connector 1 is shown. This has a housing 2, in which an electrical conductor 3, for example designed as a busbar for

High-voltage applications. The electrical conductor 3 is electrically contacted with a contact partner 4, which is also arranged in the housing 2, in that their surfaces come to rest. The contact partner 4, for its part, is sleeve-shaped in this exemplary embodiment and can, but does not have to, be contacted with its circumferential end face 5 with a contact partner (not shown) of the mating connector in such a way that the end faces, more precisely their surfaces, come to rest. To do this, the connector 1 and the mating connector, not shown, plugged together, this plugging process being effected and supported by a tightening means, which is designed as a screw 6 in this exemplary embodiment. In order to prevent contact with the free end of the screw 6, a cap 7 made of an electrically non-conductive material, such as a plastic, is arranged on this end.

In the end area facing away from the free end of the screw 6, namely in the area of the screw head, there is a further cover 8 which likewise prevents contact with the screw 6. In addition, a further cover 9 is provided on the housing 2, in particular to fix the cover 8. The cover 9 and the housing 2 can optionally also be formed in one piece.

In order to avoid touching the contact partner 4, an insulating sleeve 10 made of a material that is likewise electrically non-conductive is arranged around it.

The contact partner 4 has a passage opening for the screw 6, which has an external thread 11 in its longitudinal extension. With the external thread 11, the screw 6 is screwed into a corresponding internal thread of the mating connector, thus bringing about the mating process and the permanent fixing of the connector in the mating connector, not shown. By means of the underside of the circumferential collar of the screw 6, this presses on the electrical conductor 3, which in turn is pressed onto the contact partner 4. This compressive force continues after tightening the screw 6 on the Transferring the contact partner of the mating connector so that the circumferential face 5 of the contact partner 4 comes to rest on the corresponding circumferential face of the contact partner of the mating connector in order to bring about a defined contact force and thus a defined energy transfer.

As already stated, this prior art has the disadvantage that the cap 7 must be present in order to avoid contact with the tension-carrying screw 6

While the known and disadvantageous prior art has been described above with reference to FIG. 1, an advantageous exemplary embodiment according to the invention is described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

With a largely comparable structure of the connector 1, an insulating element 12 is provided according to the present invention, the design and arrangement of which in the connector 1 is shown in FIG. This insulating element 12 has the effect that the screw 6 (not yet shown in FIG. 2) has no contact with live parts (such as the electrical conductor 3 and the contact partner 4). The insulating element 12 is arranged between the electrical conductor 3 and the contact partner 4, in particular in its passage opening. It has a feed-through opening 13 for the tightening means, in particular the screw 6. It has a circumferential collar 14 with which it comes to rest on the surface around a passage opening in the electrical conductor 3. Below this collar 14, a preferably circumferential insertion bevel 15 is provided, so that the insulating element 12 can be inserted in the correct position and in a defined manner into the opening in the electrical conductor 3, also designed here as a busbar.

The insulating element 12 is fixed at its intended installation location, for example by inserting it into the passage opening in the electrical conductor 3, gluing, pressing, screwing in or the like.

FIG. 3 shows the connector 1 based on the arrangement according to FIG. 2, the screw 6 now being inserted. The position of the screw 6 is one in which the mating connector has not yet been inserted or attached to the connector 1. Since the insulating element 12 has no thread in its through-opening 13, the external thread 11 of the screw 6 is also not in engagement with the insulating element 12, so that it can move freely through the through-opening 13. This advantageously has the effect that the attachment of the mating connector to the connector 1 pushes the screw 6 upwards when looking at FIG. After the connector 1 has been brought into contact with the mating connector and has already been partially inserted, the screw 6 from Fland (because, on the one hand, due to its design (in particular its material and / or its coating) itself and, if necessary, additionally by means of the cover 8 electrical contact is protected) or be operated with an electrically insulating tool (with or without cover 8), so that by rotating the screw 6 its external thread 11 is screwed into a corresponding internal thread of the housing or the contact partner of the mating connector, so that the distance D is reduced, preferably, as shown in Figure 4, reaches zero.

In Figure 4 it can be seen very clearly that the underside of the circumferential screw head of the screw 6 presses over the insulating circumferential collar 14 of the insulating element 12 on the electrical conductor 3 and from there on the contact partner 4, so that the circumferential end face 5 of the contact partner 4 is defined in an electrically contacting manner and is permanently fixed to the corresponding circumferential end face of the contact partner of the mating connector.

So that the axial movement of the tightening means, in particular the screw 6, is not hindered in its movement, which has been described above with a view to FIGS. 2 to 4, the surface of the feed-through opening 13 for the tightening means, in particular the screw 6, is smooth executed. This means that the lead-through opening 13 has no thread.

Instead of an insulating element 11, which, as shown in FIG. 2, is fixedly arranged on the electrical conductor 3 and / or the contact partner 4, it can also be arranged below the screw head of the screw 6 and moved with it. It is also conceivable that the insulating element 12 for its part has an internal thread which corresponds to the external thread 11 of the screw 6. The insulating element 12 could also be designed as a separate component, which is pushed onto the external thread 11 of the screw 6 and assembled with it. The mating connector, like the connector, can be arranged at the end of an electrical conductor, in particular a busbar. However, it can also be part of an electrical device, an energy store, in particular an electrical connection of an energy store of an electric vehicle, or the like.

List of reference symbols

1. Connector

2. Housing

3. Electrical conductor

4. Contact partner

5. All-round face

6. screw

7. cap

8. Cover

9. Cover

10. Insulating sleeve

11. External thread

12. Isolation element

13. Feed-through opening

14. All-round collar

15. Circumferential lead-in bevel

Claims

1. A plug connection comprising a plug connector (1) and a mating plug connector which can be plugged together therewith, the plug connector (1) having a housing (2) into which an electrical conductor (3) is inserted, the electrical conductor (3) also having a in the housing (2) arranged contact partner (4) is electrically contacted by their surfaces come into contact, the contact partner (4) in particular with its circumferential end face (5) being contacted with a contact partner of the mating connector in such a way that the end faces come to rest come, and the plug connector (1) and mating plug connector are plugged together, this plugging process being effected and supported by a tightening means, in particular a screw (6), characterized in that an insulation, in particular an insulating element (12) or a coating of the screw ( 6), whereby this insulation ensures that the screw (6) does not come into contact with s live parts such as the electrical conductor (3) and / or the contact partner (4).

2. Plug connection comprising a connector (1) and a mating connector that can be mated therewith, the connector (1) having a housing (2) into which an electrical conductor (3) is inserted, the electrical conductor (3) also having a in the housing (2) arranged contact partner (4) is electrically contacted by their surfaces to the plant come, the contact partner (4) in particular with its circumferential end face (5) being contacted with a contact partner of the mating connector in such a way that the end faces come to rest, and the connector (1) and mating connector are plugged together, this mating process being effected and supported of a tightening means, in particular a screw (6), characterized in that the tightening means, in particular the screw, consists entirely of an electrically non-conductive material.

3. Plug connection according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating element (12) has a passage opening (13) for the tightening means, in particular the screw (6).

4. Plug connection according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that the insulating element (12) has a circumferential collar (14) with which it comes to rest on the surface around a copy opening in the electrical conductor (3).

5. Plug connection according to claim 4, characterized in that the insulating element (12) below the collar (14) has a preferably circumferential insertion bevel (15) so that the insulating element (12) is correctly positioned and defined in an opening in the electrical conductor (3) , preferably designed as a busbar, can be used.

6. Plug connection according to one of claims 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that the surface of the passage opening (13) for the

Tightening means, in particular the screw (6), is made smooth.

7. Plug connection according to one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that an insulating sleeve is connected to the circumferential collar (14) of the insulating element (12), the circumferential collar (14) and the insulating sleeve being made of the same electrically non-conductive material or consist of different electrically non-conductive materials.

8. Plug connection according to claim 7, characterized in that the plastic material of the insulating sleeve is polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and the circumferential collar (14) consists of PEEK GF20 or a ceramic material or an anodized metal material.

9. Plug connection according to claim 7, characterized in that the insulating element (14) consists entirely of an unfilled plastic or of a filled plastic, in particular PEEK GF20 or PEEK GF30, or of a ceramic material or an anodized metal material.

10. Plug connection according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a cover (8) is provided in the end region facing away from the free end of the screw (6), in particular in the region of the screw head.

11. Plug connection according to claim 10, characterized in that, in addition to fixing the cover (8), a further cover (9) is provided on the housing (2).