EP4371191A1

EP4371191A1 - Plug socket

Info

Publication number: EP4371191A1
Application number: EP22740303.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Oliver Dobler
Original assignee: Neutrik AG
Current assignee: Neutrik AG
Priority date: 2021-07-12
Filing date: 2022-06-23
Publication date: 2024-05-22
Also published as: JP2024521335A; CN117441271A; WO2023285098A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical connector, in particular a socket, comprising a housing (1) in which a first insertion opening (2) is formed, at least one contact carrier (15) for at least one electrical contact element (17), and a locking assembly (25, 26) for an inserted complementary connector. A locking arm (25) can be kept out of engagement with the complementary connector by an actuating element (26) which, starting from a passive position, can be moved manually into an active position. For the shortest possible design of the connector, the actuating part (32) is positioned at the outermost rear end of the actuating element (26) and no part of the actuating element (26) projects rearwardly over it.

Description

socket

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

A typical example of such a connector is in the form of a socket, also known as a chassis socket, described in EP 1972037 B1, as is provided for producing an electrical plug connection with a complementary connector, in particular a cable connector. On the one hand, the socket has electrical contact elements for producing an electrical plug connection in XLR design, as they are particularly common for audio applications and standardized accordingly. However, any other embodiments can also be implemented, from jack _plugs to data plugs, such as RJ45 connections. To enable the cable plug to be plugged in, the housing of the plug socket has a corresponding plug-in opening, into which a complementary plug connector can be inserted in the direction of a plug-in axis. The electrical contact elements are mounted in at least one contact carrier.

As already explained in AT 399427 B, such sockets can have a locking mechanism for the plugged-in complementary cable connector, in order to secure it against being unintentionally pulled out. There is at least one elastically deflectable locking device with, for example, a locking projection which, when the cable connector is in the inserted state, engages in, for example, an opening, undercut or similar latch on the cable connector. The lock can be released in order to release the plug connection via an actuating element, which can be manually moved from a passive position into an active position, in which it engages the locking arm and keeps it out of engagement with the complementary locking structure.

US 2011136366 A1 discloses an electrical connector with a locking mechanism for a mating connector. The locking mechanism consists of two parts, where at a locking arm has two pointed extensions at its end, which measures in Ausneh engage the mating connector, and wherein an actuating element for unlocking in a recess in the housing is mounted linearly displaceable. When moving the substan- We flat actuator whose flat end portion is pressed against a slope of the first locking arm, whereby this is raised and the extensions are lifted out of the recesses. This unlocks the plug connection.

Similarly, US 7534125 Bl also discloses a two-part locking mechanism. Again, a locking arm has two pointed extensions which engage in recesses in the mating connector. A substantially flat actuation element for unlocking is also guided in a linearly displaceable manner in a housing recess. The flat end of the actuating element, when longitudinally displaced into the active position, cooperates with a sloping surface on the locking arm to raise the latter and thereby disengage the locking extensions from the mating connector.

The object of the present invention was to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to create a device that takes up less space, in particular allows shorter housing dimensions in the plug-in direction, while at the same time increasing functional reliability and simplifying production.

This object is achieved by a device according to the characterizing part of claim 1. Further optional features are defined in the dependent claims and disclosed in the description and the figures.

To solve this problem, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the actuation section is formed by at least one tongue which is bent around a bending axis oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the actuation element and/or the insertion axis and is arranged at the extreme rear end of the actuation element and no section of the actuating element protrudes backwards. The rear edge of the actuating element forms the rear end face of the actuating element. Compared to the previous constructions, in which the area actually active for unlocking is located in front of the rear end of the actuating element, this enables a much shorter design of the actuating element and thus also of the entire housing in which the actuating element is slidably mounted. The actuation section formed by at least one tongue can be produced simply by stamping and bending, with the open shape of the rear end of this actuation element preventing the individual components from getting caught in the bulk goods container of the production facility. In addition, this design contributes to increased functional safety and operating quality, since deviations in the bending angle when bending about an axis parallel to the axis of the relative displacement of the actuating element and locking arm have less of an effect on the radial dimensions of the actuating element than deviations Bending about an axis transverse to the relative displacement, as is the case with the conventional actuating elements with their longitudinally oriented and bent tongues in this direction of the relative displacement.

In order to ensure that the actuating element and locking arm slide on more smoothly, the actuating section has a bevel on its rear side. This also results in a material-friendly design, which also contributes to high functional reliability by avoiding scratches, grooves or the like.

Preferably, an arrangement is provided for a good lever ratio during the unlocking process, in which the unlocking surface is arranged on the locking arm in its back terem section. In this way, the unlocking element can be kept structurally relatively small and the amount of the movement required for unlocking can also be kept small, which overall also contributes to a reduction in the size of the housing.

This advantage mentioned is particularly reinforced in a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the unlocking surface is not protruded backwards by any section of the locking arm.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention also provides that the actuating element is slidably mounted in a recess of the contact carrier parallel to the insertion axis. On the one hand, this ensures functional reliability through optimal guidance for the displacement of the actuating element between the passive position and the active position, and on the other hand, the actuating element is closer to the center of the housing, which results in the smallest possible size. A further embodiment of a plug connector according to the invention is characterized in that the actuating element (26) has an enlarged cross section and/or a corresponding reduction in cross section is arranged on the housing in the displacement path of the actuating element from its passive position to the active position, the working path of the actuating element from the passive position thereby being reduced limited to the active position and is smaller than the path of the actuating section from its position in the passive position to overrun the rear limit of the locking arm. This safely prevents the actuation section from getting behind the end of the locking arm, springing back into or almost into its original position, so that the locking arm and the actuation element are inextricably hooked and remain fixed in this position.

A connector according to the invention can also be characterized in that a cover and a second, oppositely oriented insertion opening for a further connector are arranged on the side opposite the first insertion opening and are preferably also equipped with a locking arrangement. Of course, it is particularly preferred to use a locking arrangement of the type described so far, since this ensures the shortest possible overall length of such a cable connector coupler for connecting cables with similar cable connectors.

According to a further feature of the invention, the inner length of the housing corresponds to the length of the locking arm parallel to the insertion axis for conventional plug connectors, in particular in the form of a plug or chassis socket. This makes the minimum possible housing dimension possible and allows plug sockets to be provided with a very small overall depth, which enables a further reduction in their overall depth for applications such as video walls or very flat devices.

This advantage is further enhanced if another socket is needed for these applications on the rear side of the connector according to the invention, and it is provided that the insertion axis of the second insertion opening is oriented transversely to the insertion axis of the first insertion opening. Advantageously, at least one preferably electrically conductive component is anchored to the housing and/or the contact carrier, which component runs up to the cover and is mechanically and preferably also electrically conductively connected to it. In addition to the grounding connection between the two plug-in openings, this structure also ensures the mechanical cohesion of the entire arrangement of the socket.

The connectors according to the invention are preferably designed in such a way that at least one of the insertion openings and its contact carrier and electrical contact elements is designed for connection to a data connector, preferably an RJ45 connector.

For a better understanding of the invention, it is explained in more detail with reference to the following figures.

They each show in a greatly simplified, schematic representation:

1 shows a preferred embodiment of a plug socket according to the invention in a perspective view;

FIG. 2 shows the plug socket of FIG. 1 in an exploded view; FIG.

Fig. 3 shows the socket of Figure 1 in a longitudinal section along the vertical center plane.

4 shows a preferred embodiment of the contact carrier and the actuating element of the locking device of the socket of FIG. 1 in a perspective view;

FIG. 5 shows the contact carrier and the actuating element of the locking device of the plug socket of FIG. 1 in a view in the radial direction from above of the actuating element;

Fig. 6 shows the actuating element of the embodiment of Figs. 1 to. 5 in perspective view from the front;

Fig. 7 shows the actuating element of the embodiment of Figs. 1 to. 5 in a perspective view from behind;

Fig. 8 shows the actuating element of the embodiment of Figs. 1 to. 5 in side view;

9 shows the actuating element of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 5 in a rear view; 10 shows a longitudinal section through an embodiment of a plug socket according to the invention and its locking arrangement in the locked position, with the cable plug inserted;

11 shows a longitudinal section through the embodiment and arrangement of FIG. 10, in the unlocked position.

As an introduction, it should be noted that in the differently described embodiments, the same parts are provided with the same reference numbers or the same component designations, it being possible for the disclosures contained throughout the description to be applied analogously to the same parts with the same reference numbers or the same component designations. The position information selected in the description, such as top, bottom, side, etc., is related to the figure directly described and shown and these position information are to be transferred to the new position in the event of a change of position. In particular, the term "front" should be understood here to mean that this is the side of the plug socket, the housing or all built-in components that is closer to the plug-in opening. Accordingly, the position designation "back" means a position that is the plug-in opening is opposite.

1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of a built-in connector according to the invention in the form of a chassis socket for a data connector, in particular an RJ45 data connector. Of course, the structure according to the invention can also be transferred to other types of plug-in connectors or couplers. The solution according to the invention can also be used for connectors according to the XLR standard, for jack plugs, for fiber optic plugs, for combinations of such systems or the like.

The electrical built-in connector of FIG. 1, shown in detail in an exploded view in FIG. 2 with all the essential components or assemblies, comprises a housing 1 with an insertion opening 2 for a complementary connector (not shown). At the insertion end, on the front side of the housing 1, a cantilevered connecting flange 3 is provided, which preferably protrudes at right angles from the housing 1 and preferably over its entire circumference. The connecting flange 3 also has through-openings Gene or partially open recesses 4, through which fasteners, typically mounting screws, rivets or. The recesses 4 are preferably positioned in two opposite corners of the connecting flange 3 , which is rectangular here, with respect to the central axis M of the insertion opening 2 . The central axis of the insertion opening 2 preferably also represents the central and longitudinal axis of the housing or of the entire connector. Of course, other outline shapes of the connecting flange 3 are also possible, for example a circular outline, a polygon, or the like Corners of the connecting flange 3 through-openings 4 may be present.

The front of the connecting flange 3 of the housing 1 is in the assembled state of the built-in connector to a plug-side flange plate 5 opposite. This has an insertion opening 6 for the complementary connector in a coaxial arrangement with the insertion opening 2 of the housing 1 . Furthermore, 5 Montagebohrun gene 7 are worked out in the flange plate, positioned coaxially to the recesses 4 in the connecting flange 3 and for carrying out the fasteners for the built-in connector for connection to a device wall, a panel or the like. Designed.

Placed directly between the flange plate 5 and the connecting flange 3 of the housing 1 and clamped between these components is a preferably plate-shaped seal 8 for sealing against the device wall, the control panel or the like. This seal 8 has a central cutout 9, which corresponds in size to at least one plug-in opening 2 and which is arranged coaxially thereto. Preferably, the central cutout 9 is delimited by a circumferential sealing lip 10, the inner diameter of which is slightly smaller than that of the insertion openings 2, 6 and which thus projects radially into the insertion openings 2, 6 and, when the complementary connector is inserted, the ringför-shaped gap between the Outside of the plugged connector and the Einstecköff openings 2, 6 seals. At the location of the mounting holes 7 of the flange plate 5 and the recesses 4 of the connecting flange 3 are also in the seal 8 through-openings 11 worked out for the fasteners. In addition to sealing the insertion openings 2.6 when the complementary plug-in connector is inserted through the sealing lip 10 of the seal 8, the possible speed of a seal in the unplugged state can also advantageously be provided. For this purpose, at least one radially projecting connecting strip 12 is formed on the seal 8 . A sealing plug 13 is attached to the outer end of the connecting strip 12, the outer diameter of which corresponds at most to the inner diameter of the insertion openings 2, 6 and which is preferably slightly larger than the inner diameter of the sealing lip 10 of the seal 8 sealing the insertion opening 2. The sealing plug is preferably 13 designed open pot-shaped. For easier handling of the sealing stopper 13 , on the side opposite the connecting strip 12 , there is a gripping tab 14 that covers the entire surface or is preferably also open and pot-shaped.

The housing 1 preferably forms an inner contact carrier 15 arranged concentrically to the central axis M in one piece. If need be, the contact carrier can also be formed by a separate plug-in part fixed in the housing 1 by any holding arrangements. Grounding contacts 16 are typically also held on the contact carrier 15 . In an embodiment in which a rear cover 23 is present in order to define a further insertion opening 24, these are preferably guided up to this cover 23. The cover 23 itself is an electrically conductive material and grounding contacts 16 and cover 23 are mechanically and electrically conductively connected, for example soldered ver.

However, the contact carrier 15 also accommodates the electrical contact elements 17, which serve to establish the electrically conductive connection with the plugged-in complementary plug connector. These contact elements 17 are part of a contact set 18, which still has at least one insulating body 19 made of electrically insulating material in its central section, which has the contact elements 17 and their opposite ends, preferably also as contact elements 20 to another connector, in their fixed relative position to each other. In the illustrated embodiment of the plug socket, the contact elements 20 are led out again through a housing cover 21, in particular through a lead-through opening 22 common to all contact elements 20 at the rear end of the housing 1. A cover 23, preferably made of metal, if necessary also made of plastic material, is on the rear side of the housing cover 21 placed and forms a protection for the contact elements 20 and another plug socket whose insertion opening 24 is oriented transversely to the central axis M of the housing 1, as illustrated by the transverse to this central or insertion axis M insertion axis N is light. However, the contact elements 17 can also be guided through the housing cover 21 to a board on or in which they are soldered.

Finally, a locking arrangement 25, 26 is also positioned in or on the housing 1, the at least one locking arm 25 of which can also be unlocked again by means of an actuating element 26. This actuating element 26, preferably a stamped and bent part, preferably with a flat or slightly curved center piece, protrudes forward beyond the end of the housing 1 on the plug-in side, so that it can be easily reached and actuated by the user. At the point at which the actuating element 26 is arranged, a radially outward-pointing recess 27 extends from the insertion opening 2 of the housing 1 and also from the insertion opening 6 of the flange plate 5, through which the actuating element 26 can be pushed onto the front side of the flange plate 5 can protrude. The seal 8 has a dome 28, which is advantageously formed in one piece and into which the actuating element 26 extends, preferably with a manually easy-to-handle operating tab 29, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is perpendicular to the central axis M of the housing 1 and also to the longitudinal axis O of the Actuating element 26 is and is bent about a transverse to the central axis M of the housing 1 and also the longitudinal axis O of the actuating element 26 axis P (see Figs. 6 to 9).

An elastic locking arm 25 is mounted on the contact carrier 15, preferably fixed in an elongated recess 30 on the upper side, which has at least one locking structure on its side facing away from the central longitudinal axis M of the housing 1, here in the form of two on the outer edge of the flat locking arm 25 has locking projections 31 which are bent up and nose-shaped when viewed from the side. With these locking projections 31, the locking arm 25 engages in the inserted state of a complementary connector K inserted into the insertion opening 2 in corresponding complementary locking structures of this connector K, preferably in at least one locking recess in a socket-shaped insertion section 38 of this connector, and secures it thereby against unintentional or unintentional pulling out of the insertion opening 2, as can be seen in FIG. To when plugging of the complementary connector to enable or facilitate snapping of the locking projections 31 into the locking sau recess, these have a starting bevel in a known manner. The locking arm 25, which runs essentially straight over a large part of its length and is preferably made of metal, extends in the exemplary embodiment shown, starting from its fastening point in the front region of the contact carrier 15, closer to the insertion opening 2, towards the rear end of the housing 1. Instead, it could also extend in the direction of the insertion opening 2. Other shapes are also possible for the locking arm 25, for example the U-shaped form shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in which a straight leg of the U-shaped locking arm 25 rests on the contact carrier 15 and is supported there. The bent section of the locking arm 25 adjoining the front leg is bent backwards by 180 degrees with the locking projections 31 .

In order to disengage the locking arm 25 from the locking structure of the plugged-in connector K and to release it for pulling out of the plug-in opening 2, the actuating element 26 is, starting from a passive position shown in the drawing figures, in which it moves maximally over the housing 1 protrudes forward, parallel to the longitudinal center axis M of the housing 1 and the contact carrier 15 to the rear into an active position. For this purpose, the actuating element 26 is slidably mounted on the contact carrier 15, preferably above the locking arm 25 and preferably also in the recess 30 of the contact carrier 15, in order to ensure optimal guidance of the locking arm 25 and actuating element 26 relative to one another.

When actuating element 26 is shifted from the passive position to the active position, an actuating section 32 on actuating element 26 preferably acts on an inclined surface 33 as the unlocking surface of locking arm 25 and bends it in the direction of central axis M of housing 1 and contact carrier 15, whereby the locking projections 31 disengages from the locking structure in the socket-shaped plug-in section 38 of the plugged-in connector K and thereby releases the sen to be pulled out of the plug-in opening 2 . The inclined surface 33 is preferably in any form of the locking arm 25 at its end opposite the insertion opening 2 ent. If the actuator 26 is released again by the user, so moves the spring-elastic locking arm 25 s back into its initial position, whereby it also pushes the actuating element 26 back into its passive position.

In order to achieve a particularly short construction of the actuating element 26 and thus of the entire socket, the actuating section 32 is arranged at the extreme rear end of the actuating element 26 . As can be seen clearly in FIGS. 4 to 9, the actuation section 32 is not pushed backwards by any other section of the actuation element 26, i.e. in the direction of its longitudinal axis, in the direction of the longitudinal center axis M of the housing 1 or in the direction of the Shift from passive to active position, surmounted. The rear edge of the actuation section 32 forms, preferably together with its base section on the actuation element 26, the rear end face or face of the actuation element.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4 to 9, the actuating element 26 has two tabs 39 projecting laterally from the essentially flat or slightly curved central part. Such a cross-sectional enlargement or another type of cross-sectional enlargement could also be provided on only one side. These tabs 39 , which are preferably located in the front section, closer to the insertion opening 2 , or other types of cross-sectional enlargements, interact with at least one corresponding stop 40 on the housing 1 . A cross-sectional reduction corresponding to the stop 40 in the displacement path of the actuating element 26 from its passive position P to the active position A, in which the locking arm 25 is deflected out of its locking position, can be worked out in one piece with the housing 1 or mechanically connected to it as a separate element.

The advantageous mode of operation of the system of tabs 39 and stops 40 is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, from which it can be seen that the working path of the actuating element 26 is limited from the passive position P to the active position A, since further movement in the same sense of movement by the concern of the tab 39 on the stop 40 is prevented. The length of the working path of the actuating element 26 is denoted by db. Together with the actuating element 26, its actuating section 32 is also displaced from its position in the passive position P of the actuating element 26 in the direction of the active position A. Without limitation could the actuation sab section 32, the rear end of the locking arm 25, in particular the rear boundary of the inclined surface 33, run over. The way in which this undesired state would occur is denoted by dv. When determining the length of this path, parallel to the longitudinal center axis M of the Ge housing 1, the deflection of the locking arm 25 must of course be taken into account, on the basis of which the rear end is offset slightly towards the rear of the housing 1.

In the passive position P of the actuating element 26, the distance between the tab 39 and the stop 40 and thus the working path db between the passive position P and the active position A is selected to be smaller than the path dv. this reliably prevents the actuation section 32 from getting behind the end of the locking arm 25 and thus remaining fixed in this position in an inextricably hooked manner.

The path between the passive position and the active position could also be limited by the operating tab 29 coming to rest on the front end wall of the housing 1 .

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing figures, the actuation section 32 is formed here by at least one tongue which is bent around a bending axis O oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis O of the actuation element 26 or the longitudinal center axis M of the housing 1. This bending axis O preferably lies in the plane of the actuating element 26, coaxially to the longitudinal axis through the flat or slightly curved central part of the actuating element 26. Preferably, the actuating section 32 has a bevel on its rear side. The rear end of the actuating element 26 is also easy to manufacture due to its open shape, since mechanical or manual effort for separating parts that are hooked together in the bulk goods container of the production plant can be avoided. Furthermore, deviations in the bending angle when bending the operating section 32 about the longitudinal axis of the operating element 26, ie parallel to the direction of the relative displacement of the operating element 26 and the locking mechanism 25, only slightly affect the radial dimension of the operating section 32. This means that even with a greater scattering of the bending angle in production, there is always one sufficient deflection of the locking arm 25 for unlocking the plug connection, which leads to reproducible functional safety and quality of service.

The inclined surface 33 on the locking arm 25 is preferably arranged in its rear section in order to be able to keep this component short while still having sufficient leverage so as not to use too much force to move the actuating element 26 from the passive position to the active position must. It is therefore also advantageous for the locking arm 25 that the unlocking surface is not protruded backwards by any section of the locking arm 25 . It is also particularly advantageous if no section of the actuating element 26 protrudes beyond the unlocking surface 33, even if this is pushed to the maximum in the active position.

Instead of cooperating inclined surfaces on the actuating element 26 and locking arm 25, only one of these components could have such an inclined surface and the other of these two parts could have a projection cooperating with the inclined surface. A separate spring-elastic element could also be present, which urges the locking arm 25 into the locked position and/or another spring-elastic element could be provided to push the actuating element 26 back into the passive position when it is released by the user.

Instead of a spring-elastic design of the locking arm 25, it could also be mounted pivotably on the contact carrier 15 and be acted upon by a separate spring element into the position in which it engages in the locking structure of the complementary connector plugged into the housing 1.

A connector according to the invention can, in an embodiment as a coupling for two connectors of the same type, preferably for cable connectors, have a second, oppositely oriented insertion opening for a further connector on the side opposite the first insertion opening, which is also equipped with a locking arrangement of the type described so far. This means that the shortest possible overall length can also be achieved for such hitches. As can be clearly seen in Fig. 3, the housing 1 of a connector in the form of a plug socket or chassis socket has an inner length up to the rear cover 21, which coincides with the rear end of the locking arm 25 or with the rear end of the Actuating element 26 in its maximum active position in which it is shifted backwards in its entirety. This means that housing 1 and thus plug sockets with a very low construction depth in the insertion direction are much shorter. This applies in particular to the embodiment shown as an example in the drawings 1 to 3, in which another plug socket with an insertion opening 24 is arranged on the rear side of the housing 1, the insertion axis N of which is transverse to the longitudinal central axis M of the housing 1 or transverse to the insertion axis of the first Insertion opening 2 is oriented.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the actuating element 26 located in the passive position is secured against further displacement forward in the direction of the insertion opening 2 by a stop element 35 interacting with the contact carrier 15 and/or the housing 1 . This stop element 35 is preferably a punched-out tongue that extends in the longitudinal direction of the actuating element 26 and is bent up at the front, i.e. closer to the insertion opening 2, out of the plane of the middle section of the actuating element 26. Between the stop element 35 and the flat or slightly curved center piece of the actuating element 26, a cut-out 36 is provided.

In the same way, according to an advantageous embodiment of the actuating element 26, another cut-out 37 can be provided between the flat or slightly curved central piece of the actuating element 26 and the actuating section 32. Both the actuating section 32 and the stop element 35 can also be worked out of the actuating element 26 without cutouts 36, 37, for example by punch cutting.

The exemplary embodiments show possible variants, it being noted at this point that the invention is not limited to the specifically illustrated variants of the same ben, but rather that various combinations of the individual variants are possible and this possibility of variation is due to the The teaching of technical action through a concrete invention lies within the ability of the person skilled in the art working in this technical field.

List of reference numbers housing 36 cut-out insertion opening 37 cut-out connecting flange 38 insertion section recess 39 tab flange plate 40 stop insertion opening mounting hole M longitudinal center axis seal O bending axis cutout K cable connector sealing lip P passive position A active position through-opening connecting strip sealing plug grip tab contact carrier grounding contact contact element contact set insulating body contact element housing cover lead-through opening cover insertion opening locking arm actuation element recess dome Operating tab Recess Locking projection Operating section Sloping surface Bevel Stop element

Claims

P atentClaims

1. Electrical plug connector, in particular chassis socket, for producing an electrical plug connection with a complementary plug connector, in particular egg nem cable plug, with a housing (1) in which a first insertion opening (2) is formed, into which a complementary plug connector is inserted in the direction of a A plug-in axis can be plugged in, with at least one contact carrier (15), with at least one electrical contact element (17) which is held in the contact carrier (15), with a locking arrangement (25, 26) for the complementary connector, comprising at least one elastically deflectable or displaceable locking arm (25), each with at least one first locking structure (31), in particular a locking protrusion, which, when the complementary connector is fully inserted, couples into a second, complementary locking structure of this complementary connector, at least at least one actuation element (26) which, starting from a passive position (P) can be manually moved into an active position (A), preferably parallel to the insertion axis, at least one actuation section (32) on the actuation element (26), preferably an actuation projection, which in the active position (A) engages the locking arm (25) and keeps its locking structure (31) out of engagement with the complementary locking structure, and at least one unlocking surface (33), preferably an inclined surface, on the locking arm (25), on which the actuating section (32) engages in the active position (A), characterized in that the actuating section (32) is formed by at least one tongue which is oriented about a bending axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the actuating element (26) and/or the insertion axis (M). (O) is bent over and located at the extreme rear end of the actuator (26) and rearwardly from any portion of the actuator (26). is surmounted and thus forms a rear Stimendseite of the actuating element (26).

2. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the actuating section (32) has a bevel (34) on its rear side.

3. Connector according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the unlocking surface (33) on the locking arm (25) is arranged in its rear section.

4. Connector according to claim 3, characterized in that the unlocking surface (33) of any portion of the locking arm (25) and / or the actuating element (26) is protruded backwards.

5. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the actuating element (26) in a recess (30) of the contact carrier (30) is mounted displaceably parallel to the insertion axis.

6. Connector according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the actuating element (26) has an enlarged cross section and/or on the housing (1) a corresponding reduction in cross section in the displacement path of the actuating element (26) from its passive position (P) to the Active position (A) is arranged, whereby the working path (db) of the actuating element (26) from the passive position P to the active position A is limited and smaller than the path (dv) of the actuating section (32) from its position in the passive position ( P) until the rear limit of the locking arm (25) is passed.

7. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that on the side opposite the first insertion opening (2) there is a cover (23) and a second, oppositely oriented insertion opening (24) for a further connector and preferably also with a locking arrangement, in particular a locking arrangement according to claims 1 to 7, is equipped.

8. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the inner length of the housing (1) corresponds to the length of the locking arm (25) parallel to the plug-in axis.

9. Connector according to claim 8, characterized in that the insertion axis (N) of the second insertion opening (24) is oriented transversely to the insertion axis of the first insertion opening (2).

10. Connector according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the housing (1) and / or the contact carrier (15) at least one preferably electrically lei border component (16) is anchored, which extends up to the cover (23). and is connected to this me mechanically and preferably also electrically conductive.

11. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that at least one of the insertion openings (2, 24) and its contact carrier and electrical contact elements (17, 20) is designed for connection to a data connector, preferably an RJ45 connector.