GB2197546A

GB2197546A - Electrical connectors

Info

Publication number: GB2197546A
Application number: GB08717888A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lothar Muller
Original assignee: Festo SE and Co KG
Current assignee: Festo SE and Co KG
Priority date: 1986-07-29
Filing date: 1987-07-28
Publication date: 1988-05-18
Anticipated expiration: 2007-07-28
Also published as: GB2197546B; GB8717888D0; DE3625675A1; FR2602376B1; IT1220195B; FR2602376A1; DE3625675C2; IT8784961A0

Abstract

An electrical connector half particularly for solenoids comprises a shell 10 in which a carrier with pins or sockets is releasably secured. Two carriers 16 may be provided, each carrier being provided with a different arrangement of pins or sockets 18, 19, 20 to enable the connector half to be connected to mating halves with different arrangements of sockets or pins. Alternatively, the carrier 35 may be provided with different contact arrangements and/or forms on two opposite surfaces 36, 37. By removing, inverting and re-inserting the carrier, the connector is adapted for connection to a different arrangement of complementary contacts. The carrier may be connected directly to the cable passing into the shell (Fig. 1). Alternatively the shell may be provided with contacts 26, 27, 28 connected to the cable and engageable with complementary contacts on the carrier. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Electrical connectors The invention relates to halves of electrical connectors and more particularly but not exclusively to an electrical plug or a receptacle therefor (i. e. the one connector half) for solenoids, comprising a connector shell and an inserted internal carrier which has the contact pins or pin sockets necessary for cooperation with a cable-mounted or device-mounted mating connector half, and terminals adapted for connection with a cable.

The specific arrangement of the contact pins or the pin sockets is intended to ensure that the individual leads of the cable connected with the connector half are correctly matched with the load, i. e. without any danger of incorrect insertion of the connector plug into the connector receptacle and consequent connection with the incorrect wires. It is more especially in the case of operating systems for solenoids that incorrect connection could lead to malfunction which would damage the equipment and possibly cause injury.

If in such equipment control and operating components such as solenoids are replaced for modernisation, for adaptation to provide a more complex system or for repair, it may well happen that the new components have a different pin configuration, for example as a result of a different industrial standard. In such a case it has so far been necessary for al the respective connectors to be replaced and this involves on the one hand the danger of confusing terminals and on the other hand high costs owing to the use of high-quality, expensive connector halves.

It may sometimes be the case as well that although a new standardisation of contact configurations in connections is definitely planned, some time elapses before it is introduced. In this case all new equipment will have to be provisionally fitted with the old connectors in the certain knowledge that they will have to be replaced in the near future.

This leads to major refitting costs and idle times while the equipment is being altered.

One object of the present invention is to devise an electrical connector half which may be employed for at least two different contact pin configurations.

A further aim of the invention is to provide such a connector half which may be rapidly and efficiently modified for use with the other of such two configurations.

In order to achieve these or other objects appearing herein, in accordance with the invention one half of an electrical multi-pin connector is provided of the type comprising a plug as one half and a receptacle as the other half to receive said plug with the production of multi-pole connection by means of pins of one half and pin sockets of the other half, the pins and the sockets being provided in respective inserted internal carriers in said halves, wherein said half comprises an outer shell and at least two such internal carriers which are interchangeable and correspond to different pin layouts.

In accordance with a further aspect of the invention one half of an electrical multi-pin connector is provided of the type comprising a plug as one half and a receptacle as the other half to receive said plug with the production of multi-pole connection by means of pins of one half and pin sockets of the other half, the pins and the sockets being provided in respective inserted internal carriers in said halves, wherein the internal carrier in said one half has at least two outer surfaces corresponding to different pin layouts and/or to different shapes of pins.

The replacement or turning around of the internal pin carrier means that the connector half may be readily and simply altered for use with the other contact configuration. The shell of the connector half then remains unmodified.

If the internal pin carrier is replaced adptation to any number of contact configurations becomes possible. If on the other hand the internal pin carrier itself has different contact arrangements and/or contact forms which are selected by turning the internal pin carrier around, the connector half may be then admittedly be only used for a limited number of different contact configurations, but however the connecting terminals remain joined to the wiring so that during modification there is no chance of any wire terminals being confused.

Further features and improvements are covered by the claims defining the invention.

A particularly rapid and simple rearrangement of the internal pin carrier in the shell-of the connector half shell is made possible by having snap-in carriers. Such a snap-in action is then preferably to take place automatically when the internal pin carrier is pulled out with a certain force. The terminals adapted to be connected with wiring may be in the form of cable gripping means such that the gripping action is produced either by set screws or by the use of a crimp design. The second possibility means that the internal carrier may be replaced in a particularly rapid manner.

The terminals adapted for connection with wiring on the internal pin carrier may also however be in the form of plug-in terminals, there being a mating connector half connected with the cable and either being integrated in the connector half shell or being able to plugged into it in a releasable manner. This design offers the advantage that the wiring may then be fixed or permanently joined to the other connector half in the shell of the connector half, and for modification there is no question of its having to be detached again. Different internal pin carriers may then be inserted alternatively, such insertion auto matically producing the correct electrical connections.Furthermore the rearrangement of a single internal pin carrier is facilitated by this inasfar as on withdrawing, turning round and re-inserting the internal pin carrier it is not necessary to pay attention to the wiring. Accordingly crushing or twisting off of the terminals is efficiently precluded.

Three embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawing and will now be described in more detail.

Figure 1 shows the first working example of the invention in the form of an electrical connector half with interchangeable internal pin carriers in longitudinal section, the internal pin carrier being adapted for direct connection with wiring.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the connection shown in Fig. 1 with a first internal pin carrier as seen from below.

Figure 3 is a corresponding view looking down onto a second internal carrier.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a further embodiment of a connector half with interchangeable internal carriers, the latter being electrically connectable by way of pin contacts.

Figure 5 shows an internal carrier for use with the connector half of Fig. 4 Figure 6 shows a longitudinal section taken through a connector half with a reversible internal pin carrier.

Figure 7 is a view from above of the connector half of Fig. 6.

The first working example of the invention comprises a pot-like connector shell 10 with a rectangular cross section having a tubular lateral cable grip 11 whose internal space is in communication with the interior of the pot-like shell. There is a round shoulder in the cable grip 11 against which a retainer ring 12 of elastic material bears and a metal disk 13 is placed so as to abut the outer end of the retainer ring 12. A tubular member 14 with a male thread is screwed into the female thread of the cable grip 11. It has a hex nut 15 at its outer end to be gripped by a wrench.

An internal carrier 16 may be inserted through the lower opening of the connector shell 10 so that it is held in place therein by detent teeth 17, same fitting into corresponding wells in the connector shell 10. These detent teeth 17 have to be rounded in form to make it possible for the internal carrier 16 to be pushed out of the shell, for example by inserting a screwdriver through the cable grip 11, the force applied thereby releasing the detent connection. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the internal carrier 16 has three slot-like contact sockets 18 through 20, of which one contact socket is to be seen in Fig. 1. At the inner end of the contact socket 18 (and obviously at the end of the other contact sockets as well) there is a resilient yoke 21 arranged in the internal carrier 16, into which one wire of a cable introduced through the cable grip 11 may inserted.For making an electrical connection a part of the contact yoke 21 in the form of a wire gripping part 22 has a set screw or as an alternative it may be made so as to grip the wire itself by a crimping effect in a manner frequently to be found in the present-day electrical wiring systems.

For connecting the connector half with an electric cable the latter is pushed through the cable grip 11 and into the pot-like interior of the connector shell 10 so that the individual wires, in the present case three in number, may be connected with the wire gripping parts at the three contact sockets 18 through 20. After this the internal carrier 16 is inserted into the connector shell 10 so that it snaps into place. Lastly the tubular member 14 is screwed home so that the retainer ring 12 is deformed and the cable firmly clamped.

Fig. 3 shows a further internal carrier 23 which may be inserted into the connector shell 10 so as to be interchangeable with the internal carrier 16. This internal carrier 23 has a different configuration of the contact sockets 25 through 26, the sockets 25 and 26 more especially having a U-like cross section. If the pin configuration of the mating connector half on a cable on in the form of a set of pins on a device is different it is only necessary to replace the internal carrier 16 by a suitable matching internal carrier, as for example by the internal carrier 23. It is in this manner that the connector shell 10 may continue to be used even if the pin configuration has to be changed to comply with a different standard.

In the second embodiment of the invention to be seen in Figs. 4 and 5 wire gripping parts 24 are set in a floor part of the shell 10 of a receptacle 25' for use with a plug connector half. This receptacle 25' has three contact pins 26 through 28 of which the contact pin 26 is electrically connected with the wire gripping part 24. Other corresponding electrical connections for the contact pins 27 and 28 are not shown. One internal carrier 29 again has a detent tooth 30 and a retainer shoulder 31 to fit into corresponding wells in the connector shell 10 for a detent effect and to hold the internal carrier securely in place.

Contact sockets 32 through 34 are provided on the surface, directed into the interior of the connector shell, of the internal carrier 29. The contact pins 26 through 28 fit into these sockets when the internal carrier 29 is inserted and produce an electrical connection.

These contact sockets 32 through 34 are electrically connected with the contact sockets 1 8 through 20 on the opposite surface of the internal carrier 29. If the contact configuration of the device connected by means of the connector half is to be changed, it is merely necessary to withdraw the internal carrier 29 from the connector shell 10 so that it may be replaced by another one which has the differ ent array of the contact sockets or such sockets with a different shape. When this is done the cable joined by means of the wire gripping parts 24 will remain unchanged so that on the one hand such interchange may take place very quickly and on the other hand there is no danger of connections being confused when reconnecting.To pull out the internal carrier 29 it is possible to use means which are not shown, as for example an opening through which a screwdriver may be inserted to push against the back of the internal carrier 29 or the retainer shoulder 31.

In the further embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the connector shell 10 has an internal carrier 35 which has different configurations of contact sockets on two opposite outer surfaces 36 and 37. One of these configurations is shown in plan view in Fig. 7. Two respective contact sockets on the outer surfaces 36 and 37 are interconnected by means of a connecting member 38 which is crimpingly connected with a wire gripping part 39. The wire gripping parts of all contact sockets are arranged on the outer surface, turned towards the cable grip 11, of the internal carrier 35. A cable channel 41 molded in the connector shell ensures that the cable is entrained when the internal carrier 35 is pulled out.

This cable is firstly electrically connected with the internal carrier 35 with the latter remoed from the shell. After this the internal carrier 35 is plugged into the connector shell 10 and locked in placed by means of detent or other retaining means not shown in Figs. 6 and 7. If the contact configuration is to be changed, the internal carrier 35 is pulled out, turned round and replaced in the connector shell 10 so that the outer surface 37 of the internal carrier 35 with the modified configuration of contact sockets is to the outside. It is in this manner that a new connector means may be provided without requiring additional parts.

Combinations of the embodiments shown may also be expedient. It is for example possible to have a reversible internal carrier as in Figs. 6 and 7 combined with the arrangement of the mating connector half or receptacle 25' as in Figs. 4 and 5 so that on pulling out, reversing and re-inserting the internal carrier 35 the cable does not have to be pulled out as well. Given a suitable layout of the contacts on the outer surfaces 36 and 37 it is possible for the contact pins 26 through 38 to fit directly into the latter. If this should not be the case, separate contact sockets have to be provided.

It is furthermore possible not merely to have two outer surfaces with contact sockets as in Fig. 6 but a larger number of them so that there is a larger number of contact configurations to be used in a single connector half.

The mating connector half 25' as in Fig. 4 does not in every case have to be a unit integrated with the shell 10 and it may be a separate component able to be plugged into it. It may then be screwed in place or held by detent means, this also being true of the internal carriers.

The connector shell 10 and the. corresponding internal carriers are preferably made of plastic.

It is naturally possible for the contact sockets in the internal carriers as shown and described to be replaced by other contact pins, knife contacts and the like. A hybrid arrangement is also possible.

Claims

1. In an electrical multi-pin connector of the type comprising a plug as one half and a receptacle as the other half to receive said plug with the production of multi-pole connection by means of pins of one half and pin sockets of the other half, the pins and the sockets being provided in respective internal carriers in said halves, said one half comprising an outer shell and at least two such internal carriers which are interchangeable and correspond to different pin layouts.

2. In an electrical multi-pin connector of the type comprising a plug as one half and a receptacle as the other half to receive said plug with the production of multi-pole connection by means of pins of one half and pin sockets of the other half, the pins and the sockets being provided in respective internal carriers in said halves, the internal carrier in said one half having at least two outer surfaces corresponding to different pin layouts and/or to different shapes of pins.

3. In an electrical connector as claimed in claim 2, said outer faces being arranged to be opposite to each other.

4. In an electrical connector as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, disconnect detent means being provided for retaining said carrier in said shell.

5. In an electrical connector as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the internal carrier having terminals thereon for connection with separate wires of a multi-pole cable by a clamping effect.

6. In an electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, said terminals having set screws for engaging said wires.

7. In an electrical connector as claimed in claim 5, said terminals being adapted to be crimped onto said wires.

8. In an electrical connector as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, an internal pin and socket means being provided within said shell for providing a disconnect connection between said cable and said internal carrier and allowing such carrier to be turned round or replaced simply by disconnecting and reconnecting said internal pin and socket means.

9. In an electrical connector as claimed in claim 8, said internal pin and socket means comprising a set of pins integrated in said shell.

10. In an electrical connector as claimed in claim 9, said set of pins being able to be disconnected from said shell.

11. A solenoid connected with said one half of an electrical connector as claimed in any preceding claim.

12. An electrical connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs.

1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

13. An electrical connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs.

4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

14. An electrical connector substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs.

6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.

15. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter herein disclosed in the foregoing Specification or Claims and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.