WO1996009665A1

WO1996009665A1 - Electric plug connector

Info

Publication number: WO1996009665A1
Application number: PCT/DE1995/001268
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hans-Heinrich Maue; Werner Hofmeister; Uwe Steinhauser; Karlheinz Schultheiss
Original assignee: Robert Bosch Gmbh
Priority date: 1994-09-23
Filing date: 1995-09-15
Publication date: 1996-03-28
Also published as: DE4434030A1; EP0730788A1

Abstract

An electric plug connector is to be made in such a way that it is of compact construction, sealed against outside influences, especially damp, and operates reliably even when subjected to vibration. The plug connector has a sealing plate (18) of elastic material which is fitted in a recess in a plug housing (14) and can be pressed by deformation on conductors (36) leading to contacts (30) of a plug (12). In a bearing shoulder (24) in the plug housing (14) is inserted a radial frame-shaped seal (22) which is axially and radially pressed by a socket (46) when the plug (12) is connected thereto. This plug connector is preferably used in motor vehicles for components fitted to the engine which generates vibration when running.

Description

Electrical connector

State of the art

The invention is based on an electrical connector according to the preamble of claim 1. Electrical plug connections are known in which the releasable coupling of a plug to a mating plug takes place without sealing elements and the contact elements which are connected to mating contact elements are mounted in a contact carrier with a narrow grid spacing. If the electrical plug connections are installed in a motor vehicle, such unprotected plug connections can lead to the penetration of moisture and vapors, which can affect the electrical conductivity of the plug connection as a result of corrosion processes.

Particularly in the case of motor vehicles with engines in 4-valve technology and units which are mounted directly on the engine, accelerations act on the plug connections as a result of shaking movements, so that in the case of coupled plug connections between assigned contact elements, one

EfiSArZBlAI (RE6 £ L 26) Plug and contact parts of the mating connector relative movements can occur within the scope of the bearing clearances. This means that the contacting surfaces of the contact elements and the contact parts can rub through, and the contacts are then made via the less well contacting carrier material of these elements, as a result of which the contact reliability of the plug connection is no longer guaranteed.

Furthermore, electrical plug connections are known which have sealing elements compared to the plug connections described above. The contact elements of the plug and the contact parts of the mating connector of the plug connection are then respectively stored in individual chambers of the contact carrier, the grid spacings of which are comparatively large, since the sealing elements, for example individual wire seals, are also present in the chambers. As a result, the construction volume of the plug connection is comparatively large with the same number of poles, and in individual cases the construction volume of the plug connection turns out to be larger than that of the assigned control device. This can lead to handling difficulties in an undesirable manner, particularly when the plug connection is used in the engine compartment of a motor vehicle given the limited space available there.

Advantages of the invention

The plug connection according to the invention with the characterizing features of claim 1 has the advantage that the aforementioned shortcomings are avoided and a reliable plug connection is realized.

The at least one sealing element, which is non-positively fixed when the plug is coupled to the counterplug, realizes a plug connection which has a compact structure, which is sealed and which remains functionally reliable even with shaking accelerations.

SPARE BLADE (RULE 26) drawing

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing and detailed in the following description. 1 shows the plug of the plug connection, broken down into its main components, in a perspective view, and FIGS. 2 to 4 show parts of the plug in sectional representations, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the mating plug in a radial or Axial section, FIGS. 7 and 8 the complete plug in various views and FIGS. 9 to 10, partially sectioned, the plug before contacting the mating plug, and FIG. 11 shows a side view of the one with the mating plug contacted plug in the end position of the assembly corresponding to a closed position of the connector.

Description of the embodiment

In the exemplary embodiment, a plug 12 is shown in FIG. 1 as part of a plug connection. This comprises as main components a connector housing 14 made of plastic, which is designed as a grip shell, two interlocking contact carriers 16 made of plastic, which can be inserted into the box-shaped connector housing 14, a sealing plate 18 either made of a rubber-elastic or one elastic gel-like material, which can be inserted into a space provided for this purpose in the connector housing 14 via the contact carrier 16 and can be axially compressed by means of a pressure plate 20, a frame-shaped sealing element 22, which rests on an abutment shoulder 24 and a circumferential line in the same direction, with recesses in some areas provided shoulder 25 (FIG. 2) of the connector housing 14, a locking lever 26 for closing and opening the connector, which is pivotably mounted on a holder 28 of the connector housing 14, contact elements 30 (FIG. 4) which

€ RSÄTZBLAπ (REGEL26) in chambers 32 of the contact carrier 16 can be inserted in a latching manner, at which contact elements 30 on the one hand end on connection sections 34 (FIG. 3) electrical leads 36 are attached and on the other hand contact sections 35 are formed, a comb-shaped slide 38 which acts as an additional axial pull-out protection for the contact elements 30 from the contact carriers 16 and as an assembly control for the contact elements 30 transversely to the direction of assembly of the contact elements 30 in recesses 40 of the plug housing 14 and a cover 42 which covers the pressure plate 20 and the sealing plate 18 against direct exposure to media, for example, jet water, protects.

In Figures 2 to 11 further details of the plug connection are disclosed, which are described below.

If necessary, the electrical lines 36 are fastened to the connector housing 14 with a tensioning strap 44 (FIG. 7) when they exit.

The plug connection has, in addition to the plug 12 as its counterpart, a mating plug 46 which can be coupled to it via contact parts 45 (FIGS. 5, 6). The mating connector 46 is part of a control device, not shown; alternatively, it can also be attached to a unit as a fixed connection. The mating connector 46 has a circumferential collar-shaped receptacle 47 (FIG. 2) for the non-positive connection with the sealing element 22 of the connector 12.

The prepositioned connector 12 is pulled into the mating connector 46 by a pivoting movement of the locking lever 26 in the direction of an arrow 48 (FIG. 9). The pivot connection of the locking lever 26 is converted into a linear movement of the connector 12 towards the mating connector 46 by the guidance of bolts 50 which are attached to it

Protrude along the mating connector 46 (FIGS. 5, 6,

ERSÄTZBLAΠ (REGEL26) 9, 10, 11) in scenes 52, which are formed in the side walls of the U-shaped locking lever 26 made of plastic or sheet metal. The bolts 50, which each have a circumferential collar 54 at their free ends, are guided in a radially secured manner in the link 52 designed as a groove with a T-shaped cross-sectional area. In the basic positions of the locking lever 26, firstly in an assembly position, not shown, in which the contact elements 30 can be inserted into the assembly unit consisting of the plug housing 14, contact carrier 16, sealing plate 18 and pressure plate 20, secondly in an open position (FIGS. 9, 10), in which plug 12 and mating plug 46 can be plugged together and thirdly in a closed position (FIG. 11) in which the plug movement between plug 12 and mating plug 46 has been completed, the locking lever 26 is assigned first, second and third latching elements 56, 58, 60 (Figures 9, 11) securely locked.

When the plug connection is transferred from the open position into a closed position, the processes described below result.

The plug connection is in the axial direction corresponding to the feed and release direction of the connector 12 and mating connector 46 by grooves 62 in the mating connector 46 (FIG. 5) and springs 64 sliding in the grooves 62 in the connector 12 (FIGS. 4, 7) and in the direction transverse to the axial direction extending radial direction through first guide surfaces 66 on the mating connector 46 (FIG. 5) and through second guide surfaces 68 on the connector 12 (FIG. 7), the assignment being ensured by coding elements 69 (FIG. 8).

The lines 36, which are led through assigned openings in the sealing plate 18 and the pressure plate 20, are positively enclosed by the sealing plate 18 by their axial pressing and are radially sealed (FIG. 3).

REPLACEMENT LEAFS (RULE 25) The sealing element 22, which is mounted as a radial seal on the plug housing 14, has circumferential, radially directed sealing lips 76 on the outside (FIGS. 3, 4). When the connector 12 is brought together with the mating connector 46, these sealing lips 76 are gripped by the receptacle 47 of the mating connector and deflected in the axial direction as the merging progresses. The merging of the connector 12 with the mating connector 46 ends by the abutment of a counter shoulder 70 of the mating connector 46 on an end face 78 of the sealing element 22 facing the mating connector 46 (FIG. 2). The counter shoulder 70 is radially directed, circumferential and thereby excluded in some areas so that when the connector 12 is merged with the mating connector 46, the parts of the shoulder 25 which are not excluded plunge into the recesses in the counter shoulder 70.

With the non-positive contact of the receptacle 47 and the counter shoulder 70 on the sealing element 22, damped fixing between the connector 12 and the counter connector 46 in the axial and radial directions is achieved. For larger radial movements, the connector 12 can be supported on the mating connector 46 by means of a shoulder-shaped stop 72 (FIG. 2) of the connector housing 14.

The arrangement and design of the sealing plate 18 and the sealing element 22 results in a plug connection in the previously described deformation, which is compact and leakproof and has a high resistance to shaking.

The following features are explained in more detail as further advantageous refinements of the plug connection.

The connector 12 and the mating connector 46 have an oval shape on the outer contour. This allows the

Plastic injection of the walls reduce sink marks

ERSAΓZBLAΓT (REGR 26} and increase manufacturing accuracy. The contact shoulder 24 and the connector housing 14 are equally oval in shape, with which softer transitions between the longitudinal and transverse sides of the connector housing 14 and the contact shoulder 24 are achieved and larger radii are achieved in the transition points. This ensures a secure tightness of the interior of the plug connection via the sealing element 22.

The corresponding guide elements 62, 64 and 66, 68 enable precise guidance between the connector 12 and counter connector 46. They are designed so that they form a basic guide. The fine guidance takes place during an advanced plugging process between the contact part 45 of the mating connector 46 and a corresponding opening 74 on the end face of the chamber 32 in the plug housing 14 and contact carrier 16

(Figure 3). This results in a step guidance and an exact fixation of the contact carrier 16 to the contact parts 45 and a reliable contacting of the contact elements 30 with the contact parts 45 of the mating connector 46.

The plug 12 is constructed in such a way that the plug housing 14 is equipped with the contact carriers 16, the sealing plate 18 and the pressure plate 20 from one direction, and this enables the assembly to be simplified. This pre-assembly group is equipped with contact elements 30 from the same direction through the pressure plate 20 and the sealing plate 18 into the respective chambers 32 of the contact carrier 16.

An additional, axial pull-out securing of the contact elements 30 is achieved with the slide 38. At the same time, when the slide 38 is assembled, the contact elements 30 are selectively queried for correct assembly, as a result of which a high level of assembly reliability can be achieved.

ΪRSATZBLÄTT (REGEL26) The baffles 52 are designed such that a dead center is passed through before reaching the closed position of the plug connection, in which a reversal of movement of the plug 12 to be applied to the mating plug 46 occurs. As a result, in the event of a tensile load on the connector 12 in the sense of a solution of the plug connection, a counter-strengthened, closing torque occurs at the plug connection.

The contact carriers 16 have the same shape, as a result of which the large number of parts of the plug connection is reduced.

The contact elements 30 are rounded in the assembly and disassembly direction on outer edges so that they can be inserted through the openings in the sealing plate 18 without damaging the sealing plate 18.

REPLACEMENT SHEET (RULE 28)

Claims

Expectations

1. Electrical plug connection, with a plug (12) having a plug housing (14), which can be detachably coupled to a counter plug (46), with at least one, arranged in the plug housing (14), of electrically insulating Plastic existing contact carrier (16), in which at least one chamber (32) is arranged and in which a contact element (30) is mounted, which is connected with a connecting section (34) to an electrical line (36) and via ei¬ A contact section (35) can be electrically conductively connected to a contact part (45) of the counter plug (46), characterized in that the plug connection has at least one sealing element (18, 22) which, when the plug (46) is coupled to the mating plug (46) 12) is non-positively fixed.

2. Plug connection according to claim 1, characterized in that the mating connector (46) has a receptacle (47) with rounded corner transitions for frictional engagement with the sealing element (22) mounted on the connector (12) as a radial seal.

SPARE BLADE (REG 2Q