WO1997001198A1

WO1997001198A1 - Plug connector with shorting jumper

Info

Publication number: WO1997001198A1
Application number: PCT/DE1996/000883
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ernst Liebich
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 1995-06-20
Filing date: 1996-05-20
Publication date: 1997-01-09

Abstract

The proposed plug connector comprises a housing consisting of two housing halves (1, 2) whose end faces are to be joined together. Each housing half is provided with a series of contact chambers (3) each of which is provided with contact elements (7) and shorting jumpers (8). Each shorting jumper (8) of a contact chamber (3) is in contact via apertures (5, 6) with two contact elements (7) of the opposite housing half (2). The plug connector is provided with a device (20, 21) which ensures correct alignment of the two housing halves (1, 2) when joined.

Description

Connectors with short-circuit jumpers

The invention relates to a connector with a housing made of insulating material, which has at least two parallel rows of mutually opposite contact clips with contact elements and short-circuit bridges, each short-circuit bridge in a contact chamber via an opening between the rows of contact chambers under spring tension bears on two contact elements in opposite contact chambers and with a plug body consisting of insulating material, which lifts the short-circuit bridge from at least one contact element when the housing and plug body are coupled.

Such a connector is known from WO 93/07662. This known connector has a housing made of insulating material with contact chambers, in which contact elements are arranged in a row and at least one contact spring is provided in a row parallel to this. The contact spring connects two contact elements as short-circuit bridges. With a connector body consisting of insulating material, which is designed with a series of contact pins or knives intended to be inserted into the contact elements and in a parallel row for each short-circuit bridge with an interrupter element made of insulating material, the coupling can the short circuit bridges are lifted from the above contact elements by the housing and the plug body. A two-leg contact spring with a spring base, at least one contact leg and a U-shaped bend is provided as the short-circuit bridge for connecting two contact elements. The contact leg springs freely and rests with a contact directly on the transition area of the contact elements. The spring work is done exclusively by the short-circuit bridge. Spring shape and position of the contact guarantee an optimal spring action with low actuation forces. The contact elements which can be electrically connected to one another by the short-circuit bridges and are arranged in adjacent contact chambers in such connectors consist of conventional contact elements with a connection area, a contact area and a transition area between the connection and contact area. So far, those with a crimp connection area have mainly been used as contact elements.

It has been found that this known plug connector is in need of improvement in terms of its ease of installation, in particular if such contact elements with a so-called IDC connection area are to be used in the contact chambers. In the previous assembly ^'' of such connectors, it is in fact necessary when An¬ hit the wires in the IDC contact elements to the Lei¬ obligations from both sides in the contact elements einzu¬ press or the housing by striking the lines turn on one side by 180 ° in order to attach cables to the other side of the housing.

The present invention has for its object to further develop the connector of the type mentioned in such a way that processing of the connector is easier, in particular when using contact elements with IDC connection areas.

This object is achieved in the case of a plug connector of the type mentioned at the outset in that the housing of the plug connector has two flat halves to be joined to one another, each with one of the two rows of contact chambers, and with a device for assembling the two halves of the housing in the correct position, that the short-circuit bridge in one contact chamber of one housing half comes to rest on the contact elements in the contact chambers of the other housing half, each of the two housing halves on its side the opposite half of the housing facing in the area of contact elements and short-circuit areas is provided with one or more openings.

The design of the connector according to the invention with two housing halves allows rational manufacture and assembly of the connector. It is not necessary to turn the housing during the mounting process. Only after the two halves of the housing have been completely equipped with short-circuit bridges, contact elements and connected lines are the two contact halves manually or manually detected by suitable production robots and assembled in the correct position with their surfaces previously lying on the assembly. The layering is done with a suitable device, such as. B. guide lugs and Funrungsnuten on the two housing halves of the plug-in condenser.

Advantageously, the two housing halves are designed identically, so that only a common injection mold is necessary for the two precise halves. One half of the housing has to be rotated 180 degrees during assembly. The two halves of the housing, each containing a single row of contact chambers, can be joined together, for example, by means of molded guide elements, which enable them to be pushed exactly into position A-m to the direction of the plug connector. Pushing the two halves of the housing together is advantageous in order to block them through the openings. or contact window protruding features of the short-circuit bridges.

On the other hand, a movable connection of the two housing halves in the form of a suitable swivel joint device can also be provided instead of the guide elements mentioned. Suitable for this purpose is, for example, a hinge molded on the edge of the two housing halves or a film hinge molded on the edge of the two housing halves. The two housings are put together by simply folding it up. The advantage of this solution is that the two housing halves belonging together are firmly connected to one another and can therefore never be mixed up. Furthermore, this solution also allows very inexpensive production. The two housing halves are folded together along an axis which is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the contact chambers.

The short-circuit bridge preferably consists of a contact spring with a spring base mounted on the inside of an outer wall of one of the housing halves and at least one freely resilient contact leg which is connected to the spring arm base at each end via a cross-sectionally U-shaped bend. In addition, the contact leg is preferably provided with a protrusion protruding through an opening of the respective housing half or with a bridge segment protruding from the contact window of the housing half. The two-leg design of the short-circuit bridges, in cooperation with the connection of the two spring legs via a U-shaped bend, results in an extension of the spring legs, which leads to a significant increase in the permissible spring travel.

The design of the short-circuit bridge ensures an optimal spring effect with low actuation forces.

According to a further development of the invention, the spring base is provided with two tabs, which latch when two short-circuit bridges are inserted into the associated contact chamber of a housing half on two projections of the inner wall of the contact chamber. This ensures a secure mounting of the short-circuit bridges within the contact spring. The latching connection between the short-circuit bridge and the inner wall of the associated contact chamber also provides an assembly aid which effectively prevents the short-circuit bridge from slipping within the contact chamber. The contact chambers provided in the respective housing halves of the connector for receiving the shorting bridges can be provided with at least one web projecting into the interior of these contact chambers, over which the U-shaped bend of the shorting bridge is pushed. The spring base of the short-circuit bridge can be clamped between the web and the inner wall of this contact chamber. For the sake of simplicity, the web is arranged as an injection-molded plastic web in the lower area, as seen from the plug body, within the contact chamber and prevents the short-circuit bridge, or the spring base of the short-circuit bridge, from lifting off the contact surface of the opposite inner wall of the contact chamber when loaded, ie when the plug body is inserted into the housing or when joining the two housing halves.

The contact elements are preferably provided on their side facing the associated short-circuit bridge with a so-called contact wart. Such an embodiment allows reliable contacting and thus a so-called cross-contact with the short-circuit bridge.

Various contacts can be used as contact elements in the contact chambers of the housing halves. Crimp contacts and IDC contacts are particularly suitable for this. With both contacts, care must be taken to ensure that the opposite features or bridge segments of the short-circuit bridges, which protrude through openings in the opposite housing half, are opposite a sufficiently large contact area of the contact element, into which the contact wart can be incorporated, in order to ensure good contact To give short circuit contact. For this purpose, the IDC contact element in particular has to be provided with a sufficiently large floor area which lies between the connection area and the contact area of the IDC contact element. The aforementioned characteristic is incorporated into this sufficiently large floor area. The housing halves are preferably provided in the area of the contact chambers with the short-circuit bridges arranged therein on the surface facing away from the respective housing half with a suitable plastic cover, so that on the one hand the short-circuit bridges are effectively protected against contamination and on the other hand an undesired short circuit on the rear of the housing halves is excluded . This plastic cover is preferably molded onto the respective housing half.

Further advantageous configurations of the connector according to the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing. It shows:

FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a connector with two housing halves to be pushed onto one another in a perspective view,

FIG. 2 shows a housing half in section through a contact chamber with a short-circuit bridge inserted,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a contact element with an IDC connection area for insertion into a contact chamber of the housing halves of the connector of Figure 1 and

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of a connector with two collapsible housing halves interconnected via a swivel joint in a perspective view.

Unless otherwise stated, the following figures denote the same reference symbols, same parts with the same meaning. For the purpose of disclosure, is expressly on WO 93/07662 already mentioned at the outset, in which similar connectors are already described in detail. In order to avoid unnecessary repetitions, reference is explicitly made to this publication to explain the same or similar parts.

The connector shown in FIG. 1 has 2 housing halves 1, 2 made of insulating material to be pushed onto one another. A plurality of adjacent contact chambers 3, 4 for short-circuit bridges 8 and contact elements 7 is arranged in each of the housing halves 1, 2, the longitudinal axes of the contact chambers 3, 4 running parallel to one another and parallel to the front longitudinal walls of the respective housing 1, 2 lie. The contact chambers 3, 4 extend through the entire height of the respective housing halves 1, 2. Provide the two housing halves 1.2 smd with molded-on guide elements 21, 22, which enable the two housing halves 1, 2 to be positioned precisely in the direction of insertion of the connector. As the arrow P in FIG. 1 shows, the housing half 1 is pushed from bottom to top, the guide elements 21, 22 mentioned intermeshing.

In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the two housing halves 1, 2 are of identical design, with each of the two housing halves 1,2 being rotated by 180 degrees to push the two housing halves together. Each of the two housing halves 1, 2 is provided on its front edge surface 1 a, 2 a with a tab 21 projecting out to the respective other housing halves 2, 1, which has a guide groove 23 on its side pointing towards the center of the respective housing halves is provided. On the opposite end face 1 b, 2 b, the respective housing half 1, 2 is provided on the edge facing the other housing half 2, 1 with a projection 22 which extends over the entire edge and forms a further guide element. This projection 22 engages in the mentioned groove 23 of the tab-shaped guide element 21 at Sliding the two halves of the housing together 1.2 em. These two guide elements 21, 22 ensure that they are pushed onto one another in an exact position. Instead of this specifically described guide elements 21, 22, other suitable guide elements can of course also be provided for pushing the two housing halves 1, 2 precisely onto one another.

After the two housing halves 1, 2 have been pushed onto one another, these two housing halves 1, 2 lie flat against one another with their flat surfaces 1 c and 2 c. As can be seen from FIG. 1, m these plate surfaces 1 c, 2 c openings ozw. Contact window 5.6 incorporated. In the exemplary embodiment shown, four such contact windows 5, 6 are provided. The contact windows 5, 6 each have a quadrangular outer contour and the entire circumference of the smd is surrounded by half-housing parts. The contact windows 5, 6 are aligned such that a short-circuit bridge 8 with more than one protrusion 13 projects through the contact window 6 into the contact chamber 3, which has a T-shaped cross-sectional contour at its upper outlet opening (the chamber itself is adapted to the short-circuit bridge shape) . The two contact windows 5 are designed and arranged in such a way that they are identified from the oeiden with the reference number 4. Contact chambers with inserted contact elements

Contact parts, which preferably have an indentation 41, appear. The housing half 1 lying opposite the housing half 2 is also provided so that contact elements and the contact chamber marked with the reference number 3 are used in the two contact chambers marked with the reference numerals 4 and a short-circuit bridge with two protrusions protruding through the invisible contact window.

If the two housing halves 1, 2 so populated are pushed onto one another with the aid of the guide elements 21, 22 mentioned, this ensures in the contact chamber 3 the housing half 2 inserted shorting bridge 8 thanks to the protrusions 13 protruding from the contact spring 6 for the fact that the two contact elements inserted into the contact chambers 4 of the housing half 1 are short-circuited. The Kurz¬ inserted into the contact chamber of the housing half 3 1 brucke circuit ^ensures' that the m with the reference symbols 4 contact chambers of the housing half 2 marked contact elements used also short-circuited smd.

As soon as a connector body made of insulated material, which also belongs to the connector and is described in detail in WO 93/07662, is coupled with the two housings which are connected to one another, a sword of the connector body engages in the opening of the contact chamber 3, as a result of which the course - Final bridge 8 with its characteristics 13 m the associated contact chamber 3 is pushed back, whereby the short circuit of the opposite two contact elements is canceled.

This principle is clear from FIG. 2. The sword of the connector body is marked with the reference symbol 30 and protrudes through the upper opening of the contact chamber 3. The short-circuit bridge 8 consists of a two-legged contact spring with a spring base 10 and at least one contact leg 11, at one end above one in cross section U-shaped bend 12 is connected to the spring base 10. The spring base 10 is mounted on the inside of an outer wall of the housing half 2 (or 1). This outer wall preferably consists of a plastic cover 50 which is molded onto the outer surface of the housing halves 1, 2 in the region of the short-circuit bridges 8. This is shown for the housing half 2 in FIG.

As further shown in FIG. 2, the contact leg 11 can spring freely and is provided with a protrusion 13 which projects out of the contact window 6 and which is U-shaped or V-shaped in cross section. The whole The short-circuiting bow according to FIG. 2 corresponds approximately to the design of the short-circuiting bow in WO 93/07662, which is why reference is expressly made to this publication for the purposes of the disclosure. As soon as the sword 30 of the connector body belonging to the connector is pressed further downward, reaching behind the end of the short-circuit bridge 8, the entire contact leg 11 including the configuration 13 m pushes back the interior of the contact chamber 3. In order to ensure that the short-circuit bend 8 is held well within the contact chamber, the short-circuit bracket is provided at its free end in the area of the spring base 10 with two tabs 14 which contact the contact chamber 3 of the housing half 2 when the short-circuit bridge 8 m is inserted latch two projections 15 or lugs of the housing wall or the inner wall of the plastic cover 50. In addition, a web 16 m projects the interior of the contact chamber 3, via which the U-shaped bend 12 of the short-circuit bridge 8 is shot. As shown in FIG. 2, the spring base 10 of the shorting bridge 8 is preferably clamped between the web 16 and the inner wall of the plastic cover 50. This web 16 integrally molded onto the inner wall of the contact chamber prevents the spring base from being lifted off the inner wall of the plastic cover 50 when the short-circuit bridge 8 is loaded.

As can further be seen from the perspective view in FIG. 1, the rear side of the housing halves 1, 2 in the area of the contact chambers 4 for the contact elements can be designed such that IDC contact elements can be used which can be contacted by lines. For this purpose, the housing halves 1, 2 are made freely accessible in the area of the IDC connection of this IDC contact element and are provided with a centering funnel 27 for the lines which are printed into the IDC contact elements of the IDC contact element. In order to avoid pushing or pulling the contact elements out of the respective contact chambers 4 of the housing halves 1, 2, the housing halves 1, 2 are on their rear side each provided with windows 28, m the primary locking elements of the IDC contact elements can snap into place.

An IDC contact element suitable for this is shown in perspective in FIG. The contact element 7 has emen ID C-terminal region 42 ^'which is connected through a Verbmdungssteg with base plate 40 at a contact region 43, here a Fe derkσntakt. The bottom surface 40 is the area of the contact element 7 which shines through the contact window 5 (see FIG. 1) and is contacted by the short-circuit bridge of the opposite housing half. For reasons of better contact between the short-circuiting bridge and the bottom surface 40 of this contact element 7, a shape, a so-called contact wart 41, is preferably incorporated into the bottom surface 40. This contact lug 41 ensures safe contacting with the associated short-circuit bridge (cross contact). In contrast to the previously known. According to IDC contact elements, contact element 7 in connection area 42 is modified in accordance with the invention. The insulation displacement clamps 46, which are folded out of the bottom wall 44 of the connection area 42 between the side walls 45, are folded out of the bottom wall 44 with the same direction. The bending lines 47 are selected such that the cutting clamps 46 are bent from the bottom wall 44 by 90 degrees in the direction of the contact area 43 of the contact element 7. The two insulation displacement clamps shown in FIG. 3 are thus bent up in the same direction out of the bottom wall 44, while in the IDC contact elements known to date with two insulation displacement clamps, these are folded towards one another. According to the invention, care must be taken to ensure that the bottom surface 44 which is covered by the

Contact window 5 of the housing halves 1, 2 appear, or lie behind these contact windows 5, is sufficiently large to ensure reliable contacting by means of the opposite short-circuit bridge 8.

FIG. 4 shows a further exemplary embodiment of two housing halves 1, 2, of a connector according to the invention shown. In contrast to the guide elements 21, 22 described in FIG. 1, these two housing halves 1, 2 are connected to one another via a suitable swivel joint device 20 in order to be able to be folded up in accordance with the arrows shown in FIG. The swivel joint device 20 in FIG. 4 is a film hinge which is integrally formed on the two housing halves 1, 2. The two housing halves 1, 2 are thus joined together by simply folding them together. The advantage of this solution is that the two housing halves 1, 2 to be joined are firmly connected to one another and can therefore never be confused. Furthermore, this solution allows the connector to be manufactured very inexpensively. Otherwise, the connector shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the connector in FIG. 1.

Claims

claims

1. Connector with an existing insulating material housing (1,2), which has at least two parallel rows of mutually opposite contact chambers (3,4) with contact elements (7) and short-circuit bridges (8), each short-circuit bridge (8) m one Contact chamber (3, 4) rests via an opening (11, 12) between the rows of contact chambers under spring tension on two contact elements (7) m opposite contact chambers (3, 4) and with a plug body (30) made of insulating material. Which, when the housing (1) (2) and plug body (30) are coupled, lifts the short-circuit bridge (8) from at least one of the contact elements (7), characterized in that the housing

(1, 2) has two housing halves (1, 2) to be joined flat, each with one of the two rows of contact chambers (3, 4) and with a device (20, 21 / for joining the two housing halves (1, 2) in the correct position. in such a way that the short-circuit bridges (8) or short-circuit bridges (8) in the contact chamber (3) of one housing half (1) on αen contact elements (7) m in the contact chambers (4) of the other housing half (2) comes to concern, each of the oeiden Gehäus¬ helped (1,2) on their opposite housing halves (2,1) facing surface (1 a, 2 a) in the area of the contact elements (7) and short circuit bridges (8) one or more openings (11, 12) is provided.

2. Connector according to claim 1, so that each of the two housing halves (1, 2) is provided with guide elements (21) which allow the two housing halves (1, 2) to be pushed onto one another in a precise position.

3. Connector according to claim 2, characterized in that each of the two housing halves (1,2) with guide elements (21) verse hen, which allows the two halves of the housing (1, 2) to be pushed onto one another in the insertion direction.

4. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the two housing halves (1,2) are connected via ^'a swivel joint means (20) integral with each other, wherein the Drehgelen¬ means (20) comprises a folding of the two Gehäusehälf¬ th (1,2) along an axis (A) parallel to the longitudinal axes of the contact chamber (3, 4).

5. Connector according to claim 4, so that the rotary joint device (20) is a film hinge which is integrally formed on the front side of the two housing halves (1, 2).

6. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the short-circuit bridge (8) from a contact spring (9) with a ge on the inside of an outer wall of one of the housing halves (1,2) spring base (10) and at least one freely resilient contact leg (11), which is connected at one end via a cross-sectionally U-shaped bend (12) to the spring base (10), and that the contact leg (11) with one through the opening (5) Half of the housing (1, 2) is provided with an outstanding shape (13).

7. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the spring base (10) is provided with two tabs (14) which when inserting the short-circuit bridge (8) into the contact chamber (3) of the housing half (1st , 2) engage on two projections (15) of the housing inner wall of the contact chamber (3).

8. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the contact chambers provided for receiving the short-circuiting bridges (8) (3) of the housing halves (1, 2) are provided with at least one web (16) projecting into the interior of the contact chamber (3), over which the U-shaped bend (12) of the short-circuit bridge (8) is pushed .

9. Connector according to claim 8, so that the spring base (10) of the short-circuit bridge (8) is clamped between the web (16) and the inner wall of the contact chamber (3).

10. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 9, so that the contact elements (7) have an expression (13) on the side facing the short-circuit bridge (8).

11. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 10, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the Kontakt¬ elements (7) are crimp contacts.

12. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the Kontakt¬ elements (7) are IDC contacts, in which a bottom surface (40) with an expression (41) between the connection area (42) and contact area (43rd ) of the IDC contact is provided.

13. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 12, d a d u r c h g e k e n z e i c h n e t that in the Kon¬ contact chambers (3,4) of both housing halves (1,2) contact elements (7) and short-circuit bridges (8) are arranged.

14. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that each housing half (1, 2) in the region of the contact chambers (3) with the short-circuit bridges (3) on the respective other housing half (2, 1) ) facing surface is provided with a plastic cover (50).

15. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that each of the housing halves (1,2) on its surface facing the opposite housing half (2,1) facing its own recess (5,6) for each contact chamber (4) is provided with a contact element (7) and the opposite housing half (2, 1) is provided with a corresponding recess for the forms (13) of the short-circuit bridges (8).