Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
  • H01R13/627—Snap or like fastening
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
  • H01R13/627—Snap or like fastening
  • H01R13/6271—Latching means integral with the housing
  • H01R13/6273—Latching means integral with the housing comprising two latching arms
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/62—Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement
  • H01R13/639—Additional means for holding or locking coupling parts together, after engagement, e.g. separate keylock, retainer strap

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a connector, in particular for airbag restraint systems according to the preamble of claim 1.
• a connector is known from DE 100 35 726 AI.
• Such connectors are subject to the highest demands in several respects with regard to the security of the connection made and the insertion process of a connector into its mating connector.
• the plug-in connection is designed for a very long service life, during which fatigue of the plug seat must not occur.
• a connector with a secondary locking device in which a secondary locking device is pushed into a slot between a primary locking tongue and the connector housing during the insertion process of the connector into a corresponding mating connector and after a primary locking device has snapped in, in order to fill this slot and prevent the primary lock from retracting from its locked position.
• the secondary locking tongue In the final state, the secondary locking tongue is constantly under elastic tension, so that material fatigue and possibly material breakage can occur in the long term. If pieces of the secondary locking tongue fall out of the slot, a secondary locking would therefore no longer be guaranteed. At least the correct fit of the connector would in its mating connector can no longer be guaranteed.
• an electrical plug in which an electrical contact between complementary plugs is made only towards the end of the plugging process in that a spring is tensioned during the plugging process, when a predetermined spring force is exceeded and after its spring travel has been released pushes the plugs into each other.
• DE 198 47 872 AI describes an ignition bus housing with a secondary locking device that is biased by a spring during the insertion process and, after the connector locking device engages, is pushed by spring force over the connector locking device and blocks it in its latched position.
• a spring clip acting as a safety device ensures that the secondary locking can only take place when the connection of the plug has been completed.
• DE 100 35 726 AI shows a contact carrier in which a secondary locking device is retained during the insertion process until the locking device is engaged.
• a spring tension builds up, the discharge of which pushes the secondary lock into its end position. This takes place after the spring tension has become large enough due to the spring compression to overcome an elastic resistance which is formed by an elastic compressible clamp.
• the present invention has for its object to further develop a connector of the type mentioned in such a way that the secondary locking is spring-assisted and brought into its end position at a predetermined moment during the insertion process, but in the end state it rests essentially mechanically stress-free.
• the present invention is based on the idea of building up a spring force during the plug-in process with which the secondary locking device is "catapulted” into its end position after the primary locking device has snapped in, where it then rests when the spring elements are essentially relaxed.
• Fig. 7 unlocking the connector from its mating connector.
• the housing is designed in two parts and consists of a plug-side part housing 3 and a housing part 2 facing away from the plug side, which are locked together.
• the plug-side housing part 3 has locking arms 4a, 4b, with which the plug connector 1 is locked in a mating connector 7 (FIG. 3).
• a secondary locking device 5 which has tongues 6a, 6b which, after the locking arms 4a, 4b have been locked in the mating connector 7, fill a gap between the connector body and the locking arms 4a, 4b and thus pivot the back Prevent locking arms 4a, 4b from their locking position.
• the secondary locking device 5 has locking arms 8a, 8b (FIG. 2), which, as will be explained in more detail below, are shaped in the form of a tuning fork in the exemplary embodiment shown, with bevelled free ends on which there are locking lugs pointing outwards. With these free ends, the secondary locking is supported at the beginning of the insertion process of the connector in its mating connector 7 on the edges of a slot in the mating connector.
• the secondary lock 5 is shown in the Embodiment attached via four helical compression springs to the rear housing part 2 seen in the direction of insertion. The compression springs are aligned coaxially to the direction of insertion. In the delivery state, ie the two housing parts 2, 3 are locked together, the compression springs 10a to 10d are either not compressed at all or only very slightly. A low compression serves to protect the connector from rattling.
• the rear housing part 2 has, on opposite sides, longitudinal slots in the plug-in direction, from which webs 13a, 13b, which are formed on the secondary locking device 5, protrude.
• a release aid 12 is slipped onto these webs 13a, 13b via slots 14 in their side walls, which at least partially encloses the housing 2, 3.
• This release aid can be shifted by an operator in the opposite direction against the action of the force of the compression springs 10a to 10d, the locking tongues 6a, 6b and the latching arms 8a, 8b being pulled out of the counterplug and the plug connection being able to be released.
• FIG. 2 shows the delivery state of the connector, in which, as already explained above, the compression springs 10a to 10d are essentially relaxed and the free ends 11a, 11b of the latching arms 8a, 8b are arranged in a protected manner in the plug part of the partial housing 3.
• Fig. 3 shows the connector 1 the moment it is snapped on the mating connector 7, that is, has just come into contact with it. The free ends Ha, 1 lb of the latching arms 8a, 8b rest on the end face of the mating connector 7. Otherwise, FIG. 3 does not differ from FIG. 2.
• Fig. 4 the end position of the connector 1 in the mating connector 7 is shown, i.e. the locking arms 4a, 4b are locked behind shoulders of the mating connector 7, not shown here.
• the insertion process was carried out against the spring force of the compression springs 10a to 10d, which are now almost completely compressed.
• the latching arms 8a, 8b are still supported on the edges of the slots mentioned in the mating connector 7. This changes abruptly immediately after the locking arms 4a, 4b are snapped in.
• Fig. 5 shows this state, i. H.
• a slight pressure load in the plug-in direction of the connector 1 causes the locking arms 8a, 8b to be pushed away from the edges of the slots in the mating connector 7 by ramps arranged on the housing part 3, and the locking arms 8a, 8b to slide off due to the force of the compression springs 10a to 10d are catapulted into the slot, so that the secondary locking device 5 snaps into its end position, the tongues 6a, 6b being inserted into the slots behind the locking arms 4a, 4b.
• Fig. 6 shows this state again, but with the spread free ends 1 1a, 11b of the locking arms 8a, 8b are shown, with which the secondary locking 5 has locked in the mating connector 7.
• Fig. 7 shows the unlocking process, wherein the release aid 12 is pulled against the action of the compression springs 10a to 10d in the opposite direction. The secondary lock 5 is thus released from the mating connector 7, so that the secondary locking of the locking arms 4a, 4b is released and a further pull on the release aid 12 pulls the connector 1 out of the mating connector 7.
• the plug-in connection produced in this way only permits unambiguous states which are clearly perceived by the user.
• the "locking" of the secondary lock is clearly audible and ends in a clearly locked state due to the pressurization.
• the connector according to the invention ensures increased security, which is particularly important when used as an airbag connector.

Landscapes

• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Air Bags (AREA)

Priority Applications (8)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=32009815

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (20)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 2002
  • 2002-09-11 DE DE10242074A patent/DE10242074B3/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-09-10 CN CNB038217082A patent/CN100414780C/zh not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-10 EP EP03797292A patent/EP1540778B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-10 ES ES03797292T patent/ES2287564T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-10 JP JP2004537036A patent/JP2005538530A/ja active Pending
  • 2003-09-10 AU AU2003260502A patent/AU2003260502A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-09-10 CA CA002498380A patent/CA2498380A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-09-10 MX MXPA05002469A patent/MXPA05002469A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2003-09-10 US US10/526,593 patent/US7238039B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-10 AT AT03797292T patent/ATE361561T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-09-10 BR BRPI0314426A patent/BRPI0314426B1/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-09-10 DE DE50307189T patent/DE50307189D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-09-10 WO PCT/EP2003/010070 patent/WO2004027938A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2003-09-10 KR KR1020057004089A patent/KR20050057297A/ko not_active Withdrawn

Patent Citations (3)

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