WO2018024462A1

WO2018024462A1 - Hermaphroditic electrical contact element

Info

Publication number: WO2018024462A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/067768
Authority: WO
Inventors: Karsten Krome
Original assignee: Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2016-08-01
Filing date: 2017-07-13
Publication date: 2018-02-08
Also published as: DE102016114179A1

Abstract

A hermaphroditic contact element (1) for making electrical contact with a further contact element (1) identical to the contact element (1) comprises a pin section (14) and a plurality of contact blades (13), which protrude from the pin section (14) along a longitudinal axis (L) and are offset from one another circumferentially around the longitudinal axis (L), wherein the pin section (14) is designed, when the contact element (1) is connected to a further contact element (1) identical to the contact element (1), to come into electrical contact with contact blades (13) of the further contact element (1). In this manner, a hermaphroditic contact element is provided which allows favourable electrical contact to be made with a further, identical contact element, is simple to produce and can have a favourable plug-in behaviour.

Description

HERMAPHRODITIC ELECTRICAL CONTACT ELEMENT

The invention relates to a hermaphroditic contact element for electrical contacting with a contact element of identical construction, further contact element.

Contact elements of this type are used for electrically connecting two electrical conductors. Conventionally, contact elements of a contact pair may be formed on the one hand as a contact pin and on the other hand as a contact socket. To make the electrical contact of the contact pin is inserted into the contact socket, so that the contact pin electrically contacted with the contact socket. The contact socket can in this case be formed by a number of elastically resilient contact blades to a certain extent, which simulate a socket geometry and define an insertion opening for insertion of the contact pin.

In addition, so-called hermaphroditic contact elements are known which enable a plug-in connection of structurally identical contact elements. Such hermaphroditic contact elements are known, for example, from DE 10 2005 054 590 A1, EP 2 360 792 B1, EP 1 965 470 B1, US Pat. No. 2,389,115, DE 1 003 31 1 B and US Pat. No. 2,745,076.

In a hermaphroditic contact element pair known from DE 10 2005 054 590 A1, for example, two diametrically opposite contact blades with a concave curvature are provided on a contact element, which can make contact with contact blades of a further, structurally identical contact element.

In a hermaphroditic contact element known from EP 2 360 792 B1, contact lamellae project from a socket and can be plugged into the socket of a further, identical contact element for plug-in connection of two contact elements.

Object of the present invention is to provide a hermaphroditic contact element available because a favorable electrical contact with another, identical contact element allows easy to manufacture and can have a favorable plug-in behavior. This object is achieved by an article having the features of claim 1.

Accordingly, the hermaphroditic contact element has a pin portion and a plurality of contact lamellae projecting from the pin portion along a longitudinal axis, circumferentially offset from one another about the longitudinal axis. The pin portion is formed, upon contact of the contact element with an identical to the contact element, another contact element with contact blades of the further contact element to reach electrically contacting in Appendix. The hermaphroditic contact element thus has, on the one hand, a pin portion and, on the other hand, a plurality of contact blades projecting from the pin portion along a longitudinal axis. In this way, on the hermaphroditic contact element, on the one hand, a pin geometry as in a conventional contact pin and, on the other hand, also a socket geometry as in a conventional contact socket is realized. If the hermaphroditic contact element plugged into another, identical hermaphroditic contact element, the pin portion of the one, first contact element with the contact blades of further, second contact element electrically contacting in contact, while the contact blades of a first contact element with the pin portion of the other, contact the second contact element.

The contact blades are preferably longitudinally along the longitudinal axis of the pin portion and are long along the longitudinal axis. The hermaphroditic contact element can thus be connected along a plug-in direction, which is directed parallel to the longitudinal axis, with a further, identical contact element by the contact elements are pushed together along the plugging direction.

The contact blades preferably each have a contact point for electrical contacting with a pin portion of the further contact element at an end remote from the pin portion. The electrical contact between the contact blades of the contact element and the pin portion of the further contact element is thus produced via the contact points on the contact blades. Characterized in that the contact blades of the one, first contact element and the contact blades of the further, second contact element at spaced along the longitudinal axis locations with the pin portion of the first and the second Contact element contact, two groups of contact points between the first contact element and the second contact element are formed, which are longitudinally spaced along the longitudinal axis and thus spatially separated, so that the heating is spatially distributed to the contact elements. The heating can also take place in a region in the vicinity of a solid portion of the contact element, so that a heat dissipation can be simplified and heating of the contact element is thus counteracted.

Characterized in that a pin portion for providing a pin geometry and also a plurality of contact blades for providing a socket geometry are provided on each contact element, in addition the plug-in contact between the contact elements can be carried out in an advantageous manner. Thus, the contact blades of the one, first contact element only come into electrical contact with the pin portion of the further, second contact element when they are pushed onto the pin portion. This is done only at the end of the plug-in process, so that the electrical contact takes place only at the end of the insertion process. This has the result, on the one hand, that the plug-in force to be overcome is obtained only at the end of the plug-in process and thus the plug-in process can be carried out in a simple and easy way as a whole. In addition, this may be advantageous when inserting the contact elements under load, because arcs do not occur between the pin portion and the contact points of the contact blades, but between the longitudinal edges of adjacent contact blades, which are rather of minor importance for the electrical contact in the plugged state, so that the occurrence of Arcs at these longitudinal edges does not lead to a significant impairment of the contact quality.

The contact points may, for example, protrude radially inwards from elongate shank portions of the contact blades, so that defined contact points for contacting with the pin portion of the further, second contact element are created. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to attach a contact bead on the pin portion of the contact element and also on the pin portion of the structurally identical, second contact element, so that the contact blades of the contact element accumulate when the contact element is plugged into the further contact element on the bead and thus over the contact bead contact the pin section. The pin portion preferably has a cylindrical basic shape. For this purpose, for example, follow the longitudinal axis curved contact surfaces of the cylinder surface of this cylindrical basic shape. The pin portion may for example be solid (made of a metal material) and arrives at plug-in connecting the contact element with the associated, further contact element via its outside contact surfaces with the contact blades of the other contact element in abutment.

The contact surfaces of the pin portion preferably each extend between two adjacent contact blades, said contact surfaces are offset radially inwardly to outer sides of the contact blades. The pin portion is thus located radially within the contact blades, so that the contact blades of the further contact element can be pushed at plug-in connection to the pin portion to electrically contact with the pin portion.

The axial length of the pin portion is preferably short compared to the contact blades. For example, the pin portion may have an axial length measured along the longitudinal axis in a range between 0.1 and 0.5 of the axial length of the contact blade, for example, 0.3 of the axial length of the contact blades.

The contact blades are preferably convexly curved on their outer sides. In this case, the outer sides can follow a cylindrical shape whose cylinder axis corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the contact element, so that, when the contact elements are nested, an at least approximately closed, cylindrical contact geometry results. The contact blades are preferably circumferentially equally distributed about the longitudinal axis about the pin portion. The contact blades extend on the outside of the pin portion and thus take up the pin portion between them. Adjacent contact blades form an intermediate space between them, into which a contact blade of the structurally identical, further contact element can be inserted.

The fact that the spaces between the contact blades - compared to slots between contact blades of a conventional contact socket - are comparatively large, these gaps can be made comparatively simple and accurate such that when nested contact elements (vanishing) small slots between the contact elements of a, first contact element and the other, second contact element. This will be a (compared to conventional contact geometries) larger contact cross-section with the same space possible.

In principle, the contact element can have any number of contact blades. In a specific embodiment, the contact element may have three or four contact blades, which are preferably evenly distributed around the longitudinal axis and arranged around the pin portion.

The contact element is preferably made in one piece, for example using a forming process, e.g. by extrusion, manufactured and can be made for example of a highly electrically conductive copper material.

In a further embodiment, the contact element may have a spring element which extends around the longitudinal axis and extends around the contact lamellae, over which the contact lamellae are elastically prestressed in addition to their own elasticity. About such a encompassing spring element, in nested contact elements, the electrical contact between the contact blades of one, first contact element and the other, second contact element can be fixed by the contact blades of the further, second contact element engage in the encompassing spring element of the first contact element.

To additionally secure the contact position of the contact elements to one another, a recess can additionally be provided on the spring element with which a projection element of the further contact element arranged on one of the contact lamellae can be brought into engagement. With inserted contact elements, the connection between the contact elements is thus additionally axially fixed by the engagement of the projection element of the further, second contact element in the recess of the spring element on the first contact element.

Advantageously, in this case, both contact elements to be plugged together each have a spring element, wherein a projection element is provided on each contact lamella and a corresponding number of recesses are provided on the spring elements.

The idea underlying the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the figures illustrated embodiments. Show it: a schematic view of a connector part with contact elements arranged thereon; a view of an embodiment of a hermaphroditic contact element; a view of two identical hermaphroditic contact elements, when plugging connecting the contact elements; a view of the contact elements, in the inserted state; an embodiment of a contact element with three contact blades; an embodiment of a contact element with four contact blades; a view of another embodiment of hermaphroditic contact elements, with disposed on the contact elements spring elements; a view of another embodiment of hermaphroditic contact elements, with arranged on the contact elements spring elements, before plugging in the contact elements; and

Fig. 7B is a view of the contact elements of FIG. 7A, in the inserted state.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a connector part 3, which can be connected to an associated mating plug connector part 2 plugged. For this purpose, the connected to an electrical line 4 connector part 3 can be inserted with a plug portion 30 in a plug-in opening 20 of the mating connector part 2, so that contact elements 1 on the plug portion 30 on the one hand and in the plug opening 20 on the other hand electrically contact each other and thus electrical currents can be transmitted.

Contact elements 1 on a connector part 3 are used for producing an electrical contact, for example in a solar system or in other electrical systems or systems. Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of a contact element 1, which is formed as hermaphroditic contact element and, as shown in Fig. 3A and 3B, can be connected to a structurally identical, further contact element 1 plugged to contact electrical conductors together.

The contact element 1 is, for example, as a one-piece component made of a good electrically conductive material, such as copper. The contact element 1 has a shaft 10, on whose one end 1 1, an electrical conductor can be connected, for example by the electrical conductor is inserted into a molded into the end of 1 1 bore and connected by soldering or crimping with the contact element 1. On the other hand, the shank 10 is adjoined by a (solidly formed) collar 12, from which the actual contact geometry of the contact element 1 is formed. From the collar 12 are, along a longitudinal axis L extends, contact blades 13, which are offset from each other about the longitudinal axis L and are uniformly distributed to each other. The contact blades 13 are resilient at least to some extent and surround a pin portion 14 formed radially within the contact blades 13. From this pin portion 14 are the contact blades 13 with longitudinally extending shank portions 132 along the longitudinal axis L before.

The pin portion 14 has contact surfaces 140, which extend convexly curved along a cylindrical surface of a cylindrical portion of the form describing the pin portion 14. The contact surfaces 140 each extend between two adjacent contact blades 13 and are offset from the outer sides 133 of the contact blades 13 radially inwardly.

The contact blades 13 each have a contact point 131 in the form of a projection projecting radially inwards relative to the shaft portion 132 at ends 130 remote from the pin portion 14. About these contact points 131 which are curved on their inner sides complementary (concave) to the curvature of the contact surfaces 140 of the pin portion 14, there is a defined contact with an associated, identical, another contact element 1, namely the pin portion 14 of the other contact element 1, as shown in Fig. 3A and 3B is shown. The outer sides 133 of the contact blades 13 are curved convexly about the longitudinal axis L and thus form a cylinder jacket surface after. This results in a circumferentially nearly closed cylinder geometry, when the contact elements 1 are plugged together, as can be seen from Fig. 3B.

If two structurally identical contact elements 1 are to be connected to one another, they are, as shown in FIG. 3A, plugged into engagement along a plug-in direction E extending parallel to the longitudinal axis L. The fins 13 of a contact element 1 are in this case inserted into intermediate spaces 15 between the contact blades 13 of the other contact element 1 until the contact blades 13 run up with their contact points 131 at the ends 130 on the pin portion 14 of the other contact element 1 and thereby a defined electrical contact make between the contact elements 1. This is shown in Fig. 3B. Characterized in that the electrical contacting takes place in a defined manner via the contact points 131 at the ends 130 of the contact blades 13, created in plugged contact elements 1, shown in Fig. 3B, two groups of electrical contacting locations, which are offset axially along the longitudinal axis L to each other and correspond to the contact points of the contact blades 13 of a contact element 1 with the pin portion 14 of the other contact element 1. This leads to a heating at the contact element pair occurring at two axially staggered positions, wherein these axial positions are respectively adjacent to the (solid) collar 12 of a contact element 1, so that heat can be favorably derived from the contact elements 1. Heating of the contact elements 1 can thus be counteracted.

The fact that the electrical contact via the contact points 131 at the ends 130 of the contact blades 13 of each contact element 1, also results in a convenient, haptic pleasant plug-in operation, in which the contact blades 13 of the contact elements 1 can be pushed into each other first without much effort and a significant insertion force only at the end of the plug-in operation upon pushing the contact points 131 on the pin portion 14 of the other contact element 1 is obtained. The plugging process can thus be done with comparatively low insertion force.

Because the gaps 15 between the contact blades 13 can be comparatively large and therefore can be made relatively accurate, can at Inserted contact elements 1 (FIG. 3B) result in an at least approximately closed cylinder geometry, with comparatively small slots between the contact blades 13 of the two contact elements 1. This makes it possible to provide larger contact cross sections with the same installation space in comparison to conventional contact element pairs.

When inserting the contact elements 1, the contact blades 13 of the two contact elements 1 are first pushed between each other. When plugging under load or when releasing the contact elements 1 under load (arcs) arcs between the longitudinal edges of the contact blades 13 of the two contact elements 1 arise, but not between the contact points 131 and the contact surfaces 140 of the pin portion 14 of the two contact elements. 1 Damage to the contact elements 1 at the decisive for the electrical contacting surfaces as a result of arcing can thus be counteracted.

In the embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3A, 3B, a contact element 1 has three contact lamellae 13, which are distributed uniformly about the longitudinal axis L relative to one another. This is shown again in FIG. 4. In principle, however, a different number of contact blades 13 may be provided, for example, four contact blades 13 as shown in Fig. 5, or even an even larger number of contact blades 13th

The circumferential width of each contact blade 13 in this case corresponds in each case approximately to the width of a gap 15, so that results in plugged contact elements 1, an at least approximately closed cylinder geometry of the contact element pair.

In an embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a contact element 1 around the longitudinal axis L extended, the contact blades 13 encompassing spring element 16, also referred to as over-spring, arranged on each contact element. The spring element 16 of each contact element 1 takes in interposed contact elements 1, as shown in Fig. 6, the contact blades 13 of the other contact element 1 in itself, so that via the spring element 16, a resilient bias on the contact blades 13 in the direction of the pin portion 14th is effected and thus a defined contact force can be provided.

In one embodiment shown in Fig. 7A and 7B 1 recesses 160 are also provided on each spring element 16 of each contact element, which at Inserting the contact elements 1 with projection elements 134 on the outer sides 133 of the contact blades 13 of the respective other contact element 1 engage and thus, as shown in Fig. 7B, additionally secure the plug position of the contact elements 1. By the engagement of the projection elements 134 in the recesses 160 on the spring elements 16, the contact elements 1 are axially secured to each other along the longitudinal axis L, so that a release of the connector is possible only by canceling the positive connection and thus can hardly take place unintentionally.

The idea underlying the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can in principle also be implemented in a completely different manner.

Thus, the contact points on the contact blades may also be designed differently and in particular do not necessarily require the provision of projections for providing the contact points. For example, can be dispensed with projections for the formation of the contact points. Alternatively or additionally, a radially projecting contact bead can be arranged on the pin portion, onto which the contact blades of the respective other contact element can slide with their ends, if the contact elements are plugged together, so that defined contact points are provided in this way.

Contact elements of the type described here can be used in very different applications for connecting electrical conductors with each other and are not limited in particular to solar systems or charging systems for charging an electric vehicle.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 contact element

10 shank

1 1 end

12 fret

13 contact blade

130 end

131 contact point

132 shaft section

133 outside

134 projection element

14 pin section

140 contact area

15 gap

16 spring element

160 recess

2 mating connector part

20 plug opening

3 connector part

30 plug section

4 electrical line

E plug-in direction

L longitudinal axis

Claims

claims

1 . Hermaphroditic contact element (1) for electrical contacting with a contact element (1) of identical construction to the contact element (1), characterized by a pin section (14) and a plurality of projections projecting from the pin section (14) along a longitudinal axis (L) Contact lamellae (13) offset from each other about the longitudinal axis (L), wherein the pin section (14) is formed when connecting the contact element (1) to a further contact element (1) having contact lamellae (13) of the same design as the contact element (1) further contact element (1) to come into contact with each other electrically contacting.

Second contact element (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact blades (13) are longitudinally along the longitudinal axis (L) extending.

3. Contact element (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the contact blades (13) each at one of the pin portion (14) distal end (130) has a contact point (131) for electrically contacting with a pin portion (14) of have further contact element (1).

4. contact element (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the contact point (131) projects radially inwardly against an elongated shaft portion (133) of the respective associated contact blade (13).

5. Contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pin portion (14) has a cylindrical basic shape.

6. contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pin portion (14) about the longitudinal axis (L) curved, each between two adjacent contact blades (13) extending contact surfaces (140) which are offset radially to outer sides (130) of the contact blades (13) inwardly.

7. contact element (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the outer side (130) of each contact blade (13) convexly around the longitudinal axis (L) is curved.

8. contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact blades (13) circumferentially about the longitudinal axis (L) uniformly distributed around the pin portion (14) are arranged around.

9. contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that adjacent contact blades (13) form a gap (15) between them, in which a contact blade (13) of the identical further contact element (1) can be inserted.

10. Contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact element (1) has three or four contact blades (13).

1 1. Contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact element (1) is integrally formed.

12. Contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a circumferentially about the longitudinal axis (L) extended to the contact blades (13) around cross spring element (16).

13. Contact element (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the spring element (16) has at least one recess (160) with which a at one Contact lamella (13) arranged projection element (134) of the further contact element (1) can be brought into engagement.

14. Contact element (1) according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that at least one of the contact blades (13) has a radially outwardly projecting projection element (134) which with a recess (160) of a spring element (16) of the further contact element ( 1) can be brought into engagement.

15. Contact assembly, with a first contact element (1) according to one of the preceding claims and one to the first contact element (1) identical, second contact element (1), wherein the first contact element (1) and the second contact element (1) along a plugging direction (E) are plugged into contact with each other.