WO2019086066A1

WO2019086066A1 - Plug connector

Info

Publication number: WO2019086066A1
Application number: PCT/DE2018/100732
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alexander Hieber
Original assignee: Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2017-11-06
Filing date: 2018-08-24
Publication date: 2019-05-09
Also published as: DE102017125811A1; DE202018006398U1; CN212011336U

Abstract

The invention relates to a plug connector (1) for producing an external connection to a printed circuit board (2), wherein the plug connector (1) comprises at least one contact carrier (3) for receiving and positioning at least one angled contact (9) relative to a surface of a printed circuit board (2). The angled contact (9) has a first leg (19) facing the surface of a printed circuit board (2), and a second leg (21), which can be formed at one end of the contact (9) as a contact pin or as a contact socket. The contact carrier (3) is configured to receive at least one angled contact (9) and, for this purpose, includes a channel-shaped recess (5) in an outer side, which extends between two other outer sides of the contact body (3), one of which faces the surface of a printed circuit board (2). The at least one angled contact (9) is or can be fixed to the contact body (3) in the axial and radial direction in the at least one contact body (3) of the plug connector (1) at at least one point (18) in the region of the first leg (19) thereof.

Description

Connectors

description

The invention relates to a connector for making an external connection to a circuit board, the connector including at least one contact carrier for receiving and positioning at least one angled contact relative to a surface of a circuit board, wherein the angled contact having a first leg and a second leg.

Various possibilities for producing an external connection to a printed circuit board are known from the prior art.

DE 197 14 878 C1 describes a pin strip which can be pressed into a printed circuit board and which contains angled contact pins arranged in a housing. In this case, the contact pins are held by the housing and a housing additionally arranged in the holding part in the vicinity of the bend clearance and practically clamped. The forces on the contact pins occurring when the contact pins are pressed into a printed circuit board are then absorbed by the holding part or the housing. As a result, a functionally impairing positional change of the contact pins as well as a deformation or damage of the contact pins is prevented. Likewise, damage and deformation of the housing and / or the circuit board can be avoided. In DE 299 04 493 U 1, a pin board which can be mounted on a printed circuit board is described with angled contact pins, which are distinguished by a particularly simple construction. A substantially cuboid plastic part fixes the parts of contact pins that are parallel to a printed circuit board while the parts perpendicular to the printed circuit board are fixed by a lateral projection on the plastic part in relative proximity to the printed circuit board surface and fixed with minimal positional tolerance to corresponding contacts on the surface of the printed circuit board can be. In this case, the plastic part has, for improved stability of the overall construction and for positioning on the underside facing the printed circuit board, a pin or the like which is inserted into a corresponding recess in the printed circuit board. In addition, the plastic part may also have metal lugs or metallized contact surfaces to attach the plastic part in this way additionally at appropriate points on the surface of the circuit board by means of soldering. On the side facing away from the circuit board, the plastic part may be provided with a suction surface for an automatic positioning system for the mass processing of such components.

In DE 13 947 A1 a connector strip with angled pins, in particular for soldering printed circuit boards, is described. The connector strip consists of a base body of a connector housing having pressed or injected, angled contact pins, which are arranged for insertion or press-fitting in printed circuit boards. The perpendicular to the printed circuit board angled parts of the pins are firmly fixed on all sides by a guide plate segment in close proximity to the surface of the circuit board. The guide plate segment is formed integrally with the connector housing. The connector strip is optimized in particular for multi-row connectors with numerous, closely spaced and thin contact pins, the accuracy of fit as well as the stability of the pins during assembly on a printed circuit board is essential.

In EP 1 109 259 B1, an electrical connector for mounting on a printed circuit board is disclosed. This has a carrier body, which includes at least one surface contact element. The carrier body has at one end a plug-in area for connection to a complementary connector and at the other end a connection area for connection to a printed circuit board. A mechanically flexible and electrically conductive connection element is connected to the connection region and can be soldered to conductor tracks of a printed circuit board. The surface contact element is designed in several parts and individual sub-elements against each other. This results in a tolerance compensation during assembly of the surface contact element and a permanent mobility during the entire period of use of the connector. The mechanical decoupling of printed circuit board and surface contact element is intended to increase the service life of the solder joints. An optional combination with an approximately as a ground contact through-hole element allows a further improvement in the strength and resistance of the overall construction of connector and circuit board.

Essentially, two variants are available in the connectors with angled contacts available on the market: In the first variant, the angled contacts are fixed in an insulating body by means of positive locking or interference fit. Another component radially guides the legs of the angled contacts oriented towards the surface of the printed circuit board. As a result, tolerances in the production process can be compensated, and radial guidance offers additional protection against twisting of the contacts when mounted on a printed circuit board, which is typically done by hand. The second variant does without the additional component for leadership and instead uses a better fit between the Isolierköper and the contacts to effectively increase the resistance to rotation of the contacts, especially during assembly. However, both variants of angled connectors discussed in the preceding paragraph involve only the radial positioning of the contacts relative to the surface of a circuit board, but not the increasing demands on the axial positioning of the contacts relative to the surface of a circuit board due to new methods of attaching the connectors printed circuit boards. The axial position in this context means the height of a particular Point of a contact relative to a surface of a printed circuit board, that is, the distance in the vertical of a certain point of a contact to the surface of a printed circuit board. Accordingly, the radial positioning refers to the position of a certain point of the contact on the surface of a circuit board or on a plane parallel to the plane defining the surface of a circuit board. When mounting a connector on a circuit board are different, possibly combined tolerances in the axial as well as in the radial direction to consider. In the case of angled contacts, tolerances resulting in particular from the bending process must be taken into account. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an easy to handle and assemble, but precise axial and radial positioning of angled contacts relative to a printed circuit board, the inaccuracy of the bending process in the production of angled contacts with respect to the axial position with respect to eliminated a printed circuit board to be contacted. This object is achieved by a connector according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims.

An inventive connector for producing an external plug connection with a printed circuit board has at least one contact carrier. The contact carrier is designed such that it can receive at least one angled contact. The contacts are made of adequate conductive material in rod or wire form, the cross section being able to vary along the longitudinal extent of a contact, both in size and in shape. For the sake of expediency and to keep manufacturing costs low, angled contacts are usually bent at one point along their longitudinal axis. As a result, an angled contact can typically be divided into two rectilinearly extending legs and a more or less pronounced area with a bend therebetween. One end of each leg is at the same time also one of the two ends of a contact, which in each case borders the other end of a leg to the region with the bend between the two legs. The angle between the two legs of an angled contact is usually a right angle. In the text which follows, the term "first leg" refers to that of the two legs of an angled contact whose one end faces a printed circuit board and which is generally aligned with its central axis perpendicular to the surface of a printed circuit board. Thus, when the two legs of an angled contact are at right angles to each other, the central axis of the second leg is in a plane parallel to the surface of a circuit board. The second leg may be formed at one end of the angled contact as a contact pin or contact socket. For receiving at least one angled contact, the at least one contact carrier of the connector has at least one recess in the form of a channel in an outer side, which extends between two other outer sides of the contact carrier. The recess is configured such that an angled contact with respect to its lateral extent at any point of the recess is at least completely inserted into the contact carrier or can be inserted. However, a complete adaptation of the contour of the recess to the contour of the contact is not absolutely necessary. In the longitudinal direction of the inserted into the recess contact extends at its two ends beyond the respective end of the recess. Corresponding to the shape of an angled contact, the recess can also be subdivided into two rectilinearly extending legs with an area located therebetween with a bend. According to the name of the legs in the contacts of the leg of the recess, one end of which faces a circuit board, hereinafter referred to as the first leg, the other remaining leg as the second leg. If the recess is designed to receive a rectangular angled contact, then the first leg of the recess is oriented perpendicular to the surface of a printed circuit board and the second leg runs parallel to the surface of a printed circuit board. The inserted or insertable into a recess contact is fixed or fixable in the region of the first leg of the recess or its first leg to the contact carrier, so that its axial and radial position with respect to the surface of a circuit board is clearly defined or fixed is. Precise determination of the axial position of a contact relative to the surface of a printed circuit board makes it unnecessary, when using, for example, THT (through hole technology) to check the projection of the contacts in the back area of the printed circuit board. which reduces the production costs. The fixation on the contact body can be done for example by a spring clip or inserted into the first leg of the recesses fixing. In the region of the bend of the recess or of a contact and / or of the second leg of the recess or of the contact, the respective recess for receiving the contact in the contact carrier of a connector according to the invention is expediently designed to be more generous in its lateral dimensions compared to the dimensions of the contact, whereby tolerances can be compensated in these areas of the recess.

In a further embodiment of a connector according to the invention, the at least one angled contact in the at least one contact carrier at least in the region of a printed circuit board facing the end of the first leg of the recess for receiving the contact in the contact carrier in both the axial and in the radial direction fixed or fixable. A fixation of the contact at least at this point in the immediate vicinity of the circuit board is as accurate as possible positioning of the contact relative to the surface of a printed circuit board si- rather.

In a further preferred embodiment of a connector according to the invention, the at least one contact is fixed or fixable to the at least one contact carrier by means of at least one clamping device.

In an additionally preferred embodiment of a plug-in connector according to the invention, the at least one clamping device is designed as a spring clip ("clip") This enables a secure but simple fixing of a contact to a contact carrier of the connector to be realized with little effort during assembly. In a further preferred embodiment of a connector according to the invention, the connector is made in one piece. As a result, such a contact carrier can be produced easily and inexpensively in large numbers from a plastic material. The one-piece design minimizes the later assembly work involved in the production of the connector.

In a further preferred embodiment of a connector according to the invention, the spring clip ("clip") is made in one piece with the contact carrier, whereby the effort in the assembly of a connector can be further reduced.

In another preferred embodiment of a connector according to the invention, the at least one contact carrier of the connector has at least one of the printed circuit board facing Anformung. The at least one Anformung can be made in one piece with the contact carrier. The Anformung can be designed, inter alia, as a spacer, base or foot. Furthermore, the at least one molding can be part of a plug connection for fixing the contact carrier on the printed circuit board. Further, the contact body may have different types of such Anform statements simultaneously in any combination.

In a further preferred embodiment of a connector according to the invention, the plug connector has an insulating body, which has the at least one contact at least in the region between the open end of the second leg of the recess in the contact carrier for receiving the at least one contact of the connector and the end extending beyond surrounds the second leg of the contact at least in the axial direction. The insulating body can serve as protection of the parts of the second leg of the contacts beyond accidental contact, the isolation of several contacts from each other and as further fixing of the contacts after a taking place during assembly of the insulating body on the contact body tolerance compensation. Conveniently, the insulating body is designed so that it can accommodate a complementary connector. The Attachment of the insulating body to the contact body can be done for example by means of a plug connection or screw connection.

The invention is illustrated by way of example with reference to an embodiment shown in the accompanying figures. The features or combinations of features shown alone in the foregoing description of the invention and in the following figure discussion and / or the figures themselves are applicable not only in the respective combinations, but also in other combinations, not shown, or singular. They show:

1 is a perspective view of a connector according to the invention fixed on a cut-out indicated circuit board, with a contact carrier, four angled contacts and an insulating body.

2 is a perspective view of a contact carrier of a connector according to the invention with four angled contacts,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a connector according to the invention with four angled contacts and with dismantled Isolierköper;

Figure 4 is another perspective view of a connector according to the invention with four angled contacts and with dismantled insulating body.

5 shows a longitudinal section through a connector according to the invention with a contact carrier and an insulating body. 6 shows an enlarged detail of a section A marked in FIG. 5 in the vicinity of a clamping device for fixing an angled contact to a contact carrier;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a single angled contact of a connector according to the invention.

The exemplified in the figures, inventive connector 1 has four angled contacts 9 with contact pins, which in a contact body. 3 are used. The connector 1 is fixed on a in Fig. 1 fragmentary indicated circuit board 2. In addition to the angled contacts 9 and the contact body 3, the connector 1 has an insulating body 4. The contact body 3 receives in each case one of the four angled contacts 9 in its four recesses 5 provided for this purpose. The recesses 5 in the form of a channel for receiving a respective contact 9 extend along a side surface of the contact body 3 between two other side surfaces, one of which faces the printed circuit board 2, when the contact body 3 and the connector 1 with the contact body 3 on a Printed circuit board 2 is fixed. The depth of the recesses 5 for receiving a respective contact 9 is significantly greater in the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures than would be necessary for completely receiving a contact 9 with respect to its lateral extent in a recess 5. As a result, the contacts 9 in the contact body 3 are optimally protected against accidental contact. The angled contacts 9 shown by way of example in FIG. 7 are formed at right angles with two limbs 19 and 21 extending in a straight line. The limbs 19, 21 with one end facing the printed circuit board, which is perpendicular to the surface of the printed circuit board 2, is referred to as the first limb 19, the other limb remaining as the second leg 21. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the second leg 21 is significantly longer than the first leg 20.

The channel-shaped recesses 5 of the contact body 3 designed to receive a respective contact 9 can also be subdivided into two legs 6 and 8 and a curved intermediate area 7, as shown in detail in FIG. The open end of the first leg 6 faces a printed circuit board 2 and the leg 6 is aligned perpendicular thereto. The second leg 21 of a contact 9 extends clearly beyond the open end of the second leg 8 of an associated recess 5. In this area, the contacts 9 for protection against unintentional contact as well as for the isolation of each other in the axial direction surrounded by an insulating body 4, which is a piece extends far beyond the end of the contacts 9 addition. The solid Isolierköper 4 exemplified, partially hollow body with a cylindrical lateral surface 14. The solid, the contact body 3 facing circular back 15 of the insulator 4 includes recesses 16 for carrying out the contacts 9 and projections 13 as part of a connector for fixing the Insulating body 4 on the contact body 3, as shown in Fig. 3 in detail. The contact body 3 has for this purpose corresponding recesses 12, as shown in Fig. 4.

Essential for the invention and thus also for the embodiment is the fixing of the contacts 9 in the recesses 5 of the contact body 3. Each contact 9 is at the one circuit board 2 facing the end of the first leg 6 of the respective recess 5 by means of a spring clip ("clip" 18 can be fixed or fixable, as can be seen in detail in Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. The fixation is thus as close as possible to the surface of a printed circuit board 2, to here the axial and the radial position of the end facing each of the printed circuit board 2 Contact 9 relative to the surface of a printed circuit board 2. To fix the contact 9 in a recess 5 in the axial direction, recess 5 is suddenly narrowed at the spring terminal 18. In this area each contact 9 points at its first leg 19 shows a corresponding, abrupt reduction in its cross-section at the constricted area 17. The spring clip 18 is shown in FIG Embodiment one piece with the suitably made of a plastic material Kontaktköper 3 executed.

The projections 1 1 and 12 facing a printed circuit board 2 are likewise made in one piece with the contact body 3 in the exemplary embodiment. The projections 1 1 are part of a connector for fixing the contact body 3 and the entire connector 1 with a contact body 3 on a circuit board 2, which has corresponding recesses 5. The projections 12 serve as feet on the outer side of the contact body 3 facing a printed circuit board 2. In the region of the bend 20 of a contact 9 or the bend 7 of the associated recess 5 for receiving the contact 9 as well as in the region of the second legs 8 and 21 of the recess 5 and contact 9, the cross-section of the recess 5 is made more generous than it Inclusion of the contact 9 would be required. This is used to compensate for tolerances, in particular with regard to the bending of the angled contact 9. The tolerance compensation then takes place when fixing the outside of the contact body 3 located portions of the second leg 21 of the contacts 9 surrounding the insulating body 4 on the contact body. 3

Claims

claims

A connector (1) for making an external connection to a circuit board (2), said connector (1) including at least one contact carrier (3) for receiving and positioning at least one angled contact (9) relative to a surface of a circuit board (2) wherein the angled contact (9) has a first leg (19) and a second leg (21), characterized in that the contact carrier (3) along an outer side at least one angled recess (5) with a first leg (6) and a second leg (8) extending between two other outer sides, one end of the first leg (6) facing the recess (5) of the printed circuit board (2), the recess (5) for receiving the angled contact (9 ) is formed and the contact (9) at its to the circuit board (2) oriented towards the first leg (6) on the contact carrier (3) at least one position (18) in both the axial and in the radial R. is fixable or fixed.

Connector (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one contact (9) at least on the printed circuit board (2) oriented towards the end of the first leg (6) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3) in the Contact carrier (3) in the axial and radial directions can be fixed or fixed. Connector (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one contact (9) on the contact carrier (3) by at least one clamping device (18) is fixable.

Connector (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one clamping device (18) of the contact carrier (3) is designed as a spring clip.

Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) is made of a plastic material.

Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a one-piece design of the contact carrier (3).

Connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one spring clip (18) for fixing the at least one contact (9) is designed in one piece with the contact carrier (3).

Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact carrier (3) at least one of the circuit board (3) facing Anformung (1 1, 12).

Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that second limbs (21) of the at least one contact (9) in the axial direction at least between the end of the second leg (8) of the at least one recess (5) of the contact carrier (3 ) and the part of the second leg (21) of the contact (9) extending beyond this is surrounded by an insulating body (4) which can be fixed or fixed on the contact carrier (3) and can be designed to receive a complementary connector.