Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02274267 1999-06-08
HARTING KGaA
Marienwerderstr. 3 1999-05-11
D-32339 Espelkamp 9818 CA P 9
An Electric Plug Connector
The invention relates to an electric plug connector comprising a carrier body
consisting of insulating material and a plurality of segments, inserted into
the
io carrier body, with contacts and terminals.
A complementary plug connector is plugged into such a connector, which
can have the form of a spring-contact strip or blade-contact strip, to form a
multipolar plug connection. The segments inserted one beside another into
is the carrier body of the plug connector bear contacts on the side which is
in-
troduced into the carrier body, said contacts having the form of contact
springs in the case of a spring-contact strip or contact blades in the case of
a blade-contact strip and serving to establish the contact with the corre-
sponding contact blades or contact springs of the complementary plug con-
2o nector. Terminals connected to the respective contacts are formed on an-
other side of the segments, which terminals can be connected for example to
circuit board leads. Here the terminals can extend at right angles to the
plug-in direction of the plug connector.
2s The segments, with their contacts and terminals, are produced in various
forms. In one method of production the contacts are extrusion-coated, al-
though this is relatively costly. In another method the segments consist of
two parts and the contacts are inserted between the two segment halves.
This has the disadvantage, however, that considerably more individual parts
3o must be processed overall. Finally, the contacts can also simply be
inserted
in discs, although this has a disadvantageous effect on their tightness of
fit.
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2
German OS 196 34 844 and German Patent 195 33 295 have disclosed
housings into which an inner housing can be inserted. A cover or cap is
used to define the inner housing in the actual housing.
s The object of the invention is to provide an electric plug connector
designed
in accordance with segment technology wherein the segments are reliably,
precisely and firmly installed in the plug connector with a simple and thus
cost-effective assembly.
~o This object is achieved by means of an electric plug connector comprising a
carrier body consisting of insulating material and a plurality of segments, in-
serted into the carrier body, with contacts and terminals, wherein an addi-
tional member consisting of insulating material is provided which fixes the
segments in the carrier body and is provided with comb-like projections ar-
cs ranged between the segments. Such an additional member provides for a
firm retention of the segments in the carrier body and has the advantage that
it additionally serves to insulate the segments from one another and thus
leads to an improvement in respect of the required creepage distances and
clearances in the plug connector, these being undesirable in plug connec-
2o tors.
Preferably, the terminals of the segments are connectible at right angles to
the plug-in direction of the contacts so as to obtain an advantageous plug
connection configuration in the case of which the terminals of the segments
2s project at right angles to the plug-in direction of the plug connector, for
ex-
ample into corresponding bores of a circuit board. A plug connector can
thus be plugged-in in space-saving manner in the longitudinal direction of
the board.
It also proves advantageous to provide the additional member with projec-
tions for fixing the contacts of the segments inserted into the carrier body
so
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3
as to facilitate their precise positioning. This can be achieved particularly
easily when the contacts are offset and engage with the projections of the
additional member. Reliable contacting of the segment contacts with the
corresponding contacts of the complementary plug connector is then en-
s sured.
Further improved fixing of the segments and their contacts can be achieved
by means of different additional measures. Thus for example a bearing
surface of the additional member can press against a first end surface of
io each segment facing away from the contacts and can thus press a second
end surface of the segment, disposed opposite the first end surface, onto a
stop of the carrier body, thereby defining the insertion depth of the segments
into the carrier body. Fixing of the segments transversely to their plug-in di-
rection is facilitated by rib-like projections of the additional member which
in
is each case engage into a corresponding recess in the first end surface of a
segment. Finally the outer segments of the plug connector can preferably be
retained by means of a protrusion of the bearing surface of the additional
member, which protrusion engages into a corresponding recess of the first
end surface of a segment.
For an optimal fit of the additional member in the carrier body, the
additional
member preferably comprises sprung detents which engage into correspond-
ing locating openings of the carrier body and thus facilitate firm locking.
For
this purpose, a support wall in the carrier body can also be provided with
2s ribs, said ribs in each case comprising a cut-out into which a
corresponding
integral protuberance of the additional member engages.
Finally, for the rapid and simple disassembly of the plug connector into its
individual parts, it has proved advantageous for the carrier body and the
3o segments to be held together only by means of the additional member.
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4
Further features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the follow-
ing description of a preferred embodiment making reference to the drawing
wherein:
s Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electric plug connector having the form
of a spring-contact strip;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a segment used in the plug connector
shown in Figure 1;
io
Figure 3 is a perspective view of an additional member used in the plug
connector shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3a illustrates a portion of the additional member according to Figure
is 3 on an enlarged scale; and
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a carrier body used in the
plug connector according to Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.
2o Figure 1 illustrates a complete plug connector 1 in the assembled state.
The
plug connector 1 substantially comprises a rectangular carrier body 19 con-
sisting of plastics material and having recesses for a plurality of segments 2
inserted one beside another and provided with terminals 4 and contacts 5
(see Figure 2) fixed in a defined position by an additional member 3. Here
2s the additional member 3 is designed such that it does not project out of
the
space defined by the side walls of the carrier body 19, i.e. the overall
volume
of the plug connector is not enlarged by the additional member 3. The plug
connector 1 shown in Figure 1 is a multipolar spring-contact strip with con-
tacts which have the form of contact springs and are inserted into recesses
30 20 of the carrier body 19. However, the invention can equally relate to a
blade-contact strip with a base member comprising openings into which
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segments bearing contact blades are inserted, in the case of which a collar
is provided surrounding the plug-in region of the contact elements.
Figure 2 illustrates an individual segment 2 of the plug connector 1 accord-
s ing to Figure 1. The segment 2 consists of insulating material into which
the
terminals 4 to be connected to a circuit board (not shown) are embedded.
The terminals 4 extend at right angles to the contact springs 5. The segment
has a first end surface 16, facing away from the contact springs 5, with a re-
cess 18 and a second end surface 11 opposite this first end surface 16. A
to groove 9 extends in the first end surface 16 transversely to the
longitudinal
direction thereof.
The elongate additional member 3, shown in Figure 3 and in detail in Figure
3a, of the plug connector 1 according to Figure 1 has a comb-like structure
is wherein some of the comb-like projections 24 extending from a bearing sur-
face 15 comprise laterally sprung detents 12. On the longitudinal side of
each comb-like projection 24 a protuberance 25 is in each case provided on
the bearing surface 15. Projections 7 and pin-like projections 27 are pro-
vided at the ends of the comb-like projections 24 remote from the bearing
2o surface 15. At the longitudinal ends of the additional member 3 the bearing
surface in each case comprises a protrusion 17 and a rib-like projection 8.
Figure 4 shows an enlarged portion of the carrier member 19 of the plug
connector 1 according to Figure 1. The strip contains recesses 20 in each
2s case delimited by a stop 10. A lateral support wall 21 is provided, upon
which ribs 23 with cut-outs 26 are integrally formed. The support wall 21
also comprises a plurality of locating openings 14.
In accordance with Figure 1, the additional member 3 consisting of insulating
3o material is inserted from below into the carrier body 19, into which the
seg-
ments have likewise previously been inserted from below with their contact
springs 5 facing upwards. The sprung detents 12 of the additional member 3
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now snap into the corresponding locating openings 14 in the support wall 21
of the carrier body 19. On the one hand the segments 2, and on the other
hand the comb-like projections 24 of the additional member 3 are supported
between the ribs 23. This provides for the secure locking of the segments 2.
s When the plug connector 1 is in the ready assembled state, the projections 7
of the additional member 3 hold the contact springs 5 of the segments 2
firmly in position. The offset contact springs 5 of the segments 2 now en-
gage with the projections 7, thus ensuring reliable contacting with contact
blades of a complementary plug connector (not shown) in the carrier body
l0 19. With its bearing surface 15, the additional member 3 presses against
the first end surface 16 of each segment 2 and thus presses the second end
surface 11 of each segment 2 against the associated stop 10 of the carrier
body 19. In this way the insertion depth of the segments 2 into the carrier
body 19 is precisely defined.
Via the rib-like projections 8, which in each case engage into the groove 9 of
a segment 2, the segments are retained transversely relative to the plug-in
direction by means of the additional member 3. The outermost segments of
the sprung plug connector are in each case secured by the protrusion 17 in
2o the edge region of the additional member 3, which protrusion 17 enters the
recess 18 of the corresponding segment 2. Secure locking of the additional
member 3 is achieved by means of the integral protuberances 25 which en-
gage in the cut-outs 26 of the ribs 23 of the support wall 21 of the carrier
body 19. The pin-like projections 27 of the additional member 3 are also
2s provided for the same purpose, said projections 27 extending, together
with.
the contact springs 5 of the segments 2, into the recesses 20 of the carrier
body 19.
The described plug connector 1 is designed such that upon the removal of
3o the additional member 3, the segments 2 are no longer retained in the car-
rier body 19. This permits rapid and simple disassembly. Alternatively how-
ever, for a simplified assembly of the plug connector 1, means can be pro-
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vided for holding together the segments 2 and carrier body 19 so that these
are held together without the additional member 3 and thus form a unit which
can be pre-assembled.
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