ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTOR FOR VEHICLE

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electrical plug connector, such as a high-voltage plug connector, for a vehicle. The plug connector comprises a plug with a plug casing, one or more electrical contact parts accommodated in the plug casing, a socket with a socket casing, and a protective housing at least partly encasing the plug casing and the socket casing. The protective housing comprises an attachment flange in a connection area reaching up to a counterpart connectable thereto. An engagement ridge of the protective housing is spaced apart from the attachment flange in the longitudinal direction L of the plug connector and at least positively engages in an engagement channel of the plug casing.

Claims

1-11. (canceled)

12. An electrical plug connector for a vehicle, comprising: a plug comprising a plug casing, the plug casing comprising a contact chamber and an engagement channel; a socket configured for receiving the plug in a plugging direction, the socket comprising a socket casing; and a protective housing, at least partly encasing the plug casing and the socket casing, configured to shield the plug connector from electromagnetic interference, the protective housing comprising: an attachment flange in a connecting area for connecting to a counterpart element; and an engagement ridge configured to engage the engagement channel of the plug casing, the engagement ridge being spaced apart from the attachment flange in the plugging direction.

13. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein: the socket casing comprises a support flange on a face end of the socket casing, the support flange being configured to abut the counterpart element; and the attachment flange couples to the support flange.

14. The plug connector according to claim 13, wherein an inner contour of the attachment flange positively engages an outer contour of the support flange in a face area of the plug casing.

15. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein the plug and the socket are configured to press against the counterpart element when the protective housing is connected to the counterpart element.

16. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein the engagement ridge extends in the plugging direction.

17. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the engagement ridge or the engagement channel is arranged peripherally in the plug connector.

18. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein: the protective housing comprises a groove formed by the engagement ridge and a wall of the protective housing; and the engagement channel comprises an outer wall configured to engage with the groove.

19. The plug connector according to claim 12, comprising: a first sealing element arranged between an inner wall of the engagement channel and the engagement ridge.

20. The plug connector according to claim 19, comprising: a second sealing element arranged between the inner wall of the engagement channel and an electric wire connectable to the plug connector.

21. The plug connector according to claim 20, wherein the first sealing element and the second sealing element are separated by the inner wall of the engagement channel.

22. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein: the attachment flange comprises a sealing groove; and the plug connector comprises a third sealing element arranged in the sealing groove.

23. The plug connector according to claim 12, wherein the plug connector is a high-voltage plug connector.

24. A high-voltage electrical plug connector for a vehicle, comprising: a plug comprising a plug casing, the plug casing comprising an engagement channel; a socket configured for coupling to the plug, the socket comprising a socket casing; and a protective housing at least partly encasing the plug casing and the socket casing, the protective housing configured to shield the plug connector from electromagnetic interference, the protective housing comprising: an upper end; a lower end; an attachment flange at the lower end for connecting to a counterpart element; and an engagement ridge at the upper end configured to engage the engagement channel of the plug casing.

25. The plug connector according to claim 24, wherein: the socket casing comprises a support flange on a face end of the socket casing, the support flange being configured to abut the counterpart element; and the attachment flange couples to the support flange.

26. The plug connector according to claim 24, wherein the engagement ridge extends in a longitudinal direction.

27. The plug connector according to claim 24, wherein at least one of the engagement ridge or the engagement channel is arranged peripherally in the plug connector.

28. The plug connector according to claim 24, wherein: the protective housing comprises a groove formed by the engagement ridge and a wall of the protective housing; and the engagement channel comprises an outer wall configured to engage with the groove.

29. The plug connector according to claim 24, comprising: a first sealing element arranged between an inner wall of the engagement channel and the engagement ridge.

30. The plug connector according to claim 29, comprising: a second sealing element arranged between the inner wall of the engagement channel and an electric wire connectable to the plug connector.

31. The plug connector according to claim 30, wherein the first sealing element and the second sealing element are separated by the inner wall of the engagement channel.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The drawings depict merely schematic representations and serve only to illustrate the present disclosure. The same or similar elements are provided throughout with the same reference numbers. In the drawings:

[0024] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a plug connector of the present disclosure fixed to a counterpart;

[0025] FIG. 2 shows the plug connector from FIG. 1 in the assembled state; and

[0026] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the plug connector from FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a plug connection with an electrical plug connector 1 for use as a high-voltage plug connector in a high-voltage on-board electrical system of a vehicle (not shown). The plug connector 1, for example, is suitable for electrically contacting a motor of the vehicle.

[0028] The plug connector 1 comprises a plug 2 with a plug casing 3 made of plastic that is adapted to accommodate an electrical contact part 4 (hidden, i.e. not shown in FIG. 1; see FIG. 3) for contacting a plug-in contact 5, The plug-in contact 5 here is part of a socket 6, particularly a header, of the plug connector 1, with a socket casing 7 that is made of plastic and holds the plug-in contact 5 in place. In this embodiment the plug connector 1 is shown with three poles as an example, such that three adjacent contact parts 4 are accommodated in the plug casing 3 to contact with three plug-in contacts 5 of the socket 6. The plug 2 and socket 3 are adapted for being releasably plugged together. They may be fixed or locked together via the plug casing 3 and the socket casing 7. FIG. 1 also shows that an electric wire 8 is also coupled to each contact part 3.

[0029] The plug casing 3 and the socket casing 7 are at least partly encased in a protective housing 9. The protective housing 9 here is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, exhibits good electrical conductivity and is relatively lightweight. The protective casing 9 has an integral attachment flange 10 formed thereupon, with peripheral through holes 15 to accommodate fastening elements 11. FIG. 1 shows that the fastening elements 11 here may be provided in the form of screws.

[0030] The protective housing 9 is attached by the integral attachment flange 10 to a counterpart 12 in a connection area using the fastening elements 11. The counterpart in this embodiment is a housing of aluminum or an aluminum alloy of a vehicle motor (not shown). The socket 6 and/or socket casing 7 is held on the counterpart 12 by a clip connection. For this purpose the socket casing 7 has a plurality of fixing elements that engage into the counterpart 12 at least in a positive fit and possibly also a friction fit.

[0031] An annular face surface 13 (see FIG. 3) of a support flange 14 of the socket casing 7 abuts and is supported on a side of the counterpart 12 facing the plug 2 and the socket 3, hence in this particular embodiment on the outside of the motor housing. Thus the socket casing 7 is larger in the area of the support flange 14 than a diameter of a through hole 26 (see FIG. 3) provided in the counterpart 12 for passage of an additional section of the socket casing 7, including the plug-in contacts 5. The support flange 14 is designed and adapted to be grasped by the attachment flange 10 of the protective housing 9, which results in a positive connection of these parts. The attachment flange 10 therefore accommodates the support flange 14 and their contours are adapted to one another accordingly, such that an inner contour of the attachment flange 10 positively engages the outer contour of the support flange 14 in a face area of the plug casing 3.

[0032] The protective housing 9 is connected to a sum shield 16 in the form of a textile tube of a material containing metal and to a sum shield flange at an end of the protective housing 9 that faces away from the plug casing 3 and/or the attachment flange 10. In this way the plug connector 1 and/or a resulting plug connection is continuously shielded.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows the plug connector 1 of FIG. 1 now in the assembled state, with the electric wires 8 and the plug-in contacts 4 being hidden. The plug casing 3 and the socket casing 7 are held in a friction fit on the protective housing 9 attached to the counterpart 12. For this purpose the protective housing 9 at least partly grasps these two parts and presses them against the counterpart 12. Here the support flange 14 or the face 13 supports the socket casing 7 and the plug casing 3 plugged together with it on the counterpart 12, The protective housing 9 therefore fixes the entire plug connector 1 to the counterpart 12 through its attachment flange 10, In addition, the socket casing 7 is fixed to the counterpart 12 through the above-described clip connection and is positively held by the attachment flange 10 in such a way that the socket casing 7 and the plug casing 3 connected to it are also fixed in a peripheral direction of the plug connector 1.

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the plug connector 1. FIG. 3 shows how the plug casing 3 and indirectly the socket casing 7 fixed to it are held on the counterpart 12 by the protective casing 9. For example, the plug casing 3 has an engagement channel 17 embodied here as a peripheral groove. The engagement channel 17 has an outer wall 18 and an inner wall 19. The outer wall 18 is formed by an integral first plug casing land and the inner wall 19 is formed by a second plug casing land. The two lands together form an engagement channel that is essentially U-shaped in the longitudinal direction L.

[0035] An engagement ridge 20 of the protective housing 9 engages in a positive and possibly also in a friction fit into the engagement channel 17 and extends in the form of a land in the longitudinal direction L of the plug connector 1. Thus, the engagement ridge 20 presses into the bottom of the engagement channel 17. This causes the plug casing 3 to be pushed along in the longitudinal direction L toward the counterpart 12, on which the plug casing 3 is supported in turn. An essentially U-shaped protective housing groove is formed between the engagement ridge 20 and an inner protective casing wall 21. The outer wall 18 of the engagement channel 17 engages in this groove. Thus, the plug casing 3 and the protective housing 9 mutually engage.

[0036] Depending on the particular design of the plug casing 3, a gap may be formed between the outer wall 18 and the inner protective housing wall 19. This gap is bridged by a plurality of peripheral ribs (not shown in FIG. 3) of the plug casing 3 that project from the outer wall 18 of the engagement channel 17 toward the protective housing 9. The plug casing 3 is supported on the protective housing wall 21 by these ribs.

[0037] A first sealing element 22 in the form of a sealing ring made of rubber is arranged in the engagement channel 17 to form a seal between the plug casing 3 and the protective housing 9. The first sealing element 22 thus abuts the inner wall 19 on the one hand and a side of the engagement ridge 20 facing the inner wall 19 on the other.

[0038] A second sealing element 23 is arranged on the side of the inner wall 19 opposite the first sealing element 22, in order to seal an area between the plug casing 3 and the electric wires 8. In the case of a plurality of electric wires 8, a correspondingly higher number of second sealing elements 23 is provided. The second sealing element 23 thus abuts the side of the inner wall 19 facing away from the engagement channel 17 on the one hand and the electric wires 8 to be sealed off on the other.

[0039] A third sealing element 24 is arranged in a peripheral sealing groove 25 of the attachment flange 10 of the protective housing 9 to form a seal between the protective housing 9 and the plug casing 3 and/or the socket casing 7.

[0040] Variations of the present disclosure are contemplated herein. For example, the plug connector 1 may be other than a three-pole connector, but rather a one-pole, two-pole, or other multi-pole connector. The protective housing 9 may be made of materials other than aluminum, such as any other material that is suitable for this purpose.

[0041] Having described aspects of the present disclosure in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0042] 1 electrical plug connector [0043] 2 plug [0044] 3 plug casing [0045] 4 electrical contact part [0046] 5 plug-in contact [0047] 6 socket [0048] 7 socket casing [0049] 8 electric wire [0050] 9 protective housing [0051] 10 attachment flange [0052] 11 attachment element(s) [0053] 12 counterpart [0054] 13 face/supporting surface [0055] 14 support flange [0056] 15 peripheral through hole(s) [0057] 16 sum shield [0058] 17 engagement channel [0059] 18 outer wall [0060] 19 inner wall [0061] 20 engagement ridge [0062] 21 protective housing wall [0063] 22 first sealing element [0064] 23 second sealing element [0065] 24 third sealing element [0066] 25 sealing groove [0067] 26 through hole (e.g., through bore) [0068] L longitudinal direction/plugging direction