Printed circuit board plug device having a pre-adjusting device which serves as a locking device

Abstract

A direct plug device for directly plugging into a printed circuit board, the direct plug device comprising a plug element that comprises an accommodating housing and at least one pluggable, in particular spring-like, contact element accommodated at it; and a plug element receptacle which is designed to at least partially accommodate the plug element, which comprises a locking device and which can be moved relative to the plug element between a contact element-remote state and a contact element-proximal state; wherein the plug element comprises at least one pre-adjusting structure which is to be arranged at the side of the printed circuit board and which, when the plug element is placed onto the printed circuit board, can be connected to at least one corresponding pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board in such a way that, in the connected state, the at least one contact element is aligned with at least one correspondingly designed contact element opening of the printed circuit board; and wherein the plug element receptacle can be displaced relative to the plug element, which is placed on the circuit board in a pre-adjusted manner, from the contact element-remote state to the contact element-proximal state in such a way that thereby the locking device and the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element are commonly locked to the pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board.

Claims

1. Direct plug device for directly plugging onto a printed circuit board, wherein the direct plug device comprises: a plug element, which comprises an accommodating housing and at least one pluggable, in particular spring-like, contact element accommodated at it; a plug element receptacle, which is designed to at least partially accommodate the plug element, which comprises a locking device and which is moveable relative to the plug element between a contact element-remote state and a contact element-proximal state; wherein the plug element comprises at least one pre-adjusting structure which is to be arranged at the side of the printed circuit board and which, when the plug element is placed onto the printed circuit board, can be connected to at least one corresponding pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board in such a way that, in the connected state, the at least one contact element is aligned with at least one correspondingly designed contact element opening of the printed circuit board; wherein the plug element receptacle can be displaced relative to the plug element, which is placed on the printed circuit board in a pre-adjusted manner, from the contact element-remote state to the contact element-proximal state in such a way that thereby the locking device and the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element are commonly locked to the pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board.

2. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plug element receptacle can be displaced relative to the plug element, which is placed on the printed circuit board, in a pre-adjusted manner from the contact element-remote state to the contact element-proximal state in such a way that thereby the locking device locks the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element to the pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board with an interlocking and/or a force-fitting and/or a frictionally-engaged connection.

3. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plug element and the plug element receptacle are designed in such a way that, starting from a state in which the locking device locks the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element to the pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board, the plug element receptacle can be displaced from the contact element-proximal state to the contact element-remote state in such a way that the locking is released and the plug element can then be disconnected from the printed circuit board.

4. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plug element and the plug element receptacle are matched to each other in such a way that a printed circuit board contact surface of the accommodating housing and a printed circuit board contact surface of the plug element receptacle are coplanar with each other in the contact element-proximal state.

5. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plug element receptacle is formed from an electrically insulating material, in particular from plastic.

6. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one pre-adjusting structure of the plug element comprises at least one pre-adjusting pin and the at least one corresponding pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board comprises at least one pre-adjusting opening.

7. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the at least one pre-adjusting pin comprises a lateral protrusion, which, after the pre-adjusting pin has been passed, starting from a front side of the printed circuit board, through the printed circuit board, and by subsequent movement of the plug element receptacle from the contact element-remote state to the contact element-proximal state, abuts against a rear side of the printed circuit board where it is locked to prevent withdrawal.

8. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the at least one contact element protrudes relative to the accommodating housing at the side of the printed circuit board, in particular such that it is non-displaceable in the plugging direction and/or spring-like moveable perpendicular to the plugging direction.

9. Direct plug device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element extends protectively beyond the at least one contact element at the side of the printed circuit board.

10. Connection arrangement, comprising: a printed circuit board, which has at least one pre-adjusting structure and at least one contact element opening; a direct plug device as set forth in claim 1, which is designed for directly plugging on the printed circuit board by means of a connection of the at least one pre-adjusting structure of the plug element to the at least one corresponding pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board and by means of a subsequent displacement of the plug element receptacle relative to the plug element and relative to the printed circuit board from the contact element-remote state to the contact element-proximal state in such a way that the locking device and the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element are thereby commonly locked to the pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board.

11. Connection arrangement as set forth in claim 10, wherein the printed circuit board is free of sockets, at least in the region of the at least one contact element opening and/or at least in the region of the at least one pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board.

12. Method for directly plugging a direct plug device onto a printed circuit board, wherein the method comprises: providing a plug element, which comprises an accommodating housing and at least one pluggable, in particular spring-like, contact element accommodated at it; accommodating the plug element at least partially, by means of a plug element receptacle, which has a locking device and which can be displaced relative to the plug element between a contact element-remote state and a contact element-proximal state; placing the plug element on the printed circuit board, whereby at least one pre-adjusting structure of the plug element at the side of the printed circuit board is connected to at least one corresponding pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board in such a way that due to the connection the at least one contact element is aligned with at least one correspondingly designed contact element opening in the printed circuit board; displacing the plug element receptacle relative to the plug element, which is placed on the printed circuit board in a pre-adjusted manner, from the contact element-remote state to the contact element-proximal state, in such a way that the locking device and the pre-adjusting structure of the plug element are commonly locked to the pre-adjusting structure of the printed circuit board.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The features described in the case of one embodiment are also valid for the other embodiments. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a spatial view of a direct plug device in accordance with one exemplary embodiment, in which a plug element receptacle is pushed back relative to a plug element into a contact element-remote state.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a spatial view of the direct plug device in accordance with FIG. 1, in which the plug element receptacle is shifted relative to the plug element into a contact element-proximal state.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a printed circuit board for a connection arrangement in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, wherein the printed circuit board is configured for interacting with the direct plug device shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a spatial view of a connection arrangement in accordance with an exemplary embodiment with a direct plug device according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 and with a printed circuit board in accordance with FIG. 3, wherein the plug element receptacle is in a contact element-remote state.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a spatial view of the connection arrangement in accordance with FIG. 4, in which the plug element receptacle is in a contact element-proximal state.

(7) FIG. 6 shows a side view of the connection arrangement in accordance with FIG. 5.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a spatial view of the nine-pin direct plug device in accordance with the previous figures.

(9) FIG. 8 shows a spatial view of the plug element receptacle in accordance with the previous figures.

(10) FIG. 9 shows a spatial view of three sub-housings which can be plugged together to form the plug element of the direct plug device in accordance with the previous figures.

(11) FIG. 10 to FIG. 15 show different views of a direct plug device in accordance with another exemplary embodiment in which the connector and receptacle are in a 15-pole configuration.

(12) FIG. 16 to FIG. 21 show different views of a direct plug device in accordance with another exemplary embodiment in which the connector and receptacle are in a 6-pole configuration.

(13) Hereafter, exemplary embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(14) FIG. 1 shows a spatial view of a direct plug device 108 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment for directly plugging onto a printed circuit board 302 in a socket-free manner (see FIG. 3). A frame-shaped plug element receptacle 120 of the direct plug device 108 in the operating state shown in FIG. 1 is in a contact element-remote state relative to a box-shaped plug element 110, as indicated with reference number 104. In other words, the plug element receptacle 120 is pushed back relative to the plug element 110 as far as to a rear locking position, such that a maximum distance D is formed between a printed circuit board contact surface 175 of the plug element receptacle 120 and a printed circuit board contact surface 177 of the plug element 110, wherein contact elements 106 extend out of the printed circuit board contact surface 177 of the plug element 110. The distance D can be, for example, 1 cm. In the state shown in FIG. 1 the direct plug device 108 is ready to operate, in order to be plugged into the printed circuit board 302 for pre-adjustment.

(15) The direct plug device 108 comprises the plug element 110, which comprises a central accommodating housing 114 made of plastic and a matrix-like arrangement of here nine electrically conductive spring-like contact elements 106 (according to the exemplary embodiment shown implemented as a double yoke spring structure). The contact elements 106 protrude relative to the accommodating housing 114 on the printed circuit board side and are non-displaceable relative to the accommodating housing 114 in the insertion direction 173. Each of the contact elements 106 in the inside of the accommodating housing 114 is electrically conductively coupled to a respective one of cables 130 (not shown), on order to transmit an electrical signal between a respective cable 130 and a respective contact at the printed circuit board 302.

(16) The plug element 110 has a pre-adjusting housing 118, which is arranged in a spring-like manner between the accommodating housing 114 and the plug element receptacle 120 and at which the pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110 is integrally formed. The pre-adjusting housing 118 is connected by means of elastic bridge elements to the outside of the housing 114.

(17) The plug element receptacle 120 of the direct plug device 108 is designed for accommodating the plug element 110 in a partial, circumferentially surrounding manner. The plug element receptacle 120 comprises a locking device 102 in the form of four locking pins or locking pegs mounted in four corner regions. The entire plug element receptacle 120, together with the locking device 102 rigidly attached thereto, is displaceable relative to the plug element 110 between the contact element-remote state 104 (see FIG. 1, D=1 cm) and a contact element-proximal state 200 (see FIG. 2, distance D=0), wherein in the contact element-proximal state 200 the printed circuit board contact surface 175 of the plug element receptacle 120 and the printed circuit board contact surface 177 of the plug element 110 lie or are aligned flush with one another in a common printed circuit board contact plane. In order to transfer the direct plug device 108 between the two operating states shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a user can grasp handling pieces 140 that are integrally formed at an outer side of the plug element receptacle 120.

(18) The plug element 110 in the exemplary embodiment shown has four pre-adjusting structures 112, which are to be arranged at the side of the printed circuit board during assembly and which are designed as pre-adjusting pins, which are mounted at four corners of an imaginary rectangle and which can be connected to corresponding pre-adjusting structures 306 of the printed circuit board 302 when the plug element 110 is placed on the printed circuit board 302. Since in the exemplary embodiment shown the pre-adjusting structures 306 of the printed circuit board 302 are designed as pre-adjusting openings (see FIG. 3), during the pre-adjustment the pre-adjusting pins are inserted into these pre-adjusting openings, but without initially being fixed to them with full operating stability. The established preliminary connection, however, is configured such that in this state the contact elements 106 are correctly aligned to correspondingly designed contact element openings 304 of the printed circuit board 302 (see FIG. 3). The contact elements 106 do project less far across the printed circuit board contact surface 177 of the accommodating housing 114 in the direction of the printed circuit board 302 as do the pre-adjusting structures 112. The pre-adjusting structures 112 of the plug element 110 thus extend beyond the contact elements 106 in the direction of the printed circuit board 302 in a protective manner. The contact elements 106 therefore only enter the contact element openings 304 once the pre-adjusting structures 112 have entered the pre-adjusting structures 306, hence only at the end of the pre-adjustment. Since at the lateral side the contact elements 106 are formed elastically, they automatically press against the metallized walls of the contact element openings 304 of the printed circuit board 302 and thereby ensure a reliable and interruption-free electrical coupling of the contact elements 106 with a corresponding wiring of the printed circuit board 302. This allows the mechanical pre-adjustment and the electrical contact between the direct plug device 108 and the printed circuit board 302 to be effected simultaneously and with a common hand movement, without a vibration-resistant and operationally stable attachment force being applied between the direct plug device 108 and the printed circuit board 302.

(19) The plug element receptacle 120 can be subsequently displaced relative to the plug element 110, which is placed on the printed circuit board 302 in a pre-adjusted manner, from the contact element-remote state 104 to the contact element-proximal state 200 in such a way that the locking device 102 and the pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110 are locked to the pre-adjusting structure 306 of the printed circuit board 302. In other words, after the pre-adjustment and the electrical contacting all a user then needs to do is move the plug element receptacle 120 towards the plug element 110 and the printed circuit board 302 by the distance D, until an annular impingement surface in the form of the printed circuit board contact surface 175 of the plug element receptacle 120 impinges at the printed circuit board 302, which at this point is planar.

(20) By means of this simple displacement operation (which can be accompanied by latching between plug element 110 and plug element receptacle 120 simultaneously with the impinging of the printed circuit board contact surface 175 at the printed circuit board 302), a clamping attachment force is generated, as is further described below, between direct plug device 108 and printed circuit board 302, which clamping attachment force is many times greater than the insertion force that must be applied for assembly and thus provides protection against unwanted or unintentional disconnection of the direct plug device 108 from the printed circuit board 302.

(21) Each of the pre-adjusting pins of the pre-adjusting device 112 has a lateral protrusion 116, which, after the associated pre-adjusting pin has been passed through the printed circuit board 302 and by the plug element receptacle 120 being moved from the contact element-remote state 104 to the contact element-proximal status 200, is clamped against a rear side of the printed circuit board 302 in a locking manner. This is facilitated by the configuration of the locking device 102 described hereafter: the locking device 102 is embodied in the form of four locking pegs or locking pins at its end, each of which is inserted, when the plug element receptacle 120 is moved from the contact element-remote state 104 into the contact element-proximal state 200, into the associated pre-adjusting opening 306 next to and with one of the four associated pre-adjusting pins of the pre-adjusting device 112, and together with the respective pre-adjusting pin causes the locking action. This results in a joint clamped locking of the locking pin of the locking device 102 and of the pre-adjusting pin of the pre-adjusting device 112 in the pre-adjusting opening 306. The pre-adjusting housing 118 has guide grooves 122, along which the locking pegs or locking pins of the locking device 102 of the plug element receptacle 120 can be moved in a guided manner by the exertion of a locking force on the associated pre-adjusting locking pins of the pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110. The locking pins are moved by pushing the plug element receptacle 120 forward by the distance D in the direction of the printed circuit board 302. At this point the pre-adjusting pins are already located in the pre-adjusting openings with clearance. As a result of the forward motion the locking pins fill up a free space in the pre-adjusting openings and are thereby placed into the pre-adjusting openings next to the pre-adjusting pins. During this forward movement the locking pins press the pre-adjusting pins sideways against the wall and thus lock the pre-adjusting pins in the pre-adjusting openings. At the same time in a synergistic manner the locking pins also press against the wall in the pre-adjusting openings, because the diameter of locking pin plus pre-adjusting pin is slightly larger than the diameter of the pre-adjusting openings. The pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110 is thus designed in a spring-like manner, such that by displacing the plug element receptacle 120 from the contact element-remote state 104 to the contact element-proximal state 200, the locking device 102 slides down at the spring-mounted pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110 and thereby presses the spring-mounted pre-adjusting structure 112 against the pre-adjusting structure 306 of the printed circuit board 302 perpendicular to the direction of travel. The pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110 and the locking device 102 are matched to one another in such a way that locking forces act in different directions in different pre-adjusting structures 306. In the example shown, the pre-adjusting pins are all spread outward by the movement of the locking pins.

(22) The plug element 110 and the plug element receptacle 120 are designed in such a way that, starting from the state in which the locking device 102 locks the pre-adjusting structure 112 of the plug element 110 to the pre-adjusting structure 306 of the printed circuit board 302, the plug element receptacle 120 can be moved back from the contact element-proximal state 200 to the contact element-remote state 104 in such a way that the lock is released and the plug element 110 can then be disconnected from the printed circuit board 302 with a small amount of force. The attachment or locking mechanism is therefore reversibly designed.

(23) FIG. 2 shows a spatial view of the direct plug device 108 in accordance with FIG. 1, in which the plug element receptacle 120 is located in the contact element-proximal state relative to the plug element 110, as indicated with reference number 200. In other words, the plug element receptacle 120 has been displaced relative to the plug element 110 as far as a forward latching position at the side of the contact such that a minimum distance remains between the plug element receptacle 120 and the contact elements 106 at the contact surface of the plug element 110. In the operating state shown in FIG. 2 the annular end face (i.e. the printed circuit board contact surface 175) of the plug element receptacle 120 and the contact or impingement surface (i.e. the printed circuit board contact surface 177) of the accommodating housing 114 are flush.

(24) FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the printed circuit board 302, which together with the direct plug device 108 according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 is configured to form a connection arrangement 400 (see FIG. 4) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 3 also the pre-adjusting structures 306 and the contact element receptacles 304 are shown. In a region in which the direct plug device 108 is to be attached to the printed circuit board 302 (compare reference numbers 304, 306), the printed circuit board 302 has no sockets, but is perfectly planar there. Therefore, the direct plug device 108 can be mounted on a planar section of the printed circuit board 302 using direct insertion.

(25) FIG. 4 shows a spatial view of the connection arrangement 400 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment with a direct plug device 108 according to FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and with a printed circuit board 302 in accordance with FIG. 3, in which the plug element receptacle 120 is in a contact element-remote state 104, as described above.

(26) FIG. 5 shows a spatial view of the connection arrangement 400 in accordance with FIG. 4, in which the plug element receptacle 120 is in the contact element-proximal state 104, as described above.

(27) FIG. 6 shows a side view of the connection arrangement 400 in accordance with FIG. 5. FIG. 6 also shows how the lateral protrusions 116 of the pre-adjusting structure 112, in a manner similar to a barbed hook at a rear side of the printed circuit board 302, prevent an unwanted removal.

(28) FIG. 7 shows a spatial view of the nine-pole direct plug device 108 in accordance with FIG. 1 to FIG. 6.

(29) FIG. 8 shows a spatial view of the plug element receptacle 120 in accordance with FIG. 1 to FIG. 6.

(30) FIG. 9 shows a spatial view of three sub-housings 900, 910 and 920, which can be connected together in order to form the plug element 110 of the direct plug device 100 in accordance with the previous Figures. Sub-housing 900 forms a left-hand side component, sub-housing 910 forms a central component and sub-housing 920 forms a right-hand side component of the plug element 110. Each of the sub-housings 900, 910 and 920 comprises a body that forms a part of the accommodating housing 114.

(31) The contact elements 106 (not shown in FIG. 9) can be inserted into accommodating spaces in the form of rectangular-shaped recesses in connection sections of the sub-housings 900, 910 and 920, and by assembling the associated sub-housings 900, 910, 920 together, they can be subsequently mounted with a clamping action at the housing 114 thus formed. Sub-components of the pre-adjusting housing 118 are formed integrally at the two peripherally arranged sub-housings 900, 920, and are elastically connected thereto using bridge elements (not visible in FIG. 9).

(32) FIG. 10 to FIG. 15 show different views of a direct plug device 108 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, in which the plug and receptacle are in a 15-pole configuration, i.e. in which 15 contact elements 106 are provided.

(33) FIG. 16 to FIG. 21 show different views of a direct plug device 108 in accordance with another exemplary embodiment in which the connector and receptacle are in a 6-pole configuration.

(34) It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that the 9-pole, 15-pole and 6-pole configurations that have been described in detail with reference to the Figures are only examples, and that any number of one or more poles or contact elements 106 can be realized in a direct plug device according to embodiments of the invention.

(35) It is also noted that “comprising” does not exclude any other elements or steps, and “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. It should also be noted that features or steps, which have been described with reference to any one of the above examples, can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other exemplary embodiments described above. Reference numerals in the claims are not to be regarded as restrictive.