Contact carrier

Abstract

A contact carrier receives and fixes at least one crimp contact. The contact carrier includes an insulating body and a holding plate that can be mounted on the insulating body on a connection side. The insulating body has a detent element which, in the non-mounted state, can assume both a position in which the crimp contact is latched and a position in which the crimp contact is unlatched. The holding plate has a locking element which, in the mounted state, fixes the at least one detent element in its position in which the crimp contact is latched. It thereby prevents the crimp contact from moving from the latching position to the unlatching position. The detent element is designed as a detent arm which points towards the connection side and has a detent molding for latching in a latching groove of the crimp contact.

Claims

1.-8. (canceled)

9. A contact carrier (K) for receiving and fixing at least one crimp contact (1), wherein the contact carrier (K) has a mating side (S) and, opposite thereto, a connection side (A), and wherein the contact carrier (K) is of at least a two-part design and comprises an insulating body (2) and a holding plate (3) which can be mounted on the connection side to the insulating body (2), wherein the insulating body (2) has at least one detent element (232) which, in a non-mounted state, can assume both a position latching the crimp contact (1) and a position unlatching the crimp contact (1), wherein the holding plate (3) has at least one locking element (33) which, in a mounted state, fixes the at least one detent element (232) in its position latching the crimp contact (1) and thereby prevents the detent element from transitioning from the latching position to the unlatching position, and wherein the detent element is at least one detent arm (232) which points towards the connection side (A) and has a latching projection (231) for latching in a detent groove (10) of the crimp contact (1).

10. The contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 9, wherein, in the mounted state, the locking element (33) is arranged in a frictionally engaged manner between the at least one detent arm (232) and an inner side of a through-opening (20) of the insulating body (2), and wherein the locking element is a locking sleeve (33) or at least one sleeve segment (33′).

11. The contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one detent arm (232) is hollow-cylindrical segment-like, and wherein its detent molding is formed by an inner-side detent flange (231), with which it projects into an interior of the through-opening (20) of the insulating body (2) and which serves to engage interlockingly in the detent groove (10) of the crimp contact (1) for latching.

12. The contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 11, wherein the insulating body (2) has at least two detent arms (232) for latching the inserted crimp contact (1) against movement in an insertion direction.

13. The contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the holding plate (3) can be latched on the insulating body (2) in two different positions, namely in a loading position and a locking position, wherein in the loading position the crimp contact (1) can be inserted and latched into the contact carrier (K) on the connection side (A), and wherein the locking position corresponds to the mounted state, in which the detent arm (232) is fixed, by the locking element (33), in its position latching the crimp contact (1) and thereby the crimp contact (1) is held stable in the contact carrier (K).

14. The contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 13, wherein the holding plate (3) has at least one fastening plate (38) with two detent windows (384, 384′), namely a first detent window (384) and a second detent window (384′), and wherein the insulating body (2) has externally at least two detent pins (284, 284′) corresponding thereto, namely at least one first detent pin (284) and at least one second detent pin (284′), and wherein the holding plate (3) is in the loading position when the at least one fastening plate (38) latches with its first detent window (384) on the second detent pin (284′), and wherein the holding plate (3) is in its locking position when the first detent window (384) latches on the first detent pin (284) and the second detent window (384′) latches on the second detent pin (284′).

15. The contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 14, wherein the holding plate (3) has a rectangular base plate (32) with an insertion opening (330) for inserting the crimp contact (1), and wherein a fastening plate (38) running at right angles to the base plate (32) is arranged on each of two opposite sides of the base plate (32), and wherein these two fastening plates (38) point in the same direction as the at least one locking element (33).

16. A method for mounting a crimp contact (1) in the contact carrier (K) as claimed in claim 9, comprising the following steps: A. latching the holding plate (3) in its loading position on the insulating body (2); B. inserting at least one crimp contact (1), crimped on the connection side with a stranded electrical conductor, into the insulating body (2); C. releasably latching the at least one crimp contact (1) by its beveled middle collar (13) on the at least one detent element (232); D. moving the holding plate (3) from its loading position to its final locking position; E. fixing the at least one detent arm (232) in its latching position by the locking element (33) of the holding plate (3); and F. holding the at least one crimp contact (1) in a particularly stable manner in the contact carrier (K) and absorbing high mating forces acting on the crimp contact (1) by the insulating body (2).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] An exemplary embodiment is shown in the drawings and is explained in more detail below.

[0041] FIGS. 1a-b show a crimp contact in two different views;

[0042] FIGS. 2a-d show an insulating body in different views and in a sectional view;

[0043] FIGS. 3a-c show a holding plate from different angles;

[0044] FIG. 3d show a contact carrier in the loading state from the outside;

[0045] FIGS. 4a-b show a sectional view in the loading state and in the mounted state; and

[0046] FIGS. 5a-b show the contact carrier in the loading state with an unlocking tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The figures contain partially simplified, schematic representations. In part, identical reference signs are used for the same, but possibly not identical elements. Different views of the same elements may be scaled differently.

[0048] FIGS. 1a and 1b show a crimp contact 1 designed as a socket contact. Its mating region 11 is thus formed by a contact socket and is hollow-cylindrical for this purpose and segmented by a plurality of slots. Its connection region 12 is designed as a crimp connection for connecting an electrical conductor, for example the stranded wire of an electrical cable. Between the connection region 12 and the mating region 11, the crimp contact 1 has a circumferential detent groove 10.

[0049] FIGS. 2a to 2d show an insulating body 2 with a plurality of through-openings 20 provided as contact receptacles. This insulating body 2 has two recesses 28 of rectangular cross-section on two opposite outer narrow sides. Each of the two recesses 28 is bounded by two lateral ribs 29. Two detent pins 284, 284′, specifically a first detent pin 284 and a second detent pin 284′, are arranged in these two recesses 28 offset relative to one another in the direction of insertion. These each have a slide-on slope which, for reasons of clarity, is not provided with a reference sign.

[0050] Furthermore, the insulating body has a plurality of hollow-cylindrical mating portions 21 on the mating side S, through each of which one of the through-openings 20 extends.

[0051] Within each through-opening 20, two detent arms 232 are arranged opposite each other, pointing in the direction of the connection side A (i.e. in the direction of the cable connection side). As shown in FIG. 2a, these detent arms 232 have a basic shape similar to a hollow-cylinder segment. On the inside, a detent flange 231 projecting into the through-opening 20 is molded on this basic shape for fixing the relevant crimp contact 1 at its circumferential detent groove 10.

[0052] FIG. 2d shows particularly well that the detent arms 232, coming exclusively from the direction of the mating side S, point with their free end in the direction of the connection side A. This creates a particularly large amount of space in the connection region, since this is free of detent arms 232 or parts thereof. Thus, crimp contacts 1 with particularly large connection regions/crimping regions 12 and electrical conductors/cables with particularly large cross sections can be used.

[0053] FIGS. 3a to 3c show a holding plate 3 as an individual part from several different perspectives. FIG. 3d shows the holding plate 3 together with the insulating body 2 in its loading position. Here, the holding plate 3 and the insulating body 2 together form the contact carrier K.

[0054] The holding plate 3 has a rectangular base plate 32 with a plurality of insertion openings 330, which can be seen particularly well in FIG. 3d from the direction of the connection side A. These insertion openings 330 serve to insert the crimp contacts 1 during the mounting process. Two hollow-cylinder segment-like locking elements 33, which project at right angles from the base plate 32, adjoin each insertion opening 330 opposite one another.

[0055] On each of two opposite narrow sides of the base plate 32, a fastening plate 38 is molded at right angles to the base plate 32. For multi-stage latching, two detent windows 384, specifically a first detent window 384 and a second detent window 384′, are arranged on each fastening plate 38. For the construction of the contact carrier K, the fastening plates 38 can be pushed into the recesses 28 of the insulating body 2, in particular with an exact fit between the lateral ribs 29, wherein the detent windows 384, 384′ can latch on the detent pins 284, 284′. At the same time, the locking elements 33 can be inserted into the corresponding through-openings 20.

[0056] FIG. 3d shows the contact carrier K, which has the insulating body 2 and the holding plate 3 latched thereto in a loading position, whereby the contact carrier K is in a loading state. FIG. 4a shows the same arrangement in cross-section. In this loading state of the contact carrier K, the crimp contact 1 can be inserted into the contact carrier K from the connection side A. Usually, the crimp contact 1 is crimped previously at its crimp connection 12 with a stranded electrical conductor, not shown in the drawing.

[0057] In the loading state, the first detent windows 384 of the holding plate 3 latch on the second detent pins 284′ of the insulating body 2. In this state, the locking elements 33 are only partially inserted into the through-opening 20 and in this position do not yet lock the detent arms 232 against movement into their unlatching position. In this state, the crimp contact 1 can be inserted into the contact carrier K from the direction of the connection side A.

[0058] A further movement of the holding plate 3 in the mating direction, i.e. in the direction of this mating side S, causes the first detent window 384 to latch on the first detent pin 284 and the second detent window 384′ to latch on the second detent pin 284′. The holding plate 3 then assumes a position relative to the insulating body 2 as shown in FIG. 4b. The holding plate 3 is thus in its locking position. The detent arms 232 are now prevented by the locking elements 33 from performing an unlatching movement. The contact carrier K is then disposed, together with the inserted crimp contact 1, in its mounted state, in which the crimp contact 1 is fixed in the contact carrier 3 with particularly high holding forces both against movement in the direction of the connection side A and against movement in the direction of the mating side S.

[0059] FIGS. 5a and 5b show an unlocking operation by means of an unlocking tool 4. The contact carrier K is in its mounted state. At its free end, the unlocking tool 4 has a hollow-cylindrical unlocking portion 41, the diameter of which corresponds to the distance between the opposite detent pins 232 and the outer wall of which is tapered at the end, specifically flattened inwardly. Advantageously, the detent pins 232 are also tapered towards their end, specifically flattened outwardly. The depth of the detent flange 231 does not exceed the width of the outer wall of the unlocking portion 41 of the unlocking tool 4. Thus, the crimp contacts 1 can be unlatched from the detent arms 232 by inserting the unlocking tool 4 into the relevant insertion opening 330.

[0060] Even though various aspects or features of the invention are each shown in the figures in combination, it is apparent to those skilled in the art—unless otherwise indicated—that the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible ones. In particular, corresponding units or feature complexes from different exemplary embodiments can be interchanged.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0061] 1 crimp contact

[0062] 10 circumferential detent groove

[0063] 11 mating region, contact socket

[0064] 12 connection region, crimp connection

[0065] 2 insulating body

[0066] 20 through-opening

[0067] 21 mating portion

[0068] 231 inner detent flange

[0069] 232 detent element, detent arm

[0070] 284, 284′ first, second detent pin

[0071] 3 holding plate

[0072] 32 base plate

[0073] 33 locking element

[0074] 330 insertion openings

[0075] 38 fastening plate

[0076] 384, 384′ first, second detent window

[0077] 4 unlocking tool

[0078] 41 unlocking contour

[0079] K contact carrier

[0080] A connection side

[0081] S mating side