HOUSING OF AN ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTOR AND ELECTRICAL PLUG CONNECTOR

Abstract

A housing of an electrical plug connector, which has the following features: at least one plug chamber, accessible from a plug face of the plug connector, into which a mating plug connector designed as the mating piece for the plug connector may be inserted; four circumferential walls, which surround at least the plug chamber on the circumferential side and extend in parallel to an insertion direction, in which the mating plug connector may be inserted into the plug chamber; at least one elastically resilient locking tab is formed on at least one circumferential wall for the purpose of locking the mating plug connector on the plug connector; the at least one locking tab is designed as a material tongue separated from the material of the circumferential wall by cutaway sections on both sides. An electrical plug connector is also provided, which includes the housing.

Claims

1. A housing of an electrical plug connector, the housing comprising: at least one plug chamber, which is accessible from a plug face of the plug connector, into which a mating plug connector designed as a mating piece for the plug connector is adapted to be inserted; four circumferential walls that surround at least the plug chamber on a circumferential side and extend substantially in parallel to an insertion direction, in which the mating plug connector is adapted to be inserted into the plug chamber; at least one elastically resilient locking tab formed on at least one circumferential wall for locking the mating plug connector on the plug connector, the at least one locking tab being designed as a material tongue, which is separated from the material of the circumferential wall by cutaway sections on both sides; and at least one frame part that spans the separated material tongue and the cutaway sections on both sides.

2. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one frame part is arranged behind the material tongue spanned by the frame part, viewed from the plug chamber.

3. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the locking tab is elastically deflectable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the insertion direction of the mating plug connector when inserting the mating plug connector into the plug chamber.

4. The housing according to claim 3, wherein the deflection movement of the locking tab is limited perpendicularly to the insertion direction by the at least one frame part, in that the at least one frame part forms a stop for the locking tab.

5. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the four circumferential walls comprise an upper wall and a lower wall, which are arranged in parallel to each other, as well as two side walls, which are arranged in parallel to each other and are arranged essentially at right angles to the upper and lower walls.

6. The housing according to claim 5, wherein the at least one elastically resilient locking tab is formed on one or on both side walls, which is designed as a material tongue separated from the material of the side wall by cutaway sections on both sides.

7. The housing according to claim 6, wherein the at least one frame part is present on one or on both side walls, which spans the separated material tongue and the cutaway sections on both sides on the particular side wall.

8. The housing according to claim 7, wherein the at least one frame part extends from a first end to a second end, the first end being connected to the side wall where the frame part is arranged and/or to the upper wall, and the second end being connected to the side wall where the frame part is arranged and/or to the lower wall.

9. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one frame part is situated closer to the free end than to the root end of the separated material tongue.

10. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one frame part forms a portion of the plug face of the plug connector.

11. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the separated material tongue ends with its free end at the plug face of the plug connector.

12. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the separated material tongue has a length measured in the insertion direction, which is in a range of 20% to 60% of the length of the housing, measured in the insertion direction or in a range of 30% to 50% of the length of the housing.

13. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the separated material tongue has a width, measured perpendicularly to the insertion direction, which is in a range of 40% to 90% of the width of the circumferential wall measured perpendicularly to the insertion direction on which the material tongue is formed, or in a range of 50% to 80% of the width of the circumferential wall.

14. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one frame part is designed to form a single piece with a housing base body of the housing, which has the four circumferential walls.

15. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the at least one frame part is designed as a separate component, which is fastened to a housing base body of the housing, which has the four circumferential walls.

16. The housing according to claim 1, wherein the housing has at least one receiving chamber for receiving a plug contact of the plug connector.

17. An electrical plug connector comprising a housing according to claim 1, and comprising at least one plug contact that is adapted to be electrically contacted by a mating plug connector inserted into the plug chamber.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0028] FIG. 1 is an electrical plug connector in a perspective view;

[0029] FIG. 2 is the electrical plug connector according to FIG. 1 in a side view;

[0030] FIG. 3 is a plug contact of the plug connector in a perspective view;

[0031] FIG. 4 is the plug connector in a partially cutaway side view; and

[0032] FIG. 5 is the plug connector in cutaway top view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Electrical plug connector 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a housing 2 having a housing base body 20, on which four circumferential walls 21, 22, 23, 24 are formed. Circumferential walls 21, 22, 23, 24 each form a side wall 21, 23 on the left and the right, which are arranged in parallel to each other, as well as an upper wall 24 and a lower wall 22, which are also arranged in parallel to each other. Side walls 21, 23 are each arranged essentially at right angles to lower wall 22 and to upper wall 24.

[0034] Circumferential walls 21, 22, 23, 24 surround a plug chamber 25 on the circumferential side. A portion of an electrical plug contact 5, which includes a contact protection element 6 to protect against being touched by people, extends into plug chamber 25. This plug contact 5 may be electrically contacted by a mating plug connector inserted into plug chamber 25. The mating plug connector is to be inserted into plug chamber 25 in an insertion direction E. The side on which the mating plug connector may be connected to plug connector 1 is also referred to as plug face 10.

[0035] To securely lock the mating plug connector inserted into plug chamber 25 on plug connector 1, particular locking tabs are present on side walls 21, 23 of housing 2, which are each formed by material tongues 3 separated from the material of particular side wall 21, 23 by cutaway sections on both sides. Material tongues 3 extend with their free end in the direction of plug face 10. A latching element 30 is located on each of material tongues 3, which may interact with a corresponding mating latching element on the mating plug connector for the purpose of effectuating a locking action of the mating plug connector on plug connector 1. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, latching elements 30 are designed as recesses in particular material tongue 3. However, they may also be designed as material projections.

[0036] Material tongues 3 form elastically resilient locking tabs in this way, which may be deflected in a direction perpendicular to insertion direction E, i.e., out of the plane of particular side wall 21, 23.

[0037] Side walls 21, 23, which are weakened by the cutaway sections, are stabilized by particular frame parts 4. Each material tongue 3 is assigned to one frame part 4 or is arranged in its direct vicinity. It is apparent that frame parts 4 are arranged on the outside, i.e., behind particular material tongue 3, viewed from plug chamber 25. Particular frame part 4 spans separated material tongue 3 assigned in each case and the associated cutaway sections. Particular frame part 4 may be connected for this purpose to assigned side wall 21 or 23 and/or to upper wall 24 at its one (upper) end. Particular frame part 4 may be connected to assigned side wall 21 or 23 and/or to lower wall 22 at its other (lower) end.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows that particular material tongue 3 is designed to overlap with its assigned frame part 4 in the longitudinal direction of the plug connector or in insertion direction E. If material tongue 3 is deflected toward the outside, this deflection movement is limited by assigned frame part 4. Frame part 4 thus forms a stop for material tongue 3 or the locking tab.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows an example of electrical plug contact 5, which may have a connecting section 51 projecting into plug chamber 25, i.e., in the form of a blade or pin contact. This connecting section 51 may be electrically contacted, for example, by a bifurcated contact of the mating plug connector. Plug contact 5 may have outer connecting contacts 50 for connection to at least one electrical line, for example in the form of pin contacts which may be soldered, for example, into a circuit board. Plug contact 5 may furthermore have fixing elements 52, with the aid of which plug contact 5 may be fixed in housing 2, for example by means of a latching action. As illustrated in FIG. 2, connecting contacts 50 may project out of housing 2.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows, in particular on the basis of the front region of plug connector 1 shown in the sectional representation, i.e., the region facing plug face 10, how plug contact 5 may project together with connecting section 51 into plug chamber 25, in order to be contacted there by the mating plug connector.

[0041] FIG. 5 shows the arrangement of the individual elements in the cutaway top view. It is apparent that frame parts 4 may be connected to particular side wall 21, 23 or lower and/or upper wall 22, 24 with the aid of a ramp-like transition. A robust attachment of frame parts 4 to circumferential walls 21, 22, 23, 24 of housing 2 is ensured by the ramp-like transition. The ramp-like transition may also form an insertion funnel for the mating plug connector.

[0042] It is also illustrated in FIG. 5 that at least one of fixing elements 52 of plug contact 5 projects into a side recess 27 of a receiving channel 26 arranged in housing 2 for plug contact 5. A material projection 28, which projects into receiving channel 26, is provided behind fixing element 52, viewed in insertion direction E. Material projection 28 prevents housing 2 from being able to be pulled off of plug contact 5 against insertion direction E if a tensile load is applied to housing 2, caused, for example, by the mating plug connector. Material projection 28 thus forms a stop for fixing element 52.

[0043] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.