Plug connector

Abstract

Disclosed is a plug connector having a plurality of electrical contact elements and an elastic sealing body. The elastic sealing body has a transparent sealing ring which is connected to at least one light guide arm which extends away from the sealing ring.

Claims

1. A plug connector with a plurality of electrical contact elements and an elastic sealing body, wherein the elastic sealing body comprises a transparent sealing ring that is connected to at least one light guide arm that extends away from the sealing ring, and wherein each light guide arm comprises a deflection face at which light travelling inside the light guide arm is reflected in the direction of the sealing arm.

2. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one light guide arm extends away from the sealing ring in an axial direction.

3. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing ring and the at least one light guide arm are formed of the same material.

4. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one light guide arm is connected to the sealing ring at an inner face of the sealing ring.

5. The plug connector according to claim 1, wherein the deflection face is oriented at an angle to the light guide arm, that light is reflected to the deflection face through total internal reflection.

6. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deflection face is mirror-finished.

7. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein an external jacket face and/or an end face of the sealing ring is roughened so that light is radiated out diffusely, that an inner face of the sealing ring and a surface of the at least one light guide arm is smooth in order to reduce an outward coupling of light.

8. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing ring is widened in the radial direction towards the at least one light guide arm in order to provide a more uniform light propagation in the sealing ring.

9. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the at least one light guide arm is enlarged toward the sealing ring in order to achieve a more uniform light distribution in the sealing ring.

10. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a radius of the sealing ring is greater than a radius of other components of the plug connector that are located between the sealing ring and a plug end of the plug connector, in order to at least not completely block an outward light radiation at an end face of the sealing ring.

11. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein to couple in light from multiple light sources, multiple light guide arms are connected to the sealing ring.

12. An electronic device with a housing that comprises at least one opening, wherein a plug connector as claimed in claim 1 is arranged in the opening, at least one light source is present in the housing, and is arranged such that light radiated from the light source is coupled via a light inlet face into the at least one light guide arm of the plug connector.

13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12, wherein a circuit board on which the at least one light source is located is arranged in the housing, and the light inlet face of the at least one light guide arm is arranged next to the at least one light source and is curved inward.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein multiple light sources that differ in the spectral bands that they transmit are arranged on the circuit board, and that light of the multiple light sources can be guided to the sealing ring via the same light guide arm.

15. A sealing body for at least one plug connector, with an elastic sealing ring, wherein the elastic sealing ring is transparent and is connected to at least one light guide arm that extends away from the sealing ring, and wherein each light guide arm comprises a deflection face at which light travelling inside the light guide arm is reflected in the direction of the sealing ring.

16. The plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the sealing ring and the at least one light guide arm are formed of the same material.

17. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein an external jacket face and/or an end face of the sealing ring is roughened so that light is radiated out diffusely, that an inner face of the sealing ring and a surface of the at least one light guide arm is smooth in order to reduce an outward coupling of light.

18. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the sealing ring is widened in the radial direction towards the at least one light guide arm in order to provide a more uniform light propagation in the sealing ring.

19. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein a cross-section of the at least one light guide arm is enlarged toward the sealing ring in order to achieve a more uniform light distribution in the sealing ring.

20. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sealing ring and the at least one guide are formed in one piece.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail below. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a plug connector in an installed state;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a sealing body of the plug connector from FIG. 1, and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the plug connector of FIG. 1 in a non-installed state.

(5) The figures partially contain simplified, schematic illustrations. The same elements are usually identified by consistent reference signs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) The exemplary embodiment of a plug connector 1 according to the invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 1 shows the plug connector 1 in an installed state in an opening of a housing wall 12 of an electronic device 10. FIG. 3, on the other hand, shows the plug connector 1 in a non-installed state, wherein a housing flange of the plug connector 1 is visible, while electrical contacts of the plug connector 1 are hidden.

(7) As shown in FIG. 1, the plug connector 1 comprises a plurality of electrical contacts 2 at its plug end and, in the example illustrated, is constructed as a round plug connector, although other forms are also possible.

(8) The plug connector 1 comprises a sealing body 4 in order to establish a desired sealing of the plug connector 1 against the housing wall 12. The sealing body 4 is shown more precisely in FIG. 2, and comprises a sealing ring 5 and at least one light guide arm 8; a plurality of light guide arms 8 are present in the illustrated example. The sealing body 4 comprises or consists of an elastic material, for example of a thermoplastic elastomer. The sealing ring 5 can thereby be pressed in a sealing manner against the housing wall. A seal that accords with a higher protection class can be achieved hereby. At the same time, a visual signal indication is enabled in a simple manner, without the sealing properties being impaired or complex additional measures being necessary. This is achieved in that the sealing body 4 consists of a transparent material and has light guide arms 8 that guide light from a light source in the housing to the sealing ring 5. Light can thus be radiated out by way of the sealing ring 5. Advantageously, no additional housing windows or holes are necessary for this purpose. Rather, with reference to FIG. 1, a single hole or opening in the housing wall 12 is enough for the plug connector 1, in order to provide both an electrical connection via the contact elements 2 as well as a visual display by means of an illumination of the sealing body 4.

(9) As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 10 can comprise at least one light source 15, for example a laser or an LED that is arranged on a circuit board 14 in the housing 12. Each light guide arm 8 of the sealing body 4 extends into the housing in an axial direction, and ends next to one of the light sources 15. A face of the light guide arm 8 adjacent to the light source 15 is referred to here as the light inlet face. A light signal can be output through the light guide arm 8, without the electrical elements required for this necessarily being required in the plug connector. Rather can the light source 15 and an electronic control unit connected to it be arranged on the circuit board 14 in the housing of the electronic device. Alternatively, one or a plurality of light sources can, however, also be arranged inside the plug connector, wherein transmitted light is guided to the sealing ring 5 via the at least one light guide arm 8.

(10) The arrows 16 in FIG. 2 indicate the direction of propagation of the light that is coupled from the light sources, not illustrated here, by way of the light inlet faces of the light guide arm 8. Light travels in the axial direction in the light guide arms 8, meaning in the direction of the arrow 17 in the longitudinal direction of the plug connector. At an end located opposite to that of the light inlet face, each light guide arm 8 has a deflection face 9 that is oriented at an angle to the axial direction. Light is reflected inside the respective light guide arm 8 at the deflection face 9, and thus coupled into the sealing ring 5. The form of a light guide arm 8 can also be a form modified from that illustrated. In particular, a light guide arm 8 can also be curved or have a plurality of bends, or be oriented at an angle to the axial direction of the plug connector.

(11) The sealing body 5 shown in FIG. 2 can also be employed for components other than the plug connector of FIGS. 1 and 3.

(12) An end face 6 and a jacket face 7 of the sealing ring 5 are roughened so that light is coupled more easily and as uniformly as possible out of the sealing ring 5. Since outward coupling, and the direction of outward radiation, depends on the angle of incidence of the light at the end face 6 or at the jacket face 7, a rough surface leads to a more uniform outward radiation. Because as little outward coupling of the light as possible should take place at the other faces of the sealing body 4, the other faces can, on the other hand, be made smoother than the end face 6 and the jacket face 7.

(13) Because light can be radiated out by way of the end face 6, this should not be completely covered. As shown in FIG. 1, a fastening component 3A that is arranged at the end face of the sealing ring 5 and that serves for fastening at the housing wall 12, has a smaller diameter or a smaller cross-sectional area than the sealing ring 5. The sealing ring 5 can be pressed, in a sealing manner, onto the housing wall 12 by means of an opposing fastening piece 3B, for example a nut.

(14) In the forms of embodiment described above, the plug connector of the invention offers an illuminated indication with good sealing against a housing wall, without additional optical openings being necessary in the housing wall for the illuminated indication.

(15) Even when different aspects or features of the invention are each shown in combination in the figures, it will—unless otherwise stated—be clear to the skilled person that the combinations illustrated and discussed are not the only possibilities. In particular, units or feature complexes from different exemplary embodiments that correspond to one another can be exchanged with one another.

Plug Connector

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(16) 1 Plug connector 2 Electrical contact elements 3A Fastening component 3B Opposing fastening piece 4 Sealing body 5 Sealing ring 6 End face of the sealing ring 7 Jacket face of the sealing ring 8 Light guide arm 9 Deflection face at light guide arm 10 Electronic device 12 Housing wall 14 Circuit board 15 Light source 16 Direction of light propagation from the light source 17 Direction of light propagation within the light guide arm