Electrical connector system with vibration prevention

Abstract

An electrical plug contact for high-current applications. The plug contact encompasses a housing that extends along a longitudinal axis and an interior space for receiving a single counterpart contact element. The plug contact encompasses a cable having a plurality of strands, the cable being guided from an exterior space of the housing into the interior space and being fastened thereon. The cable has an end in the interior space, the cable having, adjacently to the end, a damping portion in which the cable is split into a plurality of separate conductors; a plurality of contacting elements, each of which is arranged suitable for electrically and mechanically contacting the single counterpart contact element, each of which is secured on a corresponding one of at least two of the conductor strands, so that each conductor strand is connected to one contact element, and so that each conductor strand is at the same electrical potential.

Claims

1. An electrical plug contact for a high-current application, comprising: a housing that extends along a longitudinal axis and has an interior space for receiving a counterpart contact element; a cable that is constituted from a plurality of conductor strands, the cable being guided from an exterior space of the housing into the interior space of the housing and being fastened on the housing, wherein the cable has an end in the interior space, and wherein the cable has, adjacently to the end, a damping portion in which the cable is split into a plurality of separate conductor strands; and a plurality of contacting elements, each of which is suitable for electrically and mechanically contacting the counterpart contact element, and each of which is secured on a corresponding one of at least two of the plurality of conductor strands, so that each of the conductor strands is connected to a corresponding contact element; wherein each of the conductor strands of the cable are at the same electrical potential.

2. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein a length along which the conductor strands extend in the damping portion is at least 20% greater than a length of the damping portion along the longitudinal axis.

3. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein the cable has an electrically conductive cross section of at least 10 mm.sup.2.

4. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein each of the conductor strands is constituted from several strands.

5. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein each conductor has a cross section of at least 0.2 mm.sup.2 and at most 6 mm.sup.2.

6. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein the damping portion is disposed completely in the interior space of the housing.

7. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein each of the conductor strands in the damping portion extend along a shape that is selected from one of an arc, an omega shape, and a loop.

8. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein the contacting elements are disposed along a circle around an axis, the axis extending parallel to the longitudinal axis.

9. A plug connector system, comprising: an electrical plug contact for a high-current application, including: a housing that extends along a longitudinal axis and has an interior space for receiving a counterpart contact element; a cable that is constituted from a plurality of conductor strands, the cable being guided from an exterior space of the housing into the interior space of the housing and being fastened on the housing, wherein the cable has an end in the interior space, and wherein the cable has, adjacently to the end, a damping portion in which the cable is split into a plurality of separate conductor strands; and a plurality of contacting elements, each of which is suitable for electrically and mechanically contacting the counterpart contact element, and each of which is secured on a corresponding one of at least two of the plurality of conductor strands, so that each of the conductor strands is connected to a corresponding contact element; wherein each of the conductor strands of the cable are at the same electrical potential.

10. The plug connector system of claim 9, wherein the counterpart contact element has a round cross section; and/or wherein the counterpart contact element includes a flat blade and the plug contact is configured to be slidable onto the flat blade, the contacting element electrically and mechanically contacting contact surfaces of the flat blade.

11. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein each of the contacting elements includes a contact leaf facing toward a contacting space, and wherein each of the contacting elements are each fastened, at a free end of one of the separate conductor strands, in a connecting portion of the contacting element.

12. The electrical plug contact of claim 11, wherein disposed on a side of the contacting element which faces away from the contact leaf is a latching tip, deflectable elastically reversibly inward, which latches into an undercut of the housing of the plug contact.

13. The electrical plug contact of claim 1, wherein the conductor strands are not in mechanical and/or electrical contact with at least one adjacent conductor strand along a length of the separate conductor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cable of a plug contact.

(2) FIG. 2a is a schematic cross section of a plug contact.

(3) FIG. 2b is a frontal view of the plug contact of FIG. 2a.

(4) FIG. 2c is a schematic detail view of the cable from the plug contact of FIG. 2a.

(5) FIGS. 3a, 3b and 3c show various embodiments of the layout of the cable in the damping portion.

(6) FIG. 4 is a schematic detail view of the cable in a further embodiment of the plug contact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows a cable 1 for an electrical plug contact for high-current applications, the cable extending along a longitudinal axis A. Cable 1 is constituted from a plurality of strands 5a. Several strands 5a are respectively bundled into a conductor 5. The cable is thus constituted from a plurality of conductors 5. Conductors 5 are, however, all in electrical and mechanical contact with a respective adjacent conductor 5, and are not guided separately from one another or spaced apart from one another. Because of this configuration, cable 1 is fairly flexurally stiff compared with separately guided conductors 5 or even individual strands 5a. On the other hand, it is more flexible than a cable that is constituted from a solid material. Cable 1 is very compact in a radial direction R that extends transversely to longitudinal axis A, and can therefore easily be encased in an insulator 2 that is embodied as an insulating sheath. Cable 1 also has a high current capacity thanks to the plurality of strands.

(8) Strands 5a of cable 1 can encompass as material, for example, copper, aluminum, tin, silver, or alloys of those materials. The strands can also, for example, be coated, for example tinned. Insulator 2 can have an electrical conductivity that is at least two orders of magnitude lower than that of the strands. It can be constituted from a poorly electrically conducting plastic.

(9) Cable 1 is configured to conduct high currents, for example at least 10 A, which may be at least 50 A, and very particularly may be at least 150 A. It can have for that purpose a cross section of, for example, at least 5 mm.sup.2, which may be at least 10 mm.sup.2, and very particularly may be at least 25 mm.sup.2. For example, cable 1 can have a cross section of 25 mm.sup.2 or 50 mm.sup.2 or 100 mm.sup.2.

(10) Also depicted in the Figure is the circumferential direction U that proceeds around longitudinal axis A.

(11) FIG. 2a is a schematic cross section through a plug connector system 100 for high-current applications. Plug connector system 100 has an electrical plug contact 10 for high-current applications, as well as a counterpart contact element 8. Plug contact 10 encompasses a housing 20 that extends along a longitudinal axis A, and an interior space 21 for receiving counterpart contact element 8. An exterior space 22 of plug contact 10 is located outside plug contact 10. Interior space 21 can be delimited by a wall 23. Plug contact 10 further encompasses a cable 1 that can correspond at least in portions to cable 1 of FIG. 1. Like the one in FIG. 1, cable 1 is constituted from a plurality of strands 5a. Cable 1 is guided from exterior space 22 of housing 20 into interior space 21 of housing 20, and is fastened on housing 20. Fastening can be achieved with a usual fastening apparatus/device (arrangement) 9, for example clamps, coupling nuts, hose clamps, etc.

(12) Cable 1 has an end 1a in interior space 21. Cable 1 has a damping portion 4 adjacent to end 1a. Cable 1 is split, in damping portion 4, into a plurality of separate conductors 5. In contrast to conductors 5 depicted in FIG. 1, conductors 5 of FIG. 2a in damping portion 4 are thus not located close together, and are not in mechanical and/or electrical contact with at least one adjacent conductor 5 along their length. They are instead separate from one another, and thus mechanically decoupled from one another at least in radial direction R. A contacting element 6 is secured on at least two conductors 5, so that each conductor strand is connected to one contact element. These contacting elements 6 are suitable for mechanically and electrically contacting counterpart contact element 8 in the state inserted into housing 20. Contacting elements 6 are disposed in housing 20 so as to face toward one another, and delimit a contacting space 7 into which counterpart contact element 8 can be slid. Contacting elements 6 have, on their surfaces facing toward contacting space 7, contact leaves 6a that can be embodied as resilient contact tabs and can come into mechanical and electrical contact with a contacting surface of counterpart contact element 8 as soon as the counterpart contact element is slid into contacting space 7. The contacting elements can be secured in their position in housing 20 with tight tolerances along longitudinal axis A, for example by way of a latching tip 6c (depicted in FIG. 4) that latches into interior space 21 of housing 20.

(13) Vibrational decoupling of cable 1 is made possible by damping portion 4 which, in the exemplifying embodiment depicted, is disposed entirely in interior space 21 and is enclosed by housing 20. Damping portion 4 has a length L, along longitudinal axis A, which extends between that end of contacting elements 6 which faces toward damping portion 4, and the splitting of conductors 5 into mutually separate conductors 5. The conductors, conversely, have a length L1 in damping portion 4, along their respective directions of extent, which is at least 10% greater than length L of damping portion 4. Length L1 of conductors 5 may be at least 50% greater than the length of damping portion 4. Particularly good vibration damping, even at large amplitudes, is thereby produced.

(14) Greater flexibility for cable 1 in damping portion 4 is achieved by the separation of conductors 5, with the result that vibrations cannot be transferred directly from contacting element 6 into cable 1, or from cable 1 to contacting elements 6.

(15) In FIG. 2a, counterpart contact element 8 has not yet been inserted into housing 20 in an insertion direction E that here extends parallel to longitudinal axis A.

(16) FIG. 2b is a plan view of an insertion opening 25 for counterpart contact element 8 in housing 20. By way of example, six contacting elements 6 are depicted, with their contact leaves 6a facing toward contacting space 7. Contacting elements 6 are disposed on a circle that proceeds around an axis that extends parallel to longitudinal axis A.

(17) FIG. 2c is a plan view of cable 1 in plug contact 10 of FIG. 2a. Depicted from right to left is the manner in which conductors 5 firstly proceed inside insulator 2 in an interwoven manner with one another. Conductors 5 then continue to proceed inside insulator 2, interwoven with one another as in FIG. 1, in a stripped portion. This is followed, lastly, by the damping portion, in which conductors 5 are unwoven, i.e. proceed separately from one another: here, they are mechanically decoupled from one another. Damping portion 4 is followed by contacting elements 6, which are each fastened, at a free end of a separate conductor 5, in a connecting portion 6b of contacting element 6. Conductor 5 can be, for example, crimped on in this connecting portion 6b (see FIG. 2c), but it can also be soldered on, welded on, or, for example, adhesively bonded on with a conductive adhesive.

(18) The contacting elements can be produced, for example, from a thin or thicker metal sheet having a material thickness from 0.1 to 5 mm, which may be 1 mm to 3 mm. They can be embodied as stamped bent parts.

(19) Counterpart contact element 8 can be embodied, for example, as a round element or contact blade. It can encompass aluminum or copper or silver as a material, or alloys of those substances. It can be coated on its external radial surface, for example, with a material that encompasses gold, silver, copper, platinum, tin, or alloys of those materials.

(20) FIGS. 3a to 3c show various shapes in which the separated conductors 5 of cable 1 can proceed in the damping portion. FIG. 3a shows the shape of an arc. FIG. 3b shows an omega shape, and FIG. 3c shows a loop shape. These configurations allow a maximally long decoupling section or length L1 of the respective separated conductors 5 to be implemented over a short distance along longitudinal axis A. The damping effect with respect to vibrations can accordingly be improved.

(21) FIG. 4 shows a plug connector system 100 in which counterpart contact element 8 is constituted by a flat blade 30 having a contact surface 31. In the interest of clarity, only a single contacting element 6 on a single separated conductor 5 is depicted here. Housing 20, which ensures that contacting element 6 becomes pressed against contacting surface 31 (similarly to an insertion slot for an SD card into an SD card reader), has also been omitted. Depicted on the left side of the Figure is damping portion 4, at whose end (farther to the right) contacting element 6 is, for example, crimped into connecting portion 6b. Contacting element 6 contacts, with its contact leaf 6a, contact surface 31 of the flat blade. Disposed by way of example on that side of contacting element 6 which faces away from contact leaf 6a is a latching tip 6c, deflectable elastically reversibly inward, which can latch into an undercut of housing 20 (not depicted here) of plug contact 10.

(22) It is understood that in an embodiment that is not depicted here, flat blade 30 can also have a further contact surface on its side that faces away from contact surface 31 and faces downward in the Figure. Contacting can then be effected by way of an electrical plug contact 10 that is embodied like the one in FIG. 4 but has a further contacting element that is located opposite contacting element 6 and that electrically and mechanically contacts the further contact surface. There can be embodied, between contacting element 6 and the further contacting element, a gap or slot or duct into which flat blade 30 can be slid so that its contact surface 31, and the further contact surface, are electrically contacted respectively by contacting element 6 and by the further contacting element. Contacting element 6 and the further contacting element can be mechanically connected to one another in such a way that they clamp flat blade 30 between them and thereby always apply a sufficiently large contact force that acts on both sides of the flat blade.

(23) An electrical plug contact 10 of this kind can also mutually contact several flat blades of a multipoint connector simultaneously. In that case, several pairs of mutually oppositely located contacting elements 6 and further contacting elements are then disposed in a row next to one another.

(24) Vibration-damped direct contacting of flat blades, e.g. flat blades of a multipoint connector, can thereby be accomplished in a simple and cost-effective manner.