Contact element arrangement

Abstract

The invention relates to a contact element arrangement consisting of a shaped sheet metal part, wherein at least two contact elements, which are spaced apart from each other and extend away from a flat base plate of the sheet metal part, are shaped from the sheet metal part and wherein the one contact element forms a substantially cylindrical contacting portion for mounting a pin-shaped counter contact by insertion and wherein the second contact element is formed as a contact spring bent in an S-shape over two bending portions, the contact spring forming a contact point facing away from the base plate.

Claims

1. A contact element arrangement comprising: a deformed sheet metal part, wherein at least first and second contact elements spaced apart from each other are formed from the sheet metal part and extend away from a substantially flat base plate of the sheet metal part, wherein the first contact element forms an essentially cylindrical contacting portion for a plug assembly with a counter contact, and wherein the second contact element is a generally S-shaped contact spring formed via first and second bending portions each with a change in direction of approximately 180 degrees, and a linear portion between the first and second bending portions, and the second contact element forms a contact point that faces away from the base plate.

2. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first bending portion of the second contact element is located next to a lateral edge of the base plate.

3. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said second bending portion of the second contact element is located laterally offset within an outline contour of the base plate.

4. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a spring arm portion of the second contact element follows the second bending portion such that the spring arm portion is longer than a width of the base plate in a section in which the second contact element is attached to the base plate.

5. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the second contact element extends away from a lateral edge of the base plate.

6. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first contact element is provided with an approximately U-shaped bending portion.

7. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first contact element forms at a plug end thereof a tulip-shaped opening.

8. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact element arrangement is positioned next to another contact element arrangement so that the contact points of the two contact element arrangements face each other.

9. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first contact element is provided with at least two spring arms at a plug end that are oriented with respect to each other to form a receiving space for accepting the counter contact.

10. The contact element arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the two spring arms of the first contact element have a smaller distance therebetween at the plug end than at a connection to the contacting portion.

11. The contact element arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a support web extends away from the lateral edge of the base plate to attach the contact element arrangement in a contact body.

12. The contact element arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the first and the second contact elements and the support web all extend away from the base plate in essentially the same direction.

13. The contact element arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the first and second contact elements and the support web are attached to the base plate in series side by side arrangement.

Description

(1) Further embodiments of the invention become apparent from the claims as well as the drawings and the corresponding drawing description, wherein the drawings depict the following:

(2) FIG. 1 a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a contact element arrangement;

(3) FIG. 2 a side elevation of the contact element arrangement in FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 a side elevation of two contact element arrangements according to FIG. 1 whilst forming a short circuit bridge.

(5) The following describes the invention in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, wherein the same reference numbers point to the same structural and/or functional characteristics.

(6) FIGS. 1 to 3 depict an exemplary embodiment of a contact element arrangement 1 according to the invention. The contact element arrangement 1 is formed from a sheet metal part 2. Said sheet metal part 2 was shaped in such a way that two from each other separated contact elements 20, 30 are formed therefrom, which extend away from a flat base plate 10 of the sheet metal part 2 and wherein the contact element 20 forms an essentially cylindrical contacting portion 22 for a plug assembly of a pin-like counter contact that is not shown in detail.

(7) Located beside it is the second contact element 30, which is formed into an S-shaped contact spring via two bending portions 31, 32. Moreover, the contact spring forms a contact point 35, which in its orientation points away from the base plate 10.

(8) As is clearly apparent from FIG. 1, the contact spring is provided with the aforementioned two bending portions 31, 32, wherein the first bending portion 31 extends directly from the lateral edge K of the base plate 10.

(9) Formed onto the second bending portion 32 is a spring arm portion 33 of the spring arm 20, which in its length, however, is longer than the width of the base plate 10 in the section in which the spring arm 30 is attached to base plate 10. Thus the spring arm 20 protrudes downwards to such an extent that the contact point 35 is disposed outside the outline contour of base plate 10. A linear portion 36 is disposed between the first bending portion 31 and the second bending portion 32.

(10) The first contact element 20 forms an approximately U-shaped bending portion 21. Located beside the U-shaped bending portion 21 is the aforementioned contacting portion 22 of the first contact element 20 from which extend two spring arms 23a, 23b that are oriented to each other in such a way that a receiving space 24 is formed in between, which serves to receive a pin contact of a counter plug.

(11) As becomes further apparent from the figures, the spring arms 23a, 23b form at the end an approximately tulip-shaped opening 25.

(12) It is, moreover, apparent from FIGS. 1 to 3 that the contact element arrangement 1 is provided with a support web 40, which also extends away from base plate 10 for the purpose of attaching the contact element arrangement 1 in a contact body of a connector plug. The support web 40 is provided at its plug end 41 with a lobe 42 on the one and on the opposite side each so that it catches in the plastic material of a contact carrier.

(13) It is, moreover, apparent that the two contact elements 20, 30 and the support web 40 all extend essentially in the same direction away from base plate 10, that is, in the aforementioned plug direction, wherein the second contact element is provided in between with an S-shaped bending curve.

(14) FIG. 3 depicts an arrangement of two contact element arrangements 1, in which their contact points 35 make contact and forma short circuit bridge.

(15) A primary locking mechanism with release arm is moveably disposed inside the connector plug. By operating the release arm and moving it between the two contact points 35 the spring arms are moved outwards and the electrical contact between the contact points 35 is interrupted.

(16) This makes it possible to provide a cost-effective and easy to install solution of contact elements for an airbag connector plug.

(17) The invention is not limited in its embodiment to the above-described preferred exemplary embodiments. Rather, a number of variations is conceivable which make use of the described solution even with fundamentally differently designed embodiments.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

(18) 1 Contact element arrangement 2 Sheet metal part 10 Base plate 20 First contact element/contact spring 21 Bending portion 22 Contacting portion 23a, 23b Spring arms 24 Receiving space 25 Opening 30 Second contact element/contact spring 31 First bending portion 32 Second bending portion 33 Spring arm portion 35 Contact point/linear portion 36 Contact point 40 Support web 41 Plug end 42 Lobe K Lateral edge