IMPROVED PLUG-IN CONNECTOR MODULE FOR A MODULAR INDUSTRIAL PLUG-IN CONNECTOR AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A PLUG-IN CONNECTOR MODULE

Abstract

A plug-in connector module for a modular industrial plug-in connector is provided, wherein the plug-in connector module has a housing with a housing surface, wherein the housing consists substantially of plastic, wherein the plug-in connector module has at least one electrical contact element, wherein the housing has at least one contact chamber with a contact chamber surface, wherein the at least one electrical contact element is arranged in the contact chamber, wherein at least a portion of the contact chamber surface and/or at least a portion of the housing surface are/is plasma-modified. A method for producing a plug-in connector module of an industrial plug-in connector is also provided and includes: producing a plastics housing with a housing surface and at least one contact chamber for receiving a contact element, modifying at least a portion of the housing surface and/or at least a portion of the contact chamber surface with an atmospheric pressure plasma with a working gas being fed in.

Claims

1. A plug-in connector module for a modular industrial plug-in connector, the plug-in connector module comprising: a housing having a housing surface, wherein the housing substantially comprises plastics material; and at least one electrical contact element, wherein the housing has at least one contact chamber having a contact chamber surface, wherein the at least one electrical contact element is arranged in the contact chamber, and, wherein at least a portion of the contact chamber surface and/or at least a portion of the housing surface is plasma-modified.

2. The plug-in connector module according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises polycarbonate.

3. The plug-in connector module according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the contact chamber surface and/or at least a portion of the housing surface has a higher concentration of carbon double bonds than the underlying base material of the housing.

4. The plug-in connector module according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the contact chamber surface and/or at least a portion of the housing surface has a lower concentration of oxygen compounds than the underlying base material of the housing.

5. The plug-in connector module according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the contact chamber surface and/or at least a portion of the housing surface has a higher concentration of fluorine compounds than the underlying base material of the housing.

6. The plug-in connector module according to claim 1, wherein the plug-in connector module comprises two plug-in connector module halves.

7. A method for producing a plug-in connector module of an industrial plug-in connector, the method comprising: producing a plastics material housing having a housing surface and at least one contact chamber for receiving a contact element; and modifying at least a portion of the housing surface and/or at least a portion of the contact chamber surface with an atmospheric pressure plasma with a working gas being supplied.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein an inert gas or a fluorine-containing gas or a mixture thereof is used as the working gas.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein argon is used as the inert gas and tetrafluoroethylene is used as the fluorine-containing gas.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the plug-in connector module is composed of two plug-in connector module halves.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the housing surface and/or the contact chamber is/are first wetted with a chemical solution and a plasma modification is subsequently carried out.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated in the drawings and will be explained in greater detail below.

[0036] FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a plug-in connector housing of an industrial plug-in connector.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of a retention frame which is provided with different plug-in connector modules.

[0038] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a plug-in connector module which is composed of two plug-in connector module halves.

[0039] The figures may contain partially simplified, schematic illustrations. Sometimes identical reference numerals are used for elements which may be the same but where applicable not identical. Different views of the same elements could be scaled differently.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a plug-in connector housing 1 of an industrial plug-in connector. The plug-in connector housing 1 generally comprises a metal material and is typically produced with a zinc die-casting method. Such a plug-in connector housing 1 is robust and has good electromagnetic shielding properties and is therefore particularly suitable for harsh industrial environments.

[0041] In FIG. 2, a retention frame 2 which is provided with different plug-in connector modules 5 can be seen. The retention frame 2 has a frame-like form and has screws 4 at the corner regions thereof in each case. The plug-in connector housing 1 has a substantially rectangular cross-section and has corresponding threaded holes 3 in the housing interior in the corner regions thereof. The retention frame 2 can be secured in the plug-in connector housing 1 by the screws 4, together with the associated threaded holes 3.

[0042] The plug-in connector modules 5 shown in FIG. 2 can be optimized as described above by a plasma modification. It is thus recommended to provide so-called data modules, which have to transmit the data signals at high frequency, with an inert gas plasma treatment. The signal contact elements which are used in this instance are thus protected from electromagnetic interference fields. Adjacent plug-in connector modules are also protected in the same manner by the data module itself.

[0043] Plug-in connector modules 5 which are provided with power contact elements for power transmission can be improved with a plasma treatment with a fluorine-containing working gas. The fluorinated surface optimizes the creepage distances or the creepage current resistance of the plug-in connector module 5. More power contact elements can thereby be accommodated in a plug-in connector module 5 than with untreated plug-in connector modules. Furthermore, such plug-in connector modules 5 can be inserted without risk directly adjacent to each other in the retention frame 2 or in the plug-in connector housing 1.

[0044] In FIG. 3, another embodiment of a plug-in connector module 5 can be seen. The plug-in connector module 5 has the conventional geometry or size of plug-in connector modules for modular plug-in connectors which are marketed by different manufacturers. The plug-in connector module 5 is composed of two plug-in connector module halves 5a, 5b. The dividing plane extends in the embodiment illustrated in this instance along the longitudinal axis of the plug-in connector module 5. However, a division along the transverse axis may also be provided in a symmetrical or non-symmetrical manner.

[0045] In the embodiment shown here, the plug-in connector module half 5a is provided with power contact elements (not shown) which are arranged in the contact chambers 6. The plug-in connector module half 5a has been improved with a plasma modification in which fluorine-containing working gas was used. In this instance, the surface of the housing and the surface of the contact chambers 6 were modified with the corresponding plasma.

[0046] The other plug-in connector module half 5b is provided with signal contact elements (not shown) which are arranged in the contact chambers 6. The plug-in connector module half 5b was subjected to a plasma modification, wherein an inert gas was used as the working gas. In this instance, the surface of the housing and the surface of the contact chambers 6 were modified with the corresponding plasma.

[0047] As a result of the above-described plasma modification of the plug-in connector module halves 5a, 5b, signal contact elements and power contact elements can be mixed with each other in the plug-in connector module 5. Furthermore, more contact elements overall can be accommodated in the plug-in connector module 5 since electromagnetic interference factors can be reduced and creepage distances can be optimized.

[0048] Even if various aspects or features of the disclosure are shown in each case in combination in the figures, it is evident for the person skilled in the artunless stated otherwisethat the combinations illustrated and discussed are not the only possible ones. In particular, mutually corresponding units or combinations of features from different embodiments can be changed for each other. In other words, aspects of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0049] In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.