CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY, CONNECTOR FOR SUCH A CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY, AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING THE CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A connector module, including: a housing, a connector, which is arranged in the housing, at least in part, and which has a longitudinal axis in a connecting direction to a mating connector, wherein an axial outer face of the connector with respect to the longitudinal axis is radially spaced from an opposing axial inner face of the housing, at least in part, and a sealing element, in which the sealing element is arranged in the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing and forms a sealing face with the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing in each case. A related connector and method are also described.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A connector module, comprising: a housing, a connector, which is arranged in the housing, at least in part, and which has a longitudinal axis in a connecting direction to a mating connector, wherein an axial outer face of the connector with respect to the longitudinal axis is radially spaced from an opposing axial inner face of the housing, at least in part, and a sealing element, wherein the sealing element is arranged in the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing and forms a sealing face with the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing in each case.

17. The connector module of claim 16, wherein the housing has a housing projection, which points in the direction of the connector in the radial direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connector, and the sealing element is arranged on a side of the housing projection which faces a housing interior in the connecting direction to a mating connector.

18. The connector module of claim 16, wherein the connector has a connector projection, which points in the direction of the housing in the radial direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connector, and the sealing element is arranged on a side of the connector projection which faces a housing interior in the connecting direction to a mating connector.

19. The connector module of claim 16, wherein the connector has a chamfer at an end of the axial outer face of the connector which faces the housing interior in the connecting direction to a mating connector, and/or the housing has a chamfer at an end of the axial inner face of the housing which faces away from the housing interior in the connecting direction to a mating connector.

20. The connector module of claim 19, wherein the chamfer includes at least two sloping portions.

21. The connector module of claim 20, wherein the sloping portions are separated by an intermediate portion extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and/or have different slopes.

22. The connector module of claim 16, wherein the connector module includes a strip, which is arranged on a side of the connector which faces the housing interior in the connecting direction to a mating connector and at least partially covers the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing.

23. The connector module of claim 22, wherein the strip forms a strip projection, which protrudes into the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing.

24. The connector module of claim 22, wherein the connector includes electrical contact pins and the strip is formed as a connector strip for feeding through the electrical contact pins.

25. The connector module of claim 24, wherein the connector strip has through bores for feeding through the electrical contact pins, which through bores are formed with a diameter which tapers, in a funnel-shape, at least over a predetermined portion, beginning on the side which faces the connector.

26. The connector module of claim 16, wherein the axial outer face of the connector and/or the axial inner face of the housing has a tangential groove in which the sealing element is at least partially arranged.

27. The connector module of claim 16, wherein the connector module includes a strip, which is arranged on a side of the connector which faces the housing interior in the connecting direction to a mating connector and at least partially covers the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing, and wherein the sealing element is integrally formed with the strip, the connector and/or the housing.

28. A connector for connecting to a mating device of a connector module, comprising: a mating device of the connector module; wherein the connector module, includes: a housing, wherein the connector, which is arranged in the housing, at least in part, and has a longitudinal axis in a connecting direction to a mating connector, wherein an axial outer face of the connector with respect to the longitudinal axis is radially spaced from an opposing axial inner face of the housing, at least in part, and a sealing element, wherein the sealing element is arranged in the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing and forms a sealing face with the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing in each case.

29. A method for assembling a connector module, the method comprising: arranging a sealing element in a housing or around a connector; and positioning the connector in the housing along a connecting direction of the connector to a mating connector; wherein the sealing element, during the positioning, is stretched and/or compressed radially with respect to a longitudinal axis of the connector which extends in a connecting direction; wherein the connector module includes: the housing, the connector, which is arranged in the housing, at least in part, and which has the longitudinal axis in the connecting direction to the mating connector, wherein an axial outer face of the connector with respect to the longitudinal axis is radially spaced from an opposing axial inner face of the housing, at least in part, and the sealing element, wherein the sealing element is arranged in the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing and forms a sealing face with the axial outer face of the connector and the opposing axial inner face of the housing in each case.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the positioning of the connector in the housing takes place from a side which faces away from the housing interior.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0056] The FIGURE shows a connector module with a connector arranged in a housing and a radial seal according to a first embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] The FIGURE shows a connector module 1 with a connector 20 arranged in a housing 10 and a radial seal according to a first embodiment of the invention. The radial seal is formed by a sealing element 30, a sealing ring here, which is compressed in a radial clearance between an axial outer face 21 of the connector 20 and an axial inner face 11 of the housing 10. In this case, the sealing element forms a sealing face with the axial outer face 21 of the connector 20 and a sealing face with the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10. The specifications “axial” and “radial” relate to the longitudinal axis L20 of the connector 20. The housing 10 is only illustrated as a detail here and extends further around the region of the housing interior I in an application-specific form. The connector module of the present exemplary embodiment is part of a pneumatic module for trucks.

[0058] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the housing 10 has, in the opening region of the connector receptacle, a radially extending housing projection 12 which points in the direction of the connector. To assemble the connector module 1, the sealing element 30 is applied to a side of the housing projection which faces the housing interior in the subsequent assembly direction of the connector, which is shown by the arrow. In this case, the sealing element 30 is configured such that, when applied to the housing projection 12, it is slightly pretensioned against the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10 so as to be lightly held in the housing 10. Accordingly, in terms of its radial outer dimensions, the sealing element 30 is configured to be marginally larger than the radial face formed by the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10. However, the sealing element 30 may alternatively also be configured to simply be large enough to be able to lie on the housing projection 12. The securing of the sealing element in the assembly position can then be implemented via the strip 40 described below. In particular, however, the sealing element 30 is dimensioned such that a face which points in the direction of the axial outer face 21 of the connector 20 to be installed protrudes over the housing projection 12 in the radial direction so that it can be compressed by the connector 20.

[0059] After the sealing element 30 has been applied to the projection, a strip 40, a connector strip here, is inserted into the housing 10 through the housing interior I in the direction of the receiving opening for the connector 20. The strip 40 has a radial circumference, which is adapted to the contour of the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10, so that the strip 40, in the installed state, at least partially covers the radial clearance between the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10 and the radial outer face 21 of the connector 20 which is provided for the radial seal. In the illustrated embodiment, the radial circumference of the strip 40 is smaller than the radial circumference of the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10 in order to enable appropriate insertion. The gap size formed in this way can therefore be kept small to achieve the best centering. However, clearances which are too small can equally result in inhibited movement and/or tilting. As a result of the installed strip 40, the sealing element 30 is chambered between the strip 40 and the housing projection 12 and therefore held in a region in which the radial seal is to be formed.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the strip 40 not only serves to chamber the sealing element 30, but, in the installed state, moreover has a connector receptacle on a side which faces the receiving opening of the housing 10 for the connector 20, which connector receptacle is formed by a circumferential strip projection 41, which extends in the direction of the receiving opening of the housing 10. The receptacle is formed such that, at least in part—in the region of the outer connector circumference here—it is complementary to the connector contour to be received. Consequently, the strip 40 can be used for centering and positioning the connector 20 in the housing 10. For centering purposes, the strip 40 has two chamfers here, which taper in the direction of the longitudinal axis L20 and correspond to the chamfers 22 of the connector ends. An end position of the connector 20 in the housing 10 can be defined by the chamfers of the strip or by a stop formed between the chamfers of the strip 40.

[0061] The strip 40 shown in the Figure likewise serves as a feed-through and positioning aid for the electrical contact pins 50 of the connector 20. To this end, the strip 40 has a number of through bores 42 which at least corresponds to the number of electrical contact pins 50, which through bores extend from a side of the strip 40 which faces the connector 20 or the receiving opening of the housing 10 for the connector 20 in the installed state to the opposite side of the strip 40. To facilitate the insertion of the electrical contact pins 50 into the through bores 42, the through bores are formed in a funnel-shape, at least on the side which faces the connector 20 or the receiving opening of the housing 10 for the connector 20 in the installed state.

[0062] Following the positioning of the strip 40, the connector 20 is inserted into the housing 10 through the receiving opening of the housing 10 from an outer side of the housing, as illustrated by the arrow in the FIGURE. The connector 20 has a chamfer 22 at an end of the axial outer face 21 of the connector 20 which faces the housing interior I in the connecting direction to a mating connector. The end which has the chamfer 22 and faces the housing interior I in the connecting direction to a mating connector has an annular form here, wherein, as a result of the chamfer 22, the annulus extends further in the direction of the housing interior I with its inner circumference than with its outer circumference. In other words, the end of the connector 20 which faces the housing interior I in the connecting direction to a mating connector tapers from the outer circumference of the annulus to the inner circumference or tapers in the direction of the longitudinal axis L20. The chamfer 22 has an angle of 45°. In particular, angles between 30° and 45° are provided in many cases, wherein the angle essentially depends on the spatial requirement and the required degree of compression of the sealing element 30.

[0063] As a result inserting the connector 20 into the housing 10, the chamfer 22 acts on the sealing element 30 and stretches the sealing element due to the increase in the outer circumferential area of the connector which is associated with the chamfer. The sealing element is thus compressed in the radial clearance formed between the axial outer face 21 of the connector 20 and the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10 and forms a sealing face with the axial outer face 21 of the connector 20 and the axial inner face 11 of the housing 10 in each case. The housing interior I and the housing interior II formed by the connector 20 and the strip 40 are thus sealed radially with respect to the exterior III. With sealing contact or by using further sealing elements, the housing interior II can be further sealed with respect to the housing interior I and represents a sub-region of the housing interior I. Separate sealing of the housing interior II can be provided for example in the case of unprotected contact pins 50 or unprotected regions of the contact pins 50, if these might be subject to influences via the housing interior I or need to be secured in a redundant manner in addition to the radial seal.

[0064] The invention is not restricted to the described embodiments. Although the connector module according to the FIGURE is based on a rotationally symmetrical configuration, for example, this should be regarded as merely exemplary. In many cases, application requirements call for a deviation from such a configuration. Moreover, projections do not have to have a continuous form, for example, but can also be provided portion by portion. Accordingly, the end which faces the housing interior I in the connecting direction to a mating connector and has the chamfer 22 does not have to be a continuous annulus, but can be formed by individual projections and still have the same effect. In this regard, it is likewise possible that this end terminates in a flush manner so that a housing interior II is not formed.

THE LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS IS AS FOLLOWS

[0065] 1 Connector module [0066] 10 Housing [0067] 11 Axial inner face (of the housing) [0068] 12 Housing projection [0069] 20 Connector [0070] 21 Axial outer face (of the connector) [0071] 22 Chamfer [0072] 30 Sealing element [0073] 40 (Connector)strip [0074] 41 Strip projection [0075] 42 Through bore [0076] 50 Contact pin [0077] I, II Housing interior [0078] III Exterior [0079] L20 Longitudinal axis (of the connector)