SEALING INSERT

Abstract

The aim is to insert cables into a housing with the minimum possible manual effort. In particular, the housing can be the housing of a plug connector, which possesses a modular system. To this end, the use of special pre-opened sealing inserts is proposed to facilitate the corresponding assembly effort and even enable simplified mechanical fitting.

Claims

1-25. (canceled)

26: A sealing insert for inserting at least one cable into a housing, wherein the sealing insert is formed from at least one elastically deformable material and has at least one through-opening for the guiding through of the at least one cable, wherein the sealing insert possesses at least one slit along the through-opening which forms two mutually opposing slit surfaces so that the sealing insert can assume an opened state for inserting or removing the cable laterally and a closed state for sealing and strain relief of the cable, wherein the sealing insert, without an influence of external forces, is located in its opened (pre-opened) state in which it has a gap (S, S) at its slit, by which the two slit surfaces are automatically separated from one another.

27: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the gap (S, S), without the influence of external forces (F), has a width (B, B) which is at least 5% of the diameter (D.sub.0, D.sub.0) which the through-opening possesses in the closed state of the sealing insert.

28: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the gap (S, S), without the influence of external forces (F), has a width (B, B) which is at least 10% of the diameter (D.sub.0, D.sub.0) which the through-opening possesses in the closed state of the sealing insert.

29: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the gap (S, S), without the influence of external forces (F), has a width (B, B) which is at least 20% of the diameter (D.sub.0, D.sub.0) which the through-opening possesses in the closed state of the sealing insert.

30: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the two slit surfaces have a mutually complementary contour, by which the surfaces can be joined together on the closing of the sealing insert, such that they interlock for particularly good sealing.

31: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 30, wherein the complementary contour is a scalloped contour.

32: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the sealing insert, in its closed state, surrounds the cable guided through the through-opening with form- and force-fit for sealing and strain relief thereof.

33: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the sealing insert has a compression portion in at least one through-opening, which is compressed more strongly than the other region of the through-opening on the closing of the sealing insert so that, after closing, the sealing insert surrounds an inserted cable with form- and force-fit by the through-opening.

34: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the sealing insert furthermore has, in its through-opening, an internal contour whereof the shape and/or hardness can be used to establish a desired ratio between the sealing on the one hand and a holding force of the said strain relief on the other.

35: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the elastically deformable material from which the sealing insert is formed is a soft plastics material (elastomer) and/or a caoutchouc compound (rubber).

36: The sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, wherein the sealing insert is constructed in one piece.

37: A cable lead-through device for the housing, having at least one U-shaped frame with at least two limbs and a first web connecting the two limbs at one end in each case and with at least one sealing insert as claimed in claim 26, adapted to be inserted into or arranged in the frame.

38: The cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 37, wherein the frame has one or more separating walls which are arranged between the limbs and are fastened to the first web by their first end and/or are formed in one piece therewith.

39: The cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 38, wherein a plurality of segments for receiving the sealing inserts are formed by the one or more separating walls in the frame.

40: The cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 39, wherein the respective sealing insert is configured to be transferred from its opened state to its closed state as a result of inserting the sealing insert into the respective segment.

41: The cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 37, wherein the sealing insert(s) arranged in the frame is configured to be ultimately compressed by attaching a second web for strain relief and sealing of the cable.

42: The cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 41, wherein the second web, as a separate component, is a constituent part of the frame.

43: A system comprising the housing and a cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 41, wherein the second web is a constituent part of the housing.

44: The system comprising the housing and a cable lead-through device as claimed in claim 42, wherein the frame has a plurality of screw openings and a sealing groove having an inlaid sealing ring to ensure the frame is screwed onto the housing with good leak-tightness.

45: The system as claimed in claim 44, wherein the housing is a plug connector housing.

46: The system as claimed in claim 45, wherein the plug connector housing is configured to receive a plug connector modular system.

47: The system as claimed in claim 45, wherein the plug connector housing is a sleeve housing which has an opening for adding the cable lead-through device on the cable connection side, wherein the sleeve housing furthermore possesses a plurality of screw lead-through openings which serve for guiding through screws for screwing the frame to the sleeve housing at its screw openings.

48: The system as claimed in claim 43, wherein the housing is the housing of a control cabinet, a distribution box or an electrical device.

49: A method for inserting one or more cables into a cable lead-through device, comprising the following steps: A. inserting one or more cables into one or more automatically pre-opened sealing inserts; B. integrating the sealing insert(s) into one or more segments of a frame; thereby C. automatically closing the sealing inserts and holding the cable(s) in the respective sealing insert; D. correcting the position of the cable(s) in the respective sealing insert; E. ultimately compressing the sealing inserts for strain relief and for ultimately fixing the cables in the desired position by attaching a second web.

50: The method as claimed in claim 49, wherein the method prior to step D. additionally contains the following step: fastening the frame to the cable connection region of a plug connector housing.

Description

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0069] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail below. The drawings show:

[0070] FIG. 1a an assembled cable lead-through device with cables guided through;

[0071] FIG. 1b an assembled cable lead-through device without cables guided through;

[0072] FIG. 1c a dismantled/unassembled cable lead-through device;

[0073] FIG. 2a a first pre-opened sealing insert with a first through-opening in a plan view, together with a first cable to be inserted;

[0074] FIG. 2b the pre-opened first sealing insert in a front view;

[0075] FIG. 3a a pre-opened second sealing insert with four second through-openings in a plan view;

[0076] FIG. 3b the pre-opened second sealing insert in a front view.

[0077] The figures contain partially simplified, schematic illustrations. Identical reference signs are sometimes used for elements which are similar but possibly not identical. Varying views of similar elements can be drawn to different scales.

[0078] FIG. 1a shows an assembled cable lead-through device, having a frame 3 and three sealing inserts 1, 1 inserted and fixed therein, namely a first sealing insert 1 and two second sealing inserts 1 with cables 2, 2 guided through, namely a first cable 2 and eight second cables 2. In this case, the cables 2, 2 are ultimately strain-relieved by the sealing inserts 1, 1 and sealed with respect to the cable lead-through device.

[0079] FIG. 1b shows the assembled cable lead-through device without the said cables 2, 2. It is thus possible to clearly see the three sealing inserts 1, 1 inserted in the frame 3 in their closed state. The first sealing insert 1 inserted into the frame 3 is arranged in the center. It has a first through-opening 10, which is circular in the closed state and has a first diameter D.sub.0. The two second sealing inserts 1 each possess four second through-openings 10, 10, namely two front 10 and two rear 10 through-openings, which are arranged with respect to one another in a square pattern. The second through-openings 10, 10 each have a second diameter D.sub.0, which is considerably smaller than the first diameter D.sub.0 belonging to the first sealing insert 1.

[0080] FIG. 1c shows the cable lead-through device in an unmounted/dismantled state in the form of an exploded illustration. The cable lead-through device comprises the first sealing insert 1, the two second sealing inserts 1 and the frame 3. The frame 3 possesses a first web 31, at the ends of which limbs 32 are integrally formed such that they extend away therefrom at a right angle in a common direction. Between these limbs 32, two separating walls 33 are integrally formed on the first web 31 by means of their respective first end such that they are at equidistant intervals and parallel to said limbs. The two webs 32 and the two separating walls 33 possess the same length. Between them, three equally sized segments 30 are thus formed, which are provided for integrating the sealing inserts 1, 1.

[0081] The sealing inserts 1, 1 are furthermore shown, which are located outside the frame 3. It is already clear in this illustration that these sealing inserts 1, 1 are in a pre-opened state without the influence of external forces. At each of their through-openings 10, 10, 10, they thus each possess at least one gap S, S, S through which a corresponding cable 2, 2 can be inserted laterally into the respective through-opening 10, 10, 10 of the respective sealing insert 1, 1 without great manual effort.

[0082] The frame 3 furthermore possesses a second web 34, by means of which the sealing inserts 1, 1 inserted into the frame can be ultimately fixed and compressed for the final fixing of the cables 2, 2 as a result of the frame 3 being closed by means of this second web 34. To this end, the second web 34 can be screwed to the two limbs 32 by means of two screws 35. It 34 then extends parallel to the first web 31.

[0083] FIG. 2a shows the first sealing insert 1 in the pre-opened state with the first cable 2 to be laterally inserted therein, which cable is illustrated in cross-section here and extends longitudinally with respect to the through-opening 10 and therefore longitudinally with respect to the gap S. In the pre-opened state, the gap S possesses a width B. The width B is greater than 5%, in particular greater than 10%, preferably greater than 15% and in particular greater than 20% of the diameter D.sub.0 of the first sealing insert 1 in the closed state. In this case, the width B of the gap S should be measured at the point at which the two slit surfaces 11, 12 are at their smallest spacing in the pre-opened state.

[0084] It is easily recognizable that the manual effort involved in laterally inserting the cable 2 into the sealing insert 2 is only slight. In particular, this procedure can be carried out using only one hand. However, mechanical assembly can also be simplified thereby. In this case, the cable 2 (shown in cross-section here) already extends in the axial direction of the through-opening 10 and is inserted radially thereto into the through-opening 10 through the gap S.

[0085] Opposite the gap S, the sealing insert 1 possesses a compression portion 101 in its through-opening 10. It is easily recognizable that, although the cable 2 has a circular cross-section, the progression of the through-opening 10 in the pre-opened state initially deviates from a circular form, in particular as a result of his compression region 101.

[0086] However, as a result of inserting the cable 2 into the sealing insert 1 and as a result of subsequently inserting the sealing insert 1 into a segment 30 of the frame 3, this compression region 101 is compressed more strongly than the other portions of the through-opening 10 so that the sealing insert 1 surrounds the cable 2 with form- and force-fit for sealing thereof and for strain-relief thereof.

[0087] The presence of a circumferential sealing contour 13 can moreover be seen in FIG. 2b. This sealing contour can be integrated into the respective segment with form fit and can reach over the frame 3 at the edge of the segment 30 with its edge regions 131 for improved sealing.

[0088] The gap S is delimited on both sides by two slit surfaces 11, 12, namely by a first slit surface 11 and a second slit surface 12.

[0089] The two slit surfaces 11, 12 possess a mutually complementary contour with which they interlock for improved sealing and for preventing a mutual displacement as a result of closing the sealing insert. In the present case, this contour is a scalloped contour. However, other similarly-acting contours are conceivable; e.g. rectangular, obtuse-angled or tapered and/or three-dimensional, e.g. spherical segment-like or pyramid-shaped contours are possible.

[0090] FIG. 3a shows the second sealing insert 1 in a pre-opened state. In this case, the two front through-openings 10 are each pre-opened by a gap S. The gap S is delimited by two slit surfaces 11, 12, which likewise possess a mutually complementary scalloped contour. However, other comparably acting contours are also conceivable. For example, rectangular, obtuse-angled or tapered and/or three-dimensional, e.g. spherical segment-like or pyramid-shaped contours are also possible.

[0091] The two rear through-openings 10 are connected to the two front through-openings 10 via a rear gap S. To insert one of the second cables 2, this firstly has to be introduced through the front gap S into the first through-opening 10 and, from this, through the second gap S into the rear through-opening 10. The second sealing insert 1 also possess a respective first and a second slit surface 11, 12 on both sides of each of these rear gaps S.

[0092] FIG. 3b shows the second sealing insert 1 from the cable insertion direction, i.e. looking onto the two front gaps S. These provide a view of the respective underlying first 11 or second slit surface 12 of one of the rear gaps S in each case.

[0093] In the pre-opened state, the front gaps S possess a width B in the region of the smallest spacing between their gap surfaces 11, 12. This width B is greater than 5%, in particular greater than 10%, preferably greater than 15% and in particular greater than 20% of the diameter D.sub.0 of the associated through-opening 10 of the second sealing insert 1 in the closed state. The width B of the front gap S should therefore be measured at the point at which the two associated slit surfaces 11, 12 possess their smallest spacing in the pre-opened state.

[0094] Even when combinations of various aspects or features of the invention are shown in the figures in each case, it is clear to the person skilled in the artunless indicated otherwisethat the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible combinations. In particular, mutually corresponding units or feature complexes from different exemplary embodiments can be interchanged with one another.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0095] 1, 1 first, second sealing insert [0096] 10, first through-opening [0097] 10, 10 second (front/rear) through-openings [0098] 101, 101 first, second compression portion [0099] 11, 11, 11 first slit surfaces [0100] 12, 12, 12 second slit surfaces [0101] 13 sealing contour [0102] 131 edge regions of the sealing contour [0103] 2, 2 first, second cable [0104] 3 frame [0105] 30 segments [0106] 31 first web [0107] 32 limbs [0108] 33 separating walls [0109] 34 second web [0110] 35 screws [0111] S, S, S gap, front gap, rear gap [0112] B width of the gap [0113] B width of the front gap [0114] D.sub.0, D.sub.0 diameter of the respective through-openings