CRIMP CONNECTOR

Abstract

A crimp connector for a wire includes first and second clamping plates connected via a bending portion so as to be pivotable with respect to one another for clamping the wire between them in a clamping state. Inner surfaces of the clamping plates are designed as clamping surfaces having a plurality of elongated depressions and elongated ribs that run perpendicularly to a pivot axis of the bending portion. The ribs of one clamping plate are each arranged and dimensioned in such a way that they are at least partially arranged in the depressions of the other clamping plate in the clamping state such that a wire clamped between the clamping plates in the clamping state is formed into a meandering shape. Distance between adjacent depressions in at least one of the first and second clamping plates varies along the clamping surface on a straight line parallel to the pillar axis.

Claims

1. A crimp connector for a wire, comprising: first and second clamping plates which are connected via a bending portion so as to be pivotable with respect to one another and which are suitable for clamping the wire between them in a clamping state in which they are pivoted against one another; wherein inner surfaces of the clamping plates that face one another in the clamping state are designed as clamping surfaces having a plurality of elongated depressions and elongated ribs, wherein the depressions and the ribs in each of the clamping surfaces run perpendicularly to a pivot axis of the bending portion, wherein the ribs of one clamping plate are each arranged and dimensioned in such a way that they are at least partially arranged in the depressions of the other clamping plate in the clamping state such that a wire clamped between the clamping plates in the clamping state is formed into a meandering shape and forms a number of waves, and wherein distance between adjacent depressions in at least one of the first and second clamping plates varies along the clamping surface on a straight line parallel to the pivot axis.

2. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein the depressions of the first clamping plate comprise first outer depressions situated at marginal regions of the first clamping plate and second inner depressions situated between the first outer depressions, wherein a distance between adjacent second inner depressions is less than a distance between a first outer depression and an adjacent second inner depression.

3. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the adjacent depressions decreases starting from a marginal region of the first clamping plate in a direction of a center of the first clamping plate.

4. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein the first clamping plate comprises a pair of outer depressions and at least one pair of inner depressions between the outer depressions, wherein a distance between adjacent inner depressions is less than a distance between the outer depressions and the adjacent inner depressions.

5. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein, starting from a center of the clamping plates, the depressions are symmetrically distributed in a direction of mutually opposite marginal regions.

6. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein the bending portion has a reduced material thickness with respect to the clamping plates.

7. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein outer margins of the first clamping plate and/or second clamping plate have an oblique edge.

8. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein the first and second clamping plates are formed in one piece.

9. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the depressions in the first clamping plate is from 0.045 mm to 0.055 mm.

10. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the depressions in the first clamping plate is 0.05 mm +/−0.02 mm.

11. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein a distance between outermost depressions in the first clamping plate is from 1.1 to 1.3 mm.

12. The crimp connector according to claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent inner depressions in the first clamping plate is from 0.24 mm to 0.36 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The disclosure will be explained in more detail below on the basis of a preferred exemplary embodiment. In the drawings:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a crimp connector according to a first embodiment of the disclosure in a perspective view;

[0027] FIG. 2 shows details of the crimp connector from FIG. 1; and

[0028] FIG. 3 shows details of the crimp connector from FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a crimp connector 1 having an elongate, U-shaped body 2 which at a lower end has a fastening portion 3 by means of which the crimp connector 1 can be fastened to a further body at its place of use. The fastening portion 3 here takes the form of a latching mechanism.

[0030] On the side of the crimp connector 1 that faces away from the fastening portion 3, the crimp connector 1 has a clamping portion 4 which has a first clamping plate 5 and a second clamping plate 6. The first clamping plate 5 is connected to the body 2. At the end of the first clamping plate 5 facing away from the body 2, the first clamping plate 5 is connected to the second clamping plate 6 via a bending portion 7 and thus forms a U-shaped configuration. The first clamping plate 5, the second clamping plate 6 and the bending portion 7, which connects the first clamping plate 5 and the second clamping plate 6, are formed in one piece. The second clamping plate 6 forms the free end of the clamping portion 4. The second clamping plate 6 is pivotable with respect to the first clamping plate 5, with the pivot axis 8 running through the bending portion 7. As a result, the second clamping plate 6 can be pivoted against the first clamping plate 5 about the pivot axis 8 of the bending portion 7, which is indicated by a curved arrow 9.

[0031] The fastening portion 3 has an elastic latching element 10 having a curved end portion for quickly fastening the crimp connector 1 at its place of use.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the clamping portion 4 of the crimp connector 1 from FIG. 1. In addition, FIG. 2 shows a wire 11 made of a shape memory alloy (SMA) that is indicated by dashed lines. In order to clamp the wire between the first clamping plate 5 and the second clamping plate 6 and to fasten it to the crimp connector, the first clamping plate 5 and the second clamping plate 6 are pivoted against one another in the pivoting direction 9 and a clamping state is produced in which the wire 11 is clamped between the clamping plates 5 and 6.

[0033] To fix the wire 11, the first clamping plate 5 and the second clamping plate 6 have structured inner surfaces which face one another in the clamping state and which serve as clamping surfaces. The inner surface 12 of the first clamping plate 5 has a plurality of elongate depressions 13, 14, 15 and 16. The elongate depressions 13 to 16 each extend perpendicularly to the pivot axis 8, that is to say in the Y direction. The depressions of the first clamping plate 5 comprise two outer depressions 13 and 16 distributed along the pivot axis 8 (in the X direction) and two inner depressions 14 and 15 which are arranged between the outer depressions 13 and 16.

[0034] The depressions 13 to 16 of the first clamping plate 5 that are arranged next to one another are arranged at a distance from one another such that adjacent depressions form ribs between them. A first rib 17 is formed between the outer depression 13 and the adjacent inner depression 14. A second rib 18 is formed between the outer depression 16 and the adjacent inner depression 15. A third rib 19 is formed between the inner depressions 14 and 15.

[0035] The inner surface 20 of the second clamping plate 6 has a surface structure corresponding to the depressions and ribs of the inner surface 12 of the first clamping plate 5. The inner surface 20 comprises a first outer depression 21 and a second outer depression 22, and also an inner depression 23 situated between the outer depressions 21 and 22. The depressions 21 to 23 of the second clamping plate 6 are arranged in such a way that, in the clamping state, that is to say when the first and the second clamping plates 5 and 6 are pivoted against one another and the inner surfaces 12, 20 are situated opposite one another, the depression 21 of the second clamping plate 6 receives the rib 17 of the first clamping plate 5, the depression 23 of the second clamping plate 6 receives the rib 19 of the first clamping plate 5, and the depression 22 of the second clamping plate 6 receives the rib 18 of the first clamping plate 5.

[0036] The second clamping plate 6 forms a rib 24 between the depressions 21 and 23. The second clamping plate 6 forms a further rib 25 between the depressions 22 and 23. In addition, the second clamping plate 6 also forms outer ribs 26 and 27.

[0037] The ribs 24 to 27 of the second clamping plate 6 are arranged in such a way that they are arranged in the depressions 13 to 16 of the first clamping plate 5 in the clamping state. The ribs 17, 18 and 19 of the first clamping plate 5 are received in the depressions 21, 22 and 23 of the second clamping plate 6.

[0038] At the first and second ends of the clamping plates 5 and 6 in the X direction, the inner surfaces 12 and 20 of the first and second clamping plates 5 and 6 are provided with oblique edges 28 and 29. The oblique edges 29, 29 of the second clamping plate 6 are connected to the respective adjacent ribs 26, 27 via an elongate depression or via a portion which extends along the respective rib 26, 27 and which has a lower profile height with respect to the adjacent rib 26, 27 and flattens off in the direction of the respective edge 29, 29. That is to say that the outer ribs are each formed by the depressions 21, 22 and by the flattening-off portion which is formed between the outermost rib 26, 27 and the respective adjacent oblique edge 29, 29 and has a smaller profile height than the respective rib 26, 27.

[0039] To produce the clamping state, the wire 11 is placed on the inner surface 12 of the first clamping plate 5 or the inner surface 20 of the second clamping plate 6. The clamping state is then produced by pivoting the first clamping plate 5 and the second clamping plate 6 together, with the ribs of the inner surfaces engaging in the manner described above in the depressions of the respective other inner surface and forming, between the clamping plates folded onto one another, a meandering passage which extends in the X direction. The wire is deformed by the clamping plates being pivoted together and likewise assumes a meandering shape. In the side view, that is to say when looking at the X-Z plane, the wire forms a number of waves.

[0040] FIG. 3 once again shows the clamping portion 4 of the crimp connector from FIG. 2.

[0041] In the first clamping plate 5, the outer depression 13 and the adjacent inner depression 14 and also the other outer depression 16 and the inner depression 15 adjacent thereto are arranged at a distance d1 in the X direction. The two inner depressions 14 and 15 are arranged at a distance d2 in the X direction. The distance d2 is less than the distance d1. Thus, the distance between adjacent depressions in the first clamping plate 5 varies along the clamping surface 12 on a straight line parallel to the pivot axis 8.

[0042] Since the inner surface 20 of the second clamping plate 6 approximately constitutes a negative shape of the inner surface 12 of the first clamping plate 5 at least in certain portions, a corresponding nonuniform distribution of the depressions and ribs can be found here. The distance cl between the rib 26 and the rib 24, and also the distance cl between the rib 27 and rib 25, is greater than the distance c2 between the two inner ribs 24 and 25. This has the result that, in the second clamping plate 6, too, the distance between adjacent depressions varies along the clamping surface 20 on a straight line parallel to the pivot axis 8.

[0043] In the first clamping plate 5, the distance between adjacent depressions decreases starting from the marginal regions of the first clamping plate 5 that are situated in the X direction in the direction of a center 30 of the first clamping 5 that is situated in the X direction, which means that the distance between adjacent inner depressions is less than the distance between the outer depressions and the adjacent inner depressions.

[0044] Starting from the center 30 in the first clamping plate 5, the inner depressions 14 and 15 and also the outer depressions 13 and 16 are symmetrically distributed in the direction of the marginal regions of the first clamping plate 5.

[0045] The bending portion 7 is formed in one piece with the first clamping plate 5 and the second clamping plate 6. The bending portion 7 has a portion 31 of reduced interior thickness. This makes it easier for the second clamping plate 6 to be bent over onto the first clamping plate 5.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0046] 1 Crimp connector [0047] 2 Body [0048] 3 Fastening portion [0049] 4 Clamping portion [0050] 5 First clamping plate [0051] 6 Second clamping plate [0052] 7 Bending portion [0053] 8 Pivot axis [0054] 9 Pivoting direction [0055] 10 Latching element [0056] 11 SMA wire [0057] 12 Inner surface of the first clamping plate [0058] 13 Outer depression of the first clamping plate [0059] 14 Inner depression of the first clamping plate [0060] 15 inner depression of the first clamping plate [0061] 16 Outer depression of the first clamping plate [0062] 17 Rib [0063] 18 Rib [0064] 19 Rib [0065] 20 Inner surface of the second clamping plate [0066] 21 Outer depression of the second clamping plate [0067] 22 Outer depression of the second clamping plate [0068] 23 Inner depression of the second clamping plate [0069] 24 Rib [0070] 25 Rib [0071] 26 Rib [0072] 27 Rib [0073] 28 Oblique edge [0074] 29 Oblique edge [0075] 30 Center [0076] 31 Portion of reduced material thickness