CONTACT INSERT FOR AN INDUSTRIAL PLUG CONNECTOR

Abstract

A contact insert for an industrial plug connector is provided. The contact insert has a connection side for connecting individual conductors of a multi-wire cable and a contact side for electrically connecting to a mating plug connector or a socket, wherein n connection openings for respective conductors of the multi-wire cable are provided on the connection side, m contact openings for accessing a mating contact element of a mating plug connector or a socket are provided on the contact side, and n and m are natural numbers, m being greater than n. A system for a plug connector housing and a contact insert are also provided.

Claims

1. A contact insert for an industrial plug connector, the contact insert comprising: a connection side for the connection of individual conductors of a multi-strand cable; and a contact side for electrical connection to a mating plug connector or a socket, wherein, on the connection side, n connection openings are provided for the conductors of the multi-strand cable, wherein, on the contact side, m contact openings are provided to allow access to a mating contact element of the mating plug connector or the socket, wherein n and m are natural numbers and m is greater than n.

2. The contact insert according to claim 1, wherein the contact insert comprises at least one contact element having a connection region for electrical connection to a conductor of the multi-strand cable and a contact region for electrical contacting of the mating contact element of the mating plug connector or the socket, wherein the connection region of the contact element is arranged in one or the connection openings on the connection side of the contact insert and the contact region of the contact elements is arranged in one of the contact openings on the contact side of the contact insert.

3. The contact insert according to claim 2, wherein the contact element is designed as a socket contact.

4. The contact insert according to claim 2, wherein the connection region of the contact element is designed as a crimp connection.

5. The contact insert according to claim 1, wherein the contact insert has a bridge contact having exactly one connection region for electrical connection to a conductor of the multi-strand cable and at least two contact regions for respective electrical contacting of a respective mating contact element of the mating plug connector or the socket.

6. The contact insert according to claim 5, wherein the bridge contact has at least three contact regions for respective electrical contacting of the respective mating contact element of the mating plug connector or the socket.

7. The contact insert according to claim 5, wherein the bridge contact is formed from a metal plate wherein at least two contact regions are attached on one side of the metal plate, and wherein exactly one connection region is attached on an other side of the metal plate, so that the contact regions and the one connection region are electrically conductively connected to one another via the metal plate.

8. The contact insert according to claim 7, wherein the contact regions are riveted to the metal plate.

9. The contact insert according to claim 7, wherein the connection region of the bridge contact comprises a pin contact riveted to the metal plate and a socket contact element plugged onto the pin contact.

10. The contact insert according to claim 9, wherein the socket contact element of the bridge contact is identical to the remaining contact elements of the contact insert.

11. The contact insert according to claim 1, wherein the contact insert has a PE contact element.

12. A system, comprising: a plug connector housing; and a contact insert according to claim 1.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the plug connector housing comprises plastic.

14. A module for modular plug connectors, comprising: a system according to claim 12, and wherein the module can be inserted into a module holding frame that can be mounted in a modular manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] An embodiment of the disclosure is shown in the drawings and will be explained in more detail below.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a contact insert.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the connection side of the contact insert.

[0023] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the contact side of the contact insert.

[0024] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a partial element of a bridge contact.

[0025] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the entire bridge contact.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The figures may contain partially simplified, schematic representations. Identical reference signs are sometimes used for similar, but possibly non-identical, elements. Different views of similar elements might be scaled differently.

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a contact insert 1. The contact insert 1 is shown in perspective, wherein only the connection side A facing upwards is visible to the viewer in this representation. The corresponding opposite side, the contact side K, can be clearly seen in FIG. 3.

[0028] An electrical, multi-strand cable (not shown) is connected to the contact insert 1. The cable consists of individual conductors (not shown), each of which is insulatingly sheathed, wherein the conductors are distinguishable by their generally standardized sheath colors. The individual conductors are combined in a multi-strand cable by being enclosed, in turn, in an insulating cable sheath.

[0029] The individual conductors of the multi-strand cable are electrically connected to the connection side A of the contact insert 1. For this purpose, the individual conductors are usually first crimped onto a contact element 3 and then inserted into a connection opening 2 of the contact insert. The contact elements 3 are held or fixed in the contact insert 1 by a cover 5 which can be latched to the main body of the contact insert.

[0030] The contact side K of the contact insert is intended for electrical connection to a mating plug connector or a socket. The contact side K has contact openings 4 for this purpose. Mating contact elements of a mating plug connector or a socket can access the contact elements 3 of the contact insert via the contact openings K. The principle has long been known and requires no further explanation.

[0031] According to the illustrated embodiment, six contact openings 4 are provided on the contact side K to allow access of a mating contact element of a mating plug connector or socket. On the connection side A, only four connection openings 2 are provided for the conductors of the cable to be connected.

[0032] Contact elements 3 are used in the contact insert 1, as they can be seen, for example in conjunction with a bridge contact 10, in FIG. 5. The contact elements 3 have a connection region AB, designed as a crimp connection, and a contact region KB, designed as a socket.

[0033] The contact insert 1 has a PE contact element 6, which is arranged laterally in a contact chamber of the contact insert 1 specially provided for this purpose.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a bridge contact 10. Via the bridge contact 10, an electrical phase or a conductor of the cable can be transferred to three contact regions KB of the contact insert. FIG. 4 shows the part of the bridge contact 10 that is responsible for the actual electrical bridging function.

[0035] The bridge contact 10 has a connection region AB for electrical connection to a conductor of the multi-strand cable. The connection region AB is provided by a contact element 3, as is also used for the non-bridged connections of the contact insert 1. In this embodiment, a hollow-cylindrical connection region AB is used for crimping connection of the conductor.

[0036] The bridge contact 10 has three contact regions KB for respective electrical contacting of a mating contact element of a mating plug connector or a socket.

[0037] The bridge contact 10 consists substantially of an elongate metal plate 7 with rounded end regions. Three contact regions KB are riveted to one side of the metal plate. On the other side of the metal plate 7 there is a pin contact 8, which is also attached to the metal plate 7 by riveting. A contact element 3 is plugged onto the pin contact 8, thus providing a connection region AB for the bridge contact 10.

[0038] In order to be able to fix the contact insert 1 in a holding frame (not shown) or directly in a plug connector housing (not shown), the contact insert 1 has holding lugs 9, 9, which are designed with different widths for polarization reasons.

[0039] Even though various aspects or features of the embodiments of the disclosure are each shown in combination in the figures, it is apparent to a person skilled in the artunless otherwise indicatedthat the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible ones. In particular, corresponding units or feature combinations from different embodiments may be interchanged with each other. Put another way, aspects of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0040] 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.