LOCKING MECHANISM FOR A HIGH-CURRENT ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR

Abstract

An electrical connector socket is provided, which has a locking device with which an electrical connector can be locked to the electrical connector socket when plugged in, wherein the locking device is arranged at least partly inside the electrical connector socket and protrudes at least partly from the electrical connector socket on the plug-in side. The electrical connector is provided for transmitting high currents and signals, wherein the electrical connector as a locking contour, into which a locking device of an electrical connector socket can engage, wherein the locking contour is arranged on the electrical connector on the plug-in side.

Claims

1. An electrical connector socket comprising: a locking device configured to lock an electrical connector to the electrical connector socket when the electrical connector is plugged in to the electrical connector socket, wherein the locking device is arranged at least partly within the electrical connector socket and protrudes at least partly from the electrical connector socket on a plug-in side of the electrical connector socket.

2. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical connector socket forms a connector face, and wherein a part of the locking device, which protrudes from the electrical connector socket, is a constituent part of the connector face.

3. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking device is an electromechanical locking device.

4. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking device has a blocking element which has at least one spring-supported blocking pin, which engages in a blocking opening assigned to the spring-supported blocking pin in the electrical connector.

5. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 4, wherein the blocking element has two blocking pins aligned oppositely to each other.

6. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 5, wherein the blocking pins are each molded on a respective base, wherein the bases are configured to be complementary to each other and are coupled to each other via a spring.

7. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 4, wherein the locking device has a movable locking slide which has a U-shaped fork an end thereof which blocks and releases the blocking element.

8. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 7, wherein the locking device has a lifting magnet which moves the locking slide.

9. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 7, wherein the locking device has a first microswitch, which detects the position of the locking slide.

10. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 9, wherein the locking device has a U-shaped handgrip, which blocks and releases the blocking element.

11. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 10, wherein the U-shaped handgrip has legs that can be moved relative to one another.

12. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 11, wherein the legs that can be moved relative to one another are coupled to one another via a spring.

13. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 10, wherein the locking device has a second microswitch, which detects whether the U-shaped handgrip is in a blocking position or in a release position.

14. The electrical connector socket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical connector socket has an electronic evaluation unit with an RFID antenna.

15. An electrical connector for transmitting high currents and signals, the electrical connector comprising: a locking contour in which a locking device of an electrical connector socket can engage, wherein the locking contour is arranged on the electrical connector on a plug-in side of the electrical connector.

16. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the electrical connector has a connector face, and the locking contour is part of the connector face.

17. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the electrical connector has an RFID tag.

18. The electrical connector as claimed in claim 15, wherein the electrical connector has a visual indicating unit, which indicates a plug-in status of the electrical connector.

19. The electrical connector as claimed in the claim 18, wherein the visual indicating unit is an LED light unit.

20. A system comprising: an electrical connector socket; and an electrical connector, wherein the electrical connector socket includes a locking device configured to lock the electrical connector to the electrical connector socket when the electrical connector is plugged in to the electrical connector socket, wherein the locking device is arranged at least partly within the electrical connector socket and protrudes at least partly from the electrical connector socket on a plug-in side of the electrical connector socket, and wherein the electrical connector includes a locking contour arranged on a plug-in side of the electrical connector to receive the locking device of the electrical connector socket when the electrical connector is plugged in to the electrical connector socket.

21. The system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the electrical connector has an unlocking mechanism with which a U-shaped handgrip of the locking device is opened and which releases a mechanical blocking element of the locking device as a result.

22. A method for breaking an electrical connection between an electrical connector socket and an electrical connector, wherein in the plug-in state, at least one blocking pin of a locking device of the electrical connector socket latches into an associated blocking opening in a locking contour of the electrical connector, wherein the at least one blocking pin is blocked on the plug-in side via a U-shaped handgrip and wherein, as soon as a transmission of energy takes place, the at least one blocking pin is additionally blocked on a connection side by a U-shaped fork of the locking device, the method comprising: before a possible withdrawal of the electrical connector, checking, via an evaluation unit of the electrical connector socket, whether the electrical connection is voltage-free and, only when the electrical connection is voltage-free, moving the U-shaped fork into a release position, wherein the U-shaped handgrip is likewise moved into a release position by an unlocking mechanism integrated in the electrical connector, and wherein the electrical connection is then broken by the electrical connector being pulled out of the electrical connector socket.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and will be explained in more detail below. In the drawings:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of an electrical connector socket according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of an electrical connector according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a perspective and partially transparent illustration of a locking device integrated in the electrical connector socket,

[0037] FIG. 4 shows a top view of individual components of the locking device in its blocking position,

[0038] FIG. 5 shows a top view of individual components of the locking device in its release position,

[0039] FIG. 6 shows a perspective illustration of a blocking element,

[0040] FIG. 7 shows a perspective illustration of the locking device integrated in the electrical connector socket, and

[0041] FIG. 8 shows a perspective illustration of the locking contour integrated in the electrical connector.

[0042] The figures may contain partly simplified, schematic illustrations. To some extent, identical designations are used for elements which are the same but possibly not identical. Different views of the same elements could be scaled differently.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an electrical connector socket 1 according to an example embodiment of the invention. The electrical connector socket 1 is, for example, attached to housings of electrical devices which, at least from time to time, need a great deal of energy or which comprise a battery which must be charged up regularly.

[0044] To fix the electrical connector socket 1, for example to a device wall, the electrical connector socket 1 has lugs in the corner regions of its housing with openings 6 arranged therein which, for example, can be used for a screw fastening.

[0045] The electrical connector housing 1 has a locking device 2. The locking device 2 is arranged at least partly inside the electrical connector socket 1 or its housing. On the plug-in side, the locking device 2 protrudes from the electrical connector socket 1.

[0046] The connector face of an electrical connector socket 1 and of a connector 10 (FIG. 2) is defined by the arrangement of the contact elements (and, if appropriate, of further functional elements) which can be seen on the plug-in side. The electrical connector socket 1 or its housing has an octagonal cross section. The connector face is formed by the arrangement of the contact elements and of the further visible functional elements, such as locking device and evaluation unit or RFID antenna, within this octagonal geometry.

[0047] The electrical connector socket 1 has five power contact elements 3 within its connector face, which are designed for transmitting high currents. The power contact elements 3 are arranged substantially like an inverted U in the connector face (from the view of FIG. 1). In the lower region of the connector face, a signal contact element 4 is arranged. Data and/or control signals can be transmitted via the latter.

[0048] The electrical connector socket 1 has an electronic evaluation unit 5 with an integrated RFID antenna. At least part of the RFID antenna and possibly also part of the evaluation unit 5 protrudes from the electrical connector socket 1 on the plug-in side, and therefore forms part of the connector face of the electrical connector socket 1.

[0049] In FIG. 2, it is possible to see an electrical connector 10 according to an example embodiment of the invention, which can be plugged into the electrical connector socket 1 and therefore forms an electrical connection. The electrical connector 10 has five power contact elements 3′ and a signal contact element 4′. The power contact elements 3′ and the signal contact element 4′ are arranged in a way analogous to the connector face of the electrical connector socket 1 and can be contacted electrically hereby.

[0050] Centrally in the connector face, the electrical connector 10 has a locking contour 9 which corresponds to the protruding part of the locking device 2 of the electrical connector socket 1. Arranged above the locking contour 9 is an RFID tag which, when it is plugged in, corresponds to the RFID antenna of the evaluation unit 5. The electrical connector 10 has a cable screw fixing 7 for a cable to be connected (not shown).

[0051] Shown in FIG. 3 is the locking device 2 which is integrated in the electrical connector socket 1. This is an electromechanical lock, in which purely mechanical components interact with electrical and/or electronic components. The housing 11 of the locking device 2 is illustrated transparently in FIG. 3, in order that the components located therein can be seen.

[0052] The locking device 2 has a blocking element 12. The blocking element 12 is illustrated enlarged in FIG. 6. The blocking element 12 comprises two bases 13, 13′ which are coupled via a spring 14 and which each have a blocking pin 15 protruding perpendicularly therefrom. The bases 13, 13′ are configured geometrically such that they can interengage in complementary fashion. The blocking pins 15 are oriented oppositely to each other. The blocking pins 15 have a hemispherical tip at the ends. When they are plugged in, the blocking pins 15 engage in the blocking opening 16 assigned to them in the locking contour 9 of the electrical connector 10.

[0053] The locking device 2 has a movable locking slide 17 which, at its end, has a U-shaped fork 18. The locking slide 17 can be moved back and forth in the plug-in direction—along the double arrow 19 shown in FIG. 4—via a lifting magnet 20. In the locked state, the fork 18 is located between the bases 13, 13′ of the blocking element 12 and blocks the blocking pins 15 located in the blocking openings 16, so that the electrical connector socket 1 and the electrical connector 10 are locked together and the electrical connection cannot be broken. The fork 18 is in this outlined blocking position in FIG. 4.

[0054] The locking device 2 has a U-shaped handgrip 21. The handgrip 21 substantially comprises two L-shaped legs 21a, 21b, which are coupled to each other via a spring 22. By way of the spring 22, the legs 21a, 21b are driven into their U-shape, which represents the basic position of the handgrip 21. In the locked state, the closed handgrip 21 is located between the bases 13, 13′ of the blocking element 12 and therefore blocks the blocking pins 15 located in the blocking openings 16, so that the electrical connection cannot be broken. The handgrip 21 is in its blocking position in FIG. 4.

[0055] During the connection operation, the electrical connector 10 is plugged into the electrical connector socket 1. In the process, two opposite blocking pins 15 of the locking device 2 of the electrical connector socket 1 latch into associated blocking openings 16 in the locking contour 9 of the electrical connector 10. The blocking pins 15 are blocked by the U-shaped handgrip 21 on the plug-in side or connector side.

[0056] As soon as a transmission of energy takes place, the pins 15 are additionally blocked on the connection side or socket side by the U-shaped fork 18, in that the latter is moved into the blocking position (FIG. 4) by the lifting magnet 20. The optical indicating unit lights up red and thus signals that there is a voltage on the electrical connection and the latter must therefore not be broken.

[0057] The position of the fork 18 can be registered by the evaluation unit 5 via a first microswitch 24. The open or closed position of the handgrip 21 can be registered by the evaluation unit 5 in a corresponding way via a second microswitch 25.

[0058] In the plugged-in-state, the evaluation unit 5 of the electrical connector socket 1 receives information via the RFID tag of the electrical connector 10. The evaluation unit 5 of the electrical connector socket 1 checks, continuously or regularly or at least before a potential withdrawal of the electrical connector 10, whether the electrical connection is voltage-free. If it is not voltage-free, the U-shaped fork 18 is not drawn or moved out of its blocking position (FIG. 4). In this case, the indicating unit lights up red and, as a result, shows that the electrical connection cannot be broken.

[0059] If the evaluation unit 5 establishes the voltage-free state, the U-shaped fork 18 is moved back into its release position by the lifting magnet 20. The release position is illustrated in FIG. 5. In this case, the optical indicating unit lights up green.

[0060] By way of the unlocking mechanism integrated in the electrical connector 10, the U-shaped handgrip 21 can then also be opened and, as a result, moved into its release position, which is illustrated in FIG. 5. The unlocking mechanism is substantially a pin (not shown), which presses in the direction of the arrow 23 shown in FIG. 4 on the spring area of the handgrip 21, as a result of which its legs 21a, 21b are each moved in the direction of the arrows 26, 26′ shown in FIG. 4, and the handgrip 21 is thereby opened. The pin (not shown) can be moved on the electrical connector 10 via a pushbutton (not shown) on the outside of the electrical connector 10.

[0061] Only when the U-shaped fork 18 (on the connection side) and the U-shaped handgrip 21 (on the plug-in side) are each located in their release position (FIG. 5) can the electrical connection be broken, i.e., the electrical connector 10 can be pulled out of the electrical connector socket 1.

[0062] Even if various aspects or features of the embodiments of the invention are each shown in combination in the figures, it is clear to those skilled in the art—if not otherwise indicated—that the combinations illustrated and discussed are not the only ones that are possible. In particular, mutually corresponding units or feature composites from different exemplary embodiments can be interchanged with one another. Accordingly, aspects or features of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

[0063] 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. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.