Contact carrier having stable detent device

Abstract

A contact carrier retains a crimp contact inserted therein at a central collar of the crimp contact in a particularly stable manner and at the same time absorb the highest possible plugging forces. The contact carrier has an insulating body and a retaining plate, which can be mounted thereon on the connection side. Furthermore, the contact carrier has at least one detent element, which, in the unassembled state, can assumed both a position locking the plug contact and a position releasing the plug contact. The detent element is part of the insulating body. The retaining plate also has at least one blocking element, which, in the assembled state, fixes the detent element in the position thereof locking the plug contact and thus prevents the transition of the detent element from the locking position into the releasing position.

Claims

1. An assembly, comprising: a contact carrier (K); and a plug contact (1) received within the contact carrier (K), wherein the plug contact (1) includes a mating region formed by a contact pin 11, a cable connection region realized as a crimp connection (12) having, a crimp opening 120 and a connection-side collar (14), and a central collar (13) arranged between the mating region and the cable connection region, the central collar (13) having a connection-side chamfer (132), and wherein the contact carrier (K) has a mating side (S) and, opposite thereof, a connection side (A), and wherein the contact carrier (K) includes an insulating body (2) with a plurality of latching elements (232), which, in an unmounted state, can assume both a position latching the plug contact (1) in place and a position releasing the plug contact (1) and a holding plate (3) configured to be mounted on the insulating body (2) from the connection side (A), the holding plate (3) having a locking element (33), which, in a mounted state, fixes the latching elements (232) in the position latching the plug contact (1) in place and prevents the latching elements (232) from transferring to the position releasing the plug contact.

2. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the latching elements (232) comprise latching lugs (2322) which, in the mounted state, fasten the plug contact 1 at the connection-side chamfer 132 against movement towards the connection side (A).

3. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the connection-side chamfer (132) has a frustoconical shape.

4. The assembly as in claim 3, wherein the central collar (13) has a cylindrical portion arranged axially between a frustoconical mating-side holding face 131 and the connection-side chamfer (132).

5. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the locking element is a locking sleeve (33), which, in the mounted state, is arranged with force fit between the latching elements (232) and an inner surface of a through-opening (20) of the insulating body (2).

6. The assembly as in claim 5, wherein each of the latching elements is a latching arm (232) which is integrally formed on the inner surface of a circumferential inner collar (23) of the through-opening (20) of the insulating body (2).

7. The assembly as in claim 6, wherein the contact carrier (K) further comprises a plurality of holding elements (231) which are integrally formed on the circumferential inner collar (23) of the through-opening (20) of the insulating body (2), wherein the holding elements (231) each have a holding portion (2311) with which they project into an interior of the through-opening (20) in order to prevent a movement of the plug contact (1) towards the mating side (S) of the contact carrier (K).

8. The assembly as in claim 7, wherein the holding elements (231) and the latching elements (232) are alternatingly circumferentially arranged around the plug contact (1).

9. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the holding plate (3) can be latched on the insulating body (2) in two different positions, namely in an assembly position and a locking position, wherein, in the assembly position, the plug contact (1) can be inserted and latched in the contact carrier (K) on the connection side (A), and wherein the locking position corresponds to the mounted state in which the latching elements (232) are fixed in their position latching the plug contact (1) in place by the locking element (33).

10. The assembly as in claim 9, wherein the holding plate (3) has at least one fastening plate (38) having two latching windows (384, 384′), namely a first latching window (384) and a second latching window (384′), and wherein the insulating body (2) includes at least two integrally formed latching portions (284, 284′) corresponding thereto on an outer surface, namely at least one first integrally formed latching portion (284) and at least one second integrally formed latching portion (284′), and wherein the holding plate (3) is located in the assembly position when the at least one fastening plate (38) latches on the second integrally formed latching portion (284′) by means of its first latching window (384), and wherein the holding plate (3) is located in its locking position when the first latching window (384) latches on the first integrally formed latching portion (284) and the second latching window (384′) latches on the second integrally formed latching portion (284′).

11. The assembly as in claim 1, wherein the holding plate (3) has a rectangular base plate (32) with an insertion opening (330) for inserting the plug contact (1), and wherein a respective fastening plate (38) extending at a right angle to the rectangular base plate (32) is arranged on two mutually opposite sides of the rectangular base plate (32), wherein these two fastening plates (38) point in the same direction as the locking element (33).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and will be explained in more detail below. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a plug contact;

(3) FIG. 2a shows an insulating body;

(4) FIG. 2b shows a holding plate;

(5) FIG. 3 shows a contact carrier, featuring the insulating body and the holding plate latched in an assembly position thereon, together with the plug contact to be inserted therein;

(6) FIGS. 4a-c show the assembled, mounted contact carrier from different external views;

(7) FIGS. 5a, b show the assembled, mounted contact carrier in two different external views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) The figures contain partially simplified, schematic illustrations. Identical reference signs are sometimes used for elements which are similar, but possibly not identical. Different views of similar elements might be drawn to different scales.

(9) FIG. 1 shows a plug contact 1 known from the prior art. In the present example, it is realized as a pin contact since its mating region is formed by a contact pin 11. In a further embodiment, a socket contact can be similarly used, which only differs therefrom in that its mating region is designed as a contact socket.

(10) The plug contact 1 has a cable connection region, which is realized as a crimp connection 12. Therefore, in technical language, the plug contact 1 is also known as a “crimp contact”. The crimp connection 12 is realized in the form of a sleeve, namely hollow-cylindrically, and therefore features a cylindrical crimp opening 120 and has a connection-side collar 14 at its free end.

(11) In diverse contact carriers provided for this purpose in the prior art, which are referred to below as “conventional” contact carriers, this plug contact 1 could be held at its connection-side collar 14 for the purpose of absorbing mating forces acting in the connection direction. However, as a result of the elongation of its crimp connection 12, which varies depending on the crimping process, structural disadvantages then arise, which will be described in more detail below.

(12) A central collar 13 is arranged between the mating region 11 and the crimp connection 12. On the one hand, the central collar 13 has the function, together with the connection-side collar 14, of ensuring the guidance of the plug contact 1 within the respective contact carrier and thereby centering the contact pin 11, for example in a hollow-cylindrical through-opening of the contact carrier. On the other hand, the central collar 13 has a mating-side holding face 131. This can prevent that the plug contact 1, during its insertion, penetrates too deeply into the respective contact carrier in the direction of a mating side thereof, for example during the insertion of the plug contact 1 or as a result of pulling forces.

(13) If the elongation experienced by the crimp connection 12 during the crimping is somewhat shorter than expected, the plug contact 1 in the conventional contact carrier has correspondingly large play in the mating direction. If the elongation is somewhat greater than expected, this can lead to difficulties when assembling the plug contacts 1 on the conventional contact carrier, namely if the crimped crimp connection 12 no longer fits in that portion of the conventional contact carrier which is provided to receive it.

(14) To enable/facilitate the removal of the plug contact 1 from the conventional contact carrier, the central collar 13 furthermore has a connection-side chamfer 132. For manufacturing reasons, in the present embodiment, the mating-side holding face 131 is also chamfered, although this is not important with regard to the following considerations. The connection-side collar 14, on the other hand, does not require a connection-side chamfer since it is arranged in any case on a connection side of the conventional contact carrier and therefore does not offer any notable resistance to its removal by canting or the like.

(15) For the reasons mentioned above, the inventive contact carrier K, which will be presented below, is intended to hold the plug contact 1 at its central collar 13 on both sides; on the one hand, to thereby avoid the problem, described above, of imprecise elongation of the crimp connection 12 and, on the other, to ensure particularly precise and stable guidance of the plug contact 1.

(16) To this end, an arrangement is used which comprises an insulating body 2 shown in FIG. 2a and a holding plate 3 shown in FIG. 2b.

(17) The insulating body shown in FIG. 2a is designed to be substantially square. It has a centrally arranged cylindrical through-opening 20 and two depressions 28, which are rectangular in cross-section and, starting on the connection side and extending in the mating direction, are realized on two mutually opposite sides of the insulating body 2. Each of the two depressions 28 is delimited by two lateral webs, which, for the sake of clarity, are not denoted by reference signs. Two integrally formed latching portions 284, 284′, namely a first integrally formed latching portion 284 and a second integrally formed latching portion 284′, are arranged in these two depressions 28, offset from one another in the mating direction. These each have a slide-on chamfer and a latching arm, which, for the sake of clarity, are not denoted by a reference sign.

(18) In the through-opening 20, four holding elements 231 and four latching elements 232 are integrally formed in an alternating sequence on a circumferential inner collar 23. The latching elements are latching arms 232, which project into the through-opening 20 to latch on the central collar 13 of the plug contact 1 by means of latching lugs 2322 integrally formed on said latching arms.

(19) The holding elements 231 each have a holding portion 2311 in order to thereby hold the plug contact 1 at its mating-side holding face 131 of its central collar 13 and therefore prevent a deeper movement of the plug contact 1 in the direction of a mating side S of the contact carrier K.

(20) For the sake of clarity, the circumferential inner collar 23 and the holding portion 2311 and the latching lugs 2322 are not denoted by a reference sign in this illustration. They are, however, also clearly shown in terms of their respective function in FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b and are identified accordingly.

(21) FIG. 2b shows a holding plate 3. This has a rectangular base plate 32 with an insertion opening 330, which extends through a hollow-cylindrical locking sleeve 33 integrally formed on the base plate 32.

(22) A respective fastening plate 38 is integrally formed on two mutually opposite sides of the base plate 32, at a right-angle thereto. For multi-stage latching, two respective latching windows 384, namely a first latching window 384 and a second latching window 384′, are arranged on each fastening plate 38. To construct the contact carrier K, the fastening plates 38 can be inserted into the depressions 28 of the insulating body 2, in particular fitting precisely between the lateral webs, whereby the latching windows 384, 384′ latch on the integrally formed latching portions 284, 284′. At the same time, the locking sleeve 33 can be inserted into the through-opening 20.

(23) FIG. 3 shows the contact carrier K, which features the insulating body 2 and the holding plate 3 latched thereon in an assembly position, whereby the contact carrier is located in an assembly state. In this assembly state of the contact carrier K, the plug contact 1 can be inserted into the contact carrier K from the connection side A. Conventionally, the pin contact 1 is previously crimped to an electrical stranded conductor (not illustrated in the drawing) at its crimp connection 12.

(24) In the assembly state, the first latching windows 384 of the holding plate 3 latch on the two integrally formed latching portions 284′ of the insulating body 2. In this state, the locking sleeve 33 is only partially inserted into the through-opening 20 and, in this position, does not yet lock the latching arms 223 thereof against a movement into their release position. In this state, the plug contact 1 can be inserted into the contact carrier K from the direction of the connection side A.

(25) The connection side A and the mating side S are opposite one another. The contact carrier K has a mating side S on the opposite side. As a result of a further movement of the holding plate 3 in the mating direction, i.e. in the direction of this mating side S, the first latching window 384 latches on the first integrally formed latching portion 284 and the second latching window 384′ latches on the second integrally formed latching portion 284′, as illustrated in FIG. 4a. The holding plate 3 is therefore located in its locking position. The contact carrier K, together with the inserted plug contact 1, is then located in its mounted state, wherein only the connection-side collar 14 of the plug contact 1 can be seen in this illustration.

(26) FIG. 4b shows the mounted carrier K as viewed from the mating side S.

(27) FIG. 4c shows the mounted contact carrier K as viewed from the connection side A.

(28) FIGS. 5a and 5b show the mounted contact carrier K in a cross-section through the holding elements 231 and through the latching arms 232.

(29) It can be seen from FIG. 5a that the plug contact 1, by means of the holding face 131 of its central collar 13, is secured on the holding portion 2311 of the holding elements 231 against deeper insertion in the direction of the mating side S. It can furthermore clearly be seen that the holding elements are integrally formed on the circumferential inner collar 23 of the insulating body 2.

(30) It can be seen from FIG. 5b how the latching arms 232, by means of their latching lugs 2322, fasten the plug contact 1 at the connection-side chamfer 132 of its central collar 13 against a movement in the direction of the connection side A in their locking state.

(31) In this case, the locking sleeve 33 is arranged with force fit between the latching arm 232 and an inner surface of the through-opening 20 of the insulating body 2. The locking sleeve 33 thus prevents an outward movement of the latching arms 232, i.e. towards the said inner surface of the through-opening 200, and thereby prevents the transfer of the latching arms 232 from the position latching the plug contact 1 in place into the position releasing it.

(32) Without the locking sleeve 33, the plug contact 1, by means of its connection-side chamfer 132, could easily press the latching arms 232 apart under the effect of mating forces which press it in the direction of the connection side A.

(33) As a result of the locking sleeve 33, which is fully inserted into the insulating body 2, the plug contact 1 is fixed in its final mounted position in the contact carrier 2 with the desired high holding force. For this purpose, the locking sleeve 33 is arranged between the latching arms 232 and the inner surface of the insulating body 2 (i.e. its through-opening 20). The locking sleeve 33 thus prevents an outwardly directed movement of the latching arms 232, i.e. towards the inner surface of the insulating body 2. The latching arms 232 are therefore locked against being transferred into their release position. The plug contact, in spite of the connection-side chamfer 132 of its central collar 13, cannot press the latching arms 232 apart, even under the effect of high mating forces. It is therefore held in the contact carrier K in a particularly stable manner. The high mating forces are absorbed as necessary by the insulating body 2 on which the latching arms 232 are ultimately integrally formed on the inner surface. The holding plate 3 is therefore also not subjected to forces which unlock/dismantle it.

(34) Even where combinations of different aspects or features of the invention are shown in the figures in each case, it is clear to the person skilled in the art—unless indicated otherwise—that 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

(35) 1 Plug contact

(36) 11 Mating region, contact pin

(37) 12 Cable connection region, crimp connection

(38) 120 Crimp opening

(39) 13 Central collar

(40) 131 Mating-side holding face

(41) 132 Connection-side chamfer

(42) 14 Connection-side collar

(43) 2 Insulating body

(44) 20 Through-opening

(45) 23 Circumferential inner collar

(46) 231 Holding element

(47) 2311 Holding portion

(48) 232 Latching element, latching arm

(49) 2322 Latching lug

(50) 28 Depression

(51) 284, 284′ First, second integrally formed latching portion

(52) 3 Holding plate

(53) 32 Base plate

(54) 33 Locking element, locking sleeve

(55) 330 Insertion opening

(56) 38 Fastening plate

(57) 384, 384′ First, second latching window

(58) K Contact carrier

(59) A Connection side

(60) S Mating side