Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R24/00—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure
  • H01R24/84—Hermaphroditic coupling devices
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
  • H01R13/502—Bases; Cases composed of different pieces
  • H01R13/506—Bases; Cases composed of different pieces assembled by snap action of the parts

Definitions

• the invention relates to a hermaphroditic insulating housing for a plug connector system. Furthermore, the invention relates to a plug connector system, and a method.
• FIG. 1 shows an example of such a connector system 10 from the prior art, which is typically used for contacting cables 3, 3A, 3', 3A'.
• Electrical contact elements 2, 2' which are in electrical contact with the respective conductor of the cable 3, 3A, 3', 3A', are embedded in the housing 11, 11' of the respective connector. As shown above left, the electrical contact elements 2 are arranged freely in the housing 11. Although this means that they are spaced apart and therefore electrically insulated from each other, a user of the connector 10 can come into direct contact with the electrical contact 2.
• plug connector system 10 shown as an example, only allows conductors to be contacted in pairs by means of electrical contact elements 2, 2'.
• this circumstance contributes to the fact that the two housings 11, 11' have an exaggerated design, which is disadvantageous for many applications with limited space, such as in robotics, automotive industry, etc.
• the fixed arrangement of the electrical contact elements 2, 2' in pairs or groups in the housing 11, 11' can be disadvantageous for applications in which the contact points can be arranged spatially relative to one another, in particular if the cables to be contacted have different cable lengths.
• the two housings 11, 11' of the connector system 10 shown in Fig. 1 are not hermaphroditic, as they are not of the same or identical design or configuration.
• the housing 11 shown at the top left can accommodate part of the housing 11' shown at the top right in its interior.
• a projection can be seen in the center of the inner wall of the housing shown at the top left, which engages in a corresponding recess in the housing 11' shown at the top right when the two housings 11, 11' are or will be joined together.
• the projection shown acts as a guide in conjunction with the recess.
• housings 11, 11' are shaped in relation to each other so that incorrect mating is prevented, as the projection is only arranged on one side of the inner wall.
• the housings 11, 11' are then secured against twisting in relation to each other.
• hermaphroditic housings are known from US4687263A and US5906518A .
• Hermaphroditic insulating housings are, therefore, characterized by the fact that each insulating housing of a plug connector system is designed or configured in such a way that it interlocks with its counterpart, which is preferably of the same or identical design or configuration, whereby this is to be understood as a supplementary and not a substitute definition to the definitions from the aforementioned disclosures.
• such hermaphroditic insulating housings can have the advantage that only two primary components of the insulating housings need to be provided to form a connector system.
• An object of the present invention is the provision of a hermaphroditic insulating housing, a plug connector system, and a method, each of which individually eliminates the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.
• a further aim of the present invention is the provision of a hermaphroditic insulating housing, a plug connector system, and a method, each of which enables space-saving and flexible conductor-to-conductor contacting of cables.
• flexible can mean that the contact points of two cable pairs, which are electrically contacted using the plug connector system, can be arranged spatially offset to each other.
• a hermaphroditic insulating housing for a plug connector for direct electrical conductor-conductor contacting of two cables is disclosed.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housing is configured as an elongated hollow body with an inner volume, and wherein the inner volume is configured to entirely accommodate and secure at least one or specifically one electrical contact element of the plug connector.
• the cables and the contact element can be, at least partly, external to the hermaphroditic insulating housing and are then not part of the insulating housing as such.
• the cables can have a sheath that electrically insulates the conductor of the respective cable from the environment.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housing can completely accommodate the contact element in its inner volume and partially or entirely enclose it, so that contact between a user and the electrical contact element can be avoided.
• the elongated design of the hollow body also has the advantage that the insulating housing contributes only slightly to the circumference of the cable sheathing, so that a compact size or a small construction volume is required for the contacting and insulation.
• the hollow body can have a round, hollow cylindrical shape and thus follow the shape of a cable, thereby minimizing the cross-sectional area.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housing can be configured with a receiving and securing portion for receiving and releasably locking or securing an insulating housing counterpart, the insulating housing counterpart can preferably be configured with a similar receiving and securing portion. Similar here can mean identical or matching.
• the receiving and securing portion therefore, can have a dual function.
• the insulating housing counterpart can be at least partially accommodated therein.
• the insulating housing counterpart can engage in the securing portion of the hermaphroditic insulating housing with its similarly designed receiving and securing portion.
• the receiving and securing portion can comprise two elongated mutually spaced housing parts or portions integrally formed with the hermaphroditic insulating housing and extending substantially parallel or coaxial to a longitudinal axis, wherein one of the housing parts can be radially offset relative to the other housing part.
• Housing part may be synonymous with housing portion, section, or housing area and may be used interchangeably.
• each housing part can be configured in a half-shell shape, each with two mutual edges, the two housing parts can be arranged such that the edges of the housing parts are substantially opposed to each other so that the two half-shell-shaped housing parts can be open to each other along an extension of the longitudinal axis.
• one of the half-shell-shaped housing parts can be configured to be partially flexible or resilient.
• the two spaced housing parts can be configured to form a tight fit with the insulating housing counterpart.
• Tight or tight mechanical fit can be synonymous with clearance, interference, or transition fit.
• the tight fit is a transition fit that requires a certain amount of force to join two components.
• the types of fits can be understood and categorized according to the ISO 286 standard.
• each of said spaced-apart edges can comprise portions extending non-parallel to the longitudinal axis, thereby deviating axially from the longitudinal axis.
• the portions extending non-parallel to the longitudinal axis can be formed as notch, protrusion and/or beveled edge for engagement with opposing portions of the insulating housing counterpart, thereby securely locking the insulating housing and insulating housing counterpart in a mated state.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housing can comprise a molded-in or integrally formed part arranged in the inner volume that can be configured to engage with and axially securing the electrical contact element, the molded-in or integrally formed part arranged in the inner volume can be disposed at an end opposite the receiving and securing portion.
• axial can mean in the mating direction of the hermaphroditic insulating housing and/or the plug connector system.
• the molded-in or integrally formed part can be designed to be at least partially or completely radially circumferential, and wherein the molded-in or integrally formed part can be designed to be free of latching, fastening or securing means for mounting the electrical contact element so that it can rotate about an axis of rotation.
• the axis of rotation can be coaxial with the longitudinal axis.
• the molded-in or integrally formed part which can be arranged at least partially, preferably completely, within the hermaphroditic insulating housing, forms an outer shell or an outer ring of a radial bearing, whereby the electrical contact element can be rotatably mounted in this outer shell or this outer ring, but axial movement of the electrical contact element out of this shell/ring is prevented.
• the electrical contact element is held in the plugging direction during the plugging process, but the rotatable mounting of the electrical contact element makes it possible to align the two housing parts during the plugging process so that mating is possible. This can be particularly advantageous if the electrical contact element is attached to an electrical conductor of a cable, as this prevents the cable from twisting.
• free of latching, fastening or securing means can mean that the hermaphroditic insulating housing is designed in such a way that it can rotate freely around the electrical contact element. In this case, the hermaphroditic insulating housing has no latching, fastening or securing means.
• a plug connector system for direct electrical conductor-conductor contacting of two cables is disclosed.
• the plug connector system comprises:
• the similar or identical receiving and securing portions ensure that the hermaphroditic insulating housings engage with each other and can be mated.
• the electrical contact elements are held or fixed by the hermaphroditic insulating housing so that secure electrical contacting of the electrical contact elements is ensured when they engage.
• the plug connector system can be configured for rated operating voltages of up to 200 V, preferably 500 V, but particularly preferably up to 1000 V, and for rated currents of up to 15 A, preferably 75 A, particularly preferably up to 120 A.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housings can be configured to be rotatable about an axis of rotation concerning their electrical contact elements comprised in the inner volume.
• this can allow the elongated mutually spaced housing parts of the respective hermaphroditic insulating housings to be aligned with each other without having to rotate the electrical contact element located therein or its cable.
• a method for producing a direct electrical conductor-conductor contacting two cables using a connector system according to the second aspect is disclosed.
• the method comprises the following steps:
• the method using the hermaphroditic insulating housings achieves stable and reliable mating and securing thereof as well as reliable electrical contacting of the electrical contact elements within the hermaphroditic insulating housings.
• the locking can be released, e.g., by bending back the radially offset housing parts with a tool to disconnect the electrical contact.
• Fig. 2A shows in a perspective view an exemplar embodiment of an unmated plug connector system with two hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1'.
• the plug connector system 10 comprises two plug connectors. Conductors of cables (not shown) are each conductively connected to an electrical contact element 2, 2'.
• Each plug connector also includes a hermaphroditic insulating housing 1, 1', which has the respective electrical contact element 2, 2' securely fixated in its interior.
• each hermaphroditic insulating housing 1, 1' is designed as an elongated, round-cylindrical component and has a receiving and latching section 6, 6'.
• the receiving and latching section 6, 6' extends over approximately half the length of the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1, 1'.
• the receiving and latching section 6, 6' of each plug connector has the same or identical design and is divided into two parts. In the following, the receiving and latching section 6 of the left-hand plug connector is explained in more detail, whereby the explanations can be transferred to the right-hand plug connector accordingly.
• the receiving and latching section 6 comprises a first half-shell-shaped extension 5, which is formed in one piece and aligned with the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1.
• a second half-shell-shaped extension 5A is also formed in one piece with the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1, but has a radial offset inwards.
• the two half-shell-shaped extensions are spaced apart from each other by a separating section or gap.
• the second half-shell-shaped extension 5A can have a smaller thickness along a longitudinal axis in order to increase its flexibility or pliability.
• the extensions 5, 5', 5A, 5A' therefore functionally act like locking or latching arms.
• the electrical contact element 2, which is designed as a female contact is entirely enclosed by the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1 and is therefore electrically insulated from it.
• the two receiving and latching sections 6, 6' are pushed into each other in such a way that they engage with each other by means of a tight clearance fit or transition fit so that they are frictionally connected to each other.
• This force-fit connection can also be referred to as latching, although the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' are designed without latching formations or equivalent features.
• the two hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' have a corresponding tolerance to enable the tight clearance or transition fit and the corresponding frictional connection.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1 is made of a non-conductive material, such as fiber-reinforced plastic, preferably manufactured by injection molding or 3D printing.
• the plug connector can be assembled by assembling the cable 3 with the electrical contact element 2, and inserting the electrical contact element 2 into the interior of the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1 by pushing the electrical contact element 2 from the rear end (the end opposite to the mating end).
• This can simplify the manufacture of the plug connector.
• this can also allow the assembled cable and contact to be stranded through a smaller diameter hole prior to assembly in the hermaphroditic insulating housing 1 than would be possible after final assembly.
• Fig. 2B shows a longitudinal section of the plug connector system 10 from Fig. 2A in the mated or latched state. It can be noticed that the two electrical contact elements 2, 2' are entirely enclosed by the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1'. Furthermore, the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' have corresponding structures in the circled areas to hold the electrical contact elements 2, 2' in position when plugged together so that the electrical contact elements 2, 2' can make reliable electrical contact.
• the said structures of the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' are designed, particularly on the inside, in such a way that they fix or guide the electrical contact elements 2, 2' in the plugging direction, particularly during the mating process, but the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' are freely rotatable, i.e. rotatable through 360°.
• An insertion or removal designed as a latching, fixing or securing means for limiting the rotation about the axis of rotation would restrict the use of the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' or the connector system 10. How this structure interacts with the electrical contact elements 2, 2' will be described hereafter.
• the receiving and latching sections 6, 6' of the two hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' interlock. Since the receiving and latching sections 6, 6' each occupy approximately half the length of the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1', a compact design of the plug connector system 10 is also possible.
• Figs. 3A and 3B show in a perspective view electrical contact elements 2 for use in all exemplar embodiments.
• the electrical contact elements 2 are designed as female contact elements to accommodate a male electrical contact element.
• a male and a female electrical contact element are used as mating contact elements in the connector system.
• the electrical contact elements 2 are conventional machined parts that incorporate known contact materials such as copper, brass or similar copper alloys.
• An area for connecting a conductor of the cable 10 is formed at the upper distal end of the electrical contact element. This area can be designed for crimping, soldering, screwing or for connection by means of a contact spring element.
• the male electrical contact element can be inserted at the lower distal end of the electrical contact elements 2.
• the two electrical contact elements 2 have an area approximately in the middle in which a collar or a spring element 4 is shown. Both are designed in such a way that they reduce their circumference when a radial force is applied from the outside and spring back to their initial position or circumference when the radial force is released.
• a collar or a spring element 4 is shown. Both are designed in such a way that they reduce their circumference when a radial force is applied from the outside and spring back to their initial position or circumference when the radial force is released.
• This mechanism serves to hold and guide the electrical contact element during the insertion and removal process.
• the electrical contact elements 2 are held securely in the hermaphroditic insulating housing.
• these are just two examples of how an electrical contact element 2 can be constructed.
• the inner structure of the hermaphroditic insulating housing engages with the electrical contact element 2 in order to hold it securely during any movement of the plug connector or plug connector system.
• the flexible feature holding the contact element 2 can also be part of the hermaphroditic insulating housing in a single piece, or the contact element 2 can be fixed between two pieces forming the insulating housing.
• Fig. 4A shows in a perspective view a further exemplar embodiment of an unmated plug connector system with two hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1'.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' are essentially identical to the hermaphroditic insulating housings shown in Figs. 2A and 2B .
• the receiving and latching section 6 of the left-hand plug connector is explained in more detail, whereby the explanations can be transferred to the right-hand plug connector accordingly.
• the outer first half-shell-shaped extension 5 is provided with two edges (only one is shown) which are almost parallel to the longitudinal extension.
• the edges as such are of a staggered or stepped shape, having portions, such as flat portions, which are equally parallel to said extension. Said flat portions are staggered in height but connected by slopes running non-parallel to said longitudinal extension.
• the edge closer to the center of the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1 on the left forms a recess into which the front portion of the edge of the outer first half-shell-shaped extension 5' of the right-hand hermaphroditic insulating housing 1' can engage.
• the edges of different heights interlock and thereby lock the hermaphrodite insulation housings 1,1' together.
• the hermaphrodite insulation housing 1,1' or the outer first half-shell-shaped extension 5 can be at least partially resilient. This can be achieved by using a suitable insulating material, such as plastic, and/or by utilizing a lower material thickness.
• the force that must be applied to separate the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1,1' from each other when locked can be adjusted by the difference in height of the edges and the slope.
• Fig. 4B shows the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' from Fig. 4A mated to form a plug connector system.
• the receiving and latching sections 6, 6' are seen approximately in the center, and a staggered or stepped path is seen at the joining line 7, in which the edges of the outer first half-shell-shaped extensions 5, 5' interlock so as to secure the connector system.
• the receiving and latching sections 6, 6' are much shorter to allow the use of electrical contact elements 2, 2' with a shortened connection section (i.e., the portion in which the male and female portions of the electrical contact elements 2, 2' engage).
• the use of the edges of the outer first half-shell-shaped extensions 5, 5' as shown in Figs. 4A and 4B in addition to or as an alternative to the friction locking fit of Figs. 2A and 2B can assist in reducing the size (the longitudinal extension) of the connector system while still providing reliable locking.
• Fig. 5A shows in a perspective view another exemplar embodiment of an unmated plug connector system with two hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1'.
• the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' are essentially identical to the hermaphroditic insulating housings shown in Figs. 2A and 2B , but in contrast to the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' shown in Figs. 4A and 4B , the edges of the outer first half-shell-shaped extensions 5, 5' are formed differently.
• edges instead of designing edges with a staggered or stepped shape, edges (only one is shown) are used that feature a half-shell-shaped projection 8, 8' and a half-shell-shaped notch 9, 9'.
• edges When the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1,1' are plugged together, as shown in Fig. 5B , the projection 8 of one hermaphroditic insulating housing 1 engages in the notch of the other hermaphroditic insulating housing 1' to lock them together.
• the shape and number of projections 8, 8' and notches 9, 9' can be varied as desired and is not limited to the shape or number shown here.
• the protrusion 8, 8' and/or the notch 9, 9' have regions that are non-parallel to the longitudinal axis.
• the force required to separate the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1,1' can be adjusted by the shape and/or number of protrusions 8, 8' and notches 9, 9'.
• FIG. 6A an unmated plug connector system with two hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' is shown in Fig. 6A .
• the hermaphroditic insulating housings 1, 1' are essentially identical to the hermaphroditic insulating housings shown in Figs. 2A and 2B .
• the edges (only one edge is shown) of the outer first half-shell-shaped extension 5 are shaped almost identically to the staggered or stepped shaped edges of the hermaphroditic insulating housings of Fig. 4A .
• the inner first half-shell-shaped extension 5A, 5A' in this exemplary embodiment comprises a centered projection 8 (see left hermaphroditic insulating housing 1) which can engage with the centered recess 9 arranged in the outer first half-shell-shaped extension 5, 5' of the corresponding hermaphroditic insulating housings 1' as shown in Fig. 6B .
• the centered projection 8 and the centered recess 9 also have regions which are non-parallel to the longitudinal axis.
• the receiving and latching sections 6, 6' are much shorter to allow the use of electrical contact elements 2, 2' with a shortened connection section.
• the use of the edges of the outer first half-shell-shaped extensions 5, 5' as shown in Fig. 6A and 4B and the projection 8/recess 9 in addition to or as an alternative to the friction locking fit of Figs. 2A and 2B can assist in reducing the size (the longitudinal extension) of the connector system while still providing reliable locking.

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• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)

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Citations (5)

• 2024
  • 2024-02-13 GB GB2401975.4A patent/GB2638160A/en active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-02-11 EP EP25157219.4A patent/EP4604334A1/fr active Pending

Patent Citations (5)

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