Plug connector with improved operational safety at high voltages

Abstract

The invention relates to a plug connector (1) having a plug connector housing (2), an insulating body (3) and at least one two-part contact element (4), which consists of a connecting part (4a) and a contact part (4b), the plug connector (1) further having a partial discharge sleeve (7), and the connecting part (4a) of the contact element (4) being arranged at least partially within the partial discharge sleeve (7).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention is based on a plug connector of the type described in accordance with independent claim 1 .

[0002] Such plug connectors are used in particular in the railway industry for high current transmission and / or for use in high voltage applications. The contact elements of such plug connectors are often exposed to currents of one thousand amperes or more. Background Art

[0003] DE 10 2019 132 127 A1 shows an electrical contact element for transmitting high currents, wherein the electrical contact element is designed in two parts, wherein one part can be inserted or pushed into the other part and the two parts are oriented orthogonally to each other.

[0004] Due to the complex geometry of the resulting contact elements, so-called partial discharges can occur locally, in particular in the connection or crimping area. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a plug connector for use with high currents and / or high voltages, which avoids partial discharges as much as possible.

[0006] This object is achieved by the subject matter of independent claim 1 .

[0007] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are given in the dependent claims and in the following description.

[0008] The plug-in connector according to the invention comprises at least one plug-in connector housing, an insulating body and at least one two-part contact element, which consists of a connecting part and a contact part.

[0009] The insulating body is arranged in the plug connector. Preferably, the plug connector housing is made of an electrically conductive material, in particular metal.

[0010] The plug connector according to the present invention has a partial discharge sleeve, and the connecting part of the contact element is at least partially arranged in the partial discharge sleeve.

[0011] By encasing the connecting portion of the contact element with a partial discharge sleeve, a uniform electrical potential is created within the sleeve. This creates a more uniform, particularly smoother and flatter surface on the contact element, without adjacent air gaps. This effectively prevents partial discharges and enables higher operating voltages for the plug connector.

[0012] Preferably, one side of the connecting part has an axial opening, which is designed as a crimping interface for the electrical conductor. The connecting part has a radial through hole at the other end, into which the contact part can be inserted. The contact part can be designed as a pin contact, for example.

[0013] Preferably, a circumferential contact strip is arranged in the through hole, thereby ensuring reliable electrical contact between the connecting portion and the contact portion.

[0014] The interior of the partial discharge sleeve is modeled according to the geometry of the connecting portion of the contact element. Advantageously, the partial discharge sleeve is designed to be substantially cylindrical.

[0015] Preferably, the partial discharge sleeve has an insertion opening, the connecting portion is inserted into the insertion opening and then inserted into the interior of the partial discharge sleeve, and the partial discharge sleeve also has a contact opening corresponding to the through hole of the connecting portion.

[0016] Advantageously, the partial discharge sleeve is made of an electrically conductive material, in particular metal, so that the partial discharge sleeve and the contact element form an electrically conductive unit.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the partial discharge sleeve is made of aluminum. Tests have shown that this material is particularly advantageous.

[0018] Preferably, the partial discharge sleeve is coated with a non-conductive material on the outside, thereby providing, in particular, a uniform transition to the insulation.

[0019] Preferably, the non-conductive material is applied to the partial discharge sleeve in an injection molding process. This method is particularly cost-effective. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] An embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings and will be described in detail below. In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows a perspective sectional view of a plug connector according to the invention, Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a connecting portion of a contact element of a plug connector; and Figure 3 Shown is a sectional view of a connecting portion of a contact element of a plug connector.

[0021] The drawings contain partially simplified schematic diagrams. In some cases, the same reference numerals are used for identical, but possibly non-identical, components. Different views of the same component may have different scalings. Directional designations such as "left," "right," "up," and "down" should be understood with reference to the corresponding drawings and may vary from one figure to another depending on the object shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Figure 1 The present invention shows a cross-section of a plug connector 1. The plug connector 1 has a plug connector housing 2, in which an insulating body 3 is arranged. The plug connector housing 2 is essentially made of aluminum.

[0023] Arranged within the insulating body 3 is a two-part contact element 4 consisting of a connection part 4a and a contact part 4b. The connection part 4a has an axial opening 5 at one end, which is provided as a crimping interface for connecting an electrical conductor. The connection part 4a has a radial through-hole 6 at the other end, into which the contact part 4b can be inserted or passed. The geometry of the contact part 4b is not critical to the invention, therefore Figure 3 Only the contact portion 4b is schematically shown.

[0024] The connecting portion 4a and the contact portion 4b of the contact element 4 are arranged substantially orthogonally to each other. Thus, the plug connector 1 can be embodied as an angled connector, wherein the cable connection direction intersects the plugging direction at an angle of 90°.

[0025] The plug connector 1 according to the invention has a Figure 2 In the figure the partial discharge sleeve 7 is shown separately. In the assembled state the connecting part 4a of the contact element 4 is arranged in the partial discharge sleeve 7.

[0026] The partial discharge sleeve 7 has an insertion opening 9. The connection part 4a can be inserted into the partial discharge sleeve 7 in the direction of arrow P. The partial discharge sleeve 7 has a contact opening 8 associated with the through hole 6 of the connection part 4a. This allows the contact part 4b to be further inserted into the connection part 4a.

[0027] Arranged within the through-opening 6 of the connecting part 4a is a circumferential contact strip 10. Via the contact strip 10, a reliable electrically conductive connection is established between the connecting part 4a and the contact part 46.

[0028] The partial discharge sleeve 7 is essentially designed as an open hollow cylinder. The partial discharge sleeve 7 is made of aluminum and thus, in this embodiment, is the same material as the plug connector housing 2 of the plug connector 1. The outer side of the partial discharge sleeve 7 is injection-molded with a plastic material.

[0029] The plug connector 1 has a cable outlet 11 on the cable connection side, which assumes the function of sealing and strain relief for a connected cable (not shown).

[0030] Even if various aspects or features of the present invention are shown in combinations in the drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible combinations, unless otherwise indicated. In particular, corresponding units or feature complexes in different embodiments may be interchanged.

[0031] Reference Signs List 1 plug connector 2 plug connector housing 3 Insulator 4 contact elements 5 Axial opening of contact element 4 6 Radial through hole of contact element 4 7 Partial discharge sleeve 8 Contact opening of partial discharge sleeve 7 9 Insertion opening of partial discharge sleeve 7 10 contact belt 11 cable outlets

Claims

1. A plug connector (1) comprising a plug connector housing (2), an insulating body (3) and at least one two-part contact element (4), the contact element consisting of a connecting part (4a) and a contact part (4b), The plug connector (1) further comprises a partial discharge sleeve (7), and the connecting portion (4a) of the contact element (4) is at least partially arranged within the partial discharge sleeve (7).

2. The plug connector (1) according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The connecting part (4a) has an axial opening (5) at one end, which is designed as a crimping interface for an electrical conductor, and the connecting part (4a) has a through-hole (6) at the other end, which is particularly radial, into which the contact part (4b) can be inserted.

3. Plug connector (1) according to the preceding claim, It is characterized in that At least one circumferential contact strip (10) is arranged in the through-hole (6).

4. Plug connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The partial discharge sleeve (7) is designed to be substantially cylindrical.

5. Plug connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The partial discharge sleeve (7) has an insertion opening (9) through which the connecting portion (4a) of the contact element (4) can be inserted into the partial discharge sleeve (7), and The partial discharge sleeve (7) has a contact opening (8) associated with the through hole (6) of the connecting portion (4a).

6. Plug connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The partial discharge sleeve (7) is made of conductive material.

7. Plug connector (1) according to the preceding claim, It is characterized in that The partial discharge sleeve (7) is made of aluminum.

8. Plug connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The outer side of the partial discharge sleeve (7) is covered with a non-conductive material.

9. Plug connector (1) according to the preceding claim, It is characterized in that The non-conductive material is applied to the partial discharge sleeve (7) in an injection molding process.

10. Plug connector (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The plug connector housing (2) is made of conductive material.

11. Plug connector (1) according to the preceding claim, It is characterized in that The plug connector housing (2) is made of aluminum.

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