Shielded plug connector with ground contacts and method for assembling same

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrically conductive connection element (1) which, when a contact carrier (3) is inserted into a plug connector housing (4), operates automatically according to the seesaw principle in order to reduce the insertion force of a ground contact (2) into the contact carrier (3) of a plug connector during the assembly of a shielded plug connector, at the same time, it is possible to establish a grounding connection between the grounding contact (2) and the metal plug connector housing (4), which is easy to operate.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The invention relates to a plug connector according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

[0002] The invention also relates to a method for assembling a shielded plug connector according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

[0003] Such plug connectors require on the one hand the transmission of a ground connection, in particular a so-called "protective earth" (PE) connection, to a mating plug connector, and on the other hand the grounding of the plug connector housing itself for safety and shielding purposes. BACKGROUND

[0004] The patent document WO 2007 / 019918 Al discloses a plug having a housing configured as a sleeve and an insulator arranged in the housing, which holds an elongated contact. The plug has a conductive holding spring for a ground contact, which holding spring has an axially through-going (in particular sleeve-like) insertion portion for the ground contact, which is arranged in a bore or a drilled hole of the insulator in the position of use. Here, the insertion portion of the holding spring passes through a lateral opening of the insulator. The drilled hole forms an undercut structure with this lateral opening for the slightly elastically compressible insertion portion. On the outside of the insertion portion, a spring arm extends, which is likewise arranged on the outside of the insulator in the position of use, which spring arm is in contact with the inside of the sleeve and which has an inwardly directed projection arranged at its free end, which engages with a recess or a groove of the ground contact and fixes the ground contact in the axial direction.

[0005] The disadvantage of this configuration is that, when assembling the plug connector by inserting the ground contact into the contact carrier, an undesirably high insertion force has to be applied in order to achieve a sufficiently high compression force between the ground contact and the holding spring to ensure a reliable ground connection.

[0006] The German Patent and Trade Mark Office searched the following prior art documents in the priority application of the present application: DE 103 23 614 Al, DE 10 2016 213 952 Al, JP H08-6389 Y2, JP H08-6390 Y2. SUMMARY

[0007] The object of the invention is to simplify the assembly of a shielded plug connector having a ground contact. In particular, the insertion force for inserting the ground contact into the contact carrier of the plug connector shall be reduced, while still enabling an easy-to-handle ground connection between the ground contact and the metallic plug connector housing without any additional manual steps and without any additional components.

[0008] The solution to achieve the above object is the subject of claim 1.

[0009] The plug connector comprises the following: a metallic plug connector housing; a contact carrier made of an electrically insulating material, which can be inserted into the plug connector housing in an insertion direction in order to assemble the plug connector, wherein the contact carrier has the following: a cable connection side; a plug-in side opposite the cable connection side; a side wall extending in the insertion direction and connecting the cable connection side to the plug-in side; a plurality of through-holes extending in the insertion direction and connecting the cable connection side to the plug-in side as contact cavities for accommodating plug-in contacts; wherein one of the contact cavities is a ground contact cavity, characterized in that the ground contact cavity has a lateral connection opening open to the side wall of the contact carrier; wherein the plug connector further comprises the following: for each contact cavity, a metallic plug-in contact arranged in the respective contact cavity; wherein each plug-in contact has a plug-in region at a plug-in side end and a cable connection region at a cable connection side end opposite the plug-in side end, and wherein the plug-in contact arranged in the ground contact cavity is a ground contact, a connection element for electrically conductively connecting the ground contact to the plug connector housing, wherein a portion of the connection element is arranged in the connection opening of the ground contact cavity, and wherein the connection element has a lever arm at a first end and a contact section at a second end opposite the first end, wherein the connection element, the plug-in contact, the contact carrier and the plug connector housing are jointly configured such that, during assembly of the plug connector, by inserting the contact carrier into the plug connector housing, the connection element is mechanically connected with its lever arm to the plug connector housing and thus also electrically connected and the lever arm is thereby pivoted inwards, whereby the contact section moves outwards according to a seesaw working principle, such that in the assembled state of the plug connector the connection element is mechanically connected with its contact section to the plug-in contact and thus also electrically connected.

[0010] A method for assembling such a plug connector comprises the following steps: inserting the connection element at least partially into the ground contact cavity, wherein a portion of the lever arm and a portion of the contact section are arranged in the connection opening and an end-side portion of the lever arm protrudes from the side wall of the contact carrier; inserting the contact into the contact cavity of the contact carrier, wherein a portion of the contact section engages behind the grounding contact; inserting the contact carrier into the plug connector housing, whereby the lever arm of the connection element is moved inwards, i.e. into the contact carrier, whereby its contact section is moved outwards according to the flap working principle, so that the connection element is brought into mechanical and electrical connection with the grounding contact with its contact section.

[0011] In an advantageous refinement, the contact carrier can have at least one lateral retaining profile which projects into the connection opening and by means of which the connection element is held in the grounding contact cavity, at least partially, near the pivot point P, and thus on the contact carrier, in a loss-proof and pivotable manner. In the first method step described above, in which the connection element is at least partially inserted into the grounding contact cavity, the connection element can be latched behind this retaining profile. This also facilitates assembly and requires only a small additional design effort.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments of the application are specified in the dependent claims and in the following.

[0013] The advantage of the application is that the grounding contact can be inserted into the grounding contact cavity with only a small application of force. This is possible because during this insertion, the grounding contact does not yet need to exert the pressing force and the corresponding frictional force on the contact section of the connection element which is required to ensure a reliable electrical contact. This pressing force is only automatically achieved when the contact carrier is inserted into the plug connector housing, which is necessary in any case, via a significantly longer insertion path and a particularly resilient lever arm. In this case, the portion of the contact section of the connection element which engages behind the grounding contact is pressed against the grounding contact in the form of a flap only in the radial direction, without any additional forces, such as the aforementioned frictional force, being generated between the grounding contact and the connection element. In this way, the connection element can advantageously be brought into electrically conductive connection with the plug connector housing with only a minimum of force and without any additional effort.

[0014] To this end, neither any additional components nor any additional method steps are required.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment, a portion of the lever arm and a portion of the contact section of the connection element are arranged in the connection opening of the grounding contact cavity. Another portion of the contact section, however, is not arranged in the connection opening, but rather in the grounding contact cavity and engages behind the grounding contact there. At least in the assembled state in which the connection element is inserted into the contact carrier but the contact carrier has not yet been inserted into the plug connector housing, the end-side portion of the lever arm protrudes from the side wall of the contact carrier in order to be pressed inwards when the contact carrier is pushed into the plug connector housing.

[0016] In a preferred refinement, the lever arm of the connection element is subjected to elastic deformation when the contact carrier is inserted into the plug connector housing. In the assembled state, this deformation generates a spring force which presses the contact section of the connection element mechanically against the ground contact in a lever- principle- increased manner, thereby mechanically connecting and reliably electrically conducting the connection element to the ground contact.

[0017] In other words, in this preferred refinement, the lever arm of the connection element is subjected to elastic deformation during the aforementioned assembly of the plug connector, more precisely during the insertion of the contact carrier into the metallic plug connector housing, thereby generating a spring force in the assembled state which presses the contact section of the connection element mechanically against the ground contact in a lever-principle-increased manner, thereby electrically conducting the connection element to the ground contact.

[0018] The advantage of this refinement is that the elasticity of the entire lever arm contributes to the generation of the aforementioned pressing force. Due to the length of the lever arm, its deformation is still in the lower limit of the elastic range from a materials-technical point of view, i.e. only a very small elastic deformation is required, so that no plastic deformation of the connection element occurs in the assembled state for a very long time. Furthermore, the required pressing force can be set very precisely by the length of the lever arm.

[0019] In a further advantageous design, the connection element consists of an elastic sheet metal and is designed in one piece. By this, the connection element is a sheet metal part, in particular a so-called PE ("protective earth") sheet metal.

[0020] In a further advantageous design, the connection element is designed as a punched part at low cost.

[0021] In a further preferred design, the lever arm of the connection element has an elongated connection bridge and the contact section is designed substantially in the form of a ring, i.e. in the form of an open or closed ring, for example in the form of a loop and / or an open or closed hollow cylinder, in order to at least partially surround the ground contact or at least engage behind the ground contact. The inner diameter of the ring-shaped contact section is then at least slightly larger than the diameter of the plug-in region. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the contact section is at least slightly smaller than the diameter of the ground contact receptacle. This allows the contact section to have the necessary play in the ground contact receptacle in order to be pressed elastically against the ground contact as a second lever arm, i.e. as a load arm.

[0022] In a preferred design, the lever arm has a widening as a contact region at its end region, directly adjacent to the connection bridge, for particularly good electrical contact with the plug connector housing. By increasing the contact area, it is also possible to improve the electrical conductivity of the electrical connection.

[0023] In a further advantageous design, the lever arm has an S-shape, in particular a slight S-shape, i.e. is designed in the shape of an S. This means in particular that the connecting bridge first bends inwards from its end region and then bends outwards from the inflection point. Each of the two bends is greater than 5° and less than 40°, in particular greater than 10° and less than 35°, preferably greater than 14° and less than 30°, particularly preferably greater than 18° and less than 26°, i.e. for example between 20° and 24°, i.e. for example between 22° and 21.5°.

[0024] In a preferred design, the connecting element and the plug-in contact have a common support point in the assembled state, on which the connecting element is supported during its lever movement. The advantage of this is that a further electrically conductive connection is established between the elements. Furthermore, since the components are made of metal material, the friction is very low.

[0025] In a preferred design, the connecting element has a support section at this support point, which is arranged between the lever arm and the contact section. The particular advantage of this is that the contact section is allowed to act as a load arm.

[0026] In a further advantageous design, the contact carrier is designed in the shape of a cylinder and the plug connector housing has a hollow-cylindrical basic shape. In this way, the plug connector is advantageously designed as a round plug connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] Embodiments of the application are explained in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1a and Figure 1b two different views of the connecting element are shown; Figure 1c the ground contact and the connecting element are shown; Figure 1d the contact carrier equipped with the ground contact, the connecting element and a further plug-in contact is shown; Figure 2a the contact carrier and the plug connector housing are shown; Figure 2b and Figure 2c the contact carrier with and without actuating force, the ground contact and the connecting element are shown; Figure 2d the bending angle a of the connecting element and its lever arm is shown.

[0028] The drawings contain partly simplified illustrations. Identical reference signs are used for identical elements, but possibly also for different elements. Different views of identical elements can be scaled differently. Directional terms such as “left”, “right”, “upper” and “lower” are to be understood with reference to the respective drawing and can differ from the objects shown in the respective drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Figure 1a and Figure 1b A connection element 1 is shown, which is formed as a stamped and bent part from an elastic metal sheet. In alternative embodiments explicitly belonging to the disclosure of the present invention, the connection element 1 can also be formed from other materials, for example from an electrically conductive plastic and / or a plastic coated with an electrically conductive material.

[0030] The connection element 1 has a lever arm 11, which is curved in a slightly S-shaped manner. Details of this S-shape will be described later on with reference to Figure 2d The lever arm 11 has a widening as a contact region 114 at its end region. Adjacent to this widening, the lever arm 11 has an elongated connecting bridge 111. Furthermore, the connection element 1 has a support section 113, via which the connecting bridge 111 is connected to a contact section 12 of the connection element 1.

[0031] The contact section 12 is designed essentially in a ring shape, in order to at least partially surround the ground contact 2 at a collar 212 of the ground contact 2, as Figure 1c is shown, behind the ground contact 2 by a rear engagement 122 belonging to the contact section 12, which engages from below in the figure. In the present embodiment, the contact section 12 is open at its rear engagement 122 by an opening (not shown in the figure). This design results from the fact that the component is designed as a stamped and bent part, which can simplify production. Furthermore, depending on the shape of the ground contact 2, the opening can facilitate insertion of the ground contact 2. By this, variants of the connection element 1 belonging to the disclosure of the present invention are also possible, which have a contact section 12 without an opening, i.e. a closed design.

[0032] The one-piece ground contact 2 has a plug-in region 211 (as shown on the right in the figure) and a cable connection region 213 (as shown on the left in the figure), which is designed as a crimp connection for connecting a ground cable (not shown in the figure).

[0033] A support point P is formed between the ground contact 2 and the support section 113 of the connection element 1, around which the lever arm 11 of the connection element 1 pivots relative to the ground contact 2 when actuated downwards in the figure. It is easily conceivable that by operating the lever arm 11 downwards, as shown in the figure, a part of the contact section 12, which engages behind the ground contact 2, is pulled upwards towards the ground contact 2 from below.

[0034] Figure 1dThis relationship is shown even more clearly in the following figures. The figures show the contact carrier 3 in cooperation with the components mentioned above. The contact carrier 3 has a cable connection side 31 and a plug-in side 32 which is parallel opposite the cable connection side. Furthermore, the contact carrier 3 has a side wall 33 which extends in the insertion direction and connects the cable connection side 31 with the plug-in side 32. The contact carrier 3 is basically of cylindrical design, so that it has only one circumferential side wall 33. Of course, other designs which explicitly belong to the disclosure of the present application are also conceivable, for example a cuboid shape. The respective contact carrier then has, for example, three additional side walls, i.e. a total of four side walls.

[0035] The contact carrier 3 has a plurality of through-holes which extend in the insertion direction and connect the cable connection side 31 with the plug-in side 32 as contact cavities 30, 30' for accommodating the plug-in contacts 2, 2', i.e. a ground contact cavity 30 for accommodating a ground contact 2 and a further contact cavity 30' for accommodating a further plug-in contact 2', wherein these further plug-in contacts 2' do not necessarily have to be different from the ground plug-in contacts 2, i.e. can be designed identically thereto. The distinction between the ground plug-in contacts 2 and the further plug-in contacts 2' is therefore primarily to be understood in terms of functionality.

[0036] Objectively, however, the ground contact cavity 30 and the further contact cavity 30' also differ slightly, since the ground contact cavity 30 has a lateral connection opening 330 which opens into the side wall 33 of the contact carrier 3. The connection element 1 is arranged partially in this connection opening 330, i.e. a part of its connection bridge 111, its support section 113 and a part of its contact section 12 (upper part of the figure). The contact section 12 surrounds the ground contact 2 arranged in the ground contact cavity 30 and engages behind the ground contact 2 by means of the rear engagement portion 122 (lower part of the figure) of its contact section 12.

[0037] Figure 2a It is shown how the cylindrical contact carrier 3 is pushed from the left side of the figure, i.e. the cable connection side, into the housing opening 40 of the essentially hollow cylindrical plug-in connector housing 4. As is easily recognizable from the aforementioned figures, on the one hand, the contact region 114 of the connection element 1 is in electrical contact with the plug-in connector housing 4. On the other hand, as is shown, the lever arm 11 is also moved downward, i.e. radially inward.

[0038] Figure 2b and Figure 2c It is shown how the manipulation force Fl resulting from the aforementioned pushing of the contact carrier 3 into the plug-in connector housing 4 acts on the lever arm 11 in the figure, i.e. radially inward. The connection element 1 then rotates in the form of a seesaw about the support point P. In this way, the contact section 12 is lifted and presses with its rear engagement portion 122 with lever- amplified pressing force F2, i.e. radially outward, against the ground contact 2, in the figure from below to above.

[0039] Furthermore, when the contact carrier 3 is inserted into the plug connector housing 4, the lever arm 11 of the connection element 1 undergoes an elastic deformation, by which a spring force arises which, in accordance with the lever law, increases in such a way that the contact section 1 of the connection element 1 is mechanically pressed with an increasing pressing force F2 directed upward, i.e. radially outward, as a contact force against the ground contact 2, so that the connection element 1 is mechanically connected and reliably electrically connected with the ground contact 2. In the shown assembled state, the connection element 1 is held at least partially in the ground contact cavity 30 in the ground contact 2 in a loss-proof and, in addition, also pivotable manner by the holding formation 301 which laterally protrudes into the connection opening 330 near the pivot point P and which holds the connection element 1 on the contact carrier 3.

[0040] By this, during the aforementioned assembly process, the ground contact 2 can be inserted with a very small force into the ground contact cavity 30 of the contact carrier 3, wherein the force required is comparable to the force required for inserting the further plug-in contact 2' into the further contact cavity 30'. Only when the contact carrier 3 is installed into the plug connector housing 4, a reliable electrical contact is established between the ground contact 2 and the plug connector housing 4 via the connection element 1 which can be maintained problem-free for a long time.

[0041] Figure 2d The S-shape of the lever arm 11 of the connection element 1 is shown again in detail. The lever arm 11 is slightly bent downward, i.e. inward, from the inflection point W towards the first end of the connection element 1 (as shown on the left side of the figure) and slightly bent upward, i.e. outward, towards the contact section 12 (as shown on the right side of the figure). Both bends have an angle a which, in the present embodiment, is between 20° and 22° in the unactuated state.

[0042] Although various aspects or features of the present application can be shown in combination, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that the illustrated and discussed combinations are only some of the possible combinations. In particular, units or features corresponding to those of different embodiments can be interchanged.

[0043] List of reference signs 1 connection element 11 lever arm 111 connection bridge 113 support section 114 contact region 12 contact section 122 rear engagement portion 2, 2' ground contact, plug-in contact 211 plug-in region 212 collar 213 cable connection region, crimp joint 3 contact carrier 30, 30' ground contact cavity, contact cavity 301 holding formation 31 cable connection side 32 plug-in side 33 side wall 330 connection opening 4 plug-in connector housing 40 housing opening P support point W inflection point F1 actuating force, spring force F2 pressing force, contact force

Claims

1. Plug connector, comprising: a plug connector housing (4) of metal; a contact carrier (3) of electrically insulating material, which can be inserted into the plug connector housing (4) in an insertion direction in order to assemble the plug connector, wherein the contact carrier (3) has: a cable connection side (31); a plug-in side (32) which is arranged opposite the cable connection side (31) in parallel thereto; a side wall (33) which extends in the insertion direction and connects the cable connection side (31) with the plug-in side (32); a plurality of through-holes which extend in the insertion direction and connect the cable connection side (31) with the plug-in side (32) as contact cavities (30, 30') for accommodating plug-in contacts (2, 2'); wherein one of the contact cavities (30, 30') is a ground contact cavity (30), characterized in that the ground contact cavity (30) has a lateral connection opening (330) which opens out into the side wall (33) of the contact carrier (3); wherein the plug connector further comprises: for each of the contact cavities (30, 30'), a plug-in contact (2, 2') of metal which is arranged in the respective contact cavity (30, 30'); wherein each of the plug-in contacts (2, 2') has a plug-in region (211) at a plug-in side end and a cable connection region (213) at a cable connection side end which is opposite the plug-in side end, and wherein the plug-in contact (2, 2') which is arranged in the ground contact cavity (30) is a ground contact (2), a connection element (1) for electrically conductively connecting the ground contact (2) with the plug connector housing (4), wherein a portion (113) of the connection element (1) is arranged in the connection opening (330) of the ground contact cavity (30), and wherein the connection element (1) has a lever arm (11) at a first end and a contact section (12) at a second end which is opposite the first end, wherein the connection element (1), the ground contact (2), the contact carrier (3) and the plug connector housing (4) are jointly configured in such a way that, during assembly of the plug connector, by inserting the contact carrier (3) into the plug connector housing (4), the connection element (1) is mechanically connected with its lever arm (11) to the plug connector housing (4) and thus also electrically connected and, as a result, the lever arm (11) is pivoted inwards, whereby the contact section (12) moves outwards according to a flap working principle, so that the connection element (1) is mechanically connected with its contact section (12) to the ground contact (2) and thus also electrically connected.

2. Plug connector according to claim 1, wherein A part of the lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) and a part of the contact section (12) are arranged in a connection opening (330) of the ground contact cavity (30), wherein a further part of the contact section (12) is not arranged in the connection opening but in the ground contact cavity (30) and engages there behind the ground contact (2), and wherein at least in the assembled state of the connection element (1) inserted into the contact carrier (3) but the contact carrier (3) not yet inserted into the plug connector housing (4) an end-side part of the lever arm (11) protrudes from a side wall (33) of the contact carrier (3).

3. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein When the contact carrier (3) is inserted into the plug connector housing (4), the lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) undergoes an elastic deformation and in the assembled state exerts a spring force (F1) by this deformation which presses the contact section (12) of the connection element (1) with an increased pressing force (F2) against the ground contact (2) according to the lever law, thereby mechanically and electrically connecting the connection element (1) with the ground contact (2).

4. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The connection element (1) is made of an elastic sheet metal and is of one-piece design.

5. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The connection element (1) is designed as a punched and bent part.

6. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) has an elongated connection bridge (111) and the contact section (12) is essentially ring-shaped in order to at least partially surround the ground contact (2) or at least to engage behind the ground contact (2).

7. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The lever arm (11) has a widening as a contact zone (114) at its end region for a particularly good electrical contact with the plug connector housing (4).

8. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The lever arm (11) is designed in an S-shape.

9. Plug connector according to claim 8, wherein The lever arm (11) in its assembled state is slightly bent inwards towards the first end of the connection element (1) and slightly bent outwards towards the contact section (12).

10. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein In the assembled state, the connection element (1) and the ground contact (2) have a common support point (P) at which the connection element (1) is supported during its lever movement.

11. Plug connector according to claim 10, wherein The connection element (1) has a support section (113) arranged between the lever arm (11) and the contact section (12) at the support point (P).

12. Plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The contact carrier (3) is cylindrical and the plug connector housing (4) has a hollow cylindrical basic shape.

13. A method for assembling a plug connector according to any of the preceding claims, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: Inserting the connection element (1) at least partially into the ground contact cavity (30), wherein a part of the lever arm (11) and a part of the contact section (12) are arranged in the connection opening (330) and an end-side part of the lever arm (11) protrudes from the side wall (33) of the contact carrier (3); Inserting the plug contact (2, 2') into the contact cavity (30, 30') of the contact carrier (3), wherein a part of the contact section (12) engages behind the ground contact (2); The contact carrier (3) is inserted into the plug connector housing (4), whereby: The lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) is moved inwards, i.e. into the contact carrier (3), so that its contact section (12) is moved outwards according to the flap principle, so that The connection element (1) is mechanically and electrically connected with its contact section (12) to the ground contact (2).

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) is elastically deformed during the assembly process and, in the assembled state, exerts a spring force by this deformation which presses the contact section (12) of the connection element (1) mechanically against the ground contact (2) in an increasing manner according to the lever law, so that the connection element (1) is electrically connected with the ground contact (2). The connection element (1) is mechanically and electrically connected with its contact section (12) to the ground contact (2). The lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) is elastically deformed during the assembly process and, in the assembled state, exerts a spring force by this deformation which presses the contact section (12) of the connection element (1) mechanically against the ground contact (2) in an increasing manner according to the lever law, so that the connection element (1) is electrically connected with the ground contact (2). The connection element (1) is mechanically and electrically connected with its contact section (12) to the ground contact (2). The lever arm (11) of the connection element (1) is elastically deformed during the assembly process and, in the assembled state, exerts a spring force by this deformation which presses the contact section (12) of the connection element (1) mechanically against the ground contact (2) in an increasing manner according to the lever law, so that the connection element (1) is electrically connected with the ground contact (2).

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