Strain relief device, electrical assembly and set consisting of a strain relief device and a housing

Abstract

Strain relief device (1) for strain relief of an electrical conductor, comprising a base body (2) and a clamping body (3) connected to the base body (2) at a first side (21) and a second side (22) spaced apart from the first side (21), which is positionally variable relative to the base body (2), such that a through-opening (5) for the passage of the electrical conductor, adjustable in size by the user, is formed between the base body (2) and the clamping body (3) in an intermediate space between the first side (21) and the second side (22), in which the electrical conductor can be clamped.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a strain relief device for relieving the strain on an electrical conductor, in which the electrical conductor can be clamped between a base body and a clamping element of the strain relief device. The invention further relates to an electrical assembly, in particular an electrical connector, with a housing on which at least one such strain relief device is arranged. The invention further relates to a set comprising at least one strain relief device of the type described above and a housing of an electrical assembly.

[0002] A housing with an integrated strain relief device is known, for example, from DE 20 2013 101 929 U1.

[0003] The invention is based on the objective of providing a universally applicable strain relief device, an electrical assembly formed therewith and a set with such a strain relief device.

[0004] This task is solved by a strain relief device for an electrical conductor, comprising a base body and a clamping element connected to the base body on a first side and a second side spaced apart from the first side. The clamping element is positionally adjustable relative to the base body, creating a user-adjustable opening between the base body and the clamping element for the passage of the electrical conductor, in which the conductor can be clamped. Such a strain relief device can be customized to the specific application, e.g., the housing of an electrical assembly. It can also be easily adapted to other applications.Even with different adaptations of the strain relief device, the same base body can always be used. The strain relief device can be adapted to different conductor cross-sections with exceptional variability, allowing for a high degree of flexibility.

[0005] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping element is positionally adjustable relative to the base body on both the first and second sides, or the clamping element is positionally adjustable only on one side relative to the base body and is fixedly connected to the base body on the other side. This also promotes the particularly flexible and variable usability of the strain relief device. If the strain relief device is designed with a fixed connection of the clamping element to the base body on one side, the clamping element can be bonded to the base body on this side, for example, by injection molding or by other means, such as a film hinge.

[0006] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping element is connected to the base body on at least one of its two sides, where its position relative to the base body is variable, via at least one detent. The clamping element allows the clamping element to be variably detented at different discrete positions on the base body by means of this detent. This enables the user to easily and quickly adjust the desired size of the through-hole. The detent, which may have a sawtooth profile, prevents the clamping element from moving back and thus avoids widening the through-hole. In this way, an electrical conductor can be reliably clamped in the through-hole between the base body and the clamping element.

[0007] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the clamping element is connected to the base body at least on one of its two sides, where its position relative to the base body is variable, via a rotary bearing. This rotary bearing allows the clamping element to pivot about a fixed or variable axis of rotation relative to the base body. Such a rotary bearing provides, on the one hand, reliable fixation of the clamping element in a desired position on the base body and, on the other hand, allows variable actuation of the indexing mechanism on the opposite side. For example, the indexing mechanism can be formed on one side of the through-opening between the base body and the clamping element, and the rotary bearing can be formed on the opposite side.

[0008] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation is aligned parallel, orthogonal, or at another non-zero angle to the direction in which an electrical conductor passes through the opening. This allows, in particular, for the axis of rotation to be easily relocated in a direction orthogonal to the line connecting the first and second sides. Specifically, the axis of rotation can be aligned orthogonal to the line connecting the first and second sides.

[0009] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation can be fixed to the base body at various predetermined bearing positions, and the user can move the axis of rotation between these positions. This allows the adjustment range of the strain relief device to be further increased for different conductor cross-sections. For example, the user can first pre-adjust the clamping element to the base body by positioning the axis of rotation at a specific bearing position where the electrical conductor to be clamped is not yet fully clamped, but the clamping element is already positioned close to the conductor. Therefore, only a slight adjustment of the clamping element's position is required to clamp the conductor securely.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation is displaceable in a linear direction and can therefore be variably positioned at different predetermined bearing positions on the base body. For example, the clamping body can be displaceable relative to the base body in the same linear direction as the axis of rotation can be positioned in a linearly displaceable manner. In other words, the user can position the axis of rotation at different distances from the base body.

[0011] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axis of rotation can be fixed to the base body by means of a quick-release mechanism. This allows for simple and quick assembly steps when clamping an electrical cable in the strain relief device. For example, the steps can include rotating, locking, and quick-shifting, and / or rotating, locking, and fixing.

[0012] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the strain relief device has at least one locking element, in particular a slide and / or a counter element, by which the at least one clamping element can be locked in the end position set by the user, which clamps the electrical conductor passing through the opening. This allows for particularly secure fixing of the clamping element in the end position.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the strain relief device has at least two clamping elements, each of which is connected to the base body and its position relative to the base body is variable. Each clamping element forms a separate, individually adjustable through-opening with the base body for the passage of a respective electrical conductor. In this way, the strain relief device can be used variably for strain relief of at least two electrical conductors, particularly conductors with different cross-sectional dimensions. This is made possible by individually adjusting the size of the respective through-opening by variably positioning the respective clamping element relative to the base body.In this way, a split strain relief can be implemented, in which the strain relief forces are distributed across different clamping elements. The strain relief device can, for example, have spaced-apart openings for various electrical conductors.

[0014] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it is provided that each of the clamping bodies is connected to the base body via a rotary bearing, by means of which the respective clamping body can be pivoted about a fixed or variable axis of rotation relative to the base body.

[0015] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at least two clamping elements can be variably locked onto the base body at different discrete detent positions via their own associated detent mechanism. The user can individually lock the at least two clamping elements at different detent positions, allowing for the adjustment of different sized openings for the electrical conductors. In this way, the sizes of the two openings can be individually adjusted with very fine precision.

[0016] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axes of rotation of the at least two clamping elements are arranged between the detents associated with the clamping elements. This allows for a particularly compact design of the strain relief device as well as simple and robust manufacturing.

[0017] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the axes of rotation of the at least two clamping bodies are formed on a common axle body. This also allows the strain relief device to be designed in a particularly compact manner. For example, the at least two clamping bodies can have aligned (identical) axes of rotation. It is also possible for the clamping bodies to have different axes of rotation and for the bearing position at which the respective axis of rotation is fixed to the base body to be adjusted independently of one another.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the strain relief device has at least one cable receptacle designed to guide an electrical cable, with the through-opening for the electrical cable being arranged in the cable receptacle. In this way, the electrical cable is guided through the through-opening in a desired direction. For example, the cable receptacle can have a concave profile whose longitudinal direction extends in the direction of cable passage.

[0019] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the base body has at least one snap-in element with which the strain relief device can be snapped onto the housing of an electrical assembly, in particular an electrical connector. This has the advantage that the strain relief device can be provided as a separate component that the user can snap onto a suitable housing as needed.

[0020] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at least one locking element is designed as a locking pin with several elastically deflectable locking arms, by which the strain relief device can be locked onto the housing of the electrical assembly. This enables particularly reliable fixing of the strain relief device to the housing, whereby the locking pin can absorb comparatively large forces and thereby reliably fix the strain relief device to the housing.

[0021] According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the locking arms are blocked in a locked end position on the housing by at least one blocking element molded onto the locking pin, preventing them from being released. This prevents the strain relief device from being unintentionally removed from the housing.

[0022] The aforementioned problem is also solved by an electrical assembly, in particular an electrical connector, with a housing on which at least one strain relief device of the type described above is arranged. The strain relief device can be integrally formed with the housing or attached to the housing as a separate component, e.g., via at least one locking element. The advantages described above can also be realized in this way.

[0023] The problem mentioned at the outset is also solved by a set consisting of at least one strain relief device of the type described above and a housing of an electrical assembly, in particular an electrical connector, wherein the housing has at least one receiving element for the at least one locking element of the strain relief device, so that the strain relief device can be locked onto the housing via its at least one locking element.

[0024] For the purposes of the present invention, the indefinite term "a" is not to be understood as a numeral. Therefore, when, for example, a component is mentioned, this is to be interpreted as "at least one component". Where angles are specified in degrees, these refer to a circle of 360 degrees (360°).

[0025] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments and drawings.

[0026] They show Fig. 1 an electrical assembly with a strain relief device in perspective view, Fig. 2 an enlarged view of a section of the electrical assembly according to Fig. 1, Fig. 3 Another embodiment of a strain relief device in perspective view, Fig. 4 a fastening arrangement of a separately designed strain relief device.

[0027] The Fig. Figure 1 shows an electrical assembly 8 having a housing 10. A strain relief device 1 is arranged on the housing 10, which is designed to relieve the strain on one or more electrical conductors. Fig. Figure 2 shows the essential elements of the strain relief device 1 in a larger view.

[0028] The strain relief device 1 has a base body 2. Two separate clamping bodies 3 are arranged on the base body 2. Each of the clamping bodies 3 is connected to the base body 2 on a first side 21 and is additionally connected to the base body 2 on a second side 22, which is spaced apart from the first side 21. Each of the clamping bodies 3 is independently positionally adjustable relative to the base body 2.

[0029] As can be seen, a gap in the form of a through-opening 5 is formed between the base body 2 and the respective clamping body 3 between the first side 21 and the second side 22, through which an electrical conductor can be routed. The size of the through-opening 5 can be adjusted by the user by changing the position of the clamping body 3 relative to the base body 2, in order to clamp the electrical conductor routed through the through-opening 5 between the base body 2 and the clamping body 3.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, both clamping bodies 3 are positionally adjustable relative to the base body 2 on both the first side 21 and the second side 22, such that the distance between the base body 2 and the clamping body 3 can be variably adjusted. For this purpose, each of the clamping bodies 3 is connected to the base body 2 on the first side 21 via a detent 4. The detent 4 allows the clamping body 3 to be detented in increments at discrete detent positions relative to the base body 2. The detent 4 can, for example, comprise a substantially linear rack.

[0031] On the second side, both clamping bodies 3 are connected to the base body 2 by means of a rotary bearing 6, 11. The rotary bearing 6, 11 has at least one rotary bearing receptacle 11 arranged on the base body 2, e.g., integrally connected to it, in which one or more rotary axes 6 of the clamping body 3 are mounted. The rotary bearing receptacle 11 has several bearing stages or positions between which the clamping body 3 with its rotary axis 6 can be adjusted. Depending on requirements, i.e., depending on the conductor cross-section to be clamped, the clamping body 3 can be engaged on the second side 22 at one of several different bearing positions of the bearing receptacle 11 and thus be rotatably mounted at a different distance from the base body 2.

[0032] As can be seen, the bearing receptacles 11 are arranged at a central point between the clamping bodies 3, whereby both clamping bodies 3 with their axes of rotation 6 can be mounted in the same common bearing receptacle 11.

[0033] As can be seen, the strain relief device 1 has a cable receptacle 13 in each through-opening 5, which is concavely curved and guides an electrical cable passing through the through-opening 5 in the longitudinal direction. The cable receptacle 13 can be formed, for example, only in the area of ​​the base body 2, only in the area of ​​the clamping body 3, or on both elements, i.e., base body 2 and clamping body 3, as shown in the figures.

[0034] The Fig. Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of a strain relief device 1, which is designed as a separate component from the housing 10 and has its own housing component 12. Snap-in elements 7 are formed on this housing component 12, with which the strain relief device 1 can be snapped onto the housing 10 of the electrical assembly 8.

[0035] The embodiment according to Fig. 3 also differs from the previously described embodiment in a different design of the indexing 4 and the rotary bearing 6, 11. In the embodiment according to Fig. 3 are the grids 4 at the central point between the through-openings 5, i.e., on the second side 22. On the first side 21, the rotary bearing 6, 11 is located in each case. While in the embodiment according to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. The clamping elements 3 are arranged side by side, i.e. at the same height, in the conductor routing direction L of an electrical conductor through the through-opening 5, in the embodiment of the Fig. 3 the clamping bodies are arranged offset one behind the other.

[0036] Based on the Fig. Section 4 describes a further advantageous fastening option for a separately designed strain relief device 1 to the housing 10. In this case, a locking element 7 of the strain relief device 1 is designed as a locking pin, which has several elastically deflectable locking arms 18. The locking pin 7 is inserted into a pin receptacle of the housing 10 and locked there. At least one locking element 9 can also be arranged on or integrally formed with the locking pin 7. The locking element 9 can block the locking arms 18 in the locked end position against disengagement. Reference symbol list 1 strain relief device 2 basic bodies 3 clamping bodies 4 Grid 5 Through opening 6 axis of rotation 7 locking element 8 electrical assembly 9 Blocking element 10 cases 11 Bearing intake 12 Housing component 13. Cable recording 18 Raster arm 21 first page 22 second page L conductor routing direction QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 20 2013 101 929 U1

[0002]

Claims

[1] Strain relief device (1) for strain relief of an electrical conductor, comprising a base body (2) and a clamping body (3) connected to the base body (2) at a first side (21) and a second side (22) spaced apart from the first side (21), which is positionally variable relative to the base body (2), such that a through-opening (5) for the passage of the electrical conductor, adjustable in size by the user, is formed between the base body (2) and the clamping body (3) in an intermediate space between the first side (21) and the second side (22), in which the electrical conductor can be clamped. [2] Strain relief device according to claim 1, characterized by, that the clamping body (3) is positionally variable on both the first side (21) and the second side (22) relative to the base body (2) or that the clamping body (3) is positionally variable only on one of the first and the second side (21, 22) relative to the base body (2) and is positionally fixed to the base body (2) on the other side. [3] Strain relief device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the clamping body (3) is connected to the base body (2) via at least one detent (4) on at least one of the first and second sides (21, 22) where the clamping body (3) is positionally variable relative to the base body (2), wherein the clamping body (3) can be detented variably in steps at different discrete detent positions on the base body (2) by means of the at least one detent (4). [4] Strain relief device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the clamping body (3) is connected to the base body (2) at least on one of the first and second sides (21, 22), where the clamping body (3) is positionally variable relative to the base body (2), via a rotary bearing (6, 11) which allows the clamping body (3) to pivot about a fixed or variable axis of rotation (6) relative to the base body (2). [5] Strain relief device according to claim 4, characterized by , that the axis of rotation (6) is aligned parallel, orthogonal or at another non-zero angle to the direction (L) of passage of an electrical conductor through the opening (5). [6] Strain relief device according to one of claims 4 to 5, characterized by , that the axis of rotation (6) can be fixed at various predetermined bearing positions on the base body (2), wherein the axis of rotation (6) can be moved between the different bearing positions by the user. [7] Strain relief device according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized by , that the axis of rotation (6) is displaceable in a linear displacement direction and can therefore be variably positioned at different predetermined bearing positions on the base body (2). [8] Strain relief device according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized by , that the axis of rotation (6) can be fixed to the base body (2) by means of a quick-release mechanism. [9] Strain relief device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the strain relief device (1) has at least one locking element, in particular a slide and / or a counter element, by which the at least one clamping body (3) can be locked in the end position set by the user, clamping the electrical line passing through the through-opening (5). [10] Strain relief device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the strain relief device (1) has at least two clamping bodies (3), wherein each of the clamping bodies (3) is connected to the base body (2) and is positionally variable relative to the base body (2), wherein each clamping body (3) forms a separate through-opening (5) with the base body (2) which is individually adjustable in size for passing through a respective electrical conductor. [11] Strain relief device according to claim 10, characterized by , that each of the clamping bodies (3) is connected to the base body (2) via a rotary bearing (6), by means of which the respective clamping body (3) can be pivoted about a fixed or variable axis of rotation (6) relative to the base body (2). [12] Strain relief device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized by, that the at least two clamping bodies (3) can be variably locked in stages at different discrete locking positions on the base body (2) via their own locking mechanism (4) assigned to the clamping body (3), wherein the at least two clamping bodies (3) can be individually locked at different locking positions by the user, so that different sized through-openings (5) for the electrical conductors can be set. [13] Strain relief device according to claim 12, characterized by , that the axes of rotation (6) of the at least two clamping bodies (3) are arranged between the detents (4) assigned to the clamping bodies (3). [14] Strain relief device according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized by , that the axes of rotation (6) of the at least two clamping bodies (3) are formed on a common axis body (12). [15] Strain relief device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by, that the strain relief device (1) has at least one cable receptacle (13) which is designed to guide an electrical cable, wherein the through-opening (5) for passing the electrical cable is arranged in the cable receptacle (13). [16] Strain relief device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by , that the base body (2) has at least one locking element (7) with which the strain relief device (1) can be locked onto the housing (10) of an electrical assembly (8), in particular an electrical connector. [17] Strain relief device according to claim 16, characterized by , that at least one locking element (7) is designed as a locking pin which has several elastically deflectable locking arms (8) with which the strain relief device (1) can be locked onto the housing (10) of the electrical assembly (8). [18] Strain relief device according to claim 16 or 17, characterized by, that the locking arms (18) are blocked against disengagement in an end position locked to the housing (10) by at least one blocking element (9) formed on the locking pin (7). [19] Electrical assembly (8), in particular electrical connectors, with a housing (10) on which at least one strain relief device (1) according to one of the preceding claims is arranged. [20] Set comprising at least one strain relief device (1) according to one of claims 16 to 18 and a housing (10) of an electrical assembly, in particular an electrical connector, wherein the housing (10) has at least one receiving element (14) for the at least one locking element (7) of the strain relief device (1), such that the strain relief device (1) can be locked onto the housing (10) via its at least one locking element (7).

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