Socket contact having lateral cable outlet

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical contact element (1) for transmitting high currents, wherein the electrical contact element (1) has a connection region (A) and a contact region (K), the connection region (A) having a cylindrical opening (2) and the contact region (K) having a cylindrical passage opening (3), the opening (2) and the passage opening (3) being oriented orthogonally relative to each other and a peripheral contact strip (4) being arranged within the cylindrical passage opening (3).

Description

[0001] The invention is based on an electrical contact element according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

[0002] Such contact elements are used particularly in the railway industry for transmitting high currents. Such contact elements are often exposed to currents of a thousand amperes or more. State of the art

[0003] EP 2 569 825 B1 shows a contact element that can be designed as a socket or pin contact. In the socket contact, the opening in the connection area and the opening in the contact area run parallel. The contact blades of the socket contact define the contact points with a matching pin contact. This allows each socket contact to be electrically connected to exactly one pin contact.

[0004] EP 2 061 119 A2 shows an electrical contact element comprising a cylindrical socket contact and a contact holder which is connected to the socket contact in a force-locking and form-locking manner.

[0005] FR 2 932 613 A1 shows a contact pin and a matching socket plug connected to one end of an electrical cable.

[0006] US 2014 / 120760 A1 discloses a device comprising a first electrical connector having a first housing, a contact element having a first portion connected to the first housing, and a first elastic element for supporting the first portion in the first housing. The first elastic element is deflectable to enable movement of the contact element relative to the first housing.

[0007] The German Patent and Trademark Office has searched the following prior art in the priority application for the present application: FR 2 932 613 A1, DE 20 2004 005 593 U1, CN 206 585 111 U and US 2003 / 0068931 A1. Task

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a powerful electrical contact element which can also be used in compact installation situations.

[0009] The problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claims.

[0010] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims and the following description.

[0011] The electrical contact element according to the invention is intended for transmitting high currents. Currents of a thousand amperes and more often occur in this case.

[0012] The electrical contact element has a connection area and a contact area. The connection area has a cylindrical opening and advantageously forms a crimp connection. The contact area has a cylindrical through-opening. The contact area has a plug-in side, into which a matching contact pin of a pin contact element is inserted. On the opposite side of the plug-in side, the contact area has an exit side, from which the contact pin of the pin contact element exits again.

[0013] The opening of the terminal or crimp area and the through-hole of the contact area extend orthogonally to each other. This means that the extended direction vectors of the openings intersect orthogonally.

[0014] Flat contact between the socket contact and a matching pin contact would result in significant heating of the connector. A circumferential contact strip is therefore arranged within the cylindrical through-hole. The contact strip defines specific contact points between the socket contact and pin contact according to the invention. This reduces the contact resistance of the connector.

[0015] The contact strip does not extend across the entire through-hole. Advantageously, the circumferential contact strip is positioned approximately centrally within the cylindrical through-hole of the connection area. This largely prevents any tilting of the contact pin.

[0016] Advantageously, the contact strip is made of a material containing beryllium. This material ensures a reliable current bridge between the contact pin and the contact socket. Alloys such as beryllium copper or beryllium copper are particularly preferred.

[0017] As already mentioned above, the contact area of ​​the contact element has a plug-in side and an exit side. Preferably, a recess is provided in the plug-in side, and the exit side is provided with a raised portion. The recess and the raised portion are complementary to each other. This allows several contact elements according to the invention to be lined up in a form-fitting manner.

[0018] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the recess and the elevation of the contact area have a substantially rectangular cross-section. This allows the contact elements to be arranged in a row offset by 90°, or a multiple thereof, from one another.

[0019] The electrical contact element is preferably made primarily of copper. This ensures good electrical conductivity, particularly compared to other materials such as brass. The surface of the copper base body of the contact element is coated with a silver or silver alloy layer. This further significantly increases the current-carrying capacity of the contact element.

[0020] Advantageously, the electrical contact element is rotationally symmetrical. This allows the contact element to be easily manufactured from solid material in a single machining step. Example

[0021] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail below. They show: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a contact element according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a contact strip, Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the contact element according to the invention, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a contact element according to the invention and a matching mating contact element (pin contact), Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the contact element according to the invention plugged into the mating contact element, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of various combinatorial variants of several contact elements according to the invention which are electrically connected together with a mating contact element, and Fig. 7 is a schematic plan view of two contact elements joined together.

[0022] The figures contain partially simplified, schematic representations. In some cases, identical reference symbols are used for identical, but possibly not identical, elements. Different views of identical elements may be scaled differently.

[0023] Directional directions such as "left", "right", "top" and "bottom" are to be understood with reference to the respective figure and may vary in the individual representations compared to the object depicted.

[0024] The Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of a contact element 1 according to the invention. The contact element 1 is solid and, for example, machined from a solid copper workpiece in a single machining operation. Therefore, the contact element 1 is particularly suitable for transmitting high currents.

[0025] The electrical contact element is rotationally symmetrical with respect to its symmetry axis SA. The contact element 1 has a connection area A and a contact area K. The connection area A has a cylindrical opening 2 and the contact area a cylindrical through-opening 3. The opening 2 and the through-opening 3 or their main axes of symmetry extend orthogonally to each other. Within the cylindrical through-opening 3, a circumferential contact strip 4 is arranged approximately centrally, which is slightly enlarged in Figure 2 is shown.

[0026] The contact element 1 is guided in the plug-in direction SR to the mating contact element 5, as shown in Figure 4can be seen. The contact strip 4 has a grid-like basic structure that is joined together to form a ring. The contact strip 4 defines the electrical contact points that a matching mating contact element 5, in this case a contact pin, forms with the contact element 1, in this case a socket contact.

[0027] The contact strip 4 is preferably made of a beryllium-containing material. Figures 4 and 5 The contact element 1 is transparent in order to be able to see the contact strip 4 arranged in the contact area K. In Figure 5 It can be seen that, when plugged in, the contact strip 4 encloses the pin contact 5, which penetrates the through-hole 3. The contact strip 4 thus forms a contact bridge between the socket contact 1 and the pin contact 5.

[0028] The contact area K of the contact element 1 has a plug-in side ST and an opposite exit side AS. A recess 6 is provided on the plug-in side ST, and the exit side AS has a raised portion 7 that is complementary to the recess 6. The recess 6 and the raised portion 7 have a substantially rectangular cross-section. This allows the openings 2, 2', 2" in the connection areas A of different, but similar contact elements 1, 1', 1" to enclose an angle (α) with one another. This angular position is Figure 7 shown schematically.

[0029] Due to the essentially square cross-section of the recess 6 and the elevation 7, the angle (α) can be equal to 90° or a multiple of 90°. With other cross-sectional geometries, correspondingly different angular positions can be achieved. Different alignments between lined-up contact elements 1, 1', 1" are shown in Figure 6shown.

[0030] Although various aspects or features of the invention are shown in combination in the figures, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art—unless otherwise stated—that the illustrated and discussed combinations are not the only possible ones. In particular, corresponding units or feature complexes from different embodiments can be interchanged. List of reference symbols

[0031] 1Contact element 2Opening 3Through opening 4Contact strip 5Counter contact element 6Recess 7Elevation AConnection area KContact area STConnection side ASExit side SRPlug direction αAngle SASymmetry axis

Claims

1. Electrical contact element (1) for transmitting high currents, wherein the electrical contact element (1) has a connection region (A) and a contact region (K), wherein the connection region (A) has a cylindrical opening (2) and the contact region (K) has a cylindrical passage opening (3), wherein the opening (2) and the passage opening (3) are oriented orthogonally to one another and wherein a peripheral contact strip (4) is arranged within the cylindrical passage opening (3), characterized in that the contact region (K) has a plugging side (ST) and an outlet side (AS), wherein the plugging side (ST) has a recess (6) and the outlet side (AS) has an elevation (7), and in that the recess (6) and the elevation (7) are designed to be complementary to one another.

2. Electrical contact element according to Claim 1, characterized in that the connection region (A) is formed as a crimp connection.

3. Electrical contact element according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the peripheral contact strip (4) is arranged approximately centrally in the cylindrical passage opening (3) of the connection region (A).

4. Electrical contact element according to Claim 1, characterized in that the recess (6) and the elevation (7) have a substantially rectangular, triangular or star-shaped cross section.

5. Electrical contact element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrical contact element (1) consists substantially of copper, wherein the surface of the contact element (1) is coated with a silver or silver alloy layer.

6. Electrical contact element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact strip (4) consists of a material which contains beryllium.

7. Electrical contact element according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electrical contact element (1) is rotationally symmetrical.

8. System consisting of at least two electrical contact elements (1, 1', 1'') according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elevation (7) on the outlet side (AS) of a first contact element (1, 1', 1'') is inserted into the recess (6) of the plugging side (ST) of a second contact element (1, 1', 1").

9. System according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the passage openings (3) of the first contact element (1, 1', 1'') and of the second contact element (1, 1', 1'') are oriented parallel to one another.

10. System according to one of the two preceding claims, characterized in that the openings (2, 2', 2") in the connection regions (A) of the first contact element (1, 1', 1'') and of the second contact element (1, 1', 1'') enclose an angle (α) with one another, and in that the angle (α) is equal to 90° or a multiple of 90°.

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