Locking plug connector and method for producing same

Abstract

The invention relates, inter alia, to a locking plug connector (100), the plug contacts (43) of which can each be coupled to a mating plug contact of a mating plug connector along a plugging direction (SR). The invention makes provision for a terminal block (10) to be arranged in the interior of the locking plug connector (100) at a distance from the plug contacts (43) - as seen axially along the plugging direction (SR) -, the terminal block contacts (11) of the terminal block being arranged one behind the other - as seen axially along the plugging direction (SR) -, wherein the terminal block (10) allows conductor contacts of a connection cable, which is to be connected to the locking plug connector (100), to be inserted into the terminal block (10) along a specified insertion direction, and wherein the insertion direction is oriented at an angle, preferably at a right angle, to the plugging direction.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Locking connector and method for its manufacture

[0003] The invention relates to locking connectors with plug contacts that can be coupled along a plug-in direction to a mating plug contact of a mating connector. The term "locking connector" refers here to connectors that are automatically secured against removal of the locking connector from the mating connector by means of a mechanical locking device or that can be manually secured.

[0004] Push-pull connectors, also known in German-speaking countries as push-pull connectors, are known as locking connectors. Such push-pull connectors are described, for example, in European patent EP 1 955 413 B1 or German laid-open document DE 3 200 265 A1. Push-pull connectors automatically lock when they are pushed onto or into a mating connector.

[0005] Other locking connectors, for example, are bayonet-based and can be manually locked by means of a bayonet locking device after they have been pushed onto or into the mating connector.

[0006] One advantage of the previously known locking connectors is the axial locking between the locking connector and the corresponding mating connector after the electrical connection has been established. The axial locking prevents the plug contacts of the locking connector from accidentally becoming detached from the mating contacts of the mating connector, or prevents the locking connector from being accidentally removed, resulting in an unintentional interruption of the electrical connection.

[0007] However, a disadvantage of the previously known locking connectors is that - due to the aforementioned blocking of the locking connector from being pulled off by the locking mechanism - in the event of a high tensile force on a connecting cable attached to the locking connector, the mechanical connection between the plug contacts of the locking connector and the cable connections of the connecting cable is subjected to very great stress and, under certain circumstances, the connecting cable may be torn off from the plug contacts and the locking connector may be destroyed.

[0008] The invention is based on the object of further developing a locking connector of the type described with a view to a particularly high mechanical load capacity.

[0009] This object is achieved according to the invention by a locking connector having the features according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the locking connector according to the invention are specified in the subclaims.

[0010] According to the invention, a terminal block is arranged in the interior of the locking plug connector - viewed axially along the plug-in direction - at a distance from the plug-in contacts, the terminal block contacts of which - viewed axially along the plug-in direction - are arranged one behind the other, wherein the terminal block enables conductor contacts of a connecting cable to be connected to the locking plug connector to be inserted into the terminal block along a predetermined insertion direction and wherein the insertion direction is aligned at an angle, preferably at a right angle, to the plug-in direction.

[0011] A significant advantage of the locking connector according to the invention is its high mechanical stability under high tensile forces. If a connecting cable pulls axially against the locking connector's insertion direction, the terminal block can efficiently absorb the tensile forces because the insertion direction of the connecting cable's conductor contacts into the terminal block is arranged at an angle, preferably at right angles, to the insertion direction and thus the axial pulling direction of the connecting cable.

[0012] With a view to axial guidance of the connecting cable and targeted axial alignment of any tensile forces on the connecting cable, it is considered advantageous if a guiding and / or fastening device, in particular in the form of an eyelet, is arranged at the end of the locking connector remote from the plug contacts, which enables guiding and / or fixing of the connecting cable and axial alignment of the connecting cable at the remote end. Guided axial alignment of the connecting cable advantageously not only ensures the aforementioned axial alignment of the tensile forces on the connecting cable, but also minimizes space requirements in the radial direction, so that locking connectors and their connecting cables can be arranged particularly close to one another.

[0013] Preferably, the terminal block with its circuit board-side terminal block contact connections is soldered or pressed onto a circuit board arranged inside the locking connector.

[0014] It is advantageous if the cable-side terminal block contact connections of the terminal block are radially accessible from the outside and enable manual insertion of the conductor contacts of the connecting cable from the outside.

[0015] A housing of the locking connector preferably has a through slot whose longitudinal direction extends along the plugging direction and enables manual attachment of the conductor contacts of the connecting cable to the terminal block from the outside.

[0016] The housing of the locking connector preferably has a further through slot, the longitudinal direction of which extends along the plug-in direction and enables the conductor contacts of the connecting cable to be screwed or loosened on the terminal block from the outside.

[0017] A radially outer portion of the terminal block preferably extends radially outwardly through the through slot or the further through slot.

[0018] The locking connector preferably has a front sub-module, as seen in the plug-in direction, in which the plug contacts are arranged, and a rear sub-module, as seen in the plug-in direction, in which the terminal block and the printed circuit board are arranged.

[0019] The front sub-module and the rear sub-module are preferably connected to one another in a tension-resistant manner by a positive connection. The rear sub-module preferably comprises a shell-shaped housing lower part and a shell-shaped housing upper part, which, alone or with other housing parts, form a rear housing part of the rear sub-module.

[0020] The terminal block and the circuit board are preferably mounted on the bowl-shaped housing base.

[0021] The through-slot and / or the further through-slot are preferably arranged in the shell-shaped housing upper part.

[0022] The shell-shaped housing lower part and / or the shell-shaped housing upper part preferably form an axial tension lock with the front sub-module, which enables rotation of the rear sub-module relative to the front sub-module about an axis of rotation coaxial with the plug-in direction. The angle of rotation is preferably at least 30 degrees.

[0023] It is advantageous if the shell-shaped lower housing part and / or the shell-shaped upper housing part has at least one radially tapering (constricting) engagement region which engages in a circumferential groove or in a ring-segment-shaped (trough-like) depression in the front sub-module and thereby forms the axial tension protection or at least a component of the tension protection. The engagement in the circumferential groove or the ring-segment-shaped (trough-like) depression in the front sub-module advantageously enables the aforementioned rotatability about the rotation axis coaxial with the plug-in direction.

[0024] Each of the plug contacts is preferably soldered to a solder connection on the circuit board by means of a connecting wire. Each of the latter solder connections is preferably connected to a terminal block contact of the terminal block via a conductor track of the circuit board.

[0025] The solder connections are preferably located on the circuit board on a fictitious line, which in turn is parallel to the plug-in direction.

[0026] On the circuit board, a shield contact spring is preferably attached between the terminal block and the plug-in contacts, viewed in the plug-in direction, on the circuit board side facing away from the terminal block, wherein the shield contact spring connects one of the terminal block contacts of the terminal block to a coaxial shield contact of the front sub-module.

[0027] An identification chip is preferably arranged on the printed circuit board, preferably separated from the plug contacts by the terminal block, which identifies the locking connector or an external device connected to the terminal block by means of the connecting cable.

[0028] An electrical contact of the identification chip is preferably soldered or pressed to a conductor track of the printed circuit board, the latter conductor track also being connected to one of the plug contacts as well as to one of the terminal block contacts.

[0029] The invention also relates to a method for producing a locking plug connector, in particular one as described above, whose plug contacts can each be coupled along a plug-in direction to a mating plug contact of a mating plug connector. According to the invention, a terminal block is arranged inside the locking plug connector at a distance from the plug contacts, as viewed axially along the plug-in direction, the terminal block contacts of which are arranged one behind the other, as viewed axially along the plug-in direction, the terminal block enabling conductor contacts of a connecting cable to be connected to the locking plug connector to be inserted into the terminal block along a predetermined insertion direction, and the insertion direction being aligned at an angle, in particular at a right angle, to the plug-in direction.

[0030] With regard to the advantages of the method according to the invention and its advantageous embodiments, reference is made to the above statements in connection with the locking connector according to the invention and its advantageous embodiments.

[0031] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments; by way of example,

[0032] Fig. 1-9 Process steps in the context of the production of embodiments shown in Figures 10 to 15 for locking connectors according to the invention,

[0033] Fig. 10-12 an embodiment of a locking connector according to the invention in various three-dimensional views,

[0034] Fig. 13 shows in more detail the rotatability of a rear sub-module of the locking connector shown in Figs. 10-12, and Fig. 14-15 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a locking connector according to the invention.

[0035] For the sake of clarity, the same reference symbols are always used in the figures for identical or comparable components.

[0036] In connection with Figures 1 to 9, a method for producing embodiments of locking connectors 100 according to the invention is described below by way of example, as shown in more detail in Figures 10 to 13 and 14 to 15 in different representations.

[0037] Figure 1 shows a terminal block 10 having a plurality of terminal block contacts 11 arranged linearly on a fictitious line and arranged one behind the other axially along the plug-in direction SR of the locking connector 100 (see Figures 10-15). Each of the terminal block contacts 11 has a circuit board-side terminal block contact connection 11a and a cable-side terminal block contact connection 11b. The terminal block 10 can advantageously be a screw terminal block or an insulation displacement block.

[0038] Figure 2 shows the terminal block 10 after it has been mounted on the front side 21 of a printed circuit board 20. It can be seen that the circuit board-side terminal block contact connections 11a extend to the back side 22 of the printed circuit board 20, so that they can be soldered to or pressed into conductor tracks of the printed circuit board 20 that are present there but not shown in more detail for reasons of clarity. Figure 2 also shows a shield contact spring 30 that is attached to the back side 22 of the printed circuit board 20 and is electrically connected there to a shield conductor track of the printed circuit board 20 that is not shown in more detail.

[0039] Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional view from above of the terminal block 10 after it has been attached to the front side 21 of the printed circuit board 20. Furthermore, Figure 3 shows through-holes 24 which allow connecting wires (not shown) to be pushed through or passed through so that they can each be contacted, for example soldered or pressed into, a contact connection 25, for example a solder connection or press-in connection, on the rear side 22 of the printed circuit board 20.

[0040] Figure 4 shows the rear side 22 of the printed circuit board 20 in a three-dimensional representation. It can be seen that the solder connections 25 lie on a fictitious line L, which is arranged parallel to the plug-in direction SR of the locking connector 100 (see Figures 10-12). Each of the solder connections 25 is connected to an individually assigned terminal block contact 11 of the terminal block 10 via a conductor track (not shown) of the printed circuit board 20.

[0041] Figure 5 shows internal components of a front sub-module 40 of the locking connector 100 shown in Figures 10 to 13 in more detail. A first sleeve part 41a can be seen, into which a plug contact carrier 42 is inserted. The plug contact carrier 42 carries a plurality of plug contacts, which are identified by the reference numeral 43. A connecting wire 50 is connected to each of the plug contacts 43, the circuit board-side connection 51 of which - as will be shown in other figures - is pushed through an associated through-hole 24 in the circuit board 20 and soldered to an associated solder connection 25 on the rear side 22 of the circuit board 20.

[0042] Figure 6 shows the arrangement according to Figure 5 after a second sleeve part 41b has been placed onto the first sleeve part 41a and connected thereto, preferably by a positive connection, for example a snap-in connection. The two sleeve parts 41a and 41b are preferably made of metal or at least of conductive material so that they can jointly form a coaxial shield contact 41 in the front sub-module 40.

[0043] The shape and the inner diameter of the coaxial shield contact 41 are preferably selected such that when the front section of the printed circuit board 20, as seen in the plug-in direction SR, is pushed into the coaxial shield contact 41, the shield contact spring 30 is electrically contacted with the coaxial shield contact 41 and thus an electrical connection between the coaxial shield contact 41 and the shield contact spring 30 and subsequently also one of the terminal block contacts 11 of the terminal block 10 is ensured.

[0044] Figure 7 shows the components described in connection with Figures 5 and 6 after they have been inserted into a housing 44 of the front sub-module 40. It can be seen that the connecting wires 50 and their circuit board-side terminals 51 protrude from the rear of the housing 44 to allow soldering to the circuit board 20.

[0045] Furthermore, Figure 7 shows that the housing 44 is preferably equipped with a circumferential groove 45, which in the illustrated embodiment is annular and rotationally symmetrical. The function of the circumferential groove 45 will be explained in more detail below.

[0046] Figure 8 shows the terminal block 10 and the printed circuit board 20 after they have been inserted into the housing 44 of the front sub-module 40. The shield contact spring 30, which is not shown in detail in Figure 8, is connected to the coaxial shield contact 41 by the spring action of the shield contact spring 30.

[0047] In Figure 8, it can also be seen that the circuit board-side terminals 51 of the connecting wires 50 have each been passed through an associated through-hole 24 (cf. Figure 3) in the circuit board 20. After the connecting wires 50 have been passed through, their circuit board-side terminals 51 are each soldered to an associated solder connection 25 (cf. Figure 4) on the rear side 22 of the circuit board 20.

[0048] Figure 9 shows the arrangement according to Figure 8 after a shell-shaped housing base 60 has been attached to the housing 44 of the front sub-module 40. The shell-shaped housing base 60 supports the printed circuit board 20 downwards and fixes its position.

[0049] Figure 9 also shows that the shell-shaped housing lower part 60 has a radially tapered engagement area 61 which engages in the circumferential groove 45 of the housing 40.

[0050] Figure 10 shows the arrangement according to Figure 9, after a shell-shaped housing upper part 70 has been mounted on the shell-shaped housing lower part 60. For assembly, a locking or snap connection is preferably provided in the two housing parts 60 and 70.

[0051] The housing upper part 70, the housing lower part 60, the printed circuit board 20, the terminal block 10 and the shield contact spring 30 form components of a rear sub-module 80 of the locking connector 100, as shown in Figures 10-13.

[0052] The shell-shaped upper housing part 70 is also equipped with a radially tapered engagement area, which is not further visible in Figure 10; this radially tapered engagement area also projects into the groove 45 of the housing 44, so that the tapered engagement areas of the upper housing part 70 and the lower housing part 60 together with the groove 45 in the housing 44 form a positive connection which ensures axial tensile protection between the front sub-module 40 and the rear sub-module 80.

[0053] Since in the embodiment shown the groove 45 rotates through an angle of rotation of 360 degrees and the radially tapered engagement areas of the rear sub-module 80 engage in the circumferential groove 45 in the front sub-module, the rear sub-module 80 can be rotated relative to the front sub-module 40 about an axis of rotation coaxial with the plug-in direction, theoretically through 360 degrees; however, the angle of rotation is limited by the length of the connecting wires 50.

[0054] Alternatively, it can be provided that the groove 45 does not rotate through 360 degrees, but only through a predetermined maximum angle of, for example, 45 degrees. Of course, with such a configuration, the radially tapered engagement areas must be adapted accordingly; for example, instead of this, only a radially inwardly projecting nose could be provided, which engages in the groove 45 and is pushed back and forth in the groove 45 during relative rotation of the rear sub-module 80. In the latter variant, the groove walls would form stops which limit the angle of rotation of the relative rotation. Several such annular grooves, each of which rotates through 45 degrees, for example, can be arranged rotationally symmetrically, and each of these annular grooves can be assigned a radially inwardly projecting nose in the rear sub-module 80.

[0055] Figure 10 further shows that the shell-shaped housing upper part 70 has a through-slot 71, the longitudinal axis of which is aligned parallel to the plug-in direction SR of the locking connector 100. Operating elements 11c of the terminal block 10 preferably extend through the through-slot 71, thereby ensuring that they are accessible from the outside by the operator and can be easily operated by screwing and / or other means such as pressing or the like.

[0056] Figure 11 shows the locking connector 100 according to Figure 10 in another three-dimensional representation. It can be seen that the shell-shaped housing upper part 70 also contains a further through-slot 72, the longitudinal direction of which is also aligned parallel to the plugging direction SR and thus runs parallel to the longitudinal direction of the through-slot 71.

[0057] Through the additional through-slot 72, the cable-side terminal block contact connections 11b of the terminal block 10 are accessible from the outside, so that conductor contacts of a connecting cable (not shown) can be inserted into the terminal block contacts 11 by the user or removed from them again. Figure 12 shows, in another three-dimensional representation, the locking connector 100 according to Figures 10 and 11 in more detail. The plug contacts 43 can be seen, which are preferably arranged parallel to one another and each run parallel to the plug-in direction SR of the locking connector 100.

[0058] Furthermore, Figure 12 clearly shows that the operating elements 11c of the terminal block 10 extend radially outward, so that they are easily accessible and can be easily operated from the outside. Figure 12 also shows, in another view, that the terminal block contacts 11 are accessible from the outside through the additional through-slot 72, so that conductor contacts of a connecting cable (not shown) can be manually inserted from the outside.

[0059] For reasons of space, it is advantageous if the cable-side terminal block contact connections 11b are located within the rear sub-module 80, i.e., unlike the operating elements 11c of the terminal block 10, they do not protrude from it.

[0060] Figures 10 to 12 also show a guiding and / or fastening device 110 in the form of an eyelet, which is arranged at an end of the locking connector 100 remote from the plug contact 43. The guiding and / or fastening device advantageously enables the connecting cable (not shown) to be guided and / or fixed, so that an axial alignment of the connecting cable to the plug-in direction SR is ensured, at least in the end region of the locking connector 100. Such an alignment ensures - viewed in the radial direction - a minimal space requirement, so that many locking connectors 100 of the type described can be arranged very close to one another.The one guiding and / or fastening device 110 can provide guidance on its own, for example when the connecting cable is inserted through it, or together with other aids not shown, such as cable ties or the like.

[0061] Figure 13 shows the rotatability of the rear sub-module 80 relative to the front sub-module 40 about a rotation axis coaxial with the plug-in direction SR, as already discussed in connection with Figures 9 and 10. The rotation of the rear sub-module 80 is ensured by the described design of the two housing parts 60 and 70 with their tapered engagement areas and the corresponding matching groove 45 in the housing 44.

[0062] The angle of rotation by which the rear sub-module 80 and the front sub-module 40 can be rotated is, as mentioned, limited by the length of the connecting wires 50. Accordingly, it is advantageous if these are dimensioned such that the rear sub-module 80 can be rotated by at least 30°, preferably up to 45°, relative to the front sub-module 40.

[0063] The rotatability advantageously enables the front sub-modules 80 to be aligned in such a way that, when the connecting cable is connected, no mechanical blockage occurs with an adjacent locking connector 100.

[0064] To ensure a basic alignment of the rear sub-module 80 relative to the front sub-module 40, reference markings 101 and 102 are preferably provided to mark this position as a reference. The sub-module 80 can then be rotated relative to this basic alignment until the maximum angle of rotation specified by stops or the length of the connecting wires 50 is reached, or until another reference marking indicating this maximum angle of rotation indicates this.

[0065] To prevent the operator from rotating the rear sub-module 80 excessively around the front sub-module 40, which could result in the connecting wires 50 breaking off, as already explained, stops or the like are preferably provided to limit such rotation. As already mentioned, the groove 45 may not rotate 360 ​​degrees, but only at a smaller maximum angle of, for example, 45 degrees. Alternatively or additionally, other types of stops may also be provided.

[0066] Figure 14 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a locking connector 100 according to the invention, wherein the shell-shaped housing upper part 70 has been removed in the illustration according to Figure 10 in order to allow a view into the interior of the rear sub-module 80.

[0067] It can be seen that in the embodiment according to Figure 14, an identification chip 120 is arranged on the circuit board 20, which identifies the locking connector 100 as such or an external device connected to the terminal block 10 by means of a connecting cable (not shown).

[0068] With regard to the arrangement of the identification chip 120, it is considered advantageous if it is separated from the front sub-module 40 by the terminal block 10.

[0069] Figure 15 shows a particularly advantageous embodiment of the printed circuit board 20 for the exemplary embodiment according to Figure 14. It can be seen that a Y-branched conductor track 130 is preferably present on the printed circuit board 20, which connects a ground connection of the identification chip 120 to one of the terminal block contacts 11 and an associated plug contact 43 of the locking connector 100, which carries ground potential.

[0070] In the locking connectors 100 shown in Figures 1 to 15, a light-emitting means, such as a light-emitting diode, can also advantageously be arranged on the circuit board 20, which indicates, for example, a successful electrical connection of the locking connector 100 to a mating connector.

[0071] In the locking connectors 100 shown in Figures 1 to 15, the shell-shaped housing lower part 60 and the shell-shaped housing upper part 70 can advantageously be produced by a 3D printing process or an injection molding process.

[0072] The locking connectors 100 shown in Figures 1 to 15 can advantageously be push-pull connectors or bayonet-based locking connectors.

[0073] Finally, it should be mentioned that the features of all the embodiments described above can be combined with one another in any desired manner in order to form further other embodiments of the invention.

[0074] All features of subclaims can also be combined individually with each of the subordinate claims, either individually or in any combination with one or other subclaims, in order to obtain further embodiments.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Locking connector (100) whose plug contacts (43) can each be coupled along a plugging direction (SR) with a mating plug contact of a mating connector, characterized in that - inside the locking connector (100) - viewed axially along the plugging direction (SR) - a terminal block (10) is arranged spaced apart from the plug contacts (43), the terminal block contacts (11) of which - viewed axially along the plugging direction (SR) - are arranged one behind the other, - wherein the terminal block (10) allows conductor contacts of a connecting cable to be connected to the locking connector (100) to be inserted into the terminal block (10) along a predetermined insertion direction and - wherein the insertion direction is oriented at an angle, preferably at right angles, to the insertion direction.

2. Locking connector (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that a guiding and / or fastening device (110), in particular in the form of an eyelet, is arranged at the end of the locking connector (100) remote from the plug contacts (43), which enables the connecting cable to be guided and / or fixed and an axial alignment of the connecting cable with respect to the plugging direction (SR) at the remote end.

3. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the terminal block (10) with its circuit board-side terminal block contact connections (11a) is soldered or pressed onto a circuit board (20) arranged inside the locking connector (100).

4. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that cable-side terminal block contact connections (11b) of the terminal block (10) are radially accessible from the outside and allow manual insertion of the conductor contacts of the connecting cable from the outside.

5. Locking connector (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that - a housing (44) of the locking connector (100) has a through slot (71) whose longitudinal direction extends along the insertion direction (SR) and allows manual attachment of the conductor contacts of the connecting cable to the terminal block (10) from the outside, and - the housing of the locking connector (100) has a further through slot (72) whose longitudinal direction extends along the insertion direction (SR) and allows the conductor contacts of the connecting cable to be screwed or loosened on the terminal block (10) from the outside.

6. Locking connector (100) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that a radially outer section of the terminal block (10) extends radially outwards through the through slot (71) or the further through slot (72).

7. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the locking connector (100) has a front sub-module (40) viewed in the direction of insertion (SR), in which the plug contacts (43) are arranged, and a rear sub-module (80) viewed in the direction of insertion (SR), in which the terminal block (10) and the circuit board (20) are arranged.

8. Locking connector (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that the front sub-module (40) and the rear sub-module (80) are connected to each other in a tensile-resistant manner by a positive locking connection.

9. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims 7 to 8, characterized in that - the rear sub-module (80) comprises a shell-shaped housing lower part (60) and a shell-shaped housing upper part (70), which alone or with other housing parts form a rear housing part of the rear sub-module (80), - wherein the terminal block (10) and the circuit board (20) are mounted on the shell-shaped housing base (60).

10. Locking connector (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that the through slot (71) and / or the further through slot (72) are arranged in the shell-shaped housing upper part (70).

11. Locking connector (100) according to any one of the preceding claims 9 to 10, characterized in that the shell-shaped lower housing part (60) and the shell-shaped upper housing part (70) form an annular circumferential, radially tapered engagement area in the area of ​​the interface to the front sub-module (40), which engages in a circumferential groove (45) in the front sub-module (40) and forms an axial tensile restraint that enables the rear sub-module (80) to rotate relative to the front sub-module (40) about an axis of rotation coaxial to the insertion direction (SR), preferably about an angle of rotation of at least 30 degrees.

12. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 11, characterized in that - each of the plug contacts (43) is soldered to a solder terminal (25) on the circuit board (20) by means of a connecting wire (50), - wherein each of the latter solder terminals (25) is connected to a terminal block contact (11) of the terminal block (10) via a conductor track of the circuit board (20) and - wherein the solder terminals (25) on the circuit board (20) lie on a fictitious line (L) that is parallel to the insertion direction (SR).

13. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 12, characterized in that - on the circuit board (20) viewed in the plug-in direction (SR) between the terminal block (10) and the plug contacts (43) a shield contact spring (30) is attached to the circuit board (20), specifically on the circuit board side (22) facing away from the terminal block (10) , wherein the shield contact spring (30) connects one of the terminal block contacts (11) of the terminal block (10) to a coaxial shield contact (41) of the front sub-module (40).

14. Locking connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims 2 to 12, characterized in that - on the circuit board (20), preferably separated from the plug contacts (43) by the terminal block (10), an identification chip (120) is arranged which identifies the locking connector (100) or an external device connected to the terminal block (10) by means of the connecting cable, - wherein an electrical contact of the identification chip (120) is soldered or pressed to a conductor track of the circuit board (20) and - the latter conductor track is also connected to one of the plug contacts (43) as well as to one of the terminal block contacts (11).

15. Method for manufacturing a locking connector (100), in particular one according to one of the preceding claims, the plug contacts (43) of which can each be coupled along a plugging direction (SR) with a mating plug contact of a mating connector, characterized in that - inside the locking connector (100) - viewed axially along the plugging direction (SR) - a terminal block (10) is arranged spaced apart from the plug contacts (43), the terminal block contacts (11) of which - viewed axially along the plugging direction (SR) - are arranged one behind the other, - wherein the terminal block (10) allows conductor contacts of a connecting cable to be connected to the locking connector (100) to be inserted into the terminal block (10) along a predetermined insertion direction and - wherein the insertion direction is aligned at an angle, in particular at right angles, to the insertion direction (SR).

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