Angled multi-pole plug-in connector

Abstract

The invention proposes an angled plug-in connector (100) for fastening to a shielded line (200). The plug-in connector (100) has an upper housing part (110) and a lower housing part (120). The upper housing part (110) has a hole (130) which is designed to receive the line (200), wherein the hole (130) is designed to permit a pivoting movement of the upper housing part (110) about the line (200) and a displacement of the upper housing part (110) along the line (200). The lower housing part (120) is designed to receive at least one plug-in contact (140) which is attached to one end (210) of the line (200), and the plug-in connector (100) has a latching mechanism (150) which is designed to connect the upper housing part (110) to the lower housing part (120).

Description

[0001] Angled multi-pin connector

[0002] Technical area

[0003] The present invention relates to an angled connector for attachment to a shielded cable. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for attaching an angled connector to a shielded cable.

[0004] State of the art

[0005] Especially in the field of electromobility, there is currently an increased demand for charging cables and the associated connectors. These must meet the highest sealing requirements to withstand environmental influences and enable outdoor charging. The connectors can preferably be designed with an angled cable outlet to ensure space-saving cable installation and convenient handling. However, the assembly of the connector on the cable, especially with the angled cable outlet in a multi-pin cable, has not been satisfactorily achieved to date. Therefore, there is a need for an improved angled connector for attachment to a shielded cable, which enables a simplified assembly process.

[0006] Description of the invention

[0007] An object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved angled connector which can be easily attached to a cable.

[0008] The object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims, the description, and the accompanying figures.

[0009] The described embodiments apply equally to the angled

[0010] Connector for attachment to a shielded cable and the method for attaching an angled connector to a shielded cable. Synergistic effects can arise from various combinations of the embodiments, even if they are not described in detail.

[0011] Furthermore, it should be noted that all method-related embodiments of the present invention can be carried out in the described order of steps. Nevertheless, this need not be the only possible or required order of steps in the method. The methods described herein can be carried out in a different order of the disclosed steps without deviating from the corresponding method embodiment, unless expressly stated otherwise below.

[0012] According to one aspect of the invention, an angled connector for attachment to a shielded cable is proposed. The connector has an upper housing part and a lower housing part. The upper housing part has a bore designed to receive the cable, wherein the bore is designed to allow a pivoting movement of the upper housing part about the cable and a displacement of the upper housing part along the cable. The lower housing part is designed to receive at least one plug contact attached to one end of the cable. Furthermore, the connector has a locking mechanism designed to connect the upper housing part to the lower housing part.

[0013] The connector thus has a two-part outer housing, in which the advantageous separation between the two housing parts allows for easy assembly of the components within the connector and simple installation on a cable. The design of the connector can advantageously meet high or even the highest sealing requirements, such as IP6K9K. This is also possible with a right-angled or nearly right-angled cable outlet, preferably at 90 degrees. The two-part design of the connector, with the upper housing part having a hole at its rear end as a feedthrough for the cable and which can be moved along the cable with the cable inserted and pivoted laterally relative to the cable, ensures simple and secure installation of the connector on the cable.The hole can have a circular diameter which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the cable to be fitted. This can enable sliding and pivoting. Alternatively, the hole can also have other cross-sections, such as an elongated or oval cross-section. The lower housing part is designed so that it can be tightly connected to a side of the upper housing part opposite the hole. For this purpose, a locking mechanism is provided between the upper housing part and the lower housing part. Between the lower housing part and the upper housing part there is a cavity for receiving at least one plug contact which is attached to one end of the cable. The plug contact is fastened in the lower housing half and preferably protrudes from the lower housing half in order to be able to establish electrical contact when the connector is connected.Despite its angled cable outlet, the connector is therefore easy to assemble and attach to the cable, and ensures a high level of tightness against the ingress of liquids such as water. Preferably, it is a multi-pin connector with a plurality of plug contacts that can be attached to the individual wires of the cable. In a preferred embodiment, it is a connector intended for use in the high-voltage range and / or designed for operation with alternating current. Advantageously, the connector can be provided with a shield for use with shielded cables. The connector can advantageously be used with all multi-part connectors. Various variants of a connector system, such as outlet direction, number of pins, shielding, or pigtail, can be implemented with a connector according to the invention.

[0014] In one embodiment of the invention, the connector comprises a sealing device designed to seal the upper housing part against the lower housing part. This sealing device can be attached to the connection point between the upper housing part and the lower housing part and can be designed as a circumferential rubber seal. Alternatively, a potting compound can be provided to tightly connect the two housing parts.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the connector has a contact carrier designed to accommodate the at least one plug contact attached to the end of the cable, and the contact carrier is designed to be accommodated in the lower housing part. The contact carrier can function as a connection between the at least one plug contact and the lower housing part. The plug contacts attached to the cable can thus be inserted into the contact carrier, and the contact carrier is mounted in the lower housing part. This enables particularly simplified assembly with a large number of plug contacts in a multi-pole cable.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the connector has a shield designed to be attached to the contact carrier at a first end and to the cable at a second end. To ensure uninterrupted shielding of the cable conductors, the connector in this embodiment of the invention can be provided with a shield that extends the cable shielding beyond the area within the connector. The shield can be brought into contact with the cable shielding and extend to or beyond the contact carrier.

[0017] In one embodiment of the invention, the shield is designed in two parts, so that the cable runs between the first part of the shield and the second part of the shield. The two-part design of the shield allows for easy installation of the shield to the cable already connected to the contact carrier. To do this, the two parts of the shield are attached to the cable from opposite sides and connected to each other.

[0018] In one embodiment of the invention, the shield is designed to be connected to the cable shield at its second end. This ensures electrical contact with the shield and thus grounding of the connector shield and / or the cable shield.

[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the connector further comprises a seal designed to seal the cable passing through the bore of the upper housing part against the upper housing part, as well as a strain relief that, when attached to the upper housing part, is designed to prevent the cable from sliding through the bore of the upper housing part. Furthermore, the connector comprises a sealing cap designed to be attached to the upper housing part, thereby securing the seal and strain relief to the upper housing part. These components of the connector can be pushed onto the cable before the upper housing part is mounted on the cable.After connecting the upper housing section to the lower housing section, the seal can be slid along the cable and installed in the hole in the upper housing section to seal the gap between the cable and the upper housing section. The strain relief is then attached to the upper housing section and secured to the upper housing section using the sealing cap, then clamped onto the cable.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention, the connector is designed to bend the line running through the connector between the bore of the upper housing part and the plug contact attached to the end of the line by an angle of substantially 90°. Preferably, the end of the line is deflected within the connector by an angle between 45 degrees and 135 degrees, particularly preferably by an angle between 80 degrees and 100 degrees. An embodiment of the connector in which the line is deflected by an angle of approximately 90 degrees is also particularly preferred.

[0021] In one embodiment of the invention, the cable bend occurs essentially in the area of ​​the connector's shield, and the shield is designed to shield and / or stabilize the cable running inside the shield without external insulation. The cable is deflected in the area where the cable's external insulation has been removed, and the individual conductors of a multi-pole cable run freely alongside one another. This area is particularly easy to deflect and can be stabilized and shielded against electromagnetic interference by the connector's shield.

[0022] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for attaching an angled connector according to one of the preceding embodiments to a shielded cable is proposed. The method comprises the steps of placing the sealing cap, the strain relief, and the seal onto a shielded cable, and inserting the cable through the bore of the upper housing part into the upper housing part. The method further comprises the steps of stripping one end of the cable, folding over a shield of the cable, attaching at least one plug contact to the end of the cable, mounting the at least one plug contact in the contact carrier, and attaching the shield with the first end to the contact carrier and with the second end to the cable.The method further comprises the steps of mounting the contact carrier in the lower housing part, pivoting the upper housing part to connect the upper housing part to the lower housing part, and mounting the seal, strain relief, and sealing cap on the upper housing part. This method enables particularly simple and secure attachment of the connector to the cable.

[0023] Thus, the benefits offered by one of the above-mentioned aspects apply equally to all other aspects and vice versa.

[0024] Essentially, the invention relates to an angled connector for attachment to a shielded cable. The connector comprises an upper housing part and a lower housing part. The upper housing part has a bore designed to receive the cable, wherein the bore is designed to allow pivoting movement of the upper housing part about the cable and displacement of the upper housing part along the cable. The lower housing part is designed to receive at least one plug contact attached to one end of the cable, and the connector has a latching mechanism designed to connect the upper housing part to the lower housing part.

[0025] Further features, advantages and possible applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of advantageous embodiments and the accompanying figures.

[0026] Short character description

[0027] An advantageous embodiment of the invention is explained below with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0028] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a connector during one step of an assembly process on a cable according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a connector during another step of the assembly process on a cable according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0029] Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a connector during a further step of the assembly process on a cable according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a connector during a further step of the assembly process on a cable according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0030] Fig. 5 shows a schematic representation of a connector during a further step of the assembly process on a cable according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0031] Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of a connector mounted on a cable according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0032] Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of a method for attaching an angled connector according to an embodiment of the invention to a shielded cable.

[0033] The figures are merely schematic representations and serve only to illustrate the invention. Identical or equivalent elements are provided with the same reference numerals throughout.

[0034] Detailed description

[0035] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a connector 100 during a step of an assembly process on a cable 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. Sealing cap 193, strain relief 192, and seal 191 are pre-assembled onto the cable 200, for example, an HV cable. Subsequently, the upper housing part 110 of the outer housing of the connector 100 is also pushed onto the cable 200, with the cable 200 being guided through the bore 130 of the upper housing part 110. In this embodiment of the invention, the upper housing part 110 has a locking mechanism 150 with which it can be connected to the lower housing part 120, as well as a sealing device 160 with which a tight connection can be established between the upper housing part 110 and the lower housing part 120. At the end 210 of the cable 200, to which the connector 100 is to be attached, the shielding 220 of the cable 200 can be seen.

[0036] Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of a connector 100 during a further step of the assembly process on a cable 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. Compared to the assembly step shown in Figure 1, here the end 220 of the cable 200 is stripped so that the individual conductors are visible, and the shielding 220 is folded over. A plug contact 140 is attached to each of the conductors, with the conductors having a bend of approximately 90 degrees. Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a connector 100 during a further step of the assembly process on a cable 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Here, the plug contacts 140 are mounted in the contact carrier 170, and the two-part shield 180 with the first part of the shield 181 and the second part of the shield 182 is clipped to the contact carrier and pressed onto the cable 200, preferably onto the shield 220 of the cable 200.

[0037] Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a connector 100 during a further step of the assembly process on a cable 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The pre-assembled system comprising the contact carrier 170 with the plug contacts 140 arranged therein, which are attached to the cable 200, is mounted in the lower housing part 120. Preferably, the contact carrier 170 is pre-fixed in the lower housing part 120, for example, by a latching mechanism.

[0038] Fig. 5 shows a schematic representation of a connector 100 during a further step of the assembly process on a cable 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The upper housing part 110 is slid along the cable 200 and placed over the two-part shield 180 so that it can be connected to the lower housing part 120 by means of the locking mechanism 150. The sealing device 160 ensures a tight fit between the two housing parts.

[0039] Fig. 6 shows a schematic representation of a connector 100 mounted on a cable 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. Here, the seal 191, the strain relief 192, and the sealing cap 193 are mounted on the upper housing part 110.

[0040] Fig. 7 shows a block diagram of a method for attaching an angled connector 100 according to an embodiment of the invention to a shielded cable 200. Step S301 of plugging the sealing cap 193, the strain relief 192 and the seal 191 onto a shielded cable 200 is followed by step S302 of inserting the cable 200 through the bore 130 of the upper housing part 110 into the upper housing part 110, and step S303 of stripping an end 210 of the cable 200. In step S304, a shield 220 of the cable 200 is folded over, and in step S305 at least one plug contact 140 is attached to the end 210 of the cable 220.This is followed by step S306 of mounting the at least one plug contact 140 into the contact carrier 170, as well as step S307 of attaching the shield 180 with the first end to the contact carrier 170 and with the second end to the line 200, and step S308 of mounting the contact carrier 170 in the lower housing part 120. Furthermore, step S309 of pivoting the upper housing part 110 follows in order to connect the upper housing part 110 to the lower housing part 120, and step S310 of mounting the seal 191, the strain relief 192, and the sealing cap 193 on the upper housing part 110.

[0041] Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, these drawings and descriptions are to be considered as illustrative or exemplary in nature and not as restrictive. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations of the disclosed embodiments may be understood and practiced by those skilled in the art to practice the claimed invention, based on the drawings, the disclosure, and the dependent claims.

[0042] Additionally, it should be noted that "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims are not to be considered as limitations.

[0043] LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0044] 100 Angled connector

[0045] 110 upper housing part

[0046] 120 lower housing part

[0047] 130 bore

[0048] 140 plug contact

[0049] 150 locking mechanism

[0050] 160 sealing device

[0051] 170 contact carriers

[0052] 180 umbrella

[0053] 181 first part of the screen

[0054] 182 second part of the screen

[0055] 191 Seal

[0056] 192 Strain relief

[0057] 193 Sealing cap

[0058] 200 line

[0059] 210 End of line

[0060] 220 Shielding of the cable

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An angled connector (100) for attachment to a shielded cable (200), the connector (100) comprising an upper housing part (110) and a lower housing part (120); wherein the upper housing part (110) has a bore (130) designed to receive the cable (200), and wherein the bore (130) is designed to allow a pivoting movement of the upper housing part (110) about the cable (200) and a displacement of the upper housing part (110) along the cable (200), wherein the lower housing part (120) is designed to receive at least one plug contact (140) attached to one end (210) of the cable (200), and wherein the connector (100) has a latching mechanism (150) designed to connect the upper housing part (110) to the lower housing part (120).

2. Connector (100) according to claim 1, wherein the connector (100) has a sealing device (160) which is designed to seal the upper housing part (110) against the lower housing part (120).

3. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector (100) has a contact carrier (170) which is designed to receive the at least one plug contact (140) attached to the end (210) of the line (200), and wherein the contact carrier (170) is designed to be received in the lower housing part (120).

4. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector (100) has a shield (180) which is designed to be fastened to the contact carrier (170) with a first end and to be fastened to the line (200) with a second end.

5. Connector (100) according to claim 4, wherein the shield (180) is designed in two parts, so that the line (200) runs between the first part of the shield (181) and the second part of the shield (182).

6. Connector (100) according to one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the shield (180) is designed to be connected to the second end with a shield (220) of the line (200).

7. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector (100) further comprises: a seal (191) designed to seal the line (200) extending through the bore of the upper housing part (110) against the upper housing part (110), a strain relief (192) designed, when attached to the upper housing part (110), to prevent displacement of the line (200) through the bore (130) of the upper housing part (110), and a sealing cap (193) designed to be attached to the upper housing part (110) and thereby attach the seal (191) and the strain relief (192) to the upper housing part (110).

8. Connector (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector (100) is designed to bend the line (200) running through the connector (100) between the bore (130) of the upper housing part (110) and the plug contact (140) attached to the end (210) of the line (200) by an angle of substantially 90°.

9. Connector (100) according to claim 8, wherein the bending of the line (200) occurs substantially in the region of the shield (180) of the connector (100), and wherein the shield (180) is designed to shield and / or stabilize the line (200) running inside the shield (180) without external insulation of the line.

10. A method for attaching an angled connector (100) according to one of claims 1 to 9 to a shielded cable (200), the method comprising the steps: Attaching (S301) the sealing cap (193), the strain relief (192) and the seal (191) to a shielded cable, Inserting (S302) the cable (200) through the hole (130) of the upper housing part (110) into the upper housing part (110), Stripping (S303) one end (210) of the cable (200), Transferring (S304) a shield (220) of the cable (200), Attaching (S305) at least one plug contact (140) to the end (210) of the cable (220), Mounting (S306) the at least one plug contact (140) in the contact carrier (170), Attaching (S307) the shield (180) with the first end to the contact carrier (170) and with the second end to the cable (200), Mounting (S308) the contact carrier (170) in the lower housing part (120), Pivoting (S309) the upper housing part (110) to connect the upper housing part (110) to the lower housing part (120), and Mount (S310) the seal (191), the strain relief (192) and the sealing cap (193) on the upper housing part (110).

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