Connector with improved safety at high electric voltages

Abstract

The invention relates to a plug connector (1) comprising a plug connector housing (2), an insulating body (3) and at least one two-part contact element (4) consisting of a connection part (4a) and a contact part (4b), wherein the plug connector (1) further comprises a partial discharge sleeve (7) and wherein the connection part (4a) of the contact element (4) is arranged at least partially within the partial discharge sleeve (7).

Description

[0001] The invention is based on a connector according to the preamble of independent claim 1.

[0002] Such connectors are used particularly in the railway industry for transmitting high currents and / or when using high voltages. The contact elements of such connectors are often exposed to currents of a thousand amperes or more. State of the art

[0003] DE 10 2019 132 127 A1 shows an electrical contact element for transmitting high currents, wherein the electrical contact element is formed in two parts, wherein one part can be inserted or pushed into the other and the two parts are aligned orthogonally to each other.

[0004] Due to the resulting complex geometry of the contact element, a so-called partial discharge can occur locally, particularly in the connection or crimping area. Task

[0005] The object of the invention is to propose a connector for the use of high currents and / or voltages in which partial discharges are avoided as far as possible.

[0006] The problem is solved by the subject matter of independent claim 1.

[0007] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims and the following description.

[0008] The connector according to the invention has at least one connector housing, an insulating body and at least one two-part contact element consisting of a connection part and a contact part.

[0009] The insulating body is arranged within the connector. The connector housing is preferably made of an electrically conductive material, in particular metal.

[0010] The connector according to the invention has a partial discharge sleeve. The connecting part of the contact element is arranged at least partially within the partial discharge sleeve.

[0011] By enclosing the connection part of the contact element with the partial discharge sleeve, a uniform potential is established inside the partial discharge sleeve. The partial discharge sleeve gives the contact element a more homogeneous, particularly rounded and flat surface, without adjacent air gaps. This effectively prevents partial discharges and enables a higher operating voltage of the connector.

[0012] Preferably, the connector has an axial opening on one side, which is designed as a crimp connection for an electrical conductor. At the other end, the connector has a radial through-opening into which the contact part can be inserted. The contact part is designed, for example, as a pin contact.

[0013] Preferably, a circumferential contact strip is arranged within the through-hole. This ensures reliable electrical contact between the connecting part and the contact part.

[0014] The inner partial discharge sleeve is modeled on the geometry of the contact element's connecting part. Advantageously, the partial discharge sleeve is essentially cylindrical.

[0015] The partial discharge sleeve preferably has an insertion opening. The connecting part is inserted into the insertion opening inside the partial discharge sleeve. The partial discharge sleeve also has a contact opening that correlates with the through opening of the connecting part.

[0016] Advantageously, the partial discharge sleeve is made of an electrically conductive material, particularly metal. This allows the partial discharge sleeve and the contact element to form an electrically conductive unit.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the partial discharge sleeve is made of aluminum. This choice of material has proven particularly advantageous in tests.

[0018] The partial discharge sleeve is preferably encased on the outside in a non-conductive material. This provides, in particular, a homogeneous transition to the insulating body.

[0019] Preferably, the non-conductive material is applied to the partial discharge sleeve using an injection molding process. This method is particularly cost-effective. Example

[0020] An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail below. They show: Fig. 1 is a perspective sectional view of a connector according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a connecting part of a contact element of the connector, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the connecting part of the contact element of the connector.

[0021] Some of the figures contain simplified, schematic representations. Identical reference symbols are used for similar, but possibly not identical, elements. Different views of the same elements may be scaled differently. Directional references such as "left," "right," "top," and "bottom" are to be understood with reference to the respective figure and may vary in the individual illustrations relative to the object depicted.

[0022] The Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a connector 1 designed according to the invention. The connector 1 has a connector housing 2 in which an insulating body 3 is arranged. The connector housing 2 consists essentially of aluminum.

[0023] A two-part contact element 4, consisting of a connecting part 4a and a contact part 4b, is arranged within the insulating body 3. The connecting part 4a has an axial opening 5 at one end, which is provided as a crimp connection for connecting an electrical conductor. At the other end, the connecting part 4a has a radial through-opening 6, into which the contact part 4b can be inserted or passed through. The geometry of the contact part 4b is not essential to the invention, so that the contact part 4b in Figure 3 is only shown schematically.

[0024] The connection part 4a and the contact part 4b of the contact element 4 are arranged essentially orthogonally to each other. This allows the connector 1 to be angled, with the cable connection direction and the plugging direction intersecting at a 90° angle.

[0025] The connector 1 according to the invention has a partial discharge sleeve 7, which Figure 2is shown separately. In the assembled state, the connecting part 4a of the contact element 4 is arranged within the partial discharge sleeve 7.

[0026] The partial discharge sleeve 7 has an insertion opening 9. The connecting part 4a can be inserted into the partial discharge sleeve 7 in the direction of arrow P. The partial discharge sleeve 7 has a contact opening 8 that correlates with the through-opening 6 of the connecting part 4a. This allows the contact part 4b to be further inserted into the connecting part 4a.

[0027] A circumferential contact strip 10 is arranged within the through-opening 6 of the connecting part 4a. The contact strip 10 establishes a reliable electrically conductive connection between the connecting part 4a and the contact part 4b.

[0028] The partial discharge sleeve 7 is essentially designed as an open hollow cylinder. The partial discharge sleeve 7 is made of aluminum and thus—in this exemplary embodiment—of the same material as the connector housing 2 of the connector 1. The outer side of the partial discharge sleeve 7 is overmolded with a plastic material.

[0029] The connector 1 has a cable outlet 11 on the cable connection side, which performs a sealing and strain-relieving function for the connected cable (not shown).

[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] 1Connector 2Connector housing 3Insulating body 4Contact element 5Axial opening of the contact element 4 6Radial through-opening of the contact element 4 7Partial discharge sleeve 8Contact opening of the partial discharge sleeve 7 9Insertion opening of the partial discharge sleeve 7 10Contact strip 11Cable outlet

Claims

1. Plug connector (1), comprising a plug connector housing (2), an insulating body (3) and at least one two-part contact element (4), consisting of a connection part (4a) and a contact part (4b), wherein the plug connector (1) further comprises a partial discharge sleeve (7) and wherein the connection part (4a) of the contact element (4) is arranged at least partially within the partial discharge sleeve (7).

2. Connector (1) according to claim 1 characterized in that wherein the connecting part (4a) has an axial opening (5) at one end, which is designed as a crimp connection for an electrical conductor, and wherein the connecting part (4a) has a, in particular radial, through-opening (6) at the other end, into which the contact part (4b) can be inserted.

3. Connector (1) according to the preceding claim characterized in that at least one circumferential contact strip (10) is arranged within the through opening (6).

4. Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the partial discharge sleeve (7) is substantially cylindrical.

5. Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the partial discharge sleeve (7) has an insertion opening (9) through which the connection part (4a) of the contact element (4) can be inserted into the partial discharge sleeve (7), and that the partial discharge sleeve (7) has a contact opening (8) which correlates with the through opening (6) of the connection part (4a).

6. Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the partial discharge sleeve (7) consists of an electrically conductive material.

7. Connector (1) according to the preceding claim characterized in that the partial discharge sleeve (7) is made of aluminum.

8. Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in thatthe partial discharge sleeve (7) is encased on the outside by a non-conductive material.

9. Connector (1) according to the preceding claim characterized in that the non-conductive material is applied to the partial discharge sleeve (7) in an injection molding process.

10. Connector (1) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the connector housing (2) is made of an electrically conductive material.

11. Plug connector (1) according to the above characterized in that the connector housing (2) is made of aluminum.

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