Fitting element for connectors

Abstract

Fitting element (1) for multi-contact connectors (17) placeable between a male insulation body (2) accommodating a plurality of first conductors (8) and a female insulation body (3) accommodating a plurality of second conductors (9). The fitting element (1) comprises a main body (6) having an inserting part (4) insertable into a portion of the male insulation body (2) and a receiving part (5) for receiving a portion of the female insulation body (3), which are shaped such that, when the inserting part (4) is inserted into said portion of the male insulation body (2) and the receiving part (4) receives said portion of the female insulation body (3), the clearance and creepage among the plurality of first conductors (8) and among the plurality of second conductors (9) is maintained higher than 3 mm and higher than 4.7 mm, in particular higher than 5.5 mm, respectively.

Description

[0001] FITTING ELEMENT FOR CONNECTORS

[0002] The present invention relates to a fitting element for a multi-contact connector. Also, the present invention relates to a male insulation assembly and a female insulation assembly comprising said fitting element. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a multi-contact connector, in particular having a working voltage between 32V and 1000V comprising the fitting element. In addition, the present invention relates to the use of said fitting element, of said male insulation assembly, or said female insulation assembly.

[0003] An electrical connector is an electromechanical device used to create an electrical connection between components of an electrical circuit, or between different electrical circuits. Most electrical connectors have a male component, called a plug, and a female component, called socket, connected to the male component. The male component typically comprises one or more pin contacts, whereas the female component typically comprises one or more receptacle contacts configured to receive the pin contacts and establish an electrical connection.

[0004] When using electrical connectors, creepage and clearance distances could represent an issue in terms of safety and meeting regulatory standards. Creepage distance is defined as the shortest distance along the surface of a solid insulating material between two conductive parts, for example two pin contacts or two receptacle contacts. On the other hand, clearance distance is defined as the shortest distance in air between these two conductive parts. Maintaining a certain value of clearance and creepage distance basically serves to avoid the occurrence of an electrical arc effect or a short circuit among the conducting elements of a connector.

[0005] With the ongoing trends of reducing the connector size and of increasing the contacts density, it becomes a design challenge to respect the clearance and creepage requirements when the connectors incorporate high voltage circuits. For example, in case of circular multi-pin connectors the following constrains need to be considered.

[0006] It could be hard to maintain the clearance and creepage standard distance values (i.e., IEC 60664-1 ) in the long run.

[0007] Examples of the present disclosure seek to address or at least alleviate the above problems.

[0008] In a first aspect, there is provided a fitting element for multi-contact connectors. The fitting element is placeable between a male insulation body accommodating a plurality of first conductors, in particular male contacts, and a female insulation body accommodating a plurality of second conductors, in particular female contacts, the fitting element comprising: a main body having an inserting part fitting the male insulation body and being insertable into a portion of the male insulation body and a receiving part fitting the female insulation body for receiving a portion of the female insulation body, wherein the inserting part and the receiving part are shaped such that, when the inserting part of the main body is inserted into said portion of the male insulation body and the receiving part of the main body receives said portion of the female insulation body, the clearance among the plurality of first conductors and among the plurality of second conductors is maintained higher than 3 mm and the creepage among the plurality of first conductors and among the plurality of second conductors is maintained higher than 4.7 mm, in particular higher than 5.5 mm.

[0009] In particular, the clearance is maintained as per the standard IEC 60664-1 .

[0010] In a second aspect there is provided a male insulation assembly for multi-contact connectors, the male insulation assembly comprising: a male insulation body, and a fitting element according to the first aspect, wherein the fitting element is coupled to the male insulation body and is inserted in a portion of said male insulation body.

[0011] In a third aspect there is provided a female insulation assembly for multi-contact connectors, the female insulation assembly comprising: a female insulation body, and a fitting element according to the first aspect, wherein the fitting element is coupled to the female insulation body and receives a portion of said female insulation body.

[0012] In a fourth aspect there is provided a multi-contact connector, in particular having a working voltage between 32V and 1000V, the connector comprising: a male insulation body accommodating a plurality of first conductors, in particular male contacts; a female insulation body accommodating a plurality of second conductors, in particular female contacts; and a fitting element according to the first aspect, the fitting element being placed between the male insulation body and the female insulation body.

[0013] In a fifth aspect there is provided a use of the fitting element according to the first aspect or use of the male insulation assembly according to the second aspect, or use of the female insulation assembly according to the third aspect, for maintaining the clearance among a plurality of first conductors and among a plurality of second conductors higher than 3 mm and for maintaining the creepage among the plurality of first conductors and among the plurality of second conductors higher than 4.7 mm, in particular higher than 5.5 mm.

[0014] Other aspects and features are defined in the appended claims.

[0015] Examples of the disclosure may provide a fitting element for multicontact connectors, a male insulation assembly, a female insulation assembly, a multi contact connector and a use of said element and assemblies able to ensure a clearance and creepage distance values according to the standard requirements.

[0016] Also, examples of the disclosure may provide a fitting element and insulation assemblies for multi-contact connectors that are compact and robust. The examples of the present disclosure provide a solution for maintaining clearance and creepage distance values in accordance with the standards IEC 60664-1.

[0017] Examples of the disclosure will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like references refer to like parts, and in which: Figure 1A is a representation of the fitting element with respect to the male and female insulation bodies according to an example;

[0018] Figure 1 B is a representation of an insulation assembly according to an example;

[0019] Figure 2A is a perspective top view of the fitting element according to an example;

[0020] Figure 2B is a perspective bottom view of the fitting element according to an example;

[0021] Figure 3A is a representation of the fitting element and a corresponding cross section according to an example;

[0022] Figure 3B is a representation of the fitting element and a corresponding cross section according to an example;

[0023] Figure 3C is a representation of the fitting element and a corresponding cross section according to an example;

[0024] Figure 4A is representation of the male and female components of a connector according to an example; and

[0025] Figure 4B is a representation of a multi-contact connector according to an example;

[0026] Figure 5 is a representation of a cross section according to an example;

[0027] Figures 6A and 6B are a representation of a multi-contact connector according to an example.

[0028] A fitting element, a male insulation assembly, a female insulation assembly and a multi- contact connector as well as a use of said fitting element and male / female insulation elements are disclosed. In the following description, a number of specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples of the disclosure. It will be apparent however to a person skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed in order to practice the examples of the disclosure. Conversely, specific details known to the person skilled in the art are omitted for the purposes of clarity in presenting the examples.

[0029] Figure 1A schematically illustrates the application of the fitting element 1 in a multi contact connector 17. For the sake of simplicity, the figure only shows a limited number of components of the connector 17. Specifically, the male insulation body 2 encapsulates a plurality of first conductors 8, for example pin contacts, in order to insulate them from each other. According to the example shown in figure 1A, the pin contacts 8 extend through the male insulation body 2 inside dedicated male contact conduits 24. Similarly, the female insulation body 3 encapsulates a plurality of second conductors 9, for example receptacle contacts, to be coupled with the first conductors 8 in order to establish an electrical contact. According to the example shown in figure 1A, the receptacle contacts 8 extend through the female insulation body 3 inside dedicated female contact conduits 25. The fitting element 1 is placed between the male insulation body 2 and the female insulation body 3 and serves to maintain the clearance and the creepage distance among the first / second conductors within certain values of standard norms.

[0030] It is noted that the figure illustrate the components of a circular multi-contact connector 17. The fitting element 1 is simple in the construction and comprises a main body 6 with an inserting part 4 configured to be insertable into a portion of the male insulation body 2 and a receiving part 5 configured to receive a portion of the female insulation body 3. In other words, the fitting element 1 is a snap-fit element, whereas the inserting part 4 is configured to fit into the male contact conduits 24 of the male insulation body 2 and the receiving part 4 is configured to fit into the female contact conduits 25 of the female insulation body 3.

[0031] Figure 1 B illustrates the assembled configuration of the different components. In particular, the figure shows the insulation assembly 19 comprising the male insulation body 2, the female insulation body 3 and the fitting element 1 placed therebetween. Based on the fact that the fitting element 1 is coupled only to the male insulation body 2 or to the female insulation body 3, a male insulation assembly 16 or a female insulation assembly 18 can be defined.

[0032] A protective earth (PE) pin 20 can be provided on the male and female insulation body 2, 3 to ground the assembly.

[0033] In the assembled configuration - i.e. when the inserting part 4 of the main body 6 is completely inserted into a portion of the male insulation body 2 and the receiving part 4 of the main body 6 completely receives the portion of the female insulation body 3 - the clearance and the creepage among the plurality of first conductors 8 and among the plurality of second conductors 9 is maintained at a predefined value. In other words, the presence of the fitting element 1 ensures that the distance between two conductors - i.e. two first conductors 8, two second conductors 9, or one of the first and / or second conductor 8,9 and an electrically conductive structure or metal frame of the connector - is maintained above a certain value that is considered risky for example for the generation of an arc effect. The fitting element 1 acts therefore as a spacer for the single conductors present inside the connector’s structure.

[0034] For example, the present fitting element 1 is suitable for a circular multi-contact connector having twenty-eight pins per rated voltage of 300 V and having an insulation part with a diameter of 27 mm. In this case, the clearance among the plurality of first conductors 8 and among the plurality of second conductors 9 is maintained higher than 3 mm. In particular, the clearance is maintained between 5 mm and 10.4 mm.

[0035] In addition, the creepage among the plurality of first conductors 8 and among the plurality of second conductors 9 is maintained higher than 4.7 mm, in particular higher than 5.5 mm. Specifically, the creepage is maintained between 8 mm and 12 mm. It is noted that the above mentioned values of the clearance and creepage meet the requirements as per the standard IEC 60664-1 .

[0036] Figures 2A and 2B illustrate the fitting element 1 according to a top view (Fig. 2A) and a bottom view (Fig. 2B).

[0037] In examples, the main body 6 comprises a plurality of channels 7 arranged parallel to each other and extending along the main body 6 from the inserting part 4 to the receiving part 5. Each channel 7 represents a through-hole passage along a channel axis 21 from one side to the other side of the fitting element 1 . Each channel 7 serves to accommodate one of the first conductors 8 and / or the second conductors 9 inside the fitting element 1 and to insulate it from the others conductors. To avoid the contact among the conductors, but at the same time to maintain a compact structure, each channel 7 of the plurality of channels 7 has a tubular shape with an average thickness grater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

[0038] According to an example, each channel 7 of the plurality of channels 7 comprises a first channel portion 10 placed in the inserting part 4 and a second channel portion 11 coaxial to the first channel portion 10 and placed in the receiving part 5, the first channel portion 10 being separated from the second channel portion 11 at a separating surface 12. In particular, the first channel portion 10 is configured to be inserted into a corresponding male contact conduit 24 of the male insulation body 2 and the second channel portion 11 is configured to be inserted into a corresponding female contact conduit 25 of the female insulation body 3.

[0039] For this purpose, the first channel portion 10 of the plurality of channels 7 protrudes outside the main body 6 at the inserting part 4. On the other hand, the receiving part 5 comprises a protruding edge 14 defining a cavity 13 and the second channel portion 11 of the plurality of channels 7 are located inside said cavity 13. In particular, the protruding edge 14 can have an internal wall 15, the internal wall 15 being shaped to fit the external profile of the portion of the female insulation body 3. As shown in figure 2B, the internal wall 15 comprises an outline with several recesses in order to fit the bulging outline of the female insulation body 3, i.e. the outer surface of the female contact conduits 25.

[0040] Figures 3A-3C illustrate two top view (3A and 3C) and a lateral view (3B) with respective cross sections of the fitting element 1 .

[0041] In examples, the channels 7 are comprised between eight and thirty-five, in particular twenty-eight, and are arranged uniformly through the main body 6 of the fitting element 1 , for example along a circular perimeter, i.e. an outer ring of sixteen channels 7, an intermediate ring of nine channels 7 and an internal ring of three channels 7. Accordingly, the main body 6 can have a circular shape with a diameter greater than or equal to 27 mm. To ensure an electrical insulation, the fitting element 1 is made of electrically insulating material, in particular of polymeric material, such as polycarbonate.

[0042] As already mentioned, the first channel portion 10 is separated from the second channel portion at a separating surface 12. In other words, the separating surface is the surface from which the first channel portion 10 extend in one direction and the second channel portion 11 extends in the opposite direction. According to an example, the separating surface 12 has a thickness greater than or equal to 0.6 mm.

[0043] According to an example, the diameter of the first channel portion 10 varies, in particular decreases, in the direction from the center of the main body 6 towards the inserting part 4, and wherein the diameter of the second channel portion 11 varies, in particular decreases, in the direction from the center of the main body 6 towards the receiving part 5. This advantageously serves to fix the position of the first and second conductors 8, 9, when inserted into the channels 7. Figures 4A and 4B illustrate the application of the fitting element 1 in a multi contact connector 17 according to a different configuration. Differently form the fitting element 1 described in figures 1 to 3, the main body 6 comprises a plurality of fitting protrusions 26 extending in the direction of the inserting part 4, the fitting protrusions 26 being configured to be received in a portion of the male insulation body 2. For this purpose, the male insulation body is provided with a plurality of fitting recesses 27 shaped to fit the fitting protrusions 26 when the fitting element 1 is coupled to the male insulation body 2. Apart from this different structural characteristic, the fitting element 1 of figure 4A and 4B is identical to the fitting element 1 of figures 1-3. Therefore, all the features related to the fitting element 1 of figures 1-3 also apply to the fitting element 1 of figure 4A and 4B. In examples, the fitting protrusions 26 have a tapered shape. Advantageously, the fitting protrusions 26 serve to guide the fitting element 1 in the correct position when coupled to the male insulation body 2 and to improve the fixing effect, thereby avoiding a shift in a long run.

[0044] Figure 5 shows a cross section at the junction point between a male component 22 and a female component 23 of a connector 17. Between the male insulation body 2 and the female insulation body 3 a fitting element 1 is placed according to the example of figures 4A and 4B. It is noted that the presence of the fitting element 1 ensures an air gap D between consecutives conductors (male conductors and / or female conductors). Based on the above-mentioned technical features of the fitting element 1 , the air gap D is advantageously maintained according to the standard regulations. It is noted that the fitting element 1 serves to maintain a predefined air gap not only between two contact elements, but also between any contact element and a metal housing present in the connector.

[0045] Figures 6A and 6B describe a multi-contact connector 17 before the coupling (Fig. 6A) and after the coupling (Fig. 6B) of the male component 22 and female component 23. It is noted that the figures do not show the associated electrical cables. Both the male component 22 and the female component 23 comprise additional elements such as the plug assembly, the back-shell assembly, the jam nut assembly, etc. It should be clear, however, that the here described fitting element 1 together with the male insulation body 2 and female insulation body 3 are located inside these components. Advantageously, the connector 17 has at least twenty-eight contacts with rated current of at least 13 A, a rated voltage up to 500 V, an impulse voltage up to 8 kV and a pollution degree of 3.

[0046] Although a variety of techniques and examples of such techniques have been described herein, these are provided by way of example only and many variations and modifications on such examples will be apparent to the skilled person and fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

Claims l / We Claim1. Fitting element (1 ) for multi-contact connectors (17) placeable between a male insulation body (2) accommodating a plurality of first conductors (8), in particular male contacts, and a female insulation body (3) accommodating a plurality of second conductors (9), in particular female contacts, the fitting element (1 ) comprising: a main body (6) having an inserting part (4) fitting the male insulation body (2) and being insertable into a portion of the male insulation body (2) and a receiving part (5) fitting the female insulation body (3) for receiving a portion of the female insulation body (3), wherein the inserting part (4) and the receiving part (5) are shaped such that, when the inserting part (4) of the main body (6) is inserted into said portion of the male insulation body (2) and the receiving part (4) of the main body (6) receives said portion of the female insulation body (3), the clearance among the plurality of first conductors (8) and among the plurality of second conductors (9) is maintained higher than 3 mm and the creepage among the plurality of first conductors (8) and among the plurality of second conductors (9) is maintained higher than 4.7 mm, in particular higher than 5.5 mm.

2. Fitting element (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the main body (6) comprises a plurality of channels (7) arranged parallel to each other and extending along the main body (6) from the inserting part (4) to the receiving part (5).

3. Fitting element (1 ) according to claim 2, wherein each channel (7) of the plurality of channels (7) has a tubular shape with an average thickness grater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

4. Fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein each channel (7) of the plurality of channels (7) comprises a first channel portion (10) placed in the inserting part (4) and a second channel portion (11) coaxial to the first channel portion (10) and placed in the receiving part (5), the first channel portion (10) being separated from the second channel portion (11 ) at a separating surface (12).

5. Fitting element (1 ) according to claim 4, wherein the separating surface (12) has a thickness grater than or equal to 0.6 mm.

6. Fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the diameter of the first channel portion (10) varies, in particular decreases, in the direction from the center of the main body (6) towards the inserting part (4), and wherein the diameter of the second channel portion (11 ) varies, in particular decreases, in the direction from the center of the main body (6) towards the receiving part (5).

7. Fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the first channel portion (10) of the plurality of channels (7) protrudes outside the main body (6) at the inserting part (4).

8. Fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the receiving part (5) comprises a protruding edge (14) defining a cavity (13) and the second channel portion (11 ) of the plurality of channels (7) are located inside said cavity (13).

9. Fitting element (1) according to claim 8, wherein the protruding edge (14) has an internal wall (15), the internal wall (15) being shaped to fit the external profile of the portion of the female insulation body (3).

10. Fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein a. the channels (7) are comprised between eight and thirty-five, in particular twenty-eight; and or b. the main body (6) has a circular shape with a diameter greater than or equal to 27 mm; and / or c. the fitting element (1) is made of electrically insulating material, in particular of polycarbonate.

11. Fitting element (1 ) according to any one of preceding claims, wherein the main body (6) comprises a plurality of fitting protrusions (26) extending in the direction of the inserting part (4), the fitting protrusions (26) being configured to be received in a portion of the male insulation body (2).

12. Fitting element (1 ) according to claim 11 , wherein the fitting protrusions (26) have atapered shape.

13. Male insulation assembly (16) for multi-contact connectors (17), the male insulationassembly (16) comprising: a male insulation body (2); and a fitting element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fitting element (1 ) is coupled to the male insulation body (2) and is inserted in a portion of said male insulation body (2).

14. Female insulation assembly (18) for multi-contact connectors (17), the femaleinsulation assembly (18) comprising: a female insulation body (3); anda fitting element (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the fitting element (1) is coupled to the female insulation body (3) and receives a portion of said female insulation body (3).

15. Multi-contact connector (17), in particular having a working voltage comprised between 32V and 1000V, the connector (17) comprising: a male insulation body (2) accommodating a plurality of first conductors (8), in particular male contacts; a female insulation body (3) accommodating a plurality of second conductors (9), in particular female contacts; and a fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the fitting element (1 ) being placed between the male insulation body (2) and the female insulation body (3).

16. Use of the fitting element (1 ) according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or use of the male insulation assembly (16) according to claim 13, or use of the female insulation assembly (18)according to claim 14, for maintaining the clearance among a plurality of first conductors (8) and among a plurality of second conductors (9) higher than 3 mm and for maintaining the creepage among the plurality of first conductors (8) and among the plurality of second conductors (9) higher than 4.7 mm, in particular higher than 5.5 mm.

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