Modular housing device and electrical connector

Abstract

To allow an inserted fuse contact to better reach a contact element, providing a reliable contact.SOLUTION: A housing assembly 1 includes a peripheral housing 44 and an inner housing 46. The inner housing is configured to receive a contact element 26 that can be plugged into a plug fuse 10. The inner housing includes an insertion opening 50 into which a fuse contact 14b can be plugged. The peripheral housing includes a module chamber in which the inner housing can be arranged, and an access opening 68 leading to the module chamber. The access opening has such a size that it is possible to pass through a housing wall 70 of the peripheral housing and to insert a fuse body 16 of the plug fuse completely into the access opening along a material thickness 76 of the housing wall.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing arrangement for an electrical connector connectable to a plug fuse.The present invention further relates to an electrical connector having such a housing assembly. [Background technology]

[0002] In many technical fields, it is necessary to protect circuits against faulty and / or overcurrent by electrical fuses. Electrical connectors may be employed to removably connect the respective circuits to the corresponding fuses. It is therefore desirable to use so-called plug fuses, which have pluggable fuse contacts that can be brought into contact with contact elements of the circuits.

[0003] The electrical connector may then be plugged into, for example, a fuse box in which one or more plug fuses are provided. The above-mentioned contacts allow the plug fuses to be conductively integrated into the circuit. Therefore, reliable contact is of paramount importance.

[0004] Depending on the application, plug fuses may be present in different numbers and in different locations in the fuse box. Furthermore, while plug fuses are typically standardized components, size variations exist due to application-specific configurations. This means that a wide variety of combinations of plug fuses may occur in a fuse box. Connectors are often pre-manufactured to match.

[0005] Especially when systems are highly complex, attempting to cover all "plug-fuse models" with suitable connectors would result in an almost infinite product line, with significant configuration, shipping and storage costs. Furthermore, new connectors may then need to be acquired every time a system is converted.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a connector that can be adapted to fuse boxes having a variety of plug fuse configurations. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the object of improving connectors with regard to reliability and flexibility of use for connecting circuits to plug fuses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] This object is met by a modular housing assembly for an electrical connector connectable to a plug fuse of a given size having a plurality of fuse contacts protruding from an abutment face of a fuse body, the housing assembly comprising a peripheral housing and an inner housing, the inner housing configured to receive a contact element connectable to the plug fuse, the inner housing having an insertion opening into which one of the fuse contacts of the plug fuse can be inserted, the peripheral housing having a module chamber in which the inner housing can be positioned and an access opening leading to the module chamber, the access opening passing through a housing wall of the peripheral housing and sized such that a fuse body of the plug fuse can be fully inserted into the access opening along the material thickness of the housing wall.

[0009] The size of the plug fuse may be defined by its dimensions or its outer dimensions. The housing wall may be an outer wall of the surrounding housing, in particular a bottom wall or a side wall. Full insertion occurs when the fuse body enters the access opening over the entire extension length of the material thickness of the housing wall.

[0010] On the one hand, the invention is advantageous in that due to the modular structure of the housing assembly consisting of a surrounding housing and a separate inner housing, the housing assembly can be flexibly adapted to the respective application, so that the inner housing can be selected to suit the application or easily exchanged during assembly or repair of the connector, which is not possible with a single housing.

[0011] On the other hand, the invention is advantageous in that the access opening is configured to at least partially receive the fuse body of the plug fuse. Without such an access opening, the plugged fuse contact would have to completely penetrate the double wall consisting of the surrounding housing and the inner housing before reaching the contact element. This means that the fuse contact entering from the outside would not reach deep enough into the inner contact element, especially since plug fuses, as already mentioned, are usually standardized and therefore the fuse contact cannot simply be extended.

[0012] By receiving the fuse body in the access opening along the entire material thickness of the housing wall of the surrounding housing, the plug fuse can be pushed deeper into the housing assembly. As a result, only one single wall of the inner housing needs to be penetrated. This allows the plugged fuse contact to have better access to the contact element. In particular, the contact overlap between the fuse contact and the contact element can be increased, thereby ensuring a reliable contact.

[0013] An electrical connector having a housing assembly and a contact element according to the invention also satisfies the object defined at the outset, where the contact element comprises a contact surface for electrically contacting a plug fuse, the contact surface being arranged in the inner housing and accessible by one of the fuse contacts of the plug fuse through an insertion opening in the inner housing.

[0014] Such a connector may be part of the circuit to be protected and benefits from the advantages of the housing assembly. By arranging the contact surfaces in the inner housing, these advantages come into play when the electrical connector is used in a fuse device comprising a plug fuse and a fuse box in addition to the connector according to the invention. The fuse box may be a fuse block, panel and / or holder. The plug fuse is arranged in the fuse box with its fuse contacts facing towards the connector. When the connector is or has been plugged into the fuse box along the plug-in direction, contact of the fuse contacts occurs at the contact surfaces. As already explained, the structure of the housing assembly according to the invention ensures sufficient contact overlap.

[0015] The invention can be further improved by the following embodiments, which are advantageous alone and can be combined in any combination with one another.

[0016] According to one possible embodiment of the invention, the cubature of the access opening may correspond to an enclosure for at least a part of the abutment surface of the fuse body, which may then be received in the access opening with a precise fit. The enclosure is preferably configured to be cuboid-shaped in order to obtain a simple geometry. For example, the access opening is surrounded by a rectangular outer edge and has a size such that the abutment surface of the fuse body can be inserted at least partially behind the outer edge of the access opening.

[0017] The depth of the access opening preferably corresponds to the material thickness of the surrounding housing wall. Thus, the access opening opens directly into the module chamber. The depth of the access opening is measured in the plug-in direction from the outer edge of the access opening. The length and width of the access opening extend perpendicular to the depth, and the length and width are also perpendicular to each other.

[0018] A plug fuse typically comprises two fuse contacts that protrude from the abutment surface of the fuse body and are aligned parallel to the length of the access opening. The two fuse contacts may be connected, for example, by a fusible conductor that extends through the fuse body. One of the two fuse contacts is used for plugging into a contact element of the connector through the access opening and the insertion opening. The other fuse contact is in permanent contact with the conductor of the fuse box and is not accessible by the connector. According to a further possible embodiment, it is then sufficient for the access opening to be sized such that at least half of the abutment surface of the fuse body can be inserted into the access opening. The abutment surface of the fuse body is typically planar.

[0019] The plug fuse may be a blade fuse for the automotive sector, for example according to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standards, including for example so-called ATO fuses, ATOF fuses, Maxi fuses, Maxi+ fuses or Mini fuses.

[0020] The access opening may be sized to allow insertion of the abutment surface of the fuse body of the largest plug fuse conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard. In particular, the width of the access opening may be greater than the maximum width of the abutment surface of the fuse body of the largest plug fuse conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard. As a result, in this embodiment, all smaller fuse bodies conforming to the relevant standard can be inserted into the access opening as well.

[0021] Of course, the access opening may be smaller than the abutment surface of the fuse body of the largest plug fuse conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard, in this embodiment, the access opening then has a size such that it is possible to insert the abutment surface of the fuse body of a plug fuse conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard, the fuse contacts of which are shorter than the fuse contacts of the largest plug fuse conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard by an amount that exceeds the extension of the material thickness of the housing wall.

[0022] According to a further possible embodiment, the inner housing may act as a contact holder. In other words, the inner housing receives the contact element in its interior, into which the insertion opening leads. The insertion opening may be a slot passing through the modular wall of the inner housing, configured to be complementary to the fuse contact. Optionally, the outer contour of the fuse contact at least partially corresponds to the inner contour of the insertion opening. Furthermore, the outer contour of the fuse body at least partially corresponds to the inner contour of the access opening. The contours correspond to each other if their width, radius, volume and / or cross section are the same, including a deviation of + / - 10%.

[0023] The inner housing and the contact element together form a contact module. The inner housing therefore simultaneously corresponds to a module housing. And the surrounding housing in the form of an outer housing or a plug housing serves as a module holder for the contact module. For this purpose, the inner housing is arranged in a module chamber of the surrounding housing. As a result, the housing assembly may be at least partially double-walled.

[0024] This double-wall formation occurs in particular when the internal housing abuts against a housing wall. For example, the internal housing may rest against a bottom wall of the surrounding housing, which then supports the internal housing. In other places, the internal housing may abut laterally against one or more side walls of the surrounding housing. The housing wall with the access opening runs at least partially parallel to the module wall with the insertion opening. However, in the region of the access opening, the housing assembly is simply single-walled due to the module wall.

[0025] According to an easy-to-manufacture embodiment, the access opening may be formed by a recess, cutout or notch in the housing wall. In particular, the access opening may be bordered by three mutually perpendicular adjacent edges of the housing wall and may be free, open or recessed at the fourth edge. In other words, the fourth edge is offset in the plug-in direction with respect to the other three edges, in particular countersunk. An abutment surface of the fuse body may abut against this fourth edge while facing away from the other three edges. Furthermore, the abutment surface of the fuse body may abut flat against the inner housing, in particular against the module wall, thereby ensuring sufficient stability.

[0026] The surrounding housing preferably includes an assembly opening through which the inner housing can be inserted into the module chamber. Optionally, the assembly opening may be covered by a housing cover. Optionally, the inner housing can only be inserted through the assembly opening and not through the access opening. From the inner housing's point of view, the access opening is simply a window.

[0027] Like the access opening, the assembly opening may open directly into the module chamber. Moreover, the assembly opening is preferably located on the other side of the access opening in the surrounding housing. In other words, the assembly opening and the access opening are arranged on opposite sides of each other with respect to the module chamber. As a result, the inner housing can be inserted into the module chamber through the assembly opening with the insertion opening facing forward so that the insertion opening is aligned with the access opening. In particular, at this time, the insertion opening and the access opening are aligned in the plug-in direction. Optionally, the insertion opening may be coaxial with the access opening, and it is preferable that the axis extending through the center of the insertion opening and the center of the access opening is parallel to the plug-in direction.

[0028] Both the alignment and the coaxiality of the access opening and the insertion opening make it easier to insert the fuse contact. This is made even easier if the contact surfaces of the already mentioned contact elements at least partially surround a contact receiving area, which is aligned with the insertion opening, particularly in the plugging direction. The contact elements may be configured, for example, as contact sleeves, clamps or forks.

[0029] Depending on the application, the housing assembly may include multiple inner housings. In other words, the housing assembly may include an inner housing and at least one further inner housing. Thus, the housing assembly has at least one inner housing.

[0030] A respective contact element may be received in each of the inner housings, such that the electrical connector comprises a plurality of contact modules and the fuse device of course comprises a plurality of plug fuses, to which a plurality of circuits can advantageously be simultaneously connected.

[0031] The surrounding housing may include a module chamber for each inner housing. Alternatively, to save installation space, some or all of the inner housings may share a common module chamber. In either case, the surrounding housing includes at least one module chamber, where each module chamber may provide one or more module spaces.

[0032] The housing assembly may be part of a set with more internal housings than there are module spaces in the surrounding housing. The internal housings of the set may differ from each other with respect to the shape, size, position and / or number of insertion openings and receivable contact elements. This provides options when mounting the contact modules in the connector. In other words, only internal housings suitable for the respective application are selectively mounted in the module spaces in the surrounding housing, while unsuitable internal housings of the set remain unused. Optionally, the remaining internal housings of the set may be used in another set so that no waste occurs.

[0033] Conversely, the surrounding housing may comprise more module space than there are interior housings, and the unoccupied module space may be filled further down the value chain.

[0034] According to further possible embodiments, the surrounding housing may comprise at least one access opening per module chamber. Alternatively, one or more common "cross-chamber" access openings may be provided. The access openings are preferably all located on one side of the surrounding housing, in particular facing the plugging direction. This allows multiple circuits to be connected to their plug fuses simultaneously with a single plugging action.

[0035] Depending on the number of plug fuses, the surrounding housing may comprise an even or odd number of access openings. The access openings are preferably arranged in a row, for example extending perpendicularly to the plug-in direction. The above-mentioned recess of each access opening may be arranged on the same side as the recesses of the other access openings of the row. If there is an even number of access openings, it is also possible to arrange the access openings in two parallel rows. The access openings of the two rows then have their respective recesses on different, in particular oppositely arranged, sides of the surrounding housing.

[0036] If desired, the access openings may be configured to receive fuse bodies of different predefined sizes, for example each access opening may be configured to receive a different fuse body conforming to ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standards, meaning that multiple standards can be met with one housing assembly.

[0037] All references in this application to standards and specifications (e.g. ISO standards) refer to the corresponding standard or specification version applicable at the time of filing.

[0038] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings based on a number of embodiments, the various features of which may be combined with one another as necessary in accordance with the above findings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0039] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a connector according to an exemplary embodiment in a fuse box; [Diagram 2] 2 is a further schematic perspective view of the connector and fuse box of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a housing assembly according to an exemplary embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective detail view of the connector of FIG. 1 with a plug fuse inserted therein; [Diagram 5] 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a cutting plane V in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0040] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the schematic structures of the housing assembly 1, the electrical connector 2, and the fuse device 4 will be described below.

[0041] Figure 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a connector 2 according to the invention, which is configured to be pluggable into a fuse box 6 along a plug-in direction 8. One or more plug fuses 10 are provided in the fuse box 6 (see Figure 2). The connector 2 together with the fuse box 6 and the plug fuses 10 form a fuse device 4. The connector 2 is connectable to the plug fuses 10, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0042] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the plug fuses 10 are shown as blade fuses 12 for the automotive field. In particular, they may be blade fuses 12 conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standards. For example, they may be commercially available ATO fuses, ATOF fuses, Maxi fuses, Maxi+ fuses or Mini fuses. Of course, the concept of the present invention may be applied to other plug fuses conforming to other standards or types.

[0043] The plug fuses 10 function to protect a circuit (not shown) against faulty and / or overcurrent conditions. To do this, the plug fuses 10 must be conductively integrated into the respective circuits. To this end, each plug fuse 10 comprises at least one fuse contact 14, for example two fuse contacts 14a, 14b (see FIG. 2). Additionally, each plug fuse 10 comprises a fuse body 16 having an abutment surface 18.

[0044] The fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b protrude from the abutment surface 18 and are preferably aligned parallel to one another. Optionally, the fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b are disposed adjacent to one another in a row along an alignment direction 20. Additionally, the fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b are connected by, for example, a fusible conductor (not shown) extending through the fuse body 16.

[0045] Each plug fuse 10 itself, as well as the fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b, fuse body 16 and abutment surface 18, have a predefined size. The sizes of the plug fuse 10, the fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b, fuse body 16 and abutment surface 18 may be defined by their dimensions or their outer dimensions. The dimensions of the abutment surface 18 consist of its length 22 (see FIG. 4) and width 24 (see FIG. 5). The length 22 is measured parallel to the abutment surface 18 along the alignment direction 20 of the fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b. The width 24 is also measured perpendicular to the length 22, parallel to the abutment surface 18.

[0046] One of the two fuse contacts, 14a, is in permanent contact with electrical conductors (not shown) of the fuse box 6 and is not accessible by the connector 2. The other fuse contact, 14b, is intended to be connected to the connector 2.

[0047] The connector 2 is part of the circuit to be protected and comprises a contact element 26 for each plug fuse 10 (see FIG. 5). The contact element 26 may be configured, for example, as a contact sleeve, a clamp or a fork 28. The contact element 26 comprises a contact surface 30 for electrically contacting the fuse contact 14b of the plug fuse 10. The contact surface 30 at least partially surrounds a contact receiving area 32 in which the contact is established. For this purpose, the fuse contact 14b has to be inserted into the contact receiving area 32. When this occurs, the plug fuse 10 is conductively integrated into the respective circuit.

[0048] Each contact element 26 is received in a contact holder 34. The contact elements 26 and the contact holder 34 together form a contact module 36. The contact holder 34 then functions as a module housing 38.

[0049] The fuse box 6 may be a fuse block, a panel and / or a holder. The plug fuses 10 are arranged in the fuse box 6 with their fuse contacts 14a, 14b facing the connector 2. When the connector 2 is or has been plugged into the fuse box 6 along the plug-in direction 8, contact with the respective fuse contact 14b occurs at the corresponding contact surface 30.

[0050] Depending on the application, plug fuses 10 may be present in different numbers and in different locations in fuse box 6. Furthermore, due to application-specific configurations, there may be size differences between plug fuses 10. This means that various combinations of plug fuses 10 may occur in fuse box 6.

[0051] To be able to exhibit this versatility, the connector 2 has a modular construction and is therefore flexibly configurable. To this end, the connector 2 may include a number of interchangeable contact modules 36, each configured with respect to the contact elements 26 and module housings 38 for a different or identical plug fuse 10.

[0052] Depending on which plug fuses 10 are present in the fuse box 6, the connector 2 may be fitted with an appropriate contact module 36. For this purpose, the connector 2 further comprises a plug housing 40 in which the contact module 36 is held. The plug housing 40 thus functions as a module holder 42.

[0053] Due to their relative spatial arrangement, the plug housing 40 is hereinafter referred to as the peripheral housing 44 and the module housing 38 is hereinafter referred to as the inner housing 46. The peripheral housing 44 and the inner housing 46 form the modular housing assembly 1.

[0054] As already mentioned, each contact element 26 is received in an internal housing 46, which serves as a contact holder 34, in particular in an interior 48 of the internal housing 46. The internal housing 46 also comprises an insertion opening 50 into which the fuse contact 14b can be plugged. The insertion opening 50 leads into the interior 48 of the internal housing 46. The contact receiving area 32 of the contact element 26 already mentioned is aligned with the insertion opening 50, in particular in the plugging direction 8. The insertion opening 50 may be a slot 52 passing through a module wall 54 of the internal housing 46, which is configured to be complementary to the fuse contact 14b (see FIG. 3). Optionally, an outer contour 56 of the fuse contact 14b at least partially corresponds to an inner contour 58 of the insertion opening 50.

[0055] For each internal housing 46, the surrounding housing 44 comprises a module chamber 60 in which the internal housing 46 can be arranged. In FIG. 3, six separate internal housings 46 are arranged in the module chamber 60 of the surrounding housing 44. Alternatively, some or all of the internal housings 46 may share a common module chamber (see FIG. 5). In other words, each module chamber 60 provides one or more module spaces 62, each corresponding to one internal housing 46 possibly with contact elements 26 as contact modules 36. Optionally, multiple internal housings 46 can be connected via material bridges 64.

[0056] In addition, the peripheral housing 44 preferably includes an assembly opening 66 through which each inner housing 46 can be inserted into its corresponding module chamber 60. The assembly opening 66 opens directly into the module chamber 60 or into multiple module chambers 60. Optionally, the assembly opening 66 may be covered by a housing cover (not shown).

[0057] For each module chamber 60, the surrounding housing 44 may include at least one access opening 68 through a housing wall 70 of the surrounding housing 44. The housing wall 70 may be an outer wall 72, specifically a bottom wall 74, of the surrounding housing 44.

[0058] The access openings 68 are optionally all located on one side of the surrounding housing 44, specifically facing the insertion direction 8 (see FIG. 3). Preferably, each inner housing 46 can only be inserted through an assembly opening 66 and not through its corresponding access opening 68. According to an alternative embodiment not shown, one or more common "cross-chamber" access openings may be provided.

[0059] Each access opening 68 exists primarily to allow the insertion of a fuse contact 14b into an insertion opening 50 of the inner housing 46. For this purpose, the insertion opening 50 and the access opening 68 are aligned in the plugging direction 8 (see FIG. 3). The housing wall 70 with the access opening 68 may extend at least partially parallel to the module wall 54 with the insertion opening 50. In particular, the insertion opening 50 and the access opening 68 are coaxial, with an axis extending through the center of the insertion opening 50 and the center of the access opening 68 being parallel to the plugging direction 8. As a result, the contact surface 30 arranged in the inner housing is easily accessible by the fuse contact 14b.

[0060] Additionally, each access opening 68 is sized to allow fuse body 16 to be fully inserted into access opening 68 in plugging direction 8 along material thickness 76 of housing wall 70. Full insertion occurs when fuse body 16 enters access opening 68 along the entire extending length of material thickness 76 of housing wall 70 (see FIG. 5 ).

[0061] 5 , each inner housing 46 may abut a housing wall 70 of the surrounding housing 44. For example, the inner housing 46 may rest on a bottom wall 74 of the surrounding housing 44. In addition, the inner housing 46 may abut laterally against one or more side walls 78 of the surrounding housing 44. As a result, the housing assembly 1 is at least partially double-walled. However, in the region of the access opening 68, the housing assembly 1 is merely single-walled due to the remaining module wall 54.

[0062] Without the access opening 68, the plugged fuse contact 14b would have to completely penetrate the double walls of the surrounding housing 44 and inner housing 46 before reaching the contact element 26. This would result in the fuse contact 14b entering from the outside not fully reaching the inner contact element 26.

[0063] This is an advantage of the access opening 68, which is configured to at least partially receive the fuse body 16 of the corresponding plug fuse 10. By receiving the fuse body 16 in the access opening 68 along the entire material thickness 76 of the housing wall 70, the plug fuse 10 can be pushed deeper into the housing assembly 1, since only the module wall 54 of the inner housing 46 needs to be penetrated. This allows the plugged fuse contact 14b to have better access to the contact elements. In particular, the contact overlap between the fuse contact 14b and the contact element 26 can be increased, thereby ensuring a reliable contact.

[0064] The outer contour 80 of the fuse body 16 may at least partially correspond to the inner contour 82 of the access opening 68. In particular, the volume 84 of the access opening 68 may correspond to an enclosure 86 for at least a portion of the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16. The enclosure 86 is preferably configured to have a rectangular parallelepiped shape. For example, the access opening 68 is surrounded by a rectangular outer edge 88 and has a size such that the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 can be inserted at least partially behind this outer edge 88 of the access opening 68. In this case, it is often sufficient to size the access opening 68 such that at least half of the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 can be inserted into the access opening 68. Here, the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 is usually planar.

[0065] The depth 90 of the access opening 68 preferably corresponds to the material thickness 76 of the housing wall 70. The access opening 68 then opens directly into the module chamber 60 or multiple module chambers 60. The depth 90 of the access opening 68 is measured in the insertion direction 8 from the outer edge 88 of the access opening 68. The length 92 and width 94 of the access opening 68 extend perpendicular to the depth 90, and the length 92 and width 94 are also perpendicular to each other. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the fuse contacts 14, 14a, 14b are aligned parallel to the length 92 of the access opening 68.

[0066] Optionally, the access opening 68 may be sized to allow insertion of the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 of the largest plug fuse 10 conforming to an ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard. In particular, the width 94 of the access opening 68 may be greater than the maximum width 24 of the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 of the largest plug fuse 10 conforming to an ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard. As a result, in this embodiment, all smaller fuse bodies 16 conforming to the relevant standard may be inserted into the access opening 68 as well.

[0067] As can be seen from FIG. 3, each access opening 68 may be formed by a recess 96, a cutout 98 or a notch 100 in the housing wall 70. In particular, the access opening 68 may be bordered by three mutually perpendicular adjacent edges 9a, 9b, 9c of the housing wall 70 and may be free, open or recessed at a fourth edge 9d. In other words, the fourth edge 9d is offset in the insertion direction 8 with respect to the three other edges 9a, 9b, 9c, in particular countersunk. The abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 may abut against this fourth edge 9d, while the abutment surface 18 faces away from the three other edges 9a, 9b, 9c (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, the abutment surface 18 of the fuse body 16 may abut flat against the inner housing 46, in particular against the module wall 54 (see FIG. 5).

[0068] The assembly opening 66 may be arranged at a side of the peripheral housing 44 (see FIG. 2). Alternatively, the assembly opening 66 may be arranged on the other side of the access opening 68 in the peripheral housing 44. In other words, the assembly opening 66 and the access opening 68 may be arranged on opposite sides of the module chamber 60 (see FIG. 3). As a result, each inner housing 46 can be inserted into the corresponding module chamber 60 through the assembly opening 66 with the insertion opening 50 facing forward, such that the insertion opening 50 is aligned with the access opening 68. At this time, the contact receiving area 32 of the already mentioned contact element 26 is also aligned with the access opening 68, particularly in the plug-in direction 8 (see FIG. 5).

[0069] As already explained, the housing assembly 1 comprises one or more internal housings 46. The housing assembly 1 may in particular be part of a set comprising more internal housings 46 than there are module spaces 62 in the surrounding housing 44. The internal housings 46 of the set may differ from one another with respect to the shape, size, position and / or number of insertion openings 50 and receivable contact elements 14. An internal housing 46 suitable for the respective application may be selectively installed in the module spaces 62 in the surrounding housing 44, while the unsuitable internal housings 46 of the set remain unused.

[0070] Conversely, the surrounding housing 44 may have more module spaces 62 than there are internal housings 46. Unoccupied module spaces 62 may be populated later with more modules along the value chain.

[0071] The peripheral housing 44 shown in Fig. 3 has six access openings 68 arranged in two parallel rows, the two rows extending, for example, perpendicular to the insertion direction 8. The above-mentioned recess 96 of each access opening 68 may be arranged on the same side as the recesses 96 of the other access openings 68 of the same row.

[0072] When the connector 2 is or has been plugged into the fuse box 6, the fuse contacts 14b of each plug fuse 10 protrude into the housing assembly 1. In particular, the fuse contacts 14b protrude through the access openings 68 of the surrounding housing 44 and are plugged into the insertion openings 50 of the inner housing 46. In other words, the fuse contacts 14b pass through the access openings 68 and the insertion openings 50 to be plugged into corresponding contact elements 26 of the connector 2.

[0073] The fuse body 16 is at least partially received in the access opening 68, while the other fuse contact 14a remains outside the housing assembly 1. In particular, the plug fuses 10 each protrude into opposite sides of the surrounding housing 44 (see FIG. 4).

[0074] According to an alternative embodiment (not shown), an odd number of access openings 68 may be provided in the peripheral housing 44. The access openings 68 may then be arranged, for example, in a row extending perpendicularly to the insertion direction 8.

[0075] If desired, the access openings 68 may be configured to receive fuse bodies 16 of different predetermined sizes. For example, each access opening 68 may be configured to receive a different fuse body 16 conforming to the ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standards.

[0076] All references in this application to standards and specifications (e.g. ISO standards) refer to the relevant standard or specification version applicable at the time of filing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1 Housing Assembly 2 Connector 4 Fuse Devices 6. Fuse Box 8 Insertion direction 9a, 9b, 9c, 9d edges 10 Plug fuse 12 Blade fuse 14, 14a, 14b fuse contacts 16 Fuse body 18 Contact surface 20 Alignment Direction 22 Length 24 Width 26 Contact Elements 28 Contact Fork 30 Contact Surface 32 Contact Receiving Area 34 Contact holder 36 Contact Module 38 Module Housing 40 Connector housing 42 Module Holder 44 Surrounding housing 46 Inner housing 48 Internal 50 Insertion opening 52 Slots 54 Modular Wall 56 Outer contour 58 Inner Contour 60 Module Chamber 62 Module Space 64 Material Bridge 66 Assembly opening 68 Access opening 70 Housing Wall 72 Exterior Wall 74 Bottom Wall 76 Material Thickness 78 Side wall 80 Outer contour 82 Inner Contour 84 volume 86 Enclosure 88 Edge 90 Depth 92 Length 94 Width 96 Cutout 98 Recess 100 notches

Claims

1. A modular housing assembly (1) for an electrical connector (2) connectable to a plug fuse (10) of a predetermined size having a plurality of fuse contacts (14, 14a, 14b) projecting from a mating face (18) of a fuse body (16), comprising: The housing assembly (1) comprises a surrounding housing (44) and an inner housing (46); the inner housing (46) is configured to receive a contact element (26) connectable to the plug fuse (10), the inner housing (46) having an insertion opening (50) into which one of the fuse contacts (14b) of the plug fuse (10) can be inserted; The surrounding housing (44) includes a module chamber (60) in which the inner housing (46) can be placed, and an access opening (68) leading to the module chamber (60); the access opening (68) passes through a housing wall (70) of the surrounding housing (44) and is sized to allow the fuse body (16) of the plug fuse (10) to be fully inserted into the access opening (68) along a material thickness (76) of the housing wall (70); A modular housing assembly (1).

2. 2. The housing assembly (1) of claim 1, wherein the volume (84) of the access opening (68) corresponds to an enclosure (86) for at least a portion of the abutment surface (18) of the fuse body (16).

3. 3. The housing assembly (1) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the access opening (68) is sized to allow insertion of the abutment surface (18) of the fuse body (16) of the largest plug fuse (10) conforming to an ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard.

4. 4. The housing assembly (1) of claim 3, wherein a width (94) of the access opening (68) is greater than a maximum width (24) of the abutment face (18) of the fuse body (16) of the largest plug fuse (10) conforming to an ISO 8820-3, ISO 8820-10, SAE J1284 or SAE J2077 standard.

5. 5. The housing assembly (1) of claim 1, wherein the inner housing (46) is disposed in the module chamber (60) of the surrounding housing (44) such that the housing assembly (1) is at least partially double-walled.

6. The housing assembly (1) of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inner housing (46) abuts the housing wall (70).

7. A housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the access opening (68) is formed by a recess (96) in the housing wall (70).

8. A housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insertion opening (50) is aligned with the access opening (68).

9. A housing assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the insertion opening (50) is coaxial with the access opening (68).

10. 10. The housing assembly (1) of claim 1, wherein the housing assembly (1) comprises a plurality of inner housings (46), and the surrounding housing (44) comprises a module chamber (60) for each inner housing (46).

11. 11. The housing assembly (1) of claim 10, wherein the surrounding housing (44) includes at least one access opening (68) for each module chamber (60), the access openings (68) all being located on one side of the surrounding housing (44).

12. The housing assembly (1) of claim 11, wherein the peripheral housing (44) comprises an even or odd number of access openings (68) arranged in a row.

13. 13. A housing assembly (1) as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the access opening (68) is configured to receive fuse bodies (16) of different predetermined sizes.

14. An electrical connector (2) comprising a housing assembly (1) and a contact element (26) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, the contact element (26) having a contact surface (30) for electrically contacting the plug fuse (10); the contact surface (30) is disposed in the inner housing (46) and is accessible by one of the fuse contacts (14b) of the plug fuse (10) through the insertion opening (50); Electrical connector (2).

15. The connector (2) of claim 14, wherein the contact surface (30) at least partially surrounds a contact receiving area (32), the contact receiving area (32) being aligned with the insertion opening (50).

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