Plug Connector

Abstract

A plug connector comprising a first support member (1) having a first end face (2) and a second end face (3), and a second support member (4), each of the support members (1, 4) being formed substantially tubular, the second support member (4) surrounding the first end face (2) of the first support member (1) from the outer circumferential side with a radial gap therebetween, a spring body (6) made of a rubber-elastic material being disposed within a gap (5) formed by this gap, and the spring body connecting the first support member (1) and the second support member (4) so ​​as to be elastically flexible in the radial direction (7).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plug connector. [Background technology]

[0002] Plug connectors are generally known and are used to seal circuits that conduct a medium, for example, cooling water circuits or oil circuits, where the plug connector ensures a tight connection of pipes or passages in a housing or between machine elements.

[0003] A plug connector is known from EP 1024322. The known plug connector is used to seal and connect two tubular hollow bodies arranged adjacent to each other and spaced apart in the axial direction, and includes a support member made of a tough material formed as a connecting sleeve, which is surrounded on both sides at its end face by sealing ridges made of an elastomeric material that protrude axially from the support member on both sides at its end face.

[0004] Each protrusion is configured as a sealing lip tapering in cross section in the axial direction, which forms a circumferential gap in the radial direction with respect to the inner wall of the respective hollow body when no overpressure is applied in the plug connector, and when overpressure is applied in the plug connector, it presses sealingly against the inner wall of the hollow body surrounding the end face from the outer periphery. By means of the sealing lip, which can be elastically spring-loaded in the radial direction, overpressures of up to 60 bar in the plug connector can be sealed without leakage of the medium to be sealed in the sealing area. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The object of the invention is to improve a plug connector of the type mentioned at the outset in such a way that axial misalignments of machine elements to be connected to one another can be compensated for by the plug connector. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention by a plug connector having the features of claim 1. For advantageous configurations of the plug connector, reference is made to the claims which directly or indirectly cite claim 1.

[0007] To solve this problem, a plug connector has been identified, which comprises a first support member having a first end face and a second end face, and a second support member, each of the support members being formed substantially tubular, the second support member surrounding the first end face of the first support member from the outer circumferential side at a radial interval, and a spring body made of a rubber-elastic material being arranged in the gap formed by this interval, and the spring body connecting the first support member and the second support member so as to be elastically flexible in the radial direction.

[0008] A spring body between the first and second support elements makes it possible to compensate for axial misalignment of the machine elements which are connected to one another by the plug connector.

[0009] Radial and axial deviations of the mechanical elements due to manufacturing or assembly can also be compensated for by the spring body of the plug connector.

[0010] The second end face is specified to be surrounded on the outer periphery by a first sealing ridge for mutual sealing of the machine elements connected by the plug connector. The first sealing ridge may be convex in cross section of the plug connector. This has the advantage that the convex shape of the sealing ridge facilitates assembly of the plug connector, since it provides an assembly slope that allows for easy assembly of the plug without damaging the first sealing ridge. Furthermore, material displaced by assembly of the first sealing ridge can escape to an axially adjacent, less mechanically stressed area, thereby preventing undesirable high mechanical stresses on the first sealing ridge.

[0011] The first sealing ridge is preferably made of an elastomeric material, which is inexpensively available in many specifications.

[0012] The first seal ridge may have a first axial seal formed in a ring shape on the axially opposite side of the first end face, which may provide axial sealing against, for example, a cooling water connection flange.

[0013] The first sealing ridge and the first axial seal are preferably integrally formed so as to transition into each other, which makes the plug connector simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

[0014] The second support member may have a second sealing ridge on the radially opposite side of the spring body, the second sealing ridge surrounding the second support member from the outer circumferential surface side, and the second sealing ridge seals the mechanical element.

[0015] The second sealing ridge is also preferably made of an elastomeric material and has the same advantages as described above.

[0016] The second support member may have a second axial seal formed in a ring shape on the axial side opposite the second end face, which second axial seal can be applied to seal against the end face of the mechanical element under an axial preload.

[0017] The second seal ridge and the second axial seal are likewise preferably integrally formed so as to transition into one another.

[0018] Due to the second sealing ridge, the second axial seal and the spring body, as well as the spring body and the first sealing ridge, being formed integrally and in one material so as to transition into one another, significant advantages can be achieved in terms of the simple and inexpensive manufacturability of the plug connector and the advantages of pure recycling when the plug connector is sorted after use.

[0019] The second support may be formed by an L-shaped angle element having a radial leg and an axial leg. The angle element may be formed, for example, from an angled sheet metal. Such a support has the advantage that the axial leg provides good guidance within the machine element to be sealed, and the radial leg is formed as an axial stop for the machine element to be sealed. This facilitates assembly of the plug connector and the machine element. The L-shaped angle element ensures that the plug connector and the machine element are always positioned accurately relative to one another.

[0020] For advantageous sealing of the axial leg at the machine element, it may be specified that the axial leg is surrounded on the outer periphery by a second sealing ridge.

[0021] The second sealing ridge may have at least two sealing lips that are axially adjacent to each other and that close themselves in the circumferential direction, and the second sealing ridge and the sealing lips allow the plug connector to seal consistently well against the machine element to be sealed over a long period of use.

[0022] The first support member may be positively and / or materially connected to the first sealing ridge and / or the second support member may be positively and / or materially connected to the second sealing ridge.

[0023] This type of connection between the support element and the corresponding sealing ridge can be selected by a person skilled in the art of plug connector construction depending on the particular circumstances of the application.

[0024] An embodiment of a plug connector according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 3 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a plug connector according to the present invention taken along line BB in FIG. 2. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the plug connector of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the plug connector of FIGS. 1 and 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the plug connector of FIG. 1 in a sealing device including the plug connector; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] 1 to 3 show an embodiment of a plug connector according to the present invention.

[0027] The plug connector includes a first support member 1 and a second support member 4, each of which is tubular. The second support member 4 surrounds the first support member 1 in the region of the first end face 2 at a radially spaced interval from the outer periphery, forming a gap 5. The first support member 1 and the second support member 4 are each made of a tough material, such as a metallic or polymeric material. A spring body 6 is arranged in the gap 5 to compensate for radial misalignment of the two support members 1, 4 relative to one another.

[0028] In addition to the two support members 1, 4, the plug connector also has a unit 19 including the spring body 6 and the first and second sealing ridges 8, 11. The units 19 are formed integrally and in a uniform manner so as to transition into one another and consist of a rubber-elastic material. In this embodiment, the units 19 are connected to the support members 1, 4 by a material-tight connection.

[0029] The second support member 4 surrounds the first support member 1 in the region of the first end face 2 of the first support member 1 .

[0030] In contrast to this, the second end face 3 of the first support member 1 is surrounded by a first seal protrusion 8 from the outer circumferential surface side.

[0031] The second support element 4, formed as an L-shaped angle element 13, has a radial leg 14 and an axial leg 15, the latter of which is surrounded on its outer circumferential surface by a second sealing ridge 11 on the radially opposite side of the spring body 6.

[0032] Both the first sealing ridge 8 and the second sealing ridge 11 have ring-shaped axial seals 10, 12, respectively, which can be elastically deflected under an axial preload as required during a given use of the plug connector and can be brought into sealing contact with a corresponding surface of a mechanical element.

[0033] Unlike the first sealing ridge, which is formed convexly when viewed in a longitudinal section of the plug connector, the second sealing ridge 11 has two sealing lips 17, 18 arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction 9 and formed closed on themselves in the circumferential direction 16.

[0034] FIG. 4 shows a sealing device including the plug connector shown in FIGS.

[0035] In the illustrated embodiment, three independent mechanical elements 20, 21, 22 are sealed from one another by the plug connector. The mechanical elements 20, 21, 22 may have a radial and / or angular misalignment with one another, and each type of misalignment of the mechanical elements 20, 21, 22 relative to one another is compensated for by the plug connector, in particular by the functional cooperation of the first sealing ridge 8 and the spring body 6. The first sealing ridge 8, the spring body 6, and their functional cooperation can also compensate for relatively large misalignments. The spring action and elastic flexibility of the first sealing ridge 8 and the spring body 6, respectively, are relatively large and increase as needed during a given use of the plug connector in order to compensate for the misalignment.

[0036] The machine elements 20, 22 belong to a cooling circuit in the field of e-mobility.

[0037] The mechanical element 21 is a housing wall and belongs to a housing 23, for example an inverter housing of an electric drive.

[0038] The mechanical element 20 is a connecting member and is sealed by the second axial seal 12 .

[0039] The machine element 21 is sealed by the second sealing ridge 11 with both sealing lips 17,18.

[0040] The machine element 22 is a piece of pipe sealed by a first sealing ridge 8 .

Claims

1. A plug connector comprising a first support member (1) having a first end face (2) and a second end face (3), and a second support member (4), each of the support members (1, 4) being formed substantially tubular, the second support member (4) surrounding the first end face (2) of the first support member (1) from the outer circumferential side with a radial gap therebetween, and a spring body (6) made of a rubber-elastic material disposed in a gap (5) formed by the gap, the spring body connecting the first support member (1) and the second support member (4) so ​​as to be elastically flexible in the radial direction (7).

2. 2. The plug connector according to claim 1, wherein the second end face (3) is surrounded on its outer periphery by a first sealing protuberance (8).

3. 3. The plug connector according to claim 2, wherein the first sealing protuberance (8) is formed convexly when viewed in a longitudinal section of the plug connector.

4. 4. A plug connector according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first sealing ridge (8) consists of a rubber-elastic material.

5. 5. The plug connector according to claim 2, wherein the first sealing protuberance (8) has a first axial seal (10) formed in a ring shape on the axial side (9) opposite the first end face (2).

6. 6. The plug connector according to claim 2, wherein the first sealing ridge (8) and the first axial seal (10) are integrally formed so as to transition into each other.

7. 2. The plug connector according to claim 1, wherein the second support member (4) has a second sealing protrusion (11) on the radially opposite side to the spring body (6), and the second sealing protrusion surrounds the second support member (4) from the outer peripheral surface side.

8. 8. A plug connector according to claim 7, wherein the second sealing ridge (11) is made of a rubber-elastic material.

9. 9. The plug connector according to claim 7, wherein the second support member (4) has a second axial seal (12) formed in a ring shape on the axial side (9) opposite the second end face (3).

10. 10. The plug connector according to claim 7, wherein the second sealing ridge (11) and the second axial seal (12) are integrally formed so as to transition into each other.

11. 11. The plug connector according to claim 7, wherein the second sealing protrusion (11), the second axial seal (12), and the spring body (6) are formed integrally and in a uniform material so as to transition into one another.

12. 7. The plug connector according to claim 1, wherein the spring body (6) and the first sealing protuberance (8) are formed integrally and in one piece so as to merge into each other.

13. 13. A plug connector according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the second support (4) is formed by an L-shaped angle element (13) having a radial leg (14) and an axial leg (15).

14. 14. The plug connector according to claim 13, wherein the radial leg (14) is formed as an axial stop for the first machine element to be sealed.

15. 14. The plug connector according to claim 13, wherein the axial leg (15) is surrounded on its outer periphery by the second sealing protuberance (11).

16. 16. The plug connector according to claim 15, wherein the second sealing protuberance (11) has at least two sealing lips (17, 18) arranged adjacent to each other in the axial direction (9) and formed to close themselves in the circumferential direction (16).

17. 17. The plug connector according to claim 2, wherein the first support member (1) is connected to the first sealing ridge (8) and / or the second support member (4) is connected to the second sealing ridge (11) in a form-locking and / or material-locking manner.

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