High-current connector system and method for adjusting its overall isolation force

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to enable the total separation force of a high-current connector system to be adjusted to a preset value by simple means, thereby enabling the corresponding retrofitting of existing high-current connector systems with as little effort as possible. To this end, it is proposed that the connector (1) and the counterconnector (2) of the connector system each comprise at least one additional mating contact (100) or at least one additional counter mating contact (200). The at least one additional mating contact (100) and the at least one additional counter mating contact (200) are matable with each other and, in the mated state, are separable from each other again by applying individual separation forces, and thus are configured together to generate a preset amount of the total separation force of the connector system. This allows the desired total separation force to be adjusted individually, for example, by an end user, with very little effort by selecting suitable additional mating contacts and counter mating contacts for this purpose, e.g., to adapt it to the current strength actually used, thereby making connections carrying particularly high currents particularly difficult to separate, especially for safety reasons.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention starts from the connector system for high current described in the preamble of independent claim 1.

[0002] Furthermore, the present invention starts from the method for adjusting the total separation force of the connector system for high current according to claim 14.

[0003] Furthermore, the present invention starts from the method for adjusting the total separation force of the connector system for high current according to claim 15.

[0004] The term "total separation force" herein means, hereinafter, the force required to separate from each other the connector, which is both components of the connector system for high current, and the corresponding connector fitted to this connector.

[0005] Such a connector system for high current may be used, for example, for transmitting electrical energy. In particular, in this case, a total current having a high total current strength of at least a maximum of 16 A ("ampere"), for example at least a maximum of 20 A, preferably at least a maximum of 35 A, particularly preferably at least a maximum of 70 A, especially at least a maximum of 125 A, for example at least a maximum of 300 A, and particularly even at least 900 A can be transmitted through the connector system for high current and thus through the connector and the corresponding connector.

[0006] Background Art In the prior art, a connector system consisting of a connector and a corresponding connector is known. The connector is engageable with the corresponding connector and separable again from the corresponding connector under the total separation force. In the prior art, the total separation force usually rather randomly results from frictional forces, for example, the sum of the engaging force and the extraction force due to electrical effective contact, particularly friction, and the friction of the sealing of the connector housing, etc.

[0007] In practical use, there is a demand for specified connector systems to have a specified overall isolation force according to their function. In particular, high-current connector systems designed to transmit especially high current strengths require a particularly high overall isolation force for safety reasons.

[0008] A drawback of the prior art is that existing high-current connector systems cannot easily adjust the overall isolation strength.

[0009] The German Patent and Trademark Office searched the following prior art in relation to the priority application to this application: German Patent Publication No. 102019111847, German Patent Publication No. 102019121975, DE 11 2018 006 768 T5, German Patent Publication No. 1465689, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2021 / 0194167.

[0010] Problem Setting The object of the present invention is to provide a high-current connector system and method that allows for particularly individual adjustment of the overall isolation force of the high-current connector system to a preset value by the simplest possible means. Preferably, it is desirable that it be possible to retrofit an existing high-current connector system with as little effort as possible. Particularly preferably, for this purpose, it is desirable that the new components are added to or modified from the existing high-current connector system as little as possible. In particular, it is desirable that the so-called "modularity" of the high-current connector system be maintained as much as possible, that is, that the components of the high-current connector system are already on the market as much as possible and can be used with as many other commercially available components as possible, that is, at least matable, and preferably assembled together, thereby forming the connector system, in particular the high-current connector system.

[0011] This problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent claim.

[0012] The high-current connector system comprises a connector and a corresponding connector. The connector and the corresponding connector are not only matable with each other but also separable under a combined separation force. The connector has a plurality of similar high-current mating contacts. The corresponding connector has a plurality of high-current corresponding mating contacts that can be mated with the high-current mating contacts. In the mated state, each high-current mating contact is mechanically and electrically connected to one of the high-current corresponding mating contacts to transmit electrical energy, thereby forming a pair of high-current mating contacts.

[0013] Furthermore, the connector has at least one additional mating contact, and the corresponding connector has at least one additional corresponding mating contact. Each additional mating contact forms one additional mating contact pair with one of the corresponding mating contacts from the additional corresponding mating contacts. The additional mating contacts and additional corresponding mating contacts of each mating contact pair are matable with each other by applying an individual mating force, and in the mated state are separable again by applying an individual separation force. Thus, the additional mating contacts and additional corresponding mating contacts are configured together to generate a predetermined amount of the combined separation force, and the individual separation force of each additional mating contact pair is at least 1.5 times the individual mating force of each additional mating contact pair.

[0014] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, as used herein, the term “individual separation force” refers to exactly one pair of mating contacts.

[0015] Preferably, the individual separation force may be at least 1.75 times the individual fitting force.

[0016] In particular, the individual separation force may be at least twice as large as the individual fitting force.

[0017] For example, the individual separation force may be at least 2.5 times the individual fitting force.

[0018] In a particularly preferred configuration, the individual separation force may be at least three times, particularly at least four times, and especially preferably at least five times, the individual fitting force.

[0019] The advantageous features of the present invention are described in the dependent claims and the following description.

[0020] The advantage of the present invention is that it allows for retrofitting to existing high-current connector systems with minimal effort. In other words, it is sufficient to replace one or potentially more high-current mating contact pairs in an existing high-current connector system with one or more additional mating contact pairs.

[0021] It is particularly advantageous that the so-called "modularity" of the high-current connector system be maintained as much as possible. That is, all components of the high-current connector system may already be on the market and may be usable with other commercially available components; in other words, they may not only be matable with commercially available connectors, but preferably also assembleable with other commercially available components, thereby forming a different connector system / high-current connector system. In this respect, the aforementioned solution differs significantly from other possible solutions that are not as good in this regard, such as solutions that require changing one or more connector housings, locking systems, or other components in order to change the overall isolation force.

[0022] The advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that individual adjustments to the overall isolation force of a high-current connector system to a preset value are possible by extremely minimal effort. In other words, it is only necessary to replace at least one high-current mating contact of a commercially available high-current connector system with an additional mating contact, and at least one high-current compatible mating contact of a commercially available high-current connector system with an additional compatible mating contact. In short, replacing mating contacts is a normal handling procedure frequently performed by end customers and therefore requires very little effort.

[0023] In a favorable configuration, additional mating contacts and corresponding mating contacts may already be formed at the factory to generate the specified individual isolation force, thereby ensuring that the overall isolation force is at least equivalent to the load-bearing capacity of the high-current mating connection system. This has the advantage that the adaptation can be performed at the factory, and the high-current connector system can be delivered to the end user pre-adjusted by this adaptation.

[0024] In a further advantageous configuration, the high-current connector system may additionally have a complete set of different additional mating contacts and different additional corresponding mating contacts, each of which combines with the others to generate different overall isolation forces. That is, one or more suitable additional mating contacts and corresponding mating contacts may be selected from the set and inserted into the connector and corresponding connector, in particular to adjust a desired / pre-set overall isolation force in combination with each other. This has the advantage that the end user can individually adjust the overall isolation force to suit their respective applications, for example, the range of current strength actually being transmitted.

[0025] That is, a method for adjusting the overall separation force of a high-current connector system specifies that the preset adjustment of the overall separation force is performed by selecting one or more suitable mating contacts and one or more suitable corresponding mating contacts from the set of respective further mating contacts and respective further corresponding mating contacts.

[0026] In a preferred configuration, the further mating contacts and the further corresponding mating contacts may be locked to each other in the mated state, so that the overall separation force or at least a part thereof can be generated by the individual separation forces generated when the locking between the two is released. Alternatively or additionally, a frictional force may play a role for this purpose.

[0027] In a further preferred configuration, each high-current mating contact pair may be designed to transmit a current strength of at least 10 A (``ampere'') in the mated state, preferably at least 20 A, particularly preferably at least 40 A, especially at least 60 A, for example at least 70 A, particularly even more so at least 80 A.

[0028] In this configuration, the term ``designed'' means that a load of current strength up to the maximum value described for each high-current mating contact pair, that is, a load of current strength corresponding to or less than the maximum value described for each, may be continuously applied.

[0029] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that a high current load capacity, especially at a preset voltage, is advantageous for transmitting electrical energy as high as possible.

[0030] In a further preferred configuration, the individual separation force may be at least 15 N (``newton''), preferably at least 20 N, particularly preferably at least 25 N, especially at least 60 N, for example at least 75 N, for example at least 85 N, preferably even 97 N or more, for example at least 100 N, and in some cases even 110 N or more, that is, for example even 120 N or more.

[0031] Thus, the preset separation force may be, for example, 18N; 22N; 27N; 67N; 89N; 111N; 127N.

[0032] While the connector manufacturer describes and assigns the company's maximum current load capacity, when the end user installs it, the total separation force may be adapted to the actual transmitted current strength of the entire high-current connector system. This total current strength is obtained from the sum of the current strengths of the individual currents flowing through the individual high-current mating contact pairs.

[0033] For example, for a total current strength of 15A actually used, the preset total separation force may be 18N.

[0034] For example, for a total current strength of 16A - 20A actually used, the preset total separation force may be 22N.

[0035] For example, for a total current strength of 21A - 35A actually used, the preset total separation force may be 27N.

[0036] For example, for a total current strength of 36A - 70A actually used, the preset total separation force may be 67N.

[0037] For example, for a total current strength of 71A - 125A actually used, the preset total separation force may be 89N. [

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the connector has at least one contact support made of an electrically insulating material. This contact support may be integrally formed as a component ("monoblock") of a one-piece plug insert. However, the connector may have multiple connector modules, these connector modules being incorporated into a single connector module frame, thus forming a modular plug insert. In the latter case, each connector module has a contact support, so in this case the connector has multiple contact supports.

[0039] The connector has one contact chamber for each of the high-current mating contacts, and also for each of the further mating contacts. These contact chambers are located within a contact support or are distributed across multiple contact supports and located within these multiple contact supports.

[0040] Furthermore, the corresponding connector has at least one corresponding contact support made of an electrically insulating material. This corresponding contact support may be integrally formed as a component ("monoblock") of the corresponding plug insert. However, the corresponding connector may have multiple further corresponding connector modules, these further corresponding connector modules being incorporated into a single corresponding connector module frame, thereby forming a modular corresponding plug insert. In the latter case, since each module has a corresponding contact support, the corresponding connector has multiple corresponding contact supports in this case.

[0041] The corresponding high-current connector has one corresponding contact chamber for each of the aforementioned high-current corresponding mating contacts, and further for each of the aforementioned further corresponding mating contacts. These corresponding contact chambers are located within a corresponding contact support, or are distributed among multiple corresponding contact supports and located within these corresponding contact supports.

[0042] In a preferred configuration, the contact chambers of the connectors are formed to be identical in shape. In a further advantageous configuration, the corresponding contact chambers of the corresponding connectors are formed to be identical in shape.

[0043] This is beneficial to the modularity in terms of compatibility with further possible product components, because, in this way, not only high-current contacts / high-current compatible contacts, but also additional mating contacts / compatible mating contacts can be selectively mounted on each contact support / corresponding contact support, particularly in all contact housings.

[0044] In a preferred configuration, at least one contact support has a cable connection side and a mating side opposite to the cable connection side. The contact chamber is formed as a through-opening connecting the cable connection side to the mating side.

[0045] Furthermore, at least one corresponding contact support may have a corresponding cable connection side and a corresponding mating side opposite to this corresponding cable connection side. The corresponding contact chamber may also be formed as a through-opening connecting the corresponding cable connection side to the corresponding mating side.

[0046] In this regard, it should be noted here for clarity that the terms “mating side” and “cable connection side,” as well as “on the mating side” and “on the cable connection side,” and “mating direction” are always in relation to the corresponding connector or corresponding connector. In the vector sense, the mating direction, in its original sense, refers to the mating axis that perfectly coincides with the connector and the corresponding connector. The orientation is always the direction of mating, that is, the direction toward the other connector / corresponding connector. In the mated state, the mating side of the contact support and the corresponding mating side of the corresponding contact support face each other, and the respective cable connection sides are oriented toward each other.

[0047] In a further preferred embodiment, the high-current mating contact and one or more of the further mating contacts are located and held in each of the multiple contact chambers of the connector. The high-current compatible mating contact and one or more of the further compatible mating contacts are located and held in each of the multiple compatible contact chambers of the compatible connector.

[0048] This has the advantage that additional mating contacts, even if different from high-current mating contacts, can be housed within the same type of contact housing, which is beneficial to the modularity. For example, a conventional contact support may be used. In this contact support, one additional mating contact or a desired number of additional mating contacts may be fitted into the contact chamber originally provided for housing high-current mating contacts. Naturally, the same applies similarly to the corresponding contact support and further corresponding mating contacts.

[0049] The high-current mating contact and the corresponding high-current mating contact may be made of one or more conductive materials, particularly metals, i.e., one or more metals, and each may have one cable connection region on the cable connection side and one high-current mating region on the mating side for mechanical and conductive connection to each other so as to mat.

[0050] Further mating contacts and / or further corresponding mating contacts may indeed consist of one or more conductive materials, particularly metals, but alternatively, depending on the shape and required elasticity, they may consist of one or more non-conductive materials, such as plastics, and possibly several different types of plastics.

[0051] Preferably, the further mating contact and the further corresponding mating contact are each formed integrally, particularly as a single piece. However, a multi-piece configuration, particularly an assembled configuration, is also possible.

[0052] In a preferred configuration, the additional mating contacts and / or additional corresponding mating contacts each have one mating region on the mating side for mechanical connection to mate with each other, but do not have a cable connection region on the cable connection side. This has the advantage that the additional mating contacts and / or additional corresponding mating contacts can be manufactured with less effort. Furthermore, this has the advantage that the additional mating contacts and / or additional corresponding mating contacts are formed particularly stably for their size.

[0053] In a preferred configuration, the mating region of a further mating contact may be formed as a contact pin, and the mating region of a further corresponding mating contact may be formed as a contact socket. In particular, each contact socket of at least one further corresponding mating contact may have a plurality of slits, thereby forming a thin piece oriented in the mating direction in the mating region.

[0054] In a further preferred embodiment, the contact pins of the mating contact may have annular grooves.

[0055] Furthermore, the annular groove of the contact pin may have a retaining surface on the mating side. Preferably, this retaining surface may be oriented substantially perpendicular to the mating direction in which the contact pin is naturally oriented, i.e., at an angle of 80° to 120°, particularly at an angle of 85° to 95° or 95° to 105°, ideally at a right angle of 90° or 100°. Although these values ​​have been found to be particularly suitable in experiments, naturally, other angles may be significant under different ambient conditions.

[0056] Furthermore, the thin piece of the corresponding mating contact, oriented in the mating direction, may have a locking hook at its mating end that is oriented radially inward, and this locking hook may engage with the annular groove of the mating contact when mated.

[0057] Each locking hook has one sliding slope and one locking surface, and this locking surface may be at an angle of 30° to 90° with respect to the fitting direction, preferably 40° to 50° or 55° to 65°, and particularly preferably 42.5° to 47.5° or 57.5° to 62.5°, that is, for example, an angle of about 45° or 60°.

[0058] The method is used to adjust the overall isolation force of a high-current connector system. In this case, the adjustment of the preset overall isolation force involves at least the following parameters. - Number of additional mating contacts / additional compatible mating contacts, - Materials for thin slices, - Thickness of the slice, - Length of the slice, - Angle of the locking surface of the hook of the thin piece with respect to the mating direction, - Angle of the mating side retaining surface of the annular groove of the contact pin with respect to the mating direction This is done according to the settings.

[0059] Alternatively or supplementally, the adjustment of the pre-set overall separation force may be performed by selecting one or more suitable further mating contacts and one or more suitable further corresponding mating contacts from the set of different further mating contacts and different further corresponding mating contacts.

[0060] Examples One embodiment of the present invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0061] [Figure 1a] This is a diagram showing a connector housing. [Figure 1b] This diagram shows the module frame after installation. [Figure 1c] This figure shows further mating contacts. [Figure 1d] This figure shows further mating contacts. [Figure 2a]This is a diagram showing the compatible connector housing. [Figure 2b] This diagram shows the corresponding module frame that has been installed. [Figure 2c] This diagram shows further compatible mating contacts. [Figure 3a] This diagram shows a magnified view of the mating contacts. [Figure 3b] This diagram shows a magnified view of the corresponding mating contacts. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of a further mating contact and a further corresponding mating contact that are in a mated state. [Figure 5a] This is a first cross-sectional view of a high-current connector system without a pair of high-current mating contacts. [Figure 5b] This is a first cross-sectional view of a mated high-current connector system with a pair of high-current mating contacts. [Figure 6a] This is a second cross-sectional view of a high-current connector system without a pair of high-current mating contacts. [Figure 6b] This is a second cross-sectional view of a mated high-current connector system with a pair of high-current mating contacts.

[0062] The drawings include partially simplified schematic diagrams. Some elements, while identical, use the same reference numerals, although they may not be perfectly identical in all cases. Different drawings of the same element may be scaled to different sizes. Directional indications, such as "left," "right," "up," and "down," should be interpreted based on each individual drawing and may vary depending on the subject being depicted.

[0063] Figure 1a shows the connector housing 10 of connector 1, which is a component of the high-current connector system shown below (see Figures 5a, 5b and 6a, 6b). The tubular connector housing 10 is not strictly necessary for the function of the high-current connector system, but in the configuration shown herein, it is an optional component for useful safety, technical and protective purposes of connector 1 and, by extension, the high-current connector system. The connector housing 10 is made of plastic and has a cable outlet with a cable outlet 11 on one end and a rectangular mating opening 18 on the other end into which a plug insert 12, shown below, may be fitted and locked. Furthermore, the connector housing 10 has one locking bracket 14 on each of the narrow sides facing each other for locking into a corresponding connector housing 20, shown later.

[0064] Figure 1b shows the plug insert 12 described above. This plug insert 12 is formed as a module frame 120 on which the connector module 123 is mounted. Therefore, the plug insert 12 is a modular plug insert 12. In the illustrated configuration, three connector modules 123 are provided, but in other configurations, of course, any different number of connector modules 123 may be provided.

[0065] Each connector module 123 has a contact support 122, each having two contact chambers 128. However, only one of these contact chambers 128 can be seen in the drawing, because the other contact chamber 128 is fitted with a high-current mating contact 121. That is, both outer contact supports 122 are fully fitted, i.e., two high-current mating contacts 121 in this case. The intermediate contact support 122 is partially fitted, i.e., one high-current corresponding mating contact 221, while the last contact chamber 128 for accommodating further mating contacts 100 remains empty for the time being. Naturally, each contact support 122 may have a different number of contact chambers 128. The contact chambers 128 of the contact supports 122 are formed to be identical to each other.

[0066] Figures 1c and 1d show the aforementioned additional mating contact 100, which is provided for introduction into the last contact chamber 128 that has not yet been fitted. This additional mating contact 100 is housed within the contact chamber 128 and can be held within the contact chamber 128 by the contact support 122, and in particular, it does have a holding region 108, but this holding region 108 is solid, which distinguishes it from the aforementioned high-current mating contact 121 in that the additional mating contact 100 does not have a cable connection region.

[0067] Furthermore, the additional mating contact 100 has a mating region formed as a contact pin 101. The contact pin 101 has an annular groove 106 with a mating-side retaining surface 107, which can be seen particularly well in the enlarged view in Figure 1d and is also reference-labeled.

[0068] Figure 2a shows the corresponding connector housing 20 of the corresponding connector 2, which is a component of the high-current connector system together with the connector 1 described above. The corresponding connector housing 20, which is a tubular housing, is not necessarily required for the function of the high-current connector system, but in the configuration shown herein, it is an optional component for useful safety, technical and protective purposes of the corresponding connector 2 and, by extension, the high-current connector system. The corresponding connector housing 20 is made of plastic and has a cable outlet with a cable outlet 21 on one end and a rectangular mating opening 28 on the other end into which the corresponding plug insert 22 shown below may be fitted and locked. Furthermore, the corresponding connector housing 20 has two locking pins 24 on each of its longitudinal faces for locking to both locking brackets 14 of the connector housing 10.

[0069] Figure 2b shows the corresponding plug insert 22 described above. This corresponding plug insert 22 is formed as a module frame 220 on which the corresponding connector module 223 is mounted. Therefore, the corresponding plug insert 22 is a modular corresponding plug insert 22. In the illustrated configuration, three corresponding connector modules 223 are provided, but in other configurations, of course, any different number of corresponding connector modules 223 may be provided.

[0070] Each corresponding connector module 223 has a corresponding contact support 222, each having two corresponding contact chambers 228. However, only one of these corresponding contact chambers 228 can be seen in the drawing, because the other corresponding contact chamber 228 is fitted with a high-current corresponding mating contact 221. That is, both outer corresponding contact supports 222 are fully fitted, i.e., two high-current corresponding mating contacts 221 in this case. The intermediate corresponding contact support 222 is only partially fitted, i.e., one high-current corresponding mating contact 221, while the last corresponding contact chamber 228 for accommodating further corresponding mating contacts 200 remains empty for the time being. Naturally, each corresponding contact support 222 may have a different number of corresponding contact chambers 228. The corresponding contact chambers 228 of the corresponding contact supports 222 are formed to be isomorphic to one another.

[0071] Figure 2c shows the aforementioned additional mating contact 200, which is provided for introduction into the mating contact chamber 228, which has not yet been fitted. This additional mating contact 200 can be housed in the mating contact chamber 228 and can be held within the mating contact chamber 228 by the mating contact support 222. In particular, although it certainly has a holding area 208, this holding area 208 is formed solidly, and thus the additional mating contact 200 differs from the aforementioned high-current mating contact 221 in that it does not have a cable connection area.

[0072] Furthermore, the additional corresponding mating contact 200 has a mating region formed as a contact socket 201. The contact socket 201 has a plurality of slits 206, and these slits 206 provide the thin piece 209 with an inwardly facing end-side locking hook 207 (which can be seen in Figure 3b).

[0073] Figure 3a shows a magnified view of an additional mating contact 100. In this case, the retaining surface 107 of the annular groove 106 is hidden.

[0074] Figure 3b shows a magnified view of a further corresponding mating contact 200. The segmented cross-sectional view in the upper right of the figure clearly shows the locking hook 207, which has a sliding slope 2072 and a locking surface 2071 inclined with respect to the mating direction.

[0075] Therefore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art from Figures 3a and 3b that the individual separation force is sufficiently higher than the individual fitting force. In other words, during fitting, the sliding curvature (not shown) of the additional fitting contact, shown on the right side of Figure 3a, slides along the sliding slope 2072 of the additional corresponding fitting contact 200, causing the thin pieces 209 of the additional corresponding fitting contact 200 to bend outward from each other over a large portion of the fitting stroke corresponding to the shape of the curvature.

[0076] In contrast, the portion of the withdrawal stroke in which the retaining surface 107 of the further mating contact 100 pushes apart the flanks 209 of the further corresponding mating contact 200 via their respective locking surfaces 2071 during withdrawal from the further corresponding mating contact 200 is sufficiently small. However, the further mating contact must, in this short stroke portion, apply at least equal mechanical energy according to the law of conservation of energy. Already, excluding the frictional force that further enhances this effect, the individual separation force is already sufficiently higher than the individual mating force described above. This is because the individual mating force provides a sufficiently larger stroke portion to apply equal mechanical tightening energy to the flanks.

[0077] Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a further mating contact 100 and a further corresponding mating contact 200 in the mated state. It can be easily seen that the locking hook 207 engages with the retaining surface 107 of the groove 106 (not labeled in Figure 4) from behind with a locking surface 2071 that is inclined with respect to the mating direction. In other words, a corresponding individual separation force must be applied for separation.

[0078] Figures 5a and 5b, and Figures 6a and 6b show a mating high-current connector system having connector 1 and corresponding connector 2, in cross-sectional views with or without a pair of high-current mating contacts, each consisting of a high-current mating contact 121 and a high-current corresponding mating contact 221.

[0079] Figures 5a and 5b clearly show how the thin piece 209 of the further corresponding mating contact 200 completely surrounds the contact pin 101 of the further mating contact 100 within the area of ​​its groove 106. Figures 6a and 6b clearly show how the locking hook 207 of the thin piece 209 engages within the groove 106.

[0080] Furthermore, it can be clearly seen that the contact chambers 128 are formed similarly to each other, regardless of whether the high-current mating contact 121 or further mating contact 100 is fitted into the contact chamber 128. Also, it can be seen that the corresponding contact chambers 228 are formed similarly to each other, regardless of whether the high-current corresponding mating contact 221 or further corresponding mating contact 200 is fitted into the corresponding contact chamber 228. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1 Connector 10 Connector Housing 11 Cable Outlet 12 Plug Inserts 18 Fitting opening 121 High-current mating contacts 122 Contact support 123 Connector Module 128 Contact Room 100 Further mating contacts 101 Mating area, contact pin 106 Groove 107 Holding surface 108 Holding area 2 Compatible Connectors 20 Compatible Connector Housings 21 Cable Outlet 22 Compatible Plug Inserts 28 Fitting opening 221 High-current compatible mating contacts 222 Compatible Contact Support 223 Compatible Connector Module 228 Contact Room 200 Further compatible mating contacts 201 Mating area, contact socket 206 Slit 207 Locking Hook 2071 Locking surface 2072 Sliding slope 208 Holding area 209 Thin section

Claims

1. A high-current connector system comprising a connector (1) and a corresponding connector (2), wherein the connector (1) and the corresponding connector (2) are not only matable with each other but also separable under a combined separation force, the connector (1) has a plurality of similar high-current mating contacts (121), the corresponding connector (2) has a plurality of high-current corresponding mating contacts (221) that can be mated with the high-current mating contacts (121), and in the mated state, each of the high-current mating contacts (121) is mechanically and electrically connected to one of the high-current corresponding mating contacts (221) in order to transmit electrical energy, thereby forming a pair of high-current mating contacts, A high-current connector system characterized in that the connector (1) has at least one further mating contact (100), the corresponding connector (2) has at least one further corresponding mating contact (200), the at least one further mating contact (100) and the at least one further corresponding mating contact (200) are configured to be able to be mated with each other by applying individual mating forces, and to be able to be separated from each other again by applying individual separation forces in the mated state, thereby generating a preset amount of the total separation force, the individual separation force being at least 1.5 times the individual mating force.

2. The high-current connector system according to claim 1, characterized in that the further mating contact (100) and the further corresponding mating contact (200) are locked to each other in the mated state.

3. The high-current connector system according to claim 1, characterized in that each pair of high-current mating contacts is designed to transmit a current strength of at least 10 A ("amperes"), preferably at least 20 A, particularly preferably at least 40 A, particularly at least 60 A, for example at least 80 A, and especially even at least 100 A or more, in the mated state.

4. The high-current connector system according to claim 1, characterized in that the individual separation force is at least 75 N ("Newtons"), for example at least 85 N, preferably even 97 N, and especially more than 97 N, for example more than 100 N, and possibly 110 N or more, that is, for example 120 N or more.

5. The connector (1) has at least one contact support (122) made of an electrically insulating material, and the contact support (122) or the whole of the contact support (122) has one contact chamber (128) for each of the high-current mating contacts (121) and also for each of the further mating contacts (100), and the corresponding connector (2) has at least one corresponding contact support (222) made of an electrically insulating material, and the corresponding contact support (222) or the whole of the corresponding contact support (222) has one corresponding contact chamber (228) for each of the high-current corresponding mating contacts (221) and also for each of the further corresponding mating contacts (200), and the contact chambers (128) of the connector (1) are formed to be the same shape as each other, and the corresponding contact chambers (228) of the corresponding connector (2) are formed to be the same shape as each other, characterized in that the high-current connector system according to claim 1.

6. The high-current connector system according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least one contact support (122) has a cable connection side and a mating side opposite to the cable connection side, the contact chamber (128) is formed as a through opening for connecting the cable connection side to the mating side, and the at least one corresponding contact support (222) has a corresponding cable connection side and a corresponding mating side opposite to the corresponding cable connection side, and the corresponding contact chamber (228) is also formed as a through opening for connecting the corresponding cable connection side to the corresponding mating side.

7. The high-current connector system according to claim 1, characterized in that the high-current mating contact (121) and one or more of the further mating contacts (100) are arranged and held in one of the multiple contact chambers (128) of the connector (1), and the high-current corresponding mating contact (221) and one or more of the further corresponding mating contacts (200) are arranged and held in one of the multiple corresponding contact chambers (228) of the corresponding connector (2).

8. The high-current connector system according to claim 1, wherein the high-current mating contact (121) and the high-current corresponding mating contact (221) are made of one or more conductive materials, particularly one or more metals, and each has one cable connection region on the cable connection side and a high-current mating region on the mating side for mechanical and conductive connection to mate with each other, and further, the further mating contact (100) and / or the further corresponding mating contact (200) are made of one or more conductive materials, particularly metals, or one or more non-conductive materials, such as plastics, and each has one mating region on the mating side (101, 201) for mechanical connection to mate with each other, but does not have a cable connection region on the cable connection side.

9. The high-current connector system according to claim 8, characterized in that the mating region of the further mating contact (100) is formed as a contact pin (101), and the mating region of the further corresponding mating contact (200) is formed as a contact socket (201).

10. The high-current connector system according to claim 9, characterized in that the contact socket (201) of the at least one further corresponding mating contact (200) has a plurality of slits (206) thereby forming a thin piece (209) oriented in the mating direction.

11. The high-current connector system according to claim 10, characterized in that the contact pin (101) of the further mating contact (100) has an annular groove (106).

12. The high-current connector system according to claim 11, characterized in that the contact pin (101) is oriented in the mating direction, and the annular groove (106) has a mating-side retaining surface (107) oriented substantially perpendicular to the mating direction, i.e., in an angle relationship of 80° to 100°, particularly in an angle relationship of 85° to 95° or 95° to 105°, ideally at a right angle of 90°.

13. The high-current connector system according to claim 12, characterized in that the thin piece (209) of the further corresponding mating contact (200) has a locking hook (207) directed radially inward at its mating end, the locking hook (207) engages with the annular groove (106) of the further mating contact (100) in the mated state.

14. The high-current connector system according to claim 13, wherein each locking hook (207) has one sliding slope (2072) and a locking surface (2071), and the locking surface (2071) is at an angle of 30° to 90°, preferably 40° to 50° or 55° to 65°, and particularly preferably 42.5° to 47.5° or 57.5° to 62.5° with respect to the fitting direction, that is, for example, at an angle of 45° or 60°.

15. The high-current connector system further comprises sets of different additional mating contacts (100) and different additional corresponding mating contacts (200), and in order to generate a preset overall separation force, the different additional mating contacts (100) and the different additional corresponding mating contacts (200) work together to generate different individual separation forces, and are selectively insertable into the contact support (122) of the connector (1) or the corresponding contact support (222) of the corresponding connector (2), as described in any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A method for adjusting the overall isolation force of a high-current connector system according to claim 15, wherein the adjustment of the preset overall isolation force is performed using at least the following parameters - Number of additional mating contacts (100) / number of additional corresponding mating contacts (200), - Materials for the thin slices (209), - The thickness of the thin slice (209), - Length of the thin slice (209), - The angle of the locking surface (2071) of the locking hook (207) of the thin piece (209) with respect to the fitting direction, - Angle of the retaining surface (107) on the fitting side of the annular groove (106) of the contact pin (101) with respect to the fitting direction. A method that is performed according to the settings.

17. A method for adjusting the overall separation force of a high-current connector system according to claim 15, wherein the adjustment of the preset overall separation force is performed by selecting one or more suitable further mating contacts (100) and one or more suitable further corresponding mating contacts (200) from the set of different further mating contacts (100) and different further corresponding mating contacts (200).

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