Compact angled round plug connector with quick-connection system
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- HARTING ELECTRIC STIFTUNG & CO KG
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-06
Smart Images
Figure DE2026100058_06082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Applicant: HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG
[0002] Title: Compact angled circular connector with quick-connect technology
[0003] Description
[0004] The invention relates to a circular connector according to the preamble of independent claim 1.
[0005] Such circular connectors are needed, for example, to enable the clearest and most effective pluggable cabling possible in confined spaces, e.g., a motor or device housing.
[0006] State of the art
[0007] The publication DE 202018006858 U1 shows a circular connector with a detachable quick-connect technology.
[0008] A disadvantage is that such a connector requires an undesirably large amount of space in many applications – for example, in a motor housing. Currently, there is a lack of a compact, angled circular connector with an easy-to-use connection technology.
[0009] The German Patent and Trademark Office has searched the following prior art in the priority application for the present application: DE 10255 190 A1 , DE 198 16418 C2 , US 2020 / 0091628 A1 ,
[0010] CN 119050704 A, DE 3744088 A1 and DE 202012 101 175 U1.
[0011] Task
[0012] The object of the invention is to provide an angled circular connector in a compact design, which has a connection technology that is as easy to use as possible. This object is achieved by the subject matter of independent claim 1.
[0013] A circular connector has a plug-in area and a cable exit that is separate from the plug-in area but detachably attached to the plug-in area and runs at least partially at an angle to the plug-in area.
[0014] The plug-in area has at least one connector housing. The connector housing has a cable connection opening and a plug opening offset from the cable connection opening in one plug-in direction. Furthermore, the plug-in area has a contact carrier located within the connector housing.
[0015] Furthermore, the plug-in area has at least one plug-in contact arranged in the contact carrier and pointing in the plug-in direction, wherein the plug-in contact has a plug-side plug-in section and a connection-side connection section. Here and in the following, the term "connection-side" is to be understood as cable-connection-side, i.e., that section or area of the respective object which, relative to this object in the assembled state, is arranged in the cable-connection-side direction.
[0016] Furthermore, the plug-in area has a connection device arranged in the contact carrier, which has a busbar as well as a V-shaped clamping spring and an actuator for each plug-in contact.
[0017] Each plug contact is electrically connected to the respective busbar via its connection section.
[0018] Each clamping spring has a retaining leg for attachment and also features a spring arc adjacent to the retaining leg and a clamping leg adjacent to the spring arc. The clamping leg is designed to clamp a self-contained electrical conductor to the respective busbar and to electrically connect the conductor to the busbar.
[0019] The actuator is designed to release the electrical conductor from the respective busbar by means of a translational movement in the insertion direction, through interaction with the clamping arm. This interaction includes a spring-loaded pivoting of the clamping arm, with the clamping spring travel extending from the busbar towards its retaining leg.
[0020] The actuator has an engagement surface arranged on the actuator - in particular essentially perpendicular to its translational direction of movement - for the purpose of manual actuation of the actuator.
[0021] The present invention therefore offers the following advantages:
[0022] The invention enables an angled circular connector, in particular an angled M12 circular connector, to be equipped with an easy-to-use push-in connection technology despite its small dimensions. Conversely, the invention makes it possible to use the user-friendly push-in connection technology even in confined spaces within an angled circular connector, e.g., an angled M12 circular connector.
[0023] M12 stands for the metric thread size, i.e. in the case of an M12 connector, it has a 12 mm (millimeter) locking thread on the plug-in side.
[0024] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims and the following description. In a preferred embodiment, the connector housing has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape. In a preferred further development, the contact carrier has a substantially cylindrical basic shape.
[0025] In an advantageous embodiment, the connector housing can have a length to be measured in the insertion direction and a main body with a first diameter to be measured perpendicular to the insertion direction, i.e. in the radial direction.
[0026] In a further advantageous embodiment, the mating area can have a substantially cylindrical mating face section with a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is smaller than the first diameter. The connector housing also then has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape in the area of the mating face section, having the second diameter. In a further advantageous embodiment, the second diameter can be less than half the size of the first diameter.
[0027] In a further advantageous embodiment, the length of the plug-in area can be less than three times, and in particular less than two and a half times, i.e., for example, less than twice the first diameter. This results in a very compact and easy-to-handle design, which is particularly space-saving in confined spaces, such as a motor housing. Despite this compact design, it is still possible to incorporate a push-in connection technology.
[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the electrical conductor can be either a stranded wire or a solid conductor. This gives the circular connector the advantage of being able to contact both stranded and solid conductors using the described contacting technique, thus increasing its range of applications.
[0029] For connecting thin stranded conductors, the actuator can also be activated when they are being contacted.
[0030] After connecting the electrical conductors, the angled cable exit can be attached to the connector housing and screwed in place using a locking nut. This attachment can be achieved, in particular, by means of opposing toothing on the cable exit and the connector housing at discrete angular intervals in the respective connection area. This makes the arrangement of the cable exit more flexible and, when using multiple such connectors, also standardizes it. Specifically, each toothing can have at least eight teeth, preferably of equal size and arranged at equidistant intervals. The teeth of the toothing can be, for example, rectangular, tetrahedral, or triangular and identical to each other. The spaces between the teeth of each toothing can correspond in shape to the teeth on the opposite side to ensure a positive-locking connection.In particular, each of the two sets of teeth can have exactly eight teeth.
[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the cable exit can be essentially perpendicular, i.e., angled at 85° to 95°. In particular, it can have two cable exit sections arranged at an angle to each other. This allows the cable exit, especially by means of the aforementioned toothing, to be mounted on the connector housing in several different rotational positions, e.g., eight, which increases flexibility under the aforementioned confined space conditions. In an advantageous embodiment, the two cable exit sections thus form an angle to each other that is greater than 85° and less than 95°, such that the aforementioned angle is essentially a right angle. Ideally, this angle can be, for example, 90°.
[0032] Example of implementation
[0033] An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and is explained in more detail below. The drawings show:
[0034] Fig. 1a, b shows an angled circular connector in an external view and in cross-section;
[0035] Fig. 2a shows a plug-in area of the circular connector, comprising a connector housing and a plug-in insert;
[0036] Fig. 2b, c shows the plug insert in an oblique view and front view looking at a cable connection side;
[0037] Fig. 2d shows the plug-in insert in a side view;
[0038] Fig. 3 shows the connector housing with its dimensions.
[0039] The figures contain simplified, schematic representations. In some cases, identical reference symbols are used for elements that are the same but may not be identical. Different views of the same elements may be scaled differently. Directional indications such as "left," "right," "up," and "down" are to be understood in relation to the respective figure and may vary between the individual representations compared to the object depicted.
[0040] Fig. 1a shows an angled circular connector from the outside. Fig. 1b shows the circular connector in cross-section. The circular connector has a mating area 1.
[0041] On the plug-in side - shown on the left in the drawing - the plug-in area 1 has a plug-in face section 11. On the connection side - shown on the right in the drawing - the circular connector has a cable exit 2 that is separate from the plug-in area 1, but detachably attached to the plug-in area 1 and runs at least partially at an angle to the plug-in area 1.
[0042] The plug-in area 1 has at least one connector housing 100. The connector housing 100 has a cable connection opening 10, shown below, and a plug opening 110, also shown below, which is arranged offset in a plug-in direction S relative to the cable connection opening 10. Furthermore, the plug-in area 1 has a plug insert 3 arranged in the connector housing 100, comprising a contact carrier 300.
[0043] Furthermore, the plug-in area 1 has at least one plug-in contact 4 arranged in the contact carrier 300 and pointing in the plug-in direction S, wherein the plug-in contact 4 has a plug-side plug section 41 and a connection-side connection section 42. The plug-in area 1 also has a connection device arranged in the contact carrier 300, which has at least one busbar 35, at least one V-shaped clamping spring 32 and at least one actuator 33 for each plug-in contact 4.
[0044] Each plug contact 4 is electrically connected to the respective busbar 35 via its connection section 42.
[0045] Each clamping spring 32 has a retaining leg 321 for its attachment and further has a spring arc 322 adjacent to the retaining leg 321 and a clamping leg 323 adjacent to the spring arc 322. The clamping leg 323 serves to clamp each self-contained electrical conductor on the connection side (coming from the right in the drawing) into a contact chamber 30 shown below on the respective busbar 35, and to electrically connect the electrical conductor to the respective busbar 35.
[0046] The actuator 33 can release the electrical conductor from the respective busbar 35 by a translational movement in the insertion direction S (to the left in the drawing) by bending the clamping leg 323 of the clamping spring 32 away from the busbar 35 and towards its retaining leg 321. This movement of the clamping leg 323 is spring-loaded, namely by the spring force of the spring arc 322.
[0047] The actuator 33 has an engagement surface 331 arranged perpendicular to its translational direction of movement on the actuator 33 for its manual actuation, e.g. by means of a screwdriver or another suitable object.
[0048] The cable outlet 2 is angled. For this purpose, it has two cable outlet sections 21, 23 arranged at an angle to each other, namely a first cable outlet section 21 and a second cable outlet section 23, which are connected to each other via a curved section 22.
[0049] In one possible embodiment, the aforementioned two cable exit sections 21 and 23 form an angle to each other that is greater than 85° and less than 95°, so that the aforementioned angle is essentially a right angle. Ideally, the angle could be, for example, 90°.
[0050] The cable outlet 2 can be mounted on the connector housing 100 in several different rotational positions by means of a toothed section 122 of a cable connection-side connection area 12 of the connector housing 100 (as shown in Fig. 2a, where the toothed section 122 is only visible on the connector housing 100), which increases flexibility under the aforementioned confined space conditions. After assembly, the cable outlet 2 can be screwed onto the connector housing 100 in the corresponding rotational position using a locking nut 123.
[0051] As can be easily seen in Fig. 2a, the connector housing 100 has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape. The contact carrier 300, shown to the right of it, has a substantially cylindrical base shape and can be inserted into the connector housing 100 through the cable connection opening 10. The contact chambers 30, labeled in Figs. 2b and 2c, are arranged in the contact carrier 300. The actuators 33 and the clamping springs 32 are also arranged in the contact carrier 300.
[0052] Fig. 2d shows the plug insert 3 in a side view.
[0053] Figure 3 shows the dimensions of the connector housing. The connector housing 100 has a length L to be measured in the insertion direction S and a first diameter Di to be measured radially perpendicular to the insertion direction S.
[0054] On the mating side, i.e., shown on the left in the drawing, the mating area 1 has a substantially hollow cylindrical mating face section 11 (not labeled here for clarity) with a second diameter D2, where the second diameter D2 is smaller than the first diameter Di. Thus, the connector housing 100 also has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape in the area of the mating face section 11, having the second diameter D2.
[0055] In one possible embodiment, the length L of the plug area 1 can be less than three times, and in particular less than two and a half times, i.e., for example, less than twice the first diameter D-. This results in a very compact and easy-to-handle design, which is particularly space-saving in confined spaces, such as a motor housing. Despite this compact design, it is still possible to incorporate the spring connection technology described above, namely the push-in connection technology.
[0056] Even though the figures show various aspects or features of the invention in combination, it is apparent to those skilled in the art – unless otherwise indicated – that the combinations shown and discussed are not the only possible ones. In particular, corresponding units or sets of features from different embodiments can be interchanged. Applicant: HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG
[0057] Title: Compact angled circular connector with quick-connect technology
[0058] Reference symbol list
[0059] 1 Plug area
[0060] 10 Cable connection opening
[0061] 100 connector housings
[0062] 11 Plug-in face section
[0063] 110 Plug opening
[0064] 12 Connection area
[0065] 122 gear teeth
[0066] 123 Union nut
[0067] 2 cable outlets
[0068] 21 first cable exit section
[0069] 22 Curvature section
[0070] 23 second cable exit section
[0071] 3 plug-in insert
[0072] 30 contact chambers
[0073] 300 contact carriers
[0074] 32 clamping spring
[0075] 321 Retaining leg
[0076] 322 Feather Bows
[0077] 323 clamping legs
[0078] 33 actuators
[0079] 331 attack surface
[0080] 35 busbar
[0081] 4 plug contacts
[0082] 41 Plug section
[0083] 42 Connection sectionS Plug direction
[0084] Di , D2 first, second diameter L length of the plug area
Claims
Applicant: HARTING Electric Stiftung & Co. KG Title: Compact angled circular connector with quick-connect technology Claims 1. Circular connector comprising a plug-in area (1) and a cable exit (2) separate from the plug-in area (1) but detachably attached to the plug-in area (1) and at least partially angled towards the plug-in area (1), wherein the plug-in area (1) has at least the following: a connector housing (100) having a cable connection opening (10) and a plug opening (110) arranged offset in a plugging direction (S) to the cable connection opening (10); a contact carrier (300) arranged in the connector housing (100); at least one plug contact (4) arranged in the contact carrier (300) pointing in the plugging direction (S), o wherein the plug contact (4) has a plug-side plug section (41) and a connection-side connection section (42); a connection device arranged on the connection side of the contact carrier (300), which has a busbar (35) as well as a V-shaped clamping spring (32) and an actuator (33) for each plug contact (4); wherein o each plug contact (4) is electrically connected to the respective busbar (35) via its connection section (42); o wherein each clamping spring (32) is provided for its attachment by a retaining leg (321), a spring arc (322) adjacent to the retaining leg (321) and a clamping leg (323) adjacent to the spring arc (322) for clamping a self-contained electrical conductor on the connection side to and electrically connecting it to the respective busbar (35); o wherein the actuator (33) is designed to release the electrical conductor from the respective busbar (35) by means of a translational movement in the insertion direction (S) by means of cooperation with the clamping arm (323); o wherein the aforementioned interaction comprises a spring-loaded pivoting of the clamping leg (323) of the clamping spring (32) away from the busbar (35) and towards its retaining leg (321); and o wherein the actuator (33) has an engagement surface (331) arranged on the actuator (33) for the purpose of manual actuation of the actuator (33) by engaging it.
2. Circular connector according to claim 1, wherein the connector housing (100) has a substantially hollow cylindrical shape.
3. Circular connector according to claim 2, wherein the contact carrier (300) has a substantially cylindrical basic shape.
4. Circular connector according to any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the connector housing (100) has a length (L) to be measured in the mating direction (S) and a main body with a first diameter (D-,) to be measured radially perpendicular to the mating direction (S), wherein the mating area (1) has on the mating side a substantially cylindrical mating face section (11) adjoining the main body with a second diameter (D2), wherein the second diameter (D2) is smaller than the first diameter (D-,).
5. Circular connector according to claim 4, wherein the second diameter (D2) is less than half the size of the first diameter (D-,).
6. Circular connector according to one of claims 4 to 5, wherein the length (L) is less than three times, in particular less than two and a half times, i.e. for example less than twice the first diameter (D-,).
7. Circular connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical conductor is a stranded conductor or a solid conductor.
8. Circular connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable exit (2) is angled.
9. Circular connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable exit (2) has two cable exit sections (21, 23) arranged at an angle to each other.
10. Circular connector according to claim 9, wherein the two cable exit sections (21, 23) form an angle to each other which is greater than 85° and less than 95°, such that the aforementioned angle is a substantially right angle.
11. Circular connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cable exit (2) can be mounted on the connector housing (100) in several different rotational positions.
12. Circular connector according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact surface (331) of the actuator (33) is arranged substantially perpendicular to its translational direction of movement (S).