Housing for a plug connector

Abstract

The invention relates to a housing for a plug connector, comprising the following: at least one plug contact for producing an electrically conductive plug connection to a mating contact of a mating plug, and an electrically conductive connection between the plug contact and an electrical conductor, characterised in that first surfaces made of plastic of the housing form at least one line surface, in that the first surfaces are coated with at least one layer of electrically conductive material, in particular metal, and electrically conductively connect at least two contacting regions to one another, of which one contacting region is designed to establish an electrical contact with a plug contact by means of at least one first contact, or is itself a plug contact, and of which the other is designed to establish an electrical contact with an electrical conductor or with a plug contact by means of at least one second contact, or is itself a plug contact, and are surrounded by second surfaces made of plastic of the housing, which are not coated with electrically conductive material.

Description

[0001] KOSTAL Contact Systems GmbH & Co. KG

[0002] 1

[0003] Description

[0004] Housing for a connector

[0005] The invention relates to a housing for a connector which has at least one plug contact for making an electrically conductive plug connection with a mating contact of a mating plug, as well as an electrically conductive connection between the plug contact and an electrical conductor.

[0006] Electrical connectors, plugs, or simply plugs according to the present invention are fundamentally defined by at least one plug contact, which serves to establish an electrically conductive connection with a mating contact of a mating plug, and by an electrically conductive connection between this plug contact and an electrical conductor, such as the "core" of a cable—or more generally, a continuation or extension of the electrical conductor coming from the plug contact, which is to be connected to the mating plug contact by the plug. Examples of electrical conductors are the aforementioned core of a cable, or a bus line, or also a conductive component such as a vehicle body or another "ground" component.Most plugs are used to electrically connect a cable with at least one conductor (i.e., a cable with at least one electrical conductor or more) to a specific number of contacts of a mating plug, also called mating contacts.

[0007] The at least one electrically conductive connection in a plug between its at least one plug contact and at least one electrical conductor, to which the plug is to establish an electrical connection to a mating plug, is known to be usually formed by at least one sheet metal part which is arranged in an insulating housing, usually made of plastic.

[0008] This allows the housing made of insulating material to be safely touched on the outside, while inside the housing at least one electrically conductive connection is installed between at least one plug contact and at least one electrical conductor, thus creating an electrical line - in the form of the aforementioned sheet metal parts, usually stamped and bent, but also, for example, in the form of cables that run between the plug contact and the onward connection through the plug.

[0009] There are many applications where connectors must be fluid-tight, i.e., gas-tight and / or liquid-tight, for example, because they are part of a wall that must be entirely fluid-tight. For instance, the plug contacts are located in a dry, non-corrosive area, while the conductor, to which the electrical wire leads from the plug contact, is located in an environment separate from this dry area. (KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG)

[0010] 2

[0011] exposed to weather and moisture. In the automotive sector, such a dry area would be the engine compartment of a car, where the plug contacts might then be located in the dry environment of, for example, an electrical control box. In other words, with such plugs, the electrically conductive connection between the plug contact and the electrical conductor, i.e., the cable, must pass through a fluid-tight wall of the plug housing.

[0012] For high-current or high-voltage connectors, it is also known to design housings such that insulating material – as contact protection – at least partially covers and / or surrounds the plug contact of the connector for which the housing is designed. This can be achieved, as is known, by means of projections, walls, or collars that surround the plug contact with a particularly small gap. However, it can also be achieved, alone or additionally, by non-conductive edge regions of conductive surfaces as elements of a plug contact, where, due to the overall geometry, only the edge regions are exposed to the risk of contact, and the conductive surfaces of the plug contact are protected from contact behind them.

[0013] In certain applications, connectors with a rotationally symmetrical shape, at least in some areas, are also commonly required. At least parts of such connectors are then, for example, cylindrical and / or tubular in shape. However, this geometry is particularly challenging and complex in the known manufacturing technology for connectors and connector housings described so far. This problem especially affects the production of the conductor elements within the connector using stamping and bending techniques.

[0014] In every known form, these electrically conductive connections in the connectors, and especially the touch protection elements, fluid-tight structures, and rotationally symmetrical elements, are complex to manufacture. Creating the required shape of the elements, particularly in mass production, is technically complicated, as is the appropriate shape of the housing and, last but not least, the assembly.

[0015] The present invention is based on the objective of creating a housing for an electrical connector that is as simple as possible in manufacture and assembly and reduces the aforementioned disadvantages. This objective is achieved by a connector housing with the features of independent claim 1. Preferred embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

[0016] According to the invention, a housing for an electrical connector is proposed. Such a connector, for which the housing according to the invention is designed, has at least one plug contact for establishing an electrically conductive connection with a mating contact of a mating connector. Furthermore, to connect the mating connector contact to an electrical conductor of a cable, such a connector has an electrically conductive connection between the at least one plug contact and an electrical conductor of a cable. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0017] 3

[0018] According to the invention, a housing is characterized in that it has – first – surfaces made of plastic. Preferably, the entire housing is made of plastic. And certain – the “first” – of the plastic surfaces of the housing form at least one conductive surface for establishing the conductive connection: by being coated with at least one layer of electrically conductive material, in particular metal.

[0019] Furthermore, these specific first surfaces, coated with electrically conductive material, qualify as conductor surfaces by electrically connecting at least two contact areas. One of these two contact areas is designed to establish electrical contact with an electrical conductor, such as a wire in a cable, by means of at least one first contact, for example, made of stamped and bent sheet metal, which may be clamping and / or spring-loaded. The other contact area is designed to establish electrical contact with a plug contact of the connector by means of at least one second contact, also for example, made of stamped and bent sheet metal, which may be clamping and / or spring-loaded.

[0020] In possible embodiments, this second contact area, but also the first or both, is itself designed as a plug contact. This contact area of ​​the housing surface, which is coated with electrically conductive material, especially metal, is shaped, preferably as an injection-molded component, such that the contact area is configured to engage directly with a mating plug, i.e., in a complementary manner.

[0021] The first surfaces, coated with electrically conductive material, especially metal, which form the conduction surface, are surrounded by other - second - surfaces made of plastic, which are not coated with electrically conductive material, and also define these surfaces in an electrically insulating manner.

[0022] Furthermore, the housing can be rotationally symmetrical.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the invention, the housing is characterized in that at least one of the first conductive surfaces, coated with electrically conductive material, in particular metal, or an adjacent group thereof, is designed as a hollow body, in particular tubular, so that the conductor surface is designed as a hollow body at least partially, specifically within a fluid-tight wall of the housing. "Hollow body" or "hollow-shaped" includes any cross-sectional geometry of the hollow body. The cross-section can be circular, oval, rectangular, in varying numbers, etc. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0024] 4

[0025] This design according to the invention makes it possible to manufacture a fluid-tight connector. The fluid-tight wall can be arranged in the housing in such a way that it forms the fluid-tight barrier of the connector for the subsequent fluid-tight application of the connector. The conductor surface, designed as a hollow body and in particular tubular, passes through this barrier as the electrically conductive connection between the plug contact and the onward conductor. The hollow body conductor, in turn, is made fluid-tight at at least one of its ends by the following assembly. At least one of the contact areas at the two ends of the hollow body conductor is designed for, for example, a cup- or plug-shaped contact. This contact is geometrically and along its joints designed to seal fluid-tightly with the contact area at this end of the hollow body conductor, where it is positioned after assembly.

[0026] This design according to the invention has significant advantages over a conventional connector. The conductor elements typically used in conventional designs, connecting the at least one mating contact and the at least one conductor of a cable, which are to be electrically connected by the connector via its contact, are conventionally complex, as described above. However, according to the invention, they are almost as easy to manufacture, particularly in mass production, as injection-molded components in general. This technologically sophisticated shaping and production method can be used for the housing according to the invention across the entire range of possible complexity of producible geometries, and especially rotationally symmetrical geometries. The product according to the invention requires only the coating, particularly in certain areas, of structurally selected housing surfaces with an electrically conductive material, especially metal.According to the invention, the expensive production step of stamping and bending conductive sheet metal elements is not necessary.

[0027] The first conductor surfaces according to the invention can be used for various technical aspects and tasks. For example, in addition to the conductor surfaces described so far for guiding a certain number of "wires" or "poles" – mutually insulated conductors through the connector – conductive plastic surfaces according to the invention, coated with metal, are also mentioned. These serve, for example, as electrical shielding by means of which the so-called shield current is conducted.

[0028] Preferably, the other, second surfaces, not coated with electrically conductive material, in particular metal, can spatially cover and / or surround at least one (in particular continuous) conductor surface, at least partially, as an area for gripping the plug or as contact protection. Particularly preferably, however, they also form the outer surface of the housing according to the invention, so that the outer surface is made of, in particular, insulating plastic and is therefore safe to touch.

[0029] However, external surfaces can also be coated with electrically conductive material, especially metal, and either conduct electrical current, which, for example, due to KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0030] 5

[0031] Its parameters, such as low voltage, are harmless, or it does not even serve to conduct electricity, meaning that according to the invention, it is not a "primary" surface at all. Such surfaces are then, for example, only "chrome-plated" for aesthetic reasons and / or for mechanical resistance through, for example, greater hardness of the metal coating.

[0032] In particular for high-current or high-voltage connectors, it is also according to the invention to design the housing with housing components having the first surfaces according to the invention such that electrically insulating material, as contact protection, also covers and / or surrounds at least partially the at least one plug contact of the connector for which the housing is designed. This can be the form of projections, walls, or collars that surround the plug contact with a particularly small distance. However, this can also be, alone or additionally, non-conductive edge regions of conductive surfaces as elements of a plug contact, where, due to the overall geometry, only the edge regions are exposed to the risk of contact and the conductive surfaces of the plug contact are protected from contact behind them.

[0033] In particular, the second plastic surfaces of the housing, which are not coated with an electrically conductive material, also delineate two of the first electrically conductive surfaces on the housing from each other, namely if, on the housing according to the invention, at least two of the first conductive surfaces are formed by coating with an electrically conductive material, in particular metal, and each of these also has two contact areas. Thus, a housing according to the invention can electrically connect two, or in a corresponding embodiment with more, first surfaces, which are delineated from each other by second surfaces, even more than two conductors or wires of a cable with respective plug contacts, without requiring conventional electrically conductive connections in the plug, for example, as sheet metal elements.

[0034] These two or more conductor surfaces are then either completely separated from each other by a gap between two separate housing components (more on this shortly) or by a second, non-metal-coated plastic surface of the housing. The second, non-metal-coated surfaces thus serve as insulation, electrically separating the two conductor surfaces from one another. Two metal-coated primary surfaces—conductor surfaces, each electrically conductive throughout—therefore do not touch at any point and / or do not merge into one another at any point.

[0035] If the housing according to the invention has at least two conductor surfaces, these two first surfaces can each be surfaces of a separate housing or housing component. The insulation of each pair of these conductor surfaces can then be achieved quite simply by non-metal-coated housing components or sections thereof arranged between them. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0036] 6

[0037] According to the invention, a "housing" is a housing component, not necessarily a single piece, that has at least one first conductive surface, including the two contact areas that are conductively connected by this first surface. However, to manufacture a complete housing for a connector, it may be necessary to produce not just one, but several additional housing components. These can then be designed without electrically conductive material. A housing with—for example, two housing components according to the invention—then consequently has at least one conductive surface with two contact areas on one of the two components and at least one conductive surface with two contact areas on the other of the two components.

[0038] Connector housings with a rotationally symmetrical shape according to the invention are particularly advantageously designed in multiple parts. This is because the inventive design, namely with the first surfaces, allows, for example, rotationally symmetrical elements of housings and housing components to be inserted coaxially into one another, thereby establishing the electrically conductive connection in the connector between the plug contact and the electrical conductor, such as the cable, in a simple manner according to the invention. Cylindrical outer or inner surfaces of the housing or housing components can be the first surfaces according to the invention, and preferably the complementary cylindrical mating surface is a second insulating, non-metal-coated surface according to the invention.For example, cylindrical pin and / or cylindrical sleeve elements can be designed, which can even be configured as plug contacts at their ends to establish a connection to a mating contact of a mating plug. This type of design is considerably more complex with conventional stamped and bent components.

[0039] According to the invention, the conductor surfaces are formed by certain first plastic surfaces coated with metal. Both electroplating and chemical coatings are possible, preferably with a layer thickness above approximately 20 pm and preferably below 200 pm.

[0040] They can be coated differently in different areas, with different metals and / or with different numbers of metal layers, for example with nickel and / or copper and / or silver and / or tin and / or an alloy thereof. Nickel, as the layer that is in direct contact with the plastic, has proven particularly effective in coating technology.

[0041] The two contact areas of the conductor surfaces can be coated differently than the other conductor surfaces, for example with a layer of silver, particularly on the outer surface, which is especially abrasion-resistant and advantageous for contacting with clamping and / or spring contacts, especially when the assembly is subject to vibrations. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0042] 7

[0043] The other surfaces of the housing that are not coated with metal may be affected during the manufacturing of the metal layer(s) of the housing.

[0044] • covered with a galvanically inactive lacquer and / or

[0045] • separated from the electroplated surfaces by means of a closed dividing line made of electrostatically inactive lacquer and / or

[0046] • (especially by means of multi-component injection molding) manufactured from a different type of plastic and / or

[0047] • Surfaces of a separate housing component

[0048] be.

[0049] Further aspects, features, and technical advantages of the invention are described below with reference to the figure. The figure shows embodiments of the invention in which the features depicted therein and described here are also, individually and independently of the respective illustrated embodiment, in accordance with the invention. Specifically, the figures show...

[0050] Figure 1 shows a cutaway schematic side view of a plug according to the invention with a housing according to the invention in a mating plug,

[0051] Figure 2 shows a cutaway schematic side view and a spatial view of another housing according to the invention.

[0052] Figure 3 shows a cutaway and two uncut schematic side views and a spatial view of another housing according to the invention.

[0053] Figure 4 shows two uncut side views of a housing according to the prior art, Figure 5 shows a cut side view and two spatial views of yet another housing according to the invention with mating connector,

[0054] Figure 6 shows a cutaway side view and a spatial view of yet another housing according to the invention and

[0055] Figure 7 shows a cutaway side view and a spatial view of yet another housing according to the invention with mating connector.

[0056] Figure 1 shows an electrical plug 2 with a housing 4 having two housing components 4',

[0057] Figure 4 is shown. The plug 2 has two plug contacts 6', 6" for establishing an electrically conductive plug connection with each corresponding mating contact 8, 26 of a mating plug 10, where only the openings of the mating plug 10 are shown in phantom lines. The remaining part of the mating plug 10 to the right of the openings in the figure is cut away.

[0058] In order to connect each of these two mating contacts 8, 26 to an electrical conductor 12, 24 of a cable 14 by means of the plug 2, such a plug 2 also has a first surface 16, 18 which forms an electrically conductive connection or conduction, namely through the plug 2 between each of its two plug contacts 6' and 6" and the respective electrical conductor 12, 24 of the cable 14:KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0059] 8

[0060] The connector housing 4 consists essentially of plastic, is manufactured by injection molding, and provides the first two surfaces 16, 18 of the plastic housing components 4', 4" through the connector, which are coated with metal in an electrically conductive manner. These specific surfaces 16, 18 of the surfaces of the plastic housing 4 thus each form a conductor surface 16, 18, in particular a continuous, electrically conductive conductor surface for creating a through conductor 16, 18.These are, firstly, between one cable conductor 12 and its associated plug contact 6" of the plug 2, a first surface 16 of the inner housing component 4" which is electrically conductive and coated with metal, serving as a through-line 16, and secondly, between the other cable 24, which is arranged in particular concentrically around the first cable, and its associated plug contact 6' of the plug 2, another first surface 18 of the outer housing component 4' which is also electrically conductive and coated with metal, for the construction of the separate housing components 4', 4" immediately.

[0061] The latter through-line 18 can also serve as a shield for the other through-line 16: The housing 4 is characterized by the fact that parts of the plastic surfaces of the housing 4 form a continuous, electrically conductive shielding surface 18 to produce the shielding 18 which conducts a shield current, by coating these plastic housing surfaces 18 with a layer of metal and by the fact that the first surfaces 18 of the through-line 18 completely surround the other through-line 16.

[0062] Furthermore, these specific metal-coated surfaces 16, 18 each qualify as a first conductive surface 16, 18 according to the invention by electrically connecting two contact areas 20', 20", 20'", 20"" to each other:

[0063] One contact area 20' is configured to establish an electrical contact with the electrical conductor 24 of the cable 14 by means of a first clamping and spring-loaded contact 22' made of stamped and bent sheet metal, for example made of copper. The other contact area 20" is configured to establish an electrical contact with the mating contact 26 of the mating connector 10 by means of a second clamping and spring-loaded contact 22", also made of stamped and bent sheet metal, for example made of copper, which simultaneously forms the actual plug contact 6' of this through-line 16 in the direction of the mating connector 10.

[0064] Another contact area 20"' is provided to establish an electrical contact with the conductor 12 of the cable 14 by means of at least one third clamping and spring-loaded contact 22'", also made of stamped and bent sheet metal, for example of copper. A further contact area 20"' is provided to establish contact by direct press fit with the plug contact 6" of the connector 2 assigned to this through-line 16. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0065] 9

[0066] Both contacting areas 20', 20" of the first surfaces 16, 18 are coated differently than the conductor surfaces 16, 18 otherwise, namely with an outer layer of silver which is particularly resistant to abrasion, advantageous for contacting with clamping and spring contacts 28 of the contacts 22', 22", 22'", especially when the construction is subject to vibration.

[0067] The conductive, metal-coated first surfaces 16, 18, which form the through-holes 16, 18, are surrounded by second housing surfaces 30 made of plastic, which are not metal-coated. They also provide electrical insulation around the conductive first surfaces 16, 18.

[0068] In particular, these non-metal-coated, insulating second surfaces 30 of the outer housing component 4" spatially cover and surround the shielding surface 18 as an area for gripping the connector 2, thus also acting as contact protection. They thus form the outer surface of the housing 4 made of insulating plastic and are therefore safe to touch, specifically the outer component 4" of the housing 4.

[0069] The housing 4 is in two parts: the two conductive first surfaces 16, 18 of the through-wires 16, 18 are each metal-coated surfaces of a separate housing component 4', 4". These are nested together to form the housing 4 and thus the connector 2. The separate housing components 4', 4" contact each other via surfaces, one of which is a non-metal-coated surface 30. The radial outer surfaces of the two ribs 32, which can be annular, are in particular circular cylindrical surfaces of the non-conductive second surface 30 on the outside of the inner housing component 4".They are inserted, in particular rotationally symmetrically around the rotational symmetry axis 34 of the plug 2, which may be rotationally symmetrical, into the outer housing component 4', in particular rotationally symmetrical, specifically in its hollow interior, where they are in a form-fitting manner against the, in particular, circular cylindrical shell-shaped, conductively coated first surface 18 of the outer housing component 4' of the through-line 18.

[0070] Recognizable from the perspective of the touch protection already indicated, the housing 4 with its housing components 4', 4" and the first surfaces described so far as through-wires 16, 18 is designed in such a way that insulating material - as touch protection - also spatially covers and / or surrounds both plug contacts 6', 6" of the plug: This is the right end of the outer housing component 4' in Figure 1, which, being hollow and with a second (i.e. non-conductive) surface 30 on its outside and its right end edge (which can therefore be touched safely) as a collar, surrounds and covers both plug contacts 6', 6".

[0071] The connector 2 can also be mounted in a fluid-tight manner, namely in the following construction: On both housing components 4', 4" the conductive first surfaces are designed as through-holes 16, 18, each being hollow. The outer through-hole 18 runs hollow through its own component volume with a second surface 30 as its outer contour. And the inner KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0072] 10

[0073] The through-hole 16 leads in a hollow shape through the two, in particular annular, ribs 32 as fluid-tight walls 38 of the housing 4 between the right side of the connector 2, where the plug contacts 6', 6" are located, and its left side with the cable 14, which is fluid-tightly seated in the outer through-hole 18. This design makes it possible to insert the connector 2, which is fluid-tight between its right and left sides, into an overall fluid-tight construction.

[0074] The fluid tightness of the connector then forms the barrier for its fluid-tight application, for example, in a control cabinet wall (not shown). The hollow conductor surfaces 16, 18 extend through the connector 2. These, in turn, are made fluid-tight at at least one of their ends by the mounting of other components. One of the contact areas 20"" at the right end of the inner hollow conductor 16 is designed to be sealed by the plug-shaped connector 6". This connector is geometrically and along its joints designed to seal the contact area 20"" in a fluid-tight manner, thus creating a seal at this end of the hollow conductor where it is positioned after assembly.And the outer passage 18 is closed off by other housing component areas, namely the two ribs 32, not at either end of the passage 18 but in another area of ​​its elongated extension, which runs transversely in Figure 1.

[0075] Achieving fluid tightness in this way can also be seen in the embodiment of an alternative housing 4 according to Figure 2. Three conductive first surfaces on the housing 4 are designed as through-passages 16, each with a hollow body shape. They extend hollowly through a disk-shaped, fluid-tight wall 38 of the housing 4, which is located (between the upper and lower sides of the housing) in a hollow-shaped, in particular circular cylindrical, outer sleeve 40. This design makes it possible to insert the plug 2, which is fluid-tight between its right and left sides, into an overall fluid-tight assembly.

[0076] The fluid tightness of a connector with this housing 4 according to Fig. 2 then forms the barrier for its fluid-tight application, for example, in a switch box wall (not shown). The three hollow conductor surfaces 16 extend through the connector 2. These are made fluid-tight at their upper ends (as shown) by the mounting of a cup-shaped mating connector (not shown). A contact area 20' at the upper end of each of the hollow first surfaces 16 extends around the outer edge of the finger-shaped ends of the conductors, is itself a ("male") plug contact 6, and is designed to be closed by a cup-shaped mating connector (not shown).This is then geometrically and along its joints with the contact area 20, which is also a plug contact and as such surrounded by the upper end of the hollow body-shaped, in particular circular cylindrical tube-shaped, outer sleeve 40, sealingly designed as contact protection, to close this end of the hollow body-shaped passage 16, where the mating plug then sits after assembly, in a fluid-tight manner. The lower ends of the passages 16 are designated as contact areas 20. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG.

[0077] 11

[0078] Cup-shaped for connecting one conductor of a cable (not shown), for example by means of a contact or clamped and / or glued by, for example, a plug.

[0079] The housing 4 shown in Figure 2 is rotationally symmetrical in each of its passages 16. Producing such a shape using conventional methods, especially with stamped and bent parts, is considerably more complex.

[0080] This greater effort, particularly for rotationally symmetrical components with a rotational symmetry axis 34, is also evident in Figure 3, which compares an embodiment of a housing 4 with a corresponding component of conventional design, manufactured as a stamped and bent part. Both serve as components of a connector (not shown) with a rotationally symmetrical pin-shaped plug contact 6 at one end and a fastening area for a cable conductor (not shown) at the other. These are electrically connected by a through-line 16. According to the invention, as shown in Figure 3, this is all achieved with a simple, full-surface outer coating of an injection-molded part that can be mass-produced just as easily. The contact area 20 at the top is directly a pin-shaped plug contact 6, and the contact area 20 at the bottom is for connecting a conductor of a cable (not shown), for example, by gluing and / or clamping it by means of a contact (not shown).

[0081] In contrast, Figure 4 shows a complex stamped-bent part, manufactured with high precision using numerous production steps, in accordance with conventional prior art. Producing such an embodiment as a stamped-bent part using conventional design methods is therefore clearly considerably more complex. The figure shows a housing 4 that is at least partially rotationally symmetrical and has a plug connector 6 with a first surface 16 on which an electrically conductive material is applied, at least in the contact area 20.

[0082] The greater simplicity of rotationally symmetrical touch protection designs is also evident in Figure 5. A connector 2 and mating connector 10 for high-voltage applications are shown schematically. All structures are numbered, such as the first surface 16, which serves as a through-hole between contact areas 20 and plug contacts 6, is insulated and surrounded by non-conductive, non-metal-coated second surface 30. Of particular note is the through-hole 16, a coating on a plug contact 6 designed as a cylindrical pin, leading to the contact area for connection to a conductor of a cable (not shown) emerging from a touch protection collar 36 through an opening in a wall 38.In the opening, the mating contact 8, a pin which at its right end forms the plug contact 6 surrounded by the collar 38 in the contact area 20, is held only by two ridges and can therefore be continuously coated with metal through the opening as the first surface 16. The plug housing 4 and the mating plug 10 are rotationally symmetrical. KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG.

[0083] 12

[0084] This particular design of the through-hole 16 is also evident in the non-rotationally symmetrical construction of a housing 4 according to Figure 6 – here, namely with a plug contact that is coated with metal and has a sword-shaped base as the through-hole 16. It passes through a wall 38 to connect a conductor of a cable (not shown) on the other side. The design of the sword-shaped base 6 as a touch guard is also particularly noteworthy. Only the side surfaces of the through-hole are coated with metal, not the touch guard rim 42. Because only the touch guard rim 42 can be touched from the outside between the walls of the touch guard collar 36, this measure mitigates the risk.

[0085] This is also implemented in the embodiment described above according to Figure 5, where the touch protection tip 42 of the plug contact 6, designed as a cylindrical pin, which would be most accessible in the collar 36, is not coated with metal.

[0086] Finally, in the embodiment of the housing 4 according to Figure 7 with a plug contact 6 designed as a contact blade that can be inserted into a mating plug 10 designed as a contact slot, this touch protection 42 is implemented accordingly with namely uncoated edges and only the side surfaces, the contact area, (in the slot and on the blade) coated with electrically conductive material, in particular metal, as the first surfaces. 16.KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG

[0087] 13

[0088] List of reference signs

[0089] 2 plugs, connectors

[0090] 4 cases

[0091] 4', 4" housing component

[0092] 6, 6', 6" plug connector

[0093] 8 Counter-contact

[0094] 10 mating plugs

[0095] 12-core, electrical conductor of a cable

[0096] 14 cables

[0097] First surface

[0098] First surface

[0099] 20, 20', 20", 20'", 20"" Contact area

[0100] 22', 22", 22'" Contact

[0101] 24 Electrical conductor of a cable, shielding

[0102] 26 Counter contact, shielding

[0103] 28 Clamping and spring contact of a contact

[0104] 30 Second housing surfaces, not coated with metal, non-conductive 32 Rib

[0105] 34 Rotational symmetry axis

[0106] 36 touch protection collars

[0107] 38 fluid-tight wall

[0108] 40 Circular cylindrical tubular outer sleeve

[0109] 42 Protective edge, protective tip

Claims

KOSTAL Contact Systems GmbH & Co. KG 14 Patent claims 1. Housing (4), for a connector (2) which has the following features: • at least one plug contact (6) for establishing an electrically conductive plug connection with a mating contact (8) of a mating plug (10), and • an electrically conductive connection between the plug contact (6) and an electrical conductor (12, 24), characterized by that the first plastic surfaces (16, 18) of the housing (4) form at least one conductor surface by the first surfaces (16, 18) • are coated with at least one layer of electrically conductive material, in particular metal and • connect at least two contact areas (20) to each other in an electrically conductive manner, - one of which is configured to establish an electrical contact with a plug contact (6) by means of at least one first contact (22), or is itself a plug contact (6), and - of which the other is equipped to establish an electrical contact by means of at least one second contact (22) with an electrical conductor (12, 24) or with a plug contact (6), or is itself a plug contact (6), and • are surrounded by second surfaces (30) made of plastic of the housing (4) which are not coated with electrically conductive material.

2. Housing (4) according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the first surfaces (16, 18) is designed as a hollow body with one of the two contacting areas (20) at each of the two ends.

3. Housing (4) according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the first surfaces (16, 18) designed as a hollow body passes through a liquid- or gas-tight wall (38) of the housing (4).

4. Housing (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first plastic surfaces (16, 18) of the housing (4) form at least two of the conductor surfaces (16, 18) and that the at least two conductor surfaces (16, 18) are separated by a gap or by second plastic surfaces (30) of the housing (4) which are not coated with metal and which thus act as insulation for the at least two KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme GmbH & Co. KG 15 The conductor surfaces (16, 18) ) are electrically separated from each other and are completely demarcated from each other.

5. Housing (4) according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least two conductor surfaces (16, 18) are each surfaces of at least one separate housing component (4', 4").

6. Housing (4) according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least two separate housing components (4', 4") are inserted into one another and / or attached to one another to form the housing (4) and touch each other via surfaces, at least one of which is one of the second surfaces (30).

7. Housing (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor surfaces (16, 18) are coated differently in certain areas (with different metals and / or with different numbers of metal layers).

8. Housing (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contacting areas (20) of the conductor surfaces (16) are coated differently than the other conductor surfaces (18).

9. Housing (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conductor surfaces (16, 18) are electroplated and / or chemically coated, and / or with nickel and / or copper and / or silver and / or tin and / or an alloy thereof.

10. Housing (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic surfaces of the housing (4) are coated with metal in a layer thickness greater than 20 pm.

11. Housing (4) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second surfaces (30), which are not coated with metal, are either • covered with a galvanically inactive lacquer or • separated from the electroplated surfaces (16, 18) by means of a closed dividing line of electrostatically inactive lacquer or • made from a different type of plastic or • Surfaces of a separate housing component (4', 4").

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