DE29800542U1 - Socket for multi-pin plug devices - Google Patents

Description

75 G 62 i

- 1 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

Socket for multi-pole plugs

The invention relates to a socket for multi-pole plug devices, in particular for the electrical connection of a motor vehicle trailer to the towing vehicle, with a socket housing and a contact carrier insert accommodated therein for accommodating plug contacts to be provided with electrical connection lines, which has a contact insert and a support body for the contact insert, wherein the socket housing with a rear housing section with a reduced cross-section can be inserted into an assembly opening of a socket carrier and the support body can be locked to the housing section, for example via a bayonet lock.

Such a socket is known from DE 88 02 289 Ul. In this case, however, the support body, which is designed as a bayonet ring, only holds the contact insert in the socket housing, while the latter has to be attached separately to the socket carrier using screws.

From DE 92 07 523 Ul, sockets for mounting on a mounting surface are known in which the entire socket housing and the entire support body rest on the mounting surface of the socket carrier, the socket housing is attached to the mounting surface and only the connecting cable is led through a relatively thin mounting plate.

16.01.98

75 G 62 i

- 2 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

The box housing protrudes far beyond the mounting surface and the installation is correspondingly time-consuming.

The object of the present invention is to propose a socket of the generic type which is suitable for simple installation in a mounting opening, in particular if the socket carrier has a thickness which makes up a significant part of the height of the socket housing, for example if it passes through the coupling head neck of a trailer coupling.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a socket of the type mentioned at the beginning, for example, in that the support body for securing the socket housing to the 15-socket carrier is supported on the rear mounting surface of the socket carrier surrounding the mounting opening.

Because the socket housing has a rear housing section with a reduced cross-section, which can be inserted into the mounting opening, the socket housing only protrudes a fraction of its height above the front mounting surface of the socket carrier, on which it can otherwise rest next to the mounting opening. The socket housing is also easily attached to the socket carrier using the support body, which also secures the contact insert in the socket housing against axial displacement when a plug is inserted into the socket. This eliminates the need for a separate attachment of the socket housing to the front mounting surface of the socket carrier. A lock using a bayonet lock can be created quickly and easily, but can also be easily removed again when the socket is being checked or repaired. The elements forming the bayonet lock, bayonet groove and bayonet cam, can be removed.

16.01.98

J 75 G 62 i

_ 3 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

For example, it can be provided on the outer circumference of the support body or on the inner circumferential surface of the housing section.

In a special embodiment of the invention, the outer peripheral contour of the housing section essentially corresponds to the inner peripheral contour of the mounting opening and the support body engages with a front locking section in the housing section. In this way, the socket housing has only a small amount of radial play in the mounting opening, while the housing section serves to guide the support body during assembly.

The support body can preferably have a rear flange section for support on the rear mounting surface, so that when a plug is pulled out of the socket, the tensile forces are absorbed over a large area.

It is practical if the housing section of the socket housing extends completely through the mounting opening of the socket carrier. In this way, the socket housing is guided over the entire depth of the mounting opening, which can also be achieved by means of a snug fit, and a sufficiently long wall area of the housing section is available for centering and locking the support body.

To seal the rear of the housing interior, the support body can be supported on the rear mounting surface and/or the rear end of the housing section via a seal, for example by means of the flange section.

While the contact insert can, for example, be supported forwards on an inner peripheral flange of the socket housing, it is held backwards by the support body so that it is clamped axially immovably in the socket housing.

16.01.98

_ 4 _ KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

In a further embodiment of the invention, the socket housing can rest against the front mounting surface via a sealing sleeve. In this way, the socket is mounted on the socket carrier in a vibration-proof manner in conjunction with the seal on the rear mounting surface.

A connecting sleeve made of rubber-elastic material can be tied into the back of the support body to reinforce the connecting cable.

In order to prevent the can housing from twisting on the can carrier, the can housing can engage with one or more coding projections in one or more coding recesses in the can carrier. The interior of the coding projection can be used, for example, to accommodate the lid spring.

If, according to a further embodiment of the invention, the socket according to DE 92 07 523 Ul is provided with means for signaling 0 the plug-in position of the plug, i.e. for trailer identification, in which in at least one connecting line of at least one plug contact of the contact insert to an output signal receiving device a switching insert having a switching contact and for this purpose an additional plug accommodated in the 5 socket housing for the switching insert

is provided, according to the invention the connecting lines to the additional plug are preferably guided through lateral recesses of the support body and the housing section.
30

The invention also relates to a socket for multi-pole plug devices, in particular for the electrical connection of a motor vehicle trailer to the towing vehicle, with a socket housing and a contact carrier insert accommodated therein for the reception of electrically

16.01.98

j 75 G 62

_ 5 - Keil&Schaafhausen

PATENT ATTORNEYS

tric connecting cables, which has a contact insert and a support body for the contact insert that is firmly connected or lockable to the socket housing, whereby the contact insert can be snapped into the support body, as is known for example from DE 2 96 18 000 Ul.

To achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the invention, such a socket housing with a rear housing section of reduced cross-section can be inserted into a mounting opening and fastened, for example screwed, to the front mounting surface surrounding the mounting opening, and the connecting cable has a connecting sleeve on the rubber-elastic material, which passes through the mounting opening and forms a sealing sleeve on the front mounting surface, via which the socket housing is supported on the front mounting surface. In this case, a separate support body, which rests on the rear mounting surface of the socket carrier, is not required.

A special inventive idea also consists in integrating the switching insert into the contact insert itself, preferably gluing or snapping it into the contact insert, in a socket of the type mentioned above, but also independently of this, in a socket with means for signaling the plug-in position of the plug, i.e. for trailer identification, in which a switching insert having a switching contact is provided in at least one connecting line of at least one plug contact of the contact insert to an output signal receiving device, instead of arranging it in the socket housing as before. In this way, the assembly time for such a socket, which plays a role in particular in motor vehicle construction, where work is carried out on the assembly line, is once again significantly reduced.

16.01.98

J 75 G 62 i "* -* ? !

- 6 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

Further aims, features, advantages and possible applications of the invention emerge from the following description of embodiments based on the drawing. All described and/or illustrated features form the subject matter of the invention either individually or in any meaningful combination, regardless of their summary in individual claims or their reference back to them.

Show it:

Fig. 1 shows a side view of the various components of a socket before installation in a mounting opening of a socket carrier according to a first embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 the socket according to Fig. 1 during assembly, after the contact insert and the additional plug have already been inserted into their position in the socket housing,

Fig. 3 a representation of the socket according to Fig. 1 similar

of that of Fig. 1, but with the components

are partially cut,
25

Fig. 4 the socket according to Fig. 1, partially cut,

after installation in the mounting opening of the

can carrier,

Fig. 5 shows a socket according to another embodiment of the invention in a similar representation to Fig. 1, wherein the individual components are shown before assembly, partially in section,

16.01.98

_ 7 _ KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

Fig. 6 the socket according to Fig. 5 after installation in the installation opening of the socket carrier, partially cut,

Fig. 7 shows a socket according to the invention corresponding to Fig. 3 for another embodiment,

Fig. 7A
and 7B detail views from Fig. 7,

Fig. 8 the socket according to Fig. 7, partially cut, after its installation in the installation opening of a socket carrier designed as a ball neck of a trailer coupling,

Fig.9,

9A, 9b

and 10 representations corresponding to Figs. 7, 7A, 7B and 8 for a further embodiment of the invention

dung.

The socket according to Fig. 1 to 4 is - in addition to the associated plug (not shown) - intended for multi-pole 5 plug devices, such as are used in particular for the electrical connection of a motor vehicle trailer to the towing vehicle. The socket has a socket housing 1 with a cover 2 and a contact carrier insert accommodated therein for accommodating plug contacts to be provided with electrical connecting cables 3. The contact carrier insert consists of a contact insert 6 and a support body 4 for the contact insert 6, which can be locked to the socket housing 1.

The socket housing 1 is provided with a rear housing section 5 with a reduced cross-section compared to the remaining part in

16.01.98

J 75 G 62 i

_ 8 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

a mounting opening 7 of a socket carrier 20, which is formed, for example, by the trailer coupling. After insertion, the support body 4 can be locked to the housing section 5 via a bayonet lock 8, 9, whereby the support body 4 on the one hand fixes the contact insert 6 in the socket housing 1 and in turn is supported on the rear mounting surface 12 of the socket carrier 20 surrounding the mounting opening 7. The housing section 5 corresponds in its outer peripheral contour essentially to the inner peripheral contour of the mounting opening 7, so that the socket housing 1 with the housing section 5 can be accommodated in the mounting opening 7 with practically no play.

To secure the socket housing 1 in the mounting opening 7, the support body 4 is inserted with a front locking section 10 into the housing section 5 and the two parts are locked against each other by relative rotation via the bayonet lock, which in the embodiment shown consists of a bayonet groove 8 on the outer circumference of the locking section 10 and corresponding bayonet cams 9 on the inner circumference of the housing section 5. The support body 4 is placed against the rear mounting surface 12 via a rear flange section 11 with a seal 13 in between.

As can be seen from Fig. 4, the socket housing 1 with the housing section 5 completely passes through the mounting opening 7 and even protrudes slightly beyond the rear mounting surface 12, so that the interior of the housing is reliably sealed by the annular seal 13 0 resting against the rear end of the housing section 5 and the rear mounting surface 12. After locking the bayonet lock 8, 9, the contact insert 6 is clamped axially immovably between an inner peripheral flange 14 of the socket housing 1 and the front of the support body 4. The

16.01.98

J 75 G 62 i

KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

The can housing 1 itself is supported with its front extended area, to which the housing section 5 of smaller diameter is connected, which engages in the mounting opening 7, via a sealing sleeve 22 on the front mounting surface 21 of the can carrier 20.

The socket housing 1 has on its outer circumference in the area of the transition to the housing section 5 of reduced cross-section a coding projection 26 for engagement in a coding recess 27 in the edge area of the front mounting surface 21. In this way, an unintentional twisting of the socket in the socket carrier 20 is prevented. In addition, the interior of the coding projection 26 can serve to accommodate the cover spring.

As can be seen from Fig. 1 to 3, the socket according to the invention also has an additional plug 15 in at least one connecting line 3' of at least one of the plug contacts in the contact insert 6. This additional plug 15 belongs to a switch insert (microswitch) 28 accommodated in the socket housing 1. When the plug is inserted into the socket, a switch contact of the switch insert 28 is activated so that trailer detection takes place and, for example, when towing a trailer, the rear fog lights of the towing vehicle are automatically switched off and the rear fog lights of the trailer are switched on. The connecting lines 3' of the additional plug 15 are led outwards via lateral recesses 16 in the support body 4 and 17 in the housing section 5 so that the additional plug 15 can be plugged into the socket housing 1 outside the contact insert 6.

A connecting sleeve 18 made of rubber-elastic material for sealing the connecting cable 19 is tied into the back of the support body 4.

16.01.98

J 75 G 62 i *i ♦" \ · *j _# ·..,·*·**

- 10 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

In the embodiment of a socket according to the invention illustrated in Fig. 5 and 6, the support body 4 is connected in one piece with the tapered housing section 5 at the back, which projects into the mounting opening 7, and has rear latching hooks 23, into which, as can be seen in Fig. 6, the contact insert 6 can be latched within the socket housing 1, so that it is axially immovably seated. The socket housing 1 is attached to the front mounting surface 21 of the socket carrier 20 by means of screws 24, which engage in corresponding threaded holes 25 in the socket carrier 20. The connecting cable 19 is provided with a connecting sleeve 18 made of rubber-elastic material, the front section of which completely reaches through the mounting opening 7 and is designed according to the gradation of the mounting opening 7. At its front end, the connection sleeve 18 forms a sealing sleeve 22, via which the socket housing 1 can be supported with its extended part on the front mounting surface 21.

According to the illustration in Fig. 5, the contact insert 6 and the additional plug 15 are first passed through the assembly opening 7 of the socket carrier 20 and inserted into the socket housing 1. Then the connection sleeve 18 is passed through the assembly opening 7 until it takes up its position in the assembly opening 7 and the sealing sleeve 22 is on the front assembly surface 21. Then the socket housing 1 with the rear housing section 5 is inserted into the assembly opening 7 and the socket housing 1 is screwed to the socket carrier 20 so that the structure shown in Fig. 6 is created. Disassembly is just as easy.

In the design of a socket according to the invention according to Fig. 1 ₁ 7A, 7B and 8, the switch insert (microswitch) 2 8 is integrated into the contact insert 6, for example glued or snapped in. The switch insert 2 8 is then,

16.01.98

J 75 G 62 i *J S SI *i * J·.**

_ 11 _ KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN

PATENT ATTORNEYS

as can be seen from Fig. 7, brought into position together with the contact insert 6. A pin-shaped actuating element 32 rests on the front switching contact 29 of the switching insert 28, which provides the desired trailer identification when a plug is inserted into the socket. In this embodiment, in which the socket according to Fig. 8 is embedded in a socket carrier 20 designed as a ball neck of a trailer coupling, the contact insert 6, as can best be seen from Fig. 7B, has a front contact attachment 30 and a rear end plate 31, which can be locked together in stages, as is known per se from DE 88 01 517 Ul.

The socket according to the invention according to Fig. 9, 9A, 9B and 10 is intended for mounting on a relatively thin sheet (approx. 1 to 3 mm thick) as a socket carrier 20. Accordingly, the housing section 5 with a smaller cross-section protrudes only slightly beyond the outer housing shell to the rear. As can be seen in particular from Fig. 9, the socket carrier 20 has coding recesses 27 instead of screw holes, in which knob-like coding projections 26 on the rear of the housing shell can engage in order to ensure that the socket housing 1 is secured against rotation on the socket carrier 20, which is particularly advantageous during assembly (producing the bayonet lock). In this version of the socket according to the invention, the switching insert (microswitch) 28 is also integrated into the contact insert 6 according to Fig. 9A. In addition, Fig. 9B also provides for a two-stage locking of the contact attachment 30 with the 0 end plate 31.

16.01.98

j 75 G 62 &khgr; ·* <*■

_ 12 - Keil&Schaafhausen

PATENT ATTORNEYS

List of reference symbols:

1 Can housing 2 Lid 3, 3' Connecting cables 4 Support body 5 Housing section 6 Contact insert 7 Mounting opening 8th Bayonet groove 9 Bayonet cam 10 Locking section 11 Flange section 12 rear mounting surface 13 poetry 14 Inner peripheral flange 15 Additional plug 16 Recess 17 Recess 18 Connection nozzle 19 Connection cable 20 Can carrier 21 front mounting surface 22 Sealing sleeve 23 Latching hook 24 Screws 25 Threaded holes 26 Coding advantage 27 Coding recess 28 Switch insert (micro switch) 29 Switch contact 30 Contact attachment 31 End plate 32 Actuator 16.01.98

Claims (10)

J 75 G 62 i - 13 - KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN PATENTANWÄLTE Protection claims: 1. Socket for multi-pole plug devices, in particular for the electrical connection of a motor vehicle trailer to the towing vehicle, with a socket housing (1) and a contact carrier insert accommodated therein for accommodating plug contacts to be provided with electrical connecting lines (3), which has a contact insert (6) and a support body (4) for the contact insert (6), wherein the socket housing (1) with a rear housing section (5) of reduced cross-section can be inserted into a mounting opening (7) of a socket carrier (20) and the support body (4) can be locked to the housing section (5), for example via a bayonet lock (8, 9), characterized in that the support body (4) is supported on the rear mounting surface (12) of the socket carrier (20) surrounding the mounting opening (7) in order to fix the socket housing (1) to the socket carrier (20). 2. Socket according to claim 1, characterized in that the housing section (5) in its outer peripheral contour substantially corresponds to the inner peripheral contour of the mounting opening (7) and the support body (4) engages in the housing section (5) with a front locking section (10). 3. Socket according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the support body (4) has a rear flange section (11) for support on the rear mounting surface (12). 16.01.98 _ 14 _ KEIL&SCHAAFHAUSEN PATENT ATTORNEYS 4. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the housing section (5) projects through the entire mounting opening (7). 5. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support body (4), for example by means of the flange section (11), is supported on the rear mounting surface (12) and/or the rear end of the housing section (5) via a seal (13).
10 6. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact insert (6) is supported forwards on an inner peripheral flange (14) of the socket housing (1). 7. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact insert (6) is supported rearwardly on the support body (4). 0 8. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the socket housing (1) rests against the front mounting surface (21) via a sealing sleeve (22). 9. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a connecting sleeve (18) made of rubber-elastic material for the connecting cable (19) which is knotted into the back of the support body (4). 0 10. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the can housing (1) has one or more coding projections (26) for engagement in one or more coding recesses (27) of the can carrier (20).
35 16.01.98 j 75 G 62 i · *··*-· ·? · M ₁ ·* - ¹⁵ - Keil&Schaafhausen PATENT ATTORNEYS 11. Socket according to one of the preceding claims, with means for signaling the plug-in position of the plug, ie for trailer recognition, in which a switching insert (28) having a switching contact (29) is provided in at least one connecting line (3') of at least one plug contact of the contact insert (6) to an output signal receiving device and with an additional plug (15) accommodated in the socket housing (1) for the switching insert (28), characterized in that the connecting lines (3') to the additional plug (15) can be guided through lateral recesses (16, 17) of the support body (4) and the housing section (5). 12 . Socket for multi-pole plug devices, in particular for the electrical connection of a motor vehicle trailer to the towing vehicle, with a socket housing (1) and a contact carrier insert accommodated therein for the accommodation of plug contacts to be provided with electrical connecting lines (3), which has a contact insert (6) and a support body (4) for the contact insert (6) which is firmly connected or lockable to the socket housing (1), wherein the contact insert (6) can be snapped into the support body (4), characterized in that the socket housing (1) can be inserted into a mounting opening (7) with a rear housing section (5) of reduced cross-section and can be fastened, for example screwed, to the front mounting surface (21) surrounding the mounting opening (7), and that the connecting cable (19) has a connection sleeve (18) made of rubber-elastic material which passes through the mounting opening (7) and has a sealing sleeve (22) on the front mounting surface (21). via which the socket housing (1) is supported on the front mounting surface (21). 13. Socket, in particular according to one of claims 1 to 10 and 12, with means for signalling the plug-in position 16.01.98 J 75 G 62 i ·* ' _s j · ·· - 16 - Keil&Schaafhausen PATENT ATTORNEYS of the plug, ie for trailer recognition, in which a switching insert (28) having a switching contact (29) is provided in at least one connecting line (3') of at least one plug contact of the contact insert (6) to an output signal receiving device, characterized in that the switching insert (28) is integrated into the contact insert (6), preferably glued or snapped into the contact insert (6). 16.01.98