EP3503307B1 - Electrical coupling part - Google Patents

Description

area

The invention relates to an electrical coupling part.

background

Such an electrical coupling part goes, for example, from EP 2 099 099 B1 emerged.

"Coupling part" within the meaning of the invention can be a plug with plug pins or a socket with socket contacts. "Contact elements" are either the connector pins or the socket contacts. In addition to constructions in which these contact elements are firmly embedded in insulating material carriers, there are arrangements in which the contact elements are inserted into through holes of prefabricated contact carriers made of insulating material. The contact elements, which are usually very simply formed for cost reasons, for example from sheet metal strips, can be equipped with a latching element by which they are secured against axial displacement after being inserted into the contact carrier. In the case of contact carriers of this type, measures must be taken to protect, in particular, the connection points of contact elements and conductors of a connected line from moisture and the contact elements, if necessary, from the injection-molded material of a protective body produced by injection molding.
From the U.S. 5,590,463 A discloses a method of manufacturing an electrical connector having a housing made of thermoplastic material having an opening therethrough. A contact is arranged in the opening of the housing. A connecting wire can be connected to the contact, via which the contact can be connected to a printed circuit. The connecting wire can be the conductor of a cable. The contact will set in the opening of the housing by the use of a heated tool, by means of which material of the housing is displaced so that it presses against the contact.

As a result, the opening of the housing is sealed so that contaminants cannot pass through. The wire is then soldered to the end of the contact protruding from the housing. An insulating body is then injected around the connection point between the contact and the wire, which extends up to the housing and rests against its end face.

The one mentioned at the beginning EP 2 099 099 B1 describes an arrangement with an electrical coupling part with a connected electrical line, which has at least two wires designed as insulated conductors. The coupling part has a contact carrier made of mechanically stable insulating material with at least two through holes, in each of which an electrical contact element is arranged, which is connected to one of the electrical conductors of the line provided with a jacket made of insulating material. During the manufacture of the coupling part, a sealing element with a press fit is attached to each wire inside the contact carrier, through which the respective through hole of the contact carrier is tightly closed. The contact carrier also has a shoulder pointing in the direction of the line, to which a clamping body is attached, which clamps the wires of the line. A protective body made of insulating material, which is produced by injection molding and extends over the jacket of the line, is formed around the clamping body. The arrangement according to the invention should allow the through holes of the contact carrier to be sealed in a simple manner.

the DE 198 28 482 A1 describes a single wire seal for sealing a contact element in a receiving chamber of an electrical connector. The single-core seal has reinforcing ribs, the radial extent of which decreases continuously towards a free end of the sealing body and the outer circumference of which is smaller than the circumference of the sealing lips. The reinforcement ribs have the function of to prevent an external sealing lip from yielding if a high pressure water jet hits the sealing lip.

the WO 2013/178726 A1 describes a single line seal that has a sealing portion made of an elastic material and a portion with a reinforcing ring made of a harder material. The through hole in the reinforcement ring can have a constant inner diameter or a conical inner diameter.

the WO 2014/060791 A1 shows an electrical coupling part with a single line seal. The single line seal has a tubular reinforcing element which is inserted into a sealing element. A circumferential sealing lip is arranged on the sealing element. The sealing element is supported by the tubular reinforcing element, in particular in the area of the sealing lip.

Based on this, it is an object of the invention to create an improved coupling part.

Summary of the invention

In order to achieve this object, the invention proposes, according to a first aspect, an electrical coupling part according to claim 1.

The electrical coupling part according to the invention has a contact carrier made of plastic. In the through hole, an electrical contact element is connected to a wire of an electrical line. The wire has an electrical conductor surrounded by insulation. A contact element and the wire connected to the contact element are arranged in the through hole. The wires are led out of the through hole of the contact carrier at one end of the contact carrier. A sealing element equipped with radially outwardly protruding sealing lips is attached to the wire and, in the assembly position, rests against the wall of the corresponding through hole of the contact carrier. At the end of one of the sealing element, which is in the assembly position to the corresponding Facing away from the closed contact element, a support body is inserted into the sealing element, which has a central ring with a through opening for the wire and at least three circumferentially spaced apart, radially outwardly extending arms which protrude in the radial direction beyond the sealing element. The support body has wedge-shaped slots running in the longitudinal direction in the central ring.

According to a further development, the electrical coupling part has at least two through holes running at a distance from one another and parallel to one another. In each through hole, an electrical contact element is connected to a respective wire of an electrical line. Each wire is sealed with a sealing element.

The support body supports the wire and counteracts vibrations, line breaks and premature wear of the contacts. The single wire seal in the coupling part according to the invention can be used universally and can also be automated, i.e. the assembly can be carried out fully automatically. Another advantage is that the seal in the coupling part according to the invention only requires slightly more installation space.

According to an expedient development, the support body is designed to be ring-shaped. This design is advantageous because most of the wires in electrical lines have a round cross-section and the ring-shaped support body ensures good contact with the wire.

The arms of the support body are in contact with the wall of the through holes in the contact carrier and thus ensure effective support of the wire in the contact carrier.

The sealing element advantageously has a flange with spaces through which the arms extend.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the arms run obliquely in the longitudinal direction of the sealing element, at least in sections, so that an envelope around the end faces of the arms of the support body forms a conical jacket surface. In this way, the end faces of the arms form one Run-in bevel for the sealing element during assembly in the contact carrier. When the sealing element is inserted, the support body is compressed because of the protruding arms. For this reason, the support body has slots in the longitudinal direction. Wedge-shaped slots have proven to be particularly advantageous, which allow concentric compression of the support body with respect to the vein.

In a further development of the coupling part, the passage opening of the support body is conical. In this way, a tight fit of the support body on the vein is additionally promoted.

Longitudinal grooves are advantageously provided in the sealing element. The longitudinal grooves allow the sealing element to be concentrically compressed when it is inserted into a chamber in the contact carrier and the sealing lips ensure a seal with respect to the chamber wall.

Brief description of the drawing

Fig. 1

ein elektrisches Kupplungsteil mit einer angeschlossenen Leitung im Querschnitt;

Fig. 2

einen vergrößerten Ausschnitt eines Kontaktträgers des elektrischen Kupplungsteils aus Figur 1;

Fig. 3A

ein Dichtelement in einer perspektivischen Ansicht;

Fig. 3B

das Dichtelement aus Figur 3A in einer Ansicht von vorn;

Fig. 3C

das Dichtelement aus Figur 3A im Querschnitt entlang der Linie A-A aus Figur 3B; und

Fig. 3D

eine perspektivische Ansicht eines vergrößerten Ausschnittes aus dem Dichtelement aus Figur 3A.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by way of example on the basis of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. All figures are purely schematic and not to scale. Show it:

Fig. 1

an electrical coupling part with a connected line in cross section;

Fig. 2

an enlarged section of a contact carrier of the electrical coupling part Figure 1 ;

Figure 3A

a sealing element in a perspective view;

Figure 3B

the sealing element Figure 3A in a view from the front;

Figure 3C

the sealing element Figure 3A in cross section along the line AA Figure 3B ; and

Figure 3D

a perspective view of an enlarged section of the sealing element from Figure 3A .

The same or similar elements are provided with the same or similar reference symbols in the figures.

Embodiment

A contact carrier used in the arrangement according to the invention consists of a mechanically stable plastic, such as, for example, polyamide or polypropylene or polybutylene terephthalate. "Line" within the meaning of the invention can be a line with a common sheath surrounding the wires. But it can also consist only of the cores connected to one another in the longitudinal direction.

The reference number 1 designates a contact carrier which has two parallel through-holes 2 and 3 which run at a distance from one another. Contact elements 4 and 5 are arranged in the through holes 2 and 3. The contact elements 4 and 5 can be designed as plug pins or sockets. Electrical conductors 6 and 7 of two wires 8 and 9, which are insulated electrical conductors, of an electrical line 10 are connected to the contact elements 4 and 5. Polyvinyl chloride or cross-linked polyethylene, for example, can be used as insulating materials for the cores. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the line 10 has a sheath 11 made of insulating material, such as polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane, which surrounds the two wires 8 and 9 as a common sheath.

Figure 2 shows an enlarged section 201 of the contact carrier 1 with three through holes 202-204. The cutout 201 shows only the area of the contact carrier 1 where the wires enter the contact carrier 1. In Figure 2 a wire 206 is shown as an example. A sealing element 207 is seated on the wire 206, which seals the wire 206 from the contact carrier 1. The through hole 202 forms a chamber in which the sealing element 207 is inserted with a slight press fit. The sealing element 207 is made of silicone rubber VMQ, for example.

The sealing element 207 is in Figure 3A shown in a perspective view in greater detail. The sealing element 207 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a through hole 301 ( Figure 3B, Figure 3C ), for the Passage of a wire, for example the wire 206. Sealing lips 303a-303c are arranged on a jacket 302, which in the assembly position rest on the wall of the through-holes 202-204 of the contact body 201. At the in assembly position ( Figure 2 ) In the end lying on the inside of the contact part, the jacket 302 of the sealing element 207 has an edge 304 which improves the stability of the jacket 302. On the one in the assembly position ( Figure 2 ) A three-part flange 306 is arranged on the contact part 201 outer end of the sealing element 207, which forms a circumferential edge of three segments 307a-307c, which are separated from one another by three spaces 308a-308b. An annular recess 309 is provided in the sealing element 207 in the region of the flange 306. The diameter of the recess 309 is larger than the diameter of the through hole 301, so that a seat 311 for a support body 312 is formed at the transition between the annular recess 309 and the through hole. The support body 312 is made of a hard plastic material polyamide or polypropylene or polybutylene terephthalate. The support body 312 has a central ring 313 with three arms 314 protruding in the radial direction, which form an angular distance of 120 ° from one another. A through opening 315 is provided in the central ring 313, the diameter of which essentially corresponds to the diameter of the through hole 301. Slits 316 are arranged between the arms 314 at a uniform angular distance from one another. The slots 316 are wedge-shaped, the broad side of which is on the outer side of the support body 312 in the assembly position, as in FIG Figure 3A can be seen. In the jacket 302, wedge-shaped longitudinal grooves 317 are arranged in the jacket at the circumferential positions where the slots 316 are located in the support body 312. The longitudinal grooves 317 allow the sealing element 207 to be concentrically compressed when it is inserted into a chamber in the contact carrier and the sealing lips 303a to 303c ensure a seal with respect to the chamber wall.

In the final assembled state of the sealing element 207, an ISO crimp 318 is arranged between the edge 304 and the sealing lip 303a, which is for a ensures firm seating of the sealing element 207 on the wire on which the sealing element 207 is mounted, and at the same time ensures a good seal between the sealing element 207 and the wire.

How out Figure 3B and particularly Figure 3C As can be seen, the arms 314 protrude beyond the outer circumference of the flange 306 or the segments 307a to 307c on the outer side in the assembly position, while the arms 314 are flush with the flange 306 on the inner side. The side of the flange 306 which is on the outside or inside in the assembly position is also referred to below for short as the outside or inside. From the inside to the outside of the flange 306, the radial end face of the arms 314 protrudes linearly increasingly over the outer circumference of the segments 307a to 307c, namely up to a distance I from the inside. The protrusion reaches a height d at this point. In other words, up to this point, the arms 314 produce a conical envelope which forms a run-in bevel for the assembly of the sealing element 207 in the contact carrier. Further outward, the distance between the outer circumference of the flange 306 and the end faces of the arms 314 does not increase any further.

The inlet opening in the central ring 313 is also slightly conical, namely the diameter of the central ring is slightly smaller on the outside than on its inside. This feature improves the clamping effect of the central ring on a wire located therein, as will be described further below.

When the sealing element is inserted into a chamber in a contact carrier, the protruding arms 314 cause the support body 312, in particular the central ring 313, to be compressed concentrically, the slots 316 becoming narrower. The central ring 313 clamps the wire tightly. In this way, the support body 312 supports the wire and counteracts vibrations, line breaks and premature wear of the contacts.

• Von einer Leitung wird ein Stück eines Außenmantels entfernt und die einzelnen Adern werden abisoliert. Dann wird ein Dichtungselement 207 auf jede Ader mit dem Flansch 306 voran auf die Ader geschoben und dort geparkt. An das abisolierte Ende der Ader wird ein Kontaktteil angeschlossen und danach das Dichtungselement 207 in einem vorbestimmten Abstand von dem Kontaktteil mit einem Isocrimp 318 befestigt. Dieser Vorgang wird für jede Ader wiederholt. Wenn alle Adern insoweit vorbereitet sind, werden sie in den Kontaktträger 1 eingesetzt, wo die Kontaktteile verrasten und die Dichtelemente 207 in die Kammern aufgenommen sind, sodass die Stützkörper 312 der Dichtelemente 207 jeweils eine Ader festklemmen und die oben genannten Vorteile erzielt werden.

The electrical coupling part according to the invention is assembled as follows:

• A piece of an outer jacket is removed from a cable and the individual wires are stripped. Then a sealing element 207 is pushed onto each wire with the flange 306 first on the wire and parked there. A contact part is connected to the stripped end of the wire and then the sealing element 207 is fastened with an Isocrimp 318 at a predetermined distance from the contact part. This process is repeated for each wire. When all wires have been prepared, they are inserted into the contact carrier 1, where the contact parts snap into place and the sealing elements 207 are received in the chambers, so that the support bodies 312 of the sealing elements 207 each clamp a wire and the advantages mentioned above are achieved.

The described single wire seal can be used universally and can also be automated, ie the assembly can be carried out fully automatically. Another advantage is that the seal in the coupling part according to the invention only requires slightly more installation space.

List of reference symbols

1

Contact carrier

2.3

Through hole

4.5

Contact elements

6.7

ladder

8.9

Vein

10

management

11

a coat

201

Detail of contact carrier

202-204

Through holes

206

Vein

207

Sealing element

301

Through hole

302

a coat

303a- 303c

Sealing lips

304

edge

306

flange

307a- 307c

Segments

308a- 308c

Gaps

309

Annular recess

311

Seat

312

Support body

313

Central ring

314

poor

315

Through opening

316

slot

317

Longitudinal grooves

318

Isocrimp

Claims (7)

1. An electrical coupling part, which has a contact carrier (1) consisting of plastic, and has a through hole (2, 3; 202-204), wherein an electrical contact element (4, 5) is connected in the through hole to a wire (8, 9, 206) of an electrical line (10), wherein the wire has an electrical conductor (6, 7) surrounded by an insultation, wherein a contact element and the wire connected to the contact element is arranged in the through hole, and wherein the wire is led out of the through hole of the contact carrier at one end of the contact carrier,

   - wherein a sealing element (207) equipped with radially outwardly protruding sealing lips (303a-303c) is attached to the wire, which sealing element in the mounting position abuts against the wall of the corresponding through hole (202-204) of the contact carrier (201), and

   - wherein at the end of the sealing element (207), which in the mounting position faces away from the contact element closed to the corresponding wire, a support body (312) is inserted into the sealing element, which support body has a central ring (313) with a through opening (315) for the wire and at least three radially outwardly extending arms (314) spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction, characterized in that the arms protrude above the sealing element (207) in the radial direction and that the support body (312) has wedge-shaped slots (316) running in the longitudinal direction in the central ring (313).
2. The electrical coupling part according to claim 1, wherein the coupling part has at least two through holes (2, 3; 202-204) running at a distance and parallel to one another, wherein in each through hole an electrical contact element (4, 5) is connected in each case to a wire (8, 9; 206) of an electrical line (10).
3. The coupling part according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support body (312) is of annular design.
4. The coupling part according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing element (207) has a flange (306, 307a-307c) with intermediate spaces (308a-308c), through which the arms (314) extend.
5. The coupling part according to claim 1, wherein the arms (314) extend obliquely in the longitudinal direction of the sealing element (207) at least in sections, so that an envelope forms a conical lateral surface around the end faces of the arms (314) of the support body (312).
6. The coupling part according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the through opening (315) of the support body is conical.
7. The coupling part according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein longitudinal grooves (317) are provided in the sealing element (207).

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