Title of Invention

A PLUG-IN-CONNECTOR ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A FLEXIBLE LINE OR CABLE

Abstract

A plug-in-connector adapted to be connected to a flexible line or cable (40), characterised in that a retaining plate (15) for fastening to the contact carrier (4) in order to hold the contact elements (5) in the contact carrier (4); the retaining plate (15) or a part connected thereto has a ring of inclined surfaces (52) which extend near the inner side of the second housing part (2) and co- opet;ate with the strain-relief device (50), and the strain-relief device (50) is designed to be made operative when the first and the second housing parts are locked or engaged, and to this end comprises an actuating ring (54) which co- operates with the ring of inclined faces (52) and pushes and simultaneously compresses the clamping chuck (51) against a supporting surface (53) of the second housing part (2), so that the teeth or claws (58) engage in the sheath (42) of the cable (40). figure 1.

Full Text

AMENDED PAGES 1, la Screwless electrical connector The invention relates to a connector which can be connected to a flexible conductor or cable, according to the precharacterizing clause of claim 1. Such connectors can be coupled to opposing connectors, and there are the standards ICE 309-1, ICE 309-2 and EN 60 309 1 + 2 to describe the requirements on such connector systems which are constructed for power current. Connectors of this type are disclosed by the German Utility Models 297 07 710.4 and 297 07 711.2. These provide connectors in which proper assembly is essentially ensured without the use of screws. However, a strain-relief device is configured with a clamping nut and therefore has screw faces. A connector according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from U. S. patent 4,310,213. The connector needs no screws, also when connecting the wire ends with the terminal members. These include mateable outer and inner sleeve-like members, the inner members being fixed at its rearward portion by crimping to the wire ends and the outer members having latching springs for fastening in the contact carrier. These terminal members act as screwless clamping means, however, are expensive to produce, and special tool is needed for assembling which is not without complications. The known connector comprises a second housing member which is a cable guard wherein a frustoconical clamping chuck as a cable strain relieve means is clamped before latching the first and the second housing members together. The latching means between the first and second housing part includes cantilevering wall portions of the guard formed by slots so that water can enter at these places and such connectors do not fulfil the requirements of the standards referred to above. A waterproof connector is known from U. S. patent 4,304,455, the wires being fixed by screws and those housing portions are connected by screws, A separate strain relieve means is not provided. U. S. patent 4,556,273 shows a strain relieve means consisting of a pair of fingers which are connected through flexible joints to the first housing member and are made effective when assembling the first and the second housing members together by screws. The invention is based an the object of providing a totally screwless plug connector which can be constructed conforming to standards and can be assembled easily. The object set is achieved on the basis of the features of claim 1 and of claim 6 and is refined and developed by the further features of the dependent claims. The electrical connector, which can be constructed as a plug or a coupler socket (receptacle), has a first, essentially tubular housing part made of insulating plastic, which encloses an inner, essentially cylindrical contact carrier. The connecting end of the cable, at which the cable sheath has partly been removed in order to render the insulated wires freely movable. can be drawn with these wires, whose ends have been exposed, through a second, essentially tubular housing part made of insulating plastic, which can be joined to the first 35 housing part. The said second housing part has a retaining plate, which is provided to be fixed to the first housing part in order to retain contact elements in a contact carrier in the first housing part. The free wire ends are plugged into the contact elements, which have screwless clamp connections for the ends of the wires and clamp the latter firmly and, after that, the first and second housing parts are joined to each other by being plugged together and rotated in the manner of a bayonet connection, the strain-relief device becoming effective and clamping the cable firmly an its sheath. For this purpose, the retaining plate or a part joined to it has a circle of inclined faces an cams, which extend at a short distance from the inner side of the second housing part and along this side. The strain-relief device comprises a cage-like clamping chuck, which has an actuating ring with inclined faces attached to it an cams, which interact with the circle of inclined faces an the retaining plate when the first and second housing parts are plugged together and rotated in relation to each other. The clamping chuck comprises clamping arms which are arranged distributed around the connecting end of the cable and have an arcuate curvature towards the connecting end and away from the latter, in each case a radially inner vertex being formed, to which teeth or claws are fitted which can bite firmly into the cable sheath. The clamping arms have free ends which are supported an supporting faces of the second housing part when the first and second housing parts are plugged together and locked. The cage-like clamping chuck is therefore compressed between the two housing parts, by which means the radially inner vertices of the clamping arms move radially inwards until the cable brings this movement to an end after the teeth or claws of the clamping arms have gripped. Depending an the thickness of the cable, the free ends of the clamping arms can pass radially outwards to a greater or lesser extent onto the supporting faces of the-second housing part, and the clamping arms adjacent to the actuating ring can curve to a greater or lesser extent, so that automatic adaptation to the size relationships of the cable takes place. The screwless clamping devices of the contact elements, to which the ends of the wires are to be joined, each have a stirrup-shaped spring having a supporting leg and a clamping plate. The contact elements are formed with a contact plate an which the supporting leg of the respective stirrup-shaped spring bears. The clamping plate engages around the contact plate with a window opening which has an actuating edge (on the contact plate) and a free edge (on the stirrup-shaped spring). The stirrup-shaped spring acts an the clamping plate like a tension spring and pulls the actuating edge against the contact plate. Each stirrupshaped spring is assigned a latching slide, which can be moved into a position for pressing the stirrup-shaped spring together and into a position for releasing the stirrup-shaped spring. When the stirrupshaped spring is pressed together, the window opening in the stirrup-shaped spring opens and the associated free wire end can be pushed into the window opening. By displacing the latching slide into the released position of the stirrup-shaped spring, the stirrupshaped spring pulls the actuating edge of the window opening against the inserted wire end and presses the latter against the contact plate of the respective contact element. The novel screwless electrical connector has the advantage that it can be assembled without any tools. As a result of the clamping principle both of the wire ends and also of the cable, automatic adaptation to the respective cross section takes place. This makes it possible to use one and the same plug connector for flexible leads or cables of different dimensions. The invention will be described using the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a coupler socket, Fig. 2 shows a contact element with a stirrup-shaped spring spring as a clamp, Fig. 3 shows an enlarged detail of Fig. 1 but with a thinner cable, Fig. 4 shows a clamping chuck, sectioned, and Fig. 5 shows a view of the clamping chuck from below. Fig. 1 illustrates a coupler socket or receptacle which is connected to a flexible lead or cable 40, to be specific in accordance with the rules of the international standards ICE 309-1, ICE 309-2 and EN 60 309 1+2. The coupler has a two-part enclosing housing, comprising a first tubular housing part 1, the collar, and a second tubular housing part 1, the hood. The first housing part 1 constitutes a front housing part and has a joining end la and a plug-in end lb for coupling to a complementary plug-in unit. The second housing part 2 constitutes a protective part and cable clamping part and has a joining end 2a and a lead insertion end 2b for the insertion of a flexible lead or a cable 40. Fitted to the first housing part 1 is a pivotable cover 3, which covers the plug-in end lb and protects it against spray water when the coupler socket or receptacle is disengaged from a plug. The first housing part 1 comprises a cylindrical contact carrier 4, which is formed in one piece with the outer tubular housing part 1 and is designed with individual accommodation chambers 6 to accommodate contact elements 5 (contact sockets here). The number of accommodation chambers and contact sockets depends an the intended purpose and may have three accommodation chambers (two phase contacts and one protective conductor contact), four accommodation chambers (three phase contacts and one protective conductor contact) or five accommodation chambers (three phase contacts, one neutral conductor contact and one protective conductor contact). In addition, the contact carrier 4 can be. designed to accommodate a pilot contact. The contact socket for the protective conductor contact can project somewhat further back, so that this protective conductor connection is the last to be maintained in each case, even when the cable is pulled in such a way that the conductor ends are pulled out of the clamping point (Fig. 2) , In the case of a plug, the contact carrier 4 is designed to accommodate contact pins. The term contact element 5 is used both for contact sockets and for contact pins. In order to connect an exposed wire 41 of the cable 40, the contact elements 5 have a contact plate 7 (Fig. 2), which, together with a supporting leg 18, is integral with the body of the contact element 5. A loop-shaped clip spring 8, which is stirrup shaped, has two mutually crossing legs 9 and 10, the leg 10 having a window opening 11 through which the leg 9 passes. The window encloses an actuating edge 12 and a free edge 13. By pressing the stirrup-shaped spring 8 together in the direction of the free edge, the contact plate 7 may be pushed through the window opening and, by being released at the actuating edge 12, may be clamped firmly and, in this way, the stirrup-shaped spring is carried by the contact element 5. As can be seen from Fig. 3, each contact plate 7 and each stirrup-shaped springs 8 project into a respective individual chamber 14 in a retaining plate 15, which consists of insulating material and can be latched or otherwise joined to the contact carrier 4, The retaining plate 15 is provided with first access openings 16, through each of which a latching slide 36 extends as a contact opener. Second access openings 17 open towards the contact elements in the area of the window 11. The latching slide 36 has a cutout 37, in which the joining part 8a (of bulge-like design) of the stirrup-shaped spring 8 is situated when the connector is finally assembled. The latching slide 36 has the function of a pressing-down tool which can assume two positions, namely a release position, as illustrated, and a pressing-down position, in which the inclined face of the cutout 3 7 presses down the curved part of the joining leg 8a and opens the window 11, so that the free wire end 41 can be pushed into the window 11. The two aforementioned positions of the latching slide 36 are determined by stops 38 and 39, which bear an respective shoulders of the retaining plate 15. In order to be able to displace the latching slide 36 easily between its two openings, an actuating opening 36a is provided, at which the latching slide can be pushed forwards and backwards, for example by means of a screwdriver. In order to join the housing parts 1 and 2 to each other, a screwless latching system 20 is provided which can be actuated by pushing in and rotating and, to this end, has four pairs of locks 21 which interengage in the manner of a bayonet and press the housing parts 1 and 2 firmly onto each other, so that these parts are closed in a watertight manner in relation to each other. During the rotational movement, a strain-relief device 50 is also actuated, which is described below. The strain-relief device 50 comprises a cage-like clamping chuck 51, which is clamped in between inclined faces 52 and curved supporting faces 53. The inclined faces 52 are formed by a circle of, for example, four cams, which is fitted to the retaining plate 15 and which extends at a short distance from the inner side of the second housing part 2 and along this side. The supporting faces 53 are circumferential and, in cross section, constitute a dome, The cage-like clamping chuck 51 has an actuating ring 54, an which cams are provided to form inclined faces, which interact with the inclined faces 52. The actuating ring 54 is secured against rotation by one or more ribs 55 an the housing part 2 engaging in corresponding grooves in the actuating ring 54. Consequently, if the housing parts 1 and 2 are locked to each other by being pushed into each other and rotated, the inclined faces of the actuating ring 54 engage in the inclined faces 52 of the retaining plate 15, as a result of which the actuating ring 54 is pushed away from the housing part 1 in the axial direction. The cage-like clamping chuck 51 has four clamping arms 56, which are arranged distributed around the cable 4 0 with an angular spacing of 90° from one another and which, overall, are bent in an S shape. This forms a radially inner vertex 57, an which teeth or claws 5 8 are situated. The arms 56 have free ends 59 which are supported an the domed face 53. Integrally moulded an the second housing part 2 is a protective sleeve 60, which consists of a flexible material and has sealing lips 61 which bear an the cable 40 in order to keep moisture and dust away from the interior of the device. The protective sleeve also serves as anti-kink protection for the cable. The assembly of the cable to the connector is carried out as follows: firstly, a piece of the sheath 42 of the cable 40 is removed in order to obtain individual insulated wires 43. The front end of these freely movable insulated wires 43 is stripped in order to obtain naked wire ends 41, over which, if appropriate, wire-end sleeves can also be pushed. The connecting end of the cable, prepared in this way, is pushed through the opening formed at the lips 61 into the interior of the housing part 2 until the free wire ends 41 come into the range of the stirrup-shaped springs B, The latching slide 36 is moved into the position for pressing the stirrup-shaped spring 8 together, if it has not already been supplied in this position, in which the window 11 is open. The wire end 41 can therefore be pushed into the opened window 11, then resting between the contact plate 7 and the supporting leg 18 of the gontact element 5, By sliding the slide 36 into the illustrated released position, the compression of the stirrup-shaped spring 8 is cancelled and the latter pulls the caught wire end 41 firmly against the plate 7. The housing part 2 is then latched to the housing part 1, which is carried out by plugging them into each other axially and rotating them. In the process, the inclined faces of the actuating ring 54 and the inclined faces 52 an the retaining plate 15 come into effect, that is to say the clamping chuck 51 is forced in the axial direction relative to the housing parts 1 and 2, upwards in the drawing. However, the free end 59 which rests an the supporting face 53 does not permit pure displacement of the clamping chuck 51. Instead, the latter is compressed, the vertices 57 of the clamping arms 56 moving radially inwards. During this movement, the teeth or claws 58 dig into the sheath 42 of the cable, which then opposes such a resistance to further movement of the clamping arms 56 that the further compression of the clamping chuck 51 leads to an outward curvature of the clamping arms in the area between the vertex 57 and the actuating ring 54. This radially outward curvature is more pronounced the thicker the cable 40, as a comparison between Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 shows. If the cable 40 is pulled, the teeth 58 attempt to penetrate still further into the cable sheath 42, so that the clamping of the cable 40 is increased. In the case of thrust an the cable in the direction of the interior of the housing, resistance to the movement is provided by the bending of the clamping arms 56, that is to say the cable is also retained firmly in the push-in direction, The device can be opened by the housing parts 1 and 2 being rotated in the direction opposite to their assembly direction and, as a result, unlatched. At the same time, the strain relief 50 is relieved of stress and, by pulling back the housing part 1, access to the interior of the housing can comfortably be obtained. 1. Connector adapted to be connected to a flexible lead or cable (40), the cable (40) having a connecting end with freely movable conductors (43)and free wire ends (41), comprising: a first, essentially tubular housing part (1) made of insulating plastic, which encloses an inner, essentially cylindrical contact carrier (4) ; a second, essentially tubular housing part (2) made of insulating plastic, which is mateable to the first housing part (1) and surrounds the connecting end having the freely movable conductors (43); a locking system (20) provided for joining the first and second housing parts and made effective by plugging the housing parts together axially and rotating them relative to one another, a strain-relief device (50) , which is designed to clamp the connecting end of the cable (40) and has a cage-like clamping chuck (51) and a row of clamping arms (56) which, at a radially innermost point, have teeth or claws (58); the connecting end of the cable (40) being adapted to be inserted axially into the interior of the second housing part (2), the clamping arms (56) of the clamping chuck (51) surrounding the connecting end; contact elements (5) , each of which has an outer front end and an inner rear end (7) , the rear end (7) comprising a screwless clamping means (7, 8) for a wire end (41), the wire ends (41) being insertable into the clamping means; characterized in that a retaining plate (15) is provided to be fixed to the first housing part (1) so as to retain the contact elements (5) in the contact carrier (4); the retaining plate (15) or a part joined to it has a circle of inclined faces (52), which extend at a short distance from the inner side of the second housing part (2) and cooperate with the strain relieve device (50); the strain-relief device (50) is adapted to be made effective when latching the first and the second housing parts together and comprises an actuating ring (54) which cooperates with the circle of the inclined faces (52) forcing the clamping chuck (51) against a supporting face (53) on the second housing part (2) and compressing it at the same time, in order for the teeth or claws (58) to engage in the sheath (42) of the cable (40) . Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping arms (56) are in general curved in an S shape and have a radially inner vertex (57)to which the claws or teeth (58) are fitted. Connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that four clamping arms (56) are provided, which describe a bell-shaped outline. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the clamping chuck (51) and the second housing part (2) have interengaging extensions (55) which permit displacement in the axial direction but prevent rotation relative to one another. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at the cable insertion end of the second housing part (2), an anti-kink cable sleeve (60) 25 is integrally moulded an which consists of a softer plastic material than the plastic material of the second housing part (2). 6. Connector adapted to be connected to a flexible lead or cable (40), the cable (40) having a connecting end with freely movable conductors (43)and free wire ends (41), comprising: a first, essentially tubular housing part (1) made of insulating plastic, which encloses an inner, essentially cylindrical contact carrier (4); a second, essentially tubular housing part (2) made of insulating plastic, which is mateable to the first housing part (1) and surrounds the connecting end having the freely movable conductors (43); a locking system (20) provided for joining the first and second housing parts and made effective by plugging the housing parts together axially and rotating them relative to one another, a strain-relief device (50), which is designed to clamp the connecting end of the cable (40) and has a cage-like clamping chuck (51) and a row of clamping arms (56) which, at a radially innermost point, have teeth or claws (58); the connecting end of the cable (40) being adapted to be inserted axially into the interior of the second housing part (2), the clamping arms (56) of the clamping chuck (51) surrounding the connecting end; contact elements (5), each of which has an outer front end and an inner rear end (7), the rear end (7) comprising a screwless clamping means (7, 8) for a wire end (41), the wire ends (41) being insertable into the clamping means; further comprising: a retaining plate (15) which is provided to be fixed onto the contact carrier (4) so as to retain the contact elements (5) in the contact carrier (4); the clamping means (7, 8) for the wire ends (41) comprising each a clip spring (8) which is clamped onto a respective rear inner end (7) of the contact element (5) and has a clamping plate (10) including a window opening which has an actuating edge (12) and a free edge (13), the clip spring (8) acting as a tension spring on the clamping plate (10) and pulling the actuating edge (12) in direction of a contact surface of the rear inner end (7) of the contact element (5) ; a number of latching slides (36) each of which is displaceably guided in the retaining plate (15) and has a position for pressing the clip spring (8) together and a position for releasing the clip spring (8); the retaining plate (15) further comprising contact access openings (17) to which the window openings (11) register when the latching slides (36) take their first position, whereas in the second position of the respective latching slide (36) when the wire end (41) belonging thereto is inserted, the respective wire end (41) is pressed against the contact face of the rear inner end (7) of the respective contact element (5). Connector according to claim 6, characterized in that the latching slide (36) has a cutout (37), in which there is space for a joining leg (8a) of the clip spring (8) when the position for releasing the clip spring is assumed. Connector according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the latching slide (36) has stops (38, 39) which define the first spring position for being pressed together and the second spring position for releasing the clip spring (8), respectively. 9. Connector according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein a supporting means (18) is arranged on the contact plate (7) which extends an the opposite side to the clip spring (8), 10. Connector according to one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the retaining plate (15) is latched to the contact carrier (4).

Documents:

abs-in-pct-2000-528-che.jpg

in-pct-2000-528-che-abstract.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-claims-filed.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-claims-grant.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-correspondence others.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-correspondence po.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-description complete-filed.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-description complete-grant.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-drawings.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-form 1.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-form 26.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-form 3.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-form 5.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-other document.pdf

in-pct-2000-528-che-pct.pdf