EP3282521B1

EP3282521B1 - Plug connector system

Info

Publication number: EP3282521B1
Application number: EP17186078.6A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Markus Gimbel; Alexander WALZ
Original assignee: TE Connectivity Germany GmbH
Current assignee: TE Connectivity Germany GmbH
Priority date: 2016-08-12
Filing date: 2017-08-14
Publication date: 2024-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2037-08-14
Also published as: EP3282521A2; DE102016215123A1; EP3282521A3

Description

Generally, the present invention relates to a plug connector system comprising a socket housing and a pin housing in order to establish an electrical connection between one or several electric wires.
Plug connector systems as mentioned above are generally used, on the one hand, for providing a detachable connection at certain system specific interfaces in lines for routing signals and/or in lines for transmitting higher electrical powers and, on the other hand, for, nevertheless, ensuring a permanent and reliable contact between the portions connected by the plug connector system. To this end, a wide variety of plug connector systems is available, typically tailored to respective requirements. In this respect, it is not only mandatory to ensure reliable electrical connection, but there is also a need to provide appropriate measures in order to prevent unintentional detachment of the plug connection, while still enabling a reliable decoupling of the socket housing from the pin housing.
Generally, other requirements must also be taken into consideration, for instance, reduced installation size, which, in particular, plays an important role in the continued reduction of the size of many electronic components. That is, upon reducing the installation size of the plug connector system important components ensure, for instance, the additional securing of contacts, locking or securing of the socket housing and the pin housing, and the like, so that performing the respective function under restricted mounting conditions is possible. That is, typically, the components required for, in particular, securing contacts and locking the plug connector system, have to be structurally adapted such that for the application under consideration, the respective function may be reliably and reproducibly performed. In this case, it should be additionally taken into consideration that the locking of the plug connector system, as well as the securing of the contacts, may be accomplished with little effort in terms of work and time, since these properties, in addition to the reliability of the obtained connection, represent important criteria for future costs of ownership and, thus, for the competitiveness of a corresponding plug connector system.
For example, plug connector systems are used in many technical fields due to the ongoing integration of more and more electronic devices into an entire system, wherein, in addition to adapted installation size and shape as well as reliable contact, robustness with respect to sophisticated environmental conditions may also have to be provided. One example in this respect is the field of the automation, since here, particularly sophisticated constraints are encountered, such as high mechanical load due to vibrations and the like, large temperature differences, very different air humidity, and the like, while, on the other hand, a high degree of accessibility and operability at the lowest possible weight and reduced installation size are required, since in this technical field, maintenance, measurements and the like may have to be frequently performed, thereby possibly requiring connector detachment and reconnection.
As an example in this respect, reference is made to the increasing complexity of electric supply systems in vehicles, wherein more complex battery systems are typically used due to the increasing number of electric and electronic components in a vehicle, the increase in electric drive components and the like, thereby requiring a significantly more sophisticated monitoring of the battery system compared to conventional starter batteries of vehicles. For example, many types of vehicles are currently available in which a battery system is used which has a higher voltage, thereby also in this case, requiring extremely robust and reliable plug connector systems in view of safety aspects. Moreover, due to the higher voltages, many individual cells are typically connected in series, so that a moderately complex assembly of battery cells is obtained, which may require significantly increased monitoring efforts. To this end, respective battery management systems are typically provided for monitoring individual cell modules, so that independent of the number of cell modules used, a corresponding high number of control lines, signal lines and power conducting lines are present. In this case, in particular, the lines provided for monitoring tasks are detachably connected to the management system so as to simplify on the one hand, the installation of the battery system and, independent thereof, the installation of the control system and, on the other hand, to enable a high degree of accessibility, wherein the modularity of the battery system is also typically desired and may be taken advantage of in order to replace individual modules.
As a result, there is an increasing need in this field of technology for plug connector systems that, in particular, may be used in such sophisticated applications and which may, in particular, meet the above-identified requirements. It appears, however, that currently available plug connector systems may not meet the full requirements with respect to desired performance in terms of flexibility during the application, with respect to simplifying the handling of the plug connector system and with respect to requirements concerning installation size, in combination with the required reliability.
US2010136819A1 discloses a connector which is provided with a pair of female and male housings connectable with each other. The female housing includes a block-shaped housing main body and the male housing includes a receptacle having an inner surface shape conforming to outer surfaces of the housing main body. Corners on the outer surface of the housing main body diagonal to each other are bevels with different shapes. The bevels include moderately inclined portions located at the opposite ends of the upper surface of the housing main body and inclined at a relatively large angle with respect to a height direction and steeply inclined portions located at the opposite ends of the lower surface of the housing main body and inclined at a relatively small angle with respect to the height direction.
US4984998 A discloses high density electrical interconnections which are established by using an electrical connector comprising a plurality of terminals held in position by resilient housing latches and by a separate terminal position assurance insert which is formed as part of a one-piece member also having a connector position assurance insert. The terminals position assurance insert is inserted into the housing from the rear and abuts a projection on each terminal thus assuring that the resilient housing latch engages the terminal. A connector position assurance insert attached to the terminal position by a integral strap is inserted beneath a connector latch to prevent the depression of the latch. A strap is deformed so that the connector position assurance insert is located parallel to and adjacent to the terminal position assurance insert when the two are fully seated in the connector. The terminal position assurance insert is inserted immediately adjacent a side wall of the connector housing on which the connector latch is mounted and above a wire crimp and insulation barrel portion to the rear of the projecting section of the terminal. Both the terminal position assurance insert and the connector position assurance insert include laterally deflectable latching springs for retention in the housing.
US5641300 A discloses an electrical connector for wiring harnesses and other electrical devices, which has a lock member to hold the connector in engagement with a mating connector and a latch to guard against inadvertent release of the lock member. The latch is connected by means of a living hinge to a terminal retainer holding a plurality of terminals within the connector and is movable by a worker between a latched position inhibiting movement of the lock member to an unlocked condition and an unlatched position offering no obstruction to movement of the lock member. When in the latched position the latch also serves to prevent wires or other foreign objects from becoming entangled with the lock member during shipping and handling.
US5947763 A relates to an electrical connector system having first and second mateable housings and a connector position assurance member for bi-directional sliding movement on the second connector housing. The first connector housing includes a primary lock ramp thereon and the second connector housing has a primary lock constructed and arranged for pivotal movement and for locking against the primary lock ramp when the first and second connector housings are fully mated. The connector position assurance member is slidable on the second connector housing in a direction co-linear with the mating direction of the connector housings to a pre-staged position and so that the primary lock is uninhibited from pivotal movement. The connector position assurance member includes a first lock mechanism that temporarily locks the connector position assurance member from slidable movement on the second connector housing in a direction perpendicular to the mating direction of the connector housings when the connector position assurance member is in the pre-staged position. The first lock mechanism can be disengaged and unlocked when the first and second connector housings are fully mated allowing the connector position assurance member to be slid in a perpendicular direction to a final fully seated position. In the final fully seated position, the connector position assurance member blocks the primary lock from pivotal movement preventing the primary lock from being disengaged from the primary lock ramp.
US6203364 B1 discloses an electrical connector assembly having mateable male and female connector members includes a separate slide clip component that is received in a channel of the male connector and is provided with attachment features for mounting the assembly to support structure. The slide clip and channel include mateable detent and bump lock projection features that engage when the slide clip is fully installed in the channel to lock the slide clip against removal.
WO 2013/076961 A1 relates to a connector and a method for making the connector preventing escape of a terminal fitting by improving latch force for the terminal fitting over a wide variety of products without inducing upsize or manufacturing cost. The connector comprises a connector housing including a terminal fitting and a terminal housing accommodating the terminal fitting, which the connector housing includes a wall dividing composing one inner face of the terminal housing, a latch part latch the terminal fitting, the latch part includes a latch arm having a tip extending from a base end disposed the inner face of the wall toward a back side in an insertion direction of the terminal fitting, a latch projection projecting from the latch arm in a direction intersecting the insertion direction, in the wall is formed a through hole having the latch projection face external, and the terminal fitting is latched by the tip and the latch projection of the latch arm.
US4634204 A relates to a connector device for electric circuit terminals which includes mating male and female connectors, one of which has resilient extended lock arm means that will lock behind a lock bar of a sized window of the other connector. When the two connectors are mated, a connector position assurance and assist device is inserted axially along a tracked slot and displaces the void between the sized window and under the extended lock arm means, with this device including releasable, resilient lock tab means to retain it in operative engagement with the connectors. If the connectors are only partly interconnected, upon initially insertion of the connector position assurance and assist device through the connector with the extended lock arm means it will assist the two connectors to become fully and rigidly mated, whereas if the device is initially inserted via the connector with the sized window it will refuse the further mating of the connectors and actually effect their separation whereby to prevent any type of connector partial engagement or intermittent electrical connection to occur.
It is an object of the present invention to provide means on the basis of which plug connector systems may meet the requirements, for instance, in association with complex battery systems, with respect to installation, operability and installation size, in a manner exceeding the properties of conventional plug connector systems.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above-specified object is solved by a plug connector system as defined in claim 1 that comprises a pin housing and a socket housing. The pin housing has a contact assembly including one or more pin contacts. The socket housing comprises a contact assembly formed in a complementary manner with respect to the pin assembly and comprises a locking element that is attachable to the pin housing for locking the pin housing and the socket housing.
Typically, in conventional plug connector systems, the components are configured such that the pin housing includes a corresponding component for locking the socket housing and the pin housing. According to the present invention, it has been recognized that under specific conditions, such as a specifically preset mounting position, in combination with reduced installation size and good accessibility, providing the locking element on the pin housing may not meet the above-referenced requirements to the desired degree. For this reason, according to the present invention, the locking element is provided at the socket housing so that, for instance, upon attaching the socket housing at an appropriate mounting position, the locking occurs by coupling the locking element to the pin housing.
The locking element is configured such that a part of the locking element penetrates through the pin housing when the pin housing is pushed or slid onto the socket housing.
Due to this configuration, an unlocked state and a locked state of the plug connector system may be adjusted by the locking element.
The plug connector system further comprises an assurance that is transversely movable along a plug direction along the pin housing between a locking position and an unlocking position. With this configuration, the locking of the two housing components is accomplished by an assurance that is movable in a space efficient manner, i.e., transversely to the plug direction. In this manner, a process for locking the two housing components along the plug direction may be avoided, for instance, under restricted mounting conditions, such that, in particular, the efforts of assembling the housing components and releasing the locking may be avoided.
The assurance is further configured to be in contact with the one or more contact pins in the locking position for providing a secondary assurance of the pin assembly. That is, the assurance has a double function by which, on the on hand, locking the housing components and, on the other hand, the secondary assurance of the contacts, is accomplished. This combination of both functions required for a reliable plug connector system in total results in reduced installation size and an improved degree of operability. Thereby, both functions may be "activated" or "deactivated" by moving the assurance in the transverse direction.
In a further embodiment, the pin housing comprises a recess extending transverse to the plug direction, with a projection of the assurance complementarily formed thereto being engaged therewith, wherein the projection is movable in the recess. That is, the projection that ensures mechanical contact with the contact pins is a structural component which may be produced in a simple and highly reproducible manner without requiring additional measures to implement the secondary assurance of the contact pins. That is, in advantageous embodiments, the projection is in mechanical contact with any of the contact pins of the pin housing at the locking position, thereby securing the contact pins.
The socket housing and the assurance comprise mutually complementary snap elements that are configured to be latched in the locking position. That is, by this constructive measure, it is guaranteed that an unintended lateral movement and, thus, release of the locking of the socket housing and the pin housing, is prevented. Also in this case, the precise and reliable latching or snapping in the locking position may be accomplished by structural components that may be precisely and reproducibly formed during the manufacturing process of the assurance without requiring additional measures.
According to the invention, the assurance is formed so as to be symmetric with respect to a central plane that includes an axis parallel to the plug direction. This symmetric configuration enables the assurance to be attached from both sides of the transverse direction. In this manner, an increased degree of flexibility during usage of the inventive plug connector system is achieved.
In a further advantageous embodiment, the socket housing comprises a resilient prefixing element configured to fix the socket housing with a clearance determined by the elasticity of the prefixing element. That is, in many applications, the relatively precise positioning of components of the plug connector system is required, wherein, however, a certain amount of "resiliency" is required or is advantageous in order to, for instance, compensate for tolerances of the installation location, tolerances of the wire routing, and the like. In this respect, the resilient prefixing element is capable, due to its elasticity, of allowing a certain amount of tolerance without, however, impairing the basic positioning and fixing. In this manner, a high degree of operability during the installation and connection of the inventive plug connector system is accomplished, in particular, during installation and connection of the socket housing.
In a further advantageous variant, one or more fixing elements are provided that are configured for final fixation of the socket housing. That is, following the mounting of the socket housing at the location and position determined by the prefixing element, thereby obtaining the desired clearance, the actual final fixing may be accomplished by the one or more fixing elements, for instance, in cooperation with complementary elements at the installation location, in a connector plate and the like. That is, in this embodiment, the final positioning of the socket housing is accomplished on the basis of a "two step" process by using the prefixing element and the one or more fixing elements, each of which may be provided in a precise and reproducible manner as structural components of the socket housing.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a modular functional block is provided that is mechanically coupled to the socket housing and that comprises appropriate fastening elements or attachment elements adapted to a given target application. For example, when a "two step" positioning is required, as described above, a functional block including the prefixing element and the one or more fixing elements may be added as a module to the remaining socket housing or also to the pin housing, such that, for otherwise identical components, the desired positioning and fixing characteristics may be rapidly adjusted. If, on the other hand, "rigid" fastening elements are sufficient for an immediate final fixation, a corresponding functional block may be coupled with the remaining socket housing or pin housing without requiring additional measures. In this manner, the essential components of the system may always be manufactured in the same manner, and the adaptation to various situations is performed at the side of the functional blocks only, which may be typically producible in many variants in a significantly more cost efficient manner.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the above-referenced object is solved by a plug connector system having a pin housing and a socket housing. Moreover, the pin housing and/or the socket housing comprises a resilient prefixing element configured for fixation with a tolerance given by the elasticity of the prefixing element. That is, in this aspect, the above-described positioning of the socket housing or the pin housing may be performed on the basis of a degree of elasticity determined by constructive measures, thereby enabling an adaptation to the target application, as is also explained above. In further embodiments, the prefixing element may be provided in the form of a modular functional block that is coupled on demand to the remaining part of the pin housing or the remaining part of the socket housing.
In a further advantageous embodiment, one or more fixing elements are provided in addition to the elastic prefixing element with the one or more fixing elements being configured for final fixation. In this manner, a corresponding previously described positioning and fixing may be achieved for otherwise arbitrarily, yet appropriately, configured housing components, wherein, in particular, the elasticity of the prefixing element contributes to superior efficiency during the process of mounting and connecting.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the resilient prefixing element is provided at the socket housing.
In a further advantageous embodiment, a locking element is provided at the socket housing with characteristics as already described in the previous aspect of the present invention. In addition to the positive characteristics during mounting and connecting of the block plug connector system due to the elastic prefixing element, in this manner additional advantages are also obtained, achieved by providing the locking element at the socket housing.
In a further advantageous embodiment, an assurance may be provided that may have the same characteristics as previously described. In particular, an assurance may be provided that is movable in a direction transverse with respect to the plug direction at least between a locking position and an unlocking position, thereby achieving the advantages described above. In further advantageous embodiments, the configuration of the pin housing in combination with the structural configuration of the assurance may be identical to the previously described aspect. In this manner, a synergetic effect, in particular, with respect to the work during the mounting and connection of the plug connector system, is obtained.
According to an example not being part of the present invention, a plug connector system comprises a pin housing and a socket housing. Moreover, an assurance is provided that is movable between a locking position and an unlocking position for locking the pin housing and the socket housing with the assurance, providing a secondary assurance of the pin assembly and/or the contact assembly in the locking position. That is, in this example, an advantageous effect is achieved with respect to mounting, space requirements, and the like, of the plug connector system of the present invention in that the assurance has a double function. That is, by a simple movement of the assurance, it is possible to obtain a locking state and, on the other hand, a secondary assurance may be provided. In this case, the pin housing may be configured such that a mechanical contact to any contact pins may be achieved in the locking position, or the socket housing may be configured such that a mechanical contact is obtained to any contact elements, if considered advantageous. In other embodiments, the assurance may be configured such that a secondary assurance of contact pins and contact elements may be concurrently obtained, if considered appropriate.
In one advantageous embodiment, moving between the locking position and the unlocking position is accomplished by a transverse movement with respect to a plug direction. This results in a superior degree of flexibility and also leads to the possibility of reducing the size of the mounting location and/or the plug connector system.
To this end, as also discussed above, in some advantageous embodiments, the pin housing and/or the socket housing comprise respective recesses, which, on the one hand, expose portions of the respective contacts and, on the other hand, enable movement in a transverse direction in a controlled manner such that in the locking position a mechanical contact is guaranteed by the respective complementarily configured protrusions of the assurance.
In one particularly advantageous embodiment, the socket housing is provided with a locking element that, upon "activation" by the assurance, guarantees the mechanical coupling and, thus, locking of the locking element of the socket housing to the pin housing. With respect to further characteristics and advantages of arranging a locking element at the socket housing, reference is made to the previous considerations.
In a further advantageous embodiment, there is provided, in combination with the assurance having the double function, a resilient prefixing element at the socket housing and/or the pin housing, such that due to the elasticity, a desired degree of resiliency is obtained during the positioning and fixation of the respective housing component, as also discussed above. In particular, in combination with one or more fixing elements provided for a final fixation, a "two step" fixation may be performed, as described above. This characteristic of the resilient prefixing element may also be highly efficiently combined with the embodiment in which a locking element is provided at the socket housing. In this case, the resilient prefixing element is preferably provided at the socket housing in order to preliminarily fix it with a desired tolerance in a first step, followed by a final fixation. Also in this context, it should be appreciated that a corresponding resilient prefixing element, in combination with one or more fixing elements in the form of a modular functional block may be provided, wherein each functional block may be provided with "rigid" fastening elements such that a desired characteristic during the fixation of a respective housing component may be obtained by selecting an appropriate functional block. For example, different configurations, degrees of resiliency, and the like, may be realized at low cost in order to enhance flexibility of the system with respect to adaptation to different target applications.
Further advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the figures:

Figs. 1a and 1b show perspective exploded views of advantageous embodiments in which, in particular, a locking element is provided at a socket housing in order to lock the socket housing and pin housing,
Fig. 2a is a perspective exploded view of a plug connector system according to an embodiment in which a resilient prefixing element is provided on a socket housing and/or a pin housing,
Fig. 2b is a perspective exploded view of the plug connector system of Fig. 2a when viewed from the opposite direction with respect to the resilient prefixing element, and
Figs. 3a and 3b are perspective views of a plug connector system according to a further embodiment, respectively, wherein an assurance having a double function for locking and providing a secondary assurance of contacts is arranged in an unlocking position (Fig. 3a) and in a locking position (Fig. 3b).

Fig. 1a illustrates a schematic exploded view in perspective representation of a plug connector system 100 comprising a pin housing 120 and a socket housing 140 with the plug connector system being configured, for instance, in the form of a Micro Quadlock System (MQS). The pin housing 120 comprises one, preferably, however, a plurality of contact pins 122A...122N, which are appropriately geometrically arranged for usage so that a desired assembly 122 is obtained. In the embodiment illustrated, a double row assembly is shown as an example, which includes 12 contact pins in total. The present invention, however, is not limited to a specific number of contact pins, and the number, as well as the geometric arrangement of the contact pins, is adaptable to the respective use case in any appropriate manner.
Moreover, the pin housing 120 is configured to surround a major part of the socket housing 140 that, in turn, has a contact assembly 142 that is configured in a complementary manner with respect to the pin assembly 122 such that upon connecting the two components 120, 140 a reliable contact of the pin assembly 122 with the contact assembly 142 is achieved. That is, upon plugging in a plug direction SR, the socket housing 140 slides into a part of the pin housing 120, thereby establishing electrical contact as well as a mechanically stable connection between the pin assembly 122 and the contact assembly 142. In order to lock the pin housing 120 and the socket housing 140 with respect to a mechanical fixation at least along the plug direction SR, in the present embodiments, the socket housing 140 comprises a locking element 145 that, after being connected to the pin housing 120, is coupled or may be coupled by being acted upon by a further component, as will be described later on in more detail, such that the locking or securing or latching of the plug connector system 100 is achieved. In particular, in one embodiment, the locking element 145, is configured to allow passage of a part thereof, in Fig. 1a the lower part thereof, through the pin housing 120 after connection is established. In this manner, a mechanical contact to the pin housing 120 or, in preferred embodiments, to a further component, such as an assurance as described later on, may be accomplished.
In conventional connector systems, typically a corresponding locking element is provided on the pin housing so as to guarantee the locking or securing of the plug connector system. In the present embodiment, in particular, in view of a reliable cable routing and/or an appropriate adaptation to the geometric conditions, in particular, for battery cell modules of complex battery systems and the like, superior flexibility is obtained by provision of the locking element 145 on the socket housing 140. In this manner, for instance, the installation size may be correspondingly reduced while preserving a required accessibility of the plug connector system 100, since, in the present case, the socket housing 140 is correspondingly configured, for instance, by means of appropriately adapted fixing elements 147 so as to mechanically attach the socket housing to an appropriate carrier, such as a battery cell module. To this end, in advantageous embodiments, the fixing elements 147 are formed by constructive measures in general, so as to allow an appropriate adaptation to a given use case, while the remaining part of the socket housing 140 is always formed in the same way, irrespective of the use case under consideration, so that the connector system 100 having a same pin housing 120 may be used for different target applications. That is, in particular, the locking element 145 and the pin housing 120 are configured to enable reliable locking while still allowing, by appropriate selection of the fixing elements 147, adaptation of the plug connector system 100 to a respective application.
In one advantageous embodiment, an assurance 160 is provided in the plug connector system 100, the assurance being configured for providing a locking by the locking element 145 in cooperation with the assurance 160. To this end, in the embodiment illustrated, the assurance 160 is configured to be pushed or slid onto a part of the pin housing 120 in a direction QR that is transverse to the plug direction SR. In this manner, after connecting the pin housing 120 and the socket housing 140 by means of the fixing elements 147, engagement of a snap element 166 of the assurance 160 with respective snap elements 146 of the socket housing 140 is made possible, wherein in a corresponding locking position of the assurance 160, reliable coupling of the locking element 145 to the pin housing 120 is guaranteed, as is also explained in more detail later on in the context of Figs. 3a and 3b. To this end, in the embodiment illustrated, respective assurance elements 167A, 167B of the assurance 160 are provided in order to cooperate with the locking element 145 upon moving the assurance 160 in the transverse direction QR such that the element 145, when in a locking position, is engaged with and, thus, coupled to a corresponding portion 127 of the pin housing 120. Thereby, the configuration of the assurance elements 167A, 167B, in combination with the locking element 145 is such that a corresponding locking, that is, a lateral movement along the transverse direction OR in the locking position, may be achieved only when the pin housing 120 is completely pushed on the socket housing 140. That is, the snap element 166 of the assurance 160 and the snap elements 146 are configured to allow movement of the assurance 160 in the transverse direction QR only when both components 120, 140 are fully connected. In this state, the assurance 160 takes on at least a first position, that is, an unlocking position, at which locking of the pin housing 120 and the socket housing 140 does not occur, and a second position, i.e., the locking position in which the pin housing 120 and the socket housing 140 are locked and also the assurance 160 is latched so as to prevent an unintended removal and sliding out of the locking position.
In the embodiment illustrated, respective guiding elements 128 are provided at the side of the pin housing 120 in order to be engaged with respective recesses 168, thereby guaranteeing a guided movement of the assurance 160 along the transverse direction QR. The guiding elements 128 are appropriately configured to allow, on the one hand, the assurance, 160 to be pushed onto the pin housing 120 by a corresponding expansion of the assurance 160 and, thus, to guarantee in this manner a subsequent sliding of the guiding elements 128 into the recess 168. Moreover, assurance elements 129 are provided on the pin housing 120 in correspondence with a respective recess 169, thereby allowing a lateral movement in the transverse direction QR and, if required, allowing removal of the assurance 160 from the pin housing 120 upon actuating the assurance element 129.
Fig. 1b illustrates the plug connector system 100 according to a further advantageous embodiment in which the assurance 160 has, in addition to allowing the locking of the socket housing 140 and the pin housing 120 by means of the locking element 145, a further function, according to which a mechanical contact is established between the assurance 160 and the contact pins 122A...N, such that a "secondary" assurance of the contact is guaranteed. That is, the assurance 160 is configured to provide secondary assurance for the contacts 122A...N by being moved in the transverse direction QR. In particular, with this double function of the assurance 160 in this embodiment, a high degree of space saving may be accomplished upon implementing the locking function and the assurance function, while at the same time reducing the effort required for establishing and decoupling the connection. To this end, in the embodiment illustrated, the assurance 160 comprises an appropriate protrusion 164 provided in the form of a rib formed in a longitudinal manner along the transverse direction and possibly having a extended front end, wherein the protrusion may engage with a correspondingly formed recess 124 so that the assurance 160, being fully pushed into position, comes into mechanical contact with any of the contact pins 122A...N, thereby forming the secondary assurance of the contact pins. In this position, at the same time, a lateral latching of the assurance 160 is accomplished, thereby also reliably maintaining the locking by means of the locking element 145, as is already discussed above.
In one advantageous embodiment as shown in Fig. 1b, the assurance 160 is symmetric with respect to a plane spanned by the plug direction SR and the transverse direction QR and passing through the center with respect to a depth D of the assurance 160. In this manner, the assurance 160 may, for instance, be pushed from both sides onto the pin housing 120. This measure also contributes to a superior degree of flexibility during adaptation to a given application and, in particular, for coupling and decoupling the socket housing 140 and the pin housing 120.
Fig. 2a illustrates a perspective exploded view of a further advantageous embodiment of a plug connector system 200 comprising a pin housing 220 and a socket housing 240. In the system 200, the socket housing 240 and/or the pin housing 220, preferably the socket housing 240, comprises a resilient prefixing element 241 configured to allow the corresponding component 240, 220 to be attached to an appropriately formed support, while a certain clearance of the respective attachment position is provided by the resilient prefixing element 241 due to a realized degree of elasticity. In this manner, the corresponding component may be positioned and attached in a relatively precise manner, wherein, nevertheless, a certain tolerance, for instance, in view of routing electric wires and the like, is accomplished. In the embodiment illustrated, the resilient prefixing element 241 is configured such that a fixing element 241B, for instance, in the form of a sliding block and the like, is supported by a bracket 241A which, due to its configuration, essentially contributes to a certain degree of elasticity of the element 241. For example, a desired number of components 240 and/or 220 may be attached to a corresponding mounting by means of the prefixing element 241, wherein the fine-tuning of the respective locations and positions is adapted to the structural conditions. The degree of elasticity of the prefixing element 241 may be determined by constructive measures, for instance, by the type of material, a thickness of the material, and the like, thereby accomplishing a high degree of reproducibility in the production of the respective components 240 and/or 220. In the embodiment illustrated, the prefixing element 241 is provided on the socket housing 240, thereby allowing the socket housing 240 to be attached to a corresponding position of the application under consideration with a certain tolerance and further allowing the pin housing 220 to be attached after installation of the socket housing 240.
In advantageous embodiments, the remaining parts of the socket housing 240 and of the pin housing 220 are configured in a manner as is already described above in the context of the plug connector system 100. That is, in one advantageous embodiment, a locking element 245 is provided on the socket housing 240 so as to have a configuration such that locking of the socket housing 240 and the pin housing 220 may be accomplished as is described above. In particular, it is to be noted that for components which essentially correspond to the components described in the context of the plug connector system 100, the same reference numbers are used, except for the first digit. That is, the locking element 245 substantially corresponds to the locking element 145 that is described in the context of Figs. 1a and 1b. The same holds true for the remaining components of the system 200.
Moreover, in one advantageous embodiment, an assurance 260 is provided and is configured in a manner as is described above in the context of the component 160. That is, this component may be pushed onto the pin housing 220 along the transverse direction QR in order to obtain a reliable coupling of the locking element 245 and the pin housing 220. In further advantageous embodiments, as already discussed above, the assurance 260 has a double function according to which the secondary assurance of the contact pins 222A...222N is also accomplished by the assurance 260 due to a lateral movement on the pin housing 220.
Fig. 2b illustrates the plug connector system 200 in a perspective manner when viewed from a different viewing direction, wherein one may recognize that opposite to the resilient prefixing element 241, one or more fixing elements 248 are provided so as to serve for the final positioning of the respective component. In the embodiment illustrated, the prefixing element 241 and the one or more fixing elements 248 are provided on the socket housing 240, while in other embodiments that are not shown, the corresponding fixing elements are provided on the pin housing 220, if compatible with the application under consideration and resulting in advantages with respect to handling the plug connector system 200. The one or more fixing elements 248, which, in one example, may be provided in the form of studs, may cooperate with a corresponding complementary component, for instance, a plug plate and the like, such that the position of the socket housing 240 or the pin housing 220 is finally fixed.
As already discussed above, by selecting appropriate fastening elements and fixing elements an adaptation to the application under consideration may be accomplished, wherein the further components of the plug connector system may remain unchanged. For example, in the plug connector system 100 as described above, the fastening elements 147 are adapted to a first application, while the fixing elements 241, 248 of the plug connector system 200 are adapted to a second application with both applications demanding different requirements in view of the positioning of the socket housing.
For instance, in one embodiment that is not shown, a modular configuration is provided in which the entirety of the fastening elements 147 as a separate functional block may be coupled to the remaining part of the socket housing 140, wherein mechanical decoupling after coupling the corresponding functional block to the remaining part of the component 140 may not be required. In a similar manner, the fixing elements 241, 248 may be provided as a functional block that may be coupled to the rest of the socket housing 240 so that the corresponding plug connector system may be adapted, by selection of separately produced functional blocks, with respect to attaching the respective component, dependent on the use case. In this manner, the common components of the plug connector system may be produced in a same and reproducible manner, while the respective functional blocks for attaching may be selected as required and may accordingly be mechanically coupled. The mechanical coupling of the respective functional blocks to the respective components may be accomplished by snap connection and the like.
Fig. 3a shows a perspective view of a plug connector system 300 according to further advantageous embodiments. The plug connector system 300 comprises a socket housing 340 and a pin housing 320 that are connected along a plug direction SR. Moreover, in the plug connector system 300, an assurance 360 with a double function is provided. That is, by sliding the assurance 360 along a transverse direction QR, on the one hand, the locking of the socket housing 340 and the pin housing 320 is accomplished and, on the other hand, a secondary assurance of contact pins 322A...322N is achieved. That is, in this embodiment, including the assurance 360 having a double function a high degree of efficiency is achieved upon operating the plug connector system 300, since both functions are obtained by a single component 360 and by simple operation of the assurance 360, that is, by lateral movement in the transverse direction QR.
In one advantageous embodiment, the assurance 360 is configured in the same manner as already discussed above in the context of the plug connector systems 100 and 200. That is, in the embodiment illustrated, a recess 368 of the assurance 360 is in engagement with corresponding guiding elements 328 of the pin housing 320, thereby guaranteeing a guided movement along the transverse direction QR. Moreover, a snap element 366 of the assurance 360 and snap elements 346 of the socket housing 340 are in contact with each other such that in a first position, i.e., an unlocking position, the assurance 360 may allow mechanical decoupling of the pin housing 320 from the socket housing 340. That is, in this unlocking position of the assurance 360, the corresponding elements 367A, 367B of the assurance 360 are in contact or cooperate with a locking element of the socket housing 340 that is not shown, so that a mechanical coupling and, thus, latching of the corresponding locking element with the pin housing 320, is not accomplished. The configuration of the locking element may be analogous as, for instance, described in the context of the plug connector system 100 when the locking element is provided on the socket housing 340. In other embodiments (not shown), a corresponding locking element may be provided on the pin housing 320 so as to engage with the socket housing 340 when the assurance 360 is located at an appropriate second locking position. Also in this case, the corresponding elements 360A, 360B may be arranged and configured so as to enable mechanical decoupling of the components 340, 320 in the unlocking position in cooperation with the locking element as shown in Fig. 3a. That is, upon moving to the left hand side in Fig. 3a, a locking of the system 300 is accomplished upon establishing the connection and, at the same time, the secondary assurance for the respective contact pins is obtained.
Fig. 3b illustrates a perspective view of the plug connector system 300 with the assurance 360 located at the second, i.e., locking, position. As shown, in this locking position, the snap element 366 is snapped into a corresponding snap element 346 of the socket housing 340 such that the lateral latching or locking of the assurance 360 is guaranteed. Moreover, the guiding elements 328 in combination with the recess 368 provide for a precisely guided lateral movement. Moreover, in this position, the corresponding elements 367A, 367B are positioned such that the corresponding locking element, in advantageous embodiments provided on the socket housing 340 - in other embodiments, however, provided on the pin housing 320 - is snapped into position so that a locking of the two housings 340, 320 is guaranteed, wherein it is insured by the lateral latching of the assurance 360 that unintended unlocking of the system 300 is not possible.
It should be appreciated that in advantageous embodiments, the socket housing 340, the pin housing 320 and the assurance 360 have a configuration as is also explained in the context of the plug connector systems 100, 200. That is, in highly advantageous embodiments, the corresponding locking element is provided on the socket housing 340, thereby achieving the above-explained advantages in view of versatility of application, the adaptation to given requirements, and the like. In further advantageous embodiments, additionally or alternatively, the assurance 360 with double function is provided in combination with a socket housing and/or a pin housing that comprise a resilient prefixing element, as is explained above in the context of the system 200. That is, in the embodiment of Figs. 3A, 3B the socket housing 340 is configured such that corresponding fastening elements are provided for rigid positioning, as, for instance, described in the context of the fastening elements 147 of the system 100. In other embodiments, the socket housing 240 having the resilient prefixing element may be used when appropriate for the target application under consideration. As explained above, the respective fastening elements or fixing elements may be provided as functional blocks, thereby providing the possibility of a simple compiling of the socket housing for the respective target application.

List of Reference Signs

100: plug connector system
120: pin housing
122A,...,N: contact pins
122: pin assembly
124: recess
127: portion for being engaged by a locking element
128: guiding element
129: assurance element
140: socket housing
145: locking element
146: snap element
147: fastening element
160: assurance
164: protrusion
166: snap element
167A, 167B: assurance element
168: recess
169: recess
200: plug connector system
220: pin housing
222: pin assembly
222A,...,N: contact pin
240: socket housing
241: prefixing element
241A: bracket
241B: fixing element, sliding block
242: contact assembly
245: locking element
248: fixing element (final fixation)
260: assurance
300: plug connector system
320: pin housing
328: guiding element
340: socket housing
346: snap element
360: assurance
366: snap element
368: recess (guide)
SR: plug direction
QR: transverse direction
T: depth (assurance)

Claims

Plug connector system (100; 200; 300), comprising
a pin housing (120; 220; 320) including a pin assembly (122; 222) with one or more contact pins (122A, ..., 122N; 222A, ..., 222N), and

a socket housing (140; 240; 340) including a locking element (145; 245) and a contact assembly (142, 242) complementarily configured with respect to the pin assembly (122; 222), wherein the locking element (145; 245) is able to be coupled to the pin housing (120; 220; 320) for locking the pin housing (120; 220; 320) and the socket housing (140; 240; 340),

and the locking element (145; 245) is further configured such that a part thereof penetrates through the pin housing (120; 220; 320) when the pin housing (120; 220; 320) is pushed or slid on the socket housing (140; 240; 340), and such that the locking element (145; 245), when in a locking position, is engaged with and, thus, coupled to a corresponding portion (127) of the pin housing (120; 220; 320),

the plug connector system (100; 200; 300) being characterized in that it further comprises an assurance (160; 260; 360) transversely movable on the pin housing (120; 220; 320) with respect to a plug direction (SR) between a locking position and an unlocking position,

wherein the socket housing (140; 240; 340) and the assurance (160; 260; 360) comprise snap elements (146; 346, 166; 366) that are complementary to each other and that are configured to be latched in the locking position, and

wherein the assurance (160; 260; 360) is further configured to be in contact, in the locking position, with the one or more contact pins (122A, ..., 122N; 222A, ..., 222N) for providing a secondary assurance of the pin assembly (122; 222), and wherein the assurance (160; 260; 360) is symmetric to a center plane that includes an axis parallel to the plug direction (SR).
Plug connector system according to claim 1, wherein the pin housing (120) includes a recess (124) extending transversely with respect to the plug direction (SR) and being engaged with a protrusion of the assurance (160; 260; 360) that is complementarily configured with respect to the recess (124) and that is movable therein, and wherein the protrusion of the assurance (160; 260; 360) is in contact with the one or more contact pins (122A, ..., 122N; 222A, ... , 222N) for providing the secondary assurance of the pin assembly (122; 222) in the locking position.
Plug connector system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the socket housing (140; 240; 340) includes a resilient prefixing element (241) including a fixing element (241B) supported by a bracket (241A) which, due to its configuration, essentially contributes to a certain degree of elasticity of the prefixing element (241) to fix the socket housing (140; 240; 340) in accordance with a clearance determined by the elasticity of the prefixing element (241).
Plug connector system according to claim 3, wherein the pin housing (120; 220; 320) or the socket housing (140; 240; 340) include, in addition to the resilient prefixing element (241), one or more fixing elements (248) provided for final fixation.