Patent Application
20170279225
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of prior German Patent Application No. 10 2016 105 504.2, filed on Mar. 23, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure relates to an electrical plug connector, in particular to a high-voltage plug connector for a vehicle. The connector of the present disclosure can be used for a plug connection in a high-voltage on-board electrical system of a vehicle, for example a motor-driven, hybrid or electric vehicle. For example, the present disclosure may be applied to the electrical contacting of the plug connector with a drive unit or a motor of the vehicle.
Plug connections and plug connectors for use in a high-voltage on-board electrical system are known. For example, German patent applications DE 10 2015 104 377.7 and DE 10 2015 114 080.2 describe an electrical plug connector that is suitable for use in a high-voltage on-board electrical system. The electrical connector has a contact part with a sleeve that forms a receiving space in which a plug-in contact is guided in a direction of insertion. A contact spring is attached in the interior of the sleeve and is adapted to be urged by a displaceable locking bolt in the direction of the receiving space for the plug-in contact. The electrical plug connector equipped with this contact part facilitates insertion and withdrawal of the plug-in contact.
German patent document DE 20 2010 018 115 U1 discloses a plug connector in which a plug and a socket are locked together by a locking slide that can be pushed to the socket transversely to a plugging direction of the plug. However, the plug suffers from various drawbacks. For example, improved resistance to vibration would be desirable.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a plug connector using simpler construction that displays good vibration resistance and is easier to install.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an electrical plug connector, which may be used as a high-voltage plug connector in a high-voltage on-board electrical system of a vehicle. The electrical plug comprises a plug with a plug casing made of plastic in which at least one contact chamber is formed. The plug casing, may also encompass two or more contact chambers, depending on whether the plug connector is a one-pole, two-pole, three-pole or multi-pole connector. The electrical plug connector may also include at least one electrical contact part to position in the one or more contact chambers. The contact part has a locking bolt to releasably attach a plug-in contact to the contact part. For example, a contact part of this type is described in German patent application DE 10 2015 104 377 and in German patent application DE 10 2015 114 080, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The contact part has a high current-carrying capacity of up to 180 amperes at 85° C. In this connection, “high-voltage” may be understood to be an electric tension amounting to at least approximately 48 V, and may be 60 V or more, or 400 V up to approximately 650 to 1000 V. An on-board electrical system of this type is found, for example, in subsystems in a motor vehicle or for drive and auxiliary power units in a hybrid or electric vehicle.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical plug connector also includes a mating socket to be plugged together with the plug. The socket has a casing made of plastic and the plug-in contact attached to the casing for connection to the contact part of the plug.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical plug connector includes a locking slide adapted for attachment to the plug casing. The locking slide is mounted on the casing to slide transversely to the plugging direction of the plug into the socket at least into a locking position to lock the plug to the socket. This defines a sliding direction of the locking slide. According to the present disclosure, the locking slide has a guide slot extending essentially transversely to the plugging direction, for example in the sliding direction, with an inclined plane to guide the locking bolt of the contact part as it is moved into the locking position. An inclined plane in this context is understood as the common physical definition of an inclined or sloping plane, i.e, a planar surface that is inclined against a horizontal, such as a sliding plane of the locking slide.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the locking bolt of the contact part of the plug can be mechanically guided by the locking slide and moved into the locking position in which not only is the plug-in contact attached to the contact part, but the plug is also locked to the socket. Thus, the locking bolt, which otherwise can only be reached with difficulty using a tool or a bare hand, is carried along with the motion of the locking slide. The locking slide thus carries out several functions in the electrical plug connector, such as locking the plug to the socket and guiding the locking bolt. In addition, the inclined plane of the guide slot for the locking slide significantly reduces the locking forces required to move the locking slide into the locking position. As a result, the force exerted for locking can be lowered as a function of an angle of inclination of the sloping plane, improving ease of installation.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the locking slide may be movable into three different positions, or rather it can assume three different positions, namely: a locking position as described above, a secondary locking position in which the contact part is secondarily locked in the contact chamber by the locking slide, and an installed position in which the locking slide is held on the plug casing but leaves the contact chamber open, thus allowing the contact part to be inserted. In some embodiments, the installed position is connected upstream of the secondary locking position, which in turn may be upstream of the locking position.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the inclined plane of the guide slot may be situated between a first linear segment for receiving the locking bolt and a second linear segment associated with the locking position. The guide slot is thus substantially Z-shaped. The first linear segment is provided for the insertion or accommodation of the locking bolt of the contact part, for example when the locking slide is in the secondary locking position. The second linear segment serves to hold or clamp the locking bolt in the locking position, in which both the locking bolt of the contact part and the plug are locked to the socket. The linear segments can be aligned horizontally particularly referred to a plane of displacement extending in the direction of displacement. Here the inclined plane forms an angle of inclination to this horizontal.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the inclined plane may have an angle of inclination, for example, of approximately 30° to 60°, or approximately 45° relative to the first and/or second linear segment or to a horizontal in the plane of displacement. At this angle of inclination the locking force necessary to move the locking slide can be reduced to a measure that permits easy installation. As a result, the plug connector can be handled with relatively little force exerted.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in order for the primarily locking contact part to be held more securely in the contact chamber upon being inserted into the contact chamber, the locking slide secondarily locks the contact part in the contact chamber in a secondary locking position upstream of the locking position. The locking slide automatically secondarily locks the contact part in the contact chamber when it is moved from its installation position into the secondary locking position. In this way, the contact part is securely held in the contact chamber without any additional installation measures becoming necessary.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the contact part can be secondarily locked with a secondary locking rib on a side of the locking slide facing the plug casing. This secondary locking rib secondarily locks the contact part in the contact chamber, for example, undercutting it, on a side opposite the direction of plugging. The secondary locking rib may be formed on the plug casing, or cast on and shaped so as to hold the contact part in the contact chamber and to press it against a plug casing wall, thereby causing the contact part to be clamped quickly. In order for the locking slide to perform several functions in the three positions described above, the plug casing may have at least one first longitudinal rib extending in the plugging direction and at least one second longitudinal rib arranged parallel to the first for interaction with the locking slide. For example, the first and/or second longitudinal rib serves to engage the locking slide or a part thereof and/or to guide the locking slide and/or to guide the socket relative to the plug casing.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, to enable the locking slide to engage in one or more of the above described positions on the plug casing, the locking slide may be provided with one or more detent lugs adapted to releasably latch onto the first and/or second longitudinal rib of the plug casing. The one or more detent lugs may be formed or cast onto the locking slide.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, for easier installation of the plug connector the one or more detent lugs engage behind the second longitudinal rib in a secondary locking position upstream of the locking position in the direction of displacement of the locking slide. In the secondary locking position the contact part is held in the contact chamber by the locking slide and this position is secured by the engagement of the detent lug on the second longitudinal rib, As a result, the locking slide cannot be easily moved back into the installation position, i.e, if at all, then only through increased exertion of force.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, for good or intuitive installing capability of the plug connector the one or more detent lugs engage behind the first longitudinal rib in an installation position upstream of the locking position in the direction of displacement of the locking slide. For example, the one or more detent lugs can be arranged and engage in the installation position between the first and the second longitudinal ribs. In this way, the locking slide is held in the installation position on the plug casing, making it easier to handle during the installation.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the locking slide leaves the contact chamber open in the installation position, in which it is already latched to the plug casing. In this way the contact part can be inserted into the contact chamber even when the locking slide is already engaged.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, to ensure that the plug is securely engaged with the socket and to confirm that the plug connection has been correctly completed, the locking slide may have a resilient position-assurance arm which only permits displacement into the locking position if it is released by excursion from engagement with the first and/or second longitudinal rib. For example, the position-assurance arm may have a position-assurance lug that engages with one of the two longitudinal ribs or with both the first and the second longitudinal ribs, particularly in the secondary locking position. The position-assurance lug may be arranged between the first and the second longitudinal ribs in the secondary locking position, so that the locking slide cannot be moved either into the installation position or into the locking position, as it has been blocked by the position-assurance arm. Thus, the locking slide fulfills the additional function of what is referred to as a connector position assurance (CPA). Therefore, depending on the design of the plug connector, a combination of secondary locking and CPA is created.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, to enable the function as a CPA the locking rib may be formed in such a manner that it is guided between the first and the second longitudinal ribs when the plug is inserted into the socket. This may further improve the ease of installation, since the socket or the socket casing is guided in the plugging direction by the plug or the plug casing.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the plug and the socket locked to the plug may be at least partially encased in a protective housing to improve resistance to vibration. The housing may also enable contacting a drive unit or a motor. In some embodiments, there is a positive connection between the plug casing and the protective housing and/or between the socket casing and/or the protective housing, with the result that the plug and the socket are additionally fixed in place by the protective housing. In some embodiments, the protective housing has a fastening flange by which the housing may be affixed to a counterpart such as a counter-housing of a motor or the like.
The present disclosure also relates to a plug connection and to a vehicle having a plug connector in one or more of the embodiments described above.
The described properties of the present disclosure and the manner in which these are achieved will be described in more detail based on the following detailed description. The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not restrictive of embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Further, the accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the description, serve to explain principles of the present disclosure.
In the drawings:
The drawings depict merely schematic representations and serve only to illustrate the present disclosure, The same or similar elements are provided throughout with the same reference numbers,
The plug connector 1 comprises a plug 2 with a plug casing 3 and a mating socket 4, also referred to as a header, with a socket casing 5. At least one electrical contact part 7 (hidden in
The contact part 7 has a sleeve 8 (see
In a plan view onto the plug 2,
Having described aspects of the present disclosure in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the present disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense,
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2016 105 504.2 | Mar 2016 | DE | national |
