Electrical connectors – With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in... – Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-21
2002-05-07
Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With coupling movement-actuating means or retaining means in...
Retaining means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06383008
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an angular plug support, especially for attachment to a unit housing, consisting of a socket part, which can be secured to the unit housing so that it remains fixed thereto and does not rotate, and an angular support, partially overlapping this socket part with one of its limbs and connecting it rotatably but axially immovably by means of a mutual positive engagement, for accommodating an insulator holding the plug contacts, the socket part and the limb of the angular support, facing it, being equipped in the region, in which they mutually overlap, with a locking device, by means of which they can be fixed mutually in a selectable position of rotation of the angular support.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such an angular plug support, equipped with a locking device, is known particularly from the German Offenlegungsschrift 195 20 544, in accordance with which in groove recesses equipped in the socket part and in the limb of the angular support, assigned to this socket part, with circumferential projections, provided in the region of their mutual overlapping, directed in opposite directions and forming a type of denticulation in their recess base, a connecting piece is disposed, which is constructed elastically in the radial direction, has an outline shape deviating from the strictly circular along its inner and outer periphery and interacts with projections in the recess base. At least in one realized form, the connecting piece can be formed by a corrugated spring and, interacting with the projections in the recess base, enables the socket part and the angular support to be locked together in a number of freely selectable swiveled positions. In the case of this construction of the connection between the stationary socket part and the angular support, which can be swiveled about its axis relative to the stationary socket part, a single part, namely the corrugated spring, forms, on the one hand, the removal resistant connection between the socket part and the support and, on the other, at the same time also the surmountable, mutual protection against twisting or the locking of the socket part and the support in a selected rotated position. In order to be able to fulfill these two tasks as befits the connection between the socket part and the support, on the one hand, a careful configuration of the corrugated spring and, on the other, a precise construction of at least the groove recess having the stop marks or the radial projections forming such marks, is required. As a result, on the one hand, the manufacturing costs are relatively high and, on the other, the assembly of the plug support is also appreciably more difficult.
Starting out from this state of the act, it is an object of the invention to improve an angular plug support of the construction described above, so that, while the manufacturing costs are less and the number of lockable positions between the socket part and the support do justice to practical requirements, it is sufficiently secured against any unintentional adjustment of a set swiveling position by a slight contact or also under the influence of vibrations unavoidable under the influence of machine units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This objective is accomplished pursuant to the invention for an angular plug carrier of the construction indicated above, owing to the fact that the locking device, provided in the region of mutual overlapping of the socket part and the limb of the angular support, comprises from the outer periphery of the one part to the inner periphery of the other part, lying mutually opposite to one another, on the one hand at least two rigid, flat surfaces and, on the other, a corresponding number of radially adjustable, also flat surfaces, the flat surfaces being disposed in such a manner that, when the support is in a locked position, all surfaces are in mutual, two-dimensional contact with one another.
Accordingly, the invention is distinguished, on the one hand, by a separation of the functions of an axial removal resistance and of a locking device for the surmountable mutual fixing of socket part and support and, on the other, simultaneously a limitation of the possible, locked swiveling positions to the number, which can actually be used in the respective application case of the plug support, with the consequence of a comparatively advantageous possibility for manufacturing the individual parts and a simplified assembly of the plug support. Moreover, the possibility exists in an advantageous manner of adjusting the height of the spring load in such a way, that mutual rotation between the socket part and the support can still be brought about, admittedly, by hand, but preferably by means of a tool and, in any case, an unintentional, automatic change in the swiveling position of the support relative to the socket part, under the influence of unavoidable machine unit vibrations or also as a result of unintentional touching, such as can occur when handling machine devices or installations, for example, as stiffening contact or the like, is excluded. In this connection, the inventive locking is distinguished as a result of the interaction of flat pairs of surfaces and, with that, as a result of a relatively high locking force.
With the inclusion of the disclosure of the obvious possibility of a reversal of the arrangement of a rigid locking surface, supported elastically in the radial direction, a preferred realization sees to it that the locking device, disposed in the region of the overlapping of the one limb of the angular support with the socket part, has at least two rigid and flat locking surfaces, which are constructed tangentially to its outer periphery and to which are assigned a corresponding number of equally flat surfaces, which are disposed at the inner periphery of the limb of the support and can be moved radially against a spring load.
Admittedly, it is completely adequate for many applications, if the angular support can be locked with respect to the socket part only in two positions rotated at an angle of 180° to one another. However, in the interest of decreasing the type diversity and, with that, optimizing inventory, it may be of particular advantage if the angular support can be locked in four the different positions with respect to the socket part, especially in positions rotated in each case by 90° to one another. For this purpose and pursuant to a preferred realization, provisions are made so that the locking device has an even number, especially eight, of pairs of the flat surfaces, interacting with one another to produce a locking force, and constructed in a uniform arrangement. In an advantageous embodiment of this realization, it may furthermore be provided that all flat surfaces, constructed at the outer periphery of the socket part and all flat surfaces constructed in the inner periphery of the limb of the support, have the same size, as a result of which the manufacture of the parts involved is simplified.
In particular, in an advantageous further development of the preferred realization, provisions are made so that the flat surfaces, which can be moved radially against a spring load, are formed by leaf spring sections and, bridging radially directed, groove-shaped recesses, are disposed in the part accommodating them, especially in the angular limb of the support. Insofar as the leaf spring sections in each case are constructed as individual parts and, independently of one another, are inserted in the groove-shaped recesses, the groove-shaped recesses advisably have supporting regions forming supporting surfaces for the side edges of the leaf spring sections on either side of and parallel to their longitudinal extent.
In particular, in conjunction with the use leaf spring sections, constructed as individual parts and inserted independently of one another in the groove-shaped recesses, a further advantageous embodiment for the realization of a locking arrangement between the socket part and the support, which is characterized by the int
Interconnectron GmbH
Nguyen Phuongchi
Paumen Gary
Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP
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