Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Plural-contact coupling part
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-01
2001-03-20
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Plural-contact coupling part
C439S293000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06203380
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a coding arrangement for parts which can be joined together mechanically, in particular circuit board plug connectors, the parts to be connected being provided, in each case, with at least one coding element, and the said invention also relates to a method of coding two parts which can be joined together mechanically.
The coding of parts which can be joined together mechanically, such as plug connections for example, is necessary in order to be able to carry out non-interchangeable replacement or exchanging of the said parts, and in order to ensure functionality of the units, for example electrical control systems on circuit boards, which are connected to the said parts.
It is known practice to equip circuit board plug connectors with mechanical coding arrangements in order to prevent confusion between different circuit boards. In doing so, pins, small discs or other shaped parts are fitted into or onto corresponding recesses inside or outside a plug connection in such a way that the plugging-in of an incorrectly coded plug connection is prevented.
With the increasing miniaturisation of plug connectors, the known coding arrangements are becoming problematical, since the corresponding coding arrangements have to be designed in an ever smaller and more precise manner, it being necessary, in some cases, to plug them in, and remove them again, with a special tool.
There is also the danger that relatively small coding arrangements will be destroyed in the event of a forcible plugging-in operation, and their protective effect will no longer be guaranteed.
The underlying object of this invention, therefore, is to so construct a coding arrangement for coding parts of the type initially mentioned which can be connected mechanically, that reliable coding of the connection occurs in conjunction with simple mounting without tools.
This object is achieved through the fact that two coding elements at a time, which belong together, are constructed as a one-piece coding module, the said coding elements being held together by means of web-like connections.
Advantageous refinements are indicated in claims
2
to
4
. Claim
5
indicates a method of coding two parts which can be joined together mechanically.
The advantages achieved with the invention consist, in particular, in the fact that the coding arrangement for coding parts which can be connected mechanically, such as, inter alia, circuit board plug connectors, is first of all connected to one circuit board during mounting, and then pressed onto the other circuit board, when the plug connection is plugged together, by means of a fastening means on the coding arrangement. During the pressing operation, the webs with which the two coding elements are held together to form a coding module break, and the connection is releasable again and, at the same time, coded. It is of advantage, in this connection, that no special tool is needed for this operation. It is also of advantage that no mechanical destruction of the coding elements during a plugging-in operation is to be expected, because of the solid and stable design of the coding modules, the shape and colour of which can be selected at will.
It is particularly advantageous that manual breaking-off or breaking-out of coding elements is eliminated when the intention is to coordinate with one another the coding of the plug connectors, that belong together, of two circuit boards.
It is also of advantage that faulty coding of the plug connectors, such as can occur in the event of the separate or independent production of circuit boards that belong together, is avoided since, in the final finishing of appliances of this type equipped with coded plug connectors, final mounting is carried out by suitably skilled specialists, in the case of whom faulty plugging-in can be precluded to a very large extent.
In the method according to the invention, it is of advantage that the coding module is first of all fastened to one of the connectable parts and, during the operation of joining the latter together with the other part, is fixedly connected to the said other part in an automatic manner, the two coding elements being separated at the same time as the joining-together operation, so that the parts joined together can be separated again, now in a coded design.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5019947 (1991-05-01), Pelzl
patent: 5030141 (1991-07-01), Winstein et al.
patent: 5096443 (1992-03-01), Myrick et al.
patent: 5392194 (1995-02-01), Zell et al.
patent: 5769668 (1998-06-01), Tondreault
patent: 84 28 477 U1 (1986-04-01), None
patent: 195 00 156 A1 (1995-07-01), None
Harting Dietmar
Kohler Andreas
Pape Gunter
Weichert Frank
Bradley Paula
Cook Alex McFarron Manzo Cummings & Mehler, Ltd.
Harting KGAA
Leon Edwin A.
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