Electrical connectors – With insulation other than conductor sheath – Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-19
2001-02-27
Bradley, Paula (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
With insulation other than conductor sheath
Metallic connector or contact secured to insulation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06193564
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a configuration for electrically connecting an electronic circuit, which can be held in an assembly housing, in particular in a transmission case or engine control unit housing, to an electric periphery provided outside the assembly housing.
German Patent 197 12 842 C1 describes a gear control unit which is provided for installation in an automatic transmission. The housing of the gear control unit includes a plastic housing cover, in which electric conductors are encapsulated and led to the gear control circuit disposed in the housing. In this case, the electric contact between the conductors running in the cover and an external electric periphery is made via an oil-tight gear plug. The gear plug implements electric penetration of the gearbox, the conductors running in the housing cover of the gear control unit being connected to the corresponding electric contacts of the plug via riveted or soldered connections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an electric connecting configuration that overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type, which is of simple construction and has a cost effective configuration that permits reliable electric connection of an electronic circuit held in an assembly housing to an external electric periphery.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, in combination with a circuit carrier having an electronic circuit disposed thereon, a housing surrounding the circuit carrier, including: a base element holding the circuit carrier with the electronic circuit; a plastic housing cover coupled to the base element; electric conductors having first and second conductor ends embedded in the plastic housing cover, the first conductor ends to be connected electrically to the electronic circuit, and the second conductor ends protruding outward from the plastic housing cover for connecting to an external periphery;
and a plug-in connector body disposed on the plastic housing cover and surrounding the second conductor ends in a manner of a plug housing and having protruding electric contact pins formed from the second conductor ends.
By making use according to the invention of the second conductor ends, protruding from the basic element, as pin contacts of the plug-in connector body, the previously required fabrication step of soldering or riveting the conductor ends to the electric contacts of the plug can be eliminated. The cost of producing the basic element is reduced by eliminating this fabrication step. A further reduction in cost is yielded by material saving, because instead of a complete stand-alone gear plug, use is now made of a simple plug-in connector body without dedicated electric contact elements.
A further advantage of the invention consists in that a marked increase in reliability is achieved by avoiding connecting points in the electric conducting paths. This becomes advantageously noticeable particularly in the case of applications in the automotive field, because the risk of loosening of electric connecting points which always exists given the high vibrations occurring there is ruled out by the continuous conductor guidance according to the invention.
The basic element is preferably fabricated as a plastic injection-molded part, since in this case the conductors can be embedded in the basic element in a simple way by encapsulating the conductors.
A preferred refinement of the invention is characterized in that the protruding second conductor ends have a surface structure, in particular an embossed structure, and/or are coated with a metal, in particular tin or silver. As a result, there is an increase in the ability of the second conductor ends to make good electric contact, it being the case, furthermore, that a metal coating makes it easier for the second conductor ends to slide into the corresponding contact holders of a mating connector.
A further expedient measure consists in that the second conductor ends have a reduced outside diameter by comparison with the conductors guided in the interior of the basic element. The reduction in the conductor end diameter is achieved by a material-removing form of machining, which permits the plug-in connector body according to the invention with the protruding second conductor ends still to be rendered compatible with a prescribed mating connector after the injection operation.
In a first embodiment, the plug-in connector body is constructed in an integral fashion with the basic element. In this case, the entire connecting configuration according to the invention can be constructed in a single fabrication step (plastic injection step). When the configuration according to the invention is used in a gear, a further advantage of the embodiment consists in that the electric plug contacts formed by the second conductor ends are sealed off from oil in a simple way, if appropriate in combination with a particular shaping of the conductor laid in the basic element. All that is then required is to take suitable measures to seal the plug-in connector body externally upon insertion into a through opening in a gearbox wall.
In the first embodiment, it is possible, furthermore, to provide a transition region of increased flexibility on the plug-in connector body, it being possible even in the case of a slightly varying installation position or problems of dimensional stability always to achieve a satisfactory fit between the plug-in connector body and a through opening provided in the gearbox.
A second embodiment is characterized in that the plug-in connector body is a separate flexible plastic molding provided with through bores for the second conductor ends. After the production of the basic element, the plastic molding is simply pressed onto the protruding second conductor ends. The possibility provided here of freely selecting material and shaping the separate plastics molding renders it possible to configure the flexibility of the latter at will. The second embodiment yields advantages when a particular flexible plug-in connector body is required because of fitting difficulties.
In the second embodiment, it is expedient for the second conductor ends in the region of the through bores of the plastics molding to be provided with a surface structure in the shape of fir cones or scales, because it is thereby possible to achieve an increased tightness of the plug-in connector body with respect to oil in the region of the conductor bushings.
The first conductor ends also preferably protrude from the basic element in a bearing region for the assembly housing, and make contact there with conductor tracks of a flexible conductor track carrier which makes contact with the electronic circuit. In this case, all electric contact points in the incoming region between the external electric periphery and the flexible conductor track carrier are implemented as plug-in connections.
In a preferred embodiment, the plug-in connector body has at least one bending zone in which the electric conductors are guided essentially in a plane. The plug-in connector body is constructed to be thin or slim in the bending zone, with the result that the plug-in connector can move to a certain extent in the bending zone. This markedly facilitates the mounting of the configuration in a gearbox.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an electric connecting configuration, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following descri
Loibl Josef
Scheuerer Ulf
Bradley Paula
Greenberg Laurence A.
Lerner Herbert L.
Ngandjui Antoine
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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