Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Including retainer or joiner
Patent
1991-03-05
1993-08-24
McGlynn, Joseph H.
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Including retainer or joiner
H01R 1300
Patent
active
052384187
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multipolar electric coupling device with a multipoint plug and a socket board each housed in a housing. The socket board housing and the multipoint plug housing are connected to each other by means of a detachable hinge located on one end of the housings. The housings are pressed together by means of pins of the socket board housing guided in connecting grooves of the multipoint plug housing, in order to produce contact between the multipoint plug housing and the socket board housing.
2. Prior Art
The prior art discloses a plug device (DE 34 07 725 A1) for an electrical switching apparatus. The plug is attached to the switching apparatus hooking it onto a holder part of the switching apparatus with a hook, and pressing the two parts together for coupling. A stirrup is attached to the plug by a hinge, and can be pivoted into slits of the holder part. The stirrup, which acts like a toggle joint, exerts disruptive forces on the plug in the region of its attachment, and requires a large pivot range which often causes difficulties in installation.
In another known plug device (U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,605), the plug, which is attached to the holder part by a hinge at one end, can be pressed against the holder part by means of a double lever attached to pivot on the plug. In this plug device, the lever also results in mechanical stress on the plug and requires a lot of room, because of the pivot range.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the task of the invention to create a coupling device of the above type, in which the socket board housing is free of stress-intensive lever joints, and reliable coupling is possible within a small space.
According to the invention, this task is accomplished by a socket board housing which pivots on the multipoint plug housing by means of a hinge formed by pins that penetrate into groove-like recesses in the multipoint plug housing. A slider is guided to move longitudinally on the socket board housing. The slider carries sliding locks rigidly attached at both sides, at the end facing away from the hinge. Connecting grooves are arranged in both longitudinal walls of the multipoint plug housing, the sliding blocks can be pushed into or pulled out of the grooves to press the socket board housing on or to release it from the slider. In the coupling device, all that is required to make contact between the multipoint plug and the socket board are simple, space-saving movements of the slide, when the socket board housing is attached by a hinge. With the interaction of the sliding blocks and the connecting grooves, the socket board housing is placed and pressed against the multipoint plug housing by applying a slight force in one direction of movement of the slider. The socket board housing is lifted off from the multipoint plug housing by moving the slider in the other direction. As a result, pivoting levers and the pivot areas for them are no longer required.
In a development of the coupling device, the connecting grooves are widened close to the ends facing away from the introduction ends for the sliding blocks, as catch recesses for the sliding blocks. The sliding blocks in the widenings can be fixed in place elastically in the catch recesses, by the preload of a sealing element arranged in the separation plane of the socket board housing and the multipoint plug housing. Unintentional uncoupling can therefore be prevented.
According to the preferred embodiment, the slider is structured to be hood-shaped, with an essentially U-shaped cross section perpendicular to the direction of movement. In addition, the slider has guide strips on the inside of the shanks, which engage to move in longitudinal grooves of the socket board housing. In a practical embodiment, the slider can be pushed onto the socket board housing from both sides which proves to be advantageous for optionally passing the electrical leads connected with the sockets to one side or the other.
According to another embodiment of the coupling device,
REFERENCES:
patent: 3054023 (1962-09-01), Blecker et al.
patent: 3778747 (1973-12-01), Curcic
patent: 4586766 (1986-05-01), Hofmeister
McGlynn Joseph H.
TRW Daut & Rietz GmbH & Co. KG
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