Circular connector

• US 20020019161A1
• Filed: 04/26/2001
• Published: 02/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Franz Binder GmbH & Co. Elektrische Bauelement KG
• Original Assignee: Franz Binder GmbH & Co. Elektrische Bauelement KG
• Inventors: Fink, Dieter, Finke, Hans Michael
• Granted Patent: US 6,517,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/352
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6277 comprising annular latching means, e.g. ring snapping in an annular groove
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/635 by mechanical pressure, e.g. spring force

Abstract

In a connector, a first connector element, in particular a plug, and a second connector element, in particular a socket or a housing adapter, have a first or second contact insets around the first contact inset of a plug, and a sleeve-shaped latch segment is arranged from which, running along the longitudinal direction of the connector, resilient latch flanges with latch tabs are formed that are appropriate for locking onto a ring-shaped groove formed on the inner side of the second connector element (locking position). The plug includes an outer sleeve-shaped actuation slid, which can be slid back against the spring force along the longitudinal direction of the connector (unlocking position) and is appropriate for actuating one or more unlocking elements, which can be slid along the longitudinal direction of the connector under a section of the latch flanges and are appropriate for supporting the latch flanges (locking position).

Claims

1. A circular connector with a first connector element and a second connector element that each have a first (2) or respectively second contact inset (4) in which, around the first contact inset (2) of the first connector element, a sleeve-shaped latch segment (7) is arranged from which, running along the longitudinal direction of the connector, resilient latch flanges (14) with latch tabs (16) are formed that are appropriate for locking onto a ring-shaped groove (24) formed on the inner side of the second connector element (locking position) and in which the first connector element includes an outer sleeve-shaped actuation slide (8), which can be slid back against a spring force along the longitudinal direction of the connector (unlocking position) and is appropriate for actuating one or more unlocking elements, which can be slid along the longitudinal direction of the connector under a section of the latch flanges (14) and are appropriate for supporting the latch flanges (14) (locking position),

characterized in that

the latch flanges (14) formed from the latch segment (7) with latch tabs (16) outside of the actuation slide (8) are bound to an end of the latch segment (7) away from the slide, that the locking element is formed as a sliding support (17) from an end of the actuation slide (8) directed toward the latch segment (7) and that the locking element extends out beneath a free end of one or more of the latch flanges (14) when the actuation slide (8) is pushed forward under the force of the spring.

2. The connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the latch tab (16) is formed from the latch flanges (14) at a distance from its free end.

3. The connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sliding support consists of sliding supports (17) in the shape of cylinder segments formed from a ring-shaped, radially inward facing side of the actuation slide (8).

4. The connector according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the free ends of the latch flanges (14) are arranged allowing radial movement within a surrounding rim (15), which is formed from the latch segment (7) on its side facing toward the actuation slide (8).

5. The connector according to claim 4, characterized in that the rim (15) of the latch segment (7) has the same outer diameter as the adjacent face of the actuation slide (8) and abuts smoothly with it.

6. The connector according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the latch segment (7) is spray-painted with color as color-coding.

7. The connector according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the latch segment (7) is made of plastic.

8. The connector according to claim 7, characterized in that grooves into which coding pins can be inserted are formed in the latch segment (7) along its longitudinal direction.

9. The connector according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that a one-piece base shell (5) tightly encloses the first contact inset (2) of the first connector element, that the latch segment (7) is firmly attached on a free, outer section of the base shell (5) and that the actuation slide (8), which encloses a spring (10) between an inner face (12) of the actuation slide (8) and the circumferential, cylindrical tab (11) of the base shell (5), is positioned on the base shell (5) so as to be able to slide next to the latch segment (7) in the longitudinal direction.

10. The connector according to claim 9, characterized in that the one-piece base shell (5) is made of metal.

11. The connector according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the base shell (5) is sealed on its inner end in the plug (1) with an inner first O-ring and is sealed on its outer free end, which extends out from the latch segment (7), with a second O-ring (21) that lies in a circumferential groove (22) of the second connector element.