EP2639894B1 - Electrical connector with tolerance compensation - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an electrical connector, comprising an insulating body, in which at least one metallic plug contact part is accommodated, which has at least one solder connection element which can be soldered to a printed circuit board, and at least one plug connection element for a mating plug contact part, wherein at least the solder connection element at least partially over the insulating body protrudes, as well as a connector assembly.

A problem with electrical connectors is to provide pluggable female and male connectors, of which at least one connector is to be soldered to a printed circuit board, which despite some misalignment of some or all of the female or pin shaped male contact parts after soldering the circuit board can be easily arranged in a tolerance-sensitive recording. This problem occurs in particular when the connector to be soldered has a large number of plug contact parts or if several socket and / or pin connectors are arranged side by side on a circuit board and the electrical connection is to be made via a common group connector in a tolerance-sensitive recording , The occurring offset of the individual plug contact parts and thus also the plug contact parts receiving insulator is due to manufacturing tolerances of the circuit board, the electrical connector and soldering the female or male connectors to the circuit board. This problem is particularly great when designed as a surface mount component electrical connectors. If the position of the insulating body of such stretch connector is not complied with as intended, difficulties may also arise if a housing part with the / the soldered connector receiving chambers or openings, the respective insulator um- and / or across, are to be joined.

To solve the problem, it is known to receive the plug contact parts floating in the respective insulating. By way of example, reference is made to the documents EP 1 861 898 A1 and EP 0 806 814 A1 directed. However, the misalignment of the plug contact parts is not corrected, so that the mating plug contact parts of the mating connector are difficult to connect to the plug contact parts of the soldered or connectors and act on the solder joint of the plug contact parts with force. This can permanently lead to damage to the solder joints. In addition, the plug contact parts of the at least one soldered connector and / or the mating plug contact parts of the mating connector may possibly even become unusable.

The prior art is also to the documents EP 1 209 771 A2 . US 2005/0032402 A1 . US 2002/0098730 A1 . EP 1 505 380 A2 and US 2010/0255685 A1 directed.

The publication EP 1 209 771 A2 discloses a coaxial connector with an insulating body (housing) having two in the insertion direction superimposed bounded by a peripheral wall, interconnected cylindrical cavities. Through the insulating body extends through a metallic plug contact, which is formed in two pieces. In the first plug-side cavity, an elongate plug connection element and in the adjoining second cavity a Lötanschlusselement is arranged, wherein the Lötanschlusselement C-shaped of a spring material (bronze) is formed and the plug connection element via a helical compression spring against the Lötanschlusselement is pressed. The diameter of the male side cavity permits lateral movement of the helical compression spring and the male terminal so that the male terminal and the solder terminal are movable relative to each other, maintaining direct electrical contact therebetween. The plug connection element and the solder connection element have mutually associated substantially planar contact surfaces, which are displaceable parallel to one another.

The font US 2005/0032402 A1 teaches for mounting a second electronic control unit on a first electronic control unit, an electrical connector for connecting the two control units, wherein the first control unit has an integrated circuit board and the second control unit inside a pressure sensor. The plug-in connection provided for this purpose comprises two plug-in contact parts which can be plugged into one another, of which a plug-in contact part is resilient in the insertion direction.

The US 2002/098730 A1 discloses a coaxial electrical connector disposed end-to-end in a cylindrical housing of a pressure sensor. The connector has a one-piece plug contact part with a Steckanschluss- and a Lötanschlusselement, both of which are rigid and thus unyielding. For connection to a printed circuit board, a foil connector with conductor track, that is, a flexible printed circuit board is provided, with which the solder connection element of the plug contact part is soldered. The plug contact part is mounted laterally displaceable in the housing and due to the film connector, which leads to the center contact, transversely to the circuit board slidably.

The publication EP 1 505 380 A2 discloses a connector having at least a two-piece formed metallic plug contact part, which is composed of an unyielding plug connection element and a fixed thereto in the insertion direction compliant spring contact for a substrate, for example, a printed circuit board. The connection element provided for connection to the circuit board is not a solder connection element but designed as a spring contact for a positive connection with a printed circuit board. Due to the frictional connection, the plug contact part is movable in all directions relative to the substrate.

The publication US 2010/0255685 A1 teaches an electrical connector having a two-piece, solderable to a circuit board plug contact part having a plug connection element and a Lötanschlusselement. These are mutually displaceable in a direction parallel to the circuit board and non-positively connected in this direction, wherein the plug connection element also has a meandering extending portion which supports a displacement of the plug connection element relative to the Lötanschlusselement.

Based on the above-described prior art, the present invention seeks to propose a way for a tolerance compensation between soldered to a circuit board plug contact parts at least one connector and a receptacle for the or the insulator, in / which are included the metallic plug contact parts ,

This object is achieved by an electrical connector with the features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims. Further advantageous embodiments can be found in the dependent claims. The object is also achieved by a connector assembly according to claim 7.

In the electrical connector according to the invention, the plug connection element is directly or indirectly connected to the Lötanschlusselement via a tolerance compensation piece such that the position of the plug connection element relative to the position of the Lötanschlusselementes, soldered to the circuit board solder connection element, parallel to the plane of the circuit board is changed in all directions. In this case, the plug contact part may be formed integrally or in several pieces. In the case of multi-part design, the individual parts can be mechanically and electrically connected to one another by suitable joining methods known to the person skilled in the art. In one-piece design of the plug-in contact part, the tolerance compensation piece in the region of a connecting piece and the Lötanschlusselement connecting central piece is formed at a useful point. In multi-piece design of the plug contact part, it is formed integrally with the plug connection element or the solder connection element of the at least one plug contact part. Ideally, the tolerance compensation piece with respect to the center piece, the plug connection element and / or the Lötanschlusselement geometrically designed so that it is deformable with respect to these with less effort.

The tolerance compensation piece preferably has an S-shaped, U-shaped, circular, spiral or wavy contour. However, the invention is not limited to the contours mentioned. It is essential that the preferred contours make it possible with little effort to effect a displacement of the plug connection element with respect to the solder connection element in any desired spatial directions parallel to the circuit board with which the at least one plug connector is soldered.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the plug contact part is formed in two pieces, wherein the plug connection element and the tolerance compensation piece are positively or materially connected to each other. The tolerance compensation piece extends, with or without bias, perpendicular to the plane of the circuit board straight and bent in the direction of extension of the circuit board. It is flexible, ie formed deformable and can by a small force acting parallel to the plane of the circuit board is reversibly or irreversibly bent. For this purpose, the Lötanschlusselement is cut out of a strip-shaped material or punched out. It is connected to the plug-in connection element in such a way that the flat sides of the tolerance compensating piece are arranged, when the plug-in connector is soldered to the printed circuit board, upright relative to the plane of the printed circuit board. In this plane, provided for through-hole mounting molded solder pins of Lötanschlusselementes can extend. Alternatively, orthogonally formed solder pads of the solder connection element may be formed perpendicularly to this plane for surface mounting.

In the electrical connector according to the invention, all plug contact parts on their Lötanschlusselementen such a tolerance compensating piece. The tolerance compensating pieces are arranged in such a way to each other that they do not interfere with each other when aligning the plug connection elements and also do not come into contact with each other. The alignment of the plug contact parts to each other takes place indirectly via the orientation of the insulating body of the electrical connector. In this case, the insulating body in the region of the tolerance compensating pieces have intermediate walls which hold the tolerance compensating pieces safely separated from each other electrically. In order to prevent unwanted deformation of the at least one plug-in connection element during alignment of the proposed connector and to prevent unnecessary application of force to the respective solder pin or solder pad, the tolerance compensation piece preferably has a significantly lower bending stiffness than the plug connection element and the solder pins or solder pads of the solder connection element.

The proposed electrical connector can either only pin-shaped, only socket-shaped or pin and socket-shaped plug contact parts arranged side by side. In this case, the plug-in connection elements and / or the solder connection elements of the socket-shaped or pin-shaped plug contact parts may be the same or different in size and shape. This applies equally to the tolerance compensating pieces of Lötanschlusselemente.

The solder connection element and the plug connection element of the connector according to the invention can be connected to one another mechanically or electrically conductively either only via the tolerance compensation piece or, for example, via an additional middle piece and the tolerance compensation piece. This can be done by means of various known measures. An embodiment of the invention in which the tolerance compensation piece is welded to the plug connection element directly or to the middle piece is preferably spot welded. This creates a permanently secure connection, which is also electrically extremely low impedance.

The deformability of the tolerance compensation piece depends not only on the geometry selected for the tolerance compensation piece, but also on the material thickness of the material from which the tolerance compensation piece is made with the solder connection element formed thereon, as well as on the special material properties of this material. In a preferred variant of the connector according to the invention, the tolerance compensation piece or the solder connection element has a material which deviates in material properties and / or material thickness from the material for the center piece with the plug connection element or the plug connection element formed thereon. Thus, a specific suitable material can be used for the specific functions of these parts, without compromises being necessary.

The material used for the plug-in connection element is expediently an elastically deformable material and, for the solder connection element, preferably a plastically deformable material of suitable strength in each case. Thus, the tolerance compensating piece in connection with a favorable geometry, as described above, easily plastically deformable, so that the orientation of the insulating body with the therein recorded plug contact parts with respect to the circuit board is permanent. In addition, the plastic deformation of the respective tolerance compensation piece prevents permanently a force on the solder joints the electrical connector according to the invention and the plastic material of the insulating body is exercised.

Preferably, at least the tolerance compensating piece with the solder connection element formed thereon is a stamped and bent part which can be produced cost-effectively in a known manner. In this case, the solder connection element soldering pins or solder pads have, which are simply integrally formed with and integrally formed on the tolerance compensation piece.

In a connector assembly having at least two soldered to a circuit board described above connectors caused by the particular design tolerance compensation is particularly borne.

Figur 1

zwei erfindungsgemäße elektrische Steckverbinder mit zylindrischem Isolierkörper, nebeneinander mit Abstand zueinander auf einer Leiterplatte angeordnet;

Figur 2

den Steckverbinder aus Figur 1, mit Blickrichtung schräg von unten auf die Lötseite des Steckverbinders, aus zwei verschiedenen Blickrichtungen (Fig. 2a, 2b);

Figur 3

den Steckverbinder aus Figur 2, in Draufsicht von unten; und

Figur 4

den Steckverbinder aus Figur 2b, mit jeweils einem noch nicht in den Isolierkörper eingeführten Steckkontaktteil (Fig. 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d).

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the claims and the accompanying drawings. The individual features of the invention may be implemented on their own or in several different embodiments of the invention. Show it:

FIG. 1

two electrical connector according to the invention with a cylindrical insulating body, juxtaposed with each other at a distance from each other on a circuit board;

FIG. 2

the connector off FIG. 1 , viewed obliquely from below on the solder side of the connector, from two different directions ( Fig. 2a . 2 B );

FIG. 3

the connector off FIG. 2 in plan view from below; and

FIG. 4

the connector off FIG. 2b , each with a not yet inserted into the insulating plug contact part ( Fig. 4a, 4b . 4c, 4d ).

The FIG. 1 shows by way of example a connector assembly with only two juxtaposed on a circuit board 1 arranged according to the invention electrical connectors 2, which are next to each other at a distance from each other with the circuit board 1, not visible in the drawing soldered. The connectors 2 are formed as surface mountable components. Above the circuit board 1 with the connectors 2, a receptacle 3 is shown, through which the connector 2 should pass. The receptacle can be, for example, a flange with which the plug-in connectors 2 with printed circuit board 1 are fastened to a housing, or directly a housing wall of a housing receiving the plug-in connectors 2, the printed circuit board 1 and possibly further elements. The plug connectors 2 have a cylindrical insulating body 4 with four plug contact parts 5 received therein. The plug-in contact parts 5 are visible in the longitudinal connector shown left connector 2.

The plug contact parts 5 have plug connection elements 6 and solder connection elements 15 (solder pin or solder pad, here solder pad). The plug connection elements 6 are formed in the embodiment as sockets and extending in the longitudinal direction of the insulating body 4 and perpendicular to the circuit board 1. Between the plug connection elements 6 and the solder connection element 15 are tolerance compensating pieces 7 with a bent portion 9. The tolerance compensating pieces 7 are transverse to the Plug connection elements 6 are arranged and extend upright radially to the plug-in connection elements 6 parallel to the printed circuit board 1. In the exemplary embodiment, the plug-in connection elements 6 centerpieces 8, which are materially connected by welding with the tolerance compensation piece 7. The respective tolerance compensation piece 7 of the plug contact parts 5 is parallel to the plane of the circuit board 1 in the area 9 in all directions deformable.

In the FIGS. 2a . 2 B is one of the connectors 2 from the FIG. 1 , which are identical, with view obliquely from below on the bottom 10 of the insulator 4 of the connector 2 shown. The FIGS. 2a . 2 B show the connector 2 while from different directions. It is clear to see that the four middle pieces 8 emerge from the bottom 10 and the tolerance compensating pieces 7 welded thereto extend transversely thereto. The plug-in connection elements 6, the solder connection elements 15, the middle pieces 8 and the tolerance compensation pieces 7 are each manufactured as stamped and bent parts from a narrow strip of material and specially shaped by bending. The tolerance compensating pieces 7 are formed differently in shape in this embodiment, but not necessarily so. The material height of such a tolerance compensation piece 7 with molded Lötanschlusselement 15 is about 1 to 2 mm, the material thickness about 0.2 to 0.3 mm. These are typical values, but they can be chosen differently.

Like from the FIGS. 2a . 2 B can be seen, the tolerance compensating pieces 7 transverse to the plane of the circuit board 1 and to the central axis of the insulating body 4 a different and complex shape. They are bent in the area 9 different circular or spiral or wavy. Thus, the tolerance compensating pieces 7 can be deformed parallel to the plane of the circuit board 1 by a structurally predetermined amount by bending to align the electrical connector 2 according to the invention with respect to the circuit board 1. This is necessary if the respective insulator 4 with the therein held plug contact parts 5 are not exactly aligned with the apertures 11 of the receptacle 3 when the receptacle 3 over the connector 2 and embracing in the direction of the circuit board 1, as in the FIG. 1 shown, to be lowered.

The FIG. 3 shows the proposed connector 2 in plan view of the bottom 10 of the insulator 4. In this illustration, the different shape of the tolerance compensating pieces 7 is again illustrated. The tolerance compensating pieces 7 each extend radially to the insulating body 2. The shape of the tolerance compensating pieces 7 is selected such that the insulating body 4 can be moved in translation parallel to its central axis 12 and to the plane of the printed circuit board 1, not shown in any direction. At the same time, a rotational movement of the insulating body 4 about the central axis 12 is possible.

Thus, the electrical connector 2 according to the invention under different deformation of the tolerance compensating pieces 7 of the plug contact parts 5 reversibly or irreversibly exactly relative to the circuit board 1 and the Leitenplattenabdeckung 3 aligned.

The FIGS. 4a to 4d show the connector 2 shown in the embodiment of the invention, each with a not yet axially inserted into the insulating body 4 plug contact part 5. Clearly now the receiving chamber 13 can be seen in which the plug connection element 6 automatically locked when it is fully inserted. The plug-in connection elements 6 are all the same and formed in the form of a hollow cylinder with spring contact tongues 14 according to the figures 4a to 4d. It can also be clearly seen that the plug contact parts 5 are each formed in two pieces and that the middle pieces 8 are connected to the plug connection elements 6 and the tolerance compensating pieces 7 with the solder connection elements 15 transversely to each other. The different shape of the tolerance compensating pieces 7 with the soldering pads 15 and the different sized and differently shaped areas 9 is again clearly highlighted in the comparison.

In general, plug contact parts of an electrical connector each have only one plug connection element with a pin or a socket and a solder connection element with a solder pin or a solder pad. However, for special applications, a plug contact part may also be formed with two corresponding plug connection elements and / or solder connection elements with tolerance compensation pieces.

Claims (7)

1. Electrical plug connector (2) with an insulating body (4) that holds at least one metallic plug part (5) that comprises at least one solder connection element (15) that can be soldered to a circuit board (1), and at least one plug connection element (6) for a matching plug part, with the plug connection element (6) extending in longitudinal direction of the insulating body (4) und perpendicular to the circuit board (1) and at least the solder connection element (6) is projecting at least partially beyond the insulating body (4), wherein the plug connection element (6) is connected with the solder connection element (15) of the at least one plug part (5) by means of a tolerance compensation part (7), which is arranged between the plug connection element (6) and the solder connection element (15), in such a way, that the position of the plug connection element (6) and/or the insulating body (4) can be changed, with the solder connection element (15) being soldered to the circuit board (1), under deformation of the tolerance compensation part (7) parallel to the plane of the circuit board (1) in any direction relative to the position of the solder connection element (15), characterized in that the plug part (5) may be composed of one or several pieces, wherein, if the plug part (5) consists of a single piece, the tolerance compensation part (7) is formed at a suitable position in the area of a central piece (8) that connects the plug connection and the solder connection element (6, 15), and wherein, if the plug part (5) is composed of two pieces, the tolerance compensation part (7) is formed as an integral part of the solder connection element (15) and is connected positively with the plug connection element (15), wherein the tolerance compensation part (7) extends upright standing transversely to the plug connection element (6) and straightforward in the direction of the plug connection element (6) and curved perpendicularly to the direction of the plug connection element (6).
2. Plug connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the tolerance compensation part (7) comprises an area (9) with an S-shaped, U-shaped, circular, spiral-shaped, or wavelike contour.
3. Plug connector according to claim 1, characterized in that in case of a two-piece configuration of the plug part (5), the tolerance compensation part (7) is welded to the plug connection element (6).
4. Plug connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the tolerance compensation part (7) with the solder connection element (15) and the plug connection element (6) comprises a different material.
5. Plug connector according to claim 4, characterized in that that the material of the tolerance compensation part (7) is plastically deformable.
6. Plug connector according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the tolerance compensation part (7) with the solder connection element (15) formed thereon is a stamped bending part.
7. Plug connector assembly with at least two plug connectors (2) according to claim 1 that are soldered to a circuit board (1).

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