contact

The invention relates to an electrical socket contact having a receptacle which is open at least against a plugging direction and which is for introducing a plug contact in the plugging direction.

Socket contacts of this type are known. They typically have a sleeve-shaped receptacle made of a stamped and bent part. The receptacle is elastically widened through the plugging in of the contact plug so that it retains the plug contact in a friction-locking manner and produces the electrical contact.

The stamped and bent receptacles are costly to manufacture. In order to securely contact the contact plug even in a strongly vibrating environment, large contact forces are required. However, large contact forces lead to the contact plug only being able to be plugged into the receptacle when large plugging forces are applied. If the number of contact points between the receptacle and the charging plug is increased in order to also be able to conduct large currents over a large contact surface with as little loss as possible, then the plugging force increases due to the larger surfaces rubbing against one another.

In view of these disadvantages, the invention is based on the problem of creating an electrical socket contact which is easy to plug, produces a vibration-proof contact between the socket contact and the plug contact and at the same time has a lower transition resistance.

According to the invention, this problem is solved for the aforementioned socket contact in that the receptacle is formed at least in sections by a web manufactured from electrically conductive material, the strands of which web being held movable relative to one another in the web and running, at least in sections, at an incline to the plugging direction.

The web with the movable strands may follow vibration movements and thus always rests against the plug contact in an environment which is subjected to strong vibrations. The web rests flatly against the charging plug and thus has a low transition resistance. Even high currents may be conducted over the web without any problem. The web can be produced by knitting, braiding or weaving. The strands are interlaced. The web with the movable strands furthermore offers the advantage that it compensates positional and shape tolerances and can cling better to the shape of the plug contact. This also simplifies the plugging-in of the plug contact.

The solution according to the invention can respectively be further improved by the following further developments, which are each individually advantageous and able to be combined as desired.

Thus, according to a first advantageous configuration, in a plug-in position, the web may be widened in circumferential direction extending around the plugging direction and, in a contact position, may be contracted, at least in sections, compared to the plug-in position. The advantage of this configuration is that, in the plug-in position, with the web widened, the charging plug may be plugged into the socket contact with a low plugging force. In contrast, in the contact position, the web is contracted such that it can rest closely against the plug contact. The close resting leads on the one hand to the charging plug being held in the receptacle and on the other hand to extensive contact between the charging plug and the web and thus to a low transition resistance. In the plug-in position of the web, the receptacle may have a larger inner diameter or larger inside width than in the contact position. A change in length may entail the reduction of the circumference of the web. Thus, when the web is in the plug-in position, the web may have a smaller length along the plugging direction than in the contact position.

According to a further configuration, the mobility of the web preferably comes exclusively from the mobility of the strands relative to one another in the web and to a lesser extent from the suppleness of the individual strands. This allows higher contact forces to be applied. A reduced flexibility of the strands with simultaneously higher flexibility of the entire web additionally ensures a homogeneous plug-in process since it is not possible for individual strands to hook onto the plug contact. The strands of the web may, for example, consist of wires, in particular conducting wires, which are parallel to one another. The use of relatively thick conducting wires is a further measure for conducting high currents through the web. The functioning of the web is not impaired by the thickness of the wires as long as the individual strands are sufficiently mobile relative to one another. Accordingly, in the contact position, the strands may be moved out of their relative situation relative to one another in the plug-in position. A constriction of the web, for example, may be achieved if, on average, the strands of the web are oriented more extensively in the plugging direction than in the plug-in position. On average, the strands run at a greater incline to or flatter relative to the plugging direction in the contact position than in the plug-in position.

The web may extend around the plugging direction over more than half or three-quarters of the circumference of the receptacle. Through such an enclosing, the plug contact can be clamped solely through the contraction of the web in the contact position.

The web is preferably tubular. The cross-section of the tubular shape may be round, for example circular or oval, at least in sections and/or may be polygonal at least in sections. In particular, it may be configured complementary to a cross-section of the plug contact. This offers the advantage that the web may be ready-made from an available tube material.

In the contact position, the web is contracted around the plug contact. In order to better secure the plug contact in the contact safeguard against unintentional pulling-out, the plug contact may have a plugging section which widens in the plugging direction, or becomes broader and/or higher. The plugging section may be configured in a wedge or drop shape. The plugging section may be located in particular at an end of the plug contact. The plug contact configured in such a way may form an independent subject of protection independent of the socket contact.

The electrical socket contact may have a rigid contact body. The rigid contact body may be used to give the socket contact a fixed shape, for example. A section for attaching an electrical conductor, for example a soldering site or a crimping section may be present at the contact body, for example. The contact body may in particular form a frame that retains and/or stretches the web. The web may thus be attached to the contact body at least in sections. It is particularly advantageous if the web is connected to the contact body immovably at an attachment site and movably in the plugging direction at an actuation site. On the one hand, the movable connection at the actuation site enables the passive extending and the associated constriction of the web when plugging in the plug contact. On the other hand, a movable actuation site makes it possible to actively change the inside width of the web from the outside via the movement of the actuation site, for example in order to clamp the plug contact or to release a clamping. It is useful that the attachment site is located in front of the actuation site in the plugging direction, i.e. in other words the attachment site is located closer to the aperture of the receptacle, through which the charging plug is introduced into the receptacle. Through this configuration, it is possible that the charging plug, during introduction, automatically steers the web due to the friction which arises and is thus gripped. The attachment site is preferably located at an end of the web which is situated against the plugging direction. That end of the web lying against the plugging direction may be stretched rigidly by the contact body, so that it forms a rigid plug-in aperture which does not contract. The use of a web at the plug-in aperture has the advantage that, due to the resilience of the web, no damage to the socket contact or the charging plug occurs even if a mistaken attempt is made to plug the contact plug in the socket contact with a great amount of force while badly oriented with the receptacle.

At the attachment site or at that end of the web which lies against the plugging direction, the web may be geometrically rigidly widened due to a rigid attachment, for example.

The actuation site may be located at an end of the web which lies in the plugging direction. At its end, the web may be fully closed through a constriction. In such a case, it is advantageous if the web is centrally retained at the actuation site, i.e. the central axis of the receptacle at the actuation site coincides with the central axis of the receptacle at the attachment site.

At the actuation site, an actuation element which is movable at least along the plugging direction can be attached to the web. The actuation element may, for example, be connected to a handle and/or to an actuator, so that the web may be transferred by hand or by motor along the plugging direction from the plug-in position into the contact position and/or from the contact position into the plug-in position by moving the actuation element.

The inside width of the web, at least in sections, is preferably dependent on the location of the actuation element in particular in the plugging direction. In the contact position, the actuation element is shifted in the plugging direction compared to its position in the plug-in position. The movement of the actuation element in the plugging direction alters the length of the web and thus its inside width.

In order to secure the web in the plug-in position and/or the contact position, the actuation element may be configured in a fixable manner at at least one site along its movement in the plugging direction. For example, the actuation element may be locked or otherwise be able to be fixed in a form-fitting or friction-locking manner in a position in which the web is situated in the plug-in position or the contact position. The actuation element is preferably fixable at two positions spaced apart from one another in the plugging direction, these positions corresponding in particular to the plug-in position and the contact position.

In order to save parts, the actuation element may be guided along the plugging direction in particular by means of the contact body. The contact body may have a corresponding guide which extends along the plugging direction and at which the actuation element can be non- detachably retained.

The actuation site or actuation element may be located between a section of the socket contact for attaching an electrical conductor, for example a crimping or soldering section, and the sleeve-shaped section of the contact body. At this site, the actuation element is easily accessible.

In order to improve the vibration resistance of the electrical contacting produced by the web and to reduce any noises, it is advantageous if the web, at least in sections, is held spaced apart from the sleeve-shaped region in particular in the contact position, i.e. in the contracted state. In particular, the region of the web over which the web is in contact with the plug contact, when the plug contact is plugged in, is spaced apart from the contact body. In this configuration, the web forms a floating support for the plug contact, which compensates vibrations through the mobility of the web.

According to a further advantageous configuration, the web may line the sleeve-shaped region of the contact body internally at least in sections. The sleeve-shaped region thus represents protection for the web against damage from the outside. Furthermore, due to the arrangement of the web in the interior of the sleeve-shaped region, nothing may hook accidentally onto its external side.

The web may be anchored, for example hooked, on an external side of the sleeve-shaped region so that the attachment elements retaining the web cannot come into contact with the plug contact in the interior of the sleeve-shaped region. This protects both the plug contact and the attachment elements from damage.

According to a further advantageous configuration, the web may be elastically deformable and, for example, either, in the plug-in position, produce a restoring force pointing into the contact position or, in the contact position, produce a restoring force into the plug-in position. In addition or alternatively, a spring element which generates such a restoring force may be arranged between the web and the contact body, for example. The spring element may be arranged at the actuation element.

The contact body may be a stamped and bent part which in particular is made of sheet metal. Attaching the web is easily possible by stamping lugs out of the contact body and bending them, said lugs hooking with strands of the web. The web may be at least partly wrapped around an end of the region which points against the plugging direction. The web is located both at the inner side directed toward the receptacle and on the external side of the sleeve-shaped region and thus covers that edge of the contact body which points against the plugging direction. In particular, if the web is spaced apart from the contact body, the contact plug can thus be gently led into the receptacle.

At least in the plug-in position, the web may widen against the plugging direction at least in sections. Such an increase in the diameter can serve, at that end of the web which lies against the plugging direction, to create an introduction phase or a plug-in funnel which simplifies the plugging of the plug contact into the receptacle. At that end lying in the plugging direction, such a change in diameter may serve to reduce the inner diameter or inside width of the web below the diameter of the plug contact, so that the plug contact automatically widens during plugging-in and steers during plugging-in due to the friction locking obtained as a result. For this purpose, the widening region is located preferably at a site swept over by the plug contact, before it is fully plugged into the receptacle.

The invention also relates to the use of a wire web which is contractable in the circumferential direction, in particular through extending and which surrounds an interior space at least in sections, in particular of a hose made of such a wire web, in an electrical socket contact for receiving and contacting a plug contact.

The invention is explained in greater detail hereafter with reference to an embodiment and the appended figures, by way of example. The same reference numbers are always used in the figures for elements which correspond to one another in function and/or structure.

In accordance with the statements above, a feature which is described above and which is not present in the depicted and described embodiment can be added if the technical effect of this feature is of no significance in the case of a particular application. Conversely, a feature which is present in the depicted and described embodiment can be dispensed with if its technical effect is not meant to be significant in the case of a specific application.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an electrical socket contact according to the invention in a first position;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic sectional depiction of the socket contact from Fig. 1 in a further position;

Fig. 3 shows a schematic sectional depiction of the socket contact from Fig. 2 in a further position;

Fig. 4 shows a schematic depiction of a web in the widened state;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic depiction of the web from Fig. 4 in the contracted or constricted state;

Fig. 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of a web.

Hereafter, the structure of an electrical socket contact 1 according to the invention is explained by means of Fig. 1 .

The electrical socket contact 1 is a female plug that has a receptacle 2 into which a male plug, a plug contact 4, can be plugged in a plugging direction 6.

The socket contact 1 is depicted in Fig. 1 sectioned along its centre. It should be noted that the receptacle 2 is formed at least in sections by a web 8. The web 8, at least in sections, is manufactured from electrically conductive material. In particular, the web may be a wire web manufactured from steel wire, copper wire or silver wire or from a wire containing at least one of these metals as an alloy element. The web may additionally have strands, filaments and/or threads made of another substance, for example a synthetic material such as nylon or aramid. The strands 10 of the web 8 are intertwined in one another and are held in the web movably relative to one another. They run at an incline to the plugging direction, at least in sections. The web can be produced by knitting, braiding or weaving. The web preferably extends around the plugging direction 6 in a circumferential direction 1 1 over more than half or three-quarters of the circumference of the receptacle 2. A strand may have several wires which are parallel to one another and be spaced apart from the adjacent string, so that the web 8 forms meshes 12.

The web 8 may in particular have a tubular shape, the cross-section of the tubular shape preferably being adapted to the cross-section of the plug contact 4 and being able to be round and/or polygonal at least in sections.

The electrical socket contact may furthermore have a rigid contact body 14. The contact body 14 is preferably a stamped and bent part. The receptacle 2 may be externally encompassed by a sleeve-shaped section 16. The web 8 may line the sleeve-shaped section 16 internally, as depicted in Fig. 1 . The receptacle 2 or the sleeve-shaped section 16 may be arranged at an end of the contact body 14 situated against the plugging direction 6. At the other end, the contact body 14 may have a section 18 for attaching a conductor which is not depicted in Fig. 1. The section 18 may have a soldering site or, as depicted, a crimping section for crimping a conducting wire.

The web 8 may be stretched by the sleeve-shaped section 16 at least in that region of the receptacle 2 which points against the plugging direction 6. The cross-sectional shape of the sleeve-shaped section 16 is in this case preferably adapted to the cross-sectional shape of the plug contact 4 and/or of the web 8, or corresponds to this. The web 8 may be wrapped around an edge 20 of the contact body 14 or of the sleeve-shaped section 16, which edge points against the plugging direction 6, if there is such an edge, and thus encompass a plug- in aperture 22. The web may in particular be attached to, for example hooked onto, an external side 24 of the contact body 14. For this purpose, hook-shaped, or otherwise friction- locking or form-fitting retaining elements 26, may be formed on the contact body 14, for example also in the form of stamped-out lugs 28.

In a region 30 which is to the rear in the plugging direction 6 and remote from the plug-in aperture 22, the web may widen against the plugging direction 6, i.e. may gradually constrict in the plugging direction 6.

While the web 8 is immovably connected to the contact body, via a fixed attachment site 32, in the region of the plug-in aperture 22 for example, the web 8 may be retained, movably relative to the contact body 14, at a further actuation site 34, preferably spaced apart in the plugging direction 6 from the fixed attachment site 32. The region 30 which constricts in the plugging direction 6 may also end at this site, by the web 8 being held firmly constricted in the circumferential direction at the actuation point 34. The web 8 is preferably arranged both at the attachment site 32 and at the actuation site 34 symmetrically around a common centre line 36, which also forms the centre line of the receptacle 2. In the depicted embodiment, the actuation site 34 is located between the sections 16, 18 of the contact body. The contact body 14 may have a recess 38 between these two sections.

An actuation element 40, to which the web 8 is movably retained, may be provided at the actuation site 34. The actuation element 40 is movable along the plugging direction 6 relative to the contact body 14, as indicated by the double arrow 42. For example, the actuation element 40 may be guided along the contact body 14. There may be provided for this purpose a guide 43 which fixes the actuation element 42 transverse to the plugging direction 6 relative to the contact body 14 and which permits a shifting of the actuation element 42 relative to the contact body 14 along the plugging direction 6 in accordance with the double arrow 42.

The actuation element 40 may be moved manually and/or by motor. In the case of a manual drive, the actuation element 40 is connected to a handle (not depicted) for example, and in the case of a motor drive is connected in a movement-transmitting manner to an actuator (not depicted) for example.

Using Figs. 2 to 6, the mode of operation of the socket contact 1 according to the invention is described below.

Firstly, starting from the plug-in position 44 depicted in Fig. 1 , the plug contact 4 is introduced into the receptacle 2 in the plugging direction 6. In the plug-in position 44, an inner width D ₄₄ or inner diameter d ₄₄ of the web 8 is larger than the outer diameter De of the plug contact. The plug contact 4 may therefore be plugged into the receptacle 2 in a virtually force-free manner.

Two possibilities are now conceivable, which may also be combined with one another:

If, according to the first possibility, the plug contact 4 is plugged increasingly deeper into the receptacle 2, it strikes against the web 8 from a particular plug-in depth in the constricting region 30 and pulls the web lengthwise in the plugging direction 6.

According to the second possibility, the actuation element 40 is actively moved in the plugging direction 6 compared to the contact body 14, as indicated by the arrow 46. In both cases, the web 8 extends in the plugging direction 6, while at the same time its inside width d ₄₄ decreases, until, in the contact position 48 depicted in Fig. 3, the web 8 has become firmly placed around the plug contact 4 and both forms an electrical contact with plug contact 4 and secures the plug contact 4 in the socket contact 1 in a friction-locking manner. If the actuation element 40 is fixed, for example locked, along the plugging direction 6, the web 8 is extended and contracted when an attempt is made to pull the plug contact 4 out against the plugging direction 6, so that the retaining force is increased.

In order to retain the plug contact 4 more securely in the contracted web, the plug contact 4 may have a plugging section 49 which widens in the plugging direction 6, i.e. toward the free end 45 of the plug contact 4. In the plugging section 49, the cross-section of the plug contact 4 increases in the plugging direction 6, so that the plugging section 49 is grasped and secured by the contracted web 8 in a cage-like manner. The plugging section 49 may be arranged at any site of the plug contact 4, as long as it is still grasped by the web. The widening of the cross-section may be achieved through a wedge-shaped or drop-shaped configuration of the plugging section 49.

Due to the central orientation of the web 8 at the actuation site 34 and the stretching by the edge 20 at the attachment site 32, the web 8 remains oriented along the centre line 36.

In the contact position 48, the web 8 is preferably spaced apart from the sleeve-shaped region 16, so that the plug contact 4 is floatingly borne relative to the rigid contact body 14.

To release the plug contact 4, the actuation element 40 is moved against the plugging direction 6 so that the web 8 can widen again.

A spring element 49 may be arranged between the web 8 and the contact body 14, in order to produce a restoring force directed into the contact position 48 or into the plug-in direction 44 depending on the application. The spring element 49 may also act on the attachment element 40. The spring element 50 is drawn in schematically at various possible installation positions in Fig. 3.

Figs. 4 and 5 show the web 8 in the plug-in position 44 (Fig. 4) and in the contact position 48.

The strands 10 of the web 8 run at least in sections, preferably all together, at an incline to the plugging direction 6, for example at an angle 30° < α-ι < 60°. Preferably, αι is at least approximately 45°. The individual strands 10 are movable relative to one another, but, viewed individually, are preferably relatively rigid. The entire web 8 is thus deformed by a pulling movement 50 along the plugging direction 6, with the strands 10 being sufficiently rigid to keep the web 8 dimensionally stable. The cross-sectional shape of the web 8 is thus retained when it is extended. Through the pulling movement 50, the strands 10 orientate more strongly along the plugging direction 6, and the acute angle a ₄₄ of the strands 10 to the plugging direction 6 in the plug-in position is thus larger than the angle cue in the contact position. The inherent strength of the strands 10 leads to the tubular shape of the web 8 being maintained.

The relative mobility of the strands relative to one another allows the more extensive orientation along the plugging direction 6 which accompanies an extending of the web 8 with a simultaneous reduction of the diameter. It is therefore the case that under the pulling effect 50 the inner diameter d ₄ 8 of the web 8 in the contact position 48 is smaller than the inner diameter d ₄₄ of the web 8 in the plug-in position 44, d ₄ 8 < d ₄₄ . In contrast, the length l ₄ s of the web 8 in the contact position 48 is greater than the length l ₄₄ in the plug-in position, l ₄ s > l ₄₄ .

To transfer the web 8 from the contact position 48 into the plug-in position 44, a pressure 52 is exerted along the plugging direction 6 onto the web 8.

Fig. 6 shows, by way of example, a web 8 with strands 10, with each strand 10 being formed from, for example, four wires 54 which run parallel to one another. Notwithstanding the depicted configuration, each strand 10 may have at least one wire 54. The meshes 12 can be easily seen between the interlaced strands 10. The strands 10 can be interwoven in a different manner. Fig. 6 shows, once again merely by way of example, that a strand 10 is firstly passed underneath two intersecting strands, before it runs above the subsequent next two intersecting strands 10, in order to then be guided under the next two strands again, and so on.

The web 8 does not have to be completely manufactured from wire material, but rather may also be partly provided with strands 56 made of a non-conductive material, for example a synthetic material, such as aramid, Dyneema and/or nylon. Reference numbers socket contact

receptacle

plug contact

plugging direction

web

strand

circumferential direction

mesh

contact body

sleeve-shaped section

section for attaching a conductor

receptacle edge pointing against the plugging direction plug-in aperture

external side of the contact body

retaining element

lug

constricting region

fixed attachment site

movable actuation site

centre line

recess

actuation element

double arrow

guide

plug-in position

free end of the plug contact

arrow

contact position

plugging section

spring element

pulling movement

pushing movement 54 wire

56 synthetic material

D6 outer diameter of the plug contact

d ₄₄ inside width or diameter of the web in the plug-in position

d ₄ 8 inside width or diameter of the web in the contact position

I44 length of the web in the plugging direction in the plug-in position

l ₄ 8 length of the web in the plugging direction in the contact position

a ₄₄ incline of the strands 10 relative to the plugging direction in the plug-in position a ₄ 8 incline of the strands 10 relative to the plugging direction in the contact position