Title: Contact housing and process for making a contact housing
Abstract: A connector housing and a process for making same, in which the connector housing comprises a base part and a pivoting part, attached to the base part and made in one piece with the base part. The pivoting part has at least one surface delimiting an insertion opening in the connector housing through which a pin contact may be inserted into a socket contact in the connector housing. The connector housing being injection molded, with the pivoting part located in an open position, providing sufficient space for the molds for shaping a latching hook. After the mold has been removed, the pivoting part is moved into a closed position in which the delimiting surface of the pivoting part is moved towards the insertion opening. The connector housing cures with the pivoting part in the closed position. The socket contact is held in a contact chamber by a latching hook.
Patent Number: 7,004,791 Issued on 02/28/2006 to Mumper, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Mumper; Guenther (Egelsbach, DE);
Roth; Konrad Helmut (Fraenkisch-Crumbach, DE)
|
| Assignee:
|
Tyco Electronics AMP GmbH (Bensheim, DE)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
964180 |
| Filed:
|
October 13, 2004 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
| Current U.S. Class: |
439/595; 439/596 |
| Current Intern'l Class: |
H01R 13/40 (20060101) |
| Field of Search: |
439/595,752
264/272.11,295,336,318,632,633,224
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 5839921 | Nov., 1998 | Yamanashi.
| |
| 5888103 | Mar., 1999 | Norizuki et al.
| |
| 6024605 | Feb., 2000 | Beck et al.
| |
| 6027374 | Feb., 2000 | Nagai et al.
| |
| 6589082 | Jul., 2003 | Harasawa et al.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 19600236 | Jul., 1996 | DE.
| |
| 2706687 | Dec., 1994 | FR.
| |
| 2024537 | Jan., 1980 | GB.
| |
Primary Examiner: Ta; Tho D.
Assistant Examiner: Girardi; Vanessa
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Barley Snyder LLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A connector housing, comprising:
a pivoting part; and
a base part; the pivoting part and the base part defining a receiving space and
a contact chamber, configured to receive a contact; the contact chamber having
an insertion opening in communication with the contact chamber; the insertion opening
being surrounded by a delimiting surface, with one portion of the delimiting surface
being formed by the pivoting part and another portion of the delimiting surface
being formed by the base part;
wherein a latching hook is provided in the contact chamber adjacent to the receiving
space for latching the contact inside the contact chamber, the latching hook being
integrally formed with the connector housing; the pivoting part and the base part
abut against one another by way of abutment surfaces proximate the delimiting surface
such that the latching hook is displaceable into the receiving space; and the pivoting
part and the base part are integrally formed, such that during the molding procedure
the pivoting part is located in an open position in which the abutment surfaces
of the base part and the pivoting part are spaced apart, and that after the molding
procedure while the mold material is still in a not yet fully cured condition the
pivoting part is moved into a closed position in which the abutment surfaces of
the base part and the pivoting part approach one another.
2. A connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting part is connected
to the base part by a connection wall, with the connection wall having less thickness
than the base part and the pivoting part.
3. A connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the connector housing is
molded from a fiber-reinforced synthetic material.
4. A connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting part is held
in the closed position against the base part by a latch-type holding arrangement.
5. A connector housing according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting part has a
front panel which forms part of a front side of the connector housing; a plurality
of openings are arranged next to one another on the front side of the connector
housing, each opening being delimited by delimiting surfaces; the abutment surface
of the pivoting part is constructed on the front panel; and a portion of the delimiting
surfaces of the openings are formed by the front panel.
6. A connector housing according to claim 5, wherein an opening is provided in
the front panel of the pivoting part in communication with the receiving space,
the opening allowing the introduction of a tool for releasing the latching hook
from the contact.
7. A connector housing having a pivoting part and a base part and a latching
hook, the pivoting part and the base part defining a contact chamber for receiving
a contact and a receiving space adjacent to the contact chamber for allowing displacement
of the latching hook; the connector housing having an insertion opening communicating
with the contact chamber, the latching hook being disposed in the contact chamber
for latching the contact inside the contact chamber and being displaceable into
the receiving space by a contact during insertion or extraction thereof, the connector
housing being integrally formed with the latching hook by a molding procedure;
wherein the pivoting part and the base part are integrally formed; the pivoting
part is located in an open position during the molding procedure providing a mold
opening between the base part and the pivoting part, and while the mold material
is still in a not yet fully cured condition the pivoting part is movable to a closed
position in which the mold opening is made smaller; and the mold material cures
in the closed position so that the pivoting part is held in the closed position.
8. A connector housing according to claim 7, wherein the pivoting part is connected
to the base part by a connection wall, with the connection wall having less thickness
than the base part and the pivoting part.
9. A connector housing according to claim 7, wherein the connector housing is
molded from a fiber-reinforced synthetic material.
10. A connector housing according to claim 7, wherein the pivoting part is held
in the closed position against the base part by a latch-type holding arrangement.
11. A process for making a connector housing having a base part and a pivoting
part, the base part and the pivoting part defining a contact chamber for receiving
a contact, the connector housing having an insertion opening into the contact chamber,
the insertion opening being surrounded by delimiting surfaces, at least one part
of the delimiting surface being formed by the pivoting part and at least one other
part of the delimiting surface being formed by the base part, a latching hook being
provided in the contact chamber, the process comprising the steps of:
molding the base part, the pivoting part, and a latching hook in one piece with
the pivoting part being located in an open position in which a mold opening is
formed between the pivoting part and the base part for a mold, the mold being arranged
in the mold opening during the molding procedure;
removing the mold through the mold opening; and
after the mold has been removed, with the mold material still in a not yet fully
cured condition, moving the pivoting part into a closed position in which the mold
opening is made smaller, such that the pivoting part forms one part of the delimiting
surfaces of the opening.
12. A process according to claim 11, wherein a fiber-reinforced synthetic material
is used as the mold material and cures after the molding procedure.
13. A process for making a connector housing having a base part and a pivoting
part, the base part and the pivoting part defining a contact chamber for receiving
a contact, the connector housing having an insertion opening into the contact chamber
and a latching hook provided inside the contact chamber for latching the contact,
the process comprising the steps of:
molding the base part, the pivoting part and the latching hook in one piece by
a molding procedure with the pivoting part being located in an open position in
which a mold opening is formed between the pivoting part and the base part, a mold
being arranged in the mold opening during the molding procedure;
removing the mold;
after the mold has been removed, with the mold material still in a not yet fully
cured condition, moving the pivoting part into a closed position in which the mold
opening is made smaller; and
allowing the mold material to cure in the closed position, such that, as a result
of the change in rigidity in the mold material, the pivoting part is held in the
closed position.
14. A process according to claim 13, wherein a fiber-reinforced synthetic material
is used as the mold material and cures after the molding procedure.
15. A process according to claim 14, wherein the pivoting part is connected to
the base part by a connection wall, with the connection wall having less thickness
than the base part and the pivoting part.
16. A process according to claim 15, wherein the pivoting part is held in the
closed position against the base part by a latch-type holding arrangement.
17. A process according to claim 15, wherein the pivoting part has a front panel
which forms part of a front side of the connector housing; a plurality of openings
are arranged next to one another on the front side of the connector housing, each
opening being delimited by delimiting surfaces; the abutment surface of the pivoting
part is constructed on the front panel; and a portion of the delimiting surfaces
of the openings are formed by the front panel.
18. A process according to claim 17, wherein an opening is provided in the front
panel of the pivoting part in communication with a receiving space, the receiving
space being arranged adjacent to the latching hook to receive the latching hook
when the latching hook is displaced by the contact, the opening allowing the introduction
of a tool for releasing the latching hook from the contact.
19. A connector housing comprising:
a base part;
a pivoting part being integrally molded in an open position and connected to
the base part by a connection wall, the pivoting part being pivotable to a closed position;
a contact chamber being defined by the base part and the pivoting part in the
closed position;
a receiving space located adjacent to the contact chamber and also being defined
by the base part and the pivoting part in the closed position;
a latching hook disposed in a contact chamber and being displaceable into the
receiving space.
20. A connector housing according to claim 19, wherein the connection wall has
less thickness than the base part and the pivoting part.
21. A connector housing according to claim 19, wherein the connector housing
is molded from a fiber-reinforced synthetic material.
22. A connector housing according to claim 19, wherein the pivoting part is held
in the closed position against the base part by a latch-type holding arrangement.
23. A connector housing according to claim 19, wherein the pivoting part has
a front panel which forms part of a front side of the connector housing; a plurality
of openings are arranged next to one another on the front side of the connector
housing, each opening being delimited by delimiting surfaces; and a portion of
the delimiting surfaces of the openings are formed by the front panel.
24. A connector housing according to claim 23, wherein an opening is provided
in the front panel of the pivoting part, the opening being in communication with
the receiving space and allowing the introduction of a tool for releasing the latching
hook from the contact.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a connector housing and processes for making a connector housing.
BACKGROUND
Connector housings are used to hold a socket contact into which a pin contact
may be pushed. To improve introduction of the pin contact into an introduction
opening, the connector housing has, arranged around the introduction opening, delimiting
surfaces which are inclined in the direction of the center of the introduction
opening. The socket contact is secured by a latching hook to prevent its being
withdrawn from the connector housing.
DE 196 00 236 A1 discloses a housing element of an electrical connector. The
housing
element has a body with passages provided to receive a contact member. Further
provided is a locking key which is provided with protuberances for engagement in
slots which open into the passages. The protuberances have a width corresponding
to the dimension of the apertures, which extend over the entire width of the passages.
The protuberances are lengthened to form bosses. The contact member is made in
the form of a socket contact whereof the plug receiving region has associated with
it a plug opening in the housing. The plug opening is surrounded by delimiting
surfaces. In the region of the plug opening, the housing body is made in one piece.
To hold the socket contact, a lug is provided as a latching hook which latches
into a corresponding latching slot in the socket contact when the socket contact
is pushed into the housing.
In many cases, the housings are made from synthetic material by an injection
molding
process. When the housing is made, it is necessary for the latching hook to be
shaped in the housing using a mold. It is moreover necessary to form between the
latching hook and the housing wall a receiving space into which the latching hook
can spring back when a contact is pushed in. To remove the mold once the shaping
procedure is complete a sufficiently large opening has to be made in the housing.
In the case of small housings, it may be that there is no surface available large
enough for the opening to be provided.
To solve this problem, French patent application FR 2 706 687 A1 proposes a two-part
housing in which some of the delimiting surfaces for the plug opening of the housing
are formed by a separate plug receiving part. In this way, it becomes possible
to make the housing separately from the plug receiving part. This allows a large
opening for the mold to be provided, and this opening is at least partly closed
by the plug receiving part in the mounted condition. Thus, the housing, together
with the latching hook, can be removed from the mold without problems. The plug
receiving part is then pushed into the corresponding opening in the housing. The
plug openings each have four delimiting surfaces which taper conically inwards.
Three of the delimiting surfaces are formed by the housing. The fourth delimiting
surface is formed by the plug receiving part. The plug receiving part moreover
has a blocking element which is pushed into a free space between the movable latching
hook and the housing. This means that the latching hook is held in a latched position.
The process described for making a connector housing is relatively complicated.
SUMMARY
In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a connector housing
and a process for making a connector housing by means of which a latching hook
can be shaped even if the connector housing is small and has little surface available
for providing the mold.
The connector housing has a base part and a pivoting part which each form part
of the delimiting surface of the opening to the contact chamber, with the delimiting
surfaces of the pivoting part and the housing abutting against one another by way
of abutment surfaces, and with the housing base and the pivoting part being made
in one piece. In this way it becomes possible to make the contact housing by an
injection molding process, with the pivoting part located in an open position during
manufacture. In the open position, sufficient space is available between the pivoting
part and the housing for the mold in order to shape the latching hook. After removal
from the mold, the pivoting part is moved into the closed position and an insertion
opening to the contact chamber is made, with four delimiting surfaces. The insertion
opening can be made relatively small because of the manufacturing process.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the mold opening for receiving the
mold
is made outside the opening to the contact chamber, so that there is greater flexibility
in the design of the contact housing. The contact housings and the manufacturing
processes described make it possible to shape contact housings with a latching
hook even though the contact housing has no surface available sufficient for an
opening for providing the mold.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be explained below in more detail with reference to the figures,
in which:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective illustration of a connector housing with a pivoting
part in an open position;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the connector housing of FIG. 1 with the pivoting
part open;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the connector housing of FIG. 1 with the pivoting
part open;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connector housing of FIG. 1 with the pivoting
part closed; and
FIG. 5 is a sectional view through the connector housing of FIG. 1 with the
pivoting part closed and a contact locked in the housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)
The connector housing
1 is substantially made from an insulating material
and is preferably made from synthetic material by an injection molding process.
The connector housing
1 has a base part
2 and a pivoting part
3
connected to the base part
2. The base part
2 includes a base plate
20 having a plurality of walls
9 which are arranged perpendicular
to the base plate
20, a respective contact chamber
15 being formed
between each two walls
9. Constructed on a front side
21 of the base
part
2 are U-shaped delimiting surfaces
6, each having three delimiting
surface portions. In each case, two delimiting surface portions are arranged parallel
to one another and in front of a respective wall
9. A third delimiting surface
portion connects the two parallel delimiting surface portions. The delimiting surface
6 delimits on three sides an opening which, in the example illustrated,
is constructed as an insertion opening
5.
Arranged between two walls
9, above a contact chamber
15,
is a respective latching hook
10 which is connected to a housing top
22
(FIG. 3). The parallel delimiting surface portions are provided up to a fixed height
of the walls
9. The pivoting part
3 is attached to the base part
2 by way of a connection wall
4. The connection wall
4 provides
a connection between a cover plate
23 of the pivoting part
3 and
the housing top
22 of the base part
2. The cover plate
23
is arranged inclined at an upward angle with respect to the housing top
22.
The cover plate
23 merges into a front panel
24 which is arranged
substantially perpendicular with respect to the cover plate
23. The front
panel
24 extends over the entire width of the front side
21 of the
base part
2. Provided on the front panel
24 are four openings
8
arranged next to one another in the upper region of the front panel
24.
Below the openings
8, the front panel
24 has a continuous edge on
which upper delimiting surfaces
7 are arranged next to one another. The
upper delimiting surfaces
7 are preferably constructed such that they are
downwardly inclined in the direction of the contact chamber
15. The front
panel
24 has on the underside an abutment edge
25 which is arranged
substantially parallel to the base plate
20. Constructed between the abutment
edge
25 and the front side of the base part
2 is a mold opening
37
which serves to receive a mold. The front panel
24 has, on opposite side
edges, latching arms
12 which emerge laterally from the front panel
24.
The base plate
20 is connected to the housing top
22 by way of
outside walls
26. The outside walls
26 have on their outside latching
lugs
11 which are arranged laterally with respect to the front side
21
in the upper region of the outside walls
26. Between an outside wall
26
and the nearest wall
9, a contact chamber
15 is constructed.
FIG. 2 shows the connector housing
1 in front view. The upper delimiting
surfaces
7 of the front panel
24 are arranged symmetrically with
respect to the central delimiting surface portion of the delimiting surfaces
6
in the base part
2. Moreover, the latching arms
12 are arranged above
the latching lugs
11. Between each two upper delimiting surfaces
7,
a bearing surface
27 is constructed on the abutment edge
25. Between
each two adjacent delimiting surface portions of two insertion openings
5
there is constructed a second bearing surface
28 on the front side
21
of the base part
2.
FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the connector housing
1 and the
contact chamber
15. A mold opening
37, which is constructed to receive
a mold during molding of the connector housing, is provided. Once the mold has
been removed, the pivoting part
3 is pivoted and the mold opening
37
is thereby at least made smaller or indeed completely closed off. As a result of
the construction of the mold opening
37, the latching hook
10 can
be shaped in a simple way even though the front side of the connector housing has
in the final (or closed) condition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, only openings
8
and insertion openings
5 which would not be sufficient to accommodate a mold.
The pivoting part
3 is constructed in the form of a hinged flap. In the
closed position of the pivoting part
3, the bearing surfaces
27 of
the pivoting part
3 lie on the second bearing surfaces
28 of the
base part
2. During pivoting of the pivoting part
3, the latching
arms
12 come over the latching lugs
11 and latch into corresponding
latching recesses
13 below the latching lugs
11. This means that
the pivoting part
3 is held in the closed position by way of a latch-type
holding arrangement, as illustrated in FIG. 4. In the closed position of the pivoting
part
3, the insertion openings
5 are surrounded all round by delimiting
surfaces
6,
7. The delimiting surfaces
6,
7 are constructed
to taper conically inwards in order to make it easier to introduce a contact pin.
The base part
2 has, opposite the insertion openings
5, socket
contact introduction openings
16 for the feeding in of socket contacts
17
(FIG. 5). The latching hook
10 is constructed above the contact chamber
15. The latching hook
10 has an inclined sliding surface
29
which merges at an acute angle into a blocking surface
30 arranged perpendicular
to the base plate
20. Constructed between the housing top
22 and
the latching hook
10 is a receiving space
14. The housing top
22
extends from the socket contact introduction opening
16 into the end region
of the latching hook
10 and then merges by way of a section of less thickness
D into the cover plate
23 of the pivoting part
3. The section of
less thickness D provides a connection wall
4 by means of which the pivoting
part
3 is attached to the base part
2.
In the embodiment illustrated, the connector housing
1 is made from synthetic
material with glass fibers. The glass fibers are provided to increase the rigidity
of the connector housing
1. As a result of using the glass fibers, the synthetic
material may be bent in the region of the connection wall
4 predominantly
just after removal of the connector housing
1 from the molds of the injection
molding process, that is to say when it is the not yet fully cured condition. After
curing, the connection wall
4 is no longer sufficiently resilient because
of the combination of synthetic material and glass fibers selected, and if the
pivoting part
3 were pivoted into the closed position or out of the closed
position the connection wall
4 would break.
Instead of this embodiment, however, it is also possible to use a synthetic
material without any glass fiber content, which is flexible in the uncured condition
after the molding procedure and makes it possible to pivot the pivoting part
3
into the closed position and keeps the pivoting part
3 in the closed position
in the cured condition. Depending on the desired function, it is also possible
to use a mold material which remains flexible even in the cured condition in the
region of the connection wall
4 because of a correspondingly low thickness
D of the connection wall.
Depending on the embodiment, the latching lugs
11 and latching arms
12 may also be dispensed with. In an exemplary embodiment, the connector
housing
1 is made from a fiber-reinforced synthetic material. The fiber-reinforced
synthetic material provides the possibility of moving the pivoting part
3
from the open position into the closed position while it is in the as yet uncured
condition after the injection molding process. Once the synthetic material has
cured, the latter has the required rigidity to hold the pivoting part
3.
The rigidity of the mold material is particularly advantageous if the pivoting
part
3 has a delimiting surface that serves to guide a contact pin. For
example, the pivoting part
3 may comprise synthetic material having a high
glass fiber content, making the connection wall
4 flexible only in the uncured
condition. If, in the uncured condition of the connection wall
4, the pivoting
part
3 is moved from the open position into the closed position and held
in the closed position until the connector housing
1 has cured, then the
pivoting part
3 remains in the closed position once the synthetic material
has cured without any latch-type holding being required.
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-section through the connector housing
1 with
a socket contact
17 therein. The socket contact
17 has a second blocking
surface
31 which is associated with the first blocking surface
30
of the latching hook
10. The blocking surface
30 and the second blocking
surface
31 prevent the contact socket
17 from being pushed out of
the socket contact introduction opening
16. On the side with the introduction
opening
16, the socket contact
17 can either have a plug contact
inserted therein, or be connected to an electrical cable.
The socket contact
17 has a contact region which is opened in the direction
of the insertion opening
5. A pin contact can be pushed into the contact
region
32 through the insertion opening
5. Instead of the socket
contact
17, a plug contact may alternatively be arranged in the contact
chamber as a contact and held by the latching hook
10.
The opening
8 may be used for example to reach under the latching hook
10 with an appropriately shaped tool and to raise it up. Thus, the blocking
surface
30 of the latching hook
10 releases the second blocking surface
31 of the socket contact
17 so that the socket contact can be withdrawn
from the socket contact introduction opening
16.
Depending on the geometry of the connector housing
1 that is used,
bearing surfaces
27,
28 may also be constructed in other regions,
outside the insertion opening
5. For example, the bearing surfaces
27,
28 may also be constructed in the cover plate
23 between the front
panel
24 and the latching hooks
10, with the pivoting part
3
taking the form of a cover. However, other geometries of the pivoting part
3
are also possible. Thus, the position of the mold opening
37 may also be
selected as a function of the structure of the connector housing.
*
