Abstract:
In order to realize a non-interchangeable mating of two connectors ( 1, 2 ), an encoding is provided on the mating side which is realized in the form of laminar encoding elements ( 20 ) that can be inserted into a slot ( 12 ) in the connector body ( 10 ) of the connectors. 
     In this case, an encoding element (20, 20′) that features mutually engaging structures ( 22, 22 ) for realizing an encodable mating is inserted into each of the connectors ( 1, 2 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention pertains to an encoding device in a connector housing with electric contacts in order to realize a non-interchangeable mating of a two-part plug-type connection. 
         [0003]    An encoding device of this type is required for preventing an incorrect mating within a system of identical connectors. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    DE 298 23 719 U1 discloses an encoding device for two complementary connectors, one of which is provided with at least one first encoding element and the other one of which is provided with at least one complementary second encoding element, wherein at least one of the connectors comprises a housing with a slip-on coupling ring, on which at least one of the encoding elements is arranged. 
         [0006]    The disadvantage of known encoding devices can be seen in that they are retrospectively designed for the corresponding connector type and therefore usually represent supplementary solutions. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The invention is based on the objective of ensuring the simple, non-interchangeable and codable mating of a plug-type connection between hybrid connectors to be mated which features power contacts as well as signaling contacts. 
         [0008]    This objective is attained in that a slot is provided in each of the connector bodies on the mating side, wherein an encoding element of laminar design is inserted into said slot, and in that additional openings for electric contacts are arranged to both sides of the slot. 
         [0009]    The advantages attained with the invention can be seen, in particular, in that an essentially arbitrary number of encoding structures for mutually matible encoding elements inserted into the connector body of two connectors to be mated can be realized with a relatively simple design that features straight, vertical, horizontal, oblique and curved lines. 
         [0010]    For this purpose, the connector body accommodating the electric contacts is provided with a slot on the mating side, wherein the encoding elements of laminar design are inserted and engaged in said slots. In this case, the outer edges of the encoding elements preferably abut one another in a precisely fitted fashion during the mating process. 
         [0011]    Electric contacts arranged above and underneath the slot are separated in accordance with signaling contacts and current/voltage contacts. 
         [0012]    The increased distance with the additional air gap contributes to an advantageous signal separation in this case. 
         [0013]    The slots are only insignificantly larger than the disk-shaped encoding elements and provided with passageways, through which snap-in hooks are guided which are molded onto the encoding elements and can be engaged on retaining edges on the cable connection side of the respective connector body. 
         [0014]    In this case, engaged encoding elements can also be removed again from the slots or exchanged. 
         [0015]    The protection of the contacts and the encoding structures of the encoding elements, which protrude from the connector body, is realized in the form of a correspondingly designed metallic shielding sleeve that surrounds the connector body. 
         [0016]    In this case, a V-shaped polarization moulded into the shielding sleeve initially ensures a correct mating position of both connectors during the mating process while the complementary encoding elements ensure that exactly these two connectors can be correctly mated if a multitude of possible plug-type connections can be realized. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the figures and described in greater detail below. The figures show: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a connector in the form of a side view; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a connector realized in the form of a flanged housing; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a section through the connector in the flanged housing; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a section through a mated connection between the two connectors shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , and 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  are several variations of encoding elements. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of a connector  1  that is realized in accordance with the so-called push-pull principle. 
         [0024]    In this case, part of a shielding sleeve  16  that surrounds the electric contacts  28 ,  29  is illustrated in a sectioned fashion such that the tip of an inventive encoding element  20  is still visible. The signaling contact  29  is not visible in this figure. 
         [0025]    The shielding sleeve  16  is arranged on a connector body  10  that accommodates the electric contacts within a displaceable outer sleeve  2 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  shows an isometric representation of a mating connector  5  that is realized complementary to the connector  1  and the connector body  10  of which is arranged in a flanged housing  6 . 
         [0027]    Three adjacently positioned electric contacts  28  for a current/voltage transmission, as well as four additional signaling contacts  29  that are separated from one another by a larger average distance in a paired fashion, are illustrated in the connector body  10 . The contacts are arranged within the openings  28 ′ and  29 ′ in the connector body  10 ,  10 ′. 
         [0028]    A slot  12  is provided between the differently designed electric contacts on the mating side, wherein this slot is provided for accommodating a laminar encoding element  20 . 
         [0029]    The rectangular insulating connector body  10  is surrounded by a shielding sleeve  16 , the seam of which extends in a V-shaped central groove  18  between the pairs of signaling contacts  29 . 
         [0030]    In this case, the groove is provided as a polarization for ensuring the correct mating of the two connectors  1 ,  5 . 
         [0031]    On the rear side, the electric contacts are connected to a circuit board  8 . The encoding element  20  may have different geometrical shapes on its mating side. It would be possible to realize simple horizontal and vertical outer edges, as well as oblique and curve-like shapes. 
         [0032]    It is merely important that the outer edges provided for the encoding abut one another in a precisely fitted fashion during the mating process so as to prevent the incorrect mating of two connectors  1  and  5 . 
         [0033]    The sectional representation of the connector body  10  in  FIG. 3  through the plane of the encoding element shows the position and the fixing of the encoding element  20  on the example of the connector  5  without the surrounding flanged housing  6 . 
         [0034]    The encoding element  20  is respectively inserted into the slot  12  on the mating side and engaged in the connector body  10  by means of snap-in hooks  24 , wherein the encoding structures  22  partially protrude from the connector body. 
         [0035]    For this purpose, one respective passageway  13  for the two snap-in hooks  24  in provided in the connector body  10  adjacent to the slot  12  for the encoding element  20 . 
         [0036]    On the connection side with the circuit board  8  and, in general, also on an electric cable to be connected to the connector  1 , the ends of the passageways  13  respectively feature a retaining age  15 , on which the snap-in box  24  of the encoding element  20  engage. 
         [0037]    In this case, the retaining edges  15  are molded into a sunk recess  14  in the rear side of the connecting body in such a way that the snap-in hooks only protrude minimally over the end of the housing. 
         [0038]    As long as the connector is not yet soldered to the circuit board  8 , the encoding element  20  can be exchanged by pressing together the snap-in hooks  24  and pulling the encoding element out of the passageways  13  and the slot  12 . 
         [0039]    The rear side of the connector  2  that is usually realized with the flanged housing  6  is provided with a circuit board  8 , to which the current/voltage contacts  28 , the signaling contacts  29  and the connecting pins  17  of the shielding sleeve  16  are soldered. 
         [0040]    In order to realize the mounting on the circuit board  8 , the connector body  10  is provided with additional mounting pin  19  that are inserted into corresponding bores and hold the connector body together until it is soldered to the circuit board. 
         [0041]      FIG. 4  shows the plug-type connection between the push-pull connector  1  and the mating connector  5  in the flanged housing  6 , wherein this figure only shows the encoding of both encoding elements  20  and  20 ′ in the connector  2  and the connector  1 . 
         [0042]    This figure also shows that the encoding structures  22 ,  22 ′ protrude from each of the connector bodies  10 ,  10 ′ about centrally and into the respective oppositely arranged part. 
         [0043]      FIG. 5  shows a few laminar embodiments of encoding elements  20 ,  20 ′ that can be connected in a paired fashion and feature snap-in hooks  24 ,  24 ′, wherein said encoding elements may, in principle, have any number of matching encoding structures  22 ,  22 ′ with straight, vertical, horizontal, oblique and curved lines.