Abstract:
An electrical connection device with perpendicular Interlocking of a male part. The male part comprising at least one electrical connection contact with elastic blades forming a clamp and arranged in a contact-bearing casing. The male part is arranged, into a female part comprising at least one contact in the form of a blade. The male elastic blades forming a clamp of the contact or contacts coming to be positioned on both sides of the thickness of the corresponding blade of contact of the female part. The invention also covers the connector equipped with this device.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention concerns a device for perpendicular connection between two elements, as well as the tight connector and the double locking obtained. 
     In the connector field, and more particularly in the automobile field, connection devices have been sought that permit establishing reliable electrical connections, at the lowest cost, and which are demountable, generally one of the parts being part of a fixed network and the other able to be removed in order to be replaced. 
     Additional constraints are numerous, since it is necessary that such connection devices support vibrations without losing the contact pressure that assures electrical continuity, that they are mounted easily without errors being able to occur during positioning, that they are tight and that they are mechanically locked with great reliability. 
     Moreover, it is noted that these connection devices are frequently situated in difficultly accessible places, which requires the designer to create particular connection configurations. 
     Therefore, in the case where the parts to be connected are arranged along perpendicular planes, difficulty is increased by the respective movements of the two elements during vibrations or shocks, since the courses and directions of the forces to which they are subjected are often complex, even opposed. 
     The connection device must preferably be tightly sealed when it is used in an automobile engine compartment and preferably comprise a double locking to assure holding in position, even under extreme conditions. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention seeks to alleviate these disadvantages, and the connection device according to the invention is reliable, has a manufacturing cost compatible particularly with the prices of furnishings for the automobile market, [and] an easy and rapid mounting without possibility of error during said mounting. This device also assures a reliable mechanical connection and an easy demounting. 
     According to the invention, the electrical connection device with perpendicular interlocking of a male part comprising at least one electrical connection contact with elastic blades forming a clamp, arranged in a contact-bearing casing with a female part comprising at least one contact in the form of a blade, borne by a base, said elastic blades forming a clamp with the contact or contacts coming to be positioned on both sides of the thickness of the corresponding contact blade of the female part. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     More particularly, the contact or contacts are made up of a bare zone of a metal strip elongated in a direction perpendicular to the axis of interlocking of the male part into the female part. This metal strip for the contact or contacts is Inserted into an insulating base which has been molded, the bare zone corresponding to an empty space in said molding. 
     More specifically, the device comprises at least two metal strips, these two juxtaposed metal strips being separated from each other by an insulating partition molded with the insulating base. 
     According to another characteristic, each blade of the contact or contacts of the female part comprises a contact surface defined by two transversal folds that permit an off-setting of said surface with regard to the longitudinal axis of the base. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The contact-bearing casing comprises the first and second locking means of the female contact or contacts onto each corresponding blade. 
     The invention also has for a subject the corresponding electrical connector, with perpendicular interlocking, which comprises a matrix in which the base and contact assembly of the female part is integrated, said matrix being provided with a housing of conjugate profile to the head of the casing bearing the contacts and sealing means. 
     Joints assure the tight seal of the assembly after interlocking. 
     Moreover, means for clamping the male and female parts secure the joining. 
    
    
     The invention is now described with regard to the attached drawings according to a particular mode of embodiment, non-limiting, the different figures of the drawings showing: 
     FIG. 1, an exploded perspective view of the male and female parts to be connected in the particular case of a connection device, 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B, two views in longitudinal section, respectively of the pre-introduction and complete introduction positions for the male part into the female part, in the case of a connection with a correct clicking in, 
     FIG. 3, a view of the face of the female part, before presentation of the male part, 
     FIG. 4, a sectional view along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 2B, to show the arrangement of the different pieces, and 
     FIG. 5, a view of a case of connection with defective clicking in. 
    
    
     In FIG. 1, a connection device is shown comprising a female part  10  and a male part  12 , provided to cooperate by clicking In, one with the other, tight sealing means  64  and clamping means  16 . 
     The female part  10  comprises two contacts  18 , each in the form of a blade, held in an insulating base  20 . This blade is made in a metal strip elongated in a direction perpendicular to the connection axis. 
     This base is advantageously of plastic molded onto most of the blades except for an empty space during molding, defining a bare connection zone  21  where contact blades  18  are released. It is noted that for better comprehension, the contacts are shown twice in FIG. 1, one outside the base and the other integrated into the base but only one pair of contacts is required for the mode of embodiment shown. 
     In the mode of embodiment shown in FIG. 1, each contact blade  18  comprises two transversal folds  22 ,  22 ′ which determine for each a swelling or flattened area  24 , thus defining two contact surfaces having on one of their common edges a thin lip  26  facilitating the introduction of a complementary contact described later. This swelling or flattened area is offset with regard to the longitudinal axis of the base to form a projection permitting a free access to each of the surfaces thus defined. 
     Male part  12  comprises a contact-bearing housing  28  with a socket  30 , a front end  32  and means  34  for receiving clamping means  16 . 
     In order to describe the elements borne by the body and the head, one refers to FIGS. 2A and 2B in which the identical elements bear the same references. 
     Sockets  30  of contact-bearing casing  28  receive two female contacts  36 , only one of them being visible in FIG. 2B, a longitudinal sectional view. 
     In the mode of embodiment shown, each female contact  36  comprises, at the front, elastic blades  37  forming a clamp, generally by bending and provided to cooperate with the surfaces of flattened area  24  of contact  18 , in clicked-in position as will be explained later. One observes that blades  18  are clearly oriented perpendicular to the axis of interlocking of contact-bearing casing  28 . 
     Each of contacts  36  is extended, at the rear, by a zone  38  for connecting with an electrical wire  40 . To the right of this zone  38 , the device advantageously has a tight sealing joint  42 . 
     Each of contacts  36  Is immobilized in socket  30  of the contact-bearing casing by a first locking means  44 . 
     This first locking means comprises a catch  46  which can take a first position in which it is raised, as is seen in FIG. 5, to allow the contact to pass, and a second position in which it is straight so as to immobilize the contact in socket  30 . 
     A second locking means is also provided, which is connected in its functioning to first means  44 . This second means comprises a plate  50 , which can move in translation relative to socket  30 , between a first position, on the front, to come to abut onto the female part as will be explained later, and a second position, on the rear, after clicking in, to come to be housed between the inner surface of socket  30  of the contact-bearing casing and catch  46  so as to prevent the raising of the latter, thus constituting a double locking of each contact. 
     Head  32  has a cylindrical profile whose central part has been cut away to permit the passage of insulating base  20 . 
     Socket  30  of the contact-bearing casing also has an annular flange  62  designed to receive an o-ring  64 , which constitutes tight sealing means  64  between the male and female parts. 
     As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, clamping means  16  comprise two lateral pins  66  and  68  arranged on either side of socket  30  of the contact-bearing casing and an attachment clamp  70 . 
     First pin  66  is made up of an axle  72  around which one of the ends of the attachment clamp can pivot and second pin  68  is made up of a stud  74  with conjugate profile to the free end of the clamp to assure an elastic locking. 
     This attachment clamp  70  comprises two flanges  76  bent into a V to assure clamping by means of elastic recoil of the male part onto the female part, while permitting the light sealing means, a flattening of sealing o-ring  64  in this embodiment, so that it fulfills its function. 
     Referring more particularly to FIGS. 2A and 2B, it is noted that the assembly of base  20  and the blades of the female part is embedded in a matrix  75  of polymer, which has a housing  79  provided to receive head  32  of the contact-bearing casing and a bearing  78 , peripheral to this housing, provided to receive and support o-ring  64 . 
     The positioning of such a connection device for a male part with a female part, oriented perpendicularly, is indicated below. 
     In FIG. 2A, the male part is shown, which comprises socket  30  of the contact-bearing casing with a pair of contacts  36  on the inside. During mounting, the contacts are pushed toward head  32  of the contact-bearing casing until each of the contacts raise catch  46  projecting into socket  30  and then are locked onto the front of the latter. Catch  46  is found in straight position as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The first locking means  44  is In place. 
     If one of the contacts should be placed out of position, which would result in a poor connection or even a non-connection of contact blades  37  of the male part with surface  24  of blades  18  of the female part, catch  46  remains raised, which puts it in the position shown in FIG.  5 . It is noted that In this position the contacts do not abut and can be removed or pushed in freely. 
     In FIG. 2A, o-ring  64  is not pressed. It is noted, in contrast, that contact sealing joint  42  is active with regard to the contact-carrier, since it has been introduced simultaneously with the mounting of the contacts in socket  30 . 
     In order to assure the final positioning of the connection, the two parts male  12  and female  10  are moved together and head  32  of the male part penetrates into housing  76  arranged in support matrix  75  of base  20 . Simultaneously, blades  37  of contacts  36  slide onto either side of contact surface  24  of corresponding blade  18  of the female part. 
     Head  32  assures guiding relative to base  20 . 
     Double locking is assured during this movement of approach and locking in. 
     Plate  50  comes to be supported on part  51  molded with the base, which has for an effect inducing the translation of this same plate and pushing it between catch  46  and the inner face of socket  30  of the contact-bearing casing, which assures the immobilization of the latter in the straight contact locking position. Part  51  also assures the insulation of the two blades  18  by forming a partition. 
     It is noted, as is visible in FIG. 5, that the mounting of the contact-bearing casing is rendered impossible when the contacts are not in position, since plate  50  comes to abut against catch  46 , which is raised, which makes it impossible to move the male and female parts together. This eliminates cases of incorrect clicking in. 
     In FIG. 3, the female part in its matrix ready to receive the male part is shown in detail, surface view. 
     In FIG. 4, the respective position of the different elements during a correct clicking in is better understood. In this figure is also shown the mounting of attachment clamp  70 , which, after pivoting around axle  72 , is found elastically locked onto stud  74 , thus assuring an elastic clamping of the male part onto the female part. As is also seen in FIG. 2B, o-ring  64  is then pressed to assure an appropriate seal.