System connector with adapter module

A system connector includes a first housing half, and a second housing half matching the first housing half. The two housing halves are snappable and lockable to each other via a locking device, and there is at least one contact module arranged in each of the housing halves. The contact module includes socket-like and/or pin-like electrical contact elements. An adapter module that is mountable on the contact module has a first connection side and a second connection side, each of which includes cylindrical adapter elements arranged in a row, in which socket contacts or pin contacts are arranged. The adapter module on its first connection side is connectable to one of the contact modules arranged within one of the housing halves. The socket contacts or pin contacts of the adapter element of the second connection side are suitable for electrical contacting of the contact modules of the matching housing halves.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a national stage of PCT/EP09/008779 filed Dec. 9, 2009 and published in German, hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention concerns a system connector consisting of a first housing half and a second housing half matching it, the two halves being snappable and lockable to each other via a locking device and in which at least one contact module is arranged in both housing halves, which includes socket-like and/or pin-like electrical contact elements.

Connectors are required to connect or separate lines. The lines can be used to transport electrical current or also for other media (for example, for optical radiation, like light guide). Modular connectors are generally used in machine building and plant design to generate, evaluate or convey control signals directly to the unit being controlled within a connector. System connectors for evaluation of control signals can be equipped with additional electronic components, like switching relays or circuitry.

2. Description of the Prior Art

System connectors known to one skilled in the art, for example, from DE 202 05 787 U1 or EP 0 860 906 B1 are generally made from two housing halves. One housing half then is a cable outlet in which the corresponding housing half forms the connection area of the system connector. The individual housing halves can be equipped with so-called contact modules and thus individually adjusted to the corresponding use area. A housing half of EP 0 860 906 B1 has indentations to accommodate the individual contact modules into which the snap-in tabs of the contact modules can snap for their fastening in the housing half. The current direction within the system connector generally runs for safety reasons from the socket to the contact pin. The current-conducting side is therefore formed from the socket side. Wiring (socket or pins in the connection area) of the system connector is therefore dependent on current guiding in the use area. The individual contact modules of the system connector are laid out so that they have a socket and opposite pin contact side. If sockets are present in the connection area of a housing half, contact pins are found in the connection area of the other (matching) housing half. Ultimately the two housing halves of the connector are contacted to each other so that the opposite contact modules engage one in the other and thus produce an electrical contact with each other.

However, during use it was found in the connectors of the prior art that prewiring of connectors also entails certain drawbacks. Before assembly of such connectors a contact pin side and socket side must be established. Consequently, in the construction of a plant a supply of differently wired connectors must always be available.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The underlying task of the invention is to propose a system connector that can still be variably used even after equipping of the housing halves with said contact modules.

This task is solved by mounting an adapter module on the contact module, which has a first connection side and a second connection side, each of which includes cylindrical adapter elements arranged in a row in which socket contacts or pin contacts are arranged so that the adapter module at its first connection side can be connected to at least one contact module arranged within one of the housing halves and that the socket contacts or pin contacts of the adapter element of the second connection side are suitable for electrical contacting of the contact modules of the matching housing half.

The system connector according to the invention includes two housing halves each of which are equipped with contact modules. The contact modules of one of the two housing halves are provided with adapter modules so that the opposite contact modules of the other housing half can be electrically contacted.

The adapter modules are designed so that the contact modules can have contact sockets on both sides. Such system connectors have the advantage that the current direction in the use area is no longer relevant.

In a particularly advantageous variant of the invention the adapter module includes snap-in arms with molded-on snap-in tabs that engage into notches of the contact module prescribed for this purpose for locking. The adapter modules are firmly connected to the contact modules on this account and do not fall out of the contact module when the two system connector housing halves are brought together.

The individual adapter modules have cylindrical adapter elements. Pin contacts are contained in the cylindrical adapter elements, if the contact elements of the contact modules of both housing halves are designed socket-like.

On the other hand, socket contacts are contained within the cylindrical adapter elements, if the contact elements are pin-like.

It is therefore advantageous to always configure the adapter elements opposite to the contact elements—socket and pin or pin and socket.

Therefore it is now completely irrelevant whether the contact modules havea socket and an opposite pin contact sidea socket contact side on both sidesor a pin contact side on both sides.

An appropriate adapter element is available for each variant.

An advantageous modification of the invention includes an adapter module that has a bridge element for electrical bridging of at least two adjacent socket or pin elements within a contact module. This means that at least two contacts of a module arranged in a row are electrically connected to each other. In some applications so-called bridging of individual contact elements is necessary. This can be accomplished particularly simply with the bridge element according to the invention for electrical bridging.

In order to make such bridging visible to the user, the adapter module advantageously includes a display for visualization of the at least two socket or pin elements bridged to each other.

The adapter module advantageously includes a flat element which extends in the connection direction of the adapter module on the contact module and which is arranged between two snap-in arms whose snap-in tabs point in the same direction. The flat element also has a connector-like extension. Bridging of the contact elements is also visible laterally on the individual contact modules through this connector-like extension.

For visualization of bridging in the connection area of the system connector the connector is provided with a color at its end surface orthogonal to the flat element. Through color marking and bridging the user (even after the system connector is already assembled) can see the bridged socket or pin elements in the connection area. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 and 2show a first housing half2of a system connector1. The first housing half2has an almost rectangular base surface in which an also rectangular recess6is made. Individual contact modules3that form a connection area4of the first housing half2can be inserted into this recess6. In the second practical example shown here the contact modules3are inserted into the recess6for the housing half2on one of the narrow sides and are laterally pushed into a guide31(FIG. 4) along a rail (not shown) until the housing half is filled with contact modules3. A guide32is provided for perpendicular introduction on contact module3, which is guided on a matching (not shown) rail of recess6. Similarly, a second housing half10can be equipped with contact modules11.

The first housing half2has a protruding collar7in which a groove is made. A seal5is inserted into this groove, which seals the assembled finished housing1relative to environmental effects, like dust and moisture.

FIG. 3shows the second housing half10of the system connector1. As already mentioned above, contact modules11can also be inserted into the second housing half10. The second housing half is provided with a coupling housing16having a cable outlet12.

FIG. 4shows the contact modules3,11that can be inserted into both housing halves. The contact modules3,11are designed almost cuboid. Individual socket-like contact elements3a,11aare arranged in contact modules3,11, which are suitable for producing electrical contact with electrical conductors. For this purpose a multiwire cable (not shown here) is guided into the cable outlet12of the second housing half10and the individual electrical conductors (in the connection area of the second housing half) are connected to the contact elements11aof the contact module11. For fastening of the cable it can be screwed to the cable outlet12by means of an appropriate screw connection.

In the variant of the system connector1shown here the contact modules3,11of the housing halves2,10are identical to each other in their connection areas4,4′, i.e., aligned socket-like.

In order to produce electrical contact between the opposite contact modules3,11, an adapter module20is mounted on a contact module (for example, on a contact module11of the second housing half10). The housing halves2,10can then be snapped to each other.

As already explained above, an adapter module20is provided in order to produce electrical contact between the two identically aligned contact modules3and11of the housing halves2,10. As can be deduced fromFIGS. 5 and 6, the adapter module20has a first connection side20aand an opposite second connection side20b. Several cylindrical adapter elements21arranged in a row are arranged on the adapter module20into which socket or pin contacts26are inserted, which again engage in the contact elements3aand11ain the contact modules3,11and thus produce electrical contact between both3and11. The individual socket and pin contacts26are produced by punching and bending, the socket contacts having slotted contact tabs in the connection direction. The contact tabs are bent radially inward on their outer end. In order to connect the adapter modules20to the contact modules3,11, snap-in hooks14with snap-in tabs14aare applied to the adapter module20. The contact modules3,11have notches13on the connection side (in the connection direction) into which the snap-in tabs14aof the adapter module engage during connection.FIGS. 7 and 8show a modification of the adapter module20. The adapter module29has a flat element28between the snap-in hooks14and in the connection direction to the contact modules3,11, which (after locking of the adapter module29with the contact module3,11) lies laterally on the contact module3,11(FIG. 9). The flat element28includes connectors23as an extension whose significance is explained further below.

The contact modules3,11are also provided with guides43. The adapter module20,29can be pushed onto the contact module3,11along the guide. The guides43are only present on one side so that the adapter modules29can also only be mounted on one side. Polarization of the adapter module29is achieved on this account. In some technical applications it can be useful to electrically bridge individual contact elements3a,11aof the contact module3,11to each other within the connector housing.

In this case a recess27is made in the area of the adapter elements21into which electrically conducting bridge elements22are introduced (FIG. 8). The bridge elements are plates having pin contacts connected to each other in conducting fashion. Moldings33are present within the recess27that engage in protrusions30of the bridge element22. The entire component (plate and pin contacts) is introduced in one piece into the corresponding recess27. Owing to the fact that the recesses27are only present on one side on the bridge element, the bridge element can also only be introduced on one side into the recess27. Polarization of the bridge element22is thus achieved.

During engagement of the adapter element21of the adapter module29in contact elements3a,11a, these are then also bridged to each other.

In order to make the bridged contact elements3a,11aof modules3,11visible, connectors23, which can be inserted into guides24of the contact modules3,11provided for this purpose, are molded on the flat element28of the adapter module29. In a perspective side view of the contact module29(FIG. 9) the connector23indicates the position of bridging. The number of connectors23is equivalent to the number of bridge elements22. InFIG. 9the contact elements3a,11aof the contact module3,11, which are situated to the left and right of connector23, are bridged to each other. In the adapter module29inFIG. 7four adjacent contact elements3a,11aare bridged during mounting on a contact module3,11.

FIG. 7shows a perspective view of the adapter module29. The connectors23are marked in color on their end25facing the viewer so that bridging of individual contact elements3ais made visible on viewing the connection area8of the system connector1. In an advantageous variant of the adapter module29fluorescent or phosphorescent ingredients are added to the color. This enables the viewer to also recognize the contact elements3athrough a bridge to each other even under poor light conditions.

FIG. 10shows a complete system connector1. The system connector1includes a stamping mechanism (FIGS. 1,2and3). During assembly of the housing halves2,10a spring40snaps into a snap-in hook41. Because of this the housing halves2,10are locked to each other. By operating pushbutton42the snap-in springs40are guided from the effect area of the snap-in hook41and the upper housing half10can be removed from the lower housing half2.

List Of Reference Numbers

System Connector with Adapter Module