Abstract:
Plug-in connection system ( 1 - 3 ) that provides mechanically secure and dimensionally accurate connection to a printed circuit board ( 4 ) in spite of thickness differences in the boards due to tolerances. The plug-in connection system ( 1 - 3 ) is contacted and fixed at a defined distance and in the final assembly position thereof by a non-positive elastic bracing in relation to the top surface of the board ( 4 ) and by a positive-fit limit stop in relation to the lower side of the board ( 4 ). An elastic tongue ( 5 ), which is formed onto the plug-in connection system, is used for the non-positive bracing. This tongue ( 5 ) is also preferably configured to laterally support the plug-in connection system against lateral tilting.

Description:
This is a Continuation of International Application PCT/EP00/13164, with an international filing date of Dec. 22, 2000, which was published under PCT Article 21(2) in German, and the disclosure of which is incorporated into this application by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a plug-in connection system, an electrical connector plug, and an electrical motor arrangement. More particularly, the invention relates to a plug-in connector that is fixed at an angle to a printed circuit board and that is electrically contacted to the circuit board. Such plug-in connection systems are required especially for actuators in motor vehicles between motor-internal power and control connections on the one hand and a motor-external electric power and control unit on the other. The power and control unit is preferably accommodated in an electronics enclosure which is separate from the housing of the motor and which can be assembled into one unit with the motor housing by plug-in contacting. The electric motor, generally provided with a downstream gear unit, is preferably embodied as a commutator motor that is supplied by the vehicle&#39;s DC distribution system. 
     Prior art publications DE 42 25 496 A1 and EP 0 538 495 B1, for instance, disclose actuators that include an electric motor with an axially flanged gear unit and with a preferably paraxial supply and control unit. 
     European Patent EP 0538 495 B1, for instance, discloses an electronics enclosure holding a printed circuit board that is provided with the control and/or monitoring electronics for the motor. The electronics enclosure is arranged in parallel to the axis of the motor housing and is open at the end face thereof but is otherwise sealed. At its end face, the electronics enclosure can be overhung-mounted or mechanically plugged into a corresponding housing flange opening of the gear unit and/or the motor housing and can thereby also be electronically contacted thereto. When on the one hand the gear case or motor housing and on the other hand the electronics housing are mechanically interconnected, the printed circuit board equipped with its motor control and/or monitoring electronics is automatically electrically connected by means of plug-in contacts to corresponding motor connectors on a brush holder plate of the commutator motor. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,049 A and German Laid-Open Publication DE 694 04 215 T2 disclose an electrical plug-in connector having a housing for mounting on the surface of a printed circuit board. A separately stamped and shaped hold-down clip is mounted on the housing by means of an anchoring leg and includes a projecting spring leg with a latching mechanism that is pushed through a hole in the circuit board from the upper side such that, when the latching mechanism reaches its operating position, it is biased against the lower side of the board. This makes it possible to compensate for varying thicknesses of different printed circuit boards. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     One object of the present invention is to use simple production and assembly techniques suitable for mass production to provide a component, including a printed circuit board and a plug-in connection system, that has high external dimensional accuracy, providing secure mutual mechanical fixation and electrical contacting, despite unavoidable thickness tolerances of the circuit board. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This and other objects are attained, according to one formulation of the invention, by a plug-in connection system including: an insulation body having a base edge that contacts a printed circuit board when the plug-in connection system is in a final assembly position in relation to the printed circuit board; contact paths fixed in the insulation body and having contact legs that project from the base edge of the insulation body and are positioned to be contacted with the printed circuit board in the final assembly position. The insulation body includes at least one integrally formed elastic tongue that provides an elastic bracing with respect to the printed circuit board in the final assembly position. The insulation body further includes at least one integrally formed latching element that latches to the printed circuit board and provides a limit stop contact with a corresponding latching recess in the printed circuit board in the final assembly position. 
     According to another formulation, the invention provides an electrical connector plug that has: at least one power contact track; a main insulation body receiving the power contact track and having one side configured to rest against a surface of a circuit board; a spring extending from and on the one side of the main insulation body, and configured to press against the surface of the circuit board; and a latch extending from and on the one side of the main insulation body, and configured to latch an opposite surface of the circuit board. 
     The mutual fixation and contacting between the printed circuit board and the plug-in connection system provided by the invention is particularly advantageous. Due to the mutual spring-based support of the plug-in connection system on the top surface of the board and its positive-fit limit stop with respect to the underside of the board, varying board thicknesses, on the one hand, do not affect the distance in height of the external boundaries of the insulation body of the plug-in connection system. Moreover, the invention ensures secure electrical contact between the contact legs and the corresponding conductor paths on the circuit board, as well as a mechanical mount that is free of undue stresses, even with simple mechanical production using plug-in assembly technology. This dimensional accuracy guarantees, on the one hand, secure electrical contacting when the plug-in connection system is connected to mating contacts, e.g. of a motor drive unit, particularly a commutator motor/gear drive unit of a vehicle actuator, which is supplied, for instance, by the board-side motor control and/or monitoring electronics. On the other hand, it ensures a high accuracy of fit relative to the connector shell that receives the plug-in connection system. 
     According to one embodiment of the invention, the insulation body component that is provided for elastic bracing, preferably in the form of an integrally molded elastic tongue, is configured to also provide lateral non-positive-fit support, to ensure sufficient support for the insulation body, which is preferably mounted so as to angle up from the circuit board. 
     To further secure the insulation body against lateral tipping forces, the insulation body is preferably also provided with positive-fit lateral securing elements that protect against tipping. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, these elements are offset in height relative to the non-positive-fit lateral support, such that the external tipping forces acting on the insulation body are absorbed by the positive fit only if they exceed the counter forces of the non-positive-fit support. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention as well as features and advantages thereof will now be described in greater detail with reference to schematic embodiments depicted by way of example in the drawing, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a plug-in connection system electrically contacted with and mechanically fixed to a printed circuit board, shown prior to its assembly with a brush unit of a commutator motor; 
     FIG. 2 is a side view of the plug-in connection system of FIG. 1, showing the plug-in connection system contacted with and fixed to the board, in their final mutual assembly position; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 2, illustrating the mutual elastic bracing and positive-fit limit stop between the board and the insulation body in a pre-assembly position with the insulation body being held down against the board; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of FIG. 2, showing the mutual elastic bracing and positive-fit limit stop between the board and the insulation body in their final assembly position, with the insulation body being mechanically fixed by the limit stop fitting against the underside of the board; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the enlarged detail of the insulation body of FIGS. 3,  4 ; 
     FIG. 6 shows the plug-in connection system secured in a lateral tipping position by a positive-fit lateral support; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a plug-in connection system without the inventive measures that ensure dimensional accuracy and proper fixation and contacting, in its contacting and final assembly position with a brush unit of a commutator motor; and 
     FIG. 8 is a side view of the component according to FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 7 and 8 show a plug-in connection system to be improved according to the invention. This connector unit contacts a brush unit  8  on its one connection side and, on its other connection side, contacts a printed circuit board  4  that receives a supply and/or control unit. Only the insulation body  1  of this plug-in connection system is shown here. The insulation body receives contact paths that connect these two connection sides. Of these contact paths, only board-side contact legs  2 . 3 ;  3 . 3 , which project from the insulation body  1  and are to be soldered to the board  4 , are visible here. 
     The brush unit  8  is arranged at the open end of a cup-shaped motor housing  9  of a commutator motor and receives tilting brush holders  8 . 3 ;  8 . 4 , which sweep against a commutator  10  that is connected to a rotor winding (not shown here) and which receive current from the plug-in connection system. As known from the prior art described above, a gear unit can be flanged to the open end-face of motor housing  9 . The drive unit, which includes the commutator motor and the gear unit with the supply and control unit connected thereto via the plug-in connection system, serves e.g. as an actuator for a motor-driven window winder or sunroof drive in a motor vehicle. 
     Latching hooks  1 . 2 ;  1 . 3 , which are molded onto insulation body  1  are used to fix the insulation body  1  mechanically to the board  4 . When the insulation body  1  is pushed down in direction  1 , these hooks snap into corresponding latching recesses of the board. While insulation body  1  is thus pressed against the upper side of board  4 , the contact legs  2 . 3 ;  3 . 3  can be soldered to the board  4 . Depending on the thickness of the board, which is determined by applicable tolerances and which defines the reference level, there may be disadvantageous differences in the height position of the plug-in connection system, and consequently its contacts, in relation to the board  4  and in relation to a connector shell that receives the board  4  and connects to the motor housing  8 . Furthermore, if the board  4  is in the thin portion of the tolerance range, there is a risk that, as the contact legs  2 . 3 ;  3 . 3  are pushed down and soldered, the latching hooks  1 . 2 ;  1 . 3  remain at a distance and thus without limit stop contact in relation to the underside of the board  4 . This means that the contact legs  2 . 3 ;  3 . 3  must additionally act as a mechanical fixation aid, which may exceed their mechanical strength. 
     Based on these findings, the inventive solution according to FIGS. 1 to  6  advantageously distinguishes over the system just described in that the contact legs  2 . 3 ;  3 . 3  are relieved of mechanical mounting functions. This is achieved by an elastic bracing of the insulation body  1 —which in the exemplary embodiment is provided by an elastic tongue  5  integrally molded onto the plastic insulation body  1 —in relation to the upper surface of the board  4  in combination with the necessarily ensured limit stop contact of the snapped-in latching hooks  1 . 2 ;  1 . 3 , irrespective of the thickness of the board. Thus, despite varying thicknesses of the boards  4 , this ensures a constant contact level of the contact paths  2 ;  3  received by the insulation body  1  and, in particular, their motor-side contact tongues  2 . 1 ;  2 . 2  and  3 . 1 ;  3 . 2 , as they contact their associated contact pins  8 . 1  and  8 . 2  on the brush unit  8 . 
     In the present example, only two contact paths  2 ;  3  are provided, preferably embodied as free stampings, to supply a current between the printed circuit board  4  and the brush-side contact pins  8 . 1  and  8 . 2 . In addition, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, a conventional stator-side rotary speed sensor  1 . 11  in the form of a Hall transducer, e.g. assigned to a rotor-side magnet wheel  8 . 5  (see FIG.  7 ), is arranged on a tongue-like projection of the board  4 , which in the final assembly position protrudes into the motor housing  9 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates the position of the insulation body  1  as it is pushed in direction I until it contacts the surface of the board  4  in a positive fit. To achieve this positive fit contact, this embodiment of the invention uses lateral supports  6 . 1 ;  6 . 2  of a web  6 , via which the elastic tongue  5  is connected to the insulation body  1 , together with further support shoulders  1 . 5  that project from the insulation body  1  against the printed circuit board  4 . Guide pins  1 . 4  engage with corresponding guide openings in the printed circuit board  4  and thereby serve as mounting aids for assembling the insulation body  1  and its contact paths  2 ;  3  mounted therein to the board  4 . 
     The contact legs  2 . 3 ;  3 . 3  are soldered to the board  4  while the plug-in connection system  1 - 3  is held down against board  4  by applying pressure in direction I. Thereafter, the plug-in connection system  1 - 3  is released such that it is lifted, by the previously braced elastic tongue  5  in direction II, until the latching hooks  1 . 2 ;  1 . 3 , which are provided as the only level-defining positive-fit limit stops, contact the underside of the board  4  in a positive fit. As may be seen from the enlarged detail according to FIG. 4, the positive-fit limit stops according to FIG. 3 are pushed with a clearance (a) relative to the surface of the board  4 . 
     According to the embodiments of the invention, easily manufactured lateral supports are provided, particularly for robust assembly handling, for the plug-in connection system  1 - 3 , which is to be mounted on the board  4 —here at an approximately 90° angle. For this purpose, according to a first embodiment, the elastic tongue  5  extends perpendicularly to the tilting axis and protrudes laterally, to provide non-positive lateral support. Similarly, the web  6  is provided with positive-fit lateral supports through appropriate shaping of positive-fit lateral supports  6 . 1 ;  6 . 2  on both sides. This is illustrated in particular in FIG. 6, where the right contact edge  6 . 2 , secures the insulation body  1  against lateral tilting. Advantageously, the web  6 , with its lateral supports  6 . 1  and  6 . 2 , acts only subsequent to and supplemental to the non-positive-fit lateral support that is provided by the elastic tongue  5 . As such, the supports  6 . 1  and  6 . 2  are offset in height or angle such that the positive-fit lateral support acts only if the external tilting forces exceed the non-positive-fit supporting force of the elastic tongue  5 . 
     The above description of the preferred embodiments has been given by way of example. From the disclosure given, those skilled in the art will not only understand the present invention and its attendant advantages, but will also find apparent various changes and modifications to the structures disclosed. It is sought, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.