Abstract:
In order to lock a housing that consists of at least two parts, particularly a plug connector housing, the invention proposes a locking system that functions similar to a toggle lever mechanism. In this case, a locking plate ( 10 ) is arranged within a shell-shaped sliding element ( 20 ) to both sides of a first and a second housing half ( 3, 6 ) and movably held on bearing pins ( 7 ) on the second housing half ( 6 ), wherein latches ( 4 ) are provided on the first housing half ( 3 ) and engage into window openings ( 12 ) provided in the locking plate ( 10 ) for this purpose when the sliding element ( 20 ) is displaced into its locking position in order to hold together the two housing halves ( 3, 6 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The invention pertains to a locking system for multipart housings with a first housing half and a second housing half, and with a locking plate that engages on both housing halves, surrounded by a sliding element. 
         [0003]    A locking system of this type is required for holding together two housing halves in a separable fashion. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Conventional locking systems that are based on toggle levers normally operate with two articulation systems, namely with a claw-like locking hook that is connected to the actual pivoted lever by means of an articulation. This articulation is situated below the suspension point of a clip on the housing. Depending on the design, the locking hook can be pressed against a stop of the clip by a return spring. During mating, the locking hook snaps over the catch hook and is tensioned due to the actuation of the pivoted lever. In this case, the pivoted lever is pressed in the direction of the housing and not in the direction of a mated housing as it is usually the case. 
         [0006]    Such a locking system requires two clip elements with bearing points that correspond to one another. Due to the high forces in the pivoting and suspension points, the components need to be realized in a correspondingly solid fashion. After attaching the housing, a locking hook also needs to be placed around the latch before the pivoted lever is actuated. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The invention therefore is based on the objective of developing a mechanically simple locking system for separably connecting at least two housing halves that locks the housing halves under tension by means of a toggle lever-like principle. 
         [0008]    This objective is attained in that the elastic locking plate features several retaining tabs, in that openings provided in the retaining tabs correlate with latches on the first housing half and with bearing pins on the second housing half, and in that the locking plate is bent by means of a displaceable sliding element—that surrounds the locking plate—such that said bending causes the two housing halves to be unlocked or locked. 
         [0009]    The invention concerns a housing, particularly a connector housing, that consists of two housing halves and features a locking system formed by a sliding element, within which an elastic locking plate is arranged. 
         [0010]    In this case, two sliding elements are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the connector housing. 
         [0011]    The locking plate features several openings and is movably supported on the bearing pins of the lower housing half, wherein the locking plate is connected to the upper housing half by means of latches and the two housing halves are elastically pressed against one another in the locked state. 
         [0012]    In order to disengage the lock, the sliding element is pulled toward the upper housing half in the removing direction, wherein the angled ends on the lower part of the locking plate slide along a guide ramp in the sliding element and pull the locked part of the locking plate away from the latch. 
         [0013]    In this case, the locking plate that is formed by three retaining tabs held together on a cross brace is bent apart under tension from its otherwise common surface in a V-shaped fashion between the outer retaining tabs that are held on the bearing pins and the centrally arranged locking tab. 
         [0014]    In addition, corresponding contours are moulded into the sliding element and ensure a reliable guidance of the locking plate during locking and unlocking processes together with complementary angular bends on the locking plate. 
         [0015]    When locking the two housing halves, the sliding element is displaced in the mating direction, wherein the window-like openings of the locking plate are ultimately guided [text missing] the catch pin on the upper housing half by a correspondingly shaped semicircular contour of the sliding element. During the further displacement, the lower region of the locking plate is relieved such that the plate that was previously bent apart reassumes its original plane shape. 
         [0016]    In this case, the distance between the two openings for the bearing pin and the latch is chosen such that the two housing halves are pressed together in the locked state by the tension of the locking plate. 
         [0017]    This is also advantageous with respect to the fact that such a locking device makes it possible to achieve a tight seal against environmental influences. According to another embodiment, it is proposed that the lock is not arranged on the lower, possibly rigid housing half as described above, but rather on the movable upper housing half. However, the sliding direction should correspond to the mating direction of the upper housing in this case. 
         [0018]    It is advantageous that the number of components is significantly reduced and that the articulations realized in the form of pivot points in a toggle lever-based lock are replaced with components with easily mountable contact surfaces. A conventional lateral pivoting movement of a spring clip is advantageously replaced with a sliding movement that corresponds to the mounting direction of the movable housing half. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the figures and described in greater detail below in which: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a perspective representation of two locked housing halves with two sliding elements; 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a locking plate; 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  is a perspective representation of two housing halves with a partially sectioned sliding element in the locked state; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a side view of the housing halves with a sectioned sliding element in the unlocked state, and 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  is a perspective interior view of the sliding element. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0025]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of a housing  1  with two housing parts, namely a first housing half  3  and a second housing half  6 . In this case, the top of the housing part  3  is still open because a housing cover is subsequently attached thereto. 
         [0026]    The two housing halves can be connected by means of a locking system in the form of an ergonomically shaped sliding element  20 , within which a locking plate  10  is arranged on latches  4  and bearing pins  7  of the housing halves  3 ,  6 . 
         [0027]    The sliding element  20  is guided with the aid of guide rails  25  that are laterally moulded thereon and engage into guide grooves  8  in sidewalls  9  that are laterally moulded onto the lower, second housing half. 
         [0028]    The locking plate  10  is realized in the form of a rectangular punched component that comprises three adjacently arranged tabs  11 ,  13 ,  11 , wherein the tabs are held together by means of a cross brace  15  provided on one of the narrow side thereof. 
         [0029]    The locking plate  10  is illustrated in  FIG. 2  and divided into three tab-like parts. 
         [0030]    In this case, the central locking tab  13  features two adjacently arranged rectangular window openings  12  while the two shorter retaining tabs  11  arranged to the right and to the left of the central locking tab  13  respectively feature an opening  14  that is arranged underneath the window openings  12 . 
         [0031]    The outer retaining tabs  11  are realized shorter because the central locking tab  13  is realized in a T-shaped fashion above the openings  14  and therefore has the same width as the lower cross brace  15 , on which the three retaining tabs  11 ,  13 ,  11  are connected to one another. 
         [0032]    In addition, S-shaped ends  17  are bent out of the plane of the locking plate on the lower corner regions of the shorter retaining tabs  11 . 
         [0033]    The lateral regions of the T-shaped part of the locking tab  13  respectively feature an edge region  19 , on one end of which a bent end piece  16  is formed and on the other end of which an arm  18  that extends parallel to the plane of the edge region is respectively arranged. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  shows an isometric representation of the locking system with the two housing halves  3 ,  6  in the locked position, wherein the locking plate  10  is visible due to the partially sectioned sliding element  20 . 
         [0035]    According to this figure, the outer walls of the first housing half  3  and of the second housing half  6  respectively feature two pins. 
         [0036]    In this case, latches  4  are moulded onto the upper, first housing half  3  and bearing pins  7  are moulded onto the lower, second housing half  6 . 
         [0037]    The pins are inserted into the openings  12  and  14  of the locking plate  10  that is aligned parallel to the outer walls, wherein the two housing halves  3 ,  6  are held together under tension. 
         [0038]      FIG. 4  shows an unlocked position of the two housing halves  3 ,  6  in the form of a side view with the partially sectioned sliding element  20 . For this purpose, the sliding element  20  is pulled upward such that the S-shaped ends  17  of the locking plate  10  that are respectively bent away from the housing on the corner regions of the cross brace  15  are already moved away laterally by means of the ramps  22  integrated into the lateral regions of the sliding element  20  and slide on near the bottom of the sliding element. 
         [0039]    In this case, the central locking tab  13  is pulled away from the outer retaining tabs  11  such that they are spread apart in a scissor-like fashion—wherein the cross brace  15  ultimately forms the pivot point between the central locking tab  13  and the outer retaining tabs  11 . However, the openings  14  of the outer retaining tabs  11  always remain on the bearing pins  7  of the lower, second housing half  6  while the central locking tab  13  is bent away into the interior of the shell-shaped sliding element  20  such that it releases the latch  4  of the upper, first housing half  3 . 
         [0040]    The bending of the locking plate  10  is limited with an upper semicircular contour  24  on the side wall of the sliding element, as well as an arm  18  that is bent out of the locking plate  10  and comes in contact with the concavely shaped wall of the sliding element  20 . 
         [0041]    In this case, the locking plate  10  is guided on the side walls of the sliding element  20  between the upper contour  24  and a center contour  26 . 
         [0042]    The angle of the spread-apart tabs  11 ,  11  and  13  changes during the locking process, in which the sliding element  20  is pushed downward in this illustration. The spread-apart tabs are pushed together again due to the fact that the end pieces  17  that slide onto the lower ramp  22  reduce the tab angle and the cross brace  15  is gradually guided toward side wall of the lower, second housing half  6 . 
         [0043]    The edge regions  19  on the upper part of the locking plate  10  are simultaneously pushed along on the elongated center contour  26  and on the semicircular upper contour  24  until a bend in the arm  18  rests against the contour  26 . 
         [0044]    This causes the locking tab  13  to be pressed toward the first housing half  3  such that the window openings  12  receive the latches  4 . 
         [0045]    Since the window openings  12  of the central locking tab  13  have already received the latches  4 , the locking plate  10  assumes a slightly inclined position relative to the side walls during the final downward displacement of the sliding element  20  and the two housing halves  3  and  6  are pressed together into a locked state, in which they are under tension, due to the toggle lever effect of the locking plate  10  that now becomes effective. 
         [0046]      FIG. 5  shows the interior of the sliding element  20  in the form of a perspective representation. 
         [0047]    This figure shows several attachments that are moulded onto the side walls of the sliding element  20 . These attachments consist of the lateral guide rails  25 , by means of which the sliding element is displaceably held on the second housing half  6 , the lower ramp  22 , onto which the sliding element  20  slides with the lower S-shaped end piece  17 , as well as the important attachments  24 ,  26 ,  27  and  28 . 
         [0048]    The arm  18  is guided between the semicircular upper contour  24  and the elongated center contour  26  with the adjacent edge region  19  of the central locking tab  13  during the displacement of the locking plate  10 . 
         [0049]    The pressing attachment  27  constantly presses the retaining tabs  11  against the second housing half  6  such that the bearing pins  7  cannot slide out of the openings  14  of the retaining tabs and it is ensured that the locking plate  10  is under tension in the unlocked state of the sliding element  20 . During the displacement to lock the two housing halves—in this case downward—the locking plate  10  relaxes and abuts the center contour  26  beyond an imaginary slack point. In this case, the surface of the contour  26 , on which the holding tab  11  now rests in an aligned fashion, rests on the housing half  6  a short distance above the ramp  22  slightly farther from the contact point of the lower, angled end pieces  17 —referred to the lateral distance to the wall of the housing half  6 . 
         [0050]    A contour  28  that is moulded on between the side wall and the pressing attachment  27  serves for laterally guiding the outer retaining tabs  11 —similar to the inner wall  29  of the ramp  22 . 
         [0051]    During the locking process, the position of the locking plate  10  is ultimately aligned on the side walls with a slight incline, namely inward from the first, upper housing half  3  toward the second, lower housing half  6 .