Abstract:
A plug-in connection system for a two-piece plug-in connection, comprising a plug-in connector and a matching mating connector, wherein the plug-in connector includes a latching unit with latching hooks provided thereon, which engage in groove areas on the mating connector. Here, a plurality of groove areas is circumferentially provided on the mating connector implemented in a sleeve-type way, which are offset relative to each other by a certain distance ds in relation to the plug-in edge of the mating connector. In the case of groove areas which are arranged in multiple pairs on the external side of the plug-in sleeve, only one latching hook pair engages at any one time during the plug-in operation into a latching groove in the groove area, whereas the other latching hooks respectively remain on a sawtooth flank before or after the one occupied latching groove. 
     Thus, a very sensitive slide-on latching up to the mutual stop of any desired contacts becomes possible and a complex reception of the contacts is no longer necessary. 
     Unlatching is carried out by lifting the latching hooks engaging in the latching grooves while withdrawing the external sleeve of the plug-in connector out of the latching grooves by means of opening hooks.

Description:
DESCRIPTION 
     The invention relates to a plug-in connection system according to the preamble of independent claim  1 . 
     A plug-in connection system of this kind is necessary in order to plug a plug-in connection, in particular in the case of fibre-optical cables, together in an intended manner, in order to achieve an optimal signal transmission, without a complex spring design being necessary, and in order to connect fibre-optical cable plug-in systems having different dimensions with each other. 
     PRIOR ART 
     A plug-in connector for fibre-optical cables, in particular for contacting opto-electric converters, is known from DE 10 2009 011 388 B3, wherein separately spring-loaded ferrules are respectively provided in one ferrule housing each, which in turn are mounted in a sliding housing to which a further compression spring is applied, so as to be able to compensate for manufacturing-related dimensional tolerances in the case of different insertion depths between ferrule housings and opto-electrical converters. 
     From DE 20 2006 005 177 U1, a plug-in connector is known which includes a locking hook that is latched into an integrally moulded recess of the mating connector. A latching plate, on which the locking hook is provided, can be lifted by withdrawing a sleeve, as a result of which the locking hook is released from the recess. 
     From DE 203 00 326 U1 a connector is known which can engage, by means of beads, into a threaded section of threads of a mating connector. The beads are here formed so as to correspond to the shape of the threads. 
     From DE 10 2007 009 947 A1 a connector element is known which engages, by means of a thread engagement portion, into the threads of a mating plug-in connector. The engagement of the thread engagement portion may be enabled or blocked by means of an actuating sleeve, wherein the actuating sleeve enables or blocks thread engagement protrusions that are integrally moulded onto the thread engagement portion. 
     What is of disadvantage here is that systems of a complex design are required in order to design, as intended, plug-in connections for fibre-optical cables, which are at least sealed against the environment, wherein different mechanical dimensions of fibre-optical cable components have to be connected together and wherein a shortening or an extension of the conductor within the plug-in connector housing has to be realised. 
     OBJECT 
     The invention is therefore based on the object o forming a plug-in connection that allows contacting in a simple manner, wherein the different structural design conditions of the contacting systems have to be bridged, and which at the some time offers a compact size. 
     This object is achieved by the characterising part of independent claim  1 . 
     Advantageous embodiments of the invention are provided in the dependent claims. 
     The invention relates to a plug-in connection of two plug-in connectors, in particular a plug-in connector and a mating connector, which is here provided for being mounted to a housing, and therefore has a special form with a screw-on flange. 
     The contacts contained within the plug-in connector, here fibre-optical cable ferrules, are suspended in such a way that manufacturing tolerances and slightly different dimensions of ferrules coming from different manufacturers are compensated. However, according to the invention the type of contacts is not just limited to fibre-optical cable ferrules, and for this reason the latter can in principle be replaced with almost any other type of contacts. 
     The advantages achieved by the invention consist in particular in the fact that this plug-in connection, due to the formation of the mechanical interaction of the two plug-in connectors, includes a soft plug-in mechanism that allows successive contacting of electrical and optical connections. 
     Another advantage is that by means of the plug-in operation following an initial mating phase of the two plug-in connectors, an immediate latching of the plug-in connection occurs. This is advantageously achieved by means of a latching mechanism, wherein latching hooks on one plug-in connector latch into corresponding latching groove areas of the other plug-in connector. 
     In order to achieve a very fine resolution for this latching connection, a plurality of fingers with attached latching hooks are provided within the first plug-in connector on a latch ring, whereas a plurality of latching groove areas are provided on the second plug-in connector, into which the latching hooks can latch during the plug-in operation. The latching grooves are provided on the plug-in connector in such a way that the latching hooks will access them in a pairwise manner and whilst being opposite each other, and in that a plurality of latching grooves is circumferentially provided on this plug-in connector, and each of the latching groove pairs has a defined offset relative to the other one(s) of the latching groove pair(s). Thus it is ensured that always just one latching hook pair will completely engage in a latching groove pair, whereas the other latching hook pairs will only partially rest on the tooth flanks of the corresponding latching grooves. 
     As a result of this circumferentially alternating latching, a very advantageous and fine resolution during an axial sliding movement of the two plug-in connectors relative to each other becomes possible. 
     This is advantageous in particular in the case of plug-in connectors which contact optical plug-in connections, because it has to he ensured here that, in particular if different makes with different dimensions are being combined, an optimal mutual contacting of the optical coupling surfaces is achieved. 
     As a result of the novel latching mechanism of the plug-in connection system according to the invention, a spring-loaded system of a complex design as already known from the prior art for accommodating the contact elements is no longer necessary. 
     Preferably, the plug-in connection is implemented in a hexagonal shape, so that different plug-in systems can be inserted in a simple manner by means of a contact sleeve to be inserted therein, and at the same time in a torsionally secure manner. 
     Irrespective of this, however, any other prudent shaping from an angled via a polygonal up to a circular cross-sectional shape is conceivable for this type of releasable latching condition. 
     Further there is the possibility of producing the fingers with the latching hooks of the latch ring in a pairwise manner with graded lengths, which will then engage with latching groove areas evenly provided on the mating connector from the plug-in edge. 
    
    
     
       EMBODIMENT EXAMPLE 
       An embodiment example of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be explained in more detail below, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows an exploded sectional view of a plug-in connection; 
         FIG. 2  shows a detailed sectional view of the functioning mode of the plug-in connector latching; 
         FIG. 3  shows a detailed sectional view of the latching areas of the plug-in connection; and 
         FIG. 4  shows a detailed, spatial part-sectional view of a plug-in connector. 
     
    
    
     In  FIG. 1 , a plug-in connection  1  is shown in an exploded sectional view, which plug-in connection  1  is formed from a plug-in connector  2  and a mating connector  5 , wherein the plug-in connector  2  comprises a connector body  20 , a latch ring  40  and a sliding ring  30  as well as a cable screw mechanism  21 . The cable screw connection is completed by a pressure screw  22  which has a sealing insert  23  for sealing against the environment. 
     Further, a sleeve insert  60  is provided, in which contact elements are used which are not shown herein in any more detail. 
     The latch ring  40  is pushed onto the connector body  20  in a latching manner either as a separate part by means of several latching hooks  24  or it is integrally connected to the connector body. 
     The latch ring  40  is formed from a ring  41 , onto which a plurality of axially aligned fingers  42  are moulded, the free ends of which in turn have latching hooks  43  acting into the centre thereof. 
     Above the latch ring  40 , an external sleeve  3 , which can be slided in sections as a sliding ring  30 , is provided in a captive manner on the connector body  20 . 
     On the plug-in side, the sliding ring  30  has a plurality of inwardly acting opening hooks  33 , by means of which the latching of the plug-in connection can be released. In the course of this, as the sliding ring  30  is being withdrawn, the opening hooks  33  that are integrally moulded on the plug-in side engage under the latching hooks  43  of the fingers  42  of the latching ring  40  and lever them out of the latching grooves  53 , so that the plug-in connector  2  can be withdrawn from the plug-in sleeve  51 . 
     Further, an O-ring  25  is provided on the plug-in side of the connector body  20 , recessed in a groove, for sealing the plug-in contacts on the inside of the connector sleeve  51  and of the connector body  20 . 
     Further, the sectional view shows the mating connector  5 , which is here formed as a flange housing so as to be screwed onto larger housings or the like. 
     However, what is also contemplated as a mating connector is a form of plug which as a cable connection is similar to the plug-in connector  1  shown. 
       FIGS. 2 a , 2 b , 2 c    show details of the functioning mode of the latching mechanism of the plug-in connector. 
     In this context, three pairs of identical fingers  42  are provided on the latch ring  40 , which are spread over an hexagonal structure of the plug-in sleeve  51 , wherein latching groove areas  52  are provided on each of the sides of the mating connector which is here formed as a flange housing  50 . In the top view of FIG.  2   b , the surface pairs A-A, B-B and C-C are shown, which in the assembled state form the hexagonal plug-in sleeve  51 . 
     In  FIG. 2 c   , portions of several latching groove areas of the plug-in sleeve  51 , identified with A, B, C, are shown, which merely a pair half of the groove areas shown. 
     What is of interest here is the gradation of the latching grooves relative to each other, which are here identified with D 1 , D 2 , D 3 , and the respective distance of the first latching groove of a latching groove area, here B, A, C, from the plug-in edge  54  of the plug-in sleeve  51 . 
     The distance between d 1  and d 2  as well as d 2  and d 3  is here identified with ds and ultimately constitutes the effective and thus smallest latching distance when sliding the plug-in connector on the plug-in sleeve of the mating connector. 
     The effects of these gradations are shown in more detail in  FIGS. 3 a , 3 b   . Here, part of the latch ring  40  of the plug-in connector  2  is shown, together with the plug-in sleeve  51  of the flange housing or of the mating connector  50 . 
     Thus, the latching hook pair in illustration A-A shows a latching hook  43  that is supported, over approximately a third of the sawtooth flank  55 , below the latching groove  53 ′, whereas in the illustration B-B, the latching hook  43  exactly or positively hooks into the latching groove  53 ′, and in illustration C-C, the latching hook  43  rests, over approximately a third of the sawtooth flank  55 , above the latching groove  53 ′. 
     With each further pushing on of the latching ring  40 , respectively the plug-in connector  2 , onto the mating connector  5 , in each case one next latching hook pair completely locks into the following latching groove  53  and stays there until the next latching groove  53  is advanced by a further pushing in of the plug-in connector. 
     Thus, an axial dislocation with simultaneous latching of the plug-in connection may effected with a very fine gradation, which here amounts to approximately 0.5 mm and constitutes the effective latching distance ds. 
     This means that during the latching operation of the plug-in connector  2  or to the mating connector  5 , the specified distance s of the latching grooves  53  is effectively reduced to a smaller latching distance ds. The distance ds results here from the latching groove distance ds divided by the number of different latching groove pairs. 
     In this way, in the case of optical plug-in connection, for example any possibly additional axial travel that results from component-related differences can be compensated, a difference that could otherwise only be realised by means of an additional compression spring. 
     In  FIG. 4 a   , a plug-in connector  2  in a spatial part-section is shown, whereas  FIG. 4 b    and  FIG. 4 c    respectively show a detailed view of the latched sliding ring  30  or of the latched latch ring  40 . What can be seen in  FIG. 4 a    is the part-section in a spatial view, with only the sliding ring  30  and the latch ring  40  having been out approximately in half. The connector body  40  and the O-ring  25  are shown uncut. 
     The latching of the sliding ring  30  on the latch ring  40  is shown in detail in  FIG. 4 b   . In this figure, latching protrusions  32  on the sliding ring  30  can he seen, which latch behind the ring latching hooks  44  on the latch ring  40 , As a result of this, the sliding ring  30  is retained on the latching ring  40  in a captive manner and can still be displaced for unlatching the plug-in connection  1  against the plug-in direction. Both the ring latching hooks  44  and the latching protrusions  32  are multiply distributed over the circumference of the latch ring  40 . 
     In  FIG. 4 c   , the latching of the latch ring  40  on the connector body  20  is shown in detail. Here, too, a plurality of latching means are spread over the circumference of the connector body  20 . These means are formed by latching hooks  24 , behind which the ring  41  of the latch ring  40  is latched and thus fixed. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       1  Plug-in connection 
       2  Plug-in connector 
       3  External sleeve 
       4  Latching unit 
       5  Mating connector 
       20  Connector body in plug-in connector  2   
       21  Cable screw connection 
       22  Pressure screw 
       23  Sealing insert 
       24  Latching hook for  40   
       25  O-ring 
       26  Latching recess 
       30  Sliding ring =external sleeve  3   
       31  Ring latching on connector body 
       32  Latching protrusion for retaining  40   
       33  Opening hook 
       40  Latch ring=latching unit  4   
       41  Ring 
       42  Finger 
       43  Latching hook 
       44  Ring latching hooks for  30   
       45  Ring latching pair A-A, B-B, C-C 
       50  Flange housing=mating connector  5   
       51  Angled plug-in sleeve 
       52  Latching groove areas, offset against each other in a pairwise manner 
       53  Latching grooves 
       54  Plug-in edge on the plug-in sleeve 
       55  Sawtooth flank 
     d 1 ,d 2 ,d 3  Distance of the latching groove areas  52  from the edge  54   
     s Latching groove distance 
     ds Effective latching distance