Plug casing with improved cable sealing

The invention relates to a plug housing, which is particularly suitable for receiving a pre-assembled cable.

A pre-assembled cable is characterized in that its wires are already connected to contacts, which can be arranged at an insulating again. The pre-assembled cables are used for example to carry out on-site wiring of electrical equipment, the cables must be performed depending on the spatial conditions in different directions to the devices. When connecting the cable, the insulating body is inserted with the contacts in a connector housing which is adapted to the spatial conditions on site, for example, with regard to the cable outlet direction. The problem with pre-assembled cables is that due to the already attached contacts and the insulating the cable can not be inserted in the axial direction by a cable gland or cable seal in a closed housing, for example. It is instead necessary to use an at least two-part housing, the separation joint is arranged so that in the open position the cable can be placed between the two housing parts. Similar problems arises in terms of sealing of the cable in the region of the cable passage through the housing. There can be no closed sealing ring can be used, since it can not be pushed over the insulating body. Instead, an either slotted or multi-part sealing ring has to be used.

A plug housing with a first housing part, a second housing part and a sealing insert is known from document GB 2377821.

The disadvantage of multi-part housings and split or slotted sealing rings is that a reliable seal against dirt entry only with special effort is possible, especially if higher IP protection classes are to be achieved.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a connector housing which can be fitted with a pre-wired cables and with little effort can meet high demands on tightness.

For this purpose, a plug housing according to the invention provided with a first housing part and a second housing part, which abut along a parting line to each other, a cable passage for a cable from the interior of the plug housing to the outside, whereby the parting line in the region of the cable passage extends, and a sealing insert, is arranged in the cable passage, the sealing insert is provided with a slot so that it can be plugged onto a pre-assembled cable, and wherein the sealing insert is arranged so that its slot is offset from the parting line. This design guarantees that the sealing insert can be used with a disposed therein cable in one of the two housing parts, where it remains fixed by friction. Subsequently the second housing part can be fitted and tightened, whereby the sealing insert is compressed that it seals well.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention result from the dependent claims.

The invention is described below with reference to a preferred embodiment which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In these drawings:<ul><li>Figure 1 is a perspective view of an inventive plug housing with attached cable;</li><li>2 shows the plug housing of Figure 1 in an exploded view;</li><li>Figure 3 shows a view corresponding to that of Figure 2, the two housing parts of the connector housing of Figure 1;</li><li>Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a detail of a housing part;</li><li>Figure 5 is a perspective, enlarged view of a sealing insert;</li><li>Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the housing part of Figure 4 fitted with the sealing insert of Figure 5; and</li><li>7 schematically shows a section through the closed connector housing along the plane VII-VII of FIG. 3</li></ul>

In Figure 1 a plug connector is shown which consists of a plug housing 5, in which a plurality of plug-in contacts are received, which are covered here by a surrounding insulating body. 7 In the male housing 5 into a cable leads 8, the wires are connected to the plug contacts in the insulating body. 7 The cable 8 is guided by a cable passageway 9, in the region of which a later described sealing occurs.

The cable 8 is a ready-made cable, the wires are already firmly connected to the plug contacts in the insulating body. 7 It follows that the connector housing 5 has to be opened, since it would not be otherwise possible to insert the cable together with the insulating member 7 in the plug housing. As can be seen in Figure 2, the plug housing to this end of a first housing part 10 and a housing part 12, which may be present along a peripheral parting line 14 (see also Figure 7) to each other. As can be seen in particular in Figure 7, the parting line 14 is offset from a center plane M of the housing slightly to one side. This offset V is less than 10% of the total maximum width of the connector housing.

The cable passage 9 is divided by the parting line 14 into two parts, one of which is the greater part in the first housing part 10 and the smaller portion in the second housing part 12th The dividend is exploiting the first housing part 10 part of the cable passage 9 (see in particular Figure 4) is made U-shaped with a bottom 16 and two side walls 18th On each of the side walls 18, a protruding ridge 20 is formed, which is provided on its the parting line 14 facing side with a plane parallel to this end wall 22 and terminating at its bottom 16 facing side in the region of the transition of the side walls 18 to the bottom of the sixteenth

The first housing part 10 is provided with a circumferential seal 24, which runs along the parting line 14 and also passes through the that are available in the first housing part 10 part of the cable passage. 9 The exposed surface of the seal 24 in this case runs to match the contour of the cable passage 9, so jump on the webs 20 inwardly. In the area of ​​transition of each side wall to the parting line 14, the seal 24 is provided on each side of the cable passage 9 with two biasing approaches 26 which project beyond the parting line and are beveled on its side facing away from the cable passage 9 side.

At the cable passage 9 joins the interior of the plug housing 5 through a cable clamp 28 on, from an abutment 30 is formed in the first housing portion 10th

The remaining part of the cable passage 9 is formed in the second housing part 12th Here, too, a U-shaped recess is provided having a bottom and two side walls. Further webs 20 are in the side walls, as in housing part 10 is provided. In the area of ​​transition to the parting line of each side wall an inclined corresponding recessed pressure surface 32 is provided for receiving the biasing approaches 26th

In order to seal the region of the cable passage 9, a sealing insert 34 is provided which is made of rubber. The material of the sealing insert 34 has a higher hardness than the rubber material of the seal 24. The sealing insert 34 consists of a sealing portion 36, a clamping portion 38 and an intermediate flange 40. The sealing portion 36 is intended between the area of ​​the actual cable passage 9 the two U-shaped recesses in the two housing parts 10 to be placed 12th It has, just as the cable passage 9, an approximately square cross-section with rounded corners. The sealing portion 38 is intended to be arranged in the cable clamp 28th It has a round cross section. The flange 40 is intended to be received in a flange extension 42 in the first and second housing part 10, 12th He also has a square cross section with rounded corners.

The sealing insert 34 is provided with a slot 44 which is disposed in the center of one of sides of the square sealing portion 36th The slot 44 allows the sealing insert 33 can be placed on the pre-assembled cables. 8 On the side of the sealing portion 36 on which the slot 44 is, two grooves 46 are provided, each of which starts in the region of a rounded corner and end at a sufficient distance in front of the slot 44th In the area of ​​the slot 44 so the wall thickness of the sealing portion 36 remains in its usual strength. The grooves 46 are also disposed on the non-visible in Figure 5, the lower side of the sealing portion 36, so that the sealing insert 34 to two perpendicular planes is symmetrical. The first of these planes passing through the slot 44, and the line of intersection of the two planes coincides with the center axis of the sealing insert 34 and therefore also with the central axis of the cable. 8

For attaching the pre-assembled cable 8 in the plug housing 5, the sealing insert 34 is first placed on the cable 8 by the slot 44 is so wide bent, that the sealing insert 34 can be pushed onto the cable eighth Then, the insulating body 7 is arranged in an assigned Isolierkörperaufnahme 48 in the first housing part 10, and the cable 9 is inserted in the that are available in the first housing part 10, part of the cable passage. 9 In this case, the sealing insert 34 is positioned between the side walls 18, that the two webs 20 engage in opposing grooves 46 of the sealing portion 36 of the sealing insert 34th The slot 44 is in this case, since the partition line 14 is offset from the center plane M of the housing and thus also the center of the cable passage 9, in the region of one of the side walls 18 (see Figure 7). This ensures that the sealing insert 34, despite a slight pressure to the paper loaded in him cable 8 carries and which seeks to spread open slot 44, is pre-fixed and correctly closed slot 44 in the first housing portion 10th Subsequently, the cable clamp 28 can be completed by a metal bracket 50 is screwed onto the abutment 30, which presses on the clamping portion 38 of the sealing insert 34th In this way, the cable can be fixed in the housing part 10th If desired, can be contacted with the group consisting of the abutment 30 and the metal clamp 50 Cable clamp 28, a braided shield, if there is a shielded cable with the cable. 8

Finally, the second housing part 12 is placed on the first housing part 10 and screwed to the latter. In this case, the sealing insert 34, the dimensions of which in the initial state are slightly larger than the dimensions of the cable passage 9, is slightly compressed, so that it rests with tension on the side walls of the cable passage. 9 By the applied pressure and the slot 44 of the sealing insert 34 is compressed, so that there results a good seal. The good sealing is completed by the peripheral seal 24 which seals on the one hand between the two housing parts and on the other hand, due to the biasing lugs 26 in combination with the pressure surfaces 32, in the region of the transition to the sealing insert 34, in particular on the side of the slot 44, seals. In this manner is achieved both between the cable 8 and the sealing insert 34 as well as between the two housing parts 10, 12 and, finally, between the sealing insert 34 and the two housing parts 10, 12 a good seal, so that an industry-standard protection of IP65 or higher can be achieved.

According to a not shown embodiment of the invention, the webs could be 20 provided on the second housing part 12 in order to apply a more defined bias on the slit 44 can.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

<dl id="dl0001" compact="compact"><dt>5:</dt><dd>plug housing</dd><dt>7:</dt><dd>insulator</dd><dt>8th:</dt><dd>Electric wire</dd><dt>9:</dt><dd>Cable passage</dd><dt>10:</dt><dd>first housing part</dd><dt>12:</dt><dd>second housing part</dd><dt>14:</dt><dd>parting line</dd><dt>16:</dt><dd>ground</dd><dt>18:</dt><dd>Side wall</dd><dt>20:</dt><dd>web</dd><dt>22:</dt><dd>end wall</dd><dt>24:</dt><dd>poetry</dd><dt>26:</dt><dd>biasing approach</dd><dt>28:</dt><dd>cable clamp</dd><dt>30:</dt><dd>abutment</dd><dt>32:</dt><dd>print area</dd><dt>34:</dt><dd>sealing insert</dd><dt>36:</dt><dd>sealing portion</dd><dt>38:</dt><dd>clamping section</dd><dt>40:</dt><dd>flange</dd><dt>42:</dt><dd>flange extension</dd><dt>44:</dt><dd>slot</dd><dt>46:</dt><dd>groove</dd><dt>48:</dt><dd>Isolierkörperaufnahme</dd><dt>50:</dt><dd>metal clip</dd></dl>