Plug connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11417985-B2
Application number	US-201917267762-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2019
Priority date	Oct 11, 2018
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a plug connector having a plurality of electrical contact elements and an elastic sealing body. The elastic sealing body has a transparent sealing ring which is connected to at least one light guide arm which extends away from the sealing ring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plug connector with a plurality of electrical contact elements and an elastic sealing body,
wherein
the elastic sealing body comprises a transparent sealing ring that is connected to at least one light guide arm that extends away from the sealing ring, and
wherein each light guide arm comprises a deflection face at which light travelling inside the light guide arm is reflected in the direction of the sealing arm.

2. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one light guide arm extends away from the sealing ring in an axial direction.

3. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring and the at least one light guide arm are formed of the same material.

4. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one light guide arm is connected to the sealing ring at an inner face of the sealing ring.

5. The plug connector according to claim 1 , wherein the deflection face is oriented at an angle to the light guide arm, that light is reflected to the deflection face through total internal reflection.

6. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the deflection face is mirror-finished.

7. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
an external jacket face and/or an end face of the sealing ring is roughened so that light is radiated out diffusely,
that an inner face of the sealing ring and a surface of the at least one light guide arm is smooth in order to reduce an outward coupling of light.

8. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring is widened in the radial direction towards the at least one light guide arm in order to provide a more uniform light propagation in the sealing ring.

9. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a cross-section of the at least one light guide arm is enlarged toward the sealing ring in order to achieve a more uniform light distribution in the sealing ring.

10. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a radius of the sealing ring is greater than a radius of other components of the plug connector that are located between the sealing ring and a plug end of the plug connector, in order to at least not completely block an outward light radiation at an end face of the sealing ring.

11. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein to couple in light from multiple light sources, multiple light guide arms are connected to the sealing ring.

12. An electronic device with a housing that comprises at least one opening,
wherein
a plug connector as claimed in claim 1 is arranged in the opening,
at least one light source is present in the housing, and is arranged such that light radiated from the light source is coupled via a light inlet face into the at least one light guide arm of the plug connector.

13. The electronic device as claimed in claim 12 , wherein a circuit board on which the at least one light source is located is arranged in the housing, and the light inlet face of the at least one light guide arm is arranged next to the at least one light source and is curved inward.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13 , wherein multiple light sources that differ in the spectral bands that they transmit are arranged on the circuit board,
and
that light of the multiple light sources can be guided to the sealing ring via the same light guide arm.

15. A sealing body for at least one plug connector,
with an elastic sealing ring,
wherein
the elastic sealing ring is transparent and is connected to at least one light guide arm that extends away from the sealing ring, and
wherein each light guide arm comprises a deflection face at which light travelling inside the light guide arm is reflected in the direction of the sealing ring.

16. The plug connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the sealing ring and the at least one light guide arm are formed of the same material.

17. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein an external jacket face and/or an end face of the sealing ring is roughened so that light is radiated out diffusely,
that an inner face of the sealing ring and a surface of the at least one light guide arm is smooth in order to reduce an outward coupling of light.

18. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the sealing ring is widened in the radial direction towards the at least one light guide arm in order to provide a more uniform light propagation in the sealing ring.

19. The plug connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a cross-section of the at least one light guide arm is enlarged toward the sealing ring in order to achieve a more uniform light distribution in the sealing ring.

20. The plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sealing ring and the at least one guide are formed in one piece.

Assignees

• Harting Electric Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Schreier Stephan
• Havermann Gert
• Heimann Thomas
• Kleinheider Manuel

Classifications

• H01R13/7175

  Light emitting diodes (LEDs) · CPC title

• H01R13/7172

  Conduits for light transmission · CPC title

• H01R13/5216

  characterised by the sealing material, e.g. gels or resins · CPC title

• H01R13/5202 Primary

  Sealing means between parts of housing or between housing part and a wall, e.g. sealing rings · CPC title