BE1018679A3 - CABLE FOR CONNECTING WITH ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND CONNECTORS. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a connection cable (11) comprising several electrical conductors (6) insulated from each other and at least one connector (1) on which a plurality of contact elements are provided which are connected to an element insulation piercing clamp on which a mounting jaw can be threaded. Such cables are known, for example, in the HDMI field. To, if necessary, be able to offer laymen with little technical knowledge the possibility of manufacturing connection cables of a length exactly adapted to spatial needs, lateral insertion openings are provided on the mounting jaws (8) for the insulated electrical conductors. The diameters of the insertion openings are preferably adapted to the different diameters of the electrical conductors or to their different shapes.

Description

CONNECTING CABLE WITH ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS

AND CONNECTORS

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a connection cable comprising a plurality of electrical conductors insulated from one another and at least one connector on which a plurality of contact elements are provided which are connected to an insulation piercing clamping element on which a mounting jaw can be threaded, as well as a corresponding connector.

The connection cables of the type described here are used for example for the transmission of audio and video data between different devices in the leisure electronics. This is in particular a so-called HDMI cable, abbreviation of "High Definition Multimedia Interface" which is an interface developed from mid-2003 for the entirely digital transmission of corresponding data in the leisure electronics. Such cables have been developed by the industry specifically for home electronics used in the private sector because more and more digital devices are used and their useful content now mainly in digitized form, for example on DVD, in the field of DVB, Blu-ray®, etc. With a connection cable provided for purely digital data transmission, the otherwise unavoidable digital-to-analog and then analog-to-digital conversions have become superfluous.

In a typical HDMI cable, there are a total of 19 electrical conductors that must be brought to an HDMI connector (or an HDMI jack which, as part of this patent application is also understood as a "connector") to as many contact elements ("pins" in English). In this cable are provided three TMDS data channels (Transition Minimized Differentie Signaling) with three lines each for positive values, negative values and a shielding conductor. There are also three conductors that are connected to as many contact elements for a clock while the remaining conductors are provided to transmit control signals for communication between certain elements, for a low voltage (+ 5V) power supply. etc.

According to the standard, connection cables are provided with a length of up to about 15 m. The industrially prefabricated HDMI connection cables are therefore pre-wired in different lengths.

In known HDMI cables, the different conductors are soldered with the contact elements of the HDMI connector, this being normally done manually and being performed in low-wage countries.

This results in the problem that HDMI cables are not available in all lengths. Yet, especially in the field of high-end entertainment electronics, many consumers attach importance to having connection cables of exactly the right length. This is considered, on the one hand, as being more pleasing to the eye. On the other hand, from a technical point of view, this also makes it possible to reduce the cable length to a minimum, given that the quality of the transmitted data can suffer when the cable length increases. In particular, longer cables must have better high frequency characteristics to ensure data transmission without errors.

Another problem in the field of high-end leisure electronics lies in the fact that such cables must often be laid by consumers in ducts. However, only cables without connectors can be passed through them. After passing a cable through a jacket, you must then mount the connectors on the cable in place.

An object of the present invention is therefore to indicate a corresponding connection cable, in particular for the HDMI domain, which can be proposed in an exactly adapted length. Another purpose is to indicate a connection cable on which the cable conductors can be connected in a simple manner to a connector after the cable has been passed, for example, through a sheath.

To make this possible, it is provided in particular that on the connector for the connection cable, the contact elements present thereon are each connected to an insulation piercing clamping member. A mounting jaw can be threaded onto each of these insulation piercing clamps.

This kind of connection of connectors to cables is known in principle, for example in the field of internal wiring of electronic devices or subassemblies, where the corresponding connectors are connected to flat cables. This flat cable is placed between the connector and a mounting jaw and the mounting jaw is then pressed onto the connector with a tool. On this occasion, all the insulators of the different electrical conductors are traversed at the same time by the insulating piercing clamping elements and these insulating piercing clamping elements are electroconductively connected with the electroconductive cores of the conductors, thus establishing a corresponding contact.

Unlike such conductors arranged in a spatially defined manner with respect to one another in a flat cable, the various conductors in the connection cables to be improved according to the invention are not arranged in a spatially defined manner with respect to one another. . On the contrary, the various electrical conductors are usually even twisted together inside this connection cable, so that their relative position is not identical at each location and defined precisely.

In addition, the different conductors can move relative to each other when they exceed the insulation that surrounds them all, so that a simple laying of several conductors next to each other on several drilling clamping elements Insulation followed by threading a mounting jaw on these several clamping elements is not possible because the conductors can not be secured in a safe manner before threading the mounting jaw.

Another object of the invention is therefore to ensure exact positioning of the conductors arranged spatially undefined relative to each other on an insulation piercing clamping element.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the mounting jaw has at least one lateral insertion opening for an individual insulated electrical conductor.

This embodiment has the advantage that the insertion opening provided laterally on the mounting jaw, which surrounds an individual electrical conductor on all sides (i.e. both left and right) top and bottom), makes it possible to immobilize the individual driver against an unexpected offset, in particular in the lateral direction, and thus to obtain a precise mounting of the conductor on the insulation piercing clamping element.

The device according to the invention therefore offers the possibility of reliably fixing a connector to a connection cable even directly on site. This can even be done, if necessary, by a layman poorly versed technically. In particular, it is no longer necessary to carry out the welding work that was necessary for the connection of a connector for example to an HDMI connection cable. Such welds are very difficult to achieve. There is always the risk of producing a "cold junction".

Such a welding operation can even take several hours for inexperienced people.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the mounting jaw corresponds to at least two insulation piercing clamping elements and the mounting jaw has at least two lateral insertion openings of different dimensions for two electrical conductors. separated.

The lateral introduction openings may differ in diameter, each of these diameters corresponding to the diameter of a conductor.

Since there are conductors which have a larger conductive section, for example the conductors intended for data transmission, than other conductors, for example for grounding, it is possible in this way to ensure that the appropriate conductors are brought to the correct contact elements.

Instead of different diameters, it is also possible to provide the introduction opening of different shapes, for example triangular, square or oval and then also provide the corresponding conductors corresponding external contours.

In addition to a connecting cable which is equipped with a corresponding connector, a corresponding connector is also the object of the present invention. By connector in the context of this invention is also meant a socket which, if necessary, can also be mounted on a device to be connected.

Other advantages and features of the invention result from the following description of an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the top view of an interior portion of an HDMI connector containing the contact elements of a connector; Figure 2 a view of the component according to Figure 1 from the direction II in Figure 1; Figure 3 and Figure 4 mounting jaws threadable on the component according to Figure 1 in a side view; Figure 5 a top view of a mounting jaw according to Figure 3; Figure 6 a bottom view of a mounting jaw according to Figure 4; Figure 7 a top view of a mounting jaw according to Figure 3 with conductors of a connection cable introduced laterally; Figures 8a and 8b a block diagram explaining the operation of the insulation piercing clamping technique used on the connector; Figure 9 is a top view of a finished made connection cable which is connected to the inner part of a connector.

Figure 1 shows the top view of an inner part of an HDMI connector with an insert part 1 and a connecting part 2. The insertion part is used to insert a finished HDMI connector into a corresponding HDMI socket. On this occasion, contact elements disposed inside the insertion part are electroconductively connected with corresponding contact elements of the socket.

Each individual contact element of the insertion part 1 is associated on the connection part 2 with an insulation piercing clamping element 3, 4 which are arranged in a bent manner alternately in a slight offset with respect to each other. another, so that these insulation piercing clamping members are divided into two rows.

Fig. 2 shows the insulation piercing clamps 3,4 in a view of the connector inner part of Fig. 1 from the direction II in Fig. 1. It is seen that a total of 19 elements of corresponding insulation piercing clamping which is partly directed upwards and partly downwards.

Such insulative piercing clamps are shown in detail in FIGS. 8a and 8b. It can be seen that an insulation piercing clamping member has a substantially V-shaped blade 5 in which an electrical conductor 6 is driven, at which time its insulation which surrounds it in the form of a tube is cut by the V-shaped blade 5.

The insulation piercing clamp then enters by means of the V-blade 5 into conductive metal contact with the conductor 6, as shown in Fig. 8b. In the axial direction adjacent to the insulation piercing clamping member, the electrical conductor 6 is always surrounded by the insulator 7.

To introduce the conductor 6 with its insulator precisely in the V-shaped blade 5, there are provided mounting jaws 8 configured according to the invention which are shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. These mounting jaws have on the side openings of FIG. 9, 10 in which the corresponding conductors are introduced axially with their insulator. It would also be within the scope of the invention to introduce stripped conductor ends into the insertion openings of the mounting jaws and then connect them to the insulation piercing clamps. But it is possible to omit this additional denudation operation using the technique used because it does not lead to a better connection result.

Note, only marginally, that prior to their introduction into the introductory openings, the drivers are gathered in a cable and also separately shielded in several groups in this cable. Individual conductors are therefore not immobilized in a fixed position relative to each other.

Due to the introduction of the various conductors into the insertion openings 9, 10 of the mounting jaws 8, these cables are placed in a fixed position relative to each other at the mounting jaws 8. The openings introduction 9, 10 completely surround the introduced conductors, so that the conductors can no longer change position within the mounting jaws during subsequent manipulation of the mounting jaws.

By pushing the mounting jaws 8 onto the connecting portion 2, the conductors introduced and held in the insertion apertures 9, 10 are accurately pressed onto the V-blades of the insulation piercing clamps 3,4. and connected to them.

On this occasion, the insulation piercing clamping elements 3, 4 offset from each other engage in guide slots 11, 12 which are provided on the lower or upper face facing them of the mounting jaws. 8 and which also serve to stabilize the blades of the insulation piercing clamps during cutting.

There is also the fact that, for example on a current HDMI cable, certain functions are associated with predetermined positions of contact elements. For example, some contact elements are used according to the standard for data transmission, while other contact elements are grounded and / or shielded according to the standard.

The conductors associated with the different contact elements therefore have different conducting sections. To be able to ensure that the large section conductors are associated with the correct contact elements according to the standard, the introduction openings 9,10 have different dimensions. In the example shown here, they have different diameters. It is thus easier to bring the conductors which are, for example, necessary for shielding or grounding and which have a smaller diameter, to the correct contact elements. In the same way, the data transmission conductors having a larger cross-section fit exclusively into the larger diameter introduction openings 10 which are connected via the cutting blades 3, 4 to the provided for the transmission of data.

Outside of different diameters, it is also possible to provide corresponding introduction openings of square, oval or star shape in which only corresponding outer contour conductors can enter.

FIG. 7 shows how several insulated electrical conductors 6 are passed through the insertion openings of a mounting jaw 8. These conductors together form a cable 11, some of whose conductors are shielded separately in groups by a shielding foil 12 extending in the cable. This shielding sheet extends up to a little before the mounting jaw 8 and ends there so that the different conductors 6 which extend inside this shielding sheet can not come into contact with each other. others. The mounting jaw 8 provided with conductors passed through its introduction openings which is shown in Fig. 7 is then pushed onto the connecting portion 2 of an inner connector portion shown in Fig. 1 so as to obtain the configuration shown in Figure 9. This configuration will then itself be integrated in a connector housing not shown here.

In another embodiment not shown here, the mounting jaw is integrated as a component in a connector housing. The corresponding one-piece construction of the mounting jaws and the connector housing can save tooling costs and make a finished connection cable a little faster and easier.

Since the connection here described from a connector to a connection cable can be performed without welding and essentially requires only stripping a cable and, where appropriate, bundles of conductors or conductors therein, mounting a connector on a connection cable may also, if necessary, be performed by a layperson poorly paid. It is thus possible to precisely adjust wiring within a multi-component installation to the respective required length or, after insertion of cables into a sheath, which must be done without a connector, to provide these cables with a connector. .

Claims (5)

Connection cable (11) comprising a plurality of electrically insulated conductors (6) insulated from each other and at least one connector (1) on which a plurality of contact elements are provided which are connected to a clamping element. insulation piercing (3, 4) on which a mounting jaw (8, 9) can be threaded, characterized in that the mounting jaw (8, 9) has a lateral insertion opening (9, 10) for an insulated electrical conductor (6). Connection cable according to Claim 1, characterized in that the mounting jaw (8) corresponds to at least two insulation piercing clamping elements (3, 4) and has at least two lateral insertion openings ( 9,10) of different dimensions. 3. Connection cable according to claim 2, characterized in that the introduction openings (9, 10) have different diameters and that there are at least two conductors (6) of different diameters. 4. Connection cable according to claim 2, characterized in that the introduction openings have different shapes and that there are at least two conductors with different outer contours that correspond to different shapes. Connector for a connecting cable according to one or more of the preceding claims.