EP2005535A2

EP2005535A2 - Electrical connector system

Info

Publication number: EP2005535A2
Application number: EP07781444A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Johan Teunissen; Konrad W. Brandt
Original assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Co
Current assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Co
Priority date: 2006-04-12
Filing date: 2007-04-05
Publication date: 2008-12-24
Also published as: WO2007121113A3; WO2007121113A2

Abstract

An electrical connector system includes a camera, an electrical cable, and an electrical connector connecting the camera to the electrical cable.

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR SYSTEM

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/791,266, filed April 12, 2006.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector system. More particularly, the invention relates to an electrical connector system including an electrical cable, an electrical connector, and a camera which may be mounted at an exterior portion of a vehicle for providing an image of a scene exterior of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND

The increased application rate of video monitor displays for automotive navigation systems or as part of the driver interface to a wide variety of vehicle systems has led to an increasing use of cameras or imaging sensors designed to give the driver a view of those areas around the vehicle that are not in the normal direct field of view of the driver, typically referred to as "blind spots". These areas include the region close to the front of the vehicle, typically obscured by the forward structure of the vehicle, the region along the passenger side of the vehicle, the region along the driver's side of the vehicle rearward of the driver, and the area or region immediately rearward of the vehicle that cannot be seen directly or indirectly through the rear view mirror system. The camera or imaging sensor may capture an image of these "blind spots", and the image may be displayed to the driver of the vehicle to assist the drive in driving or maneuvering the vehicle. Particularly, cameras positioned on the exterior of a vehicle are subject to environmental effects, such as rain, snow, and road splash, and physical effects, such as road debris, dirt, dust, shock, and vibration, and may therefore need to be easily removed from the vehicle for servicing, repair, or replacement. To aid in this, it is preferred that instead of directly connecting the camera to the electrical cable, an electrical connector is used to connect the camera to the electrical cable. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

There is a need for a simple, cost-effective, small in size, and reliable electrical connector system for transmitting signals to and from a camera. Current electrical connector systems in this area are limited in creating a connector system that is reliable, protected from environmental and physical effects, and that includes a fine pitch arrangement of electrical contacts capable of optimally transmitting high frequency signals.

In one aspect, the invention described herein provides an electrical connector system including an electrical connector, one or more electrical cables, and a camera configured to receive the electrical connector. The electrical connector includes a contact housing, a plurality of electrical contacts positioned in the contact housing, a connector housing, and a seal. The one or more electrical cables include a plurality of conductive wires electrically connected to the plurality of electrical contacts.

In another aspect, the invention described herein provides an electrical connector including a contact housing, a plurality of electrical contacts positioned in the contact housing, a connector housing configured to engage with a camera, and a seal.

In yet another aspect, the invention described herein provides a camera including a camera housing and a printed circuit board having a plurality of contact pads. The camera housing includes at least one opening for receiving a plurality of electrical contacts and a protrusion configured to receive an electrical connector. The at least one opening for receiving a plurality of electrical contacts exposes the plurality of contact pads.

The above summary of the present invention is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the present invention. The Figures and detailed description that follow below more particularly exemplify illustrative embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective illustration of an electrical connector system according to one embodiment of the invention, showing an electrical connector connecting a camera to an electrical cable. Figure 2 is a perspective illustration of the camera illustrated in Figure 1, showing the back side of the camera. Figure 3 is a perspective illustration of the electrical connector illustrated in Figure 1, showing the contact side of the connector.

Figure 4 is a perspective illustration of the electrical connector illustrated in Figure 1, showing the cable side of the connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The accompanying drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Referring now to the drawings, one embodiment of an electrical connector system according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1. Electrical connector system 100 comprises camera 102, electrical connector 104, and electrical cable 106. Camera 102 has a camera housing 103 with a guiding wall 110 and an opening 112 configured to receive electrical connector 104. Retainer clip 108 is attached to guiding wall 110 and configured to hold electrical connector 104 in place after insertion. The presence of retainer clip 108 assists in maintaining the connection between camera 102 and electrical connector 104 during shocks and vibrations commonly present during vehicle operation. In place of a retainer clip, alternative means to hold electrical connector 104 in place can be used, such as latches, screws, or bayonet closings. The means to hold electrical connector 104 in place can be attached to either guiding wall 110 or electrical connector 104. Opening 112 can be configured as shown in Figure 2, whereby the entire front face of electrical connector 104 fits into it. Alternatively, opening 112 can be configured as individual contact openings for each electrical contact 114, shown in Figure 3. This alternate embodiment may enable improved electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and/or reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI) of the electrical connector system.

Figure 2 shows contact pads 116 configured to make electrical contact with electrical contacts 114, shown in Figure 3. Contact pads 116 are positioned on the printed circuit board 118 of camera 102 and can be made from an electrically conductive material. For example, contact pads 116 can be made from a copper or a copper alloy and may be plated with gold, tin, silver, or palladium-nickel.

As illustrated in Figure 3, electrical connector 104 holds multiple electrical contacts 114. Electrical contacts 114 are typically spring-loaded contacts protruding from the contact side of electrical connector 104 and configured to make direct electrical contact with contact pads 116 of printed circuit board 118 of camera 102. This direct contact eliminates the need for a mating contact and thereby simplifies and reduces the size of the interconnection. Spring-loaded contacts also help minimize the effects of shocks and vibrations common in vehicle connector applications on the electrical interconnection integrity. Electrical contacts 114 can be arranged in a fine-pitch arrangement, e.g., less than 2.5mm, and positioned in contact housing 120. Electrical contacts 114 may include one or more retention features (not shown) to help retain electrical contacts 114 in contact housing 120. Examples of such retention features are triangular or harpoon shaped protrusions. On the cable side, electrical contacts 114 typically include solder cups to which the individual wires of electrical cable 106 can be soldered. The use of solder cups for wire connection in combination with the use of spring-loaded contacts assists in achieving the fine-pitch arrangement. It is to be understood however that electrical connection of electrical contacts 114 to the individual wires of electrical cable 106 can be done in other ways commonly known in the art, such as with insulation displacement connection (IDC) slots or crimp sections. Also, besides spring-loaded contacts, other contact configurations can be used while maintaining a fine-pitch arrangement. The fine-pitch arrangement of electrical contacts 114 aids in keeping electrical connector system 100 small.

Contact housing 120 includes openings to receive electrical contacts 114 and a circumferential groove to receive a seal 124. The main function of seal 124 is to create a watertight interconnection of electrical connector 104 and guiding wall 110 of camera housing 103. The seal can be an o-ring or any other suitable seal. Placing the seal in a circumferential groove of contact housing 120 instead of at the front of electrical connector 104 reduces the force required to insert the electrical connector 104 into the guiding wall 110. In fact, the forces are only exerted between electrical connector 104 and guiding wall 110 where these are used to keep camera 102 watertight. As best illustrated in Figure 4, after electrically connecting the individual wires of electrical cable 106 to electrical contacts 114, connector housing 122 is formed to enclose the exposed wires and interconnections and make them watertight. This can be accomplished by overmolding this area with a plastic material. Choosing a flexible plastic material enables connector housing 122 to also include cable strain relief 126 allowing cable 106 to flexibly exit electrical connector 104.

Electrical cable 106 can comprise one or more signal or ground wires, which can be connected to electrical contacts 114. In high frequency (HF) applications such as camera applications, HF signals are commonly transmitted through a plurality of low voltage differential signal (LVDS) pairs. Positioning one or more electrical contacts 114 electrically connected to the ground wires in-between pairs of electrical contacts 114 electrically connected to the low voltage differential signal (LVDS) pairs improves electrical shielding of the HF signals. This or a similar arrangement of signal and ground connections can reduce or eliminate the need for additional external shielding, which enables a watertight connection simply with seal 124.

Optionally, electrical cable 106 can have a foil shielding and/or a drain wire connected to a single electrical contact 114 to transmit the ground or shield into camera 102.

To optimize the shielding of camera 102, the inside of the camera can be metallized. This will prevent the high frequency signals from leaving the camera and will prevent external signals from influencing the function of the camera. To further optimize the shielding at electrical connector 104, at least the inside of guiding wall 110 of camera housing 103 may be metallized, making the opening between guiding wall 110 and the cable shielding as small as possible. Electrical cable 106 may comprise two or more separate cables, each including one or more individual wires. For example, in a configuration of two separate cables, one cable can transmit the high frequency data signals (e.g. signals containing camera image data), and the other cable can transmit the other data signals (e.g. signals containing camera control data), the power, and the ground for the camera. Optionally, an electrically non-conductive tape can protect each individual wire where it is connected to an electrical contact. Electrically conductive tape can be applied onto the stripped back shielding of cable 106 and wrapped around electrical contacts 114 as far down as possible over the area of contact housing 120 later to be overmolded, making the opening between guiding wall 110 and the cable shielding as small as possible. Cable 106 can be electrically connected to electrical connector 104 at one end and to a connector configured to be electrically connected to the vehicle's cable harness at the other end. A grommet can be positioned onto cable 106 to enable a watertight seal of the passage from the inside to the outside of the vehicle.

In each of the embodiments and implementations described herein, the various components of the electrical connector system and elements thereof are formed of any suitable material. The materials are selected depending upon the intended application and may include both polymers and metals. In one embodiment, the connector and camera housings are formed of polymeric materials by methods such as injection molding, extrusion, casting, machining, and the like, while the electrically conductive components are formed of metal by methods such as molding, casting, stamping, machining, and the like. Material selection will depend upon factors including, but not limited to, chemical exposure conditions, environmental exposure conditions including temperature and humidity conditions, flame-retardancy requirements, material strength, and rigidity, to name a few. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in a very wide variety of embodiments. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An electrical connector system comprising: an electrical connector comprising: a contact housing; a plurality of electrical contacts positioned in the contact housing; a connector housing; and a seal; one or more electrical cables comprising a plurality of conductive wires electrically connected to the plurality of electrical contacts; and a camera configured to receive the electrical connector.

2. The electrical connector system of claim 1, further comprising a retainer clip for retaining the electrical connector to the camera.

3. The electrical connector system of claim 1, wherein the electrical contacts comprise solder cups for electrically connecting the plurality of wires.

4. An electrical connector comprising: a contact housing; a plurality of electrical contacts positioned in the contact housing; a connector housing configured to engage with a camera; and a seal.

5. The electrical connector of claim 4, wherein the seal is positioned in the contact housing.

6. The electrical connector of claim 4, wherein the electrical contacts comprise solder cups for electrically connecting a plurality of wires.

7. The electrical connector of claim 4, wherein the electrical contacts comprise spring-loaded contact elements.

8. The electrical connector of claim 4, further comprising one or more latches configured to engage with the camera.

9. A camera comprising: a printed circuit board comprising a plurality of contact pads; and a camera housing comprising: at least one opening for receiving a plurality of electrical contacts, the opening exposing the plurality of contact pads; and a protrusion configured to receive an electrical connector.

10. The camera of claim 9, wherein the camera housing further comprises a retainer clip for retaining the electrical connector to the camera.