EP3605746B1 - Plug connector and connection with such a connector - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connector according to claim 1 and a plug connection with a first connector and a second connector having the features of patent claim 13.

Plug connections are known in various configurations from the prior art and comprise a first plug connector and a second plug connector, the respective plug connector comprising a housing and at least one conductor, and the respective conductors being brought into electrical contact when the two plug connectors are plugged together in one plugging direction be, whereby the transmission of electrical signals between the conductor of the first connector and the conductor of the second connector is made possible. On the one hand, the transmission of the electrical signals should be as loss-free as possible and, on the other hand, the plug connection should enable a horizontal and vertical offset in order to allow tolerances to be compensated for between the two components to be electrically connected. For plug-in connections of this type, coaxial plug-in connectors are typically used in the prior art, which are often designed in multiple parts in a bullet design for the high-frequency range of up to 6 GHz in the SMP design.

The printed publications constitute further prior art WO 2018/220155 A1 , DE 10 2014 10255 A1 , U.S. 2014 087592 A1 , 30 CN 201 975 540 U , KR 1010 301 772 B1 , and DE 20 2013 006067 U1 .

A disadvantage of this prior art has been found that the known from the prior art connectors only allow a small axis offset between the respective conductors to be coupled and are error-prone and expensive, especially when using such plug-in connections as multiple conductors due to a complicated structure.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an improved plug connector and an improved plug connection which, on the one hand, tolerates the most generous possible horizontal and vertical axis offset between the conductors to be connected, and ensures a trouble-free and error-free transmission of electrical signals, in particular high-frequency electrical signals , a compact and weight-reduced design is realized and can be arranged fully automatically on appropriate printed circuit boards, for example as an SMT-capable component, using so-called "pick and place" positioning systems.

These objects are achieved by the present invention through a connector with the features of claim 1 and a connector with a first connector and a second connector with the features of claim 13.

The dependent claims relate to advantageous developments of the invention.

The connector according to the invention comprises at least one housing with at least one recess and at least one one-piece conductor, the at least one conductor comprising a first leg with a first end and a second leg with a second end, the second leg of the at least one conductor being partially in the Recess of the housing is held. The second leg of the at least one conductor is preferably held firmly on the housing in the area of the second end and more preferably is held firmly on the housing in an electrically insulated manner. Between the first limb and At least one spring area is arranged on the second leg, with the first leg or the first end of the conductor being resiliently deflectable by the spring area to compensate for an axial offset. While according to the invention the conductor is held firmly supported by the housing at one end in the region of the second leg, the conductor in the region of the first leg is freely movable and resiliently arranged at the other end by the spring region. The first leg is preferably freely movable within the recess of the housing. The first free end is set up to establish an electrical connection with a second connector and the second end can protrude from the housing in order to establish an electrical connection with an electrical component, in particular a printed circuit board. An axis offset can only be compensated for by an elastic deformation of the spring area when the connector is transferred into a plugged-in state using a second connector, without stresses occurring in the elastic material boundaries in the respective conductor. Furthermore, it is preferred if the first leg is arranged coaxially to the insertion direction, so that the first leg can be resiliently deflected relative to the second leg by an axial offset by the spring area. As a result, an axis offset between the respective conductors when transferring to a plugged-in state can be compensated.

A further advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the second leg is arranged at an angle. The angle enclosed between the two legs is preferably less than 180°. More preferably, the second leg is arranged at an angle of 135°, even more preferably of 90°, to the first leg, which on the one hand particularly preferably gives the spring area a Allows pivoting movement in an axis perpendicular to the plug-in direction and, more preferably, on the other hand, the at least one conductor can make a cushioned movement in the plug-in direction. Alternatively, the spring area can be arranged in an axis to the first leg and the second leg, can have a Z-shape, S-shape, meander shape or any non-linear shape.

More preferably, the spring area of the at least one conductor includes at least one bend. The at least one bend is preferably formed by a bend with an approximately constant radius, the radius being a multiple of the average diameter of the at least one conductor in the first leg and/or in the second leg. The curvature of the at least one conductor is preferably also designed in such a way that the stresses resulting in the conductor when compensating for the axial offset are kept as low as possible and remain within the elastic material limits. The at least one conductor is preferably of circular cross-section in the region of the curvature, as a result of which a homogeneous voltage profile results in the at least one conductor in the event of any deflection. A further advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the spring area between the first leg and the second leg of the at least one conductor comprises at least one narrowing of the cross section. Due to the narrowing of the cross section, the flexural rigidity of the spring area can be less than the flexural rigidity of the conductor in the first leg and/or the second leg. In particular, however, it is preferred if the cross-sectional taper Bending stiffness in the spring area is reduced compared to the bending stiffness in the first leg and/or the second leg, for example by 5-75%. The restoring force of the first leg of the at least one conductor of the spring area can be adjusted by the narrowing of the cross section, with a low restoring force promoting smooth transfer of the plug connection into the plugged state in the event of an axial offset.

According to the invention, it is further provided that an outer conductor is provided, which is arranged at least in regions around the at least one conductor. Areas of the outer conductor are preferably arranged coaxially around the at least one conductor and shields the conductor, which is particularly preferably designed as an inner conductor, electrically but also electromagnetically, so that high-frequency electrical signals in particular can be transmitted through the at least one conductor without interference. The outer conductor particularly preferably surrounds the first limb of the at least one conductor at least in regions, as a result of which the first limb of the at least one conductor is mechanically protected on the one hand and shielded both electrically and magnetically on the other hand.

In addition, it is provided according to the invention that the outer conductor has a spring cage at a first end and at a second end. In particular, it is also advantageous if a dielectric is arranged between the conductor and the outer conductor, the dielectric coupling the first leg of the at least one conductor to the outer conductor in a preferred embodiment, so that the corresponding conductor or inner conductor and the outer conductor together form one can compensate for axis offset.

To compensate for the axial offset, the spring cage at the second end of the outer conductor creates an electrical connection with the housing and, on the other hand, exerts a further restoring force on the outer conductor and the inner conductor through the spring force of the spring cage.

Furthermore, it has proven to be advantageous if the second end of the outer conductor is arranged in the plug-in direction in a common plane with the spring area. The outer conductor, which has a spring cage at the second end, is thus arranged particularly closely adjacent to the axis about which the first leg is pivoted when it is deflected to compensate for an axial offset. More preferably, the second end of the outer conductor engages in an undercut. The undercut can be formed or worked into the recess of the housing, with the undercut even more preferably being designed as a radial groove and particularly preferably as a radial groove with rounded edges. The outer conductor can thus be electrically contacted as completely as possible over the circumference in the recess or the undercut when the first leg is pivoted.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the at least one conductor or its first leg is arranged in a freely movable manner in a recess in the housing. The recess can limit the maximum axial offset that can be compensated or the maximum angle by which the first leg can be deflected in the event of a deflection, with the spring region preferably being exclusively elastically deformed. This ensures that the spring area does not break prematurely due to material fatigue and the electrically conductive contact in the conductor is interrupted.

A further advantageous embodiment of the present invention provides that the recess is formed conically in some areas and includes a conical area. In particular, it is preferred if the recess has a continuously tapering shape, starting from the first end of the conductor. The maximum deflection for compensating for the axial offset of the at least one conductor or of the first leg of the at least one conductor and the outer conductor is specified by the conical region of the recess.

In particular, it is advantageous if the housing is made from an electrically conductive material, as a result of which the at least one conductor in the housing does not require any additional electrical or electromagnetic shielding by an outer conductor. In particular, it can be advantageous if the housing is designed in one or more parts, more preferably produced by injection molding, and is formed in an assembly- and weight-optimized manner.

It is advantageous if the housing includes fastening means that are set up for connection to a printed circuit board. It is also particularly preferred if the first connector and/or the second connector can be arranged on a printed circuit board by a mechanical positioning device (pick and place capable) and coupled to the printed circuit board in an SMT-compatible manner.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a plug connection with a first connector and a second connector, the first connector being formed with a first housing and at least one conductor and the second connector also being formed with a first housing and at least one conductor. The first connector and the second connectors can be converted into a plugged-in state in one plug-in direction, with an electrical connection between the respective at least one conductor between the first plug-in connector and the second plug-in connector being established in the plugged-in state of the plug-in connection. At least one of the connectors is designed according to the invention in such a way that the at least one conductor of the first connector and/or the at least one conductor of the second connector includes a spring area through which an axial offset between the respective conductors can be compensated in a resilient manner.

Figur 1:

eine perspektivische Ansicht des ersten Steckverbinders der erfindungsgemäßen Steckverbindung,

Figur 2:

eine perspektivische Ansicht des zweiten Steckverbinders der erfindungsgemäßen Steckverbindung,

Figur 3:

eine Schnittdarstellung der erfindungsgemäßen Steckverbindung mit dem ersten Steckverbinder gemäß Figur 1 und dem zweiten Steckverbinder gemäß Figur 2 im gesteckten Zustand,

Figur 4:

eine Draufsicht des ersten Steckverbinders der erfindungsgemäßen Steckverbindung,

Figur 5:

eine Schnittdarstellung des ersten Steckverbinders gemäß der Schnittlinie A-A gemäß Figur 4 mit einem einstückigen Leiter, der einen ersten Schenkel und einen zweiten Schenkel umfasst, wobei zwischen dem ersten Schenkel und dem zweiten Schenkel ein Federbereich ausgebildet ist,

Figur 6:

eine Schnittdarstellung des ersten Steckverbinders gemäß der Schnittlinie B-B gemäß Figur 4, wobei der erste Schenkel zur Kompensation eines Achsversatzes um eine Achse senkrecht zur Steckrichtung verschwenkt ist, und

Figur 7:

eine Schnittdarstellung des ersten Steckverbinders gemäß der Schnittlinie C-C gemäß Figur 4.

An exemplary embodiment according to the invention is explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Figure 1:

a perspective view of the first connector of the connector according to the invention,

Figure 2:

a perspective view of the second connector of the connector according to the invention,

Figure 3:

according to a sectional view of the connector according to the invention with the first connector figure 1 and according to the second connector figure 2 when plugged in,

Figure 4:

a plan view of the first connector of the connector according to the invention,

Figure 5:

a sectional view of the first connector along the section line AA according to figure 4 with a one-piece conductor comprising a first leg and a second leg, wherein between the first leg and the second leg a spring area is formed,

Figure 6:

a sectional view of the first connector along the section line BB according to figure 4 , wherein the first leg is pivoted about an axis perpendicular to the insertion direction to compensate for an axial offset, and

Figure 7:

a sectional view of the first connector along the section line CC according to figure 4 .

A plug connection 1 according to the invention comprises a first plug connector 10 and a second plug connector 50. The plug connector 10, which is shown in a perspective view in FIG figure 1 is shown, can be converted into a plugged-in state together with the second connector 50, which can be seen in a perspective view of FIG. The plugged-in state of the plug-in connection 1 according to the invention is shown in the sectional view figure 3 to be taken, the sectional plane of the sectional view according to the section BB figure 4 is equivalent to.

The plug-in connection 1 is used, for example, as an antenna contact, which transmits a large number of high-frequency signals via conductor pairs with the best possible electrical and magnetic shielding between two components. In the illustrated embodiment, the first connector 10 and the second connector 50 each comprise five pairs of conductors, each with a one-piece conductor 12, 52 per connector 10, 50, with the number of pairs of conductors being freely selectable. The conductors 12, 52 in the respective first connector 10 and the respective second connector 50 are preferably of identical design.

The first connector 10, which in detail in the figures 1 , 4 , 5 and 6 is shown includes a housing 11 which encapsulates the conductor 12 .

The housing 11 is made of an electrically conductive material, for example aluminum, and includes a recess 30 with a plug-in area 31, into which the second plug connector 50 can be inserted in some areas to establish an electrical connection between the pairs of conductors.

The conductor 12 is made in one piece in an electrically conductive manner and comprises a first end 13 and a second end 14 , the first end 13 being set up to establish an electrically conductive connection with the corresponding conductor 52 of the second connector 50 . The second end 14 of the conductor 52 can be connected to an electrical component, such as a circuit board (not shown).

The respective conductor 12 can be divided into three areas, namely a first leg 41 , a second leg 42 and a spring area 40 , with the spring area 40 being arranged between the first leg 41 and the second leg 42 . While the first leg 41 of the conductor 12 is aligned in the plug-in direction 5, the second leg 42 can be aligned at an angle, preferably perpendicular to the first leg 41 as in the exemplary embodiment shown. The spring area 40 is designed as an oscillating spring with a curvature 45 and can be produced from a one-piece electrical conductor by reshaping, in particular bending. The spring area 40 stands freely in the recess 30 of the housing 11.

The second leg 42 or the second end 14 of the conductor 12 is held on the housing 11 in an electrically insulated manner by means of a dielectric 38 and protrudes from the housing 11 in order to establish an electrical connection with the printed circuit board (not shown).

The first leg 41, see Figures 5, 6 and 7 , protrudes in the insertion direction 5 of the first connector 10 aligned freely in the recess 30 of the first housing 11 is freely pivotable in this.

The conductor 12 can be surrounded by a dielectric 38 and an outer conductor 35, which, when joined, protrude as a whole into the recess 30 and, starting from the spring area 40, together about at least one axis perpendicular to the plug-in direction 5 at an angle α - as in figure 6 shown - can be pivoted.

The recess 30 comprises the plug-in area 31 and a conical area 32 which is provided with a cross-section which tapers continuously from the first end 13 of the conductor 12 . The conical area 32 is designed as a conical recess symmetrically to the first leg 41 . Accordingly, each conductor 12 of the conductor pairs has its own conical area 32 in the recess 30.

The conical area 32 enables the first leg 41 to pivot freely in the recess 30. The conical area 32 can also specify the maximum deflection of the first leg 41 and has a constant opening angle for this purpose. The opening angle of the conical area is chosen such that when the first leg 41 is deflected, the spring area 40 is elastically deformed exclusively within the elastic material limits, and premature mechanical failure of the spring area 40 and separation or breaking of the electrical conductor 12 is prevented. At the maximum deflection of the first leg 41, the first leg 41 is preferably in contact with the conical area 32. More preferably, the opening angle is typically >0° and <60°, so that the maximum deflection to compensate for the axial offset in each direction is approximately half the opening angle.

The outer conductor 35 is an electrically conductive sleeve, which surrounds the first leg 41 or the conductor 12 in the region of the first leg 41 and is arranged mechanically and securely separated from the latter by means of the dielectric 38 . The outer conductor 35 can preferably be circular in cross section. Furthermore, in particular figure 5 it can be seen that the outer conductor 35 comprises a spring cage 39 both at a first end 36 and at a second end 37 .

The spring basket 39 is approximately a circular sleeve in cross section and consists of a large number of protruding and elastic spring tongues which can protrude radially and axially. The spring tongues of the spring cage 39 press against the recess 30 of the housing 11 at the second end 37 and can electrically connect the outer conductor 35 to the housing 11 . The second end 37 of the outer conductor 35 or of the spring cage 39 is arranged in such a way that it is arranged in a common plane with the spring area 40 .

The second end 37 of the outer conductor 35 or of the spring cage 39 is adjacent and more preferably arranged in an axis about which the first leg 41 is rotated by the spring region 40 during a deflection to compensate for the axial offset at the angle α pivoted. In addition, when the first leg 41 is deflected, the spring tongues can generate a restoring force in addition to the spring area 40, as a result of which the first leg 41 is returned to the starting position. For this purpose, the spring tongues of the spring cage 39 can engage in an undercut 33 at the second end 37 of the outer conductor 35, which is further preferably designed as a circumferentially symmetrically rounded radial groove.

The first end 36 protrudes beyond the conductor 12 in the opposite direction to figure 5 plug-in direction 5 shown by means of an arrow, whereby on the one hand the conductor 12 is protected and on the other hand a centering of the second plug connector 50 when transferring into the plugged state--as will be explained in detail below--takes place.

The second connector 50 is in figure 2 and 3 and includes a housing 51 and a conductor 52 having a first end 53 and a second end 54. The housing 51 of the second connector 50 encapsulates the conductor 52, the conductor 52 being electrically insulated within the housing 51 by means of a dielectric 68 in the Housing 51 is held. The first end 53 of the conductor 52 is configured to establish an electrical connection with the first end 13 of the conductor 12 of the first connector 10 . The second end 54 protrudes freely from the housing 52 and is preferably designed to establish an electrical connection, for example to a printed circuit board or other electrical component.

The housing 51 also has, for each conductor 52 , a contact sleeve 65 protruding in the insertion direction 6 , the contact sleeve 65 being set up to engage in the recess 30 of the first connector 10 . The contact sleeve 65 surrounds - how figure 3 shows - in the plugged-in state, the outer conductor 35 of the first connector 10 and has a conical opening 66 through which the spring cage 39 can be centered.

The electrical conductor 52 and the housing 51 of the second connector 50 are preferably L-shaped, so that the conductor 52 has a first leg and a second leg which are arranged at an angle of 90° to one another. The first leg is aligned in the insertion direction 6 . The angle between the first leg and the second leg of the conductor 52 can be produced by reshaping, for example by bending.

Furthermore shows figure 3 that the contact sleeve 65 protrudes beyond the conductor 52 in the plugging direction 6, so that it is ensured that when the first connector 10 and the second connector 50 are transferred into the plugged state, the first end 36 of the outer conductor 35 first contacts the contact sleeve 65, whereby the conical opening 66, the pivotably held first leg 41 and the spring action of the spring tongues of the spring cage 39 can resiliently compensate for an axial offset between the conductors 12, 52 and the plug connection 1 according to the invention enables the compensation of generous tolerances.

Furthermore, in figure 3 shown that the first end 53 of the conductor 52 of the second connector 50 is sleeve-shaped and is set up to encompass the first end 13 of the conductor 12 in the plugged-in state.

Both the housing 11 of the first connector 10 and the housing 51 of the second connector 50 can preferably be designed in a weight-optimized and production-optimized manner. For weight-optimized production of the first connector 10 and the second connector 50, cutouts 17, 57 can be provided, through which a rigid and tilt-proof arrangement on the components and a reduction in weight can be achieved.

The housing 11 of the first connector 10 and the housing 51 of the second connector 50 can preferably each be made of multiple parts and are more preferably made of a light metal, preferably aluminum, in an injection molding process. In a further method step, the conductors 12, 52 are partially encased, in particular overmoulded, with the dielectric 38, 68, and the outer conductor 35 is arranged on the first leg 41 of the conductor 12. The conductors 12, 52 are then reshaped and formed into an L-shape, preferably by bending, and then inserted into the housings 11, 51. The insertion into the housing 11, 51 is preferably carried out in the insertion direction 5, 6 from the back of the respective housing 11, 51. The housings 11, 51 are closed, for example, by means of a second electrically conductive housing part and can be mounted as an SMD component on an electrical component, for example a printed circuit board.

Reference List

1

connector

5

Insertion direction of 10

6

Mating direction of 50

10

first connector

11

Housing

12

leader of 10

13

first end of 12

14

second end of 12

17

recess

19

fasteners

30

recess

31

mating area

32

conical area

33

undercut

35

outer conductor

36

first end of 35

37

second end of 35

38

dielectric

39

spring basket

40

spring range

41

first leg

42

second leg

45

curvature

46

taper

50

second connector

51

housing of 50

52

Head of 50

53

first end of 52

54

second end of 52

57

recess

59

fasteners

65

contact sleeve

66

conical opening

68

dielectric

70

recess

Claims (13)

1. Plug connector (10) comprising:

   - at least one housing (11) with at least one cutout (30) and

   - at least one single-piece conductor (12) and
   an outer conductor (35),

   - wherein the at least one conductor (12) comprises a first limb (41) and a second limb (42),

   - wherein the second limb (42) of the at least one conductor (12) is partially held in the cutout (30) of the housing (11),

   - wherein at least one spring region (40) is arranged between the first limb (41) and the second limb (42),

   - wherein the first limb (41) of the at least one conductor (12) is aligned in a plug-in direction (5) and is resiliently deflectable from the spring region (40) for the compensation of an axial offset,

   - wherein the outer conductor (35) is at least partially arranged around the first limb (41) of the at least one conductor (12),

   characterized in that

   - the outer conductor (35) comprises, at a first end (36) and at a second end (37), a spring cage (39), and

   - in that the spring cage (39) at the second end (37) presses against the cutout (30) of the housing (11).
2. Plug connector (10) in accordance with claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the second limb (42) is arranged at an angle of at least 30°, preferably 90°, to the first limb (41).
3. Plug connector (10) in accordance with claim 1 or 2,
   characterized in that
   the spring region (40) allows for a pivoting movement around an axis horizontal to the plug-in direction.
4. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the spring region (40) comprises at least one curvature (45).
5. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the spring region (40) comprises a cross-sectional taper (46).
6. Plug connector (10) in accordance with claim 1,
   characterized in that
   the second end (37) of the outer conductor (35) is arranged in the plug-in direction (5) in a common plane with the spring region (40).
7. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   a dielectric (38) is arranged between the at least one conductor (12) and the outer conductor (35).
8. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the first limb (41) of the at least one conductor (12) is moveably arranged in the cutout (30) in the housing, and in that the cutout (30) limits the axial offset that can be compensated.
9. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
   characterized in that
   the cutout (30) comprises a conical region (32).
10. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the housing (12) is made of an electrically conductive material.
11. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the housing (12) comprises attachment means (19) which are implemented to be attached to a circuit board.
12. Plug connector (10) in accordance with any of the preceding claims,
    characterized in that
    the plug connector (10) is an SMD component.
13. Plug connection (1), comprising:

    - at least one first plug connector (10) in accordance with any of claims 1 to 12,

    - and a second plug connector (50) with at least one conductor (52) integrated in at least one housing (51)

    - wherein each of the first plug connector (10) and the second plug connector (50) can be transferred in a respective plug-in direction (5, 6) into a plugged-in state,

    - wherein the first plug connector (10) and the second plug connector (50), when in the plugged-in state of the plug connection (1), establish an electrical connection between each of the at least one conductors (12, 52), between the first plug connector (10) and the second plug connector (50), and

    - wherein the at least one conductor (12) of the first plug connector (12) and/or the at least one conductor (52) of the second plug connector (50) make it possible to resiliently compensate an axial offset between the respective conductors (12, 52).

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