Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/46—Bases; Cases
  • H01R13/53—Bases or cases for heavy duty; Bases or cases for high voltage with means for preventing corona or arcing
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
  • H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
  • H01R13/73—Means for mounting coupling parts to apparatus or structures, e.g. to a wall
  • H01R13/74—Means for mounting coupling parts in openings of a panel

Definitions

• Shield connection device between a housing and a shielded cable
• the invention relates to a shielding connection device between a protective and shielding box of a high-voltage device and a shielded cable comprising at least two conductors and a tubular shielding braid surrounding said conductors.
• the object of the invention is to ensure the electrical continuity of the shielding between the protective and shielding box of a high-voltage device such as a discharge lamp and the protective and shielding box of 'a high voltage generator.
• Discharge lamps need a high voltage supply of the order of 20 to 25 kV to ensure their operation, especially when they are re-ignited. Without specific protection, the cable supplying these discharge lamps generates electromagnetic interference which can disturb the electronic equipment of an automobile, such as radio, air conditioning, on-board computer, etc. It is understood that, to use discharge lamps within in an automobile, electromagnetic protection must be carried out on the high-voltage supply cable of the discharge lamp.
• the purpose of the shielding connector according to the invention is to ensure the shielding continuity between a shielded cable and each of the protective and shielding boxes which surrounds an electrical appliance to which the conductors contained in the shielded cable are connected, in order to prevent the emission of electromagnetic interference from the shielded cable.
• the shielding efficiency can be measured using the transfer impedance of the assembly formed by the shielding and the housing.
• the transfer impedance defines in a given frequency the contact resistance between the shielding and the case for this frequency range. Connection techniques with 360 ° electrical continuity offer the best transfer impedance. Solutions have already been proposed in order to carry out the shielding connection between a protective and shielding box and a shielded cable, but the devices proposed comprise a fixed structure which is not easily removable.
• the receptacle comprising all the elements forming a headlamp, such as a headlamp for a motor vehicle, is of very limited size, so that the shielding connection between the protective housing and shielding of the discharge lamp and the protective and shielding box of the high voltage generator must be able to fit into a very limited space.
• the shielding connection device has a reduced bulk, can be easily disassembled and makes a shielding connection as efficient as possible.
• an object of the invention is to provide a shielding connection device which has the abovementioned advantages and which ensures optimum shielding continuity despite a succession of assemblies and disassembly of the shielding connection device.
• the shielding connection device is characterized in that said protection and shielding box comprises a circular opening and in that said device forms a removable rotating shielding fitting comprising:
• a ferrule of revolution comprising a first cylindrical end and a second end having an annular rib of revolution with a shoulder turned in the opposite direction from said first end and which has a flat surface and orthogonal to the axis of revolution of said ferrule forming a contact surface intended to come against an annular zone of the external surface of said protection and shielding box which surrounds said opening, the external diameter of said rib being greater than the diameter of said opening, - a clamping ring maintaining a section of one end of said braid in bearing contact over substantially the entire periphery of the first end of said ferrule, and
• an elastic retaining ring in the form of an arc of a circle extending over an angle at the center of at least 200 °, said ring having an internal contour and an outer contour included in two different planes, said outer contour being intended to be applied against the internal face of said housing and said internal contour being intended to cooperate with stop means integral with said second end of the ferrule.
• FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a shielding connection device according to the present invention for providing a shielded connection from a high voltage supply to a high voltage device such as a discharge lamp;
• FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of detail II of Figure 1;
• - Figure 3 shows a ferrule in side view
• - Figure 4 is a view in the direction IV-IV of Figure 2 for viewing the elastic retaining ring from its front face;
• FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views in the direction V-V of Figure 4 for two different forms of retaining ring; and - Figure 6 is a view similar to that of Figure 2 in the case where a protective element is used to make a bent shield connection.
• FIG. 1 there is shown a shielding connection device 100 between a first protective and shielding box 12 of a device to high voltage 14 such as a discharge lamp (the electrical connection being made to a connector of the discharge lamp) and a second protection and shielding box 16 containing a high voltage supply 18.
• the high voltage apparatus 14 and the high-voltage power supply 18 are connected to each other by a screened cable 20 comprising two conductors 22 and 24 as well as a tubular shielding braid 26 surrounding said conductors.
• these two boxes include a circular opening 28 and the screen connection device 100 further comprises:
• a first and a second ferrule of revolution 30, 32 each of them comprising a first cylindrical end 34 and a second end 36 having an annular rib of revolution 38 with a shoulder 40 turned in the opposite direction from said first end 34, said shoulder having a flat surface and orthogonal to the axis of revolution X of said ferrule 30 or 32 so as to form a contact surface 42, the contact surface 42 of said first ferrule 30 being intended to come against said annular zone 44 of the external surface of the protective and shielding box 12 of said high-voltage device 14 which surrounds said opening 28 and the contact surface 42 of said second ferrule 32 being intended to come against an annular zone 44 of the external surface of the second box of protection and shielding 16 which surrounds said opening 28, the outside diameter of said rib 38 being greater laughing at the diameter of said opening 28, - a first and a second clamping rings 46, 48, said first clamping ring 46 now a section of the first end 50 of said braid 26 in contact with contact over substantially the entire periphery of the first end 34
• first and a second retaining rings 54, 56 elastic in the form of an arc of a circle extending over a central angle of at least 200 °, said rings 54, 56 having an internal contour 58 and an external contour 60 included in two different planes, said external contour 60 of the first ring 54 being intended to be applied against the internal face of said protection and shielding box 12 of said high-voltage device 14, said internal contour 58 of the first ring 54 being intended to cooperate with stop means 62 integral with said second end 36 of the first ferrule 30, said external contour 60 of the second ring 56 being intended to be applied against the internal face of said second protective and shielding housing 16 and said internal contour 58 of second ring 56 being intended to cooperate with stop means 62 integral with said second end 36 of the second ferrule 32.
• the ferrule 30 serves intermediate piece allowing, thanks to a suitable shape, to carry out the shielding continuity between the braid 26 and the housing 12.
• the annular tightening ring 46 which is shaped to allow this support contact of the braid over substantially the entire periphery of the first end 34 of the ferrule 30.
• Such a clamping ring 46 can be similar to the connection collar described in French patent 2,671,435 of the applicant.
• the shielding continues also at the second end 36 of the ferrule 30 which is shaped to allow 360 ° contact with the wall of the housing 12.
• the second end 36 of the ferrule of revolution 30 comprises an annular rib of revolution 38 having a shoulder 40 facing the free edge of the second end 36 of the ferrule 30.
• This shoulder 40 has an annular contact surface 42, plane and orthogonal to the axis of revolution of the ferrule 30 .
• annular rib 38 has a diameter outside greater than the diameter of the opening 28.
• cylindrical surface of annular revolution 43 which is longitudinal and contiguous to the radial contact surface 42 at the level of the shoulder 40 to enter the opening 28 of the housing 12 and therefore has a diameter at most equal to the diameter of the opening 28.
• an elastic retaining ring 54 is removably mounted on the second end 36 of the ferrule 30, this elastic retaining ring 54 being shaped so that its external contour 60 rests on the internal face of the housing 12 and so that its internal contour 58 is retained against abutment means integral with the second end 36 of the ferrule 30.
• these abutment means consist of an annular abutment rib 62, of revolution and adjacent to the free edge of the second end 36 of the ferrule 30.
• the shielding connection device 10 has a symmetry of revolution allowing both a 360 ° contact ensuring a correct transfer impedance between the braid 26 and the boxes 12 and 16 and the possibility of carrying out a 360 ° rotation between the ferrule 30 and the opening 28.
• the shielded cable 20 is located inside a protective sheath 64, preferably flexible, surrounding the braid 26 at least up to the clamping ring 46.
• This protective sheath 64 is preferably made of a flexible material such as elastomer and is intended to mechanically protect the braid 26 in order to avoid any alteration of the shielding continuity provided between the two boxes 12 and 16 by this braid 26.
• FIG. 3 illustrates a ferrule 30 which is metallic and is produced for example in a Cu-Zn alloy which can be coated with a metallic layer minimizing the electrical resistance of contact with the housing 12 or 16, preferably a nickel layer with a thickness between 2 and 5 ⁇ m.
• the ferrule 30 has a length of 9.6 mm, its first cylindrical end 34 has a diameter of 9.8 mm and a bead 66 is disposed over the entire periphery of the first end 34 at the free edge in order to prevent sliding of the clamping ring and separation between the first end 50 of the braid 26 and the ferrule 30.
• the internal diameter of the ferrule is for example of the order of 8.2 mm.
• the annular rib of revolution 38 having a crenellated profile and the shoulder 40 delimiting the side of the annular rib of revolution 38 facing the free edge of the second end 36 of the ferrule 30.
• This shoulder 40 comprises the contact surface 42 and the cylindrical surface of revolution 43.
• the diameter of the surface 43 is equal to the diameter of the circular opening 28 of the housing 12, for example of the '' order of 10 mm.
• the free edge of the second end 36 of the ferrule 30 comprises a second annular rib of revolution 62 having a cross section in the form of a slot.
• the outside diameter of the second rib 62 is equal to the outside diameter of the surface 43 (10 mm) so that there is a shoulder 72 between the surface 68 and the surface 43 .
• the change in diameter at the shoulders 70 and 72 that is to say the difference in diameter between the surfaces 43 and 68, is for example of the order of 1 mm.
• the distance separating the annular rib 38 from the abutment means constituted by the rib 62 is substantially equal to the sum of the thickness of the wall of the annular zone 44 of the protection and shielding box 12 around the opening 28 and the distance separating the planes comprising respectively the inner contour 58 and the outer contour 60 of the retaining ring 54.
• the wall of the housing 12 has a thickness of 0.3 mm equal to the thickness of the ring formed by the surface 43 and the width of the peripheral surface 68 is equal to the distance separating the planes respectively comprising the inner contour 58 and the outer contour 60 of the retaining ring 54, for example 1.3 mm.
• FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B in order to illustrate the shape of the elastic retaining rings 54 and 56.
• the elastic retaining ring 54 is not closed but s' extends over an angle at the center of at least 200 °, preferably at least 270 ° and even more preferably between 290 and 320 °.
• the outer contour has an arc shape.
• the internal contour comprises three sections of circular arc 74 between which recesses 76 are formed. It is also conceivable that the internal contour 58 is strictly in the form of a circular arc provided that the material in which the elastic retaining ring 54 is made is sufficiently flexible.
• This elastic retaining ring 54 can be made of plastic, metal or any other material sufficiently elastic to allow the elastic retaining ring 54 to be removed and put back easily between the rib 62 and the wall of the housing 12
• the ring 54 is made of XC 75 steel on which two coatings are made: a ZnlOZB coating (yellow bichromate zinc) and a finishing coating for resistance to salt spray for 400 hours before the appearance of red rust.
• the elastic retaining ring 54 may have profiles having different shapes.
• the elastic retaining ring 54 has a profile in the form of a truncated cone and in FIG. 5B the elastic retaining ring has a convex profile in the form of a meniscus.
• the elastic retaining rings 54 and 56 are identical and have a constant thickness of material.
• a protective element 78 shown in FIG. 6 can be used in the particular case of the formation of a right angle bend of the shielded cable 20 at the outlet of the box 12.
• This protective element 78 is preferably overmolded outside the housing 12 and extends at least from the annular rib 38 of the ferrule 30 to the free edge of the first end 34 of the ferrule 30 by surrounding a section of the ferrule 30, the clamping ring 46 and a section of the first end 50 of the braid 26.
• the protective element 78 constitutes a substantially cylindrical sleeve protecting the device connection throughout the area of the ferrule which is located outside the housing 12. It should be noted that this protective element 78 does not prevent disassembly of the connection device, in removing the elastic retaining ring 54 as will be described below.
• the sheath 64 can then be shorter.
• the sheath can stop before the first end 34 of the ferrule 30 and in the case of a bent protection element 78 ( Figure 6), the sheath can stop before the elbow while remaining in contact with the protective element 78 over a length sufficient to ensure the seal between these two elements.
• the protective element 78 further extends around a section 80 of the shielded cable 20 which is adjacent to the first end 34 of the ferrule 30, this section 80 forming an angle ⁇ not zero with the axis of revolution X of the ferrule 30.
• the section 80 is rectilinear in a direction Y forming an angle ⁇ of 90 ° with the axis X which is the axis of revolution of the ferrule 30.
• the molded protection element 78 forms an L-shaped sleeve, in particular at the level of its hollow part surrounding the connection device 10 and the section 80.
• the molded protection element 78 has a thickness more or less constant of the order of at least 1 mm and can be made of any plastic that can be overmolded.
• the length L corresponding to the length of the shielded cable 20 separating the two boxes 12 and 16 is of the order of 150 to 300 mm.
• the shielding connection device makes it possible to rotate the shielding connection through 360 ° by rotating the ferrule 30 in the opening 28 of the housing.
• the shielding connection device comprises a protection L-shaped 78
• the section 80 of the shielded cable 20 can be oriented radially around the opening 28 in the most suitable desired direction within the projector so that this connection device according to the invention takes the least amount of place possible.
• the protective element 78 may consist of two complementary parts or shells in the form of half-rings which surround the shielded cable 20 and which are fixed to one another by means of complementary fixing means.

Landscapes

• Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
• Connector Housings Or Holding Contact Members (AREA)
• Cable Accessories (AREA)
• Non-Portable Lighting Devices Or Systems Thereof (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9511105

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (6)

Citations (2)

• 1997
  • 1997-09-16 FR FR9711477A patent/FR2768563B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1998
  • 1998-09-16 ES ES98943994T patent/ES2175768T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-09-16 DE DE69805088T patent/DE69805088T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-09-16 WO PCT/FR1998/001975 patent/WO1999014826A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-09-16 EP EP98943994A patent/EP1016171B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (2)

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