WO2017174153A1

WO2017174153A1 - Connector arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2017174153A1
Application number: PCT/EP2016/057785
Authority: WO
Inventors: Martin DERMARK
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2016-04-08
Filing date: 2016-04-08
Publication date: 2017-10-12

Abstract

It is provided a connector arrangement (300) for forming a signal connection comprising a male connector (100) and a female connector (200), wherein a recess of the female connector is configured to receive a tip of the male connector only when the male connector is introduced at an angle to the female connector, such that a relative pivoting motion of the male and female connector forms a mechanical lock therebetween preventing relative movement of the male and female connector in the first direction, and wherein a signal connection is formed between the respective signal connection elements of the male and female connectors by means of the relative pivoting motion. It is also provided a male connector and a female connector.

Description

CONNECTOR ARRANGEMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a connector arrangement comprising a male connector and a female connector for forming a signal connection.

BACKGROUND

Electrical connections between different technical equipment are mostly made by connectors. These connectors may be mounted on cables and chassis. Connections can be made as cable to cable connectors or cable to chassis connectors and such connectors could be of following types; power connectors, RF-connectors or signal-connectors. Technical equipment may have single or multiple connection points. Connectors specifically adapted for outdoor use often have rigorous requirements due to environmental exposure. Moreover, connectors often have mechanical locking mechanisms which need to be capable of withstanding vibration and load from external force on the cable and on the connector without breaking up the contact or damaging the connector.

Existing connectors are often assembled by many parts made from different materials which make the assembly of the connectors complicated. The many parts set high requirements when it comes to mechanical tolerances, in turn driving cost of the connectors.

Some existing connector types, e.g., bayonet cable connectors, comprises locking mechanisms of a circular type where one part is rotated in relation to another in order to mechanically lock one contact to the other. Consequently, there must be sufficient space surrounding the connector to be able to twist the locking mechanism by hand. This means that distance to next connector, or mechanical part, must be substantially longer than the diameter of the connector. Moreover, if water gets into existing connectors there is a risk for further water propagation into the technical equipment. The moisture performance may be further degraded if the sealing in the connector gets damaged, or have been contaminated by some debris.

Accordingly, it is desirable to develop new connector arrangements overcoming at least some of the above mentioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY

In view of above-mentioned and other drawbacks of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved connector

arrangement for forming a signal connection, and in particular for forming an electrical or optical connection. According to a first aspect, it is provided a connector arrangement for forming a signal connection comprising a male connector and a female connector. The male connector comprises a first cable connection portion configured to connect the male connector to a cable, at least one signal connection element arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element of the female connector and a first mechanical connector element comprising a first portion extending in a first direction away from the cable connection portion and having a tip extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The female connector comprises a second cable connection portion configured to connect the female connector to a cable, at least one signal connection element arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element of the male connector and a second mechanical connector element comprising a recess configured to receive the tip of the male connector to mechanically connect the male connector and the female connector. The recess of the female connector is configured to receive the tip of the male connector only when the male connector is introduced at an angle to the female connector, such that a relative pivoting motion of the male and female connector forms a mechanical lock therebetween, thus preventing relative movement of the male and female connector in the first direction, and wherein a signal connection is formed between the respective signal connection elements of the male and female connectors by means of the relative pivoting motion.

Hereby, a connector arrangement is provided which forms a mechanical lock without the need for free room around the connector. Moreover, the configuration of the connector enables a stable mechanical connection. According to some aspects, the signal connection elements are configured to communicate an electrical or optical signal. Accordingly, the connector is usable in a wide range of applications.

According to some aspects, the signal connection elements of the male and female connectors are arranged and configured to be in contact when the male and female connectors mechanically connected and are aligned in the same plane.

Hereby, it can be visually detected when the signal connection is formed by observing that the male and female connectors are aligned.

According to some aspects, an extension portion of the male connector and an extension portion of the female connector are configured to prevent further relative pivoting motion once the male and female connectors are mechanically connected and are aligned in the same plane.

Thereby, a user can be provided with an indication that the signal connection is formed when the pivoting motion is completed and where no further pivoting motion is possible.

According to some aspects, the extension portion of one of the male connector and the female connector comprises a recess and the extension portion of the other of the male connector and the female connector comprises a protrusion having a shape corresponding to a shape of the recess of the female connector, such that further alignment of the male and female connector can be provided. According to some aspects, the at least one signal connection element of one of the male connector and the female connector is located in the protrusion and the at least one signal connection element of the other of the male connector and the female connector is located in the recess. Hereby, the alignment of the protrusion and the recess also provides an alignment of the signal connection elements of the male and female connectors.

According to some aspects, the connector arrangement further comprises a sealing element arranged to form an environmental seal between the protrusion of the male connector and the recess of the female connector.

Hereby, the signal connection elements can be protected from environmental factors such as water and particles.

According to some aspects, one of the male connector and the female connector further comprises a guiding ridge and the other of the male connector and the female connector further comprises a guiding groove configured to receive the guiding ridge and to guide a mechanical connection of the male and female connectors.

Hereby, the connectors are guided to the correct position before the pivoting movement is completed to ensure that the mechanical connection is properly formed and to prevent damaging the signal connection elements when forming the connection.

According to some aspects, the connector arrangement further comprises a locking element configured prevent disconnection of the male and female connectors once the male and female connectors have been mechanically connected and aligned in the same plane.

Hereby, the connector arrangement is locked together preventing accidental disconnection of the connectors. The locking element can be configured to require a user to interact with the locking element to release the mechanical connection.

According to some aspects, the male connector and the female connector each comprises a plurality of electrodes, at lest one of the plurality of the electrodes of each connector being a ground electrode, wherein the electrodes are arranged such that, during connection of the male connector and the female connector, a ground electrode of the male connector makes contact to a corresponding ground electrode of the female connector prior to any of the remaining electrodes making contact.

Hereby, so called make first/break last (MFBL) functionality of the ground electrode is provided. There is also provided a male connector comprising: a cable connection portion configured to connect the male connector to a cable; at least one signal connection element arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element of a female connector; a mechanical connector element comprising a first portion extending in a first direction away from the cable connection portion and having a tip extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

There is also provided a female connector comprising: a cable connection portion configured to connect the female connector to a cable; at least one signal connection element arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element of a male connector; a mechanical connector element comprising a recess configured to receive a tip of a male connector to mechanically connect the female connector and the male connector. Moreover, according to some aspects, there is provided a rack comprising a plurality of male or female connectors arranged side by side and adjacent to each other in the rack.

Hereby, a rack can be provided where a larger number of connectors can be arranged side by side in a given space compared to for connectors using other types of locking mechanisms, such as circular contacts requiring relative rotation of parts for mechanically locking the connectors.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated. Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following description. The skilled person realize that different features of the present invention may be combined to create embodiments other than those described in the following, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present technique is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. lA-B schematically illustrate a male connector according to

embodiments of the present technique; Figs. 2A-B schematically illustrate a female connector according to

embodiments of the present technique;

Figs. 3A-D schematically illustrate a connector arrangement according to embodiments of the present technique;

Fig. 4 schematically illustrates a male connector according to embodiments of the present technique; Fig. 5 schematically illustrates a female connector according to embodiments of the present technique;

Figs. 6A-B schematically illustrates a connector arrangement according to embodiments of the present technique;

Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a connector arrangement according to embodiments of the present technique; and

Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a rack comprising connectors according to embodiments of the present technique.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present technique will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain aspects of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments and aspects set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description. In the following detailed description, various aspects of the connector arrangement according to the present technique are described.

Figs. lA-B schematically illustrate a male connector 100 comprising a cable connection portion 102 configured to connect the male connector to a cable, at least one signal connection element 104 arranged to contact a

corresponding signal connection element 204 of a female connector a mechanical connector element 106 comprising a first portion 108 extending in a first direction away from the cable connection portion 102 and having a tip 110 extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

Figs. 2A-B schematically illustrate a female connector 200 comprising: a cable connection portion 202 configured to connect the female connector to a cable; at least one signal connection element 204 arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element 104 of the male connector 100; a mechanical connector element 206 comprising a recess 208 configured to receive a tip 110 of a male connector 100 to mechanically connect the female connector 200 and the male connector 100.

As illustrated in Figs. 1-2, the mechanical connector element 106 of the male connector 100 is hook-shaped, and the corresponding mechanical connector element 206 of the female connector is hook-shaped, such that the

mechanical connector elements can be interlocked to form the connection. The mechanical connector elements provides a mechanical connection which is capable of withstanding a force in the length direction of the connector elements, such as would occur if a cable would be pulled away from the connector. The mechanical connector elements 106, 206, can also be described as being J-shaped, or U-shaped, with the main feature being that they can be interlocked though a pivoting motion to form a mechanical connection. Even though the mechanical connector elements 106, 206 are illustrated as being smoothly curved, they could also be slightly angled, provided that the basic functionality is maintained.

The recess 208 of the female connector can also be described as having an opening in the first direction, away from the cable connection portion 202, and where the recess curves in a direction perpendicular to the first direction to form a curved, J-shaped or L-shaped recess, i.e. functioning as a hook capable of receive the curved tip 110 of the male connector 100, having the same shape as the recess 208.

Figs. 3A-D schematically illustrate a connector arrangement 300 at different stages of assembly. In particular, Figs. 3A-D illustrate a connector

arrangement 300 for forming a signal connection comprising a male connector 100 and a female connector 200, the male connector comprising: a first cable connection portion 102 configured to connect the male connector 100 to a cable; at least one signal connection element 104 arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element 204 of the female connector 200; a first mechanical connector element 106 comprising a first portion 108 extending in a first direction away from the cable connection portion 102 and having a tip 110 extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and the female connector 200 comprising a second cable connection portion 202 configured to connect the female connector 200 to a cable; at least one signal connection element 204 arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element 104 of the male connector 100; a second mechanical connector element 206 comprising a recess 208 configured to receive the tip 110 of the male connector to mechanically connect the male connector and the female connector, wherein the recess 208 of the female connector 300 is configured to receive the tip 110 of the male connector only when the male connector is introduced at an angle to the female connector, such that a relative pivoting motion of the male 100 and female 300 connector forms a mechanical lock therebetween preventing relative movement of the male 100 and female 200 connector in the first direction, and wherein a signal connection is formed between the respective signal connection elements 104, 204 of the male 100 and female 200 connectors by means of the relative pivoting motion.

Spacing between connectors, or between connector and other mechanical parts, could be kept very small due to the mechanical concept of the connector where the mating connector parts are "folded" into each other like a hinge by means of a relative pivoting motion. Accordingly, more connectors could be stacked next to each other. Moreover, the connector arrangement can be designed to comprise many connection points, i.e. many signal connection elements, while only adding to the size of the connectors in one direction. A circular connector would require an increased diameter to accommodate more connection points, and will therefore often be too large to fit in a mechanical enclosure having a predetermined size requirement. Thus, for instance, electrical power and communications signals can be integrated tightly in a single connector unit.

Furthermore, the connectors 100, 200 prevent water from getting through the connectors and further in to the technical equipment. Since the connector body is molded together with the connecting elements, the connectors are completely sealed and no leakage could come through the connecting element pins and in to the equipment. Other types of connectors are typically assembled by many parts and there is often multiple ways of water getting further in to the system if there is a leakage between the two connectors.

Both the male 100 and the female 200 connector can thus be molded from a plastic material, where the connection elements are integrated in the connectors already at fabrication, thereby requiring no further assembly. The size and configuration of the cable connection portions 102 and 202 can be configured to suit a particular cable type, and/or a desired cable

installation distance. Moreover, at least one of the cable connection portions 102 and 202 may comprise a sealing in the form of a rubber gasket or the like to form a seal around the cable.

The signal connection elements 104, 204 of the male 100 and female 200 connectors are electrodes configured to communicate an electrical signal. Here, the signal connection elements 104, 204 are illustrated as comprising a blade 204 electrode and a receptable electrode 104 comprising two plates for receiving the blade. However, the skilled person realizes that many different configurations of the signal connection elements are possible within the scope of the present technique. The signal connection elements may for example be pin and socket elements or flat connection elements.

The signal connection elements 104 of the male 100 and female 200 connectors are arranged and configured to be in contact when the male and female connectors mechanically connected and are aligned in the same plane. As can be understood from Figs. 1-2, an electrical connection cannot be formed until the male and female connectors are at least nearly aligned, which prevents accidental contact of the electrodes when connecting the connectors, which could otherwise cause electrostatic discharge (ESD).

The male connector 100 comprises an extension portion 112, located between the cable connection portion 102 and the tip 110, wherein the at least one signal connection element 104 is located in the extension portion 112. The female connector 200 comprises an extension portion 212, located adjacent to the recess 208 in the direction away from the cable connection portion 202, wherein the at least one signal connection element 204 is located in the extension portion 212. The extension portion 112 of the male connector 100 and the extension portion 212 of the female connector 200 are configured to prevent further relative pivoting motion once the male 100 and female 200 connectors are mechanically connected and are aligned in the same plane. According to some aspects, the extension portion 212 of the female connector 200 comprises a recess 214, and the extension portion 112 of the male connector 100 comprises a protrusion 114 having a shape corresponding to a shape of the recess 214 of the female connector 200. The reverse alternative is equally possible, where the female connector comprises a protrusion and the male connector comprises a recess.

Moreover, according to some aspects, the at least one signal connection element 104 of the male connector 100 is located in the protrusion 114 and the at least one signal connection element 204 of the female connector is located in the recess 214. Thereby, protection for the signal connection elements 104, 204 is provided when the connectors are not connected.

Here, both the recess 214 and the protrusion 114 are circular, although other shapes are also possible. The outer edge of the protrusion 114 is beveled and the recess 214 has a correspondingly sloping wall thereby acting to guide and properly align the connectors and the electrodes 104, 204 to the in case of slight misalignment when connecting the connectors.

Fig. 2A further illustrates a a sealing element 215 arranged to form an environmental seal between the protrusion 114 of the male connector and the recess 214 of the female connector 200. The sealing element 215 protects the electrodes from contaminants such as water and dirt. In the illustrated example, the sealing element is an O-ring 215. However, the skilled person realizes than many different types of sealing elements could be used.

Furthermore, according to some aspects, the male connector 100 comprises a guiding ridge 116 and the female connector 200 comprises a corresponding guiding groove 216 configured to receive the guiding ridge 116 and to guide a mechanical connection of the male 100 and female 200 connectors. The groove 216 may also be referred to as a recess or a trench and the ridge 116 may be seen as a pin. The ridge 116 may also be shorter than illustrated here, such that it forms a point or dot, as long as it is capable of guiding the tip 110 of the male connector 100 to the correct position when inserted into the recess 216 of the female connector 200. The reverse alternative is equally possible, where the female connector comprises a guiding ridge and the male connector comprises a guiding groove.

The male connector 100 is here illustrated as comprising a locking element 118 configured to prevent disconnection of the male 100 and female 200 connectors once the male 100 and female 200 connectors have been mechanically connected and aligned in the same plane. The locking element 118 prevents accidental disconnection of the connectors, requiring manual interaction for releasing the lock. Again, the illustrated example is just one of many possible locking mechanisms. Moreover, the locking element may equally well be arranged on the female connector, and alternative locking mechanisms could comprise parts in both of the connectors 100, 200.

The male connector 100 and the female connector 200 each comprises a plurality of electrodes 104, 204, at least one of the plurality of the electrodes of each connector being a ground electrode, wherein the electrodes are arranged such that, during connection of the male connector 100 and the female connector 200, a ground electrode of the male connector makes contact to a corresponding ground electrode of the female connector prior to any of the remaining electrodes making contact. In the present example, this could be achieved by making the ground electrode of the female connector 200 longer than the remaining connectors, i.e. protruding further from the base of the recess 214 of the connector 200, and/or by making the receiving electrode 104 of the male connector protrude further than the remaining electrodes. It should be noted than many of the above described features can be located on either of the male connector and the female connector, and that the illustrated examples provide exemplifying embodiments of the various aspects of the present technique. Turning back to Figs. 3A-D, it can be seen that the male 100 and female 200 connectors are locked into each other like a hinge. Unlike existing solutions, where circular type locking mechanisms require room for maneuver, the described connection arrangement provides locking features in less space. Furthermore, the mechanical hinge design allows mating parts to be manufactured with less sub parts. The hinge-like connector arrangement requires fewer parts during connector manufacturing and adds no extra tolerance chains compared to many existing contacts. From a manufacturing point of view, the connector comes as good as "ready to use" from the production line, thus not adding any extra assembling stage. The cost of the connector arrangement can thereby be minimized.

Furthermore, when using the described connector arrangement, a user intuitively realizes that the signal connection is formed when the connectors are aligned and when no further pivoting motion is possible. The locking element may also be configured to snap into place, thereby providing an audible and/or a tactile indication to the user that the connectors are locked together.

In Fig. 3A, the male connector 100 is placed perpendicularly to the female connector 200, as seen with respect to the longitudinal axis, i.e. the length direction, of the connectors, such that the tip 110 of the male connector 100 is facing the opening of the recess 208 of the female connector 200.

In Fig. 3B, the tip 110 of the male connector 100 has been moved towards and into the opening of the recess 208 of the female connector 200. In this position, the guiding ridge 116 of the male connector 100 has engaged with the guiding groove 216 of the female connector 200 in order to align the two connectors and to guide the pivoting motion.

Fig. 3C illustrates the male connector 100 pivoting in relation to the female connector 200 such that the tip 110 is further inserted into the recess 208, and the signal connection elements 104 of the male connector 100 are moved towards the signal connection elements 204 of the female connector 200.

In Fig. 3D, the connection is complete once the connectors 100, 200 are aligned in the same plane, as seen with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connectors, and electrical connection is formed. Moreover, the connectors 100, 200 are fixed in the locked position by means of the locking element 118. As illustrated herein, the locking element 118 is a flexible element which snaps into place once the connectors 100, 200 are aligned, preventing accidental disconnection of the connectors 100, 200. The illustrated locking element 118 requires a user to interact with the locking element to release the mechanical connection. It is also possible to provide a locking element which is released by applying a certain force to the connectors, i.e. an upwards directed force on the male connector. Such a locking element would thus not require manual interaction for disconnecting the connectors, which could be advantageous in some applications.

Accordingly, as soon as the connector parts starts gripping in to each other they automatically steer into the correct position without a need for adding any pushing force. Even before the connectors are in the locked position the connector arrangement could withstand a significant pulling force on the cable. When the connector is locked it could withstand at least the same pulling force as conventional connectors. As illustrated in the example in Fig. 3A the angle between the connectors, i.e. the engagement angle, is approximately 90⁰. In some applications, it may be desirable to have an engagement angle which is lower than 90⁰, such as e.g. 45° or 30⁰. In the present configuration, the engagement angle is easily configurable by adjusting the geometry of the tip 110 of the male connector and/or by adjusting the hook shaped portion 210 forming the recess 208 of the female connector 200. Figs. 4 and 5 schematically illustrate a respective male connector 400 and female connector 500 configured to have a size and shape corresponding to an 8P8C connector, also referred to as an RJ45 connector. In the male connector 400 illustrated in Fig. 4, the signal connection elements 402 are located at the tip 110 of the connector 400 in order to contact the corresponding signal connection elements 508 located in the recess 208 of the female connector 500 illustrated in Fig. 5. The female connector 500 of Fig. 5 further comprises legs 502 for

mechanically connecting the connector 500 to e.g. a circuit boards or similar substrates. The female connector 500 can thereby replace an Ethernet port of a portable or stationary computer and the like. Figs. 6A-B schematically illustrate the connection of the connectors 400, 500. In Fig. 6A, the tip 110 of the male connector is partially inserted into the recess 208 of the female connector 500. The male connector is guided in the lateral direction (i.e. sideways) by means of the protrusions 504 of the female connector 500 and the corresponding grooves 408, or tracks, of the male connector 400.

In Fig. 6B, the connectors 400, 500 are aligned and the mechanical and electrical connection is formed. A further relative pivoting motion is prevented by means of a ledge 406 of the male connector 400 abutting against a corresponding stopping portion 506 of the female connector 500. Furthermore, the connectors 400, 500 are locked together by means of the locking elements 404 of the male connector 400 engaging the protrusions 504 of the female connector 500. The locking elements 404 are flexible and comprises a hook, or recess, which engages with the protrusion 504 and snaps into position when the connectors are aligned. The illustrated locking mechanism can thus be configured to release without manual interaction with the locking mechanism, by applying a sufficient upward force on the male connector. Fig. 7 schematically illustrates a connector arrangement where the signal connection elements 104 of the male 100 and female 200 connectors are optical contacts configured to communicate an optical signal. The optical cable 702 is illustrated as forming a straight line through the connectors along the length of the connectors, since an optical cable cannot properly guide light if the curvature of the cable is too large. Accordingly, an optical connector may require a different configuration of the cable within the connectors compared to a connector arrangement for forming an electrical connection.

Fig. 8 illustrates a rack 800 comprising a plurality of female connectors 500 arranged directly adjacent to each other in a frame 802, thus illustrating how the described contacts can be arranges in a space effective manner. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of male connectors 400 side by side and directly adjacent to each other in a rack.

Even though the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplifying embodiments thereof, many different alterations, modifications and the like will become apparent for those skilled in the art from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. Also, it should be noted that parts of the connector arrangement may be omitted, interchanged or arranged in various ways, the connector arrangement yet being able to perform the functionality of the present invention. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measured cannot be used to advantage. Additionally, variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by the skilled person in practicing the claimed invention. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

Claims

l8 CLAIMS

1. A connector arrangement (300) for forming a signal connection comprising a male connector (100, 400) and a female connector (200, 500), the male connector comprising:

a first cable connection portion (102) configured to connect the male connector to a cable;

at least one signal connection element (104) arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element (204) of the female connector; a first mechanical connector element (106) comprising a first portion

(108) extending in a first direction away from the cable connection portion and having a tip (110) extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction; and

the female connector comprising:

a second cable connection portion (202) configured to connect the female connector to a cable;

at least one signal connection element (204) arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element (104) of the male connector (100); a second mechanical connector element (206) comprising a recess (208) configured to receive the tip (110) of the male connector to

mechanically connect the male connector and the female connector,

wherein the recess (208) of the female connector is configured to receive the tip (110) of the male connector only when the male connector is introduced at an angle to the female connector, such that a relative pivoting motion of the male and female connector forms a mechanical lock

therebetween preventing relative movement of the male and female connector in the first direction, and wherein a signal connection is formed between the respective signal connection elements of the male and female connectors by means of the relative pivoting motion.

2. The connector arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the signal connection elements (104), (204) of the male (100, 400) and female (200, 500) connectors are electrodes configured to communicate an electrical signal.

3. The connector arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal connection elements (104, 204) of the male (100, 400) and female (200, 500) connectors are arranged and configured to be in contact when the male and female connectors mechanically connected and are aligned in the same plane.

4. The connector arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the male connector (100) comprises an extension portion (112), located between the cable connection portion (102) and the tip (110), and wherein the at least one signal connection element (104) is located in the extension portion (112).

5. The connector arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the female connector (200) comprises an extension portion (212), located adjacent to the recess (208) in the direction away from the cable connection portion (202), and wherein the at least one signal connection element (204) is located in the extension portion (212).

6. The connector arrangement according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the extension portion (112) of the male connector (100) and the extension portion (212) of the female connector (200) are configured to prevent further relative pivoting motion once the male and female connectors are mechanically connected and are aligned in the same plane.

7. The connector arrangement according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the extension portion (212) of one of the male connector (100) and the female connector (200) comprises a recess (214), and wherein the extension portion (112) of the other of the male connector (100) and the female connector (200) comprises a protrusion (114) having a shape corresponding to a shape of the recess (214).

8. The connector arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the at least one signal connection element (104) of one of the male connector and the female connector is located in the protrusion (114) and wherein the at least one signal connection element (204) of the other of the male connector and the female connector is located in the recess (214).

9. The connector arrangement according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising a sealing element (215) arranged to form an environmental seal between the protrusion (114) and the recess (214).

10. The connector arrangement according to claim 9, wherein the sealing element is an O-ring (215).

11. The connector arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one of the male connector (100) and the female connector (200) further comprises a guiding ridge (116) and wherein the other of the male connector and the female connector (200) further comprises a guiding groove (216) configured to receive the guiding ridge and to guide a

mechanical connection of the male and female connectors.

12. The connector arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a locking element (118) configured to prevent disconnection of the male and female connectors once the male and female connectors have been mechanically connected and aligned in the same plane.

13. The connector arrangement according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the male connector (100, 400) and the female connector (200, 500) each comprises a plurality of electrodes, at least one of the plurality of the electrodes of each connector being a ground electrode, wherein the electrodes are arranged such that, during connection of the male connector and the female connector, a ground electrode of the male connector makes contact to a corresponding ground electrode of the female connector prior to any of the remaining electrodes making contact.

14. The connector arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the signal connection elements (104, 204) of the male (100, 400) and female (200, 500) connectors are optical contacts configured to communicate an optical signal.

15. A male connector (100, 400) comprising:

a cable connection portion (102) configured to connect the male connector to a cable;

at least one signal connection element (104) arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element (204) of a female connector;

a mechanical connector element (106) comprising a first portion (108) extending in a first direction away from the cable connection portion and having a tip (110) extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

16. The male connector according to claim 15, wherein the mechanical connector element (106) is hook-shaped.

17. A rack comprising a plurality of male connectors according to claim 15 arranged side by side and adjacent to each other in the rack.

18. A female connector (200, 500) comprising:

a cable connection portion (202) configured to connect the female connector to a cable;

at least one signal connection element (204) arranged to contact a corresponding signal connection element (104) of a male connector;

a mechanical connector element (206) comprising a recess (208) configured to receive a tip (110) of a male connector to mechanically connect the female connector and the male connector.

19. The female connector according to claim 18, wherein the mechanical connector element (206) is hook-shaped.

20. A rack (700) comprising a plurality of female connectors (500) according to claim 18 arranged side by side and adjacent to each other in the rack.