WO1999062140A2

WO1999062140A2 - Hf plug-and-socket device

Info

Publication number: WO1999062140A2
Application number: PCT/DE1999/000953
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tom Blomme; Jan Dessin; Marcus Schulte; Martin Sträb; Joris Dobbelaere
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics Logistics Ag
Priority date: 1998-05-28
Filing date: 1999-03-26
Publication date: 1999-12-02
Also published as: DE19823941A1; WO1999062140A3

Abstract

The invention relates to an HF plug-and-socket device (1) that includes a contact device arranged inside a casing (2) having a coding device (3). Coding of the HF plug-and-socket device (1) can be accomplished by means of the coding device (3) provided in the casing so that no confusions arise when several HF plug-and-socket devices are connected. A permanently safe HF connection is achieved by means of a locking device (4) embodied in the casing, whereby locking can be carried out in a particularly easy manner through a locking device (4) embodied in the form of snap-on components.

Description

description

RF connector device

The present invention relates generally to an RF connector device according to the preamble of claim 1, and in particular to an RF connector device for the connector of RF lines and / or RF applications for transmitting RF signals in a motor vehicle.

Plug connections for HF lines are already known from the prior art, which consist of a plug and a plug receptacle, which are plugged into one another in order to establish the connection. The two connector parts are rotationally symmetrical.

Such a conventional HF plug-in connection has the disadvantages that, on the one hand, if several such plug-in connections are present, the plug parts can be mixed up, and, on the other hand, a permanently secured plug connection cannot be achieved due to the simple plugging of the two round plug parts.

In contrast, it is the object of the present invention to provide an HF connector device of the type mentioned, in particular for motor vehicle applications, which ensures a secure connection over a long period of time. In addition, this device should not be confused with multiple connector parts.

This object is achieved by an HF connector device which has the features according to the characterizing part of patent claim 1. Accordingly, an RF connector device comprises a contact device, which is arranged within a surrounding housing.

According to claim 2, the HF connector device has a coding device. By means of the coding device provided on the housing, coding of the HF connector device can be achieved, so that confusion can be excluded.

Advantageous developments of the RF connector device according to the invention are the subject of subclaims.

Thus, with the development according to claim 3, a permanently secured HF plug connection can be achieved by a locking device being provided on the surrounding housing.

A particularly simple type of locking can be achieved with a locking device which, in accordance with claim 5, is preferably designed in the form of locking components.

Some essential advantages of the present HF connector device can be summarized as follows:

a) Confusion can be excluded by the coding device; b) As a result of the locking device, high pulling forces can be resisted, and c) by varying the geometrical dimensions of the plug device, a family formation can be achieved which can be used for various applications (limited installation space, moist environment, different transmission currents, mechanical stress) , etc.). The present invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of several embodiments and in conjunction with the associated drawings.

The drawings show in:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an RF connector device in a first embodiment according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of this RF connector assembly taken along line A-A in Figure 4;

FIG. 3 shows a side external view of the HF plug-in connection device;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the plug side of the RF connector device according to the first embodiment;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the top of the RF connector device of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a side view of a second embodiment of the RF connector device;

FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the HF connector device according to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the plug side of the HF plug connection device according to FIG. 6; and

Figure 9 is a view of the top of the RF connector device according to the second embodiment. The first embodiment of an RF connector device according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.

In FIG. 1, the complete HF plug-in connection device is identified by the reference number 1, while 5 denotes an application with which a plug-in connection is to be established for the transmission of HF signals. Any application that can receive, process and / or transmit the HF signal, such as a multimedia device such as a satellite navigation system, can be used as application 5.

The HF plug-in connection device 1 essentially has the following components: a housing or a guide collar 2, which serves as a guide for a plug part (not shown); a coding rib 3a or a plurality of coding ribs 3a to 3d, which are arranged on the circumference of the guide collar 2; a latching device 4 which ensures permanent locking with the plug part; as well as a plug or contact device arranged inside the guide collar 2, mainly consisting of three components, namely an inner conductor pin 7, an outer conductor shield 6, and a dielectric 8.

In Figure 1, the RF connector device 1 is attached to, for example, a housing of the application 5, so that an RF signal via a coaxial cable (not shown) and a plug part arranged at the end of the coaxial cable, which from below left into the HF - Plug connector 1 is inserted, can be transferred to the application 5.

The guide collar 2 serves as a guide when the two connector parts are plugged together, namely the HF connector device 1 and the connector part (not shown) on the coaxial cable. By means of the coding rib 3a, provided that only a matching (mating) connector part can be inserted into the HF connector device 1.

The plug part has a corresponding depression at the position assigned to the coding rib 3a. The dimensions of this recess correspond to the dimensions of the coding rib 3a, with certain tolerances being observed with regard to the accuracy of fit, which allow the plug part to be pushed or pushed into the HF plug-in connection device 1.

In order to obtain a larger number of coding possibilities, a plurality of coding ribs 3a to 3d can also be provided on the circumference of the guide collar 2. In the first embodiment, a total of four coding ribs 3a to 3d are provided.

The coding ribs 3a to 3d have an elongated shape which is essentially rectangular in cross section, which are arranged tangentially on the circumference of the guide collar 2 with one longitudinal side and which are formed in one piece with the guide collar 2, for example by means of an injection molding process.

An electrically insulating plastic is preferably used as the material for the guide collar 2 and the coding ribs 3a to 3d. The longitudinal edges of the coding ribs 3a to 3d are preferably bevelled or rounded (see FIG. 4) in order to reduce the frictional resistance during the plugging process.

In accordance with the first embodiment, the coding ribs 3a to 3d extend over the entire axial length of the guide collar 2, that is to say from the side of the application 5 to the end on the plug-in side of the HF plug-in connection device 1. In the first embodiment shown, the maximum of four coding ribs 3a to 3d are arranged on the circumference of the guide collar 2 at the same angular distance of approximately 90 °. These four coding ribs 3a to 3d thus result in a maximum of (2 ~ 4) 16 different coding options. An angular offset of 45 ° is preferably selected between the coding ribs 3a and 3b and the latching device 4 (center line in each case), which will be described in detail below.

The contact device arranged within the guide collar 2 is completely surrounded by the guide collar 2. The contact device is only accessible from the plug side. The contact device can preferably be provided as an SMB version, the inner conductor pin 7 being coaxially surrounded by the outer conductor shield 8 and an electrically insulating dielectric 8 being provided between these two electrical conductors. The individual components of the contact device are constructed to be rotationally symmetrical and have a circular opening at the plug end, which is used to receive a complementary plug part. In the area of this opening, the inner conductor pin 7 and the outer conductor shield 6 are provided with chamfered or rounded edges in order to simplify the plug-in connection of the plug components.

On the circumference of the outer conductor shield 6, a latching groove 9 is formed as a circumferential groove which is essentially V-shaped in cross section. At the end of the plugging process, this locking groove 9 engages with a radially projecting projection (not shown) on the complementary plug part.

To protect the internal contact device from dirt and damage, the guide collar 2 is formed in the axial direction beyond the contact device. This prevents the connector parts from tilting and achieves so-called Koshiri security. The end of the guide collar 2, which lies opposite the plug part (on the right in FIG. 2), is provided with a chamfer on the circumferential edge, preferably radially both on the inside and on the outside, in order to support the plugging process.

The locking device 4 is formed on the outer circumference of the guide collar 2 in the axial direction, formed integrally therewith. In the direction of the plug end of the guide collar 2, the locking device 4 is provided with a bevel 4a. Along this bevel 4a, a counterpart (not shown) of the plug part can slide and be deflected in order to slide at the end of the bevel 4a along the upper side of the locking device 4 and finally snap into an undercut 4b. As soon as the counterpart is snapped into the recess of the undercut 4b, there is a permanent locking between the HF connector device 1 and the connector part.

This locking can be released again by means of a corresponding release button (not shown) on the counterpart of the plug part, this release button preferably being designed in such a way that inadvertent release of the lock is excluded.

The coding device according to the invention in the form of one or more coding ribs 3a to 3d thus creates for the first time an RF interface with which different applications that process RF signals can be securely connected to one another without any confusion.

In the automotive industry in particular, the HF connector device 1 is advantageous if, for example, several HF cables are unplugged during repairs, possibly without visual contact, since they are hidden inside the motor vehicle, and if these HF cables are plugged together again after the work has been carried out need without an optical To be in control. Using the coding device 3, it is possible to rule out errors when connecting the different RF lines.

A second embodiment of the HF connector device according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 6 to 9.

Components of the second embodiment that are of the same type or have the same effect are identified by reference numerals increased by 10 compared to the first embodiment.

The left end of the HF connector device 11 is to be regarded as the application side in FIG. 6, while it is the right end in FIG. 8 on which an application 15 is arranged.

A coding device 13 in the second embodiment preferably also consists of four coding ribs 13a to 13d distributed on the circumference of a guide collar 12. These four coding ribs 13a to 13d are circumferentially distributed at the same angular distance and three of these coding ribs 13a, 13c and 13d have a shape which corresponds to the coding ribs 3a to 3d of the first embodiment. A coding rib 13b has a different shape.

In the present embodiment, this coding rib 13b essentially consists of two adjacent elongate elevations which are trapezoidal in cross section (see FIG. 8) and which have the longer base side tangential to the circumference of the

Guide collar 12 run. By providing these further coding options, a maximum of 32 (2 ^Λ 5) different combinations of coding are permitted, and in accordance with the core idea of the present invention, further coding devices 13 are also conceivable, which then leads to an even higher number of coding options. Likewise, the number of coding possibilities can be limited by a certain preselection of combinations of the coding ribs 13, so that, for example, coding is formed in each case by the following pairs of coding ribs 13: 13a and 13b / left; 13a and 13b / right; 13a and 13c; 13a and 13d; I3b / left and 13b / right; etc.

In this second embodiment, the coding ribs 13 extend only over a partial length of the axial extent of the guide collar 12. On the side of the plug part (on the left in FIG. 9), the end of the respective coding ribs 13 is at a distance from the end of the guide collar 12. The end of the coding ribs 13 is designed to be slightly inclined, in contrast to the right-angled course of the end of the coding ribs 3 in the first embodiment.

This design creates the possibility of making the plug-in part of the complementary design and the HF plug-in connection device 11 even easier to assemble: in a first plug-in step, the circular components of the guide collar 12 and plug part housing are brought into position and plugged into one another until the coding ribs 13 stop get into the connector part housing, - in the second plugging step, the connector parts are coaxially inserted into each other until the coding ribs 13 match with corresponding recesses in the connector part housing; and in the final and third insertion step, the coding ribs 13 slide into the recesses.

The number and / or shape of the coding ribs 13 is shown as an example and, within the scope of the invention, can be adapted to the circumstances (available installation space, number of lines to be connected, etc.), as long as it is ensured that there is a confusion-free design . When the plug parts are completely inserted into one another, in the final phase a locking device 14, analogous to the first embodiment, engages with a corresponding counterpart (not shown) on the plug part.

The locking device 14 is also formed on the circumference of the guide collar 12 in the axial direction, formed integrally therewith. The latching device 14 is provided with a bevel 14a in the direction of the plug end of the guide collar 12. A counterpart (not shown) of the plug part can slide along this bevel 14a and is thereby deflected in order to slide at the end of the bevel 14a along the upper side of the latching device 14 and finally snap into an undercut 14b. As soon as the counterpart is snapped into the recess of the undercut 14b, there is a permanent locking between the HF plug connection device 11 and the plug part.

This locking can be released by a corresponding release button (not shown) on the counterpart of the plug part, this release button is preferably also designed so that an inadvertent release of the lock is excluded.

A contact device is also provided in the interior of the guide collar 12 in the second embodiment. This contact device is accessible from the plug side. The contact device can preferably be provided as an SMB version, the inner conductor pin 17 being coaxially surrounded by the outer conductor shield 18 and an electrically insulating dielectric 18 being provided between these two electrical conductors. The individual components of the contact device are constructed to be rotationally symmetrical and have an annular opening at the plug end, which serves to receive a complementary plug part. In the area of this opening there is the inner conductor pin 17 and the outer conductor terabschirmung 16 provided with chamfered or rounded edges to simplify the nesting of the connector components.

On the periphery of the outer conductor shield 16, a locking groove 19 is formed as a circumferential groove. The locking groove 19 at the end of the plugging process engages with a radially projecting projection (not shown) on the complementary plug part.

To protect the internal contact device from dirt and damage, the guide collar 12 is formed in the axial direction beyond the contact device.

The end of the guide collar 12, which lies opposite the plug part (on the right in FIG. 6 or 7), is provided with a chamfer on the circumferential edge, preferably radially on the inside as well as on the outside, in order to support the plugging process.

In view of the similarities between the two embodiments described above, it can be expressed in general that the coding device 3 and / or 13 e.g. can also be provided on the inner circumference of the guide collar 2/12, and the arrangement of the latching device 4/14 is not fixed on the outer circumference of the surrounding housing. The locking device is preferably realized by latching components, although other positive and / or non-positive devices can also be used.

Finally, the provision of the locking device ensures reliable contacting, which resists high pulling forces and which, because of the low forces which act on the electrically conductive components, creates temperature-resistant contacting with constant contact resistance over time. The particularly occurring temperature fluctuations and vibrations therefore have no negative influence on the signal transmission in the HF plug connection according to the invention.

A liquid-tight design of the HF connector device can be achieved by providing a corresponding seal on the guide collar 2/12, which comes to lie between the guide collar 2/12 and the counterpart of the mating connector. Such a seal can preferably be provided as an O-ring which is inserted into a circumferential groove (not shown) which is formed on the inner circumference of the guide collar 2/12.

In order to obtain a range of connector devices for various applications in the field of motor vehicle RF signal transmission, variations can be made with regard to the dimensions, the materials used, etc. (formation of connector families).

With regard to features of the invention not explained in detail above, reference is expressly made to the claims and the drawings.

Claims

claims

1. HF connector device, characterized in that a contact device (6-9; 16-19) is arranged within a surrounding housing (2; 12).

2. HF connector device according to claim 1, wherein a coding device (3; 13) is provided on the housing (2; 12).

3. HF connector device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein on the housing (2; 12) a locking device (4; 14) is provided.

4. RF connector device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the coding device (3; 13) is provided on the outer circumference of the housing (2; 12).

5. HF connector device according to one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the locking device (4; 14) is preferably provided in the form of locking components.

6. RF connector device according to one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the coding device (3; 13) is designed as an elongated, in cross-section substantially rectangular elevation which extends in the direction of the axial extent of the RF connector device (1; 11).

7. RF connector device according to one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the longitudinal extent of the coding device (3; 13) is provided over the entire axial length of the surrounding housing (2; 12), but preferably on a plug side of the RF connector device (1; 11) is shorter and there forms an end face (3e _; - 13e).

8. RF connector device according to claim 7, wherein the end face (3e) of the coding device (3) is perpendicular to the tangent to the peripheral surface of the surrounding housing (2).

9. RF connector device according to claim 7, wherein the end surface (13e) of the coding device (13) obliquely to the tangent to the peripheral surface of the surrounding housing (12).

10. RF connector device according to one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the coding device (3; 13) preferably in

Form of four coding ribs is provided, which are provided symmetrically on the circumference of the surrounding housing (2; 12).

11. RF connector device according to one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the latching components are provided as an elevation (4; 14) on the circumference of the surrounding housing (2; 12), which on the plug side of the RF connector device (1; 11) is chamfered (4a; 14a).

12. RF connector device according to one of claims 2 to 11, wherein one or more of the coding devices (3; 13) are provided as two-part, in cross-section trapezoidal coding ribs (13b).

13. RF connector device according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein on the housing (2; 12) a sealing device is provided which creates a liquid-tight seal to a complementary connector part.