Device feedthrough for passing a high-frequency cable arrangement through a housing of a device

Abstract

Device feedthrough (1) for passing a high-frequency cable arrangement (4) through a housing (5) of a device, with a plurality of cables (3) which are jointly sheathed by a summation shield (13), characterized in that a holding element (7) is provided, to which the summation shield (13) is fastened and which comprises a base (21) provided for fastening to the housing (5) and a plurality of receiving sleeves (23) projecting from the base (1), through each of which one of the plurality of cables (3) is passed and which are each designed such that the associated cable (3) is held and prevented from kinking in the region of the housing (5).

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a device feedthrough for passing a high-frequency cable arrangement with a plurality of cables, which are collectively sheathed by a sum shield, through a housing of a device, in particular in a motor vehicle. State of the art

[0002] In vehicles, cable arrangements with a plurality of cables often have to be passed through a housing of a device provided in the vehicle in order to be able to be connected to an electrical device accommodated in the housing.

[0003] Particularly when the cable arrangement is used to conduct high-frequency alternating electrical currents, the cable arrangement is often provided with electrical shielding to prevent high-frequency radiation from being radiated outwards and to prevent interfering radiation coming from outside from being coupled into cables of the cable arrangement. To implement such shielding, cables of the cable arrangement can be surrounded, for example, by a braid of electrically conductive, preferably metallic fibers or cores. Since the effort required to form such a braid can be considerable, it is advantageous not to surround each of the cables of the cable arrangement individually with a shield, but rather to sheathe the entire plurality of cables in the cable arrangement with a common braid. Such a shield, formed, for example, by a common braid, is also referred to as a collective shield.

[0004] In conventional device feedthroughs for high-frequency cable assemblies, each cable was often routed through the device enclosure using separate feedthrough components, sealing it from the enclosure. This required a large number of individual parts for the device feedthrough, which made both the manufacturing and assembly of these individual parts significantly more complex.

[0005] In addition, due to the size of the individual device feedthrough components, it was often necessary to spatially space the individual cables of the cable arrangement in the device feedthrough area in order to route them to the adjacent device feedthrough components. This often required locally expanding a collective shield surrounding the cables in the device feedthrough area, which could lead to electromagnetic shielding problems.

[0006] Conventional device bushings are known, for example, from US6781059 B2, DE102008050300 A1, US20050266729 A1, US8641441 B2 and DE102010029362 B4. Summary of the invention

[0007] The device feedthrough proposed here, with the characterizing features of the main claim, enables a high-frequency cable arrangement comprising a plurality of cables to be passed through a housing with a small number of individual components. This simplifies both the manufacture of the individual components of the device feedthrough and their assembly.

[0008] In addition, the size of the device feedthrough can be significantly reduced. This reduced size allows, among other things, that a collective shield surrounding the majority of cables only needs to be expanded slightly in one area of the device feedthrough, thus avoiding electromagnetic shielding problems in this area.

[0009] The device feedthrough proposed here comprises a holding element and, in particular, a sealing element. The holding element has a base and a plurality of receiving sleeves projecting from this base. The base of the holding element is designed to fasten the holding element to the housing of the device through which the high-frequency cable arrangement is to be passed. The receiving sleeves of the holding element are designed such that each of the plurality of cables of the high-frequency cable arrangement can be passed through a respective sleeve of the plurality of sleeves, wherein the respective cable is held by the respective sleeve and prevented from kinking in the area near the housing. The holding element is further designed such that the summation shield of the high-frequency cable arrangement can be attached to the holding element, for exampleto be able to establish an electrical connection from the sum shield via the holding element to the housing of the device.

[0010] For this purpose, the holding element has a plurality of receiving sleeves, the number of receiving sleeves preferably corresponding to the number of cables in the cable arrangement. Each of the receiving sleeves has an opening through which a respective cable can be passed.

[0011] The receiving sleeve is designed in such a way that it protrudes from a base of the holding element, so that walls of the receiving sleeve enclose a cable being passed through at least over a certain area along the cable. These walls allow the receiving sleeve to hold or support the cable.

[0012] In addition, the walls of the receiving sleeve can protect the cables from kinking. This can be particularly important when forces are exerted on the cables passing through the device housing that would otherwise cause the cables to bend at sharp corners of the housing. The receiving sleeves can therefore be adapted to the cross-section of the cable being passed through, so that the walls of the receiving sleeves conform to the cable's outer surface and additionally enclose it. For cables with a round cross-section, the receiving sleeves can, for example, be cylindrical. Bending forces exerted on the cables can thus be transferred to the receiving sleeves and ultimately through the holding element to the device housing attached to them. The receiving sleeves or the entire holding element can be made of a material with sufficient rigidity.

[0013] At their lower ends, the receiving sleeves are each connected to the base of the holding element. This base serves as a common flange for all receiving sleeves of the holding element. To enable the holding element to be attached to the device housing, the base has suitable provisions. For example, the holding element can be screwed to the device housing at its base, so that one, two, or more openings are provided on the base through which screws can be inserted to fasten the holding element to the device housing. Alternatively, any other provisions for attaching the holding element to the device housing can be provided.

[0014] The receiving sleeves can be arranged on the holding element in the closest possible arrangement relative to one another. In other words, the receiving sleeves can be arranged such that the sum of the distances between the receiving sleeves is as small as possible. The minimum possible distance can depend on technical requirements such as stability requirements, specifications from a selected manufacturing process, etc. The aim is for the distance between receiving sleeves to be at least not significantly greater than the distance between the individual cables within the cable arrangement. Depending on the number of receiving sleeves and their respective cross-sections, such closest possible arrangements can be designed in different ways. For example, with three round cables and correspondingly cylindrical receiving sleeves, the closest possible arrangement can be such that the receiving sleeves are arranged at the corners of a triangle.

[0015] Alternatively, the receiving sleeves can be arranged in a row next to one another. Such a serial arrangement of the receiving sleeves can be particularly advantageous when the cables in the high-frequency cable arrangement are also arranged next to one another, as in a flat conductor. Similar to the aforementioned closest possible arrangement of the receiving sleeves for high-frequency cable arrangements with a circular cross-section, this can be achieved for flat-conductor high-frequency cable arrangements without the individual cables having to be significantly bent to pass through the receiving sleeves of the device feedthrough. Furthermore, an outer circumference of the high-frequency cable arrangement essentially coincides with a circumference of an envelope around the plurality of receiving sleeves, so that a summation shield provided around this outer circumference can be attached to the device feedthrough in an area around the receiving sleeves essentially without additional expansion.

[0016] The measures listed in the subclaims enable advantageous further developments and improvements of the device implementation specified in the main claim.

[0017] In order to transfer a tensile load acting on one of the cables to the retaining element of the device feedthrough, a receiving sleeve for this cable can have a section with a reduced cross-section that interacts with the cable when assembled. In other words, the receiving sleeve can be locally narrowed in a partial area so that the cable can transfer tensile loads acting on the cable to this narrowed area. The narrowed area can have a reduced cross-section that is smaller than the cross-section of the cable being passed through, thus clamping the cable being passed through.

[0018] For example, in order not to make it more difficult for the cable to be passed through the receiving sleeves, particularly in the area of reduced cross-section, this area can also be designed with a cross-section that is slightly larger than the cross-section of the cable. A local thickening can be provided on the cable, with which the cable can interact with the area of reduced cross-section of the receiving sleeve. In other words, a thickened area can be provided on the cable in which the cross-section of the cable is locally increased, so that this thickened area can transfer forces to the area of reduced cross-section of the receiving sleeve when tensile stress is applied to the cable. The thickening can be formed integrally with the cable or, alternatively, attached to an outer surface of the cable as a separate component. For example, an additional ring can be arranged on the cable to form the thickening.The ring can, for example, be crimped, squeezed, glued, shrunk, overmolded or similarly fixed.

[0019] The spacing between the receiving sleeves of the holding element can advantageously correspond to the spacing of the cables within the high-frequency cable arrangement. In other words, the receiving sleeves projecting from the base of the holding element can be arranged such that the cables contained in the cable arrangement essentially do not need to be bent in order to be guided through the receiving sleeves. This can significantly facilitate guiding the cables through the receiving sleeves in the device feedthrough. Furthermore, such an arrangement of the receiving sleeves can help ensure that the summation shield of the high-frequency cable arrangement, which is to be attached to the holding element, does not need to be significantly expanded before it can be attached to the holding element.Since a braid forming the sum shield of the high-frequency cable arrangement does not need to be deformed and, in particular, does not need to be widened in the area of the device feedthrough, a deterioration of the shielding effect of such a sum shield can be avoided.

[0020] As a further alternative, the receiving sleeves can be arranged and designed such that an envelope surrounding the receiving sleeves has an oval shape. The individual receiving sleeves of the device feedthrough can have different cross-sections, depending on where they are arranged within the oval cross-section of the holding element. The advantages of such a design include a very tight spatial arrangement to save installation space. Likewise, a magnetic field of individual conductors can be balanced over the shortest possible path.

[0021] To electrically and mechanically connect the composite shield to the device feedthrough, a shield connection holder can be provided on the holding element. The shield connection holder can be designed to bring the composite shield enclosing the high-frequency cable assembly into electrical contact with the device housing. For this purpose, the shield connection holder can be designed to bring parts of the composite shield into contact with the holding element. The holding element itself, in turn, is attached to the device housing and brought into electrical contact with it. In this way, reliable electromagnetic shielding can be ensured all the way to the housing.

[0022] The device feedthrough proposed here comprises a retaining element and a sealing element. The sealing element is designed such that it can be positioned between the retaining element and the housing and, when the retaining element is attached to the housing, seals each of the plurality of cables. In contrast to conventional device feedthroughs for high-frequency cable assemblies, the device feedthrough proposed here thus requires only two components: the retaining element and the sealing element. Optionally, additional components can of course be provided. Both the retaining element and the sealing element are designed such that they can fulfill their functional tasks for several of the cables contained in the cable assembly.

[0023] The sealing element of the device feedthrough serves to seal the housing of the device to which the high-frequency cable arrangement is to be passed through, despite the high-frequency cable arrangement being passed through.

[0024] The sealing element is designed to seal each of the cables contained in the high-frequency cable arrangement. For this purpose, the sealing element can be designed as a single collective seal with a plurality of openings for the cables to pass through. A separate opening can be provided for each of the cables contained in the high-frequency cable arrangement, with the cross-section of the opening essentially corresponding to the cross-section of the cable to be passed through. Thus, a single sealing element is sufficient to seal all of the cables of the high-frequency cable arrangement passing through within the device feedthrough.

[0025] Preferably, the retaining element and the sealing element of the device feedthrough are adapted to the geometry of the device housing in such a way that, when the retaining element is attached to the housing, the sealing element is both fixed and pressed tightly around the cables. In other words, the sealing element can be arranged and configured on the proposed device feedthrough in such a way that, when the device feedthrough is mounted on the device housing, the sealing element lies between the retaining element and a surface of the device housing and is pressed against the device housing by the retaining element. The pressing pressure can create both a seal between the retaining element and the device housing and a conforming seal between the sealing element and the cables routed through it.

[0026] According to an advantageous embodiment, the retaining element is made of a rigid material, for example, metal or plastic, and the sealing element is made of a flexible material, for example, silicone. This ensures that the retaining element reliably performs both its retaining function and its anti-kink function, and the sealing element deforms sufficiently during the installation of the device feedthrough to seal the cables passing through it. For example, the retaining element can be made of materials such as steel, aluminum, or other conductive materials. The sealing element can be made of materials such as silicone, gel, rubber, or other sealing materials.

[0027] It should be noted that possible features and advantages are described herein with reference to various embodiments of the device feedthrough. A person skilled in the art will recognize that the various features can be combined in various ways to achieve further embodiments and potentially synergistic effects. Short description of the drawings

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings, but neither the drawings nor the description should be construed as limiting the invention. Fig. 1 shows a sectional view through a device feedthrough according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows a plan view of a device feedthrough according to the invention. Fig. 3 shows a side view of a device feedthrough according to the invention. Fig. 4 shows a plan view of an alternative device feedthrough according to the invention. Fig. 5 shows a plan view of another alternative device feedthrough according to the invention.

[0029] The drawings are merely schematic and not to scale. Like reference numerals refer to like components throughout the drawings. Embodiments of the invention

[0030] The Fig. 1 to 3 show different views of a device feedthrough for passing cables 3 of a high-frequency cable arrangement 4 through a housing 5 of a device, for example in a motor vehicle. Fig. 2 shows a top view. Fig. 1 shows a sectional view along the lines AA of Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows a side view along the lines BB of Fig. 2.

[0031] A high-frequency cable assembly 4 includes a plurality of cables 3 arranged side by side. The cables 3 are used, for example, in a motor vehicle to transmit high-voltage, high-frequency electrical currents from a power source to a current collector. For example, the high-frequency cable assembly can be used to transmit electrical power to a synchronous motor of an electric or hybrid vehicle.

[0032] Each of the plurality of cables 3 is guided in the device feedthrough 1 through a cylindrical receiving sleeve 23 of a holding element 7. For this purpose, the holding element 7 has a plurality of adjacently arranged, for example, cylindrical receiving sleeves 23, which are connected at their lower end to a base 21 serving as a holding flange. The receiving sleeves 23 can be integrally connected to the base 21 or can be designed as separate components connected to the base. The holding element 7 is attached to this base 21 by suitable fastening means 19, such as screws or rivets or the like, on the housing 5.

[0033] To seal the opening in the housing 5, through which the cables 3 of the cable arrangement 4 are fed into the interior of the housing 5 with the aid of the device feedthrough 1, a sealing element 9 in the form of a collective seal is provided. This collective seal has an opening in the region of each receiving sleeve 23 through which a respective cable 3 can be passed. The sealing element 9 is disc-shaped and made of an elastomer, for example, silicone. When the holding element 7 is attached to the housing 5, this sealing element 9 can be compressed at least locally and then seals around the respective cable 3. The openings of the sealing element 9 have, for example, at least one sealing lip. The sealing element (9) also has, for example, at least one sealing lip on its circumference facing the housing. The sealing element 9 is arranged, for example, in a recess in the housing adapted to its shape.

[0034] The entirety of the cables 3 of the high-frequency cable arrangement 4 is enclosed by a common composite shield 13. This composite shield 13 consists of an electrically conductive braid whose mesh density is adapted, for example, to the frequencies of the electromagnetic radiation to be shielded. To ensure both an electrical and mechanical connection to the housing 5, the composite shield 13 is fixed to the holding element 7 of the device feedthrough 1 using a shield connection holder 11. Since the distance between the individual cables 3 of the high-frequency cable arrangement essentially corresponds to the distance between the associated receiving sleeves 23, the composite shield 13 only needs to be slightly widened in the area of the connection to the holding element 7. The mesh size of the composite shield is only slightly increased in this case, so that electromagnetic shielding is still guaranteed.The shield connection holder 11 can press one end of the sum shield 3 against the electrically conductive holding element 7 and thus provide an electrical connection, for example, to the housing 5 of the device.

[0035] To effectively prevent the individual cables 3 from kinking, a radial gap is provided between the receiving sleeves 23 and the cables 3 at the end of the receiving sleeves 23 facing away from the base 21. For this purpose, the receiving sleeve 23 can also be widened at the end facing away from the base 21.

[0036] In order to absorb a tensile load acting on a cable 3 and transfer it to the holding element 7, the receiving sleeve 23 has an area 17 with a reduced cross-section. In this area 17, the receiving sleeve 7 is locally narrowed and thus projects in the direction of the cable 3 through which it is passed. The reduced cross-section in area 17 can be achieved by an annular constriction or by several individual indentations. A thickened portion 15 is formed on the cable 3. This thickened portion 15 can be formed, for example, by crimping or gluing a ring onto the cable 3. When a tensile load acts on the cable 3, the thickened portion 15 comes into laterally contact with the area 17 with the reduced cross-section, so that the tensile load is transferred to the holding element 7.

[0037] In the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 shows two alternative designs of device feedthroughs 1.

[0038] At the Fig. In the configuration shown in Figure 4, the receiving sleeves 23 are arranged as closely as possible to one another, projecting from a base 21 or protruding from the base 21. Such a configuration is particularly suitable for high-frequency cable arrangements in which the individual cables are accommodated in a common, circular-cross-sectionally circular sheath in the most space-saving manner possible. The cables 3 and the composite shield 13 surrounding the cables can then be passed through the receiving sleeves 23 or attached to the device feedthrough 1 without the need for additional expansion.

[0039] At the Fig.In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, both the cables 3 and the receiving sleeves 23 are configured with regard to their arrangement and cross-section such that an envelope surrounding the receiving sleeves 23 has an oval shape. This envelope essentially corresponds to the shape of the summation shield 13 surrounding the cables 3. In this way, an advantageous, spatially narrow, oval device feedthrough can be achieved.

Claims

[1] Device feedthrough (1) for passing a high-frequency cable arrangement (4) through a housing (5) of a device, with a plurality of cables (3) which are collectively sheathed by a sum shield (13), characterized by that a holding element (7) is provided, to which the summing shield (13) is fastened and which comprises a base (21) provided for fastening to the housing (5) and a plurality of receiving sleeves (23) projecting from the base (1), through each of which one of the plurality of cables (3) is passed and which are each designed such that the associated cable (3) is held and prevented from kinking in the region of the housing (5). [2] Device feedthrough according to claim 1, wherein the receiving sleeve (23) has a region (17) of reduced cross-section which, in the assembled state, cooperates with the cable (3) passed through the receiving sleeve (23) in order to transfer a tensile load acting on the cable (3) to the holding element (7). [3] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a thickening (15) is provided on the cable (3) and the region (17) of reduced cross-section of the receiving sleeve (23) is designed to cooperate with the thickening (15). [4] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance between the receiving sleeves (23) of the holding element (7) substantially corresponds to a distance between the cables (3) within the high-frequency cable arrangement (4). [5] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving sleeves (23) are arranged and designed such that the envelope surrounding the receiving sleeves (23) has an oval shape. [6] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a shield connection holder (11) for electrically and mechanically connecting the sum shield (13) to the holding element (7). [7] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a sealing element (9) is provided for sealing the device feedthrough, which is a disc-shaped seal provided with a plurality of openings for passing through the cables (3). [8] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the openings of the sealing element have at least one sealing lip. [9] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing element (9) has at least one sealing lip on its circumference facing the housing. [10] Device feedthrough according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the holding element (7) consists of a rigid material and / or the sealing element (9) consists of a flexible material.

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