Plug assembly and clamp part for the plug assembly

Abstract

To provide a plug assembly that is used with an assembled cable plug for quickly and frequently performing a detachment from the plug assembly of the assembled cable plug.SOLUTION: A plug assembly comprises: a clamp part 5; a clamp sleeve 6; and a housing 4. The clamp part 5 is constructed so as to receive a cable plug 2, position the cable plug 2 to a position predetermined at a front part of the clamp part 5, and be engaged to a circumference of a cable 3 at a rear part of the clamp part 5. The clamp part 5 and the clamp sleeve 6 are constructed so as to provide a fixing connection to between them. The connection is constructed so as to generate a strength of a compression of a radial direction of the rear part of the clamp part 5 for clamping the cable 3. The housing 4 receives the clamp part 5 so as to be inserted into a socket of a complementary socket assembly, and positions the clamp part 5 to a latch position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a plug assembly and a clamping portion for a plug assembly for use with cables having cable plugs, particularly for data cables such as RJ45 cables, light guides, power cables, and the like.

[0002] Cables are typically available with a cable plug attached to at least one end. In some applications, the cable plug is pre-assembled to the cable by the manufacturer, but such cable plugs are prone to damage and failure. For example, such cable plugs are not well suited to being repeatedly plugged into and unplugged from a chassis plug. In addition to frequent disconnection and reconnection of the plug connection, for example during a theatrical tour, the plug connection is often subjected to significant mechanical loads during operation.

[0003] For example, with regard to stage performances, the high time pressures and the required flexibility often lead to relentless handling of the equipment by artists and preparation staff. For example, it is quite common for assemblers to brace themselves on the housing of an already plugged-in cable connector or to pull on the connecting cable. In such environments, cable connectors are specially designed to withstand mechanical shocks and environmental influences, both when plugged in and unplugged. In addition, the plug assemblies used are often locking to prevent accidental disengagement.

[0004] The so-called "RJ45" plug is an example of a pre-assembled cable plug that is attached to a cable. However, this 8-pole plug, which is widely used, is prone to damage and failure due to repeated insertion and removal from chassis plug sockets. The contacts can easily bend or become misaligned if inserted improperly. The plastic latch (spring arm) can fatigue and break, so that the plug is no longer firmly seated in the socket. The cable itself can also be prone to failure due to repeated kinking at the point where it enters the socket. Furthermore, the cable can be torn off from the plug due to longitudinal loads. Because the plug housing is made of plastic, it can easily be deformed or broken, for example if it is inadvertently stepped on. Other pre-assembled cable plugs for fiber optic cables, electronic data cables, power cables, and many other cables have similar shortcomings.

[0005] Thus, an arrangement according to DE 10 200 03 133 A1 has been proposed as a protector for sensitive cable plugs. Furthermore, a cable plug protector for pre-assembled RJ45 cable plugs is sold by the Neutrik Group under the name NE8MC, which consists of a housing, a stop disk, a clamping part, a clamping sleeve and a kink protector. The housing for receiving the actual cable plug suitably has an external thread and forms a screw connection together with a clamping socket or union nut or clamping nut having an internal thread. A radially compressible clamping part, which engages around the cable and clamps the cable in the housing in a compressed state, is received inside the housing and partially including the clamping sleeve. When the screw connection is fastened, the clamping sleeve, the clamping part, the housing, the cable plug and the cable are fixed together and the clamping sleeve, the clamping part, the cable plug and the housing form a plug assembly. Now this plug assembly can be coupled to a complementary element, for example a plug socket, by plugging them together.

[0006] Such specially designed plug assemblies for receiving and positioning pre-assembled cable plugs provide improved mechanical robustness and protection against environmental effects, which is desirable in various fields such as event technology, military equipment, or outdoor applications in general. However, there may still be situations where direct access to the pre-assembled cable plug is necessary, such as when a device needs to be connected to a laptop that does not have a complementary plug assembly socket for receiving the above-mentioned specially designed plug assembly with the pre-assembled cable plug. However, in many cases, the specially designed plug assemblies are not intended for the quick and frequent removal of the pre-assembled cable plug from the plug assembly. In some instances, disassembly may result in components being lost and disassembled, making reassembly impossible. In addition, in many cases, only one specific type of pre-assembled cable plug is intended to be received and positioned by the specially designed plug assembly. This complicates the preparation / installation of pre-assembled cables from different manufacturers that may be used in the same application, such as the same music or theater event. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 1317025 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved plug assembly for use with preassembled cable plugs which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.

[0009] A further object is to provide a plug assembly for use with a pre-assembled cable plug that provides for quick and frequent removal of the pre-installed cable plug from the plug assembly.

[0010] A further object is to provide a more efficient attachment of a pre-assembled RJ45 cable plug to a plug assembly. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] These objects are achieved by implementing at least some of the features of the independent claims.Alternative or advantageous further developments of the invention are set out in some of the other features of the independent claims and in the dependent claims.

[0012] The present invention relates to a plug assembly, for example for a data cable, light guide or power cable, for use with a cable having a cable plug. The plug assembly comprises a clamping part configured to receive a cable plug and position the cable plug in a predetermined position at a front part of the clamping part. A rear part of the clamping part, opposite the front part of the clamping part, is configured to engage around the cable when the cable plug is received by the clamping part and positioned in the predetermined position by the clamping part.

[0013] The plug assembly further includes a housing that is plugged into a socket of a complementary plug assembly by bringing a front end of the housing close to the socket, the housing configured to receive the clamp portion and position the clamp portion in a latched position.

[0014] As an example, the housing is often configured such that a mechanically lockable plug connection is provided between the plug assembly and a complementary plug assembly. The complementary plug assembly may be a device plug, often referred to as a chassis connector or chassis plug. The clamping portion is received within the housing and is fixed to the housing under axial (along the cable) tension, with a radially compressed rear portion of the clamping portion surrounding the cable and clamping it within the housing. This configuration provides a strain relief effect on the cable connected to the plug assembly.

[0015] Positioning the clamp part in the latched position is achieved by a latching arrangement, which provides the latched position by a stop element disposed on the inner surface of the housing and an engagement element disposed on the outer surface of the clamp part. In the latched position of the clamp part in the housing, the engagement element is disposed opposite the stop element and engages the stop element such that movement of the clamp part along the longitudinal axis of the housing towards the front end of the housing brings the engagement element into abutment against the stop element (because the engagement element is further towards the rear end of the housing on the side of the stop element, where the rear end of the housing is opposite the front end of the housing). This prevents further movement of the clamp part towards the front end of the housing.

[0016] As an example, the plug assembly further includes a clamp sleeve, and the clamp portion and the clamp sleeve are configured to provide a fixed connection between each other, and for this fixed connection, at least a portion of the clamp sleeve is advanced over the rear portion of the clamp portion toward the front portion of the clamp portion, resulting in increased radial compression of the rear portion of the clamp portion.

[0017] For example, the clamping part and the clamping sleeve may be configured to provide a threaded connection between each other, and tightening the threaded connection creates a compression of the rear portion of the clamping part, which then clamps the cable.

[0018] In particular, the rear part of the clamping part comprises two, in particular four, radially compressible spaced apart extensions, the contour of which forms at least a part of the radially compressible rear part of the clamping part. These (finger-like) extensions are thus configured to snug against and be pressed against the cable as a result of the advancement of the clamping sleeve over the clamping part towards the front part of the clamping part. For example, the extensions can be provided with tangentially running crevices or webs on their inner parts facing the cable, providing improved clamping and gripping of the cable jacket.

[0019] By way of example, the plug assembly further comprises a tail, for example embodied as a so-called kink protector, the tail having a front portion configured to be connected to the rear portion of the housing, in particular the clamping sleeve and the tail being separate components.

[0020] According to one aspect of the invention, the housing includes a clamp portion support region on its inner surface facing the stop element, and the housing is configured such that the engagement element can be disengaged from the stop element by tilting movement of the clamp portion about a tilt axis passing through a contact point of the clamp portion and the clamp portion support region, the tilt axis being transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the tilting movement disengages the engagement element from the stop element.

[0021] As an example, the housing and the clamping portion are aligned with each other in a latched position of the clamping portion within the housing when the cable plug is received and positioned in a predetermined position at the front portion of the clamping portion; the clamp portion support region seats against the clamp portion and is disposed farther toward the rear end of the housing (the rear end of the housing is opposite the front end of the housing) than the stop element; In the front part of the housing, from the clamping part support area towards the front end of the housing, the degree of freedom of movement of the clamping part relative to the housing is on the side of the clamping part support area, and In the rear part of the housing, from the clamping part support area towards the rear end of the housing, the freedom of movement of the clamping part relative to the housing is present on the side of the stop element.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the latch arrangement further comprises a spring element of the clamp part, the spring element being supported in the latched position on a spring element contact area on an inner surface of the housing opposite the stop element, the spring element being configured to exert a biasing force against the spring element contact area and thereby urging the clamp part against a surface of the housing on which the stop element is located (i.e. maintaining the latched position of the clamp part within the housing).

[0023] In particular, in the latched position, the spring element contact area coincides with at least a portion of the clamp portion support area such that the tilt axis runs through the contact point of the spring element and the spring element contact area.

[0024] As an example, the stop element is embodied as a lateral step on the inner surface of the housing configured to prevent movement of the clamping portion towards the front end of the housing, and the engagement element is embodied as a lateral ridge or edge on the outer surface of the clamping portion, the lateral ridge or edge being configured complementary to the lateral step, and a biasing force provided by the spring element functions to prevent the lateral ridge or edge from overstepping the lateral step.

[0025] This latching arrangement allows the clamping part (together with the cable plug) to be pushed out of the housing in a forward direction, i.e. in the plug-in direction, whereas normally pushing out the clamping part, or in other words pulling the housing backwards out of the clamping part onto the part of the cable that is actually located behind the so-called kink protector, is prevented by the latching connection and is only possible by releasing the latching connection.

[0026] To release the plug assembly, the housing can be grasped and pulled from the complementary plug assembly, and the force required to pull the cable plug is transferred from the housing to the clamping portion (and cable plug) via the latching connection between the step and the lateral ridge.

[0027] To release the latched connection between the clamping part and the housing, the clamping part (or the cable plug) is pushed downwards against the force of the spring element, so that the clamping part tilts about the tilt axis and the engaging elements of the clamping part disengage from the stop elements of the housing. The two parts can now be displaced relative to each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis. The housing (and for example the kink protector) can now be pushed backwards along the cable, so that the cable plug and the clamping part are no longer covered by the housing. In this state, the cable plug can be used to make a plug connection that cannot be realized with the housing, i.e. with other plug assemblies that are designed to match the actual cable plug but do not have a complementary shape to said housing.

[0028] In a further embodiment, the clamping part is configured to receive and position an RJ45 cable plug, typically comprising a latching element configured to latch the RJ45 cable plug into a conventional RJ45 socket, and the spring element is arranged such that the spring element provides support to the latching element of the RJ45 cable plug to position the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position at the front portion of the clamping part.

[0029] By way of example, the spring element is embodied as a spring arm configured similarly to the spring arm of the assembled RJ45 cable plug, in particular such spring arm having a rounded outer contour, seating in a correspondingly shaped recess on the inner surface of the housing and thus further contributing to the locking between the housing and the clamping part.

[0030] In a further embodiment, the clamping part has a bottom surface, a top surface and two lateral surfaces, the bottom surface being provided with an engagement element, the top surface facing the bottom surface (and in the latched position providing a contact point between the clamping part and the clamping part support area), the two lateral surfaces facing each other and each of the two lateral surfaces connecting the top surface and the bottom surface. In the area of ​​the front part of the clamping part, each of the lateral surfaces has a flat outer surface and the outer surfaces of the two lateral surfaces are parallel to each other. To match this, the housing is provided on its inner surface with two flat surfaces facing each other, and in the latched position each of the two flat surfaces of the housing is arranged opposite a respective one of the two flat outer surfaces of the clamping part. Contact between the flat surfaces of the housing and the flat outer surfaces of the clamping part thus prevents the clamping part from rotating relative to the housing about its longitudinal axis.

[0031] As an example, the flat outer surface of the clamping portion provides the additional benefit of allowing a compact enclosure of the cable plug in a separated state. For example, if the cable plug is used to make a plug connection to a plug assembly designed to match the actual cable plug but not complementary in shape to the housing, the clamping plug is separated from the housing (the housing is pushed back along the cable as seen above) to provide a compact arrangement of "bare" cable plugs inserted next to each other. For example, if the clamping portion is configured to receive an RJ45 cable plug, several individual plugs received by the respective clamping portions can be inserted again next to each other in a "conventional" switch element, which is a switch element having a number of "conventional" RJ45 sockets (not complementary in shape to the housing) arranged next to each other in a tight grid.

[0032] In a further embodiment, the engagement element is located at a front portion of the clamping part, for example closer to a front end of the front portion of the clamping part than to a rear end of the front portion of the clamping part.

[0033] In a further embodiment, the contact point of the clamping part, which is located on the tilt axis in the latched position, is arranged on a front part of the clamping part.

[0034] As an example, even if there is only a small degree of freedom of movement of the rear end of the clamping part to effect tilting movement of the clamping part, such an arrangement allows the engagement element to be efficiently disengaged from the stop element.

[0035] In order to provide a degree of freedom of movement for the tilting movement of the clamping parts, for example, the housing is embodied in such a way that the cylindrical front section of the housing is offset parallel to the cylindrical rear section of the housing, in other words from the clamping part support area to the rear end of the housing, the internal contour of the housing is formed essentially like a circular cylinder, and from the stop element to the front end of the housing, the internal contour is formed essentially like a circular cylinder, the longitudinal central axes of the respective cylinders being offset parallel to one another.

[0036] In a further embodiment, the maximum radial diameter of the housing in the section from the clamping portion support area to the rear end of the housing is smaller than the maximum radial diameter of the housing in the section from the stop element to the front end of the housing.

[0037] In a further embodiment, on the side of the stop element, the section from the clamping support area to the rear end of the housing transitions essentially steplessly into the section from the stop element to the front end of the housing, while on the side opposite the stop element, in the transition area between the section from the clamping support area to the rear end of the housing and the section from the stop element to the front end of the housing, the diameter of the housing increases towards the front end of the housing.

[0038] In a further embodiment, the housing comprises an edge on its inner surface having an edge surface facing the rear end of the housing, the edge being located at the front portion of the housing, e.g., closer to the front end of the front portion of the housing than the rear end of the front portion of the housing, and the edge surface is the end of a groove located on the inner surface of the housing, the groove running uninterrupted from the rear end of the housing to the edge surface.

[0039] As an example, the above-mentioned edge portion provides part of a mechanical locking mechanism to prevent a plug assembly, when inserted into a complementary plug assembly, from being removed from the socket of the complementary plug assembly by a releasable corresponding portion of the complementary plug assembly engaging an edge surface of the housing from inside the housing.

[0040] In a further embodiment, the rear portion of the clamping part comprises a radially compressible tapered section having a narrowing profile towards the rear end of the clamping part. The tapered section comprises a tapered external thread region, the tapered external thread region having an external thread extending over the tapered external thread region. The internal contact section of the clamping sleeve comprises a tapered internal thread region, the tapered internal thread region having an internal thread extending over the tapered internal thread region, the internal thread region having a tapered profile matching the tapered profile of the external thread region. The external threads and the internal threads are configured to engage with each other to provide a fixed connection as a threaded connection, and fastening the threaded connection results in the internal contact section of the clamping sleeve being advanced over the tapered section of the clamping part towards the front portion of the clamping part while in contact with the tapered section, resulting in greater radial compression of the rear portion of the clamping part.

[0041] Aspects of such a particular type of screw connection are described separately below again, and it goes without saying that further embodiments of this aspect, with respect to which the following separate discussion is concerned, are compatible with the above aspects and embodiments.

[0042] When the clamping sleeve has a tail portion separate from the clamping sleeve, the clamping sleeve is often referred to as a clamping nut, for example, a front portion of the tail portion includes a flexible coupling portion that is configured to conformably and / or press-fittingly engage (e.g., surround or reach under) at least a portion of the rear portion of the housing.

[0043] As an example, the tail comprises a flexible rear portion opposite the front portion of the tail, the flexible rear portion being configured to surround the cable (when the cable plug is received and positioned in the clamp portion, and the clamp portion is received and positioned in the housing) and having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the cable. Such tails are often referred to as kink protectors because they are mounted at the rear of the housing (towards the cable, away from the insertion opening) and stabilize the cable to minimize the risk of the cable kinking. For example, the kink protector is configured as a stiffener that surrounds the cable, made of a hard rubber or plastic material.

[0044] In a further embodiment, the tail portion is a multi-element injection molded part comprising a flexible material and a hard material, and the clamping sleeve is formed from the hard material.

[0045] In a further embodiment, the clamping part is split longitudinally into two half-shells that are pivotally connected at their front ends, e.g., the two half-shells have an external thread at their rear ends (as described above and below in relation to the embodiment with a threaded connection) for engaging with an internal thread of the clamping sleeve.

[0046] In a further embodiment, the clamp portion is configured to receive an RJ45 cable plug and position the RJ45 cable plug at a predetermined location on a front portion of the clamp portion.

[0047] The aspect in which the clamping part has two half-shells configured to receive and position the RJ45 cable plug is described below separately for a specific embodiment, which allows to receive two different types of RJ45 cable plugs, namely stepped RJ45 cable plugs and non-stepped RJ45 cable plugs. It goes without saying that the two half-shell embodiment described below is compatible with the aspects and embodiments described above.

[0048] The invention further relates to a plug assembly for use with a cable having a cable plug, for example for a data cable, light guide or power cable. The plug assembly comprises a clamping part configured to receive a cable plug and position the cable plug in a predetermined position at a front part of the clamping part, and a rear part of the clamping part opposite the front part of the clamping part configured to engage around the cable when the cable plug is received by the clamping part and positioned in the predetermined position by the clamping part. The rear part has a radially compressible tapered section having a narrowing profile towards the rear distal end of the clamping part. The plug assembly further comprises a clamping sleeve configured to bring the clamping part closer to the front end of the clamping sleeve and to be connected to the rear part of the clamping part by a threaded connection. The clamping part and the clamping sleeve are configured such that fastening the threaded connection results in an inner contact section of the clamping sleeve being advanced over the tapered section of the clamping part towards the front part of the clamping part while in contact with the tapered section, resulting in an increased radial compression of the rear part of the clamping part. In other words, tightening the screw connection brings about a compression of the tapered section of the clamping part, which then clamps the cable.

[0049] The clamping portion is configured to be received by a housing of a plug assembly, the housing being configured to be plugged into a socket of a complementary plug assembly by approximating the socket to a front end of the housing, the housing being configured to receive the clamping portion and position the clamping portion at a front portion of the housing, such that when the cable plug is received and positioned within the clamping portion, and the clamping portion is received and positioned within the housing, at least a front portion of the cable plug extending toward the front end of the housing is surrounded at a distance by the front portion of the housing.

[0050] According to this aspect of the invention, the tapered section of the clamping portion includes a tapered external thread region having external threads extending over the tapered external thread region, the inner contact section of the clamping sleeve includes a tapered internal thread region having internal threads extending over the tapered internal thread region, the internal thread region having a tapered shape that matches the tapered shape of the external thread region of the clamping portion, and the external threads and the internal threads are configured to engage one another to provide a threaded connection.

[0051] As an example, matching means that the taper of the internal and external threaded regions is designed so that when the clamping sleeve is brought into the rear portion of the clamping part to make the threaded connection, their surfaces essentially rub against each other, i.e., the inner diameter of the internal threaded region increases toward the front end of the clamping sleeve.

[0052] For example, having threads on aligned tapered regions provides the benefit that regardless of the thickness of the cable being clamped by the clamp part, the clamping sleeve can be pushed without resistance over the tapered section of the clamp part toward the front end of the clamp part until the threads engage. Now, in essence, tightening the threaded connection directly creates a radial compression force acting on the rear portion of the clamp part (and the cable). This prevents unnecessary threading and makes assembling the clamping sleeve and clamp part to clamp the cable more efficient.

[0053] As an example, each of the external and internal threads may have a maximum of 10 turns, such as a maximum of 8 turns.

[0054] In a further embodiment, the plug assembly comprises a tail as described above, i.e. embodied as a so-called kink protector, where the clamping sleeve and the tail are separate components or the clamping sleeve is an integral part of the tail, e.g. the housing comprises a stop for the clamping part configured to prevent movement of the clamping part towards the rear end of the housing.

[0055] The invention further relates to a clamping part for a plug assembly, the clamping part being split longitudinally into two half-shells configured to clamp an RJ45 cable plug between the two half-shells and thereby position the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position at a front part of the clamping part, the radially compressible rear part of the clamping part being opposite the front part of the clamping part, the rear part being configured to engage around a cable connected to the RJ45 cable plug when the RJ45 cable plug is positioned by the two half-shells in the predetermined position.

[0056] As an example, the rear portion of the radially compressible clamping portion is configured to interact with the clamping sleeve, connected to the rear portion of the clamping portion, and adapted for radial compression of the rear portion of the clamping portion, e.g., axial movement between the clamping sleeve and the rear portion of the radially compressible clamping portion results in adaptation of the radial compressive force exerted by the clamping sleeve on the rear portion of the radially compressible clamping portion.

[0057] In particular, the rear portion of the clamping portion is embodied according to one of the embodiments described above, for example having radially compressible spaced apart extensions and / or a tapered section having an external thread. For example, the radially compressible rear portion of the clamping portion has a radially compressible tapered section having a narrowing profile toward the rear distal end of the clamping portion, the tapered section comprising a tapered externally threaded region having external threads extending over the tapered externally threaded region.

[0058] One of the two half-shells is configured to nest over the top, back and two lateral sides of the RJ45 cable plug, and the other of the two half-shells is configured to nest over the bottom, back and two lateral sides of the RJ45 cable plug, the top side of the RJ45 cable plug is a side with latching elements configured to latch the RJ45 cable plug into a conventional RJ45 socket, the bottom side is opposite the top side, the back side connects the top side to the bottom side on the side of the cable, and each of the lateral sides is adjacent to the back side and connects the top side to the bottom side.

[0059] For example, the two half shells are pivotally connected at the front ends.

[0060] According to this aspect of the invention, the clamping part is configured to clamp and position stepped and non-stepped RJ45 cable plugs, which means that the same clamping part can be used interchangeably with different types of RJ45 cable plugs.

[0061] A stepped RJ45 cable plug includes a housing having a stepped surface on a bottom surface, a rear portion of the housing that contacts the cable having a larger diameter perpendicular to the bottom surface than a front portion of the housing, and the rear portion has contact portions for transmitting signals to a complementary plug assembly.

[0062] A stepless RJ45 cable plug has a housing with no step on the bottom surface and the housing has an extension on each of its lateral surfaces (in the direction towards the cable) that extends through each of the housing's side surfaces and beyond the housing surface on the rear surface.

[0063] For interchangeable use, each of the two half-shells comprises an alignment structure for positioning the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position, and each of the alignment structures comprises two pockets arranged in a respective rear region of the alignment structure, each of the two pockets being configured to receive one of the extensions of the stepless RJ45 cable plug, such that each of the two pockets of one of the two half-shells provides a boundary for the top surface and two lateral surfaces of the stepless RJ45 cable plug, and each of the two pockets of the other of the two half-shells provides a boundary for the bottom surface and two lateral surfaces of the stepless RJ45 cable plug. Further, boundary structures are arranged in the front regions of the two pockets, one of the boundary structures (one of the two half-shells) providing a boundary surface for the two lateral faces and the top face of the stepped RJ45 cable plug, and the other of the boundary structures (the other of the two half-shells) providing a boundary surface for the two lateral faces and the bottom face of the stepped RJ45 cable plug. The boundary surface for the bottom face of the stepped RJ45 cable plug (i.e., the contact surface providing the boundary surface) (one of the boundary structures of the two half-shells configured to nest against the bottom face of the RJ45 cable plug) is offset in a direction perpendicular to the bottom face from the boundary surface for the bottom face of the non-stepped RJ45 cable plug provided by the two pockets (i.e., provided by the boundary surfaces of the pockets).

[0064] In one embodiment, the alignment structure for positioning the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position is configured such that the front end of each of the two pockets (i.e., the surface of the pocket defining the front end of each of the forwardly opening pockets) provides an interface for the rear of the stepped RJ45 cable plug for each of the two half-shells. In particular, the alignment structure is configured such that the front end of the pocket is brought into contact with the rear of the stepped RJ45 cable plug in order to position the stepped RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position.

[0065] In a further embodiment, the alignment structure for one of the two half-shells configured to nest against the top surface of the RJ45 cable plug comprises a spring element arranged to provide support for a latch element of the RJ45 cable plug to position the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position.

[0066] In further embodiments, the alignment structures for positioning the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position each comprise a guide surface intended to be arranged opposite a lateral side of the RJ45 cable plug in order to position the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position, the guide surface providing a stop to movement of the RJ45 cable plug in a direction perpendicular to the lateral side of the RJ45 cable plug in a front area of ​​the alignment structure.

[0067] In a further embodiment, each of the pockets of the alignment structure has an axial depth such that the pocket provides an interface for a back surface of a stepless RJ45 cable plug, and an extension of the stepless RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with the interface for the back surface to position the stepless RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position.

[0068] In a further embodiment, the alignment structure is configured such that an interface for a bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with a bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug to position the stepped RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position.

[0069] In a further embodiment, the alignment structure is configured such that an interface provided by the pocket for the bottom surface of the stepless RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with a bottom surface of the extension of the stepless RJ45 cable plug to position the stepless RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position.

[0070] In a further embodiment, the alignment structure is configured such that the spring element exerts a biasing force on the latching element of the RJ45 cable plug to position the RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position such that the biasing force results in an interface for the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug being brought into contact with a bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug and an interface for the bottom surface of the non-stepped RJ45 cable plug provided by the pocket being brought into contact with a bottom surface of the extension of the non-stepped RJ45 cable plug, respectively.

[0071] The invention further relates to a plug assembly for use with a cable having an RJ45 cable plug, comprising a clamping part according to one of the above embodiments, configured to receive an RJ45 cable plug and position it in a predetermined position in the clamping part, a clamping sleeve configured to be connected to the clamping part and to interact with the clamping part to effect a radial compression adaptation of a rear part of the clamping part, and a housing adapted to be plugged into a socket of a complementary plug assembly by bringing said socket close to a front end of the housing, the housing adapted to receive the clamping part and position the clamping part in a front part of the housing, such that when the RJ45 cable plug is positioned by the clamping part and the clamping part is positioned in the housing, at least a front part of the RJ45 cable plug extending in the direction of the front end of the housing is surrounded at a distance by the front part of the housing.

[0072] In particular, in any of the plug assembly descriptions described above, the housing may include part of a mechanical locking mechanism, for example a corresponding part of a snap action catch mechanism or a corresponding part of a spring catch mechanism, for preventing the plug assembly, when plugged into the socket of a complementary plug assembly, from becoming dislodged from the socket of the complementary plug assembly.

[0073] For example, part of the mechanical locking mechanism may be provided by an edge having an edge surface facing the rear end of the housing, the edge surface being opposite the front end of the housing, whereby, for example, the edge surface may be provided by a recess on or across the housing, or the edge surface may be provided by a groove disposed on (the inside or outside of) the housing, the groove running uninterrupted from the rear end of the housing to the edge surface.

[0074] The clamping part and plug assembly according to different aspects of the invention will now be described and explained in more detail, purely by way of example, with reference to examples illustrated diagrammatically in the figures, in which identical elements are provided with the same reference numerals. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0075] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a prior art plug assembly. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an assembled exemplary embodiment of a plug assembly according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] Figure 3 is a further view of the plug assembly shown in Figure 2. The housing has been pulled rearwardly from the clamp portion and over the portion of the cable that is located behind the kink protector. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the plug assembly shown in FIG. 2, showing the bottom of the plug assembly from a side perspective. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a further exploded view of the plug assembly shown in FIG. 2, showing the bottom of the plug assembly from a front perspective. [Figure 6] 6 is a bottom perspective view of the clamp portion and housing of the plug assembly shown in FIG. 2 before the clamp portion is inserted into the housing. [Figure 7]7 is a top perspective view of the clamp portion and housing of the plug assembly shown in FIG. 2 before the clamp portion is inserted into the housing. This view is also a further exploded view of the plug assembly shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a stepped RJ45 cable plug. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a stepless RJ45 cable plug. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottom of a clamping portion according to the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the top of a clamping portion according to the present invention. [Figure 12] 12 is a front perspective view of a clamping portion according to the present invention, with the two half-shells pivotally connected at the front end of the clamping portion. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of the clamp portion shown in FIG. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a top view of one of the two half shells shown in Figure 12. One of the two half shells is intended to nest against the top of an RJ45 cable plug. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a top and perspective view of one of the two half shells shown in Figure 12, which is intended to nest against the bottom of an RJ45 cable plug. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a housing according to the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of a housing according to the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a direct front view of the plug assembly shown in FIG. 2, but without the cable plug. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view through the plug assembly shown in FIG. 2, but without the kink protector. [Figure 20]20 is a perspective view of a clamping portion and housing of a further embodiment of a plug assembly according to the present invention before the clamping portion is inserted into the housing, the clamping portion and housing conforming to a flat surface to prevent the clamping portion from rotating about its longitudinal axis relative to the housing; [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a top view of the bottom surface of the clamping portion shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0076] 1 shows a prior art plug assembly used as a protector for an assembled RJ45 cable plug 2. The plug assembly comprises a housing 200, a clamping part 201 and a kink protector 202, the clamping sleeve being embodied as an integral part of the kink protector 202. The housing 200 has an external thread 203 for engaging with an internal thread (not shown) of the kink protector 202 so that the housing 200 and the kink protector 202 can form a threaded connection. The radially compressible clamping part 201 engages around the cable 2 and, in a compressed state, clamps the cable 2. The clamping part 201 is received inside the housing 200 and partly inside the clamping sleeve provided by the kink protector 202. When the threaded connection between the housing 200 and the kink protector 202 is tightened, the clamping sleeve, the clamping part 201, the housing 200, the cable plug 2 and the cable 3 are fixed together. The inner contact section of the clamping sleeve is advanced over the tapered section of the clamping part 201 towards the front part of the clamping part 201 while contacting the tapered section, resulting in a greater radial compression of the tapered section. The radially compressible tapered section is embodied as finger-like spaced apart extensions 204 with tangentially running splits 205, which can provide improved clamping and gripping of the cable jacket. In the assembled state, the plug assembly can be connected to a complementary element, for example a plug socket. The housing 200 further comprises a counterpart 206 of a snap action catch, embodied by a hole drilled in the outer shell of the housing at the front part of the housing 200. The snap action catch counterpart 206 provides part of a mechanical locking mechanism to prevent a plug assembly, when inserted into a complementary plug assembly, from being removed from the socket of the complementary plug assembly by a releasable counterpart of the complementary plug assembly engaging the snap action catch counterpart 206.

[0077] To gain direct access to the assembled RJ45 cable plug 2, for example if the cable plug 2 is being used with a laptop or device that is designed to match the RJ45 cable plug 2 but does not have a complementary shape to the housing 200, the threaded connection between the housing 200 and the kink protector 202 must be released and the housing 200 pulled forward away from the kink protector 202 and clamp portion 201.

[0078] In the following, aspects of the present invention are illustrated by an embodiment of a plug assembly 1 of the present invention for use with an RJ45 cable plug 2. The plug assembly 1 comprises a housing 4, a clamping portion 5, a clamping sleeve 6, and a kink protector 7 (see, for example, FIG. 4). The RJ45 cable plug 2 is received and positioned by the clamping portion 5. In this regard, the clamping portion 5 is received and positioned in a front portion of the housing 4 such that at least a front portion of the cable plug 2 extending toward the front end of the housing 4 is surrounded at a distance by the front portion of the housing 4 (see, for example, FIG. 2). The clamping portion 5 is configured to receive the cable plug 2 and position the cable plug 2 in a predetermined position at the front portion of the clamping portion 5, and a tapered rear portion of the clamping portion 5 is configured to engage around the cable 3 when the cable plug 2 is received and positioned in the predetermined position by the clamping portion 5. Similar to the prior art embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the radially compressible tapered section is embodied by finger-like spaced apart extensions 8 having tangentially running crevices 9 therein (see, e.g., FIGS. 5 and 13).

[0079] In the illustrated embodiment, the clamp sleeve 6 and the kink protector 7 are separate components, with the front portion of the kink protector comprising a flexible coupling portion 10 that is configured to conformally engage with the rear portion 11 of the housing (see, e.g., Figures 4 and 5).

[0080] As an example, the tapered section of the clamping part 5 includes external threads 12 that extend over a tapered external thread region, and the clamping sleeve 6 has internal threads 13 that extend over a tapered internal contact section, thereby forming a tapered internal thread region (see, for example, Figures 4 and 5). The internal thread region has a tapered shape that matches the tapered shape of the external thread region, and the external and internal threads are configured to engage with one another to provide a threaded connection between the clamping part 5 and the clamping sleeve 6.

[0081] The plug assembly 1 is configured to provide a latched position for the clamping portion 5 within the housing 4 by a stop element 14 disposed on the inner surface of the housing and an engagement element 15 disposed on the outer surface of the clamping portion 5 (see, e.g., Figs. 6, 7, 19). For example, the stop element 14 may be embodied as a transverse step running tangentially on the inner surface of the housing 4 configured to prevent movement of the clamping portion 5 towards the front end of the housing 4 (see, e.g., Fig. 7). The engagement element 15 may be embodied as a transverse ridge on the outer surface of the clamping portion 5 configured complementarily to the step (see, e.g., Fig. 6).

[0082] The housing 4 comprises on its inner surface facing the stop element 14 a clamp part support area 16 which, in the latched position of the clamp part 5 in the housing 4, is located further towards the rear end of the housing 4 than the stop element 14 and seats against the clamp part 5. This arrangement makes it possible to release the latched connection between the clamp part 5 and the housing 4 by a tilting movement about a tilt axis 43 transverse to the longitudinal axis of the housing 4 (see, for example, FIG. 19).

[0083] In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 4 has a cylindrical front section which is offset parallel to the cylindrical rear section of the housing, so that a degree of freedom of movement is provided for the tilting movement of the clamping part about the tilt axis 43. This can also be seen from FIG. 18, which shows a front view of the insertion opening of the plug assembly without the cable plug 2. The black dots indicate the central longitudinal axes (cylindrical axes) 39, 40 of the cylindrical front section and the cylindrical rear section. In the illustrated view, the central longitudinal axis 39 of the cylindrical front section is below the central longitudinal axis 40 of the cylindrical rear section. It can also be seen that the clamping part 5 is centrally located in the cylindrical front section of the housing, which can be seen for example by the circular outlet provided by the rear part 41 of the clamping part, which is symmetrically arranged around the central longitudinal axis 39 of the cylindrical front section. The kink protector, on the other hand, is coaxially mounted in the cylindrical rear section, and therefore the rear circular outlet provided by the rear end 42 of the kink protector is symmetrically disposed about the central longitudinal axis 40 of the cylindrical rear section of the housing.

[0084] Here (see, for example, FIG. 19), for example, the cylindrical rear section has a smaller maximum diameter than the maximum radial diameter of the cylindrical front section, whereby on the side of the stop element 14, the section of the housing 4 from the clamping support area 16 / tilt axis 43 to the rear end of the housing 4 transitions essentially steplessly into the section from the stop element 14 to the front end of the housing 4, and on the side of the clamping support area 16, in the transition area 44 between the section from the clamping support area 16 / tilt axis 43 to the rear end of the housing 4 and the section from the stop element 14 to the front end of the housing 4, the diameter of the housing 4 increases towards the front end of the housing 4.

[0085] The tilting movement causes the engagement element 15 to disengage from the stop element 14 and the housing 4 can be pushed backwards along the cable 3. In other words, the latching arrangement allows the clamping part 5 (together with the cable plug) to be pushed forwards out of the housing 4 (see e.g. FIG. 3 ) and allows easy access to the assembled RJ45 cable plug 2. To release the latched connection, the front end of the clamping part 5 is pushed downwards away from the stop element 14, so that the clamping part 5 tilts about a transverse tilt axis 43 provided by the contact point of the clamping part 5 with the clamping part support area 16, thereby disengaging the engagement element 15 from the stop element 14.

[0086] The clamping part 5 may be configured to receive and position a stepped RJ45 cable plug 17 (see, for example, FIG. 8) and a stepless RJ45 cable plug 18 (see, for example, FIG. 9). In the following, a top surface 19, a bottom surface 20, a rear surface 21 and two lateral surfaces 22 of the RJ45 cable plug are described. The top surface 19 is the surface that carries the latching elements 23 of the assembled RJ45 cable plug 2. The bottom surface 20 is opposite the top surface 19 and the rear surface 21 (or back surface) connects the top surface 19 to the bottom position 20 on the side of the cable. Each of the lateral surfaces 22 is adjacent to the rear surface 21 and connects the top surface 19 to the bottom surface 20.

[0087] The stepped RJ45 cable plug 17 includes a housing having a stepped surface on a bottom surface 20, a rear portion 24 of the housing having a larger diameter from the bottom surface 20 to the top surface 19 than a front portion 25 of the housing, the rear portion 24 having contacts 26 for carrying signals.

[0088] The stepless RJ45 cable plug 18 has a housing that has no step on the bottom surface but has an extension 27 on each of the lateral surfaces 22 that extend through each of the housing's side surfaces 28 and beyond the housing surface 29 on the rear surface 21.

[0089] The clamping part 5 is embodied by two half-shells 30, 31 pivotally connected at their front ends by a flexible connecting element 32 (see for example figures 10 to 13). One of the two half-shells 30 is configured to receive and position a top side 19 of an RJ45 cable plug, and the other of the two half-shells 31 is configured to receive and position a bottom side 20 of an RJ45 cable plug.

[0090] The half-shell 30, which is intended to receive the top surface 19 of the cable plug, comprises two pockets 33, each of which is shaped to receive one of the two extensions 27 of the RJ45 cable plug 18 of the stepless type. This half-shell 30 further comprises a spring element 34 arranged to provide support for the latch element 23 of the RJ45 cable plug (see, for example, Figures 10 and 11). The guide surface 35 provides a stop for the movement of the RJ45 cable plug at the front end of the clamping part 5 in a direction perpendicular to the lateral surface 22 of the RJ45 cable plug. When receiving the stepped RJ45 cable plug 17, the RJ45 cable plug is placed in the front area of ​​the two pockets 33 which provide the interface for the two lateral surfaces 22 and the top surface 19 of the RJ45 cable plug.

[0091] Similarly, the half-shell 31 envisaged to receive the bottom surface 19 of the cable plug comprises two pockets 33, each shaped to receive one of the two extensions 27 of the non-stepped RJ45 cable plug 18. The half-shell 31 also comprises a guide side surface 35 for stopping the movement of the RJ45 cable plug at the front end of the clamping part 5 in a direction perpendicular to the lateral surface 22. To receive the stepped RJ45 cable plug 17, the half-shell 31 comprises a boundary structure in front of the two pockets 33 which provides a boundary surface for the two lateral surfaces 22 and the bottom surface 20 of the RJ45 cable plug. In order to receive and accommodate the rear part 24 of the housing of the RJ45 cable plug (having a diameter from the bottom surface 20 to the top surface 19 larger than the front part 25 of the housing), the interface for the bottom surface 20 of the stepped RJ45 cable plug 17 is offset in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface 20 from the interface for the bottom surface of the non-stepped RJ45 cable plug 18 provided by the two pockets 19 (see, for example, Figures 11 and 15). In the illustrated example, the interface for the bottom surface 20 of the stepped RJ45 cable plug 17 is provided on either of the lateral surfaces 22 by a bearing surface 36 for supporting the bottom surface 20 of the stepped RJ45 cable plug 17, each of the two bearing surfaces 36 extending axially parallel from the front end of the clamping part 5 to the level of the front end of the pocket 33.

[0092] The housing 4 further comprises, on its inside, a rim 37 having an edge surface facing the rear end of the housing 4 (see, for example, Figures 16 and 17). The rim 37 provides part of a mechanical locking mechanism for preventing the plug assembly 1, inserted into a socket of a complementary plug assembly, from being removed from the socket of the complementary plug assembly, in that a releasable counterpart of the complementary plug assembly engages the housing rim 37 from inside the housing 4. The rim surface is the end of a groove 38 disposed on the inner surface of the housing 4, which groove 38 runs uninterrupted from the rear end of the housing 4 to the rim surface.

[0093] 20 shows a further embodiment of the plug assembly of the present invention. The clamping part 5' comprises two opposing lateral faces 45, which are configured with a flat outer surface 46 that is aligned with an inner flat surface 47 of the housing 4'. As a result, in the latched position, contact between the flat surface 47 of the housing 4' and the flat outer surface 46 of the clamping part 5' prevents the clamping part 5' from rotating relative to the housing 4' about its longitudinal axis.

[0094] Figure 21 shows a top down view of the bottom of the clamping portion 5' shown in Figure 20. Having a flat side surface 46 provides a compact enclosure of the cable plug 2. This has benefits when multiple cable plugs received in the plug assembly of the present invention must be placed adjacent to each other in the "conventional way" (using sockets of a non-complementary shape to the housing), which involves each clamping portion being pushed away from the housing.

[0095] In the illustrated embodiment, the clamping portion 5' is configured to receive an RJ45 cable plug and is dimensioned such that, in a separated state, when the clamping portion 5' is separated from the housing 4', it can be securely inserted adjacent to other RJ45 plugs received by the respective clamping portions, for example when several RJ45 plugs having multiple "conventional" (non-complementary shaped to the housing) RJ45 sockets have to be connected into a "conventional" switch element.

[0096] Although the invention has been described in part with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that several modifications and combinations of different features of the embodiments are possible, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A plug assembly (1), in particular for a data cable, a light guide or a power cable, for use with a cable (3) having a cable plug (2), said plug assembly (1) comprising: a clamping portion (5, 5') configured to receive the cable plug (2) and position the cable plug (2) in a predetermined position at a front portion of the clamping portion (5, 5'), a rear portion of the clamping portion (5, 5') opposite the front portion of the clamping portion configured to engage around the cable (3) when the cable plug (2) has been received and positioned in the predetermined position by the clamping portion (5, 5'), the plug assembly (1) further comprising: a housing (4, 4') adapted to be plugged into a socket of a complementary plug assembly by bringing a front end of the housing (4, 4') close to the socket, the housing (4, 4') adapted to receive the clamping portion (5, 5') and position the clamping portion (5, 5') in a latched position, the plug assembly (1) further comprising: a latch arrangement for providing said latched position by means of a stop element (14) arranged on an inner surface of the housing (4,4') and an engagement element (15) arranged on an outer surface of the clamping part (5,5'), wherein in the latched position of the clamping part (5,5') in the housing (4,4'), the engagement element (15) is arranged opposite the stop element (14) and movement of the clamping part (5,5') along a longitudinal axis of the housing (4,4') towards the front end of the housing engages the stop element (14) such that the engagement element (15) abuts against the stop element (14), thereby preventing further movement of the clamping part (5,5') towards the front end of the housing (4,4'), 1. A plug assembly (1), characterized in that the housing (4, 4') comprises a clamp part support area (16) on its inner surface facing the stop element (14), and the housing (4, 4') is configured such that the engagement element (15) can be disengaged from the stop element (14) with a tilting movement of the clamp part (5, 5') about a tilting axis (43) passing through a contact point of the clamp part (5, 5') and the clamp part support area (16), the tilting axis (43) being transverse to the longitudinal axis, and the tilting movement disengages the engagement element (15) from the stop element (14).

2. the housing (4, 4') and the clamping part (5, 5') are aligned with each other in the latched position of the clamping part (5, 5') in the housing (4, 4') when the cable plug (2) is received and positioned in the predetermined position at the front part of the clamping part (5, 5'), the clamping part support area (16) rests against the clamping part (5, 5') and is located further towards the rear end of the housing (4, 4') than the stop element (14); and 2. A plug assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein in a front part of the housing (4, 4') from the clamp part support area (16) towards the front end of the housing (4, 4') there is a degree of freedom of movement of the clamp part (5, 5') relative to the housing on the side of the clamp part support area (16) and in a rear part of the housing (4, 4') from the clamp part support area (16) towards the rear end of the housing there is a degree of freedom of movement of the clamp part (5, 5') relative to the housing on the side of the stop element (14).

3. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the engagement element (15) is arranged in the front part of the clamping part (5, 5'), in particular closer to a front end of the front part of the clamping part (5, 5') than to a rear end of the front part of the clamping part (5, 5').

4. 4. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the latched position, the contact point of the clamping part (5, 5') located on the tilt axis (43) is arranged in the front part of the clamping part (5, 5').

5. 5. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein from the clamping portion support area (16) to the rear end of the housing (4, 4'), the internal contour of the housing (4, 4') is formed essentially in the shape of a circular cylinder, and from the stop element (14) to the front end of the housing (4, 4'), the internal contour is formed essentially in the shape of a circular cylinder, the longitudinal central axes (39, 40) of the respective cylinders being offset parallel to one another.

6. 6. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the maximum radial diameter of the housing (4, 4') in the section from the clamping portion support area (16) to the rear end of the housing (4, 4') is smaller than the maximum radial diameter of the housing (4, 4') in the section from the stop element (14) to the front end of the housing (4, 4').

7. on the side of the stop element (14), the section from the clamping part support area (16) to the rear end of the housing (4, 4') transitions essentially steplessly into the section from the stop element (14) to the front end of the housing (4, 4'), 7. A plug assembly (1) according to claim 6, wherein on the side facing the stop element (14), in a transition area (44) between the section from the clamping support area (16) to the rear end of the housing (4, 4') and the section from the stop element (14) to the front end of the housing (4, 4'), the diameter of the housing (4, 4') increases towards the front end of the housing (4, 4').

8. 8. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the latch arrangement further comprises a spring element (34) of the clamping part (5, 5'), the spring element (34) being supported on a spring element contact area on an inner surface of the housing (4, 4') facing the stop element (14) in the latched position and configured to exert a biasing force against the spring element contact area, thereby pressing the clamping part (5, 5') against a surface of the housing (4, 4') on which the stop element (14) is arranged.

9. 9. The plug assembly (1) of claim 8, wherein in the latched position, the spring element contact area coincides with at least a portion of the clamp portion support area (16) such that the tilt axis (43) runs through a contact point of the spring element (34) and the spring element contact area.

10. 10. The plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 8 and 9, wherein the clamping portion (5, 5') is configured to receive an RJ45 cable plug as the cable plug (2) and to position the RJ45 cable plug, the RJ45 cable plug comprising a latching element (23) configured to latch the RJ45 cable plug into a conventional RJ45 socket, and the spring element (34) is arranged such that the spring element (34) provides support to the latching element (23) of the RJ45 cable plug in order to position the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position at the front portion of the clamping portion (5, 5').

11. the stop element (14) is embodied as a lateral step on the inner surface of the housing (4, 4') configured to prevent movement of the clamping part (5, 5') towards the front end of the housing (4, 4'), said engagement element (15) being embodied as a lateral ridge or edge on the outer surface of said clamping part (5, 5'), said lateral ridge or edge being configured complementary to said lateral step, and A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the biasing force provided by the spring element (34) functions to prevent the lateral ridge or edge from overstepping the lateral step.

12. 12. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the housing (4, 4') comprises on its inner surface an edge (37) having an edge surface facing towards the rear end of the housing (4, 4'), the edge (37) being arranged in the front part of the housing (4, 4'), in particular closer to the front end of the front part of the housing (4, 4') than to the rear end of the front part of the housing (4, 4'), and the edge surface is the end of a groove (38) arranged on the inner surface of the housing (4, 4'), the groove (38) running uninterrupted from the rear end of the housing (4, 4') to the edge surface.

13. 13. The plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the plug assembly (1) comprises a clamp sleeve (6), the clamp part (5, 5') and the clamp sleeve (6) are configured to provide a fixed connection between each other, and for the fixed connection, at least a part of the clamp sleeve (6) is advanced over the rear part of the clamp part (5, 5') towards the front part of the clamp part (5, 5'), resulting in an increased radial compression of the rear part of the clamp part (5, 5').

14. the rear portion of the clamping part (5, 5') comprises a radially compressible tapered section having a narrowing profile towards the rear end of the clamping part (5, 5'), the tapered section comprising a tapered external threaded region having an external thread (12) extending over the tapered external threaded region; the inner contact section of the clamping sleeve comprises a tapered internally threaded region having an internal thread (13) extending thereon; 14. The plug assembly (1) according to claim 13, wherein the internal threaded region has a tapered shape matching the tapered shape of the external threaded region, and the external thread (12) and the internal thread (13) are configured to engage with each other to provide the fixed connection as a threaded connection, and fastening the threaded connection results in the internal contact section of the clamping sleeve (6) being advanced over the tapered section of the clamping part (5, 5') towards the front part of the clamping part (5, 5') while contacting the tapered section, resulting in an increased radial compression of the rear part of the clamping part (5, 5').

15. the clamping part (5') has a bottom surface, a top surface and two lateral surfaces (45), the bottom surface is provided with the engaging element (15), the top surface is opposite the bottom surface, the two lateral surfaces (45) are opposite each other and each of the two lateral surfaces (45) connects the top surface and the bottom surface, In the region of the front part of the clamping part (5'), each of the lateral faces (45) has a flat outer surface (46), and the outer surfaces (46) of the two lateral faces (45) are parallel to each other, and 15. A plug assembly (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the housing (4') comprises on its inner surface two mutually opposing flat surfaces (47), and in the latched position, each of the two flat surfaces (47) of the housing (4') is arranged opposite a respective one of the two flat outer surfaces (46) of the clamping part (5'), and contact between the flat surfaces (47) of the housing (4') and the flat outer surfaces (46) of the clamping part (5') prevents the clamping part (5') from rotating relative to the housing (4') about the longitudinal axis.

16. A plug assembly, in particular for a data cable, a light guide or a power cable, for use with a cable having a cable plug, said plug assembly comprising: a clamp portion configured to receive the cable plug and position the cable plug at a predetermined location at a front portion of the clamp portion, a rear portion of the clamp portion opposite the front portion of the clamp portion configured to engage around the cable when the cable plug is received by the clamp portion and positioned at the predetermined location by the clamp portion, the rear portion having a radially compressible tapered section having a narrowing profile toward a rear distal end of the clamp portion, the plug assembly further comprising: a clamp sleeve configured to bring the clamping portion closer to a front end of the clamping sleeve and to be connected to the rear portion of the clamping portion by a threaded connection, whereby tightening of the threaded connection results in an inner contact section of the clamping sleeve being advanced over the tapered section of the clamping portion toward the front portion of the clamping portion while contacting the tapered section, resulting in an increased radial compression of the rear portion of the clamping portion; and the plug assembly further comprises:

1. A plug assembly comprising: a housing adapted to be plugged into the socket of a complementary plug assembly by bringing the socket close to a front end of the housing, the housing adapted to receive the clamping portion and position the clamping portion at a front portion of the housing, and when the cable plug is received and positioned within the clamping portion and the clamping portion is received and positioned within the housing, at least a front portion of the cable plug extending toward the front end of the housing is surrounded at a distance by the front portion of the housing, the tapered section of the clamping portion includes a tapered externally threaded region having external threads extending thereon; and the inner contact section of the clamping sleeve includes a tapered internally threaded region having internal threads extending thereon; 11. A plug assembly, comprising: a first end portion of said first and second threads, said first and second threads being configured to engage with each other to provide said threaded connection;

17. 17. A plug assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein the rear portion of the clamping part comprises two, in particular four, radially compressible spaced apart extensions, the contours of which form at least a part of the tapered section of the radially compressible clamping part.

18. 18. A plug assembly according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the outer thread and the inner thread each comprise a maximum of 10 turns, in particular a maximum of 8 turns.

19. the plug assembly includes a tail having a front portion configured to connect to a rear portion of the housing, the rear portion of the housing being opposite the front end of the housing; 19. A plug assembly according to any one of claims 16 to 18, in particular wherein the tail comprises a flexible rear portion opposite the front portion of the tail, the flexible rear portion being configured to surround the cable and having an inner diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the cable.

20. 20. The plug assembly of claim 19, wherein the clamp sleeve and the tail are separate components, and in particular the front portion of the tail comprises a flexible coupling portion configured to conformably and / or press-fittingly engage at least a portion of the rear portion of the housing.

21. 20. The plug assembly of claim 19, wherein the clamp sleeve is an integral part of the tail portion, and in particular the housing includes a stop for the clamp portion configured to prevent movement of the clamp portion towards a rear end of the housing.

22. 22. The plug assembly of claim 21, wherein the tail portion is a multi-element injection molded part comprising a flexible material and a hard material, and the clamp sleeve is formed from the hard material.

23. 23. A plug assembly according to any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the clamping portion is configured to receive an RJ45 cable plug and position the RJ45 cable plug at the predetermined position on the front portion of the clamping portion.

24. 24. The plug assembly according to claim 16, wherein the plug assembly is configured to provide a latching connection between the clamping portion and the housing, the latching connection being provided by a lateral step on an inner surface of the housing configured to prevent movement of the clamping portion towards the front end of the housing, a lateral ridge or edge on an outer surface of the clamping portion configured complementarily to the step, and a spring element configured to apply a biasing force to the clamping portion, wherein in a latched position the ridge or edge is located on a side of the step facing the rear end of the housing, and the biasing force acts to prevent the ridge or edge from stepping over the step.

25. 25. A plug assembly according to any one of claims 16 to 24, wherein the clamping part is divided in its longitudinal direction into two half-shells which are pivotally connected at their front ends and have at their rear ends the external threads for engaging with the internal threads of the clamping sleeve.

26. A clamping part for a plug assembly, said clamping part being split longitudinally into two half-shells configured to clamp an RJ45 cable plug between said two half-shells and thereby position said RJ45 cable plug in a predetermined position at a front part of said clamping part, said rear part of said clamping part being radially compressible is opposite said front part of said clamping part, said rear part being adapted to engage around a cable connected to said RJ45 cable plug when said RJ45 cable plug is positioned by said two half-shells in said predetermined position. , wherein one of the two half-shells is configured to nest against the top, rear and two lateral sides of the RJ45 cable plug, and the other of the two half-shells is configured to nest against the bottom, rear and two lateral sides of the RJ45 cable plug, the top side comprises a latching element configured to latch the RJ45 cable plug into a conventional RJ45 socket, the bottom side is opposite the top side, the rear side connects the top side to the bottom side on the side of the cable, and each of the lateral sides is adjacent to the rear side and connects the top side to the bottom side, The clamp portion is 1. A stepped RJ45 cable plug configured to clamp and position a stepped RJ45 cable plug, the stepped RJ45 cable plug comprising a housing having a stepped surface on the bottom surface, a rear portion of the housing that contacts the cable having a larger diameter in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface than a front portion of the housing, the rear portion having contact portions for transmitting signals to a complementary plug assembly, the clamping portion further comprising: a stepless RJ45 cable plug configured to clamp and position said stepless RJ45 cable plug, said stepless RJ45 cable plug comprising a housing having no step on said bottom surface, said housing having an extension on each of said lateral surfaces, said extension extending through each of said housing side surfaces and beyond a housing surface on said rear surface; Each of the two half shells includes an alignment structure for positioning the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position for the clamping portion, each alignment structure comprising: the alignment structure further comprises two pockets arranged in a rear region of each of the alignment structures, each of the two pockets configured to receive one of the extensions of the stepless RJ45 cable plug, each of the two pockets of one of the two half-shells providing an interface for the top surface and the two side surfaces of the stepless RJ45 cable plug, and each of the two pockets of the other of the two half-shells providing an interface for the bottom surface and the two side surfaces of the stepless RJ45 cable plug, each of the alignment structures further comprising: a clamping section including boundary structures arranged in front regions of the two pockets, one of the boundary structures providing boundary surfaces for the two side surfaces and the top surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug, and the other of the boundary structures providing boundary surfaces for the two side surfaces and the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug, the boundary surface for the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug being offset in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface from the boundary surface for the bottom surface of the non-stepped RJ45 cable plug provided by the two pockets.

27. the alignment structure for positioning the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position is configured such that a front end of each of the two pockets provides an interface for the rear surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug for each of the two half-shells; 27. The clamping portion of claim 26, in particular, the alignment structure is configured such that the front end of the pocket is brought into contact with the back surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug to position the stepped RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position.

28. 28. The clamping portion of claim 26, wherein the alignment structure for the one of the two half-shells configured to nest against the top surface of the RJ45 cable plug comprises a spring element arranged to provide support for the latching element of the RJ45 cable plug to position the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position.

29. 29. A clamping section as claimed in any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the alignment structures for positioning the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position each comprise a guide surface intended to be arranged opposite the lateral side of the RJ45 cable plug in order to position the RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position, the guide surface providing a stop to movement of the RJ45 cable plug in a direction perpendicular to the lateral side of the RJ45 cable plug in a front area of ​​the alignment structure.

30. 30. The clamping portion of claim 26, wherein each of the pockets of the alignment structure has an axial depth such that the pocket provides an interface for a rear surface of the stepless RJ45 cable plug, and the extension of the stepless RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with the interface for the rear surface to position the stepless RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position.

31. 31. The clamping portion of claim 26, wherein the alignment structure is configured such that the interface for the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug to position the stepped RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position.

32. 32. The clamping portion of claim 26, wherein the alignment structure is configured such that the interface provided by the pocket for the bottom surface of the stepless RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the extension portion of the stepless RJ45 cable plug to position the stepless RJ45 cable plug in the predetermined position.

33. The alignment structure is configured such that the spring element exerts a biasing force against the latch element of the RJ45 cable plug to position the RJ45 cable plug at the predetermined position, such that: the interface for the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the stepped RJ45 cable plug; and 33. The clamping portion of claim 28, 31 or 32, wherein the interface provided by the pocket for the bottom surface of the stepless RJ45 cable plug is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the extension of the stepless RJ45 cable plug.

34. the rear portion of the clamping portion being radially compressible is configured to interact with a clamping sleeve connected to the rear portion of the clamping portion and adapted for radial compression of the rear portion of the clamping portion; A clamping portion as claimed in any one of claims 26 to 33, in particular where axial movement between the clamping sleeve and the radially compressible rear portion of the clamping portion results in adaptation of the radial compressive force exerted by the clamping sleeve on the radially compressible rear portion of the clamping portion.

35. 35. The clamping portion of claim 34, wherein the radially compressible rear portion of the clamping portion has a radially compressible tapered section having a narrowing profile toward a rear distal end of the clamping portion, the tapered section including a tapered external thread region, the tapered external thread region having external threads extending onto the tapered external thread region.

36. 36. A clamping part according to any one of claims 26 to 35, wherein the two half-shells are pivotally connected at the front ends.

37. 1. A plug assembly for use with a cable having an RJ45 cable plug, said plug assembly comprising:

37. A clamping part according to any one of claims 26 to 36, configured to receive the RJ45 cable plug and position the RJ45 cable plug at a predetermined position within the clamping part; a clamping sleeve configured to be connected to the clamping portion and to interact with the clamping portion to accommodate radial compression of a rear portion of the clamping portion; and a housing adapted to be plugged into the socket of a complementary plug assembly by bringing the socket close to a front end of the housing, the housing adapted to receive the clamping portion and position the clamping portion at a front portion of the housing, such that when the RJ45 cable plug is positioned by the clamping portion and the clamping portion is positioned within the housing, at least a front portion of the RJ45 cable plug extending toward the front end of the housing is surrounded at a distance by the front portion of the housing.

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