Shielded plug-in connector with spring sleeve

Abstract

A plug-in connector arranged at one end of a shielded cable (10), the plug-in connector having a housing made of a metal material, the housing being electrically connected to the shield (11) of the shielded cable (10) so that the shield (11) is routed starting from the cable (10) and passing through a plug-in connector that can be plugged together with a correspondingly designed counter plug-in connector, the plug-in connector having a spring sleeve (12) that is pressed under the shield (11) of the cable (10) so that the outer surface of the spring sleeve (12) is at least partially, in particular completely, in electrical contact with the shield (11) of the cable (10).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The invention relates to a shielded plug-in connector according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Plug-in connectors are known that are arranged at one end of a shielded cable, the plug-in connector having a housing made of a metal material, the housing being electrically connected to the shield of the cable, so that the shield is routed starting from the cable and passing through the plug-in connector so that it overlaps with a correspondingly designed opposing plug-in connector that can be plugged in together.

[0003] Various arrangements for electrically connecting the adaptable part of a cable with the housing of a plug-in connector are already known in the prior art. In one arrangement, a Pflitzsch spring is arranged on the outer surface of the exposed shield of the cable, and this Pflitzsch spring electrically connects the shield of the cable in an internally concentric manner. In an externally concentric manner, i.e., its outer surface, in this Pflitzsch spring, abuts against the inner contour of the housing, which is formed, for example, as a knurled nut.

[0004] The problem on which the invention is based is to improve the connection between the shield of such a cable and the metal housing of the plug-in connector.

[0005] This problem is solved by the features of claim 1.

[0006] According to the present invention, a spring sleeve is provided that is pressed under the shield of the cable, in particular the braided shield or shield foil. This means that the outer surface of the spring sleeve is in at least partial, in particular complete, electrical contact with the shield of the cable, preferably the braided shield. The inner contour of the spring sleeve abuts against the sheath of at least one electrical conductor track of the cable. Optionally, the sheathed conductor track or a number of individual sheathed conductor tracks may be surrounded by a further sheath housed within the spring sleeve.

[0007] The spring sleeve forms a one-piece, continuous part without recesses, slits, etc. In the simplest embodiment, the spring sleeve is thus a cylindrical, preferably circular cross-section, although other cross-sections (e.g., oval, square, rectangular, etc.) are also conceivable. However, the spring sleeve may additionally be provided with at least one recess and / or at least one slit to achieve a spring or clamping action when the spring sleeve is pressed under the shield and simultaneously over the at least one electrical conductor track or its sheath. If only one slit is present, this slit extends axially from one end of the spring sleeve to the other and is slightly expanded when the spring sleeve is pressed in.

[0008] After the spring sleeve has been placed on the cable in the manner described above and has been brought into contact with the cable shield (by abutment, possibly alternatively or additionally by pressing, electrical bonding, soldering, welding, etc.), a shielding housing made of metallic material is arranged over at least the axial length of the spring sleeve, possibly also beyond one or both ends thereof. The shielding housing may be of one piece, but preferably of two-piece construction, in particular with two halves of identical design.

[0009] Above the shielding housing is arranged a further housing which can form the outer housing of the plug-in connector. This outer housing, also made of a metal material, thereby makes electrical contact with the shielding housing so that the shield is routed starting from the cable and passing through the counter-plug-in connector so that it overlaps it. This further housing can be designed as a screw-fastening part, which means that it can rotate relative to the spring sleeve (but not axially move relative to the spring sleeve or the cable) and can be screwed to a correspondingly designed counter-plug-in connector after the plug-in connector and the counter-plug-in connector have been plugged together.

[0010] A contact carrier, preferably made of an electrically non-conductive material, is arranged inside the further housing, which accommodates at least one contact of the electrical conductor path of the cable, and usually several contacts (if the cable comprises several electrical conductor paths).

[0011] After the further housing (screw fastening portion) has been placed, it may be conceivable to fill the interior, in particular the interior and surrounding portion of the contact support, with an electrically non-conductive material, in particular to overmold the internal cavity with such material.

[0012] In one embodiment, the overmolding is carried out to include the end portion of the further housing (screw clamping portion) as well as the spring sleeve up to the end region of the cable. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment according to the present invention.

[0014] In the left half of FIG. 1, an angled plug-in connector is shown, whereas in the right half of FIG. 1, two straight plug-in connectors are shown mounted and manufactured in accordance with the present invention.

[0015] In the right half of FIG. 1, the completed linear plug-in connector is shown at the bottom right, with its individual components and installation steps recognizable in the two upper views.

[0016] In the left half of FIG. 1, the completed angled plug-in connector is shown at the bottom left, with its individual parts and installation steps recognizable in the two upper views.

[0017] Each completed plug-in connector is placed at the end of a cable 10. The cable 10 is a shielded cable having a shield 11, particularly a braided shield, a shield foil, or the like, underneath its outer sheath. Below that, at least one electrical conductor track, typically several, is present inside the cable 10, each with its own outer sheath. The cable 10 is, for example, a two- or four-core twisted-pair cable. According to the present invention, a spring sleeve 12 is pressed between the outer sheath of the at least one electrical conductor track and the inner contour of the shield 11. Alternatively, the spring sleeve 12 can be pressed over one or more electrical conductor tracks, and then the shield 11 can be positioned over a portion of the spring sleeve 12 or over its entire axial extension. In any case, the use of the spring sleeve 12 according to the present invention avoids the need to disassemble or reshape the shield 11, particularly a braided shield, in the direction of the outer sheath of the cable 10, in order to prevent deterioration of the sheath's properties. The shield 11, like the ends of the electrical conductor tracks, is surrounded by a shield housing 13, at each of which a contact 14 is also arranged. Each contact 14 is arranged in a contact carrier 15 made of an electrically non-conductive material, in particular a plastic suitable for the intended use of the plug-in connector. A shield sleeve 16 made of an electrically conductive material is arranged coaxially above the contact carrier 15 and, after installation, is operatively connected to the shield housing 13. A screw clamp 17 is also arranged coaxially on a portion of the shield sleeve 16 and is supported so that it can rotate relative to the fixed shield sleeve 16. The screw clamp 17 is used to insert the completed plug-in connector into a counter-plug connector (not shown) and secure it against unplugging.

[0018] The drawings show that the shield housing 13 consists of two half shells. These two half shells are substantially identical, from the pegs in one half shell to the corresponding recesses in the other half shell that accommodate the pegs. The shield housing 13 may be formed in one piece or may consist of more than two parts. One end of the shield housing 13 is placed on the exposed area of ​​the shield 11, thereby establishing an electrical contact between the shield 11 and the shield housing 13, which is also made of an electrically conductive material. The spring sleeves 12 inserted between the outer jacket of the individual electrical conductor tracks and the inner contour of the shield 11 also serve to stabilize the contact area between the shield 11 and the shield housing 13, thereby achieving an effective electrical contact. As the end of the contact 10 facing the cable 10 moves toward the cable 10, the contacts 14 are inserted into the corresponding contact chambers of the contact support 15. An electrical contact is also made between one end of the shielding housing 13 and the other end of the opposing shielding sleeve 16. The end of this assembly step can be seen in the middle of the illustration of the straight plug-in connector on the right. This ensures that the shield 11 of the cable 10 is extended up to the shielding sleeve 16 or screw fastening 17. This also ensures that the shield 11 of the plug-in connector is routed through and overlaps the opposing plug-in connector when the two connectors are plugged together. This therefore ensures continuous shielding.

[0019] In the lower right view of the right half of FIG. 1 , it can also be seen that a press ring 18 is arranged next to the screw clamping portion 17, facing the cable 10. This press ring 18 holds the two shell halves of the shielding housing 13 together and acts to abut the screw clamping portion 17 when they are rotated relative to the press ring 18. Alternatively, it is possible, but not necessary, to provide an overmolding 19 on the contact carrier 15, and in particular on the shielding housing 13, extending all the way up to the end region of the cable 10. Such an overmolding 19 protects the finished plug-in connector from external influences and can be manufactured very simply and quickly. Alternatively to the overmolding 19, a separate outer housing is also conceivable. This could, for example, also consist of two (identical or nearly identical) shell halves or more than two parts.

[0020] The above description of the straight embodiment of the plug-in connector according to the invention also applies substantially equally to the angled embodiment of the plug-in connector according to the invention, which is shown in the left-hand part of FIG. 1. Due to the angled embodiment, only the shielding housing 13 (or the two half shells forming the shielding housing 13) is implemented differently in this case compared to the illustrated embodiment. Furthermore, the screw-clamping portion 17 in the straight embodiment of the plug-in connector has a knurled portion, whereas the screw-clamping portion 17 in the angled plug-in connector has mutually angled sections. This allows the screw-clamping portion 17 of the straight plug-in connector to be operated by hand, whereas the screw-clamping portion 17 of the angled plug-in connector can be operated using a tool. Converse or other embodiments are also conceivable for operating the screw-clamping portion 17.

[0021] In the following, the principles according to the present invention will be explained in more detail with some keywords.

[0022] The braided shield 11 of the cable is cut to the appropriate length but is not further modified. - Push the spring sleeve 12 under the braided shield 11 of the cable 10. In the prior art, braided shields are typically brushed, i.e., the braid is broken apart. In most cases, it is brushed back onto the coating and then brushed forward again for connection in a subsequent manufacturing step. The shield housing 13 is preferably two-piece and is attached to the outside of the braided shield. Shield housing 13 with torsion protection for contact carrier assembly 15 / shield sleeve 16. The shield housing 13 is preferably not filled with plastic in the inner area. The shield housing 13 is provided with pegs or holes and joined, for example, by rivets. Other joining methods are possible. Overmolding 19 of the assembly. Placement of the press ring 18. [Explanation of symbols]

[0023] 10 Cable 11 Shielding (especially braided shielding) 12 Spring Sleeve 13 Shield housing 14 Contact 15 Contact support 16 Shield Sleeve 17 Bolt tightening section 18 Press Ring 19 Overmolding

Claims

1. A plug-in connector arranged at one end of a shielded cable (10), The plug-in connector has a housing made of a metal material, The housing is electrically connected to the shield (11) of the shielded cable (10), so that the shield (11) is routed from the cable (10) through and overlapping the plug-in connector, which can be plugged together with a correspondingly designed counter plug-in connector, 1. A plug-in connector comprising: a spring sleeve (12) that is pressed under the shield (11) of the cable (10), whereby an outer surface of the spring sleeve (12) is at least partially, in particular completely, in electrical contact with the shield (11) of the cable (10).

2. 2. A plug-in connector according to claim 1, wherein the spring sleeve (12) forms a one-piece continuous part without recesses, slits or the like.

3. 2. The plug-in connector according to claim 1, wherein the spring sleeve (12) is provided with at least one recess and / or at least one slit.

4. 4. The plug-in connector according to claim 1, wherein a shielding housing (13) made of a metallic material is arranged at least partially over the axial length of the spring sleeve (12), possibly beyond one or both of its ends.

5. 5. The plug-in connector according to claim 4, wherein the shielding housing (13) is formed in one piece or in two pieces, in particular having two halves of identical design or two halves of substantially identical design.

6. 6. The plug-in connector according to claim 4, wherein a further housing, in particular a shielding sleeve (16), forming the outer housing of the plug-in connector is arranged above the shielding housing (13), the outer housing being made of a metallic material and being in electrical contact with the shielding housing (13).

7. 7. The plug-in connector according to claim 1, wherein the shield (11) is a braided shield or a shield foil.

8. 8. The plug-in connector according to claim 6, wherein a contact carrier (15), preferably made of an electrically non-conductive material, is arranged inside the further housing, in particular inside the shielding sleeve (16), which contact carrier (15) accommodates at least one contact (14) of an electrical conductor path of the cable (10).

9. 9. The plug-in connector according to claim 6, wherein the interior of the further housing, in particular the interior and surrounding area of ​​the contact carrier (15), is filled with an electrically non-conductive material.

10. 10. The plug-in connector according to claim 4, wherein a press ring (18) is arranged above the shield housing (13).

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