Method for installing a first plug connector in a field device housing

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for installing a first plug connector in a field device housing (12), said method comprising the following steps: - providing a first circuit board (20) on which a first part of the first plug connector (21a) is attached; - providing the field device housing, wherein in the field device housing, a housing opening (18) is furthermore provided in a side-wall region of the rotationally symmetrical region for a plug sleeve which is used to receive a second part of the plug connector, preferably a second part of the plug connector (21b), in particular designed as an M12 round plug contact; - arranging the plug sleeve (30) on the housing opening and welding same onto the field device housing;- introducing the first circuit board with the first part of the plug connector into the field device housing; - radially introducing the second part of the first plug connector into the plug sleeve such that the second part of the first plug connector is inserted in the first part of the first plug connector via a plug connection.

Description

[0001] Method for installing a first connector in a field device housing

[0002] The invention relates to a method for installing a first connector into a field device housing.

[0003] Field devices used in industrial plants are known from the state of the art. Field devices are widely used in process automation technology as well as in manufacturing automation technology. In principle, field devices are all devices that are used close to the process and that provide or process-relevant information. Field devices are used to record and / or influence process variables. Measuring devices or sensors are used to record process variables. These are used, for example, for pressure and temperature measurement, conductivity measurement, flow measurement, etc. and record the corresponding process variables pressure, temperature, conductivity, pH value, fill level, flow rate, etc. Actuators are used to influence process variables. These are, for example, pumps or valves that can influence the flow of a liquid in a pipe or the fill level in a container.In addition to the measuring devices and actuators mentioned above, field devices also include remote I / Os, radio adapters and, in general, devices that are arranged at the field level.

[0004] A large number of such field devices are produced and distributed by the Endress+Hauser Group.

[0005] Hygienic processes place particularly high demands on processing and / or cleanliness. Examples of such hygienic processes include applications in the food industry, where there is a risk that deposits and / or impurities can impair the shelf life and / or lead to harmful contamination of food.

[0006] To meet these requirements, the housings of field devices are specially designed. For example, they are made of a metallic material such as 316L stainless steel and / or are designed to minimize the number of places where deposits and / or contaminants can accumulate.

[0007] To connect such field devices, connectors are usually used that are inserted into the housing. In automation systems, so-called circular connectors are often used for this purpose. These connectors are used to transmit data, in particular measured values ​​and / or power, from the field device to an external unit, e.g., a higher-level unit. These circular connectors are purchased by the field device manufacturers as preconfigured finished parts. Therefore, the circular connectors are usually configured so that the circular connector can be mounted along a longitudinal axis of a housing. There is no variant configured in such a way that the circular connector can be mounted parallel to a transverse axis of the housing (radial mounting).

[0008] To achieve this type of assembly, field device manufacturers employ a complex manufacturing process in which the connector is first attached, particularly by soldering, to a suitable printed circuit board. The printed circuit board with the connector is then inserted radially into the field device housing, and the connector is positioned in a corresponding opening in the housing. A female connector is then pushed over the connector already inserted into the housing. In a final step, the female connector is joined, particularly by welding, to the housing, so that the field device housing, with the inserted connector that can be contacted externally, is protected against moisture.

[0009] The disadvantage of this manufacturing process is, on the one hand, that it is relatively cost-intensive, since in particular the welding of the connector socket has to be carried out with the already fully populated housing and, on the other hand, that the radial insertion of the circuit board with the already soldered connector is relatively difficult and therefore prone to errors.

[0010] The invention is therefore based on the object of remedying this situation.

[0011] The object is achieved according to the invention by the method according to patent claim 1.

[0012] The method according to the invention for installing a first connector, in particular a first circular connector, in particular a first M12 circular connector, in a field device housing, wherein the field device housing has at least in sections a region that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal axis, wherein the connector is not installed along a longitudinal axis of the field device housing but parallel to a transverse axis of the field device housing, provides for the following steps:

[0013] Providing a first printed circuit board to which a first part of the first connector is attached to a printed circuit board edge in the longitudinal direction of the first printed circuit board and which further comprises at least one second rigid connector which is arranged and attached on the first printed circuit board in such a way that a plug-in axis of the second rigid connector is inclined / tilted by more than 45°, particularly preferably by approximately 90°, relative to a plane in which the first printed circuit board is formed;

[0014] Providing the field device housing, which at least in sections has a substantially rotationally symmetrical region, wherein at least one second printed circuit board is introduced into the field device housing in the region, preferably along the longitudinal axis of the field device housing, wherein the second printed circuit board has at least one rigid mating connector corresponding to the second plug connector of the first printed circuit board, which mating connector is preferably arranged and attached on the second printed circuit board in such a way that a plug-in axis of the rigid mating connector runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the field device housing when the second printed circuit board is introduced into the field device housing, wherein in the field device housing in a side wall region of the rotationally symmetrical region there is further provided a housing opening for a plug sleeve, which is designed to receive a second part of the plug connector, preferably a round plug contact, in particular.the second part of the connector, which is designed as an M12 circular plug contact, is provided;

[0015] Arranging the connector sleeve at the housing opening and welding it to the field device housing;

[0016] Inserting the first printed circuit board with the first part of the connector into the field device housing and inserting the second rigid connector of the first printed circuit board into the rigid mating connector of the second printed circuit board; radially inserting the second part of the first connector into the connector sleeve such that the second part of the first connector is inserted into the first part of the first connector via a plug connection.

[0017] According to the invention, the connector, particularly a circular connector, which can be contacted from outside the field device housing, is constructed from two parts. A first part of the connector represents a female connector that can be soldered to the first printed circuit board, particularly an SMD-mountable or solderable connector, and a second part represents a plug contact that can be contacted from outside the field device housing and can be inserted into the female connector inside the field device housing.

[0018] The two-part design of the connector results in the advantageous method according to the invention, in which the first circuit board is inserted into the field device housing with the connector socket already soldered on but without the second part of the connector connected. Furthermore, the two-part design of the connector also allows a connector sleeve, into which the second part of the connector is inserted, to be welded before the first circuit board is inserted into the field device housing, rather than after the first circuit board has been inserted. This offers the advantage that the welding process can be implemented and carried out more easily.

[0019] An advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention can provide that the radial insertion of the second part of the first connector into the connector sleeve further provides for a positioning of the first part with respect to the second part of the connector, wherein the positioning is carried out with the aid of positioning means formed on the first and second parts in a coordinated manner.

[0020] A further advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention can provide that the arrangement of the connector sleeve at the housing opening and welding to the field device housing is carried out before the insertion of the first printed circuit board into the field device housing.

[0021] A further advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention can provide that the provided first circuit board has previously been populated in an SMD assembly line with the first part of the first connector and / or electronic components corresponding to the intended function. In particular, the embodiment can provide that the first circuit board has been populated in the SMD assembly line with electronic components for EMC measures and / or explosion protection measures.

[0022] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the following drawings. It shows:

[0023] Fig. 1a: a first printed circuit board with a first part of the connector, which is arranged in the axial direction on a printed circuit board edge of the printed circuit board,

[0024] Fig. 1 b: a sectional view of a field device in automation technology,

[0025] Fig. 2: the field device during the process step in which the first circuit board is inserted into the field device housing,

[0026] Fig. 3: the field device during the process step in which the second part of the connector is inserted radially into the connector sleeve from outside the field device housing, and

[0027] Fig. 4: A field device for automation technology manufactured according to the method according to the invention, in which the connector comprising two parts is fully assembled. The method according to the invention is intended to attach a connector that can be contacted from outside the field device housing to a field device housing in the simplest possible way during production. To this end, the method provides the following steps:

[0028] First, the individual components shown in Figures 1a and 1b for manufacturing the field device are prepared. Figure 1a shows a first printed circuit board 20 with a first part of a connector 21a, which is arranged on a circuit board edge in a longitudinal axis of the printed circuit board 20 and preferably protrudes only slightly or not at all beyond the circuit board edge. Due to the end-side arrangement of the first part of the connector 21a in the longitudinal direction of the printed circuit board 20, the first part can be contacted through a housing opening by a second part of the connector 21b, which will be described in more detail later, after the first printed circuit board 20 has been inserted into the field device housing.

[0029] The first part of the connector 21a can be a plug socket, for example in the form of a socket strip, which can preferably be equipped with SMD (SMD stands for “Surface-Mounted Device”).

[0030] The second part of the connector 21b can in particular be a circular plug contact, for example an M12 circular plug contact, which is designed such that it can be contacted on one side by a correspondingly designed mating contact plug and on the other side can be inserted into the socket via a plug connection. For this purpose, the second part of the connector can have one or more rigid contact pins 21c for the plug connection, with which it can be inserted into the socket. A housing of the circular plug contact can be divided into a front sleeve section 21d, an adjoining base section 21e, and a rear sleeve section 21f adjoining the base section. The front sleeve section 21d is directed towards the preferably female mating contact plug to be connected and protectively surrounds the contact pins 21c projecting freely into it.The base section 21e forms the base of the circular plug contact and serves to guide and position the contact pins 21c and to electrically insulate them from one another. The rear sleeve section 21f can, in the assembled state, be directed towards the first circuit board 20 to which the circular plug contact is or is to be electrically connected, and can furthermore at least partially surround the end pieces of the contact pins. In the assembled state, the circular plug contact can be arranged in an area in front of the first circuit board 20. The first circuit board 20 further comprises at least one second rigid plug connector 22, which is arranged and attached on the first circuit board 20 in such a way that a plug axis (indicated by the reference numeral 23 in Fig. 1a) of the second plug connector is inclined or tilted relative to a main plane in which the first circuit board 20 is formed. In the embodiment shown in Fig.In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the second connector 22 is inclined with its plug-in axis 23 by 90° to the main plane, or the plug-in axis 23 is orthogonal to the main plane. However, the second connector 22 does not necessarily have to be inclined by 90°, but can also be inclined by more than 45° to the plane, for example.

[0031] The first printed circuit board 20 can be fully automatically assembled in an SMD assembly line with electronic components and the first part of the connector 21a according to the later desired or intended function.

[0032] For example, electronic components for EMC and / or explosion protection measures 24 can be applied to the first circuit board 20.

[0033] With the first circuit board 20 shown in Figure 1a, a field device interface 30 for the field device is implemented via the connector in the installed state. The field device interface 30, in combination with an electronic circuit 15 to be described in more detail below, allows the field device 1 to be connected to either a two-, three-, or four-wire line, depending on the design, in order to communicate data, in particular measured values ​​and / or control values, between the electrical circuit and, for example, a higher-level unit.

[0034] Figure 1b shows a sectional view of part of an automation technology field device 1, which comprises a field device housing 12 enclosing an interior space 13. The field device housing 12 has an at least partially rotationally symmetrical region 17, into which the connector 21a, 21b of the first printed circuit board 20 is to be integrated. The field device housing further comprises a sensor and / or actuator element 14 arranged on the housing 12 for setting and / or detecting a process variable, as well as an electronic circuit 15 incorporated in the interior space 13, which is designed to operate the sensor and / or actuator element 14. In the present exemplary embodiment, the electronic circuit comprises three further printed circuit boards, two of which are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the housing 15a and 15b, and one printed circuit board 15c is arranged transversely to the housing.The circuit boards 15a, 15b, 15c are plugged into one another via corresponding plug connectors and mating connectors 15d, thus establishing electrical contact. One of the circuit boards 15b, which is arranged in the longitudinal direction, comprises at least one rigid mating connector 15e corresponding to the second rigid connector 22 of the first circuit board, which is preferably arranged and mounted on this circuit board 15b such that, in the installed state, a plug-in axis of the mating connector runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the field device housing. However, an arrangement in which the plug-in axis of the mating connector does not run parallel to the longitudinal axis of the field device housing is also conceivable.

[0035] The field device housing 18 further has a housing opening 18 in the area on a side wall for the connector 21a, 21b of the first printed circuit board 20, which can be contacted from outside the field device housing 18 after assembly. A connector sleeve, which serves to receive the second part of the connector, is also welded to the housing opening. This means that the connector sleeve 30 is already attached to the field device housing before the first printed circuit board 20 is inserted and the second part of the connector 21b is radially inserted. The housing opening 18 and the connector sleeve 30 are dimensioned such that the second part of the connector 21b can be inserted radially from the outside through the connector sleeve welded to the housing.

[0036] Fig. 2 shows the next process step, in which the first printed circuit board 20 is inserted into the field device housing 12. Here, the first printed circuit board 20 with the second rigid connector 22 is plugged into a corresponding mating connector 15e of one of the other printed circuit boards 15b of the electronic circuit, thus electrically connecting them. Due to the two-part design of the connector 21a, 21b, it is possible for the first printed circuit board (with the first part of the connector already attached) to be inserted into the field device housing without tilting. This, in turn, reduces the risk of damage to the contact pins when inserting the first printed circuit board and plugging in the second connector.

[0037] In a next method step, which is shown in Fig. 3, the second part of the plug connector 21b is inserted radially from outside the field device housing 12 into the plug sleeve 30 and plugged into the first part of the plug connector 21a. This is indicated in Fig. 3 by the dashed arrow. In order to enable exact positioning of the second part of the plug connector 21b, in particular with respect to the first part of the plug connector, the second part of the plug connector and the plug sleeve can each have coordinated positioning means 16a, 16b. For example, the plug sleeve 30 can have a recess 16b on a side facing away from the field device housing. The recess 16b is preferably designed as a notch or notch-shaped.To suit this, the second part of the connector 21b can have a radially outwardly projecting projection 16a located on the outer edge, which is designed such that the projection engages in the recess when the second part of the connector 21b is inserted into the connector sleeve 30. The projection is preferably designed as a nose or similar. The shape and length of the recess or of the projection as a positioning means can vary. It goes without saying that in this case, the arrangement and positioning of the connector sleeve on the housing opening must be carried out according to the intended or desired positioning of the first part of the connector relative to the second part.

[0038] In a final step, the field device 10 is finally manufactured depending on the intended application, location, and configuration. This may include, for example, the integration of a display 19 and other electronic components. Fig. 4 shows an automation field device manufactured according to the previously described inventive method, in which the two-part connector 21a, 21b is fully assembled.

[0039] List of reference symbols

[0040] Field device in automation technology

[0041] Field device housing

[0042] Interior

[0043] Sensor and / or actuator element

[0044] Electronic circuit a-15c Printed circuit boards d Plug-in and mating connectors e Rigid mating connector f Plug-in axis of the mating connector a, 16b Positioning means

[0045] Rotationally symmetric area

[0046] Housing opening

[0047] Display

[0048] First circuit board a First part of the first connector b Second part of the first connector

[0049] Second connector

[0050] Plug-in axis of the second connector

[0051] Electronic components, e.g. for EMC and / or explosion protection measures

[0052] Field device interface

[0053] plug sleeve

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method for installing a first connector (21a, 21b), in particular a first circular connector, in particular a first M12 circular connector, into a field device housing (12), wherein the field device housing (12) has, at least in sections, a region (17) that is rotationally symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal axis, wherein the first connector (21a, 21b) is not installed along a longitudinal axis of the field device housing (12) but parallel to a transverse axis of the field device housing (12), and the method for this purpose provides the following steps: Providing a first printed circuit board (20) to which a first part of the first connector (21 a) is attached to a circuit board edge in the longitudinal direction of the first printed circuit board and which further comprises at least one second rigid connector (22) which is arranged and attached to the first printed circuit board (20) in such a way that a plug-in axis (23) of the second rigid connector (22) is inclined / tilted by more than 45°, particularly preferably by approximately 90°, relative to a plane in which the first printed circuit board (20) is formed; Providing the field device housing (12), which at least in sections has a substantially rotationally symmetrical region (17), wherein at least one second printed circuit board (15b) is introduced into the field device housing (12) in this region, preferably along the longitudinal axis of the field device housing (12), wherein the second printed circuit board (15b) has at least one rigid mating connector (15e) corresponding to the second plug connector (22) of the first printed circuit board (20), which is preferably arranged and attached on the second printed circuit board (15b) in such a way that a plug-in axis (23) of the rigid mating connector (15e) runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the field device housing (12) when the second printed circuit board (15b) is introduced into the field device housing (12), wherein in the field device housing (12) in a side wall region of the rotationally symmetrical region (17) there is further provided a housing opening (18) for a plug sleeve (30),which is provided for receiving a second part of the connector (21 b), preferably a second part of the connector (21 b) designed as a circular plug contact, in particular as an M12 circular plug contact;, Arranging the connector sleeve (30) at the housing opening (18) and welding it to the field device housing (12); Inserting the first printed circuit board (20) with the first part of the connector (21a) into the field device housing (12) and plugging the second rigid connector (22) of the first printed circuit board (20) into the rigid mating connector (15e) of the second printed circuit board (15b); Radially inserting the second part of the first connector (21 b) into the connector sleeve (30) such that the second part of the first connector (21 b) is plugged into the first part of the first connector (21 a) via a plug connection.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the radial insertion of the second part of the first connector (21a) into the connector sleeve (30) further provides for positioning of the first part (21a) with respect to the second part of the connector (21b), the positioning being carried out with the aid of positioning means (16a, 16b) formed on the first and second parts in a coordinated manner.

3. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the arrangement of the connector sleeve (30) at the housing opening (18) and welding to the field device housing (12) is carried out before the insertion of the first printed circuit board (20) into the field device housing (12).

4. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the provided first printed circuit board (20) was previously equipped in an SMD assembly line with the first part of the first connector (21a) and / or electronic components according to the later intended function.

5. Method according to the preceding claim, wherein the first printed circuit board (20) was populated with electronic components for EMC measures and / or explosion protection measures in the SMD assembly line.

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