OUTER-CONDUCTOR CONTACT ELEMENT, RIGHT-ANGLE PLUG CONNECTOR AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A RIGHT-ANGLE PLUG CONNECTOR

Abstract

The invention relates to an outer-conductor contact element (2) for a right-angle plug connector (1). The right-angle plug connector (1) has a crimping portion (9) for pressing the outer-conductor contact element (2) onto an electric cable (4), said crimping portion (9) having a free end (10), which is open at the end side, for receiving the cable (4). The right-angle plug connector (1) further has a sleeve-like contact portion (12) having a free end (13), which is open at the end side, for establishing a connection with a corresponding mating plug connector, wherein an exit angle (α) is formed between a first longitudinal axis (L.sub.1) of the contact portion (12) and a second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion (9). The right-angle plug connector (1) also has a tub-shaped transition region (14) which, starting from the crimping portion (9), extends along the second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion (9) as far as the contact portion (12). The crimping portion (9), the contact portion (12) and the transition region (14) are formed in one piece from a deep-drawn sheet-metal part.

Claims

1. An outer-conductor contact element for a right-angle plug connector having a crimping portion for pressing the outer-conductor contact element onto an electrical cable, comprising a crimping portion free end, which is open at the end face, for receiving the cable; a sleeve-shaped contact portion with a contact portion free end, which is open at the end face, for establishing a connection to a corresponding mating plug connector, wherein an exit angle is formed between a first longitudinal axis (L.sub.1) of the contact portion and a second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion; a trough-shaped transition region extending from the crimping portion along the second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion to the contact portion (12); and the crimping portion, the contact portion and the transition region formed in one piece from a deep-drawn sheet metal part.

2. (canceled)

3. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transition region has a base plate with a recesss from which the contact portion extends in the direction of the mating plug connector, and wherein the transition region on the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion has two oppositely extending side walls, each connected to the base plate, which transition directly into the crimping portion.

4. (canceled)

5. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 3, wherein two opposing shielding flaps are provided, wherein the shielding flaps are bendable towards each other starting from their respective pre-assembly states, in which an interior of the transition region is accessible toward the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion, to their respective assembly states, in which the shielding flaps provide a circumferential electromagnetic shield in the transition region when viewed in cross-section, to provide the circumferential electromagnetic shielding.

6. The outer-conductor contact element (2) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the shielding flaps overlap each other at a seam in the assembly state or are pressed together in such a way that a wedge-shaped seam is formed.

7. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 5, wherein each shielding flap has a semicircular or semi-elliptical course in its assembly state.

8. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transition region has an end wall, at an end opposite the crimping portion free end (10) along the second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion, for providing end-face electromagnetic shielding.

9. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transition region on the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion has two oppositely extending side walls, each connected to the base plate, which transition directly into the crimping portion, and wherein the end wall extends starting from the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion and transitions directly into the side walls of the transition region.

10. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the end wall forms a completely closed surface.

11. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transition region has at least one shielding flap formed on the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion, wherein the at least one shielding flap can be bent from an open preassembly state, in which an interior of the transition region is accessible toward the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion, to a closed assembly state, in which the at least one shielding flap provides a circumferential electromagnetic shield in the transition region when viewed in cross-section, and wherein the end wall forms a support surface for the at least one shielding flap in the assembly state of the at least one shielding flap.

12. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transition region on the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion has two oppositely extending side walls, each connected to the base plate, which transition directly into the crimping portion, and wherein the end of the end wall facing away from the base plate has a convex course between the two side walls.

13. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 11, wherein the support surface of the end wall has at least one hump-like elevation around which one of the shielding flaps can be bent.

14. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the crimping portion has at least one crimping tab, wherein the crimping tab is pressable on the cable starting from an open pre-assembly state until an assembly state is reached in which the at least one crimping tab forms a circumferential pressing on the cable as viewed in cross-section.

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

18. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contact portion has a seamlessly closed cross-section.

19. (canceled)

20. The outer-conductor contact element as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a contact sleeve which can be mounted on or in the contact portion and which, in the region of its free end, has an interface for connection to a corresponding outer-conductor part of the mating plug connector.

21. (canceled)

22. A method for producing a right-angle plug connector, according to which an outer-conductor contact element is deep-drawn from a sheet-metal part in such a way that the outer-conductor contact element subsequently has a crimping portion for pressing the outer-conductor contact element onto an electrical cable (4), with a crimping portion free end, which is open at the end face, for insertion of the cable; a sleeve-shaped contact portion for establishing a connection to a corresponding mating plug connector, with a contact portion free end which faces the mating plug connector and is open at the end face, wherein an exit angle is formed between a first longitudinal axis (L.sub.1) of the contact portion and a second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion; and a trough-shaped transition region that extends from the crimping portion along the second longitudinal axis (L.sub.2) of the crimping portion to the contact portion.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein a contact sleeve is mounted on or in the contact portion, wherein the contact sleeve has an interface for connection to a corresponding outer-conductor part of the mating plug connector.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein an insulating part and/or an inner-conductor contact element are inserted into the outer-conductor contact element, wherein furthermore a pre-assembled electrical cable is inserted with its free end into the outer-conductor contact element, and wherein the crimping portion is subsequently pressed onto the electrical cable.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein simultaneously with the pressing of the crimping portion, the at least one shielding flap of the transition region is bent over from a pre-assembly state into an assembly state in which the at least one shielding flap provides a circumferential electromagnetic shielding in the transition region, as viewed in cross-section.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the crimping portion and the at least one shielding flap are pressed or bent over using a common pressing tool, in particular a crimping tool.

27. (canceled)

28. An outer-conductor contact element for a right-angle plug connector comprising: a crimping portion for pressing the outer-conductor contact element onto an electrical cable, comprising a crimping portion free end, which is open at the end face, for receiving the cable; a sleeve-shaped contact portion with a contact portion free end, which is open at the end face, for establishing a connection to a corresponding mating plug connector, wherein an exit angle is formed between a first longitudinal axis of the contact portion and a second longitudinal axis of the crimping portion; and a trough-shaped transition region extending from the crimping portion along the second longitudinal axis of the crimping portion to the contact portion, the crimping portion, the contact portion and the transition region each formed in one piece from a deep-drawn sheet metal part; the transition region having a base plate with a recess from which the contact portion extends in the direction of the mating plug connector; and the transition region having at least one shielding flap formed on the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion, wherein the at least one shielding flap can be bent from an open preassembly state, in which an interior of the transition region is accessible toward the side of the base plate facing away from the contact portion, to a closed assembly state, in which the at least one shielding flap provides a circumferential electromagnetic shield in the transition region when viewed in cross-section.

Description

[0129] In the figures:

[0130] FIG. 1 schematically shows a right-angle plug connector according to the invention with an insulating housing assembly, an outer-conductor contact element and an electrical cable in a perspective view;

[0131] FIG. 2 schematically shows a perspective view of an outer-conductor contact element according to the invention with a crimping portion, a contact portion and a transition region extending therebetween in a pre-assembly state;

[0132] FIG. 3 schematically shows the outer-conductor contact element of FIG. 2 in a front view of an end wall of the transition region;

[0133] FIG. 4 schematically shows a plan view of the outer-conductor contact element of FIG. 2;

[0134] FIG. 5 schematically shows a perspective view of the outer-conductor contact element of FIG. 2 in an assembly state;

[0135] FIG. 6 schematically shows the outer-conductor contact element according to FIG. 5 in a front view of the end wall of the transition region;

[0136] FIG. 7 schematically shows the outer-conductor contact element according to FIG. 5 in a sectional perspective view; and

[0137] FIG. 8 schematically shows an enlarged view of the detail XIII of FIG. 7.

[0138] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary right-angle plug connector 1 according to the invention. The right-angle plug connector 1 shown is configured according to the FAKRA standard (FAKRA plug connectors comply with standards ISO 20860-1, ISO 20860-2 and USCAR 17 and 18). In principle, however, any right-angle plug connector can be provided, in particular also a right-angle plug connector of the H-MTD type.

[0139] The right-angle plug connector 1 has an outer-conductor contact element 2 and an inner-conductor contact element (not shown) enclosed by the outer-conductor contact element 2. The inner-conductor contact element is accommodated in an insulating part, which is also not shown, and is fastened together with the insulating part in the outer-conductor contact element 2.

[0140] For connection to a corresponding mating plug connector (not shown), the right-angle plug connector 1 also has an insulating housing assembly 3, the specific design of which is to be understood to be merely exemplary.

[0141] The right-angle plug connector 1 is connected to an electrical cable 4. The electrical cable 4 is inserted into the outer-conductor contact element 2 on the “cable side” for this purpose.

[0142] In principle, the invention may be suitable for use with any electrical cable, but particularly preferably the electrical cable 4 is in the form of a coaxial cable and has a cable sheath 5, an outer conductor 6 extending thereunder, preferably a cable shielding braid of individual wires interwoven with one another, an intermediate dielectric layer 7 extending under the outer conductor 6, and precisely one inner conductor 8 guided centrally within the intermediate layer 7.

[0143] The outer-conductor contact element according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 in an open preassembly state and in FIGS. 5 to 8 in a closed assembly state, wherein the plug connector components to be assembled in the outer-conductor contact element 2 (in particular the insulating part and the inner-conductor contact element) are hidden in the figures in each case for complete representation of the outer-conductor contact element 2.

[0144] As can be seen clearly from FIG. 2, for example, the outer-conductor contact element 2 has a crimping portion 9 for pressing the outer-conductor contact element 2 onto the electrical cable 4. The sleeve-shaped crimping portion 9 has a free end 10 which is open at the front end for receiving the cable 4.

[0145] For pressing the crimping portion 9 onto the cable 4, in particular onto the outer conductor 6 or cable shielding braid of the cable 4 and/or a support sleeve, not shown, the crimping portion 9 has two crimping tabs 11 opposite each other. In principle, however, only a single crimping tab 11 may be provided. Starting from an open pre-assembly state (cf. FIGS. 2 to 4), the crimping tabs 11 can be crimped onto the cable 4 until an assembly state is reached (cf. FIGS. 1 and 5 to 8), wherein the crimping tabs 11 in their assembly state allow crimping all around the cable 4 or around its outer conductor 6, as viewed in cross-section. Optionally, the crimping tabs 11 have a mutual toothing that engages with itself in the assembly state of the crimping tabs 11, as shown.

[0146] The outer-conductor contact element 2 also has a sleeve-shaped contact portion 12 with a free end 13 which is open at the end face for establishing a connection to the corresponding mating plug connector. The contact portion 12 has a round cross-section, but can in principle also have a cross-section deviating therefrom, for example also an elliptical, rectangular, in particular square cross-section. The cross-section of the contact portion 12 is preferably seamlessly closed.

[0147] The outer-conductor contact element 2 also has a trough-shaped transition region 14 which, starting from the crimping portion 9, extends along a second longitudinal axis L.sub.2 of the crimping portion 9 to the contact portion 12. An exit angle α is formed between a first longitudinal axis L.sub.1 of the contact portion 12 and the second longitudinal axis L.sub.2 of the crimping portion 9 (cf. in particular FIG. 7), which in the exemplary embodiments is 90°, but in principle can be arbitrary—depending on the embodiment of the right-angle plug connector 1.

[0148] The crimping portion 9, the contact portion 12 and the transition region 14 are formed in one piece from a deep-drawn sheet-metal part. In this way, the electrical and mechanical properties as well as the production of the outer-conductor contact element 2 can be substantially improved compared to the prior art.

[0149] The transition region 14 has a base plate 15 (cf. in particular FIG. 4 and FIG. 7) with a recess 16 from which the contact portion 12 extends in the direction of the mating plug connector. On the side of the base plate 15 facing away from the contact portion 12, two opposing side walls 17, each connected to the base plate 15, also run parallel to one another (cf. in particular FIG. 2 and FIG. 5). The side walls 17 transition directly into the crimping portion 9.

[0150] Two opposite shielding flaps 18 are also provided in the transition region 14. The shielding flaps 18 can be bent over from an open pre-assembly state (cf. FIGS. 2 to 4), in which an interior of the transition region 14 is accessible in the direction of the side of the base plate 15 facing away from the contact portion 12, to a closed assembly state (cf. FIGS. 5 to 8), wherein the shielding flaps 18 provides a circumferential electromagnetic shield in the transition region 14 when viewed in cross-section in the closed assembly state. Starting from their pre-assembly state, the two shielding flaps 18 can be bent around towards each other into their respective assembly states. In principle, it may also be possible for only a single shielding flap 18 to be provided.

[0151] In their pre-assembly state, the shielding flaps 18 extend upwards from the side walls 17 parallel to the first longitudinal axis L.sub.1 of the contact portion 12 and, in contrast to the side walls 17 which are orthogonal in the exemplary embodiment, are curved outwards (cf. FIG. 3).

[0152] When the shielding flaps 18 are in their assembly state, the transition region 14 forms a substantially semi-elliptical geometry when viewed in cross-section together with the base plate 15 (cf. FIG. 6). In contrast, the crimping portion 9 forms a substantially round geometry in its pressed state on the cable 4.

[0153] To improve shielding along the seam 19 that forms in the assembly state (cf. FIG. 5), it is possible to provide that the shielding flaps 18 overlap each other at the seam 19 in the assembly state or are pressed together in such a way that a wedge-shaped seam 19 is formed. A wedge-shaped seam 19 is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 6.

[0154] It can be provided that the transition region 14 has an end wall 21, at an end 20 opposite the free end 10 of the crimping portion 9 along the second longitudinal axis L.sub.2 of the crimping portion 9, for providing an end-face electromagnetic shielding. The end wall 21 extends from the side of the base plate 15 facing away from the contact portion 12 and transitions directly into the side walls 17 of the transition region 14.

[0155] The end wall 21 forms a completely closed surface, which may, however, have embossments or depressions and elevations. A seam within the surface of the end wall 21 or the formation of the end wall 21 from individual bendable tabs is preferably not provided. By means of the proposed end wall 21, the shielding of the outer-conductor contact element 2 can be substantially improved.

[0156] In the assembly state of the shielding flaps 18, the end wall 21 can preferably form a support surface 22 for the shielding flaps 18 (cf. in particular FIGS. 6 to 8). The upper end of the end wall 21 follows a convex course here between the two side walls 17 in order to correspond as closely as possible to the geometric course of the closed shielding flaps 18.

[0157] It has been found that, starting from their bent-over, assembly state, the shielding flaps 18 may spring back undesirably due to a certain basic elasticity of the material, as a result of which the axially extending seam 19 between the shielding flaps 18 and the distance between the shielding flaps 18 and the end wall 21 may increase unfavorably. In order to achieve even better plastic deformation and suppress spring-back, the support surface 22 of the end wall 21 preferably has at least one hump-like elevation 23 (cf., for example, FIG. 6), around which one of the shielding flaps 18 can be bent.

[0158] It can be provided that the outer-conductor contact element 2 additionally has a contact sleeve 24 which is mountable on or in the contact portion 12, preferably is coaxially mountable. The contact sleeve 24 may have, in the region of its free end, an interface for connection to the corresponding outer-conductor part of the mating plug connector. A corresponding contact sleeve 24 is indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 3 as an example. Instead of a contact sleeve 24, however, it is also possible to provide that the contact portion 12 itself already has the interface for connection to the outer-conductor part of the mating plug connector.

[0159] As already mentioned, it is proposed to deep-draw the outer-conductor contact element 2 from a sheet-metal part in order to produce the right-angle plug connector 1. The state of the outer-conductor contact element 2 after the deep-drawing process is shown by way of example in FIG. 2. Preferably, a plurality of outer-conductor contact elements 2 can be connected via a common carrier strip 25 for easier transport or to simplify subsequent assembly processes.

[0160] As part of the assembly of the right-angle plug connector 1, the electrical cable 4 can first be pre-assembled with the inner-conductor contact element and, if necessary, the insulating part, and then inserted into the outer-conductor contact element 2, which is still in its pre-assembly state.

[0161] Subsequently, the crimping portion 9 can be pressed onto the electrical cable 4 or onto a support sleeve of the electrical cable 4, preferably simultaneously with the bending of the shielding flaps 18. For this purpose, a common pressing tool, in particular a crimping tool, can be used if necessary.

[0162] In particular, the crimping portion 9 and the shielding flaps 18 can be pressed or bent over in a controlled manner to adjust the impedance of the right-angle plug connector 1 for its subsequent use during the assembly process.