Plug connection for electrical contacting of a circuit board

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a plug connection, including a plug socket and a clamp plug, for the electrical contacting of a circuit board located in an inner space of a field device. The plug socket is arranged on the circuit board and has at least one web and a first guiding arrangement. The clamp plug includes a second guiding arrangement, which is complementary to the first guiding arrangement, and further includes at least one clamping apparatus. The plug connection also includes an electrical cable that is clampable onto the web.

Claims

1. A plug connection for electrical contacting of a circuit board located in an inner space of a housing part, wherein the housing part is associated with a field device, the plug connection comprising: a plug socket arranged on the circuit board and having: at least one web; and a first guiding arrangement; and a clamp plug having: a second guiding arrangement complementary to the first guiding arrangement; and at least one clamping apparatus configured to clamp at least one electrical cable onto the at least one web; and wherein during combination of the plug socket and the clamp plug, at least a portion of the clamping apparatus is received between free ends of the web.

2. The plug connection of claim 1, wherein the clamp plug is pluggable, via the first and second guiding arrangements, into the plug socket plane-parallelly with the circuit board.

3. The plug connection of claim 1, wherein the circuit board includes in at least one subregion a lid for encapsulation of components located on the circuit board, and wherein the first guiding arrangement is an integral component of the lid.

4. The plug connection of claim 1, wherein the plug socket further includes a plurality of webs and the clamp plug includes a corresponding number of clamping apparatuses.

5. The plug connection of claim 1, wherein the at least one web is soldered to the plug socket.

6. The plug connection of claim 1, wherein the clamping apparatus includes an electrically insulating platform including the second guiding arrangement, at least one hole with internal threads, and at least one clamping screw screwable into the hole via the internal threads.

7. The plug connection of claim 6, wherein the at least one web is plane-parallel with the circuit board and has a first cutout, and wherein the internal threads are arranged within the insulating platform such that the at least one clamping screw extends through the first cutout, and wherein at least one electrical cable is clamped between the at least one web and a screw head of the at least one clamping screw.

8. The plug connection of claim 6, wherein at least one conductive underlay washer is arranged on the at least one clamping screw.

9. The plug connection of claim 8, wherein the at least one underlay washer includes a seat for connecting an electrical measuring and test device.

10. The plug connection of claim 6, wherein the platform includes a nut, and the nut includes the internal threads.

11. The plug connection of claim 10, wherein, in a non-connected state of the plug socket and the clamp plug, the nut is movable within the platform toward a screw head of the clamping screw.

12. The plug connection of claim 1, wherein the housing part is at least partly conductive, and wherein the clamp plug includes a contacting element for electrical contacting of the housing part.

13. The plug connection of claim 12, wherein the contacting element includes a screw guided through the clamp plug by a sleeve, and wherein the housing part includes internal threads into which the screw can be screwed.

14. The plug connection of claim 12, wherein the circuit board includes a second cutout for receiving the contacting element.

15. The plug connection of claim 4, wherein the electrically insulating platform provides electrical insulation between connections of the electrical cable and screwheads of clamping screws of the clamping apparatuses.

16. The plug connection of claim 6, wherein the clamp plug is configured to prevent removal of the at least one clamping screw from the clamping apparatus.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will now be explained in greater detail based on the appended drawing, the figures of which show as follows:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a circuit board with a plug socket of the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a clamp plug connectable to the plug socket,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the plug socket and the clamp plug in the connected state, and

(5) FIG. 4 shows the circuit board with the plug socket and the clamp plug in a housing part.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a circuit board 1 with an embodiment of a plug socket 2 of the invention, wherein the plug socket 2 serves for electrical contacting of components located on the circuit board 1 by means of a clamp plug 6.

(7) The plug socket 2 includes in the illustrated example of an embodiment two webs 3, which are arranged essentially planparallel with the surface of the circuit board 1, each with a first cutout 4. The two webs 3 of the plug socket 2 can be, for example, the connections needed for the transmission of the standardized signals. As usual in the case of field devices, as a rule, the 4-20 mA standard is used here, which can additionally be superimposed with a digital signal, for example, according to the HART protocol.

(8) The two webs 3 are embodied in the illustrated embodiment as SMD-solderable components. Accordingly, no traversing bores need be present in the circuit board 1 for the two webs 3.

(9) For encapsulation of components located on the circuit board 1, a lid 13 is arranged on the circuit board 1. With exception of the plug socket 2, the lid 13 covers the surface of the circuit board 1 completely in the illustrated example of an embodiment. Moreover, the lid 13 includes a first guiding arrangement 5, composed of two guide rails. The guiding arrangement 5 and the cutouts 4 of the webs 3 are arranged in such a manner that the clamp plug 6 can be plugged, for instance, planparallelly from the edge of the circuit board 1 into the plug socket 2.

(10) In the case of the example of an embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the circuit board 1 includes in the region of the plug socket 2 additionally a second cutout 18. It enables that between the clamp plug 6 and a housing part 14, to which the circuit board 1 is secured, an electrical contact can be produced by means of a contacting element 17 mounted on the clamp plug 6. Such a contacting can be required, for example, in order to connect the housing part 14 with a ground potential of the clamp plug 6. Proviso for this is, naturally, appropriate embodiments of the clamp plug 6 and the housing part 14.

(11) An embodiment of the clamp plug 6, which is pluggable into the plug socket 2 shown in FIG. 1, is shown in front view in FIG. 2a as well as in plan view in FIG. 2b. Corresponding to the two webs 3 of the plug socket 2, this embodiment of the clamp plug 6 includes two clamping apparatuses in the form of two clamping screws 10. The clamping screws 10 are screwable into an electrically insulating platform 7 in such a manner that the screwheads of the clamping screws 10 can, in each case, provide a clampable connection to an electrical cable. In order that the cable connection, for example, of a litz cable, is not directly clamped by the rotatable screwheads, the clamping screws 10 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b include, in each case, two electrically conductive washers 11, 11. For protection against possible short circuits between the connections of the electrical cable, the platform 7 in the region of the screwheads of the two clamping screws 10 includes insulation 19.

(12) For fitting the first guiding arrangement 5 on the lid 13, the platform 7 of the clamp plug 6 includes a second guiding arrangement 9 of two guiding rails, via which the clamp plug 6 is pluggable essentially planparallelly with the circuit board 1 into the plug socket 2.

(13) In the case of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, the clamp plug 6 includes, moreover, a contacting element 17 embodied as a screw. It serves to contact the housing part 14 via the clamp plug with the ground. Accordingly, housing part 14 must have for this a suitable internal thread and be embodied conductively in at least this region.

(14) FIGS. 3a and 3b show in detail how the clamp plug 6 shown in FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b is arranged in the plug socket 2 of the circuit board. For better visibility, the lid 13 of the circuit board 1 is not present in these two figures. Shown is that the web 3 lies above the lower underlay washer 11 on the platform 7. In such case, the two clamping screws 10 are arranged in such a manner on the platform 7 that, in the case of plugged-in clamp plug 6, they extend, in each case, through the first cutout 4. Thus, a connection of an electrical cable is clampable between a particular web 3 and the corresponding upper underlay washer 11 in the screwed state.

(15) The two clamping screws 10 are connected with the platform via corresponding internal threads 8. Each internal thread is embodied in the shown example of an embodiment as a nut, which is set in the platform 7.

(16) In the case of the example of an embodiment shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the lower underlay washer 11 includes additionally an upwardly angled end having a seat 12. This can be used as connection for an electrical measuring- and testing device. This variant offers the advantage that the functioning of components located on the circuit board 1 can still be tested when the circuit board 1 is mounted in the provided housing part 14.

(17) FIG. 4 shows the circuit board 1 in an inner space 15 of the housing part 14. In such case, the circuit board 1 has a plugged in, upwardly accessible clamp plug 6, via which the plug socket 2 is contacted. The combination of plug socket 2 and clamp plug 6 includes two clamping screws 10 and a ground-contact for the housing part.

(18) One or more connection cables are led into the inner space 15 via a feedthrough 16. In the case of field devices, which communicate with a superordinated unit, typically these are the two signal lines required for the 4-20 mA measuring signal. According to the invention, the connections of the lines, to the extent that they are terminal strands or comparable terminations, can be clamped to the webs 3 by tightening the clamp screws 10, without that the webs 3 experience torsion because of the screwing action. A possible breaking of a web 3 from the circuit board 1 during the tightening is prevented by this feature.

(19) A further advantage of the plug connection of the invention is that, in the case of field device types, in the case of which the plug socket 2 of the circuit board 1 does not need to be contacted, instead of the clamp plug 6, a suitable protection cap can be plugged in to superimpose on the plug socket 2. This enables use of the equally constructed circuit board 1 in an expanded number of field device types.