Shielding metal plate

Abstract

The invention relates to a shielding metal plate (3) suitable for connecting at least one shielded conductor. The shielding metal plate (3), which can be held in a housing of a plug connector, protects the held conductor from external, interfering influences. The shielding metal plate (3) can be variably adapted to different conductor cross-sections such that both thin and thick conductors can be connected.

Claims

1. A metal shield having a plug-in side and a coupling side, wherein the coupling side is arranged opposite the plug-in side, wherein the plug-in side is suitable for contacting a mating connector, wherein the coupling side is suitable for coupling at least one shielded conductor, wherein the metal shield has an upper shield member including an upper plug-in portion and a lower shield member including a lower plug-in portion, wherein the metal shield is capable of being received in a housing of a plug connector, wherein the metal shield is adaptable to various conductor cross-sections by a latching mechanism, the latching mechanism comprising: a generally U-shaped upper coupling portion which is connected to the upper plug-in portion by an upper arm; and a generally U-shaped lower coupling portion which is connected to the lower plug-in portion by a lower arm, wherein open ends of the generally U-shaped upper and lower coupling portions are facing one another, and wherein the upper coupling portion and the lower coupling portion are displaceable relative to one another by bending the upper arm and the lower arm, causing vertical legs of the generally U-shaped upper and lower coupling portions to slide along one another.

2. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the latching mechanism comprises a first detent lug and an associated first detent recess.

3. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower coupling portion includes at least one first detent lug, and the upper coupling portion includes at least one first detent recess.

4. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower coupling portion includes a first vertical leg and an opposite second vertical leg which are connected by an arcuate central section, and wherein the first vertical leg includes at least one first detent lug, and the second vertical leg includes at least two first detent recesses, the at least two first detent recesses being arranged as detent steps.

5. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower coupling portion includes at least one first detent recess, and the upper coupling portion includes at least one first detent lug.

6. The metal shield as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lower coupling portion includes at least two first detent recesses, and the upper coupling portion includes at least one first detent lug, the at least two first detent recesses being arranged as detent steps.

7. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower coupling portion includes a first lower vertical leg and an opposite second lower vertical leg, and wherein the upper coupling portion includes a first upper vertical leg and an opposite second upper vertical leg, and wherein the first lower vertical leg includes at least one first detent lug and the second lower vertical leg at least two first detent recesses, and wherein the first upper vertical leg includes at least two first detent recesses and the second upper vertical leg includes at least one first detent lug.

8. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein an upper side of the plug-in side and an underside of the plug-in side are arranged on the plug-in side.

9. The metal shield as claimed in claim 8, wherein the upper side of the plug-in side and the underside of the plug-in side are formed from one part, or wherein the upper side of the plug-in side and the underside of the plug-in side are each formed from one part.

10. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper coupling portion includes vertical legs which are connected by an arcuate central section, and wherein an elastically resilient third detent lug pointing inward toward the at least one conductor is arranged in the central section.

11. The metal shield as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper side of the plug-in side and/or the underside of the plug-in side include(s) a fourth detent lug, the fourth detent lug being shaped for latching with a mating connector.

12. A metal shield for a connector, comprising: an upper shield member having an upper plug-in portion and a generally U-shaped upper coupling portion which are connected by an upper arm; and a lower shield member having a lower plug-in portion and a generally U-shaped lower coupling portion which are connected by a lower arm, wherein the upper plug-in portion and the lower plug-in portion are arranged on a plug-in side of the metal shield and configured for contacting a mating connector, wherein the upper coupling portion and the lower coupling portion are configured for coupling at least one shielded conductor, wherein open ends of the generally U-shaped upper and lower coupling portions are facing one another, wherein the upper coupling portion and the lower coupling portion are displaceable relative to one another by bending the upper arm and the lower arm, causing vertical legs of the generally U-shaped upper and lower coupling portions to slide along one another, and wherein the upper coupling portion and the lower coupling portion are latched together by a first detent lug arranged on a vertical leg of the upper plug-in portion which engages a first detent recess arranged on a vertical leg of the lower plug-in portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) An embodiment of the invention is represented in the drawings and will be elucidated in more detail in the following.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of the upper shield member and of the lower shield member of the metal shield.

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective representation of an assembled metal shield.

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective representation of the preferred upper shield member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) The figures contain partially simplified, schematic representations. In part, identical reference symbols are used for the same but possibly not identical elements. Different views of the same elements might have been scaled differently.

(6) FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of an upper shield member 1 and of a lower shield member 2, which together form a metal shield 3. The upper shield member 1 includes an upper coupling portion 4.a and an upper plug-in portion 4.s. The upper plug-in portion 4s and the upper coupling portion 4.a are connected by an upper arm 12. The lower shield member 2 includes a lower coupling portion 5.a and a lower plug-in portion 5.s which are connected to one another by a lower arm 13.

(7) This metal shield 3 is capable of being received in a housing of a plug connector. The housing is, in turn, capable of being received in a plug connector. However, for reasons of better representation, the housing and the plug connector have not been shown here.

(8) The lower plug-in portion 5.s is constituted by a region for receiving a mating connector. In this region a mating connector can be contacted. The plug-in portion has been designed in the form of a hollow right parallelepiped with two integrally formed semicylinders. One of the two semicylinders has been formed respectively on one of the two short sides of the hollow right parallelepiped. In a mounted state, at least one contact element projects into this region between the two semicylinders.

(9) Opposite the lower plug-in portion 5.s the metal shield 3 includes a lower coupling portion 5.a. This lower coupling portion serves for coupling at least one shielded conductor, said shielded conductor being capable of being received in a contact element which is then capable of being inserted into the metal shield 3 from the lower coupling portion 5.a in the direction of the lower plug-in portion 5.s.

(10) The lower coupling portion 5.a is U-shaped. Said lower shield member exhibits a first detent lug 6 on the one side, on one leg of the U of the lower coupling portion 5.a. The first detent lug 6 is of angular construction. Opposite this first detent lug 6, two first detent recesses 7 have therefore been formed on the correspondingly opposite leg of the lower coupling portion 5.a. Use may also be made of any other number of first detent recesses 7. The first detent recess 7 in the present embodiment is of rectangular construction. However, the first detent recesses 7 may assume any shape, which have to be chosen only in accordance with the shape of the first detent lugs 6, in order that those are capable of being received and latched in the first detent recesses 7.

(11) The two first detent recesses 7 have been arranged as detent steps. For this purpose, it is advantageous if at least two first detent recesses have been arranged on the coupling portion. In order that the first detent recesses form detent steps, they have been aligned exactly one above the other in the direction of the opening of the U. This offers the advantage that a corresponding first detent lug is able to catch in various positions, depending upon the conductor cross-section.

(12) The lower coupling portion 5.a and the lower plug-in portion 5.s are connected by a lower arm 13 which belongs partly to the plug-in portion and partly to the coupling portion. The lower arm 13 connects the base surface of the right parallelipiped of the plug-in portion to the low-point straight line of the U of the coupling portion. A broad rectangular surface with narrow rectangular surfaces formed on the long sides of the broad surface constitutes the lower arm.

(13) Second detent lugs 8 and second detent recesses 9 have been formed on or in the narrow rectangular surfaces. In the present embodiment, on one of the two narrow surfaces the plug-in portion exhibits two second detent lugs 8 and one second detent recess 9. Two second detent lugs 8 and one second detent recess 9 have been arranged on the opposite surface. This is an exemplary distribution of the second detent lugs 8 and the second detent recesses 9. Other distributions/numbers per narrow side are also possible.

(14) The upper shield member exhibits an upper plug-in portion 4.s, a upper arm 12 and an upper coupling portion 4.a. However, the upper plug-in portion 4.s has been designed without the right-parallelepipedal region which has been formed on the lower plug-in portion 5.s. The upper arm 12 consists, just as in the case of the lower arm 13, of a broad, rectangular surface with narrow rectangular surfaces formed on the long sides of the broad surface.

(15) The upper plug-in portion includes a fourth detent lug 11. The fourth detent lug 11 is provided for the purpose of latching with a mating connector. Said detent lug has been formed in resilient manner on the broad surface, and points in the direction of the plug-in side. The fourth detent lug 11 is provided with at least one barbin this case, with two barbs which latch in the mating connector.

(16) On one of the two narrow surfaces, two second detent recesses 9 and one second detent lug 8 have been formed as a counterpart to the lower plug-in portion 5.s, with which the upper plug-in portion 4.s is capable of being latched. Likewise, two second detent recesses 9 and one second detent lug 8 have been arranged on the opposite narrow surface.

(17) Both narrow surfaces being assembled identically isas already mentioned in connection with the lower plug-in portion 5.sonly one possible practical form. For instance, only one second detent lug 8 may have been arranged on the one narrow surface, and one second detent recess 9 on the opposite narrow surface. The narrow surfaces of the upper plug-in portion 4.s must only have been provided with a number of second detent recesses 9 corresponding to the second detent lugs 8 exhibited by the second lower shield member 5.s. This applies analogously to the second detent lugs 8 of the second upper shield member 4.s.

(18) The upper coupling portion 4.a islike the lower coupling portion 5.aconfigured in the shape of a U. One leg of the U exhibits a first detent lug 6. Said detent lug has been arranged on the leg in such a way that it is able to engage into one of the first detent recesses 7 of the lower coupling portion 5.a. Three first detent recesses 7 have been formed on the opposite leg of the U. Depending on the thickness of the conductor cross-section that is to be received, the first detent lug 6 of the lower coupling portion 5.a will latch into one of these three first detent recesses 7.

(19) The same rule applies to the shape of the first detent lug 6 and of the first detent recess 7 on the upper coupling portion 4.a as to the first detent recesses 7 and first detent lugs 6 that have been arranged on the lower coupling portion 5.a.

(20) The first detent recesses 7 on the upper coupling portion 4.a take the form of detent steps analogous to the first detent recesses 7 of the lower coupling portion 5.a. They have been arranged correspondingly, one above the other. The number of first detent recesses 7 on the upper coupling portion 4.a and on the lower coupling portion 5.a, whether identical or different, is arbitrary.

(21) The upper shield members 4.a, 4.s and also the lower shield members 5.a, 5.s have consequently been shaped in such a way that they are capable of being latched with one another and hold a received conductor securely. As a result, the shielding of the received conductor is advantageously contacted over a large area.

(22) In FIG. 2 the upper shield member 1 and the lower shield member 2 shown in FIG. 1 have been latched with one another. In FIG. 2 the lower plug-in portion 5.s with the right-parallelepipedal and semi-cylindrical plug-in side, the arm, and the lower coupling portion 5.a as opposing U-shaped coupling portions are represented.

(23) The fourth detent lug 11 of the upper plug-in portion 4.s projects in the direction of the plug-in side and is positioned close to the right-parallelepipedal and semi-cylindrical region of the plug-in side of the lower plug-in portion 5.s.

(24) In this embodiment the lower plug-in portion 5.s exhibits three second detent recesses 9, into which the three second detent lugs 8 of the upper plug-in portion 4.s latch.

(25) On the lower coupling portion 5.a a first detent lug 6 has been formed on one leg of the U, toward the observer, and two first detent recesses 7 have been formed on the opposite leg. The upper coupling portion 4.a exhibits toward the observer three first detent recesses 7 and, situated opposite, one first detent lug 6. The first detent lug 6 of the lower coupling portion 5.a engages into the middle one of the three first detent recesses 7 of the upper coupling portion 4.a. The first detent lug 6 of the upper coupling portion 4.a latches opposite into the first detent recess 7 of the lower coupling portion 5.a, which has been arranged closer to the curved region of the U.

(26) Which first detent recess 7 the respective detent lug 6 has engaged into is dependent on the respective conductor to be coupled.

(27) In FIG. 3 a preferred practical form of the upper shield member 1 is represented in perspective view. The upper plug-in portion 4.s exhibits the fourth detent lug 11 with two barbs in the direction of the plug-in side. In the plug-in portion three second detent lugs 8 have been arranged on the one narrow surface and, situated opposite, three second detent recesses 9.

(28) The upper coupling portion 4.a adjoins the upper arm. Said coupling side is U-shaped. Three first detent recesses 7 have been formed on one of the legs of the U. A first detent lug 6 has been formed on the opposite leg of the U.

(29) Particularly preferred is the formation of a third detent lug 10 on the curved region of the U which connects the two legs of the U to one another. The third detent lug 10 offers the advantage of an additional contacting of a shielding of a conductor to be coupled, and is additionally a strain relief. The strain-relieving action is afforded by the orientation of the third detent lug 10, which in the direction of the plug-in side has been formed in resilient manner on the upper coupling portion 4.a.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(30) 1 upper shield member 2 lower shield member 3 metal shield 4.a upper coupling portion 4.s upper plug-in portion 5.a lower coupling portion 5.s lower plug-in portion 6 first detent lug 7 first detent recess 8 second detent lug 9 second detent recess 10 third detent lug 11 fourth detent lug 12 upper arm 13 lower arm