ADAPTER HAVING A FIRST PLUG CONNECTOR PART FOR ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL CONNECTION TO A CABLE AND A SECOND PLUG CONNECTOR PART FOR ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL CONNECTION TO AN ELECTRICAL AND/OR ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract

An adapter, including a first plug connector part for electrical and mechanical connection to a cable, a second plug connector part for electrical and mechanical connection to an electrical and/or electronic device, and a housing. The first and second plug connector parts being provided in or on a wall of the housing or being part of the housing. The adapter including at least one matching circuit, which is connected to contacts of the first and second plug connector parts via electrical lines.

Claims

1. An adapter comprising: a first plug connector part for electrical and mechanical connection to a cable; a second plug connector part for electrical and mechanical connection to an electrical and/or electronic device; a housing, the first and second plug connector parts are provided in or on a wall of the housing or are part of the housing; and at least one matching circuit connected to contacts of the first and second plug connector parts via electrical lines.

2. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes a control unit or regulating unit, which ascertains an actuating signal from a reference variable, which may be read into the matching circuit via the first plug connector part and provides the actuating signal at the second plug connector part.

3. The adapter according to claim 2, wherein the matching circuit includes a sensor element, with the aid of which a measured variable is detected and converted into a sensor signal and which is electrically connected to the control unit and regulating unit, the control unit or regulating unit also ascertaining the actuating signal as a function of the sensor signal.

4. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes a sensor element, with the aid of which a measured variable is detected and converted into a sensor signal and which provides the sensor signal at the first and/or second plug connector part.

5. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes a converter that generates, from a first signal having a first piece of information, which is read into the matching circuit via the first plug connector part, a second signal having the first piece of information and provides the second signal at the second plug connector part, and/or generates, from a third signal having a second piece of information, which is read into the matching circuit via the second plug connector part, a fourth signal having the second piece of information and provides the fourth signal at the first plug connector part.

6. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes an encryption unit that encrypts, a first piece of information from a first signal, which is read into the matching circuit via the first plug connector part and generates a second signal having the encrypted first piece of information and provides the second signal at the second plug connector part and/or encrypts a second piece of information from a third signal, which is read into the matching circuit via the second plug connector part, and generates a fourth signal having the encrypted second piece of information, and provides the fourth signal at the first plug connector part.

7. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes a protective circuit for protecting the device connected to the second plug connector part against overvoltages and/or overcurrents.

8. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the housing is sealed, and the second plug connector part includes sealing elements that seal a complementary plug connector part of the device connected to the second plug connector part against the surroundings.

9. The adapter according to claim 8, wherein the adapter includes a pressure compensating element or a diaphragm inserted into a housing wall or a pressure compensating cavity.

10. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the first and second plug connector parts of the adapter are complementary with respect to each other.

11. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the adapter has a mechanical securing action against a separation from the device, which is released only by destruction.

12. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the matching circuit includes a diagnostic circuit, with the aid of which a signal present at the first plug connector part and/or the second plug connector part may be tested.

13. The adapter according to claim 1, wherein the adapter includes multiple second plug connector parts, each for connection to one device.

14. An arrangement of an adapter according to claims 1 and a device, wherein the device is a sensor or an actuator, and the device includes a first plug connector part in or on a housing wall, which is electrically and mechanically connected to the second plug connector part of the adapter.

15. The arrangement according to claim 14, wherein the arrangement includes a cable, the cable including a second plug connector part, the second plug connector part of the cable being electrically and mechanically connected to the first plug connector part of the adapter.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an arrangement made up of a cable, an adapter, and an actuator; and

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an arrangement made up of a cable, an adapter, and a sensor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a cable as cable 1 and an actuator as actuator 3, which are not equipped or configured in any particular way for the embodiment of the invention. The cable may be a bus cable of the type used in motor vehicles. The actuator may be an actuator of the type used in motor vehicles.

[0028] Cable 1 is not illustrated in its entirety. It includes a second plug connector part 12 on one illustrated end. Actuator 3 includes a housing. A first plug connector part 31 is inserted into a wall of the housing. Actuator 3 is connected to cable 1 via this first plug connector part 31.

[0029] Adapter 2 is provided between cable 1 and actuator 3 and provides the arrangement with additional capabilities. The adapter includes a matching circuit 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 for this purpose. Adapter 2 includes a first plug connector part 21, which is complementary with respect to second plug connector part 12 of cable 1. First plug connector part 21 of adapter 2 and second plug connector part 12 of the cable are mechanically and electrically connected to each other. The adapter also includes a second plug connector part 22, which is complementary with respect to first plug connector part 31 of the actuator. Second plug connector part 22 of the adapter and first plug connector part 31 of actuator 3 are mechanically and electrically connected to each other. Actuator 3 is connected to cable 1 via adapter 2.

[0030] First plug connector part 31 of adapter 3 may be designed for a venting of the housing of the adapter. The venting may be achieved in that the plug contacts of first plug connector part 31 are not tightly surrounded by a holder of the plug connector part, so that a channel is formed between the holder and the plug contact, via which air may flow into the housing and out of the housing for the purpose of pressure compensation. Moisture may penetrate the housing via this channel. If this is not desirable, it may be prevented with the aid of adapter 2. The plug connection between adapter 2 and actuator 3 is designed in such a way that the plug contacts of first plug connector part 31 of actuator 2 are enclosed by second plug connector part 22 of adapter 2. Second plug connector part 22 of adapter 2 includes a sealing element 29, which seals a gap between second plug connector part 22 of adapter 2 and plug connector part 31 of actuator 3. Adapter 2 does not have any venting openings, via which a pressure compensation could take place or via which moisture could penetrate adapter 2 and also the actuator via adapter 2. To prevent damage to adapter 2 or actuator 3 despite the lack of venting openings, a diaphragm 28 is inserted into a wall of adapter 2, via which the pressure compensation takes place. To compensate pressure, the diaphragm may bulge inwardly or outwardly.

[0031] A control unit or regulating unit 23 may be provided in the matching circuit. It may read in a reference variable and, if necessary, a control variable via cable 1 to determine a manipulated variable therefrom. This manipulated variable may then be transmitted to actuator 3 via plug connection 22, 31. Actuator 3 may process the manipulated variable.

[0032] A converter 24 may be provided in the matching circuit, with the aid of which signals according to a first protocol, which are to be transmitted from arbitrary devices to actuator 3 via cable 1, are converted into signals according to a second protocol, and/or signals according to the second protocol, which are to be transmitted from actuator 2 to arbitrary devices via cable 1, are converted into signals according to the first protocol.

[0033] A protective circuit 25 may be provided in the matching circuit, which may be suitable and provided, in particular, for protecting actuator 3 against overvoltages when it is connected to a vehicle electrical system having a voltage which is higher than the voltage of a vehicle electrical system for which it was designed. The protective circuit may be a suppressor diode.

[0034] The matching circuit may include an encryption unit 26, which makes it possible to encrypt and decrypt information in signals. Non-encrypted information in signals which are to be transmitted from actuator 3 to an arbitrary device via cable 1 may thus be encrypted in adapter 2 to then be transmitted via the cable in encrypted form. Conversely, encrypted information in signals, which are transmitted to actuator 3 via cable 1, may be decrypted in encryption unit 26 of adapter 2, so that the actuator may process the decrypted information.

[0035] A sensor element 27 may be provided in the matching circuit. A physical variable may be detected with the aid of this sensor element 27. It may be transmitted to other devices via plug connection 21, 12 and cable 1 or to the actuator via plug connection 22, 31.

[0036] Adapter 2, which is situated between cable 1 and sensor 4 in the arrangement according to FIG. 2, has almost the same properties as adapter 2 of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1. The same parts and units of adapter 2 as well as cable 1 are identified by the same reference numerals.

[0037] Like actuator 3, sensor 4 includes a housing, in which the parts and units of sensor 4 are arranged. A first plug connector part 41 is arranged in a wall of the housing. Via this first plug connector part 41, sensor 4 is connected to adapter 2 in the same way as in the arrangement of sensor 3 according to FIG. 1.

[0038] Adapter 2 of the arrangement according to FIG. 2 differs from adapter 2 of the arrangement according to FIG. 1 only in that the matching circuit of the arrangement according to FIG. 2 does not include a control or regulating unit 23. Converter 24, protective circuit 25, encryption unit 26, sensor element 27, and/or diaphragm 28 may be provided in the case of the matching circuit of adapter 2 of the arrangement according to FIG. 2 and have the same functions and properties as already described for the arrangement from FIG. 1.

[0039] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not be regarded as departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.