Contact Sleeve, Connection Arrangement, Signal Transmission System, and Method for Producing a Connection Arrangement

Abstract

Contact sleeve (13) for insertion into a recess (12) of a housing (11) of an electrical apparatus (5), comprising a lateral inner contact surface (21) and a face sided outer contact surface (17). The inner contact surface (21) is configured to make an electrical contact with an outer conductor (4) of an electrical plug-in connector (7). The outer contact surface (17) is configured to make an electrical contact with the housing (11) of the electrical apparatus (5) via a stop surface (16) inside the recess (12).

Claims

1. A connection arrangement comprising: a contact sleeve; and an electrical apparatus including a housing and an electrical circuit arranged inside the housing, and wherein the contact sleeve is configured for insertion into a recess of the housing of the electrical apparatus, and wherein the contact sleeve comprises a lateral inner contact surface and a face-sided outer contact surface, wherein the lateral inner contact surface is configured to make an electrical contact with an outer conductor of an electrical plug-in connector, and wherein the face-sided outer contact surface is configured to make an electrical contact with the housing of the electrical apparatus via a stop surface inside the recess of the housing.

2. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the lateral inner contact surface is a plane cylindrical surface with constant inner diameter.

3. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the lateral inner contact surface comprises a ring-shaped undercut.

4. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact sleeve comprises at least one spring tab, and wherein the lateral inner contact surface is arranged on the at least one spring tab.

5. The connection arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the contact sleeve comprises a plurality of spring tabs which are circularly arranged inside the contact sleeve, and wherein the lateral inner contact surface is arranged and distributed over the plurality of spring tabs.

6. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the contact sleeve is reduced in the face-sided outer contact surface.

7. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the face-sided outer contact surface has a through-hole for providing a passage for an inner conductor of the electrical apparatus or for an inner conductor contact element of the plug-in connector.

8. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact sleeve has a hexagonal flange at an end opposite to the face-sided outer contact surface.

9. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact sleeve has a funnel-shaped insertion section for the insertion of the electrical plug-in connector.

10. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact sleeve is made in one piece.

11. (canceled)

12. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact sleeve is coated with a coating material that has a higher conductivity than conductivity of a base material of the contact sleeve.

13. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein an outer shell surface of the contact sleeve is configured to be mechanically connected to a inner surface of the recess of the contact sleeve.

14. (canceled)

15. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a radio-frequency component.

16. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the recess of the housing is a stepped bore, with the stepped bore having a first bore section for insertion of the contact sleeve and a second bore section for providing a mechanical passage to the electrical circuit, wherein the first bore section has a larger diameter than the second bore section, and wherein the stop surface is a step between the first bore section and the second bore section.

17. The connection arrangement according to claim 16, wherein the electrical apparatus comprises an inner conductor, the inner conductor being connected to the electrical circuit and coaxially protruding through the second bore section into the first bore section.

18. The connection arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the electrical apparatus comprises a dielectric material, the dielectric material being housed inside the second bore section, wherein the inner conductor is coaxially guided through the dielectric material.

19. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the housing is made of metal.

20. The connection arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the contact sleeve protrudes from the recess of the housing.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)

28. (canceled)

29. A signal transmission system comprising: a connection arrangement that includes a contact sleeve, an electrical plug-in connector, and an electrical apparatus, wherein the electrical apparatus includes a housing and an electrical circuit arranged inside the housing, wherein the contact sleeve is configured for insertion into a recess of the housing of the electrical apparatus, and wherein the contact sleeve includes a lateral inner contact surface and a face-sided outer contact surface, the inner contact surface being configured to make an electrical contact with an outer conductor of the electrical plug-in connector, and the outer contact surface being configured to make an electrical contact with the housing of the electrical apparatus via a stop surface inside the recess; a printed circuit board having a counterpart connector; and a connecting element for connecting the electrical apparatus to the printed circuit board, wherein the electrical plug-in connector is arranged at a first end of the connecting element for connecting to the electrical apparatus, and wherein the connecting element comprises a secondary connector at a second end for connecting to the counterpart connector of the printed circuit board.

30. A method for producing a connection arrangement, the method comprising the steps of: providing a contact sleeve having a lateral inner contact surface and a face-sided outer contact surface, the inner contact surface being configured to make an electrical contact with an outer conductor of an electrical plug-in connector; and inserting the contact sleeve into a recess of a housing of an electrical apparatus, such that the outer contact surface makes an electrical contact with the housing of the electrical apparatus via a stop surface inside the recess.

Description

[0079] Embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The figures of the drawings show preferred embodiments in which individual features of the present invention are illustrated in combination with one another. Features of one embodiment can also be implemented in a manner detached from the other features of the same embodiment and can readily combined by a person skilled in the art with features of other embodiments to form further expedient combinations and subcombinations. Functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures of the drawings.

[0080] The figures show schematically:

[0081] FIG. 1 a signal transmission system, according to a first embodiment of the invention, in a sectional view;

[0082] FIG. 2 a connection arrangement, according to a second embodiment of the invention, in a sectional view;

[0083] FIG. 3 a connection arrangement, according to a third embodiment of the invention, in a sectional view;

[0084] FIG. 4 a connection arrangement, according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, in a sectional view;

[0085] FIG. 5 a top view of a hexagonal flange of the contact sleeve of the connection arrangement of the fourth embodiment;

[0086] FIG. 6 a connection arrangement, according to a fifth embodiment of the invention, in a sectional view; and

[0087] FIG. 7 a signal transmission system, according to a sixth embodiment of the invention, in a sectional view.

[0088] FIG. 1 shows a signal transmission system 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The signal transmission system 1 comprises a connection arrangement 2 with a connecting element 3 (also known as bullet). The connecting element 3 has a rigid, tubular outer housing made of metal which is used as outer conductor 4. The connecting element 3 is configured to connect an electrical apparatus 5 to a PCB 6. Therefore, the connecting element 3 comprises an electrical plug-in connector 7 at a first end, for making connection to the electrical apparatus 5, and a secondary connector 8 at a second end for making connection to a counterpart connector 9 of the PCB 6. As the design and the configuration of the secondary connector 8 and the respective counterpart connector 9 are not essential for the underlying invention, these components will not further be discussed in the following. However, the secondary connector 8 and the counterpart connector 9 may preferably be designed as proposed in EP 3 627 636 A1.

[0089] The electrical apparatus 5 of the connection arrangement 2 comprises an electrical circuit 10 which is accommodated inside a respective housing 11. The electrical circuit 10 is schematically illustrated as second PCB but may generally consist of any composition of electronical components. The electrical circuit 10 may comprise an RF component, preferably a filter module, an amplifier module, a directional coupler module, or the like. The housing 11 of the electrical apparatus 5 is preferably made of metal, may be connected to an electrical reference potential of the electrical circuit 10, and may thus also provide a proper electromagnetic shielding for the electrical circuit 10.

[0090] The housing 11 has a recess 12 for insertion of a contact sleeve 13. In the application examples, the recess 12 of the housing 11 is a stepped bore, with a first bore section 14 for insertion of the contact sleeve 13 and a second bore section 15 for providing a mechanical passage to the electrical circuit 10. Because the first bore section 14 has a larger diameter than the second bore section 15, a step is provided between the first bore section 14 and the second bore section 15 which can act as an end stop for the contact sleeve 13. In addition, the step acts as s stop surface 16 inside the recess 12 and is used to electrically connect to a face sided outer contact surface 17 of the contact sleeve 13 when the contact sleeve 13 is fully inserted into the recess 12 (c. f., FIGS. 2-4, and 6-7).

[0091] Thus, the contact sleeve 13 is configured for insertion into the recess 12 of the housing 11 of the electrical apparatus 5, and comprises the face sided outer contact surface 17 at a first end facing in the insertion direction (c. f., arrows in FIG. 1) of the contact sleeve 13, in order to make an electrical contact with the housing 11 of the electrical apparatus 5 via the stop surface 16 inside the recess 12. The cross-sectional area of the contact sleeve 13 is reduced in the face sided outer contact surface 17, enabling a potential higher contact pressure when pressing the contact sleeve 13 against the stop surface 16 inside the recess 12.

[0092] The electrical apparatus 5 comprises an inner conductor 18 which is connected to the electrical circuit 10 and coaxially protruding through the second bore section 15 into the first bore section 14. The face sided outer contact surface 17 of the contact sleeve 13 has a through-hole 19 for providing a passage for the inner conductor 18, in order to make it accessible for the plug-in connector 7.

[0093] The electrical apparatus 5 further comprises a dielectric material 20 which is housed inside the second bore section 15, coaxially guiding the inner conductor 18.

[0094] When producing the connection arrangement 2, at least the following method steps may be performed: [0095] providing the contact sleeve 13; and [0096] inserting the contact sleeve 13 into the recess 12 of the housing 11 of the electrical apparatus 5, such that the outer contact surface 17 makes an electrical contact with the housing 11 of the electrical apparatus 5 via a stop surface 16 inside the recess 12.

[0097] Preferably, the contact sleeve 13 is made in one piece. The contact sleeve 13 can be made of metal, preferably of brass, bronze or steel, and may optionally be coated with silver or gold.

[0098] The contact sleeve 13 further comprises a lateral inner contact surface 21 being configured to make an electrical contact with the outer conductor 4 of the electrical plug-in connector 7.

[0099] According to the first application example, the outer conductor 4 of the plug-in connector 7 is secured inside the contact sleeve 13 by frictional locking. Therefore, the lateral inner contact surface 21 is a plane cylindrical surface, and the contact sleeve 13 is mainly rigid. The outer conductor 4 comprises several spring tabs 22 which are circularly arranged around the outer conductor 4, to provide the frictional locking between the outer conductor 4 and the contact sleeve 13 due to the spring forces, pressing against the lateral inner contact surface 21, when the outer conductor 4 is inserted into the contact sleeve 13. However, there are also other possibilities to mechanically secure the connection between the contact sleeve 13 and the plug-in connector 7 of the connection arrangement 2, some of which will be described below.

[0100] The cross-section of the contact sleeve 13 can be designed for providing an impedance-matched transmission between the electrical apparatus 5 and the electrical plug-in connector 7. An appropriate profile/shape for the contact sleeve 13 can be derived from simulations and measurements, for example.

[0101] In order to simplify the insertion of the outer conductor 4 into the contact sleeve 13, the contact sleeve 13 has a funnel-shaped insertion section 23 for the insertion of the electrical plug-in connector 7.

[0102] There exist several possibilities for properly fixing the contact sleeve 13 inside the recess 12 of the housing 11. In the application examples as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 6, and 7, the contact sleeve 13 is fixed inside the recess 12 by an interference fit via fixation projections 24. Alternative or additional fixation techniques will be described below.

[0103] The fully inserted contact sleeve 13 may protrude from the recess 12 of the housing 11, as can be seen in FIGS. 1, 3, and 6, for example. This can be especially beneficial if the contact sleeve 13 has to be pressed into the recess 12 via a pressing tool (not shown), in order to ensure that the contact sleeve 13 can be fully inserted into the recess 12 independent of potential manufacturing tolerances. However, as is shown in the second application example of FIG. 2, the contact sleeve 13 and/or the recess 12 may also be configured such that the contact sleeve 13 is flush with the surface of the housing 11 in its fully inserted state. In special cases, the contact sleeve 13 may even be recessed in the recess 12 when fully inserted, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0104] The third application example of FIG. 3 shows another possibility to fix the contact sleeve 13 inside the recess 12, as an alternative or supplement to an interference fit. In FIG. 3, the contact sleeve 13 is adhesively fixed inside the recess 12 with a glue 25, preferably a conductive adhesive.

[0105] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a third possibility to mechanically fix the contact sleeve 13 inside the recess 12 by using a threaded connection. Therefore, the contact sleeve 13 has an external thread 26 on its outer surface, and the recess 12 has a corresponding internal thread 27. In order to transmit the torque of a screwdriving tool to the contact sleeve 13, the contact sleeve 13 may have a flange 28 or the like. In the application example of FIGS. 4 and 5, the contact sleeve 13 has a hexagonal flange 28 at its second end.

[0106] As already mentioned above, there are several possibilities in order to secure the connection between the plug-in connector 7 and the contact sleeve 13 besides the frictional locking with the outer conductor 4 having the spring tabs 22.

[0107] As can be seen in FIG. 6, the lateral inner contact surface 21 of the contact sleeve 13 may comprise an undercut 29, preferably a ring-shaped undercut 29. The outer conductor 4 thus may comprise at least one latching protrusion to provide a form-fit with the undercut 29 of the inner contact surface 21 of the contact sleeve 13 for securing the outer conductor 4 inside the contact sleeve (not shown).

[0108] In addition, as an alternative or supplement to the outer conductor 4 having spring tabs 22, the contact sleeve 13 may comprise spring tabs 22. Preferably, the contact sleeve 13 comprises a plurality of spring tabs 22 which are circularly arranged inside the contact sleeve 13, wherein the inner contact surface 21 is arranged and distributed over the plurality of spring tabs 22, as shown in FIG. 7. The spring tabs 22 are attached to the inside of the contact sleeve 13 at one respective end and extend towards the middle axis A of the contact sleeve 13 with the other, freely movable end. Still, the contact sleeve 13 can be made in one piece.

[0109] It shall be emphasized that the contact sleeve 13 and also the connectors 7, 8, 9 may have any geometric form that seems suitable. The round cross-section shall only be understood as one example.