ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An electrical connector for an electrical cable having a contact element for connection to an electrical conductor of the electrical cable. The electrical connector has an integrated cleaning tool for the electrical conductor. The cleaning tool is arranged along a feed direction for the electrical cable on the cable side upstream of the contact element. It is provided that the cleaning tool is designed to remove or at least retain particles, residues of a sheathing and/or contaminants adhering to the electrical conductor before the electrical conductor contacts the contact element of the electrical connector arranged downstream in the feed direction within the scope of a connector assembly process.

Claims

1. An electrical connector for an electrical cable having a contact element for connection to an electrical conductor of the electrical cable, the electrical connector comprising: an integrated cleaning tool for the electrical conductor, the integrated cleaning tool being arranged along a feed direction for the electrical cable on the cable side upstream of the contact element; the integrated cleaning tool being designed to remove or at least retain particles, residues of a sheathing and/or contaminations adhering to the electrical conductor before the electrical conductor contacts the contact element of the electrical connector arranged downstream in the feed direction within the scope of a connector assembly process; and wherein the cleaning tool is sleeve-shaped and has a through-hole for passing the electrical conductor through with an accurate fit.

2. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the through-hole of the cleaning tool corresponds or at least substantially corresponds to the outer diameter of the electrical conductor, deviating by a maximum +/−5%.

3. The electrical connector according to claim 2, wherein the inner diameter of the through-hole of the cleaning tool is smaller than the outer diameter of the electrical conductor, preferably a maximum of 5% smaller.

4. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tool is arranged along the feed direction between the contact element and a cable-receiving chamber of the connector, and is preferably attached to the inside of a housing component of the electrical connector.

5. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tool is formed from an electrically non-conductive material.

6. The electrical connector according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning tool is comprised of plastic.

7. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tool has, on its cable-side end face, an elevation tapering in the direction of the cable, preferably directly adjacently to the through-hole.

8. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tool has a cleaning element through which the through-hole extends.

9. The electrical connector according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning element is a sealing lip or a shaped blade.

10. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tool has a catch funnel portion facing the electrical cable to facilitate insertion of the electrical conductor.

11. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning tool is rotationally symmetrical, with a through-hole preferably arranged coaxially to a longitudinal axis of the electrical connector.

12. The electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the inner diameter of the through-hole is dimensioned in such a way that a fluid-tight connection is created between the cleaning tool and the electrical conductor when the electrical conductor is passed through.

13. An electrical connector assembly having an electrical connector according to claim 1 and the electrical cable, wherein the electrical conductor of the electrical cable is connected to the contact element of the electrical connector.

14. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 13, wherein the electrical conductor of the electrical cable is an inner conductor, the contact element of the electrical connector being an inner conductor contact element, preferably with a socket-shaped end portion for connection to the inner conductor of the electrical cable.

15. A method for assembling an electrical connector assembly comprised of the following method steps: providing an electrical connector; providing an electrical cable having a preassembled cable end for connection to the electrical connector, wherein at least one electrical conductor of the electrical cable is exposed at the cable end; and feeding the cable end into the electrical connector along a feed direction in order to connect the electrical conductor to a contact element of the electrical connector, wherein the electrical conductor, before it contacts the contact element of the electrical connector, is treated by a cleaning tool integrated in the electrical connector in order to remove or at least retain particles, residues of a sheathing and/or contaminants adhering to the electrical conductor; wherein the electrical conductor of the cable is manually freed from a sheathing before feeding the cable end into the electrical connector.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0099] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0100] The figures each show preferred exemplary embodiments in which individual features of the present invention are shown in combination with one another. Features of one exemplary embodiment can also be implemented separately from the other features of the same exemplary embodiment and can accordingly be readily combined by a person skilled in the art to form further useful combinations and sub-combinations with features of other exemplary embodiments.

[0101] In the figures, functionally identical elements are provided with the same reference signs.

[0102] The figures show schematically:

[0103] FIG. 1 a cross-sectional view of an electrical connector assembly according to the invention with a pre-assembled electrical cable partially inserted into the electrical connector;

[0104] FIG. 2 the electrical connector assembly of FIG. 1, wherein the electrical cable has been inserted further still into the connector within the scope of an assembly process;

[0105] FIG. 3 an individual view of a further cleaning tool of an electrical connector according to the invention;

[0106] FIG. 4 a cross-sectional view of a further electrical connector assembly according to the invention; and

[0107] FIG. 5 a method sequence of a method according to the invention for assembling the electrical connector assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENTS

[0108] FIGS. 1 and 2 show an electrical connector assembly 1 in two assembly states. In the assembled state, the electrical connector assembly 1 has an electrical connector 2 and an electrical cable 3 connected to the electrical connector 2. By way of example, the electrical connector assembly 1, the electrical connector 2 and the electrical cable 3 are each designed coaxially for transmitting a high-frequency signal.

[0109] The electrical cable 3 has an inner conductor 4, a dielectric 5 concentrically enclosing the inner conductor 4, an outer conductor 6 concentrically enclosing the dielectric 5, and a cable sheath 7 concentrically enclosing the outer conductor 6. The outer conductor 6 is formed as a corrugated metal tube. Such an electrical cable 3 is also referred to as a “corrugated sheath cable”. The region between the corrugated metal tube of the outer conductor 6 and the dielectric 5 is preferably filled with air to allow easy bending of the electrical cable 3. The inner conductor 4 can also optionally be formed as a corrugated metal tube.

[0110] The electrical connector 2 has an inner conductor contact element 8, an outer conductor contact element 9 and an insulator element 10, which is arranged between the inner conductor contact element 8 and the outer conductor contact element 9. The insulator element 10 distances the inner conductor contact element 8 coaxially from the outer conductor contact element 9 and electrically insulates both contact elements 8, 9 from each other.

[0111] On the cable side, the inner conductor contact element 8 has a socket-shaped end portion 11 formed as a spring contact sleeve for receiving and for frictionally engaged connection to the inner conductor 4 of the cable 3. On the plug side, on the other hand, the inner conductor contact element 8 has a pin-shaped end 12 for contacting or connecting to a socket-shaped mating contact element of a mating electrical connector. The mating connector is not shown in the exemplary embodiments. Alternatively, however, the plug-side end of the inner conductor contact element 8 can also be of a socket-shaped design.

[0112] The outer conductor contact element 9 is sleeve-shaped, for example. An annular metal stop element 13 is arranged on a shoulder formed on the inner lateral surface of the outer conductor contact element 9 in the direction of the cable 3. The stop element 13 is preferably connected to the outer conductor contact element 9 by means of a press fit. However, other fastening techniques are also possible in principle, such as a screw connection or a solder connection. Alternatively, the stop element 13 can also be connected in one part to the outer conductor contact element 9. Axially adjacently to the stop element 13, arranged upstream along a feed direction x for the electrical cable 3, a crimp sleeve 14 is provided. The inner lateral surface of the crimp sleeve 14 is thread-shaped, which corresponds to a thread-shaped outer lateral surface of the outer conductor 6 of the cable 3 and consequently has the same thread pitch and the same tooth flank shape and size.

[0113] Within the scope of a method for assembling the electrical connector assembly 1, the cable 3 is screwed into the crimp sleeve 14 with the outer conductor 6 exposed from the cable sheath 7. The electrical connector 2 has a suitable cable-receiving chamber 15 for the electrical cable 3. At the end of the screwing process, a longitudinal portion of the axial end of the outer conductor 6 is unscrewed from the foremost turn of the threaded inner lateral surface of the crimp sleeve 14, which can subsequently be used for reliable clamping between the stop element 13 and the crimp sleeve 14 (FIG. 2 shows a state shortly before clamping).

[0114] The mechanical fastening of the connection formed of the electrical connector 2 and the electrical mating connector, which is not shown in more detail, can be carried out in a known manner, for example via a union nut 16, which is movably fastened to the connector 2. The internal thread formed on the inner lateral surface of the union nut 16 can be screwed to a corresponding external thread formed on the outer lateral surface of the outer conductor contact element 9 of the mating connector.

[0115] Within the scope of the preassembly, i.e. the preparation of the electrical cable 3 for connection to the electrical connector 2, the electrical conductors 4, 6 of the cable 3, i.e. in particular the inner conductor 4 and the outer conductor 6, are preferably manually stripped of a sheathing, i.e. for example the dielectric 5 and/or the cable sheath 7, before the cable end of the cable 3 is fed into the electrical connector 2. In so doing, it may be that residues of the sheathing remain on the electrical conductor 4, 6, for example the inner conductor 4. Furthermore, other particles or contaminants may also adhere to the electrical conductor 4, 6, which may impair an electrical connection to the corresponding contact element 8, 9 of the connector 2. For this reason, it is known to clean the electrical conductor 4, 6 accordingly or to scrape off remaining sheathing residues and contaminations before assembly. This process is comparatively complex and basically undesirable for a field-installable connector 2.

[0116] In accordance with the invention, an integrated cleaning tool 17 for the electrical conductor 4, 6 is provided within the electrical connector 2 and is arranged along the feed direction x for the electrical cable 3 on the cable side upstream of the contact element 8, 9. The cleaning tool 17 is thus arranged between the cable-receiving chamber 15 of the connector 2 and the contact element 8, 9 of the connector 2 and is attached to the inside of a housing component of the electrical connector 2. The housing component can be, for example, a housing shell or a housing sleeve 18. In the exemplary embodiment, the housing component in which the cleaning tool is attached is the outer conductor contact element 9 of the connector 2.

[0117] By means of the cleaning tool 17, particles adhering to the electrical conductor 4, 6, residues of a sheathing and/or contaminants can be removed or at least retained before the electrical conductor 4, 6 contacts the contact element 8, 9 of the electrical connector 2 arranged downstream in the feed direction x within the scope of the connector assembly process. In the exemplary embodiment, the principle of the invention is first illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 for cleaning the inner conductor 4 of the electrical cable 3. However, this is not to be understood restrictively. In principle, any inner lateral surface or outer lateral surface of any electrical conductor 4, 6 of the cable 3 can be treated by means of a proposed cleaning tool 17 integrated in the connector 2.

[0118] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first, preferred further development of the invention, according to which the cleaning tool 17 is sleeve-shaped and has a through-hole 19 for passing the electrical conductor 4, 6 through with an accurate fit, the through-hole 19 having an inner diameter which corresponds to an outer diameter of the electrical conductor 4, 6 or which is (slightly) smaller than the outer diameter of the electrical conductor 4, 6. The inner diameter of the through-hole 19 can be dimensioned here, for example, in such a way that when the electrical conductor 4, 6 or the inner conductor 4 is passed through between the cleaning tool 17 and the inner conductor 4, a fluid-tight connection is formed, for example a gas-tight and/or liquid-tight connection. In FIG. 1, the inner conductor 4 of the cable 3 is still spaced from the cleaning tool 17; in FIG. 2, the electrical cable 3 has already been inserted sufficiently deeply into the connector 2 so that the inner conductor 4 of the cable 3 has been partially passed through the cleaning tool 17. The front axial end portion of the inner conductor 4 protruding from the cleaning tool 17 on the plug side is thus sufficiently cleaned and prepared for connection to the inner conductor contact element 8.

[0119] Preferably, the cleaning tool 17 is made of an electrically non-conductive material, in particular a plastic. In principle, however, it can also be sufficient if only the region of the cleaning tool 17 that is in direct contact with the electrical conductor 4, 6 is made of a non-conductive material. In principle, however, the cleaning tool 17 can also be formed from a conductive material. The cleaning tool 17 can also be formed in one part with the electrical connector 2, for example the housing component 9, 18 of the electrical connector 2, for example the outer conductor contact element 9 of the electrical connector 2.

[0120] Optionally, the cleaning tool 17 can have a cleaning element 20, through which the through-hole 19 extends, for example a sealing lip or a shaped blade adapted to the outer circumference of the electrical conductor 4, 6.

[0121] In the exemplary embodiments, the cleaning tool 17 is rotationally symmetrical and arranged coaxially to the longitudinal axis L of the electrical connector 2.

[0122] Optionally, the cleaning tool 17 can have a catch funnel feature, for example a catch funnel portion, a chamfer, or the like, to facilitate insertion of the electrical conductor 4, 6.

[0123] FIG. 3 shows a cleaning tool 17 according to a further exemplary embodiment in an individual representation. In order to facilitate the removal of any sheathing that may have remained on the electrical conductor 4, 6, the cleaning tool 17 can optionally have, on its cable-side end face 21, an elevation 22 tapering in the direction of the cable 3, said elevation preferably being directly adjacent to the through-hole 19.

[0124] As already mentioned, the cleaning tool 17 can also be advantageously suitable for treating the outer conductor 6 of the electrical cable 3, or for an electrical conductor 4, 6 which is of sleeve-shaped design. In order to illustrate the principle schematically, a second variant of the invention is shown in FIG. 4, in which the cleaning tool 17 is of cylindrical design and has a cylinder sheath for insertion with an accurate fit into the outer conductor 6, wherein the outer diameter of the cylindrical cleaning tool 17 corresponds to the inner diameter of the outer conductor 6 or is larger than the inner diameter of the outer conductor 6. For attaching the cleaning tool 17 within the connector 2, for example, webs or other holding devices (not shown) can be provided, wherein the outer conductor 6 of the cable 3, in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 4 a smooth tube, can optionally have axial slots or other recesses (not shown) so as not to collide with the webs/holding devices of the cleaning tool 17.

[0125] It is also possible in principle to treat the outer surface or the outer sheath of the outer conductor 6 of the electrical cable 3 by means of a further cleaning tool 17, as also indicated in FIG. 4.

[0126] FIG. 5 shows the sequence of an exemplary method according to the invention for assembling the electrical connector assembly 1 with three exemplary method steps.

[0127] According to a first method step V1, the electrical connector 2 can first be provided. Optionally, further assembly steps for pre-assembly and/or partial assembly of the connector 2 can also be provided.

[0128] In a second method step V2, it can be provided to provide the electrical cable 3, wherein the electrical cable 3 can already be pre-assembled for use with the connector 2. Thus, at the cable end of the cable 3, at least one electrical conductor 4, 6 of the electrical cable 3 can be exposed. However, it can also be envisaged that, in the context of the proposed method, the pre-assembly is carried out only on site, in particular manually by a fitter.

[0129] In a third method step V3, the cable end of the cable 3 can be fed to the electrical connector 2, preferably inserted into the electrical connector 2, in order to connect the electrical conductor 4, 6 to the contact element 8, 9 of the electrical connector 2. However, before the electrical conductor 4, 6 contacts the contact element 8, 9 of the electrical connector 2, it can optionally be provided that the electrical conductor 4, 6 is fed in an accurately fitting manner through a through-hole 19 of a sleeve-shaped cleaning tool 17 integrated in the electrical connector 2, or that a cylinder sheath of a cylindrical cleaning tool 17 integrated in the electrical connector 2 is inserted into the electrical conductor 4, 6 in an accurately fitting manner. In this way, simultaneously with the feeding of the cable end of the cable 3, particles adhering to the electrical conductor 4, 6, residues of a sheathing and/or contaminants can be removed or at least retained. In an advantageous manner, the assembly of the connector assembly can thus be facilitated.