Common ground connection clamp for at least one coaxial line

Abstract

The device allows simple ground contacting of the shielding of a coaxial line, in particular a parallel ground contacting. For this purpose the connection holder has a housing for receiving preferably multiple coaxial lines which are fed through the housing in a parallel manner. A ground contacting strip lies in the housing, and the shieldings of the coaxial lines, which are stripped in a contact region, are placed against the ground contacting strip and clamped thereagainst.

Claims

1. A connection holder for electrically connecting a shielding of at least of one coaxial line to a carrier component located externally from the connection holder, the coaxial line having a shielding encased by an outer insulation, the holder comprising: a housing configured to receive the at least one coaxial line; a ground contact strip having an opening formed therein, said ground contact strip disposed in said housing; and a fastening element; the at least one coaxial line having a contacting region where the outer insulation has been stripped and the shielding is exposed for placement on, and clamping against, said ground contact strip; said ground contact strip being disposed in said housing to make direct contact with ground potential when the connection holder is fastened to a carrier component; said housing including a first shell with an opening formed therethrough and a second shell with an opening formed therethrough that is located opposite said opening in said first shell; and said fastening element extending at least through said opening in said first shell and said opening in said ground contact strip for electrically connecting said ground contact strip to the carrier component when the connection holder is fastened to the carrier component; wherein said fastening element is a screw bolt with a screw head lying directly on said ground contact strip, and said fastening element has a foot region forming an electrical contact with the carrier component via said opening in said second shell when the connection holder is fastened to the carrier component, and said ground contact strip includes a contact protrusion.

2. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing is configured to guide therethrough the at least one coaxial line in a straight alignment, said housing having an entry opening and an exit opening for a respective coaxial line.

3. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing is configured for receiving a plurality of coaxial lines to be placed in parallel adjacent to one another and in common on said ground contact strip.

4. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said ground contact strip is an insert part.

5. The connection holder according to claim 1, which comprises shell-shaped guides formed for individually guiding each coaxial line.

6. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein the at least one coaxial line can be clamped between said first shell and said second shell.

7. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said first shell and said second shell are configured to be latched with one another.

8. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said ground contact strip extends in a longitudinal direction of said housing and the at least one coaxial line is insertable in a transverse direction thereto, and wherein said ground contact strip is laterally held by oppositely lying boundary connecting pieces of said housing.

9. The connection holder according to claim 8, which comprises shell-shaped guides formed for individually guiding each coaxial line and formed in said boundary connecting pieces for clampingly fixing in each case a respective coaxial line.

10. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises a respective clamping element for each coaxial line and for pressing the contacting region of each coaxial line that has been stripped of insulation against said ground contact strip.

11. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises fixing pins for each respective coaxial line.

12. The connection holder according to claim 11, wherein the fixing pins are embodied for providing a clamping force against the coaxial line.

13. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing is formed on each side of said through-opening for receiving a plurality of coaxial lines.

14. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing comprises an annular connecting piece that engages in said through-opening for centering and fixing said ground contact strip.

15. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said housing has an outer face formed with fixing elements for affixing to a carrier component.

16. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein multiple coaxial lines are guided through said housing and said coaxial lines are stripped of insulation only in a central contacting region, thus exposing a shielding and pressing the shielding in contact against said ground contact strip, and wherein each respective coaxial line is clampingly held on both sides of said contacting region in said housing.

17. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said fastening element also clamps the carrier component to said second shell.

18. The connection holder according to claim 1, wherein said first shell is a cover and said second shell is a lower shell.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a connection holder having two housing halves in the opened position with a total in the exemplary embodiment of six inserted coaxial conductors;

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates the connection holder in accordance with FIG. 1 in a different perspective view;

(3) FIG. 3 illustrates the connection holder in accordance with FIG. 1 with the closed housing in a first perspective view of the cover;

(4) FIG. 4 illustrates the connection holder in accordance with FIG. 1 with the closed housing in perspective further view of the lower shell; and

(5) FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic cross section illustration of an alternative embodiment variant in an assembled position on a carrier.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a connection holder, or common grounding clamp, which comprises an insulating housing 2 formed with a lower shell 2A and an upper shell or cover 2B. Multiple coaxial lines 4 are guided through the housing 2. The coaxial lines 4, or coaxial cables 4, have a contacting region 6 approximately in the middle of the housing. The contacting region 6 has been stripped of the outer insulation sleeve and the outer conductor of the respective coaxial line 4 is exposed. The outer conductor is used as a shield 7.

(7) The coaxial line 4 continues intact on both sides of the contacting region 6 that has been stripped of insulation, in other words said coaxial line still has the usual outer insulation 8 as it enters and also as it exits the housing.

(8) A ground contact strip 10 that is embodied in particular as a sheet metal strip is placed inside the housing 2 and the individual coaxial lines 4 are placed on said ground contact strip with their contacting region 6 that has been stripped of insulation. Said coaxial lines are pressed or rather clamped with their contacting region 6 against the ground contact strip 10 as soon as the housing 2 is closed. For this purpose, the housing comprises a latching lug 12 and a latching protrusion 14 by way of which a particular press-down force is exerted. Half-shell shaped guides 16A, 16B are embodied in the two housing parts 2A, 2B for the purpose of individually guiding the coaxial lines 4 and said half-shell shaped guides come together with a circular cross section to form a guide when the housing 2 is closed. In the lower shell 2A, boundary connecting pieces 18 are embodied on the edge side with respect to the ground contact strip and the ground contact strip 10 is guided and held in said boundary connecting pieces. The half-shell shaped guides 16A are formed in this boundary connecting piece 18.

(9) In order to exert a sufficiently high clamping force, clamping elements 20 are embodied as strips formed as one in the cover 2B in the central region of the half-shell shaped guides 16B. Said clamping elements press the contacting region 6 of the coaxial lines 4 against the ground contact strip 10. Separating pieces 22 are embodied in the cover 2B in each case between two adjacent half-shell shaped guides 16B.

(10) Fixing pins 24 are formed in the half-shell shaped guides 16B, in particular in the cover, where necessary however also in the lower shell 2A. The fixing pins 24 press into the insulation 8 when the housing halves are clamped together. For the purpose of guiding the coaxial lines 4 through the housing 2, said housing comprises in the closed state entry openings 26A, and also exit openings 26B on opposite lying transverse sides (side walls) of the housing 2. The coaxial lines 4 therefore extend through the housing 2 in a transverse direction in a perpendicular manner with respect to the longitudinal direction that is defined by way of the ground contact strip 10.

(11) For the purpose of centering the ground contact strip 10, an annular connecting piece 32 is formed as one on the lower shell 2A and said annular connecting piece penetrates into the through-opening 30 of the ground contact strip 10, however without protruding beyond the ground contact strip 10.

(12) The two housing shells 2A, 2B are permanently connected to one another in a loss-proof manner by way of hinge elements 34 that are embodied as a type of film hinge. Furthermore, fixing or retaining elements 36 are formed as one in the form of connecting pieces on the lower face of the lower shell 2A and said fixing or retaining elements are used for fixing and positioning the housing 2 on the above-mentioned carrier. For this purpose, by way of example receiving devices that correspond to this carrier are illustrated.

(13) The connection holder is fastened by way of a fastening element that is preferably embodied as a screw 38, as illustrated in FIG. 5, so that the ground contact strip 10 is connected in an electrically conductive manner to a carrier component 40 that forms the ground connection. The carrier component 40 may, in particular, be a bodywork component. The fastening screw is guided from above through the entire housing 2 and through the ground contact strip 10. For this purpose, a first through-opening 28A is formed in the lower shell 2A and a second through-opening 28B is formed in the cover 2B.

(14) The first through-opening 28A comprises in comparison to the second through-opening 28B in particular in accordance with a first embodiment variant a larger diameter so that the screw head 42 can be guided through the second through-opening 28B in the cover 2B. A through-opening 30 that is likewise embodied in the ground contact strip 10 comprises in contrast thereto a smaller diameter. This situation is illustrated in particular in FIG. 3. By virtue of this feature, the fastening screw 38 therefore comes to lie with its screw head 42 on the ground contact strip 10 and therefore to make electrical contact therewith. By way of the fastening to the carrier component 40, the electrical contact connection (ground connection) is finally made by way of the fastening screw 38.

(15) In accordance with an alternative embodiment variant illustrated in FIG. 5, the electrical contact between the ground contact strip 10 and the carrier component 40 is made by way of a contact protrusion 44 that is electrically conductively connected on one side to the ground contact strip 10 and in particular is a part thereof and formed as one piece thereon. On the other side, the contact protrusion 44 lies on the carrier component 40 and is in electrical contact therewith.

(16) The housing 2 is fastened in turn by way of the screw 38. In an alternative embodiment, the screw may not contact the ground contact strip 10 with its screw head 42 but rather the screw lies in an opening of the cover 2A. As a result, this exerts a clamping and press-down force on the cover 2A by way of the screw 38. The contact protrusion 44 is embodied preferably as a bent-over connecting piece, in particular an annular connecting piece through which the screw 38 is guided in a central manner.

(17) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention: 2 Housing 2A Lower shell 2B Cover 4 Coaxial line 6 Contacting region 7 Shield 8 Insulation 10 Ground contact strip 12 Latching lug 14 Latching protrusion 16A, B Half-shell shaped guide 18 Boundary connecting piece 20 Clamping element 22 Separating piece 24 Fixing pins 26A, B Entry opening and Exit opening 28A First through-opening 28B Second through-opening 30 Through-opening 32 Annular connecting piece 34 Hinge elements 36 Fixing elements 38 Screw 40 Carrier component 42 Screw head 44 Contact protrusion