Outer conductor arrangement

The present invention relates to an outer conductor arrangement for a connector, having an outer conductor base body and an outer conductor ring, wherein the outer conductor base body has a plurality of contact lugs, wherein the outer conductor ring is mounted on an interface-side end of the outer conductor base body, has at least one protrusion or recess and has a closed structure, wherein the outer conductor ring is designed to protect the contact lugs from mechanical force influences.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2018 106 004.1 filed Mar. 15, 2018, and German Patent Application 10 2019 104 754.4 filed Feb. 25, 2019, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an outer conductor arrangement and a production method for an outer conductor arrangement.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Connectors, both with an open entry and with a closed entry, are known, for example, from the “PosiBand” connector by Positronic.

A connector with an open entry is shown inFIG. 3. Such connectors have an interface-side front edge, which is not circumferentially closed. Interruptions in the front edge are generally formed by contact lugs. Connectors with an open entry are better able to compensate manufacturing tolerances and reduce the mating forces required for mating purposes.

A connector with a closed entry is shown inFIG. 4. Such connectors have a closed interface-side front edge. Contact lugs can be surrounded by a housing. Connectors with a closed entry prevent the connector from becoming damaged by mechanical force influences, for example as a result of attempting mating with an incorrect mating connector. They also result in considerably higher mating forces.

Attempts in the prior art demonstrate that the optimization of one of the parameters involving EMC tightness, mating forces and stability and impedance optimization of a connector in the high frequency range are mutually conflicting. This can be seen, for example, in existing products by the applicant, Rosenberger Hoch-frequenztechnik GmbH & Co. KG.FIG. 5shows such a product.

An outer conductor90of a high-voltage (HV) connector, which is designed for frequencies in the megahertz range, is illustrated inFIG. 5. The outer conductor comprises a closed entry91and spring-loaded contact lugs92with contact points93which are located behind the closed entry. Depending on the frequency, resonances occur at the outer conductor due to capacitances between the mating partners. Although the above-mentioned disadvantages are not yet apparent in this frequency range, there is still the need to produce an outer conductor which is suitable for a connector in a higher frequency range.

US 20140364013 A1 and DE 202013001452 U1 disclose an outer conductor arrangement for a connector, having an outer conductor base body and an outer conductor ring, wherein the outer conductor base body has a plurality of contact lugs, wherein the outer conductor ring adjoins an interface-side end of the outer conductor base body, is fastened to the outer conductor base body in at least one fastening region by means of a retaining lug and has a closed structure to form a closed entry of the outer conductor arrangement, wherein contact lugs are provided which are not fastened to the outer conductor ring.

This is a state which should be improved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Against this background, the present invention is based on the object of providing a connector with a closed entry and improved impedance properties.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by an outer conductor arrangement having the features of claim1.

The idea forming the basis of the present invention consists in arranging ends of contact lugs of an outer conductor behind an outer conductor ring such that the contact lugs are flexibly deformable to ensure low mating forces and, at the same time, to create a closed entry by means of an outer conductor ring.

Accordingly, the contact lugs which are not fastened to the outer conductor ring have the same tolerance-compensating properties as the contact lugs according toFIG. 3.

In this patent application, a ring is understood to mean a circumferential object. Its cross-sectional area can be, inter alia, circular, oval, elliptical or the like.

According to the invention, the outer conductor arrangement has an inward jump in diameter between the outer conductor base body and the outer conductor ring. Jumps in the diameter of the outer conductor enable an adjustment of the impedance.

Advantageous configurations and further developments are revealed in the further subclaims and in the description with reference to the figures of the drawing.

It goes without saying that the features which are mentioned above and those which are still to be explained below can be applied not only in the combination described in each case but also in other combinations or in isolation without deviating from the scope of the present invention.

In particular, it can be provided that the outer conductor ring does not have a protrusion or recess.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer conductor ring is designed to protect contact lugs from mechanical force influences. This is necessary if a connector is to also be mateable from an angled direction or is to withstand force effects from an angled direction in the mated state without damage to the outer conductor. According to an embodiment of the present invention, this protection of the contact lugs can be ensured by a closed entry of the outer conductor.

This embodiment of the present invention therefore solves the problem of reducing mating forces and, at the same time, increasing the stability of a connector. However, in practice, the optimization of these two properties is contradictory, i.e. a desired increase in the stability results in an undesired increase in the mating forces and vice versa.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one contact lug is formed as a retaining lug to which the outer conductor ring is connected. The outer conductor ring can thus be mounted on the outer conductor base body in a particularly simple and secure manner.

Alternatively, it is also possible to mount the outer conductor ring on another part of the outer conductor. In particular, the retaining lug does not necessarily have to be a contact lug. A contact lug serves for establishing contact with a mating connector to which a connector having the outer conductor arrangement is to be connected.

If contact lugs are only fastened to the outer conductor base body, they have spring-loaded properties. The retaining lugs can be provided in such a way that their rigidity is greater than the rigidity of the contact lugs which are not fastened.

If the outer conductor ring is fastened to a plurality of lugs, in particular to two lugs on the outer conductor base body, it has a lower spring capacity than the contact lugs which are not fastened to the outer conductor ring.

It is advantageous if a main extent direction of the retaining lug extends in the circumferential direction of the outer conductor retaining ring and/or if the main extent direction of the retaining lug extends perpendicularly to the main extent direction of the contact lugs.

The connector according to the invention is particularly advantageous in that it can also be manufactured by a punching method including the jumps in diameter.

If a connector according to the invention is manufactured by means of a punching method, jumps in the diameter of the retaining lugs can be generated.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer conductor ring is connected to the outer conductor base body by means of a joining method, e.g. by means of welding. Alternatively, the outer conductor ring and the outer conductor base body can be manufactured from a cohesive part.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer conductor base body has two retaining lugs. The retaining lugs can be linear or curved.

In this case, it is further expedient if a spring-loaded contact lug is provided in the retaining lug.

According to a preferred embodiment, the outer conductor ring has a protective collar, which protrudes in the radial direction with respect to free ends of the contact lugs, wherein the protective collar is designed to protect the contact lugs of the outer conductor base body from mechanical force effects. In this case, it can be provided that the protective collar prevents the contact lugs from becoming damaged by inserted objects, for example tools. In one embodiment, the protective collar can be formed as a perpendicular wall which projects from the outer conductor ring, or as a curved lug which covers the front ends of the contact lugs.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the contact lugs each have a raised contact point for establishing contact with a mating connector. The contact lugs are therefore subject to prestress in the mated state, whereby the contact is improved. The shielding of the connector is thus improved. To reduce mating forces, it is possible to arrange these contact points such that they are offset in the axial direction.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the outer conductor ring and the outer conductor base body are formed as one part.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the outer conductor base body is formed as a punched part. Punched parts can be produced in a particularly cost-effective manner. In particular, the production of punched parts can take place in a highly automated manner. However, for connectors with a closed entry, the generation of jumps in diameter in punching methods is only possible in association with other mechanical disadvantages, such as high mating forces or low contact forces.

Where useful, the above configurations and further developments can be combined with one another as required. Further possible configurations, further developments and implementations of the invention also include combinations, not explicitly mentioned, of features of the invention which are described above or below with reference to the exemplary embodiments. In particular, in this case, the person skilled in the art will add individual aspects as improvements or modifications to the respective basic form of the present invention.

The accompanying figures of the drawing are intended to impart further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They clarify embodiments and, in conjunction with the description, serve to explain principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the said advantages are revealed with reference to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily shown true to scale in relation to one another.

In the figures of the drawing, identical, functionally identical and identically acting elements, features and components—unless stated otherwise—are each denoted by the same reference signs.

The figures are cohesively and comprehensively described below.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1shows a schematic view of an outer conductor arrangement100according to the invention in a non-assembled state. The outer conductor arrangement100according to the invention comprises the outer conductor base body200and the outer conductor ring300. The outer conductor arrangement100is formed to receive one or more inner conductors and one or more insulator parts to provide a coaxial, twinaxial or triaxial connector.

The outer conductor base body200comprises a plurality of contact lugs201on its upper side and underside and a respective retaining lug, formed as a contact lug203, on the right and left side. The contact lug203is somewhat larger than the contact lugs201and therefore also more rigid than the contact lugs201. The outer conductor ring300is moreover integrally formed on the contact lugs203, which additionally contributes to an increased rigidity of the contact lugs203with respect to the contact lugs201. The retaining lug203has a fastening region210to which the outer conductor ring300is fastened.

The contact lugs201each have a contact point204in a front end region. The contact point is formed as a raised portion on the contact lugs201and, in the mated state, establishes contact with the outer conductor of a mating plug connector which is mated with the outer conductor arrangement100. This ensures an electromagnetic shielding at the upper and underside of the outer conductor arrangement100of inner conductors (not illustrated) guided through the outer conductor base body200within the outer conductor base body200. The contact points can be formed offset from one another in an axial direction of the outer conductor base body, as seen inFIG. 6.

InFIG. 2, the contact lugs203also each have a contact point205. The contact point205is formed on a spring lug207in the contact lug203. It is thus ensured that the outer conductor arrangement100also provides electro-magnetic shielding at the sides of the outer conductor arrangement.

It can be seen inFIG. 1that the outer conductor base body200provides a jump in diameter between the contact lugs201,203and the outer conductor ring300.

InFIG. 1, the outer conductor ring300is connected to the outer conductor base body200via a welded seam209. Alternatively, the outer conductor base body200and the outer conductor ring300can be formed as one part, as seen inFIG. 7.

The outer conductor ring300comprises the protective collar305, which protects the ends of the contact lugs201from a force effect caused by foreign bodies.

Although the present invention has been fully described above with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments, it is not restricted to these and can instead be modified in a variety of ways.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS