Abstract:
The present invention concerns a wiring harness end connector for an electronic module or an electronic card. It especially finds application in the case of connection of electronic modules contained in insulating cases, for example for vehicle headlights. An orientation component carried by the first connector or the second connector allows the wiring harness to leave in any orientation relative to the orientation of the connector.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention concerns a wiring harness end connector for an electronic module or an electronic card. It especially finds application in the case of connection of electronic modules contained in insulating cases, for example for vehicle headlights.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In the prior art, such electronic modules are connected for example to a central computer, by means of a wiring harness, generally comprising a protective sheath, and a group or set of conductors, sometimes themselves insulated. Most often, the protective sheath also encloses an electromagnetic shielding braid and, in certain applications which can have an effect on the electromagnetic environment, a ferrite or plastoferrite core surrounds part of the extension of the harness.  
         [0003]     The problem at the root of the invention consists of providing a shielded connection between an electronic module, such as an assembly containing a Xenon lamp and a high-voltage electronic module, and an electronic control module, whilst complying with the high-voltage insulation constraints, the constraints related to the electromagnetic standards, and the mechanical space requirement constraints.  
         [0004]     In particular, the problem arises in that the wiring harness must comprise at each of these ends a connector intended to fit mechanically and electrically with a reciprocal connector on the electronic module to which it is connected. This characteristic of the presence of a connector on the harness leads to an increase in the space requirement and, depending on the mutual orientations of the connectors and the harness itself, the space requirement may increase considerably.  
         [0005]     With this aim of reducing the space requirement of the assembly comprising harness and connector, it is known how to produce connectors which are mounted in line with the harness in various orientations, which are chosen so as to reduce this space requirement in the passenger compartment of a vehicle for example. Unfortunately, in each particular study for a given electronic module and an environment in which the module is placed, such as in a motor vehicle, it is necessary each time to redesign the connector and, at the very least, the interface area between the end of the harness and the connector itself.  
         [0006]     In the prior art, for the same harness/electronic module pair, it is conventional to have a first part number for a harness with right-hand output and a second part number for a harness with left-hand output. This is the case in particular for the equipment of a vehicle headlight which is intended to equip a right-hand headlight or a left-hand headlight. The increase in the number of component part numbers is a source of difficulties and costs for the production and maintenance of assemblies using such wiring harnesses.  
         [0007]     In particular, the choice of an orientation optimising the space requirement can also be constraining through an additional requirement for reducing the length of the wiring harness, which contributes in particular to decreasing the electrical losses, the electromagnetic radiation, the overall cost of the connection, and its weight in the vehicle. It is therefore particularly advantageous to provide a connector structure which makes it possible, throughout the design of the harness and the connector itself, to retain a freedom of choice of the relative orientation of the wiring harness and the connectors which are associated with its ends.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     In order to solve the aforementioned problems of the prior art and achieve the objectives indicated, the present invention concerns an end connector for a shielded wiring harness, comprising a connector body comprising a shielding case made of conductive material, and characterised in that it comprises an orientation component capable of making the case and the body cooperate with means of shielding the wiring harness and of providing a relative orientation of the end of the harness and of the connector which can be selected so as to reduce the space requirement of the wiring harness, of the connector and of an electronic module or electronic card to which the connector is connected.  
         [0009]     According to one aspect of the invention, the orientation component comprises an anchoring part fixed to the body of the connector.  
         [0010]     According to one aspect of the invention, the anchoring part consists of a tab going into a passage in the body of the connector.  
         [0011]     According to one aspect of the invention, the body of the connector comprises a case.  
         [0012]     According to one aspect of the invention, the case surrounds an electrical contact area or tab support.  
         [0013]     According to one aspect of the invention, the case is made up of two parts equipped with fixing means.  
         [0014]     According to one aspect of the invention, the case comprises a projection on the side where the electrical wires of the wiring harness interface with the connector.  
         [0015]     According to one aspect of the invention, the wiring harness comprises a shielding braid.  
         [0016]     According to one aspect of the invention, the connector cooperates with a ferrule intended to grip the shielding braid and a corresponding part of the connector body.  
         [0017]     According to one aspect of the invention, the ferrule and/or the shielding braid cooperate with a shielding device associated with the connector body.  
         [0018]     According to one aspect of the invention, the shielding device cooperates with at least one electrical contact area or tab.  
         [0019]     According to one aspect of the invention, the connector comprises at least one first and one second connection part.  
         [0020]     According to one aspect of the invention, the orientation component makes two half-shells of the case and the body cooperate with the shielded braid.  
         [0021]     Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be better understood with the help of the description and the accompanying figures amongst which: 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]      FIG. 1  depicts a wiring harness whose two ends are equipped with a connector according to the invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  depicts a variant of the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0024]     FIGS.  3  to  5  depict variants of the same connector in three different orientations with different orientation components;  
         [0025]     FIGS.  6  to  8  depict three variants of an embodiment of a connector according to the invention;  
         [0026]      FIG. 9  depicts another embodiment of a connector according to the invention;  
         [0027]     FIGS.  10  to  12  depict three views explaining another embodiment of a connector according to the invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0028]      FIG. 1  depicts a wiring harness  1  which has two ends equipped with a first connector  2  and a second connector  3 .  
         [0029]     The connectors  2  and  3  have a substantially parallelepipedal shape, the largest dimension of which is oriented in the direction VC 1  for the first connector  2  and in the direction VC 2  for the second connector  3 . Each end of the harness has an orientation along the vector VF 1  and the vector VF 2 . It should be noted that the orientations VF 1  and VC 1  of the first connector  2  and of the first end of the wiring harness  1  are identical. It should also be noted that the orientations VF 2  and VC 2  of the second connector  3  and of the second end of the wiring harness  1  are in the same plane and orthogonal.  
         [0030]     The first connector  2  and second connector  3  are similar and comprise two half-shells  5  and  6  which are assembled together by means of fixing means known to persons skilled in the art. Each half-shell such as the half-shell  5  has a spring  7  which is intended to guarantee continuity of the shielding of the connector  2  with the electronic module (not depicted) with which it is mechanically and electrically associated.  
         [0031]     The first connector also comprises an orientation component  4  which is intended to become fixed to the upper part of the assembly consisting of the two half-shells  5  and  6 . In order to carry out this fixing, the orientation component  4  is provided with tabs  8  and  9 , and with two other tabs which are not visible in the drawing, but are symmetrical with the first two mentioned, and which go into housings provided for that purpose on the half-shells  5  and  6 . In one particular embodiment, the orientation component  4  contributes to the fixing of the two half-shells to one another.  
         [0032]     It should be noted that the orientation component has lateral openings so that four sides can be used for output of the harness  1 . In particular, the orientation component has two large parallel sides and two small parallel sides. The wiring harness  1  leaves the first connector  2  through a small side. The wiring harness  1  leaves the second connector  3  through a large side.  
         [0033]     In particular, on the second connector  3  in  FIG. 1 , a component  11  is depicted which is also visible on the first connector  2  under the reference  10 . This component  10 ,  11  is a ferrule which makes it possible to achieve a permanent mechanical and electrical contact between part of the shielding braid and the half-shells.  
         [0034]      FIG. 2  depicts a particular embodiment of a connector according to the invention with a wiring harness end  20 . The wiring harness end  20  carries the ferrule  22  which has descended to its end so as to systematically grip the shielding part of the wiring harness, visible in the drawing, and a tab  23  for continuity of the electrical earths with the shielding braid. The tab  23  is cut out of conductive metal and shaped so as to have one end which rests on a face  25  of an electrical tab support. Several electrical tabs have been depicted. In particular also, there should be noted at reference  27  a clipping part fixed to the half-shell  24  and which serves to fix a reciprocal part of a connector disposed on the electronic module with which the wiring harness will be associated.  
         [0035]     FIGS.  3  to  5  depict three particular embodiments of an orientation component useful for the connector of the invention. In  FIG. 3 , the orientation component consists of two arcs respectively  32  and  34 , the ends of which, bent towards the cover  24 , go into holes therein and are clipped thereto.  
         [0036]     In  FIG. 4 , the orientation component is reduced to a single arc  37  and the ferrule cooperates with the orientation component  36  in order to keep a minimum space requirement whilst allowing the formation of a right-angled end of the end of the harness  20 . The arc  36  is fixed to the case  24  by tabs  37  and  38  going into holes therein. The orientation component is disposed on the edge of a small side of the case  24 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 5  depicts another embodiment in which the orientation component in the shape of an arc  40  is disposed on a large side of the case  24 .  
         [0038]     For better understanding of the arrangement of the invention, an exploded view of a connector according to the invention has been depicted, but in an embodiment where it comprises more orientation components and in which the orientation of the wiring harness is perpendicular to the directions depicted in the preceding embodiments. The shielded braid at the end of the wiring harness  20  goes in underneath the ferrule so as to grip part  48  of the support of the electrical tabs  48  of the connector. As already described, the connector case consists of two half-shells  46  and  44  which have extensions  46   a  and  44   a  ( FIG. 6 ) made of a conductive material so that the extensions  46   a  and  44   a  are covered by the shielded braid  20  itself surrounded by the ferrule  22 . In this embodiment, a continuity of the shielding as far as the connector is thus achieved. Finally, a locking part  50  has been depicted which is disposed in connection with the half-shell  44  and the support  48  of the electrical tabs.  
         [0039]      FIG. 7  depicts an embodiment with a single orientation component  50  with four fastenings onto the case  60  with an output of the wiring harness  20 . In this embodiment, the hole  58  in the case  60  which accommodates a tab  56  on one of the fixing ends of the orientation component  50  has been depicted. The wiring harness  20  is oriented from a small side of the case and in a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the connector  60 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 8  depicts another embodiment in which, with the same equipment, the wiring harness  20  is oriented from a large side of the case  65  and is still in a plane perpendicular to the direction of insertion of the connector  60 .  
         [0041]     In one particular embodiment, the ferrule  22  is implemented by a mechanical part made from flexible aluminium.  
         [0042]     In one particular embodiment, the case  60  has conductive extensions as depicted in  FIG. 6 ; it is itself made entirely from a conductive material.  
         [0043]     In one particular embodiment, the invention uses a shielding device, the connector of the invention being connected on the one hand to a link conveying signals which interfere weakly in electromagnetic radiation terms, and on the other hand to a link conveying radiating signals which interfere sufficiently to interfere with the neighbouring signals on their contact areas. In this case, the shielding element is intended to surround only the set of interfering contact areas of the first link allowing connection with a shielding braid. As a result, in this case, it is not essential to shield the different sets of contact areas of the electronic card to which the connector is subsequently connected.  
         [0044]     In such an arrangement, the connector of the invention comprises a first set of contact areas associated with the first electrical link connected to a receiving connector on the associated electronic card or module. The connector of the invention next comprises a second set of contact areas associated with the second electrical link and connected to another receiving connector on the associated electronic card or module. In this case, the shielding part is applied only to the first set of contact areas.  
         [0045]      FIG. 9  depicts a particular embodiment according to what has just been defined. In this connector type, the wiring harness  62  is made up of at least two parts, a first part which is represented by the three wires  70  and a second part which is represented by the two wires  72 . The invention has been depicted in the case where an orientation component  64  allows an output through a large side of the case  65  of the connector proper.  
         [0046]     The first set of wires  70  is intended for an electrical link of strongly interfering signals. This set of wires  70  is therefore surrounded in a shielding braid  66  and ends at a first set of contact areas  70  on the support  60  of the contact areas or tabs.  
         [0047]     The second set of wires  72  is intended for an electrical link of weakly interfering signals. This set of wires  72  is therefore not inserted in the shielding braid  66 , but can be combined in a single harness, in particular by means of bindings, or else by means of an insulating sheath coming above both the shielding braid  66  inside which the first set of wires  70  is located and the second set of wires  72 . By virtue of the orientation component  64 , the wiring harness, as explained with the help of the previous figures, takes an orientation perpendicular to the orientation of insertion of the wires on the support  60  of the contact areas or tabs.  
         [0048]     In particular, a ferrule  68  is disposed around a protruding part of the case  60  so as to grip the shielding braid  68  and, if applicable, which is not depicted here, with a shielding device which does not need to be extended as far as the second set of wires  72 .  
         [0049]     In order to provide the electrical connection of the harness with an electrical module or an electronic card, the support case for the electrical contact areas or tabs  60  comprises: 
        a first connection part  74 , here provided with at least three connection tabs to correspond to the three wires of the first set  70  of wires with, if applicable, an additional shielding continuity tab, if a shielding device is provided;     a second connection part  76 , here provided with at least two connection tabs to correspond to the two wires of the second set  72  of wires.        
 
         [0052]     FIGS.  10  to  12  depict another embodiment of a connector according to the invention in which the orientation component makes the two parts of the case cooperate with the body and the braid.  
         [0053]      FIG. 10  is an exploded assembly view in which the main components of the connector can be seen and in particular the half-shells  81  and  82 , the body  84  with the part  86  for receiving the wires of the wiring braid, a ferrule part  83  and the orientation component  80  with four apertures allowing two times four orientations of a wiring braid, not depicted. This is because it is possible to direct the braid either in a vertical plane in which the four aforementioned apertures are situated or in the direction orthogonal to this plane.  
         [0054]      FIG. 11  depicts an assembled connector using the same references as those of  FIG. 10 . The connector is seen here from the electronic module to which it is intended to be connected and three possible positions of the wiring braid have been depicted, in position  88  or  92  in the vertical plane of the four apertures of the orientation component or in position  90  along the aforementioned orthogonal axis. It should be noted here that the fitting in particular of the two half-shells  81  and the body of the connector  84  inside the orientation component provides complete holding of the connector.  
         [0055]      FIG. 12 , in which the same connector parts have the same reference numbers as in the previous figures, depicts the same connector seen from the side of the wiring braid whose three possible positions  88  to  92 , already depicted in  FIG. 11 , have been included again. The disposition of a clipping component  94  intended to be fitted in a suitable notch of the reciprocal accommodating connector (not depicted) on the electronic module (not depicted) should be noted.  
         [0056]     The present description does not describe any particular way for connecting the conductive end of an electrical wire with a contact area or tab inserted in the support case for the contact area or tabs such as the support  48  ( FIG. 6 ). Persons skilled in the art know how to implement such an electrical connection by means of soldering, gluing, or else removal of insulation with a contact tab, one end of which has a cutting part intended to cut the insulation of the electrical wire.