阅读说明：本技术 用于连接至少一个传感器导线与电连接导线的连接装置 (Connecting device for connecting at least one sensor line to an electrical connection line ) 是由 S·利奥波德 于 2018-10-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于连接至少一个传感器导线(12)与电连接导线(14)的连接装置(10)。所述连接装置包括套筒(22)和布置在所述套筒(22)内部的套管(24),所述套管至少局部地由能弹性变形的材料制造。本发明提出,所述套管(24)包括用于接收耦合区段(20)的至少一个贯通开口(38),该耦合区段使所述传感器导线(12)和所述连接导线(14)的导线端部相互电耦合。本发明还提出,所述套筒(22)至少局部地由能塑性变形的材料制造,并且所述套管(24)通过所述套筒(22)的至少一个朝着所述套管(24)的塑性成形区段(34、36)固定在所述套筒(22)中。(The invention relates to a connecting device (10) for connecting at least one sensor line (12) to an electrical connecting line (14). The connecting device comprises a sleeve (22) and a sleeve (24) arranged inside the sleeve (22), which is at least partially made of an elastically deformable material. According to the invention, the sleeve (24) comprises at least one through-opening (38) for receiving a coupling section (20) which electrically couples the sensor line (12) and the line end of the connecting line (14) to one another. The invention further proposes that the sleeve (22) is produced at least in regions from a plastically deformable material, and that the sleeve (24) is fixed in the sleeve (22) by at least one plastically formed section (34, 36) of the sleeve (22) facing the sleeve (24).)

1. Connecting device (10) for connecting at least one sensor line (12) to an electrical connection line (14), comprising a sleeve (22) and a sleeve (24) arranged inside the sleeve (22), which sleeve is at least partially manufactured from an elastically deformable material, characterized in that the sleeve (24) comprises at least one through-opening (38) for receiving a coupling section (20) which electrically couples the line ends of the sensor line (12) and the connection line (14) to one another, and in that the sleeve (22) is at least partially manufactured from a plastically deformable material, and in that the sleeve (24) is fixed in the sleeve (22) by means of at least one plastically shaped section (34, 36; 36) of the sleeve (22) facing the sleeve (24).

2. The connecting device (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that at least one plastically formed section (34) is arranged at the level of the coupling section (20) seen in the axial direction of the sleeve (24).

3. Connecting device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one plastically formed section (36) is arranged at the level of the connecting lead (14) seen in the axial direction of the sleeve (24).

4. The connection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sleeve (22) has at least two plastically formed sections (34, 36) spaced apart from each other as seen in the axial direction of the sleeve (22).

5. The connection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic-formed section (34, 36; 36) is circumferential in the circumferential direction of the sleeve (22).

6. The connection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sleeve (24) comprises an elastomeric material.

7. The connection device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sleeve (22) has a shoulder (50) preferably facing the sensor line (12), on which shoulder the sleeve (24) bears in the axial direction.

8. Connecting device (10) according to claim 7, characterized in that the shoulder (50) is formed by a conical cross-sectional constriction.

9. The connection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coupling section (20) comprises a coupling sleeve.

10. The connection device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sleeve (24) has a substantially circular outer contour and the sleeve (22) has a substantially circular cross-section.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a connecting device for connecting at least one sensor line to an electrical connection line according to the preamble of claim 1.

Background

Internal combustion engines mostly comprise one or more temperature sensors for sensing the current operating temperature, for example in the region of the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine. In this case, the sensor and the associated sensor lines which transmit the sensor signals are subjected to various environmental influences, in particular relatively high temperatures, severe vibrations and moisture. The sensor line is electrically coupled via the coupling section to a connecting line, which transmits the sensor signal to the respective electronic device.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a connecting device of the type mentioned at the outset which is as simple as possible and which can be produced very inexpensively.

This object is achieved by a connecting device having the features of claim 1. Further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. Furthermore, features that are important for the invention are also present in the following description and the figures. The features can be essential to the invention both individually and in various combinations.

The connecting device according to the invention serves to connect at least one sensor line to an electrical connecting line. The connecting device comprises a sleeve which is, for example, also substantially straight first, i.e. in the not yet finally assembled state, and has an at least sectionally constant outer diameter and inner diameter in the axial direction. A sleeve is arranged inside the sleeve, which sleeve is at least partially made of an elastically deformable material. The sleeve comprises at least one through opening for receiving a coupling section which electrically couples the sensor wire and the wire end of the connecting wire to each other. Obviously, the term "sleeve" is to be understood here without limitation. Rather, the sleeve is understood here to mean all generally cylindrical components in which the coupling section is at least partially received.

According to the invention, the sleeve is at least partially made of a plastically deformable material, and the sleeve is fixed in the sleeve by at least one section of the sleeve that is plastically shaped towards the sleeve. The sleeve is elastically deformed radially inwards in the formed region by plastic forming. This deformation continues at least up to a certain extent in the interior of the sleeve, i.e. up to the through-opening. Finally, it is achieved in this way that the sensor line and/or the connection line and/or the section of the sleeve, viewed in the axial direction of the connection device, is located approximately at the same position as the plastically formed section of the sleeve, is acted upon by the sleeve with a compressive force and is thereby reliably held in the desired position inside the sleeve.

Furthermore, this can be achieved even when the sensor wire and/or the connection wire and/or the section of the sleeve is received in the through-opening of the bushing with a certain clearance in the intermediate state, i.e. also before the plastic forming of the section of the sleeve itself. The insertion of the sensor line and/or the connecting line and/or the coupling section into the through-opening is simplified by such a gap. The plastic forming of the sleeve through the sleeve up to the through-opening is also continued at least to some extent, whereby the inner wall of the through-opening is deformed in such a way that the gap is passed over and the inner wall of the through-opening is pressed with a certain pressing force against the sensor line or the connecting line or the coupling section.

In this way, it is possible to reliably hold the sensor line and/or the connecting line and/or the coupling section inside the sleeve by providing only two components, namely the outer sleeve and the sleeve located inside, without additional fastening means being required for this purpose. The number of components required is reduced, as is the costs for manufacturing the connecting device and for assembly of said connecting device.

Obviously, the reception of the coupling section into the sleeve on the one hand and the fixing of the sleeve in the sleeve on the other hand do not necessarily have to be effected simultaneously by the plastic-formed section. In this connection, even if the following features are not claimed with regard to the fixation of the sleeve in the sleeve, the following features may be claimed: the bushing comprises at least one through opening for receiving a coupling section for electrically coupling the sensor wire and the wire end of the connecting wire to each other.

A first embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the at least one plastically formed section of the sleeve is arranged at the level of the coupling section, viewed in the axial direction of the sleeve. The coupling section is thus fixed in particular by the plastically formed section of the sleeve, whereby the coupling section is supported in particular in the elastically deformable material of the sleeve and held in a vibration-damping manner. The movement of the coupling section, more precisely in particular with regard to the level of the vibration amplitude, can thereby be reduced to a very low level. In addition, the air volume of the entire arrangement is also strongly reduced, thereby significantly reducing the air exchange that still exists during temperature changes. By the arrangement of the plastically formed section of the sleeve over the axial height of the coupling section, a relatively high rigidity, a relatively short component length and an overall very robust design of the connecting device are achieved. The coupling section engages into the connecting device at a central point and is thus very well protected.

It is furthermore possible for at least one plastically formed section to be arranged at the level of the connecting lead, viewed in the axial direction of the bushing. In this way, the advantages mentioned above in connection with the coupling section are obtained in connection with the connecting lead.

It is particularly preferred that the sleeve has at least two plastically formed sections which are spaced apart from one another, viewed in the axial direction of the sleeve. In this case, a secure fixation of, for example, the coupling section and the connecting lead can be achieved, thereby increasing the robustness of the arrangement again.

The safety and reliability of the fastening is increased when the plastically formed section is encircled in the circumferential direction of the sleeve.

It is furthermore advantageous if the sleeve comprises an elastomeric material. The sleeve may be made of a rubber material, for example. Such an elastomer material allows the radially inwardly directed plastic forming of the sleeve to be reliably continued up to the interior region of the sleeve, i.e. the region of the through-opening, as a result of which the segments present there can be reliably fixed. Furthermore, such elastomeric materials are inexpensive and there are elastomeric materials which can very well withstand relatively high temperatures and large temperature variations over a long period of time without the properties of the elastomeric material significantly deteriorating.

It is also proposed that the sleeve preferably has a shoulder toward the sensor line, on which the sleeve is supported in the axial direction. This achieves an additional fixation of the sleeve inside the sleeve, thereby also increasing the stability of the entire connection device.

The shoulder can be formed by a conical cross-sectional constriction. This can be produced simply in terms of production technology.

It is also preferred that the coupling section comprises a coupling sleeve. Such a coupling sleeve allows different types of bonding of the sensor wires on the one hand and the connecting wires on the other hand onto the coupling sleeve. The joint can be established, for example, by soldering or welding or by plugging or clamping.

It is also advantageous for the production costs that the sleeve has a substantially circular outer contour and the sleeve has a substantially circular cross section.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are exemplarily explained below with reference to the drawings. Shown in the drawings are:

FIG. 1: a schematic cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a connecting device with a sleeve, two sensor wires, two coupling sections and two connecting wires; and

FIG. 2: a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the connection device similar to fig. 1.

Functionally equivalent regions and elements have the same reference numerals in both figures. They are normally explained in detail only once.

Detailed Description

In fig. 1, the connecting device has the general reference numeral 10. The connecting device serves, for example, to connect two sensor lines 12 to corresponding connecting lines 14. The sensor line 12 is associated with a temperature sensor 16, which may comprise a thermistor, for example. The temperature sensor 16 may be arranged, for example, in the exhaust system of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, in the battery region of an electric drive of an electrically driven motor vehicle, or the like. The temperature sensor is always used to sense the temperature, which is preferably used to control and monitor the drive of the motor vehicle.

For this purpose, the signal of the temperature sensor 16 is first transmitted via the sensor line 12 to the connecting line 14. The connecting line leads the sensor signal, for example, further to a signal converter or directly to an input of an electronic device 18, which is shown in fig. 1 by way of example and only schematically, and which may be, for example, an engine or a battery controller.

The actual electrical and mechanical connection of the sensor line 12 to the connecting line 14 is effected by a corresponding coupling section 20, for example in the form of a metal sleeve, which is referred to below as a coupling sleeve, for example. The coupling section can either be fixedly connected to the sensor line 12 and the connecting line 14, for example by means of corresponding solder points, by welding or by clamping, for example by plastic pressing of the end region of the coupling sleeve 20, or can be fixedly connected to only one of the two line types (sensor line 12 or connecting line 14) while the other line type is connected to the coupling sleeve 20 by means of a corresponding plug. If necessary, both conductor types can also be connected to the coupling sleeve 20 by means of plugs.

The sensor wire 12 is mostly relatively short. This results in the coupling sleeve 20 being arranged relatively close to the temperature sensor 16 and thus also relatively close to the environment in which the temperature sensor 16 is present. However, at the location on which the temperature sensor 16 is arranged, there are sometimes environmental conditions which may impair a durable and reliable electrical connection of the connecting line 14 and the sensor line 12 to the coupling section 20. These environmental conditions may include, for example, high temperatures, severe vibration, and chemical influences, such as humidity. In order to protect the coupling sleeve 20 and the connection of the coupling sleeve to the sensor line 12 and the connecting line 14 against such environmental influences, the initially mentioned connecting device 10 is provided, which is now explained in more detail.

As can be seen in fig. 1, the connection device 10 comprises an outer sleeve 22 having a generally substantially circular cross-section and a sleeve 24 received inside the sleeve 22. Obviously, the concept "sleeve" is understood here without limitation. Rather, the sleeve is understood here to mean any, for example, generally cylindrical component in which the coupling section or here in particular the coupling sleeve 20 is at least partially received. It is also obvious that the sleeve and the sleeve can also have other cross-sectional shapes in embodiments that are not shown, for example polygonal cross-sectional shapes.

Here, the outer sleeve 22 is, for example, manufactured entirely from a plastically deformable material, for example a metallic material. Here, the sleeve 24 is in turn, by way of example, produced entirely from an elastically deformable material, for example from an elastomeric material, such as rubber or the like. In a non-illustrated embodiment, it is also possible for only one axial section of the outer sleeve and/or the inner sleeve to be produced from a plastically or elastically deformable material. It is important, however, that the plastically deformable section of the sleeve and the elastically deformable section of the sleeve are located at least approximately at the same height, as seen in the axial direction of the connecting device.

It can also be seen from fig. 1 that the sleeve 24 is shorter in the axial direction than the sleeve 22, in the view at the left end of the sleeve 22 a retaining insert 26 is fixed in the sleeve 22, which retains or fixes the sensor line 12 such that it can reach the coupling sleeve 20 in a pull-decoupled manner, the retaining insert 26 may also be formed by a housing of a so-called "MI L cable", as can be seen in the right-hand region of fig. 1 of the connection device 10, where the connecting lines 14 present each comprise a metallic and electrically conductive core 28 and at least outside the coupling sleeve 20 an insulation 30, for example of a plastic material, arranged around the coupling sleeve.

It can also be seen from fig. 1 that the sleeve 24 is held in the outer sleeve 22 by two segmented plastic formations of the outer sleeve 22. The corresponding plastic-formed sections have the reference numerals 34 and 36 in fig. 1. The plastic-formed section 34 is relatively centered with respect to the coupling section 20, viewed in the axial direction, while the plastic-formed section 36 is relatively centered at the right edge of the sleeve 22 with respect to the section of the insulation 30 of the connection lead 14 which is also received in the sleeve 24. The plastically formed sections 34 and 36 of the sleeve 22 may be circumferentially circumferential, but may also comprise only a single, formed, singular section, and preferably arranged opposite each other.

The plastically formed sections 34 and 36 of the sleeve 22 are characterized by deformations radially inward, i.e., directed toward the sleeve 24, by which the sleeve 24 is deformed radially inward, as will be shown in more detail below. Obviously, in further embodiments, not shown, other numbers of plastic-shaped sections of the outer sleeve and other shapes can also be selected, which connect the outer sleeve to the bushing in a loss-proof manner and which apply a radial pressure force to the bushing, which pressure force is transmitted to the through-opening and from there further to the coupling section or the sensor line or the connection line, as described in detail at present.

As can be seen from fig. 1, a radial gap or a radial gap is present here, for example, between the coupling sleeve 20 and the respective through-opening 38 and between the connecting line 14 and the respective through-opening 38 over a wide axial section, which simplifies the introduction of the coupling section 20 or the connecting line 14 into the through-opening 38. The radial slot or radial gap has the reference number 32 in the drawing. In other embodiments, however, which are not illustrated, the gap or the gap is not present or at least is clearly visible.

As is most readily apparent from fig. 1, the plastic-formed sections 34 and 36 each form a bulge 38 or 40, respectively, which is circumferential in the circumferential direction and directed radially inward, on the inner side of the sleeve 22 and which is shown as a constriction (Einschn ü rung) with respect to the inner diameter of the sleeve 22, the constriction 38 or 40 is pressed onto the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve 24 and there results a groove-like and circumferential recess 42 or 44, which is directed inward in the radial direction, of the sleeve 24, the properties of the elastic material of the sleeve 24 being selected such that the recess 42 or 44 continues inward in the radial direction at least to some extent, more precisely at least as far as the through-opening 38.

This results in a radially inwardly directed constriction 46 or 48 also occurring in the through-opening 38, i.e. the diameter of the respective through-opening 38 is locally reduced (viewed in the axial direction) or the cross-sectional shape of the through-opening 38 is deformed from the circular shape present in the unloaded state in the direction of the oval shape (i.e. the sleeve 24 is locally compressed, viewed in the axial direction). The diameter reduction is thereby at least partially greater than the above-mentioned gap 32, so that at this point or at these points the elastomer material of the sleeve 24 presses with a certain pressing force onto the respective coupling sleeve 20 (constriction 46) or the respective connecting line 14 (constriction 48). On the one hand, the two coupling sleeves 20 are thereby held securely in the axial direction and in the radial direction, and the two connecting wires 14 are also held securely in the axial direction and in the radial direction.

The second embodiment of the connecting device 10 illustrated in fig. 2 differs from the embodiment of fig. 1 primarily in that the outer sleeve 22 of the connecting device has only a single plastically formed section 36 which, as viewed in the axial direction of the connecting device 10, is arranged at the level of the insulation 30 of the connecting lead 14. In order to also securely hold the edge region of the sleeve 24 on the left in fig. 1 inside the sleeve 22, the sleeve 22 has a shoulder 50 formed by a conical cross-sectional constriction. Complementary to this, the sleeve 24 also has a conical cross-sectional constriction 52 on its outer side at the left-hand end of the sleeve in fig. 2.

When the sleeve 24 is fitted in the sleeve 22, the sleeve 24 is pressed into the sleeve 22 from right to left in fig. 2, whereby the cross-sectional constriction 52 is pressed against the shoulder 50. This achieves an additional and secure axial fixation of the sleeve 24 in the sleeve 22. Furthermore, the left-hand end of the sleeve 24 in fig. 2 is compressed radially inward by the conically formed shoulder 50 and the cross-sectional constriction 52 complementary thereto, whereby the through-openings 38 are also pressed radially inward in this region, so that the inner wall of the respective through-opening 38 is pressed at least in sections with a certain pressing force onto the respective coupling sleeve 20 and the coupling sleeve is fixed in the sleeve 24 in this manner.