Adjusting position of cable-end plug according to cable position
AssigneeHirschmann Automotive GmbH
InventorLukas Breuss
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a method for assembling an arrangement of a plug connector comprising a contact holder at one end of a cable. The position of the plug connector is adjusted to the position of the electrical conductors of the cable to which the plug connector is joined before the cable is press-fit with a sleeve, which partly encloses the contact holder, during the assembly process by means of correcting the alignment of the plug connector. For this purpose, the mounted contact holder must be rotated relative to the electrical conductors. This rotation causes the electrical conductors to be turned over, which leads to a reduction in length between the contact holder and the end of the cable.
Claims15
A method of making an assembly comprising a multiconductor cable having an outer jacket and a plurality of electrical conductors, a contact holder at one end of the cable, and a sleeve that partially surrounds the contact holder, the method comprising:
- (a) axially pre-positioning the sleeve prior to any rotational adjustment of the contact holder such that the sleeve overlaps both a rear portion of the contact holder and a forward portion of the outer jacket;
- (b) with the cable held against rotation, rotating the contact holder relative to the electrical conductors to correct an angular orientation of a plug connector defined by the contact holder, wherein the rotation twists the electrical conductors and draws a shield braid of the cable such that the shield braid is displaced axially under the pre-positioned sleeve, thereby producing a measurable axial length reduction (ΔL) between the contact holder and the cable end;
- and
- (c) without axially translating the pre-positioned sleeve from the overlapped position established in step (a) and after the rotation of the contact holder in step (b), crimping the sleeve in a pressing operation over the shield braid and the contact holder to mechanically fix the angular orientation and establish continuous EMI shielding through the sleeve.
A method of making an assembly comprising a multiconductor cable having an outer jacket and conductor ends projecting therefrom, respective contacts on the conductor ends of conductors of the cable, a holder receiving the contacts, and a conductive shield sleeve at least partially surrounding the holder and extending back over the outer jacket, the method comprising the steps of:
- (i) axially pre-overlapping the conductive shield sleeve over both the holder and the outer jacket prior to any rotational adjustment of the holder;
- (ii) while maintaining the cable in a non-rotating condition, rotating the holder relative to the conductors to a target angular orientation, thereby twisting the conductors and drawing a shield braid of the cable such that the shield braid is displaced axially beneath the pre-overlapped conductive shield sleeve, resulting in an axial shortening of a length of the assembly;
- and
- (iii) after the rotation of the holder in step (ii) and without axially shifting the conductive shield sleeve from the overlapped position in step (i), crimping the conductive shield sleeve over the shield braid and the holder to mechanically retain and lock the angular orientation of the holder and complete a continuous shield path between the cable braid to the holder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.