Connecting element having a recessed portion on top of one end and a recessed portion on bottom of the other end

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9972956-B2
Application number	US-201615506567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2016
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connecting element for electrical and mechanical connection of electronics modules. The connecting element includes a base part having a receptacle area that serves to hold an electronics module, wherein the receptacle area has first electrical contact points for the electrical connection of the connecting element to electrical contact points of the electronics module. The base part includes a first end region having a first recessed section on the top side and has a second end region having a second recessed section on the bottom side. Second electrical contact points for connecting to further connecting elements are disposed on the top side of the first recessed section and on the bottom side of the second recessed section. The recessed sections are designed such that the end regions of connecting elements that are located next to each other can be positioned opposite one another in such a way that the top sides of the connecting elements are located on a plane and the bottom sides of the connecting elements are located on another plane. The second electrical contact points are disposed in such a way that the connecting elements can be positioned at different angles (a) with respect to one another. The invention also relates to an electronic module arrangement having at least one connecting element and an electronics module disposed in the receptacle area of the connecting element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A connecting element for the electrical and mechanical connection of electronics modules comprising a base part with
a receptacle area used for holding an electronics module, the receptacle area has first electrical contact points for connecting the connecting element to electrical contact points of the electronics module,
a first end region with a first recessed section on top side thereof and a second end region with a second recessed section on a bottom side thereof, second electrical contact points for connecting to other connecting elements are arranged on the top side of the first recessed section and on the bottom side of the second recessed section, the first and second recessed sections are constructed such that the first and second end regions of connecting elements that are in line with each other are positioned opposite each other such that the top sides and the bottom sides of the adjacent connecting elements each lie in a plane, and the second electrical contact points are arranged so that the adjacent connecting elements that are positioned at different angles (α) to each other maintain the contact between opposite second contact points.

2. The connecting element according to claim 1 , further comprising a positioning element for positioning the connecting element in a carrier.

3. The connecting element according to claim 1 , wherein the second electrical contact points of the adjacent connecting elements are connected by at least one of a conductive adhesive, soldering, press-fit connection, welding, or crimping.

4. An electronics module arrangement for installing in a cylindrical installation space comprising a connecting element according to claim 1 , wherein and an electronics module arranged in the receptacle area of the connecting element.

5. The electronics module arrangement according to claim 4 , further comprising multiple ones of the connecting elements connected to each other by the second electrical contact points and one or more of the electronics modules, and a maximum possible number of the electronics modules corresponds to a number of the connecting elements.

6. The electronics module arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the electrical contact points of the electronics module are connected to the first electrical contact points of the connecting elements by a connector element made from an electrically conductive material.

7. The electronics module arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the first electrical contact points of the electronics modules are formed of an electrically conductive material or are realized by an electrically conductive coating.

8. The electronics module arrangement according to claim 5 , further comprising a hollow cylindrical carrier that is adapted in diameter to a cylindrical installation space and is insertable into the installation space such that the connecting elements connected to each other are arranged in the carrier in a circumferential direction.

9. The electronics module arrangement according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the connecting elements or the electronics modules have recesses for positioning the connecting element and the electronics module relative to each other.

10. A rolling bearing arrangement comprising a rolling bearing with two concentric bearing rings and rolling bodies arranged between the bearing rings in a rolling body space, and an electronics module arrangement according to claim 4 , arranged in a rolling bearing installation space.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Heim Jens
• Mensch Sergej
• Schiffler Andreas

Classifications

• F16C41/002

  Conductive elements, e.g. to prevent static electricity · CPC title

• H01R39/643 Primary

  through ball or roller bearing · CPC title

• F16C41/008

  Identification means, e.g. markings, RFID-tags; Data transfer means · CPC title

• F16C19/00

  Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement (adjustable bearings F16C23/00, F16C25/00 {; electrically insulating bearings H02K5/173}) · CPC title

• F16C41/004 Primary

  Electro-dynamic machines, e.g. motors, generators, actuators · CPC title