ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HOUSING HAVING AN RFID TRANSPONDER

• US 20150199603A1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harting Electric Gmbh & Co. Kg (Harting KGaA)
• Original Assignee: Harting Electric GNBH & Company KG
• Inventors: Schmieding, Dirk, Troeger, Lutz
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07756 the connection being non-galvanic, e.g. capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07758 arrangements for adhering the record carrier to further objects or living beings, functioning as an identification tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07773 Antenna details antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/465 Identification means, e.g. labels, tags, markings H01R9/2475, H01R9/2683 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6691 with built-in signalling means H01R13/717 takes precedence

Abstract

A disadvantage of the prior art consists in the fact that the RFID transponders attached to plug-in connectors have a range that is insufficient for many applications. The present disclosure provides a design for a plug-in connector housing with an RFID transponder integrated therein, which allows a range that is greater than the one possible in the prior art. This object is achieved as a result of the fact that the antenna of the RFID transponder includes a slot, so that the antenna is a slot antenna.

Claims

1. A plug-in connector housing comprising an RFID transponder having an RFID tag with an RFID chip and an antenna, wherein both the RFID tag and the antenna are provided in or on the plug-in connector housing or are at least intended for being provided in or on the plug-in connector housing, wherein the antenna has a slot, so that the antenna is a slot antenna.

2. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slot antenna is attached in an interlocking manner to the plug-in connector housing or is inserted into the plug-in connector housing.

3. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slot antenna has an antenna body that is implemented as a metal foil.

4. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 3, wherein the metal foil is a self-adhesive copper foil.

5. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug-in connector housing is an injection-moulded part and in that the slot antenna is inserted as an insertion part into the plug-in connector housing and is coated with plastic.

6. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug-in connector housing at least partially consists of an MID (Moulded Interconnect Device) enabled plastic or is coated with an LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) enabled material or lacquer, and in that the slot antenna is produced using an MID method, in particular LDS.

7. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID transponder and in particular the antenna body thereof is implemented as a dimensionally stable assembly part that can be inserted into the plug-in connector housing in an interlocking manner and can be fixed therein.

8. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug-in connector housing comprises a module frame and in that the RFID tag is fixed or moulded onto the module frame, in particular to a lug associated with the module frame, or is at least intended for being fixed to the module frame.

9. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 8, wherein the RFID tag is automatically located, as a result of the mounting of the module frame in the plug-in connector housing, in a specified position relative to the slot antenna and in particular relative to the slot provided therein.

10. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein specific information about the plug-in connector is stored in the RFID chip, which is read by an RFID reader.

11. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID tag has a coupling loop for magnetically coupling the RFID chip with the slot antenna.

12. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RFID tag has a folded dipole for electrically coupling the RFID chip with the slot antenna.

13. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 6, wherein the slot antenna is produced using the LDS method.

14. The plug-in connector housing as claimed in claim 10, wherein the specific information is selected from the group consisting of contact information, pin assignment and installation instructions.