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EP-4352825-B1 - ELECTRICAL TERMINAL, SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED METHODS

EP4352825B1EP 4352825 B1EP4352825 B1EP 4352825B1EP-4352825-B1

Inventors

  • BUI-VAN, Hà
  • SCHNÖRCH, Peter
  • SARKIS, Remi

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220608

Claims (12)

  1. Electrical terminal (1) for electrically connecting a cable to an electrical circuit disposed on a thin support comprising - a connection part comprising a center-pin (3), and a surrounding metallic ring (4) - a base part comprising a dielectric substrate (2) having a top surface (2.1) and a bottom surface (2.2), a ring metallic pad (5) electrically connected to the surrounding metallic ring, and a pin metallic pad (6) electrically connected to the center-pin and electrically isolated from the ring metallic pad; the ring metallic pad and the pin metallic pad being disposed on the bottom surface; the connection part being disposed on the top surface of the base part and is extending substantially perpendicular to the top surface characterized in that the base part further comprises a ring penetration means (8) designed to penetrate through the thin support and in that the dielectric substrate (2) and the ring penetration means are not coplanar.
  2. Electrical terminal according to claim 1 wherein the ring penetration means is electrically connected to the ring metallic pad.
  3. Electrical terminal according to any preceding claims wherein the base part further comprises a pin penetration means designed to penetrate through the thin support and wherein the dielectric substrate and the pin penetration means are not coplanar.
  4. Electrical terminal according to claim 3 wherein the pin penetration means is electrically connected to the pin metallic pad.
  5. Electrical terminal according to any preceding claims wherein the pin penetration means comprises at least a tine.
  6. Electrical terminal according to any preceding claims wherein the ring penetration means comprises at least a tine.
  7. Electrical terminal according to any preceding claims wherein the ring penetration means comprises a part to be bent 8.1.
  8. System (100) comprising a thin support, an electrical circuit disposed on the thin support and an electrical terminal (1) according to claim
  9. System according to claim 8 wherein the ring penetration means is electrically connected to the ring metallic pad.
  10. System according to claims 8 or 9 wherein the electrical circuit is an antenna, preferably a multi-bands antenna.
  11. Vehicle comprising a least one system according to claims 8 to 10.
  12. Method for connecting a cable to electrical circuit for electrically connecting a cable to an electrical circuit disposed on a thin support with an electrical terminal characterized in that the electrical terminal comprises - a connection part comprising a center-pin (3), and a surrounding metallic ring (4) - a base part comprising a dielectric substrate (2) having a top surface (2.1) and a bottom surface (2.2), a ring metallic pad (5) electrically connected to the surrounding metallic ring, and a pin metallic pad (6) electrically connected to the center-pin and electrically isolated from the ring metallic pad; the ring metallic pad and the pin metallic pad being disposed on the bottom surface; the connection part being disposed on the top surface of the base part and is extending substantially perpendicular to the top surface, in that the base part further comprises a ring penetration means (8) designed to penetrate through the thin support in that the dielectric substrate and the ring penetration means are not coplanar and in that the method comprises a step of pressing the electrical terminal to let the ring penetration means penetrate through the thin support over the electrical circuit to electrically connect the center-pin and the surrounding metallic ring to the electrical circuit.

Description

Technical Field The present application relates to an electrical terminal to facilitate the feeding of an electrical circuit disposed on a thin support. The present application relates also to a system comprising such electrical terminal. Background Art Mobile data traffic is increasing continuously and will boom significantly with 5G, putting mobile network operators under CAPEX pressure. Higher frequency bands for 5G mean more challenges for coverage deployment, especially in dense urban areas where capacity will be needed and strict EMF limitations apply. The deployment of small cells are described as a good solution for capacity improvement which requires to install a large number of antennas in order to stably perform electromagnetic wave transmission and reception. However, many drawbacks limit the deployment of small cells. First, it is very difficult to find location for new antennas. Second, bringing fiber and electricity outdoor is costly. Finally, urbanistic regulations may limit possibilities for small cells. On top of that, with the advent of connected and autonomous vehicles, the number of required onboard antennas is ever increasing, and finding suitable locations becomes more and more complicated especially for Wi-Fi, 4G, 5G and DSRC, DTV, FM,··· In a vehicle, antenna are usually placed on a glazing or on the roof inside a shark fin, or a roof module. To connect to a functional system and to feed an antenna, a terminal is used between the cable and the antenna. Existing terminals on the market are based on solder techniques to make the connection for the antenna to the terminal. One of the quite common use is the U.FL connector as a terminal. Such terminals are soldered on the antenna to feed it. Antenna can be disposed on a substrate such as glass or thin support. However, with low-temperature resistance substrate such as a thin support, the substrate cannot withstand the high-temperature of the soldering. To avoid this low-temperature resistance of thin support, the terminal can be glued with a conductive glue. This solution however has an issue of mechanical resistance, which can be removed from the support causing disconnections, quality issues, aging problems,··· Reference is made to US 2015/118900 A1, US 4 598 961 A, US 5 120 258 A and JP 2012 109187 A. In particular, US 2015/118900 A1 discloses an electrical terminal comprising the features of the preamble of claim 1. Summary of invention The present invention relates, in a first aspect, to an electrical terminal for electrically connecting a cable to an electrical circuit disposed on a thin support comprising a connection part comprising a center-pin (3), and a surrounding metallic ring (4)a base part comprising a dielectric substrate (2) having a top surface (2.1) and a bottom surface (2.2), a ring metallic pad (5) electrically connected to the surrounding metallic ring, and a pin metallic pad (6) electrically connected to the center-pin and electrically isolated from the ring metallic pad; the ring metallic pad and the pin metallic pad been disposed on the bottom surface; the connection part been disposed on the top surface of the base part and is extending substantially perpendicular to the top surface. The present invention relates, in a second aspect, to an system comprising a thin support, an electrical circuit disposed on a thin support, an electrical terminal for electrically connecting a cable to the electrical circuit comprising a connection part comprising a center-pin (3), and a surrounding metallic ring (4)a base part comprising a dielectric substrate (2) having a top surface (2.1) and a bottom surface (2.2), a ring metallic pad (5) electrically connected to the surrounding metallic ring, and a pin metallic pad (6) electrically connected to the center-pin and electrically isolated from the ring metallic pad; the ring metallic pad and the pin metallic pad been disposed on the bottom surface; the connection part been disposed on the top surface of the base part and is extending substantially perpendicular to the top surface. The solution as defined in the first aspect and in the second aspect of the present invention is based on that the base part further comprises a ring penetration means (8) designed to penetrate through the thin support. The solution as defined in the first aspect and in the second aspect of the present invention is also based on that the dielectric substrate and the ring penetration means are not coplanar. By penetrating through the thin support, the ring penetration means, not coplanar with the dielectric substrate, mechanically maintains the electrical terminal to the thin support while the electrical terminal is electrically connected to the electrical circuit. The present invention relates, in a third aspect, to a vehicle comprising a system according to the second aspect of the present invention. The present invention relates, in a fourth aspect, to a method for connecting a cable to electrical ci