I-PEX Launches MHF® I LK Extremely Fine RF Coaxial Cable Connectors

The innovative I-PEX® MHF® I LK connector is a small RF coaxial cable connector with a mechanical latch that prevents the connector male chassis from detaching from the female chassis on the PCB. The product has already been successfully used in the customer's vehicle mainframe, whereas the MHF® I connector is a common small RF coaxial connector without the additional mechanical latch function, compared to the MHF® I LK with the mechanical latch, which has twice the initial male chassis insertion retention force. In addition, after 30 insertions and withdrawals of the MHF® I LK male chassis without an additional mechanical latch, the retention force of the mechanical latch version is approximately three times higher than that of the MHF® I connector. This high retention force enables the MHF® I LK to ensure a high signal connection reliability even under the constant shock and vibration of road conditions.

With the development of communication technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G, the digitalization and networking of automobiles is advancing. The development of telematics, which utilizes systems to send and receive various information by installing wireless communication devices in moving vehicles; and infotainment, such as smart cockpits and in-vehicle mainframe applications that integrate wireless communication functions, are becoming increasingly active.

Compared to general consumer products, automobiles have a longer life expectancy and generate a lot of vibration and shock when traveling at high speeds and on rough roads. Therefore, connectors used in automobiles must have high resistance to vibration and shock, and must be able to transmit signals stably even in vibration and shock environments.

Case Study: T-BOX

The T-BOX (Telematics-Box), also known as the Telematics Control Unit (TCU), is a standard connected car terminal that provides GPS satellite positioning, Internet wireless communication, Cloud IoT, V2X functionality, as well as a variety of online applications, such as automotive telemonitoring, remote control, safety monitoring, warning signals, and more. The I-PEX MHF® I LK compact RF coaxial cable connector with mechanical latch is used by several automotive antenna manufacturers, and we interviewed the customer to find out how it connects to the shark fin antenna and installs in the T-BOX. Company and Product Description:One of our customers is a large automotive product manufacturer that has been in business for over 60 years. Generally speaking, communication antennas include such as Wi-Fi, router, CPE, smart enterprise network, smart home, LT, etc.; car antennas include shark fin antennas, flat panel antennas, etc. This customer uses a large number of I-PEX MHF® series compact RF coaxial line connectors in their automotive antenna products. the MHF®I LK is used in their T-Box to connect and send GPS, V2X and Wi-Fi signals. According to the chief engineer of the technical department, they use four MHF®I LK connectors in one T-box product. One is built into the antenna of the low-profile version and is used to connect the GPS signal. Three are built into the high end version, two for V2X signals, located one in front and one in back of the car for driverless, and one for Wi-Fi signals. This customer's antenna application is an antenna inside a box, not a traditional standalone shark fin antenna. Traditional standalone sharkfin antennas are externally attached types where the motherboard and antenna are designed together. In this case, the MHF I LK connector is used on the board and then snapped directly onto the base, a step that is done in the box. Then, there will also be a main board, and the antenna needs to be connected between the two boards. Since the box already has very little space in the car, I-PEX's MHF® I LK is small, has a thin wire harness, and is highly reliable, making it ideal for use as a connection inside the box.

The customer's Chief Engineer of the Structures Department said, "Our T-box and antenna are very small in size, with limited space inside the box, and the MHF® I LK has very good vibration resistance in a small space." Vehicle applications have particularly high vibration requirements. The customer started out using ordinary RF connectors without latches, and they were very concerned that the connectors would come loose after vibration, as the probability of a similar situation occurring in vehicle applications is relatively high. In the early days, they also used the dispensing method to solve this problem - that is, using glue to fix the connector, so that it is not easy to come off. However, this operation is risky and can cause other problems, as well as maintenance inconvenience. So they decided to use I-PEX's MHF® I LK connectors, which have also passed their internal 6G vibration evaluation due to their locking design.

Case Sharing: In-vehicle head unitThe application of in-vehicle head unit is an example. I-PEX MHF® I LK miniature RF coaxial cable connector has been successfully applied to the head unit of the head unit. As the control system of the whole vehicle, the head unit is the window to realize the human-computer interaction, which is a combination of functions such as in-vehicle infotainment system, illumination, air conditioning and audio, driver assistance system, 360-degree image, face and voice recognition. MHF® I LK small RF coaxial cable connectors are used in this unit to connect wireless signals such as main antenna signals, radio broadcasts and Bluetooth to the main board, which is located behind the wide-body center control display.

MHF® I LK Miniature RF Coaxial Cable Connectors The MHF® I connector is a common miniature RF coaxial cable connector without the added mechanical latch feature, compared to the MHF® I LK with the mechanical latch applied, which has twice the initial male receptacle insertion retention force. In addition, after 30 insertions and withdrawals of the MHF® I LK male chassis without an additional mechanical latch, the retention force of the mechanical latch version is approximately three times higher than that of the MHF® I connector. This high retention force enables the MHF® I LK to ensure a high signal connection reliability even under the constant shock and vibration of road conditions.

High insertion retention helps to improve assembly efficiency on the production line by reducing product manufacturing costs because it reduces the need for additional strapping or adhesive processes to ensure that connectors remain inserted on the production line. It also reduces the need to remove materials used to hold connectors in place during maintenance or inspection.

In addition, the connector's easy-to-understand one-step locking and unlocking mechanism (by sliding the cover back and forth) and the "check window" function allow the user to visually check the status of the latch, improving the reliability of the latch during operation.

The digitalization and networking of the automotive market will continue to grow with the development of communication technologies such as the Internet of Things and 5G. Further development of integrated smart cockpits and in-vehicle head units equipped with wireless communication functions is becoming more frequent. the MHF®I LK connector is ideal for such wireless communication devices and ensures a stable connection. the MHF®I LK connector has won wide acclaim from the quality engineers of our customer's production line suppliers. i-pex small RF coaxial line connectors with locking latch i-pex also develops I-PEX has also developed other versions of small RF coaxial connectors with mechanical latch. MHF® 4L LK: Frequency range: up to 12 GHz, suitable for RF coaxial cable size AWG 30 (O.D. 1.37 mm) MHF®-TI: 80N min. high insertion retention force, suitable for RF coaxial cable sizes AWG #24 (O.D. 3.00 mm), AWG #26 ( O.D. 2.40 mm)

About I-PEXMHF® I LK Extremely Fine RF Coaxial Cable Connector Purchase and Sales and Promotion:

3M electronic products network is a focus on connector | wire harness | cable products supply and demand and sales of professional, accurate, vertical electronic industry comprehensive product sales platform! Specializing in the production / sale of {connector | wire harness | cable products};

If you have any demands for [I-PEX MHF® I LK Extremely Fine RF Coaxial Cable Connectors Product Purchasing/Requesting] and [I-PEX MHF® I LK Extremely Fine RF Coaxial Cable Connectors Product Selling/Resourcing/Promotion], please feel free to contact us through the following ways.