Adapter for rock or building anchor system

Abstract

An adapter is described for at least electrically connecting a solid anchor system, in particular a rock or stone or building anchor system, to a data handling system, wherein the solid anchor system comprises an anchor for at least partially introducing into the solid and at least one sensor, wherein the anchor has an external thread and electrical contact regions of the sensor at least at an end part of the anchor which is not to be introduced into the solid, wherein the adapter comprises: a first sleeve assembly with an internal thread for screwing onto the external thread of the anchor, in particular from the end part of the anchor which is not to be introduced into the solid; a second sleeve assembly which has electrical connections exposed in an interior space of the second sleeve assembly in order to contact the electrical contact regions on the anchor in a state installed at the anchor; wherein the first sleeve assembly is rotatable relative to the second sleeve assembly in a state not installed at the anchor and wherein the interior space is sealed against the surrounding medium in the state installed at the anchor, wherein the anchor is screwed to the first sleeve assembly in particular in the state installed at the anchor.

1 . An adapter for at least electrically connecting a solid anchor system to a data handling system, wherein the solid anchor system comprises an anchor for at least partially introducing into the solid and at least one sensor, wherein the anchor has an external thread and electrical contact regions of the sensor at least at an end part of the anchor which is not to be introduced into the solid, wherein the adapter comprises:
 a first sleeve assembly with an internal thread for screwing onto the external thread of the anchor;   a second sleeve assembly which has electrical connections exposed in an interior space of the second sleeve assembly in order to contact the electrical contact regions on the anchor in a state installed at the anchor;   wherein the first sleeve assembly is rotatable relative to the second sleeve assembly in a state not installed at the anchor and wherein the interior space is sealed against the surrounding medium in the state installed at the anchor,   wherein the anchor is screwed to the first sleeve assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The adapter according to  the preceding claim , comprising at least one of
 wherein at least one of the first and the second sleeve assembly is closed circumferentially, wherein the outer end face of the second sleeve assembly is provided for a contact with the data handling system; and   wherein, in the state installed at the anchor, the end part of the anchor is arranged within the interior space of the second sleeve assembly.   
     
     
         3 . The adapter according to  claim 1 , further comprising a seal arranged between the first sleeve assembly and the second sleeve assembly for sealing the interior space in the state installed at the anchor. 
     
     
         4 . The adapter according to  claim 1 , wherein the first sleeve assembly comprises:
 a sleeve part with an internal thread;   a stepped retaining ring for retaining the second sleeve assembly, wherein for an assembly of the adapter the sleeve part and the retaining ring are connected before being attached to the anchor.   
     
     
         5 . The adapter according to  the preceding claim , wherein the sleeve part is connected to the retaining ring at an outer lateral surface region at an inner lateral surface region. 
     
     
         6 . The adapter according to  claim 1 , wherein the second sleeve assembly comprises:
 a stepped sleeve part, which surrounds the inner space along a circumference in a material-tight manner;   a guide element for guiding an end of the anchor;   metal elements or elements with high electrical conductivity, which are clamped to the guide element and which provide the electrical connections within the recess for contacting the contact regions of the sensor on the anchor.   
     
     
         7 . The adapter according to  the preceding claim , wherein the guide element, at a part of its outer lateral surface, is connected to the stepped sleeve part at an inner lateral surface region. 
     
     
         8 . The adapter according to  claim 6 , comprising at least one of
 wherein the guide element, at one or more other parts of the outer lateral surface, comprises at least one of one or more notch(es) and indentation(s) and recess(es) at least one of for receiving sections of the metal elements or electrically conductive elements and for guiding the guide element in the stepped sleeve part in the axial direction; and   wherein the metal elements or electrically conductive elements grip around up to an end face of the guide element, are exposed there to the outside and form contacts for contacting with the data handling system.   
     
     
         9 . The adapter according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the retaining ring of the first sleeve assembly comprises a first region of a first inner diameter, d1, and a second region of a second inner diameter, d2, which is smaller than the first inner diameter, between which a stepped end face lies,   wherein the sleeve part of the second sleeve assembly comprises a first region of a first outer diameter, D1, and a second region of a second outer diameter, D2, which is smaller than the first outer diameter, between which a stepped end face lies,   wherein the seal is arranged between the stepped end face of the retaining ring of the first sleeve assembly and the stepped end face of the sleeve part of the second sleeve assembly and is pressed in a sealing manner in the state installed at the anchor.   
     
     
         10 . The adapter according to  claim 1 , comprising at least one of
 wherein the electrical connections in the interior space of the guide element are configured as spring-elastic connection contact tongues which, in the state installed at the anchor, electrically contact the contact regions at the end part of the anchor; and   wherein at least one of the stepped sleeve part of the second sleeve assembly and the guide element of the second sleeve assembly and the sleeve part of the first sleeve assembly and the retaining ring of the first sleeve assembly at least one of i) is/are made of plastic which is suitable for at least one of injection molding and additive manufacturing, and ii) comprises at least one of substantially rotational symmetry and mirror symmetry.   
     
     
         11 . The adapter according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of a profile and a groove and an indentation for at least one of mechanical locking and retaining with the data handling system is provided on a lateral outer surface of the stepped sleeve part of the second sleeve assembly. 
     
     
         12 . The adapter according to  claim 1 , wherein a pressing force is exerted on the seal at least one of i) by the thrust force exerted by the end part of the anchor initially on the electrical connections of the second sleeve assembly against the spring stiffness and ii) as a result of the helical movement of the second sleeve assembly against the seal between the first and second sleeve assembly. 
     
     
         13 . A system, comprising:
 a solid anchor system which comprises an anchor for at least partially introducing into the solid and at least one sensor, wherein the anchor has an external thread and electrical contact regions of the sensor at least at an end part of the anchor which is not to be introduced into the solid;   an adapter according to  claim 1 .   
     
     
         14 . The system according to  the preceding claim , comprising at least one of the following:
 wherein the at least one sensor of the solid anchor system comprises one sensor or multiple sensors from the group of strain sensor, deformation sensor, temperature sensor, gas sensor, moisture sensor, acoustic sensor, optical sensor, and   wherein ends of the conductor tracks are electrically connected to the contact regions on the end part of the anchor and the contact regions contact the metal elements or electrically conductive elements in a conductive manner.   
     
     
         15 . A method of at least electrically connecting a solid anchor system to a data handling system, wherein the solid anchor system comprises an anchor for at least partially introducing into the solid and at least one sensor, wherein the anchor has an external thread and electrical contact regions of the sensor at least at an end part of the anchor which is not to be introduced into the solid, wherein the method comprises:
 providing an adapter which has a first sleeve assembly with an internal thread and a second sleeve assembly which has electrical connections exposed in an interior space of the second sleeve assembly,   screwing the internal thread of the first sleeve assembly onto the external thread of the anchor, wherein the interior space is sealed against surrounding media in a material-tight manner in the state screwed to the anchor;   contacting the electrical contact regions on the anchor with the electrical connections of the adapter within the interior space of the second sleeve assembly.