Patent Application
20250030209
The present disclosure relates to coaxial cable connector seizure assemblies, and more particularly, to a coaxial cable seizure assembly with a stamped conductor for use in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network device.
Hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networks are used to provide high bandwidth communication between a headend/hub and end users such as homes and businesses. Such HFC networks are often used, for example, to provide cable television (CATV) and internet services to the end users. An HFC network architecture generally includes optical fiber for carrying optical signals (e.g., from the headend/hub), coaxial cables for carrying RF signals (e.g., to the end users), and HFC network devices, such as HFC nodes, amplifiers, and taps, that connect to the optical fiber and/or coaxial cables. The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) has been adopted to standardize continued improvements of existing HFC networks in order to provide additional bandwidth for enhanced TV and Internet services, and there may be a need to upgrade the HFC network infrastructure to meet increasing bandwidth demands, for example, when moving from DOCSIS 3.1 to DOCSIS 4.0.
Connections between HFC network devices and coaxial cables should allow a cable to be relatively easily connected while providing the desired RF performance at the RF frequencies of the HFC network. An HFC network device, such as an HFC node or amplifier, may include a coaxial cable port where the coaxial cable is connected with a cable center conductor pin (also referred to as the “stinger”) electrically connected inside the HFC network device using a coaxial cable seizure assembly. The length and contact of that cable center conductor pin may affect the RF connection and performance. As such, the connections between the HFC network devices and the coaxial cables may need to be upgraded as the network moves to a different DOCSIS standard with higher bandwidths and RF frequencies.
Consistent with one aspect of the present disclosure, a seizure assembly may be used to connect to a coaxial cable in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network device. The seizure assembly includes an insulator portion defining a spring receptacle passageway extending to a center conductor pin receiving opening in a side of the insulator portion and a stamped conductor fixed in the insulator portion. The stamped conductor includes a leaf spring receptacle portion located in the spring receptacle passageway adjacent the center conductor pin receiving opening. The leaf spring receptacle portion is configured to receive a coaxial cable center conductor pin that passes through the center conductor pin receiving opening. The stamped conductor is stamped from a single piece of metal.
Consistent with another aspect of the present disclosure, a PCB-mounted coaxial cable seizure assembly may be used to connect to a coaxial cable in a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network device. The PCB-mounted coaxial cable seizure assembly includes a printed circuit board (PCB), an insulator portion mounted to the PCB, and a stamped conductor fixed in the insulator portion. The insulator portion defines a spring receptacle passageway extending to a center conductor pin receiving opening in a side of the insulator portion. The stamped conductor includes a leaf spring receptacle portion and a PCB mounting portion formed from a single piece of metal. The leaf spring receptacle portion is located in the spring receptacle passageway adjacent to the center conductor pin receiving opening. The leaf spring receptacle portion is configured to receive a coaxial cable center conductor pin that passes through the center conductor pin receiving opening. The PCB mounting portion extends from the leaf spring portion and is electrically connected to the PCB.
Consistent with a further aspect of the present disclosure, a hybrid-fiber coaxial (HFC) network device includes a housing including at least one coaxial cable port configured to connect to a coaxial cable external to the housing and at least one seizure assembly secured in the housing adjacent to the coaxial cable port such that a coaxial cable center conductor pin of the coaxial cable extends through the coaxial cable port and into the seizure assembly. The seizure assembly includes an insulator portion defining a spring receptacle passageway extending to a center conductor pin receiving opening in a side of the insulator portion. The spring receptacle passageway aligns with the at least one coaxial cable port in the housing. The seizure assembly also includes a stamped conductor fixed in the insulator portion. The stamped conductor includes a leaf spring receptacle portion located in the spring receptacle passageway adjacent the center conductor pin receiving opening. The leaf spring receptacle portion is configured to receive and engage with the coaxial cable center conductor pin extending into the at least one coaxial cable port and passing through the center conductor pin receiving opening. The stamped conductor is stamped from a single piece of metal.
These and other features and advantages will be better understood by reading the following detailed description, taken together with the drawings wherein:
A coaxial cable seizure assembly, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, includes a stamped conductor with a leaf spring receptacle portion to provide a coaxial cable connection inside an HFC network device, such as an HFC node or amplifier. The stamped conductor portion is stamped from a single piece of metal and is located in an insulator portion. The insulator portion may be located inside a housing of the HFC network device adjacent a coaxial cable port such that the leaf spring receptacle portion is aligned with and receives a coaxial cable center conductor pin of a coaxial cable connected to the coaxial cable port. In one embodiment, a coaxial cable seizure assembly includes a stamped conductor with the leaf spring portion and a pin portion configured to mate with a coaxial RF connector (e.g., a G-type connector) inside the housing. In another embodiment, a PCB-mounted coaxial cable seizure assembly includes a stamped conductor with the leaf spring portion and a PCB mounting portion formed from the same piece of metal as the leaf spring receptacle. The PCB mounting portion is mounted and electrically connected to a printed circuit board (PCB) such that the PCB electrically connects the stamped conductor to a pin that is mounted to the PCB and configured to mate with a coaxial RF connector (e.g., a G-type connector) inside the housing.
Older network devices have used a set screw and star washer to secure the coaxial cable center conductor pin, but such connectors required the housing to be opened for installation, and variations in the length of the center conductor pin and torque resulted in performance issues. Newer HFC network devices have used spring-loaded seizure assemblies, which facilitate connection of the coaxial cable center conductor pin but have not adequately resolved other problems such as the center conductor pin length and impedance control. As such, the spring-loaded seizure mechanisms may become a weak RF entry point, especially at higher frequencies (e.g., up to 3 GHZ) required by CATV DOCSIS 4.0 standards.
Other coaxial cable seizure assemblies have used a one-piece conductor, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 11,456,566, which is commonly owned and incorporated herein by reference. Such a one-piece conductor is an improvement over prior set screw and spring-loaded seizure assemblies but may not adequately connect with different sized coaxial cable center conductor pins and may not provide the desired RF performance. In particular, the coaxial cable seizure assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 11,456,566 may have a more limited range for the diameter and/or length of the coaxial cable center conductor pin.
The coaxial cable seizure assembly including a stamped conductor with a leaf spring receptacle portion, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, allows a relatively simple and consistent connection with the coaxial cable center conductor pin and is capable of providing the desired RF performance. The stamped conductor is also easier to fabricate, as compared to the set-screw and spring-loaded seizure assemblies and other one-piece conductors.
Referring to
The leaf spring receptacles 110, 120 include opposing leaf spring members 112, 114, 212, 214 with rounded portions 113, 115, 213, 215 that define center pin receiving passageways. The rounded portions 113, 115, 213, 215 are spaced with a spacing that is less than a diameter of a coaxial cable center conductor pin (not shown in
The stamped conductor 102 shown in
The stamped conductor 202 shown in
Referring to
The insulator portion 130 is configured to be received in a receptacle in the housing of the HFC network device and secured by a lock nut 140, as will be described in greater detail below. The lock nut 140 includes an aperture 142 that defines a receptacle for receiving the coaxial RF connector.
As shown in
In this embodiment of the coaxial cable seizure assembly 100, the insulator portion 130 also includes a pin passageway 134 extending from the spring receptacle passageway 132 to a first end of the insulator portion 130. The pin portion 120 is located in the pin passageway 134 and extends beyond the first end of the insulator portion 130 and into the aperture 142 defined by the lock nut 140. The aperture 142 defined by the lock nut 140 surrounds the pin portion 120 and provides a receptacle configured to receive a coaxial RF connector in the HFC network device, such as a G-type connector, as will be described in greater detail below.
Referring to
As shown in
In this embodiment of the coaxial cable seizure assembly 200, the PCB-mounting portion 220 extends from the insulator portion 230 to the PCB 240 and is electrically connected to a conductive path on the PCB 240. The stamped conductor 202 of the coaxial cable seizure assembly 200 may thus be electrically connected via the PCB 240 to a pin (not shown in
In the embodiments of the coaxial seizure assembly 100 and the PCB-mounted coaxial seizure assemblies 700a-700d, the pin (e.g., the pin portion 120 in the coaxial seizure assembly 100 or the pin 754 mounted to the PCB 740 in the coaxial seizure assemblies 700a-700d) may be configured to connect with a coaxial RF connector inside a HFC network device, such as a G-type connector or an F-type connector. The coaxial RF connector may include an inner conductive portion and an aperture that receives the pin such that the pin electrically connects to the inner conductive portion. The coaxial RF connector may also include an outer mating section that is received in the lock nut 140 of the coaxial cable seizure assembly 100 or the connector receptacle 754 of a PCB-mounted coaxial cable seizure assembly 700a-700d. In one example, the coaxial RF connector may have a larger outer diameter (e.g., at least 10 mm), for example, as described in greater detail in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2023/0006402, which is commonly owned and incorporated herein by reference.
Referring to
A coaxial RF connector 850, such as a G-type connector, is received in the aperture defined by the lock nut 840 and engages the pin portion 820 to make an electrical connection. An inner conductive portion 852 (shown in
Accordingly, coaxial cable seizure assemblies with a stamped conductor portion, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, allow an easier fabrication, facilitate a connection with a coaxial cable center conductor pin of various lengths, and provide improved impedance matching for better return loss, particularly at higher frequencies (e.g., 2 GHZ).
While the principles of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation as to the scope of the invention. Other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the present invention in addition to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein. Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be within the scope of the present invention, which is not to be limited except by the following claims.
