The present invention relates to a co-axial insertion-connected connector having a quick-action locking mechanism, which co-axial insertion-connected connector is designed to receive a complementary insertion-connected connector, the co-axial insertion-connected connector and the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector being able to be connected together by a coupling member belonging to the quick-action locking mechanism, the co-axial insertion-connected connector and the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector each having a center-conductor part which forms a center conductor and an outer-conductor part which forms an outer conductor, a contact member being so arranged in the co-axial insertion-connected connector that, when the co-axial insertion-connected connectors are plugged together, the said contact member is arranged between the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector and the outer-conductor part of the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector, as specified in the preamble to claim 1.
Known from EP 1337008 A2 is an electrical insertion-connected connector having quick-action locking means, which connector has a first connecting element and a second connecting element which are connected together by a coupling member and form a center conductor and an outer conductor. An outer conductor of the second connecting element makes electrical contact at its leading end, and a resilient contact member is arranged between the first connecting element and the second connecting element. To obtain precisely defined contact with good passive intermodulation and low HF emission, the contact member takes the form of an annular disc which bears against the two outer conductors due to axial loading between them and forms continuous areas of contact extending round in a circle.
However, this arrangement has the disadvantage that there is neither a defined plane of contact nor a defined contact zone. This is principally due to the fact that the adjustment of length required for the quick-action locking and the actual making of contact take place at one and the same point. Because of this, the point of contact may be situated in different places and the exact path followed by the current through the outer conductor of the electrical insertion-connected connector is neither pre-determined nor predictable at this point. This detracts to a very considerable degree from the HF characteristics of the insertion-connected connection in question.
The object underlying the invention is to improve an insertion-connected connector of the above kind with regard to the making of contact and HF characteristics.
This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by an insertion-connected connector of the above kind having the features characterized in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the other claims.
In a co-axial insertion-connected connector of the above kind, provision is made in accordance with the invention for the contact member to take the form of a sleeve having a first end and a second end, a first end of the sleeve making first electrical contact to give a contact region at the end-face of the outer-conductor part of the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector and a second end of the sleeve making second electrical contact with the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector, and for an elastic, electrically non-conductive length-adjusting member to be provided which abuts, by a first side, against the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector and, by a second side situated in an opposite position, against the sleeve, in a region spaced away from the electrical contacts.
This has the advantage that the function of the making of contact between the outer conductors on the one hand, and the function of the adjusting of length for the quick-action locking on the other hand, are designed to be separated from one another in space. Because of this, the flow of current through the outer-conductor parts of the insertion-connected connection is defined and predictable. This results in the insertion-connected connection having improved HP characteristics.
A maximum adjustment of length in the axial direction is achieved by virtue of the fact that the length-adjusting member is so arranged that, when the co-axial insertion-connected connectors are connected together, it is clamped in place in the axial direction between the sleeve and the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector.
The length-adjusting member usefully abuts by the first side against a transverse face of the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector.
The second electrical contact is usefully made in the radial direction between the sleeve and the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector and, when the co-axial insertion-connected connectors are plugged together, the first electrical contact is made in the axial direction between the sleeve and the outer-conductor part of the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sleeve has, at the first end, a collar which projects in a radially outward direction and, at the second end opposite from the collar, the sleeve is slotted axially so that contact fingers are formed which can be deflected elastically in the radial direction. A recess is preferably formed in the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector, the second end of the sleeve engaging in the recess and co-operating therewith, at least by the contact fingers, in such a way that, when the co-axial insertion-connected connectors are plugged together, the electrical contact area at the end-face of the outer-conductor part of the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector abuts against the collar on the sleeve, whereby the first electrical contact, between the outer-conductor part of the complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector and the sleeve on the collar, is made with an area of contact and with a contact-making force which is applied axially by a locking force from the quick-action locking mechanism, and in such a way that, when the co-axial insertion-connected connectors are plugged together, at least one contact finger is deflected elastically in the radial direction and touches and makes contact with the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector, whereby the second electrical contact, between the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector and the contact finger of the sleeve, is made with an area of contact and with a contact-making force which is applied radially by the elastic recovery force from the contact finger. An abutment facing towards the collar on the sleeve is usefully formed on the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector, the length-adjusting member being arranged between the collar on the sleeve and the abutment on the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector.
The abutment on the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector is usefully annular in form.
The recess in the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector is usually open in the radially inward direction towards an insulating part of the center-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector, thus causing the sleeve to rest against the insulating part of the center-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector.
To allow secure and reliable electrical contact to be made between the sleeve and the outer-conductor part of the first connector element, the sleeve has, at free ends of the contact fingers, projections which project in the radially outward direction and which abut against an inner surface of the outer-conductor part of the co-axial insertion-connected connector in such a way as to make electrical contact and are of a height such that whichever contact finger is concerned is deflected elastically in the radially inward direction.
The complementary co-axial insertion-connected connector is for example in the form of a co-axial socket or co-axial coupler and the co-axial insertion-connected connector in the form of a co-axial male connector.
The invention will be explained in detail below by reference to the drawings. In the drawings:
The preferred embodiment of co-axial insertion-connected connector according to the invention which is shown in
To compensate for the tolerances on the coupling member 28 and to allow good HF characteristics to be obtained, a contact member 44 is provided which is arranged between the outer-conductor part 14 of the first connector element 10 and the outer-conductor part 18 of the second connector element 12. As can be seen from
The arrangement of the sleeve 44 in the co-axial insertion-connected connector can be seen in detail in
At the first end 46 of the sleeve 44, the collar 48 abuts against an end-face 60 of the outer-conductor part 18 of the second connector element 12. This end-face 60 made an end-face electrical contact. By the coupling member 28 in the form of a quick-action locking mechanism, this end-face 60 is pressed against the collar 48 on the sleeve 44 axially. There is formed in addition, on the outer-conductor part 14 of the first connector element 10, a shoulder 62 which faces towards the collar 48 on the sleeve 44. Between the shoulder 62 and the collar 48 on the sleeve 44 is arranged an elastic length-adjusting member 64. This length-adjusting member 64 is for example in the form of an electrically non-conductive O-ring and, by virtue of its arrangement axially between the collar 48 on the sleeve 44 and the shoulder 62 on the outer-conductor part 14 of the connector element 10, it provides a means of adjusting length in the axial direction in that the length-adjusting member 64 is squashed to a degree of greater or lesser severity in the axial direction. In the axial direction, the locking force of the coupling member 28, which force acts in the axial direction, presses the end-face 60 of the outer-conductor part 18 of the second connector element 12 against the collar 48 and against the opposing elastic deformability of the length-adjusting member 64. By this means, first electrical contact in which there is an area of contact is made between the end-face 60 and the collar 48 by the contact-making force which is applied in the axial direction by the locking force from the coupling member 28.
The preferred embodiment of the sleeve 44 which is shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 is in the form of a turned part. As an alternative, the sleeve may however also be in the form of what is called a stamped and rolled part, in which case the sleeve 44 may then have a slot which extends for the whole of its axial length.
While the present invention has been particularly described, in conjunction with a specific preferred embodiment, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will embrace any such alternatives, modifications and variations as falling within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20 2004 015 502.8 | Oct 2004 | DE | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070161288 A1 | Jul 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | PCT/EP2005/010274 | Sep 2005 | US |
Child | 11692999 | Mar 2007 | US |