Patent Application
20250125568
The invention generally relates to electrical terminals, and more particularly to an electrical terminal with an inner ferrule having enhanced retention features.
Electrical terminals, such as those attached to coaxial wire cables, have inner ferrules that are knurled on their outside surface to provide a high friction interface between the inner ferrule and the shield conductor of the coaxial cable surrounding the inner ferrule in order to increase the axial retention force of the inner ferrule to the coaxial cable. However, as shown in
Other electrical terminal designs have an inner ferrule that is folded under the shield conductor in order to increase the axial retention force of the inner ferrule to the coaxial cable. This second inner ferrule design requires a more complicated manufacturing process to assemble the electrical terminal.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, including: a cylindrical inner ferrule having a first portion and a second portion separated by a seam therebetween. An inner surface of the first portion and/or second portion defines a gripping feature that is configured to deform a cylindrical dielectric layer surrounding an electrical conductor of an electrical cable. The electrical terminal also includes a cylindrical outer ferrule surrounding the inner ferrule.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method of assembling an electrical cable, including the steps of:
The present invention will now be described, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Nonlimiting examples of an electrical terminal configured to terminate an electrical cable are shown in
As illustrated in
As shown in
In some embodiments, the gripping features 220 are negative gripping features that are formed in the inner surface 218 of the inner ferrule 208 which may include one or more radial grooves, depressions, indentations, dimples, notches, serrations, concavities, and/or knurling formed in an inner wall of the inner ferrule. In some embodiments, the gripping features 220 are positive gripping features formed in the inner surface 218 of the inner ferrule 208 which may include one or more radial ribs, protrusions, projections, convexities, bumps, and/or barbs extending from the inner wall of the inner ferrule. These lists of negative and positive gripping features are not exhaustive.
In some embodiments, the inner ferrule 208 and the gripping feature 220 are sized, shaped and arranged such that a minimum diameter of the inner surface 218 of the first and second portions 212, 214 is less than a diameter of the dielectric layer 222 of the coaxial cable 206 when edges 226 of the first and second portions 212, 214 are drawn together, thereby closing or minimizing the seams 216 as shown in
As can be seen in
As best shown in
In some embodiments, the inner ferrule 208 has two seams 216 that allow the inner ferrule 208 to open to easily accept the dielectric layer 222 but also allow the inner ferrule 208 to be closed down to a smaller, consistent diameter. Compressing the inner ferrule 208 having two seams 216 around a soft material, such as the dielectric layer 222 of the coaxial cable 206, causes the dielectric layer 222 to extrude into the negative gripping features 220 more uniformly as shown in
In some embodiments, an outer surface 230 of the inner ferrule 208 is knurled 228 as shown in
At step 304, the cylindrical inner ferrule 208 as shown in
At step 308, the seam provided between the first portion 212 and the second portion 214 of the cylindrical inner ferrule 208 is closed such that portions of the seam are less than or equal to 0.1 millimeters wide as shown in
At step 310, the dielectric layer 222 is deformed by the application of force applied as a seam are closed as shown in
At step 312, the cylindrical outer ferrule 210 is placed around the inner ferrule 208 as shown in
While the illustrated examples pertain to a coaxial cable terminal 200 for a coaxial cable 206, other embodiments of electrical terminals may be envisioned that are configured for other types of electrical cables, such as a shieled twisted pair cable or any other cable type in which an inner and outer ferrule to secure the electrical terminal to the cable is desired.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, including: a cylindrical inner ferrule having a first portion and a second portion separated by two seams therebetween. An inner surface of the first portion and/or second portion defines a gripping feature that is configured to deform a cylindrical dielectric layer surrounding an electrical conductor of an electrical cable. The electrical terminal also includes a cylindrical outer ferrule surrounding the inner ferrule.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein the gripping feature is a negative gripping feature selected from a list consisting of radial grooves, depressions, indentations, dimples, notches, serrations, concavities, and knurling.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein the gripping feature is a positive gripping feature selected from a list consisting of radial ribs, protrusions, projections, convexities, bumps, and barbs.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein the first and second portions are integrally formed with one another.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein the first and second portions are integrally formed with a shield terminal of the electrical terminal.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein the electrical cable is a coaxial cable.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein a minimum diameter of joined inner surfaces of the first and second portions is less than a diameter of the cylindrical dielectric layer.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein edges of the first and second portions are mirrored and congruent.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein edges of the first and second portions follow complimentary serpentine paths.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein portions of edges of the first and second portions interface to limit deformation of the dielectric layer.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to an electrical terminal, wherein an outer surface of the inner ferrule is knurled.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method of assembling an electrical cable, including the steps of:
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the gripping features are negative gripping features selected from a list consisting of radial grooves, depressions, indentations, dimples, notches, serrations, concavities, and knurling.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the gripping features are positive gripping features selected from a list consisting of radial ribs, protrusions, projections, convexities, bumps, and barbs.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the first portion is integrally formed with the second portion.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, further including: limiting deformation of the dielectric layer due to an interface of edges of the first and second portions.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein the electrical cable is a coaxial cable.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein a diameter of the cylindrical dielectric layer is greater than a minimum diameter of joined inner surfaces of the first and second portions prior to the step of closing the seam.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein edges of the first and second portions are mirrored and congruent.
In some aspects, the techniques described herein relate to a method, wherein edges of the first and second portions follow complimentary serpentine paths.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment(s), it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made, and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment(s), but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
As used herein, ‘one or more’ includes a function being performed by one element, a function being performed by more than one element, e.g., in a distributed fashion, several functions being performed by one element, several functions being performed by several elements, or any combination of the above.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. are, in some instances, used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first contact could be termed a second contact, and, similarly, a second contact could be termed a first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. The first contact and the second contact are both contacts, but they are not the same contact.
The terminology used in the description of the various described embodiments herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
As used herein, the term “if” is, optionally, construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” is, optionally, construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.
Additionally, while terms of ordinance or orientation may be used herein these elements should not be limited by these terms. All terms of ordinance or orientation, unless stated otherwise, are used for purposes distinguishing one element from another, and do not denote any particular order, order of operations, direction or orientation unless stated otherwise.
