Patent Application
20250096512
The present invention relates to a port for receiving a coaxial connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit board device with a receiving chamber to establish electrical contact with a center conductor of a male coaxial connector of the type commonly referred to as a stinger.
In wired communication services, such as CATV, Internet and phone services, communication signals are commonly carried along overhead coaxial cables along roadways via utility poles. These long spans of coaxial cable are usually referred to as trunk or distribution cables, having large outer diameters such as ½ inch or greater. Periodically, the trunk cable is terminated to a first connector, and the first connector is mated to a first through port of a drop unit. The drop unit has plural drop ports and a second through port which mates to a second connector attached to a further strand of trunk cable.
The drop ports mate with connectors attached to a smaller diameter coaxial cable, such as RG6, which smaller cable extends to a customer's residence or a place of business, to provide Internet, phone service, and/or entertainment services, e.g., CATV services. In practice, dozens to hundreds of drop units are located throughout neighborhoods, and trunk cables are interconnected between the drop units.
The trunk cables may also be terminated to a conversion unit, including optical-to-electrical converters and electrical-to-optical converters, in the case of a hybrid-fiber-coax (HFC) system. Also, trunk cables may be terminated to upstream and downstream sides of amplifier units to boast the RF signal carried by the trunk cables. Such drop units, amplifiers and conversion units, as well as other units, like inline filters and surge arrestors, with ports to receive a connector of a trunk cable will be collectively referred to as ported cable devices.
ANSI/SCTE 92 2017 is a publication by the American National Standard Institute/Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers and describes a standard for a male plug suitable for use on coaxial trunk cables, which standard is herein incorporated by reference. In general, the male plug has a threaded ⅝-24 engagement part suited to seat into a female ⅝-24 equipment port.
A tool surface 27, such as a hexagonal nut, resides on the cable receiving side 21 of the shoulder 25. The tool surface 27 is used to screw the outer threads 17 into inner threads 39 of a port 37 (best seen in
The cable receiving side 21 of the male connector 11 is not dictated by the standard and may take several forms. The center conductor 35 may be a part of a coaxial cable, such as a seventy-five ohm trunk or distribution cable, having an outer diameter of about ½ inch. The jacket, shielding layers, and inner dielectric are stripped free from a few inches at the end of the cable to expose the center conductor of the cable. Then, the prepared end is mounted directly into the male connector 11 such that the center conductor 35 of the cable becomes the center conductor 35 of the male connector 11.
Alternatively, the male connector 11 may take the form of an adapter and the center conductor 35 may be a fixture of the male connector 11. A female coaxial connector may be formed on the cable receiving side 21 of the male connector 11. The female coaxial connector of the male connector 11 is mated to a termination of a trunk cable. FIGS. 20 and 21 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,490,592, which is herein incorporated by reference, shows a design wherein a male connector 11 is formed as an adapter, similar to the configuration just described. As noted in the '592 Patent, the outer thread 17 of the mating end 13 of a male connector 11 in combination with the two inches of exposed center conductor 35 resembles a bee stinger, and hence the term “stinger” has been commonly applied to the configuration shown in Prior Art
The center conductor 35 extends into the housing 41 of the ported cable device and resets upon a conductive surface 43, e.g., an anvil, which has legs which are electrically connected to conductive traces on a circuit board 45. The conductive traces lead to filters, surge arrestors, amplifiers, splitters, E/O convertors, etc. on the circuit board 45.
To maintain good electrical contact between the center conductor 35 and the conductive surface 43, e.g., anvil, a technician opens the housing 41 and engages a first end 47 of a threaded fastener 49 with a tool, e.g., an Allen key in the case of
The threaded fastener 49 is typically located within a shielding box 53. To access the threaded fastener 49, a technician must open the weather-tight housing 41, and open the shielding box 53, which may be secured by a one or more screws 54. Alternatively, an opening 55 may be provided in the shielding box 53 to access the threaded fastener 49 with the end of the tool, e.g., an Allen key. Further, examples of similar arrangements, wherein a threaded fastener is used to seize the center conductor 35 of the male connector 11, e.g., the stinger, are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,129,597; 6,390,829; 7,318,756 and 7,625,247, which are herein incorporated by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,323, which is herein incorporated by reference, appreciated several problems with the prior art described above. First, the housing of the ported cable device has to be opened to access the first end of the threaded fastener. This allows the environmental elements to enter the housing, e.g., it may be raining or dusty outside when the housing of the ported cable device is opened to secure the center conductor of the stinger. Second, the technician needs to carry a torque measuring device, so as to not over-torque the threaded fastener and deform/damage the center conductor of the stinger.
To address these issues, U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,323 provides access to the first ends of the threaded fasteners on the outside of the housing, so that the housing does not need to be opened to seize the center conductor of the stinger to the conductive anvil within the housing. Also, there is a spring-loaded plunger element between the first and second ends of the threaded fastener. The plunger allows the compression force sandwiching the center conductor between the conductive anvil and the second end of the threaded fastener to remain substantially constant, as the threaded fastener is rotated to move toward the center conductor.
The Applicant has discovered drawbacks with the ports of the prior art. It is an object of the present invention improve upon the ports of the prior art, and more specifically, to provide a receiving chamber with a friction member within the port to establish electrical contact with the center conductor of the stinger.
As with U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,323, the present invention provides a solution wherein the technician does not need to carry a torque measuring tool in order establish a good electrical connection to the center conductor. Also, the housing does not need to be opened to establish an electrical connection between the center connector and the elements within the housing.
One drawback to the solution of U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,323 was that the threaded fasteners penetrated the housing. Hence, in order to keep the housing weather-tight, a sealing system, would need to be added for each threaded fastener, which corresponds to the number of stringer ports. Adding extra O-rings or gaskets for each threaded fastener adds more potential failure points to the housing to allow water to enter the housing and damage the electrical elements therein.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device within the housing which will establish good and repeatable electrical contact with an inserted center conductor of a male connector, e.g., a stinger, without the need to open the housing or rotate any threaded fastener to adjust an engagement force with the center conductor.
These and other objects are accomplished by a coaxial connection device for a male coaxial connector, in the form of a stinger. The cable device resides within a housing. The housing has a port with a cylindrical wall with a conductive inner thread. The stinger has a conductive outer thread, sized to mate with the inner thread. A center conductor of the male connector enters a hole within the port. A circuit board within the housing supports a tube-like receiving chamber with an opening to receive the center conductor. The receiving chamber has a frictional member to establish an electrical connection with a sidewall of the center conductor. An insulation material surrounds the receiving chamber. A shield surrounds the insulation material. An RF tab is attached to the frictional member and communicates signals from the center conductor to elements of the circuit board. A ground tab is attached to the shield and grounds the shield to a ground plane of the circuit board.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limits of the present invention, and wherein:
The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, the thickness of certain lines, layers, components, elements or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “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 “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “lateral”, “left”, “right” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the descriptors of relative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly.
As best seen in
Weather-tight may be defined as structured such that water falling onto the housing 103, e.g., rainwater, will not enter the housing 103. Weather-tight is more generic, but fully encompasses water-tight. The housing 103 may also be upgraded to water-tight. In other words, if a water-tight housing 103 is held underwater, e.g., completely sub-merged beneath at least an inch of water, water will not leak into the housing 103. Deeper depths of water-tight ratings, such as water-tight to 30 meters, are common with housings for wrist watches and diver's gauges, but do not seem to be required of the housings 103 typically used in combination with overhead CATV coaxial cables.
A mounting member, in the form of a circuit board 117, is attached to an interior of the housing 103 proximate the port 107. A circuit board device 119 is attached to the circuit board 117. As best seen in the views of
In the embodiment of
A first RF tab 127 and a second RF tab 129 are electrically attached to the receiving chamber 121 and hence the sidewalls of the receiving chamber 121, which are in electrical contact with the center conductor 35. The first and second RF tabs 127 and 129 are preferably integrally formed with the receiving chamber 121, e.g., stamped and then bent outwardly from a single sheet of metal, which is also rolled to form the tube-like shape. The first and second RF tabs 127 and 129 are attached to the circuit board 117 by being passed through two of a plurality of through holes 131 formed in the circuit board 117 and are used to mechanically fix the receiving chamber 121 to the circuit board 117.
In a preferred embodiment, the receiving chamber 121 and the first and second RF tabs 127 and 129 are formed from a single sheet of conductive metal, like prosperous bronze with a tin plating or beryllium copper with a tin plating. However, other conductive metals and/or platings, such as a gold plating, may be substituted. Preferably, the conductive metal used has a resilience, like a spring, tending to return to its former shape and position when a slight deflection or deformation is placed upon the metal. This means that the expansion fold 125 will strongly and repeatably cause the inner sidewalls of the receiving chamber 121 to conductively engage the outer surface of the center conductor 35.
The first and second RF tabs 127 and 129 are also soldered to one or more conductive traces 133 on the circuit board 117. The conductive traces 133 lead to other circuit elements 135 mounted within through holes 131 of the circuit board 117. Such other circuit elements 135 may form a filter, surge arrestor, amplifier, splitter, combiner, electrical-to-optical convertor or similar structure.
An insulation material surrounds at least a portion of the receiving chamber 121. In the embodiment of
A rectangular indentation 147 is also formed in the first and second half shells 137 and 139 to hold the expansion fold 125. The rectangular indentation 147 is oversized so as to permit the expansion fold 125 to slightly open as the center conductor 35 is inserted into the opening 123 and passes further into the receiving chamber 121. A front of each of the first and second half shells 137 and 139 includes a conical shape 149 to guide the center conductor 35 of the male connector 11 into the opening 123 of the receiving chamber 121.
The first and second half shells 137 and 139 are formed of an insulation material, such as a plastic dielectric material, ceramic, glass, or any other known non-conductive material common to the electrical arts. Preferably, the first and second half shells 137 and 139 are identically formed by a single mold to save costs. The primary functions of the first and second half shells 137 and 139 are to guide the center conductor 35 of the male connector 11 into the opening 123 of the receiving chamber 121 and to space and electrically isolate the receiving chamber 121 from an electromagnetic shield 151.
The shield 151 surrounds at least a portion of the first and second half shells 137 and 139. In the embodiment of
First and second landing tabs 161 and 163 also extend away from the ends of the C-shaped profile of the shield 151, but are bent inwardly towards each other at about a ninety degree angle relative to the ends of the C-shaped profile. The landing tabs 161 and 163 engage into recessed pockets 165 and 167 formed on the bottoms of the first and second half shells 137 and 139. This engagement assists in keeping the elements of the circuit board device 119 together prior to the mounting of the circuit board device 119 onto the circuit board 117, e.g., the first and second half shells 137 and 139 with the receiving chamber 121 captured therein will not slide out of an end of the shield 151.
In a preferred embodiment, the shield 151 is formed from a single sheet of conductive metal, like prosperous bronze with a tin plating or beryllium copper with a tin plating. However, other conductive metals and/or platings, such as a gold plating, may be substituted. The primary functions of the shield 151 with its four grounding tabs 153, 155, 157 and 159 is to firmly secure the circuit board device 119 to the circuit board 117, so that the force of the center conductor 35 entering the opening 123 and the receiving chamber 121 does not break the circuit board device 119 free from the circuit board 117. Also, the four grounding tabs 153, 155, 157 and 159 electrically connect the shield 15 to a ground plane of the circuit board 117, which is typically connected to the housing 103. Grounding the shield 151 will assist in reducing any electromagnetic interference (EMI) from exiting the center conductor 35 and polluting the interior of the housing 103, and also prevent EMI from exiting the interior of the housing 103 and polluting the RF signals on the center conductor 35.
The inner sleeve 169B includes at least one frictional member, such as plural friction tabs 175 formed from its cylindrically shaped wall.
The friction tabs 175 are designed to engage the sidewall of the center conductor 35, as the center conductor 35 is inserted into the receiving chamber 169. As the center conductor 35 passes by the friction tabs 175, the friction tabs 175 are deflected outwardly away from the central axis CA of the inner sleeve 169B, and a good electrical connection is formed between the center conductor 35 and the receiving chamber 169. The receiving chamber 169 may be formed of the same conductive materials as the receiving chamber 121 of the first embodiment. Also, the receiving chamber 169 may be placed inside of the insulating, first and second half shells 137 and 139 and the shield 151, such that the conical shape 149 of the first and second half shells 137 and 139 guide the center conductor 35 into the opening 123 of the receiving chamber 169.
The receiving chamber 177 includes at least one frictional member, such as plural friction tabs 179 formed from its side walls.
The friction tabs 179 are designed to engage the sidewall of the center conductor 35, as the center conductor 35 is inserted into the receiving chamber 177. As the center conductor 35 passes by the friction tabs 179, the friction tabs 179 are deflected outwardly away from the central axis CA of the receiving chamber 177, and a good electrical connection is formed between the center conductor 35 and the receiving chamber 177. The receiving chamber 177 may be formed of the same conductive materials as the receiving chambers 121 and 169 of the first and second embodiments, and may easily be stamped from a single sheet of metal due to the open slot 185 in the rectangular cross-section of the receiving chamber 177. Also, the receiving chamber 177 may be placed inside of the insulating, first and second half shells 137 and 139 and the shield 151, such that the conical shape 149 of the first and second half shells 137 and 139 guide the center conductor 35 into the opening 123 of the receiving chamber 177.
The circuit board device 119 of the present invention establishes good electrical contact with the center conductor 35 of the male coaxial connector 11, e.g., the stinger, without the use of a seizing member, such as a thread fastener 49 to pinch the center conductor 35 against the conductive surface 43, e.g., the anvil. This allows installers or service technicians to connect a stinger without opening the housing 103 of a ported cable device 101. This reduces the time required for the installation or replacement of equipment. The simpler installation also reduces opportunities for introducing foreign objects into the housing 103. Also, the technician no longer needs to carry a torque measuring tool to seat the threaded fastener 49 and avoids damaging the center conductor 35 due to too much torque and a poor connection due to inadequate torque.
The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.
The present application is a 371 National Stage Patent Application claiming priority to PCT International Patent Application No. PCT/US22/38304 filed Jul. 26, 2022, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/226,629 filed Jul. 28, 2021 the contents of which are each incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2022/038304 | 7/26/2022 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63226629 | Jul 2021 | US |
