U.S. patent number 3,694,793 [Application Number 04/850,800] was granted by the patent office on 1972-09-26 for snap lock coaxial connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation. Invention is credited to Carl W. Concelman.
United States Patent |
3,694,793 |
Concelman |
September 26, 1972 |
SNAP LOCK COAXIAL CONNECTOR
Abstract
This invention is for a quick connect and disconnect coaxial
coupling. The connector plug portion has a split outer shell latch
type of coupling that allows for locking upon direct engagement,
and releases when two tabs are pressed inwardly. The connector also
has a new method of contact captivation comprising contacts having
barbs that allow for easy insertion into a resilient insulation
material and tend to retain their axial position when subjected to
an axial withdrawal force.
Inventors: |
Concelman; Carl W. (Wilmington,
MA) |
Assignee: |
International Telephone and
Telegraph Corporation (Nutley, NJ)
|
Family
ID: |
25309138 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/850,800 |
Filed: |
August 18, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/358;
439/675 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
24/40 (20130101); H01R 13/6277 (20130101); H01R
2103/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/00 (20060101); H01R 13/646 (20060101); H01R
13/627 (20060101); H01r 013/54 (); H01r
017/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/46,91,177,217,59M,74,255P ;285/317,320 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Novosad; Stephen J.
Assistant Examiner: Staab; Lawrence J.
Claims
I claim:
1. A coaxial connector comprising:
first and second coupling members each having an inner conductor,
an outer conductor and dielectric means spacing said inner
conductor from said outer conductor; and
latching means on the outer conductor of said second member and
latching means pivoted on the outer conductor of said first member
cooperating with the latching means on the outer conductor of said
second member to couple said first and second members together;
said outer conductor of said first member comprising an annular
shoulder disposed about the periphery of said outer conductor and
said latching means of said first member comprising a split shell
latch pivoted on said annular ring, and a wire ring holding said
split shell latching in position.
2. A coaxial connector according to claim 1, wherein
said split shell latch comprises for each part thereof a
substantially semi-circular member having a latch at one end, a tab
at the other end, an annular groove inside between said ends
adapted to seat on said annular shoulder and pivot thereon, and an
annular groove on the outside of said part adapted to receive said
wire ring.
3. A coaxial connector according to claim 2 wherein said latching
means on the outer conductor of said second member comprises at the
inner end thereof means adapted to receive and retain in place upon
said latching member the latch of said split shell latch member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Separable coaxial connectors have long been known to the art. Most
of these connectors are mated together by insertion of one into the
other and are then retained together by means of threaded members.
In some cases quick connect and disconnect connectors have been
devised but they are generally expensive and required many
additional parts. Also a problem with coaxial connectors has been
that the conductors are somewhat easily pulled out of the
dielectric member from the rear of the connector. Means as pins
have been used heretofore but are not always satisfactory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a quick connect and
disconnect coaxial connector that is inexpensive and requires few
additional parts.
It is another object of this invention to provide a coaxial
connector wherein the inner conductor is securely captivated within
the dielectric.
A feature of this invention is a coaxial coupling having inner and
outer conductors and a dielectric member spacing these conductors
apart. The outer conductor of one coupling member of the coaxial
coupling is provided with a latching arrangement which is fixed and
not movable. The other coupling member is provided with a split
bushing which pivots about a pivot shoulder on the outer conductor
of that member and the end of this split bushing has a latching
member which engages the fixed latching member of the other
coupling member upon insertion of the second coupling member into
the first. In order to release and separate the members the split
bushing is provided at the free end with a tab which, upon both
tabs being pressed down, releases the latch.
Another feature of this invention is that each of the inner
conductors has a barb-like shape at the rear end, which, when the
inner conductor of the cable attached thereto is inserted into the
dielectric member and pushed forward, will enter into a cavity of
the dielectric member which is resilient, the shape of the cavity
corresponding to the shape of the barb so that when the barb is
pushed inwardly and enters the cavity it cannot be retracted and is
securely captivated therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other features of this invention will become apparent from the
description that follows taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view illustrating the coupling
connector of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the split shell latch of this invention;
and
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the split shell latch of this
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a coaxial plug 1 and a
coaxial jack 2 in mated position. The plug 1 comprises an inner
conductor 3 and a dielectric member 4 spacing the inner conductor 3
from the outer conductors 5 and 6. The inner conductor 3 has at the
left extremity slotted members or fingers 6 to provide sliding and
resilient contact with the mating member 7 of the jack inner
conductor. The opposite extremity of the inner conductor 3 has a
coaxial hole 10 to accommodate the inner conductor of a coaxial
cable (not shown). There is provided a radial hole 11 to solder the
cable inner conductor securely in the axial hole 10. The plug inner
conductor 3 is shaped at this end in the form of a barb 12 and the
plug dielectric member 4 has a cavity 13 adapted to accommodate the
barb 12 therein. As shown the barb 12 is of a frusto-conical shape
with a convexly shaped surface and comprises a small diameter
portion 15 at one end and a tapering outward to a large diameter
portion 16. Although the cone surface is shown convex, it may be
flat. The opening 17 of dielectric 4 is large enough to admit the
entry of barb 12 and as the barb is pushed farther into the
dielectric, which is resilient, the increasing diameter of the barb
forces the dielectric outward until the barb is completely within
the cavity 13 and captivated therein. It can be seen that any axial
pull on the inner conductor 3 will not free the barb 12 from the
cavity 13 without, of course, damage to the dielectric. A suitable
resilient dielectric material is Teflon, although other resilient
dielectrics may be used.
The outer conductor 5 is spun over the outer conductor 6 at the
chamfered portion 20 to form, in effect, an outer conductor
assembly for the plug 1. The free end 21 comprises a plurality of
slotted fingers which will make resilient contact with a
corresponding part of the outer conductor of the jack 2. At a
suitable point along the length of the outer conductor 5 there is
located a pivot shoulder 25 with a rounded perimeter; essentially
this is an annular ring surrounding the outer conductor 5.
A split shell latch 30 surrounds the outer conductor assembly 5 and
6 with a space between two parts along the axis of the connector as
shown in FIG. 2. Each half of the split shell latch has a tab 31 at
one end and a latching member 32 at the other end. The split shell
latch is pivoted about the pivot shoulder 25 by means of the cavity
33 which has a larger radius than the radius of the rounded portion
of the pivot shoulder 25, as can be seen in FIG. 1, to allow the
pivot movement to proceed freely. The two parts of split shell
latch 30 are held together about the outer conductor and on the
pivot shoulder by a wire ring 34 disposed in annular groove 35 in
the split shell latch. A space 36 is provided for between the
bottom surface of the tab 31 and the surface 37 of outer conductor
5 to allow for vertical movement of the tab 31 when it is desired
to press down the tab to unlatch the two coupling members.
Turning now to jack 2 there is shown the inner conductor 40 which
has the protruding portion 7 that mates with the resilient fingers
of the inner conductor 3 of the plug member 1. Similarly to the
rear configuration of inner conductor 3, inner conductor 40 has the
axial hole 10' to accommodate the inner conductor of a coaxial
cable and the solder hole 11'. It also has the barb shaped portion
41 which is similar to the barb 12 of plug 1. Dielectric member 42
is constructed in substantially similar fashion to dielectric
member 4 with a cavity to accommodate the barb 41. The outer
conductor consists of a latching portion 45 and a rear portion 46
which are coupled together by means of a panel mounting 47 which is
spun over at the chamfered end 48 to retain all three parts
together. The outer conductor member 45 has an end portion 50 which
is shaped in the form of a latch to receive and retain the mating
latch member 32 of the split shell latch 30. Latch portion 50 is
the part of the outer conductor which engages resiliently with the
slotted fingers 21 of outer conductor 5 of plug 1. Jack 2 is shown
with a panel mounting member 47 but it is understood that it may
also be in the form of a coupling which does not have to be
fastened to a panel or other mounting member.
It can be seen that when the plug is inserted into jack 2 that the
inner conductor members 3 and 40 will mate as will the outer
conductor members 50 and 21. As the edge 55 of latching portion 32
of the split shell latch slides over the surface 56 of the outer
conductor 45 the split shell latch pivots about pivot shoulder 25
with the tab 31 moving radially downward until the latch portion 60
of latch 32 slides over the corresponding portion of latch 56 and
is retained therein by virtue of the pressure of ring 34.
In the coaxial connector art it is important that the diameters of
the inner conductor and outer conductor remain constant to avoid
impedance mismatch and retarding waves. However, it may be
unavoidable in some designs; therefore steps and diameter changes
are made in the outer conductor and dielectric to compensate for
impedance mismatch due to changes in diameter of inner conductor.
This is shown in the plug and jack at 60, 61, 62 and 63. Spaces 60
and 62 are also provided to allow expansion of the dielectric when
the barb is forced in.
* * * * *