AND SEALING MEMBER

BACKGROUND

Cross-Reference To Related Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S.

Provisional Application Serial No. 61/346,098 filed on May 19, 2010, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Field

[0002] The disclosure relates generally to coaxial cable connectors, more particularly, to connectors for coaxial cables which have annularly corrugated outer conductors.

Technical Background

[0003] A coaxial cable is characterized by having an inner electrical conductor, an outer electrical conductor, and an insulator between the inner and outer electrical conductors. The inner electrical conductor may be hollow or solid. At the end of coaxial cable, a connector is attached to allow for mechanical and electrical coupling of the coaxial cable.

[0004] Connectors for coaxial cables have been used throughout the coaxial cable industry for a number of years. One type of coaxial cable has an annularly corrugated outer conductors and plain cylindrical inner conductors. Generally, connectors for these coaxial cables are different from those where the outer electrical conductors are smooth or uncorrugated. As an example, one connector has a single annular clamping portion that meshes with the last valley in the corrugated outer conductor providing a single

circumferential point of contact. Without additional axial reinforcement from the coaxial cable connector, physical gyrations of the cable found in field applications due to weather and vibration can cause undue stress and, ultimately, material fatigue of the corrugated cable outer conductor.

[0005] Therefore, there is a continuing need for improved high performance coaxial cable connectors that are easy and fast to install and un-install, particularly under field conditions. Also, since these connectors are generally installed in the field, they should be pre-assembled into one piece connectors, so that the possibility of dropping and losing small parts, misplacing o-rings, damaging or improperly lubricating o-rings, or other assembly errors in the field is minimized. Additionally, it should be possible for the coaxial cable connector to be installed and removed without the use of any special tools.

SUMMARY

[0006] One embodiment of the disclosure relates to a coaxial cable connector for attachment to a corrugated coaxial cable. The coaxial cable includes a center conductor, a dielectric layer surrounding the center conductor, an outer corrugated conductor surrounding the dielectric layer, and a jacket surrounding the outer corrugated conductor. The coaxial cable connector includes a rear outer body having a front end, a back end, an external gripping portion, and a longitudinal opening extending between the front end and the back end along a longitudinal axis. The coaxial cable connector also includes a clamping and sealing member rotatably mounted within the longitudinal opening in the rear outer body from the front end thereof. The clamping and sealing member has a first end portion proximate to the front end of the rear outer body and a second end portion to the rear of the first end portion. The first end portion includes an internal surface with at least two projections configured to engage the outer corrugated conductor where the corrugated conductor has a diameter that is the smallest and wherein, between the first end portion and the second end portion, the clamping and sealing member includes an integral sealing element. In addition, the coaxial cable connector includes a front body having a front end, a back end, an external gripping portion, and a longitudinal opening extending between the front end and the back end along a longitudinal axis. The coaxial cable connector also includes an insulator disposed in the front body, the insulator having an opening therein coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the front body. The coaxial cable connector additionally includes a contact element disposed in the opening of the insulator, the contact element having a back end configured to engage the center conductor of the corrugated coaxial cable.

[0007] Another embodiment of the disclosure relates to a combination of a corrugated coaxial cable and a coaxial connector. The coaxial cable includes a center conductor, a dielectric layer surrounding the center conductor, an outer corrugated conductor surrounding the dielectric layer, and a jacket surrounding the outer corrugated conductor. The coaxial cable connector includes a rear outer body having a front end, a back end, an external gripping portion, and a longitudinal opening extending between the front end and the back end along a longitudinal axis. The coaxial cable connector also includes a clamping and sealing member rotatably mounted within the longitudinal opening in the rear outer body from the front end thereof. The clamping and sealing member has a first end portion proximate to the front end of the rear outer body and a second end portion to the rear of the first end portion. The first end portion includes an internal surface with at least two projections configured to engage the outer corrugated conductor where the corrugated conductor has a diameter that is the smallest and wherein, between the first end portion and the second end portion, the clamping and sealing member includes an integral sealing element. In addition, the coaxial cable connector includes a front body having a front end, a back end, an external gripping portion, and a longitudinal opening extending between the front end and the back end along a longitudinal axis. The coaxial cable connector also includes an insulator disposed in the front body, the insulator having an opening therein coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the front body. The coaxial cable connector additionally includes a contact element disposed in the opening of the insulator, the contact element having a back end configured to engage the center conductor of the corrugated coaxial cable.

[0008] Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description or recognized by practicing the embodiments as described in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.

[0009] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary, and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understand the nature and character of the claims.

[0010] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate one or more embodiment(s), and together with the description serve to explain principles and operation of the various embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a partially assembled coaxial cable connector and a portion of a corrugated coaxial cable;

[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded, cross-sectional view of the coaxial cable of FIG. 1 ;

[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1 with a rear subassembly installed on the coaxial cable and the front subassembly prior to connection with the rear subassembly; [0014] FIG. 4 illustrates cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1 with coaxial cable connector partially installed on the corrugated coaxial cable; and

[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the connector of FIG. 1 with coaxial cable connector fully installed on the corrugated coaxial cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of coaxial connectors, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1 & 2, a cross sectional view of a portion of a corrugated coaxial cable 100 and a corrugated coaxial cable connector 200 are illustrated. The corrugated coaxial cable 100 includes center conductor 105, dielectric 120, corrugated outer conductor 125 and jacket 130. Center conductor 105 is preferably annular and has an inside diameter 110 and outside diameter 115.

[0018] Corrugated coaxial cable connector 200 is preferable preassembled in a factory and includes a rear subassembly 202 and a front subassembly 204. The subassemblies 202, 204 are preferably attached to one another so that they can be shipped from the factory to the field as described in more detail below.

[0019] The rear subassembly 202 includes a rear outer body 206 having a front end 208, a backend 210, an external gripping portion 212 and a longitudinal opening 214 extending between the front end 208 and the back end 210 along the longitudinal axis A. The rear outer body 206 preferably includes a threaded portion 216 adjacent the front end 208 for threadingly engaging the front subassembly 204. Rear outer body 206 is preferably made from a metallic material such as brass and is preferable plated with a conductive, corrosion resistant material such as a nickel-tin alloy.

[0020] The rear subassembly 202 also includes a clamping and sealing member 220 rotatably mounted within longitudinal opening 214 in rear outer body 206 from the front end thereof. Clamping and sealing member 220 is preferably secured within the longitudinal opening 214 of rear outer body 206 by way of a free-rotating snap fit. Preferably, the clamping and sealing member 220 is secured in the rear outer body 206 in the factory.

Clamping and sealing member 220 has a first end portion 244 having a front end 222, a second end portion 246 having a back end 224, and a longitudinal opening 226, wherein the second end portion 246 is to the rear of the first end portion 244. Clamping and sealing member 220 also includes an integral sealing element 250 between the first end portion 244 and the second end portion 246. At the front end 222, the clamping and sealing member 220 has a chamfered portion 228 leading to a first inwardly projecting protrusion 230 on the internal surface 232 of the longitudinal opening 226. A second inwardly projecting protrusion 234 is also present on the internal surface 232, disposed rearwardly from the first inwardly projecting protrusion 230. Preferably, the inwardly projecting protrusions 230, 234 are annular protrusions and extend around the longitudinal opening 226. However, they may also be segmented or non-continuous. As discussed in more detail below, the inwardly projecting protrusions 230, 234 engage the corrugated outer conductor 125 where the corrugated outer conductor 125 has the smallest diameter, i.e., the valleys of the corrugated outer conductor 125. The front end 222 of clamping and sealing member 220 preferably has a plurality of slots 240, resulting in the front end 222 having a plurality of fingers or flexible beams 242. The presence of the flexible beams allows the clamping and sealing member 220 to slide over the corrugated coaxial cable 100, and in particular, the corrugated outer conductor 125.

[0021] First end portion 244 and second end portion 246 of clamping and sealing member 220 are preferably made from a plastic material such as acetal, but may be made from a metallic material such as brass and plated with a conductive, corrosion resistant material such as a nickel-tin alloy. Integral sealing element 250, which is preferably an o-ring, is preferably preassembled between first end portion 244 and second end portion 246, wherein first end portion 244 and second end portion 246 are molded together. As described in more detail below, integral sealing element 250 is preferably configured to engage corrugated outer conductor 125 where corrugated outer conductor 125 has a diameter that is the largest.

[0022] Second end portion 246 has an internal surface having a first internal bore 252 having a first diameter proximate to the integral sealing element 250. Second end portion also has a second internal bore 254 having a second diameter to the rear of the first internal bore 252, wherein the second diameter (of second internal bore 254) is greater than the first diameter (of first internal bore 252). Internal surface of second end portion 246 also includes a tapered annular portion 256 between first internal bore 252 and second internal bore 254. As discussed in more detail below, first diameter (of first internal bore 252) is less than the outer diameter of cable jacket 130 and second diameter (of second internal bore 254) is greater than the outer diameter of cable jacket 130. [0023] The front subassembly 204 includes front body 260, insulator 300, and contact element 320. The front body 260 has a front end 262, a back end 264, an external gripping portion 266, and a longitudinal opening 268 extending between the front end 262 and the back end 264 along the longitudinal axis A. The front body 260 also has a radiused annular shoulder 270 and internal threaded portion 272. As discussed in more detail below, the radiused annular shoulder 270 cooperates with the chamfered portion 228 of the clamping and sealing member 220 to capture the corrugated outer conductor 125 to secure the connector 200 to the coaxial cable 100. The internal threaded portion 272 cooperates with the threaded portion 216 of rear outer body 206 to secure the rear subassembly 202 and the front subassembly 204. Front body 260 is preferably made from a metallic material such as brass and is preferable plated with a conductive, corrosion resistant material such as a nickel- tin alloy. Insulator 300 includes a bore 302 aligned on longitudinal axis A and an outer surface 284. Insulator 300 is made from an electrically insulative material such as acetal and assists in centering and supporting contact element 320. Contact element 320 has a back end 322 that includes a tapered portion 324 that engages center conductor 105. Contact element 320 also preferably has a plurality of slots 326 at the back end 322 to allow the contact element 320 to flex as necessary to make physical and electrical contact with the central conductor 105. Contact element 320 is made from a metallic material such as beryllium copper, is preferably heat treated and is preferably plated with a conductive, corrosion resistant material such as a nickel-tin alloy. Contact element 320 has a front end 328 that has a female configuration to receive a male configured contact (not shown). However, the front end 328 of contact element 320 may also have a male configuration.

[0024] One or more seals in addition to integral sealing element 250, preferably in the form of o-rings, are also factory installed in the connector 200 to protect the connector 200 from the elements. As shown in FIG. 1, seal 370 has been installed on the outer surface of the rear outer body 206 in an annular cut-out 372 and, as noted below in conjunction with FIG. 5, seals the junction of the rear outer body 206 and the front body 260 when the connector is assembled on the corrugated coaxial cable 100.

[0025] Two seals 380, 390 are also factory-installed in the front subassembly 204 to seal the connector 200 from the front. Seal 380 has been installed in an annular cut-out 382 on contact element 320 to seal the connector 200 when the contact element 320 is installed in insulator 300. Similarly, seal 390 is factory-installed in an annular cut-out 392 in insulator 300 to seal the junction between the insulator 300 and the front body 260. [0026] Turning now to FIG. 3, the installation of the corrugated coaxial cable connector 200 will now be described. If not already separated from one another, the rear subassembly 202 and front subassembly 204 should be separated from one another, i.e., unscrewed from one another in a preferred embodiment. The rear subassembly 202 is then placed over the corrugated coaxial cable 100, the corrugated coaxial cable 100 having the jacket 130 stripped back to expose a portion of the corrugated outer conductor 125. The clamping and sealing member 220 slides over the corrugated coaxial cable 100, and in particular, the corrugated outer conductor 125 with the plurality of fingers or flexible beams 242 flexing sufficiently to allow the rear subassembly 202 to slide on the corrugated coaxial cable 100. The rear subassembly 202 should naturally rest with the first inwardly projecting protrusion 230 on the internal surface 232 of the longitudinal opening 226 of clamping and sealing member 220 in an annular groove of the corrugated outer conductor 125. The second inwardly projecting protrusion 234 will also be in an annular groove of the corrugated outer conductor 125 and at least a portion of second internal bore 254 of clamping and sealing member 220 will surround cable jacket 130.

[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the front subassembly 204 is partially installed on the rear subassembly 202, which in this embodiment is done by rotating the rear subassembly 202 and front subassembly 204 relative to one another. During the installation, the contact element 320 is aligned with and engages the inside diameter 110 of the center conductor 105. The tapered portion 324 assures that the contact element 320 will make physical and electrical contact with the center conductor 105. To the extent that the contact element 320 is larger than the inside diameter 110 of the center conductor 105, the slots 326 allow the contact element 320 to radially compress to fit within the center conductor 105. Simultaneously, the radiused annular shoulder 270 moves between the corrugated outer conductor 125 and the dielectric 120 to pinch the corrugated outer conductor 125 between the radiused annular shoulder 270 and the chamfered portion 228 of the clamping and sealing member 220.

[0028] In FIG. 5, the rear subassembly 202 is fully tightened into front subassembly 204 by further rotation of internal threaded portion 272 of front body 260 and external threaded portion 219 of rear body 206. It should be noted that the rotational engagement of front body 260 to rear body 206 does not transmit appreciable rotational or torsional load to clamping and sealing member 220 as it is a separate member (as well as a free rotating member), thus preventing damage to flexible beams 242 of clamping and sealing member 220. The first inwardly projecting protrusion 230 and second inwardly projecting protrusion 234 contact the corrugated outer conductor 125 at circumferential points B and C, respectively, and corrugated outer conductor 125 is captured between the radiused annular shoulder 270 and the chamfered portion 228 of the clamping and sealing member 220 providing positive electrical and mechanical communication between corrugated outer conductor 125 and front body 260. Second inwardly projecting protrusion 234 contacts corrugated outer conductor 125 at circumferential point C and provides additional axial load as well as radial support thus further stabilizing the connector/cable junction. The additional radial support by the second inwardly projecting protrusion 234 is especially helpful to provide strain relief and ensure long term electrical and mechanical stability of the junction. A tertiary

circumferential point of support for cable 100 is provided by integral sealing element 250. Integral sealing element 250 preferably engages corrugated outer conductor 125 where corrugated outer conductor 125 has a diameter that is the largest. Front end of cable jacket 130 preferably contacts tapered annular portion 256 of clamping and sealing member 220.

[0029] Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that any particular order be inferred.

[0030] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Since modifications combinations, sub-combinations and variations of the disclosed embodiments incorporating the spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled in the art, the invention should be construed to include everything within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.