Micro connector assembly and method of making the same

Details Micro connector assembly and method of making the same Micro connector assembly and method of making the same

1999-11-16

2001-03-27

Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Contact comprising cutter

Insulation cutter

Reexamination Certificate

active

06206722

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a micro connector assembly for link with a remote micro coaxial cable, and particularity to a micro connector assembly for electrical and mechanical contact with an external mating connector.
2. The Prior Art
In a conventional micro connector as introduced in U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,369 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 09-055243, a plurality of conductive cores
21
through
26
of a flat cable
17
are respectively fitted into several notches
31
through
36
defined inside a main body
10
of the connector
1
. An elongated contact bar
18
composed of an insulating material is then placed inside a groove
28
of the main body
10
defined perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of each notch
31
thereby locating above the conductive cores
21
through
26
in perpendicular relationship. Eventually, an insulative cover
19
is restrainedly attached above the main body
10
to press down the conductive cores
21
through
26
via the contact bar
18
. Thus, the conductive cores
21
through
26
each relatively deflects down a spring contact arm
14
a
of one of the contacts
14
in a main body
10
of the connector
1
thereby establishing electrical connection between the cable
17
and the contacts
14
.
However, such a said connector has poor mechanical connection with the cable because of the absence of an efficient horizontal retention means to prevent the separation of the cable from connector or the conductive cores of the cable from cable after action of an excessive withdrawing force thereon. Furthermore, during the process of the moveable installation of the cover
19
within the main body
10
, a permanent deformation may happen in either of the spring contact arms
14
a
due to improper operation. The minimized dimension and flexibility of the conductive cores will increase difficulty and inconvenience of the assembly with the corresponding notches
31
of the main body
10
or the poor engagement with the contact arm
14
a
under the absence of an orientation means thereon.
Another conventional design on the micro type connector like Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 10-321314 and 10-255921 introduces that a cable holder of the connector defines a row of U-shaped grooves at a front end for reception of the corresponding conductive cores of the coaxial cable therein. When the grooves of the cable holder are respectively fitted and inserted between a tuning fork type tips of the corresponding contact, the upper and lower side tips of the contacts are brought to press down the conductive cores on one side/reversed sides of the U-shaped grooves. However, the fork type tips of the contact or the conductive cores are easily damaged or permanently deformed due to tight fit therebetween resulting from restriction of a housing where the contacts are received. The tight fit is still insufficient to firmly retain the cable holder with the housing, especially in exercise of an excessive full force on the cable.
The instant application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application No. 09/350,942 filed on Jul. 09, 1999 which discloses a first and second housing members, a cable set with a plurality of cables, and a plurality of contacts. The second housing member defines a plurality of passageways each with a pair of protrusions on opposite lateral sides thereof. Thus, a signal segment of each of the cables is precisely positioned above a tail section of the corresponding contact within the corresponding passageway by way of orientating of the protrusions. Then, the signal segment of the cable is soldered with the tail section of the corresponding contact together.
Although the protrusions expedite the orientation of the signal segment of the cable within the corresponding passageway. It is hard to inspect whether the signal segment of the cable and the tail section of the corresponding contact in each passageway are efficiently engaged with each other before being soldered together.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved micro connector assembly for easily and firmly linking with a plurality of micro coaxial cables.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an orientation means formed within several passageways of a rear housing member of the connector so as to accurately and speedily placing a plurality of conductive cores within the corresponding passageways.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cable set used with the micro connector and a method of making the same for convenience and ease of the manufacture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of speedily making the micro connector assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the micro connector assembly equipped with multi-directional orientating means for convenience of soldering the conductive core of the cable with a tail section of the corresponding contact via an external tool.
To fulfill the above mentioned objects, according to several embodiments of the present invention, a micro coaxial cable connector, includes a first and second housing means, a cable set with a plurality of cables, and a plurality of contacts. The first housing member includes a plurality of grooves horizontally extending therein and a pair of channels with swellings. Each contact consists of a contact section at a free end for electrical contact with the mating connector, a first retention section at a middle region, a tail section at an opposite end, and a second retention section formed on the tail section. The cable set consists of the juxtaposed cables and the grounding bar. Each cable includes a signal segment at a free end thereof and a grounding segment insulated and seriated with the signal segment. The grounding bar consists of an upper and lower conductive plates perpendicularly soldered with the grounding segment of each of the cables. The second housing member defines a plurality of passageways, a pair of latch portions with bow sections, and a pair of spaced orientating walls adjacent to a rear portion of the passageways thereby constituting an elongated slot for receiving the grounding bar jointed with the cables therein. Each passageway further forms a pair of protrusions on opposite lateral sides thereof for cooperation with said second retention section of the contact. An orientating raise is selectively disposed at a rear of each of the passageways to orient the grounding segment of each of the cables in front-and-rear direction. Also, an elongated slit optionally extends transversely and normally of the protrusions on the lateral sides of the passageways thereby constituting an entrance of an external tool that is used to ensure the engagement of the tail sections of the contacts with the signal segments of the corresponding cables.
A method of making the cable connector comprises the steps of firmly retaining the tail section of each of the contact inside the corresponding passageway by the interference fit of the second retention section therewith but exposing the contact section and the first retention section outside the second housing member, and placing the cable set inside the slot of the second housing member, and orienting the signal segment of each of the cables above the tail section of the corresponding contact within the corresponding passageway by the pair of protrusions, and using the external tool to depressingly engage the signal segment with the tail section through the slit and then removing the external tool out of the slit, and easily soldering the signal segment of each of the cables with the tail section of the corresponding contact together, and inserting the second housing member into the first housing member until the first retention sections are interference fitted with the grooves of the first housing member or abut against a stopper wall formed on an outlet of each of the grooves.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5415562 (1995-05-01), Matsumoto et al.
patent: 5536

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