Coaxial cable connector

Details Coaxial cable connector Coaxial cable connector

2002-06-10

2004-02-17

Paumen, Gary (Department: 2833)

Electrical connectors

Including or for use with coaxial cable

Having screw-threaded or screw-thread operated cable grip

Reexamination Certificate

active

06692300

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to coaxial cable connectors and, in particularly, to a coaxial cable connector having a helical duct-like inner conductor.
BACKGROUND ART
With the spread of the utilization of mobile communications, there have been more exacting demands for better-quality coaxial cables and coaxial cable connectors for use in antenna feeders of portable telephones, car telephones, and radio call system base stations.
FIG. 5
shows a typical partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a coaxial cable
400
known in the art (for example, WF-H50-13, a WF-H coaxial cable by MITSUBISHI CABLE INDUSTRIES, LTD.). On the other hand,
FIG. 6
shows a typical partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a conventional connector
500
(for example, WF-H13D-BFX20D, a WF-H coaxial cable connector by MITSUBISHI CABLE INDUSTRIES, LTD.) for the coaxial cable
400
. In these Figures, both the coaxial cable
400
and the connector
500
are shown substantially in their actual sizes.
As seen in
FIG. 5
, the coaxial cable
400
has an inner conductor
42
, an outer conductor
44
, an insulating body
46
interposed between the inner conductor
42
and the outer conductor
44
, and a coating layer
48
for providing protection of the outer conductor
44
. The inner conductor
42
and the outer conductor
44
are each formed by a corrugated duct. Typically, the outer conductor
44
is formed by a ring-like corrugated duct, whereas the inner conductor
42
is formed by a helical corrugated duct (also called the “helical duct”), as shown in FIG.
5
. It is to be noted that the term “corrugated duct” which has been used in the specification of the present invention includes both ring-like and helical corrugated ducts.
The inner conductor
42
in the form a helical duct (hereinafter also referred to as the helical duct
42
) has a small diameter part
42
a
and a great diameter part
42
b
. An external thread is formed in an outside surface of the helical duct
42
at a fixed pitch and an internal thread is formed in an inside surface of the helical duct
42
at a fixed pitch. The inner conductor
42
and the outer conductor
44
are each formed by for example a copper duct. The insulating body
46
is made of for example low density expanded polyethylene, and the coating layer
48
(also called the “anti-corrosion layer) is made of polyethylene. Connectors of the present invention are capable of serving as a connector for the coaxial cable
400
(
FIG. 5
) and will be described by making reference also to FIG.
5
.
Referring now to
FIG. 6
, the structure of the connector
500
will be described. For the sake of simplicity, an exemplary case, in which the connector
500
is mounted to the coaxial cable
400
(FIG.
5
), will be described below.
The connector
500
of
FIG. 6
has a center contact
50
which is electrically connected to the inner conductor
42
of the coaxial cable
400
, a tubular body (body)
60
which is electrically connected to the outer conductor
44
of the coaxial cable
400
and which surrounds the center contact
50
, an insulating member
70
by which the center contact
50
and the tubular body
60
are insulated electrically from each other.
The center contact
50
is roughly cylindrical and has a cable-side center contact
51
and an opening-side center contact
52
. The cable-side center contact
51
and the opening-side center contact
52
are brought into mating engagement with each other in an area
50
a
, whereby they are connected together electrically.
The cable-side center contact
51
, which is roughly cylindrical, has an external thread part
51
a
. The external thread part
51
a
is brought into mating engagement with the inside of the helical duct (the inner conductor)
42
of the coaxial cable
400
. In other words, the external thread part
51
a
has an external thread formed at the same pitch as that of an internal thread formed in the inside surface of the helical duct
42
. Further, in order to ensure that the cable-side center contact
51
and the helical duct
42
are connected together, a top-like member
54
inserted in the inside of the cable-side center contact
51
of roughly cylindrical shape is used to extend an end (a slot part) of the cable-side center contact
51
inserted within the helical duct
42
. This makes utilization of a force exerted by tightening of a bolt
55
a
passing through the top-like member
54
. More specifically, when the bolt
55
a
is tightened, the top-like member
54
is drawn toward the end of the helical duct
42
(the left-hand end in the Figure), thereby causing a tapered outside surface of the top-like member
54
to radially push and extend a tapered inside surface of the cable-side center contact
51
. The degree of such extension can be controlled by adjusting the amount of tightening of the bolt
55
a
. When the bolt
55
a
is loosened, i.e., when the bolt
55
a
is turned left, the top
54
travels to the right (in the direction in which the top
54
comes off) while being in abutment with a stopper
53
. If the bolt
55
a
is further rotated, this finally causes the top
54
to come off the bolt
55
a
. To prevent this, there is provided a nut
55
b.
The cable-side end of the opening-side center contact
52
has an outside surface in abutment with the inside surface of the cable-side center contact
51
and an end surface in abutment with the stopper
53
. The outside surface of the opening-side center contact
52
in abutment with the inside surface of the cable-side center contact
51
has an external thread which is brought into mating engagement with an internal thread formed in the inside surface of the opening-side center contact
52
. This mating area is the area
50
a
(FIG.
6
). Defined in an opening-side end of the opening-side center contact
52
is a hollow part (hole)
52
a
. A center contact (a cylindrical projecting part) of another connector (not shown) is received in the hollow part
52
a
, whereby the inner conductors of the two coaxial cables to be connected together are connected together electrically. Further, a hole
52
b
is defined diametrally, passing through the center of the cylindrical opening-side center contact
52
. The hole
52
b
can be used as an insertion hole through which a rod-like jig for rotating the opening-side center contact
52
is inserted, when the opening-side center contact
52
is threaded into the cable-side center contact
51
.
The tubular body
60
has a first connecting tube
61
which is connected to the other connector (not shown) and a second connecting tube
62
which is, at its cable-side end, internally interfitted into the first connecting tube
61
. A split clamp
63
is disposed within the second connecting tube
62
. The split clamp
63
, having an internal diameter and an internal surface shape conforming to an outer peripheral shape of the outer conductor
44
of the coaxial cable
400
, is externally interfitted in the vicinity of a connecting end of the outer conductor
44
. Further, an O ring
64
is disposed in the inside of the second connecting tube
62
so that the O ring
64
is brought into close contact with the coating layer
48
of the coaxial cable
400
. The second connecting tube
62
is fixed, through the split clamp
63
and the O ring
64
, to the coaxial cable
400
by application of pressure.
The first connecting tube
61
is externally interfitted to an end of the second connecting tube
62
, and the first connecting tube
61
and the second connecting tube
62
are fixedly connected together at flanges
61
a
and
62
a
mounted on the first and second connecting tubes
61
and
62
, respectively, by using for example a bolt. The end of the outer conductor
44
is located so as to be compressed and supported between the split clamp
63
and the first connecting tube
61
by virtue of force by which the first connecting tube
61
and the second connecting tube
62
are fixedly connected together, thereby further ensuring that the outer conductor
44
and the tubular body
60
(which is made up of t

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