Electrical connectors – Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-11
2001-01-16
Abrams, Neil (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
Having circuit interrupting provision effected by mating or...
C200S051100, C439S944000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06174183
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector for a coaxial cable and particularly to the connector which electrically connects a plug with a receptacle and has a switch operable in response to insertion or removal of the plug into or from the receptacle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The coaxial cable connector has long been well known comprising a plug and a receptacle, an example of which is shown in
FIGS. 7A and 7B
in a schematic longitudinal section representation. Particularly,
FIG. 7A
shows the conventional coaxial cable connector without the plug having not yet been inserted, and
FIG. 7B
shows the same coaxial connector with the plug having been inserted.
Referring to these figures, the connector
1
for a coaxial cable has a body
10
, which is molded of, for example, synthetic resin. The body
10
has a recess
11
defined therein so as to extend inwardly from one end thereof, and also has a tubular body
12
protruding a distance from the bottom of the recess so as to face the opening of the recess
11
. The tubular body
12
has a housing space
13
defined therein. A normally closed switch
5
is accommodated in the tubular body
12
. The switch
5
includes a displaceable terminal
3
and a stationary terminal
4
, both of which are made of an electroconductive material. The tubular body
12
is provided with a ground terminal
6
encircling an outer surface thereof. A receptacle
2
consists of the tubular body
12
, the switch
5
and the ground terminal
6
. The receptacle
12
is adapted to removably receive therein a plug
7
coupled with the coaxial cable. The tubular body
12
has an aperture
14
defined on one end thereof within the recess
11
and communicating the housing space
13
with the recess
11
therethrough. An inner peripheral edge of the tubular body
12
around the aperture
14
is inwardly tapered at
15
to facilitate insertion of a center contact
7
a
of the plug
7
into the aperture
14
.
The stationary terminal
4
is disposed within the housing space
13
and fixedly held against an inner wall of the tubular body
12
defining the housing space
13
so as to face the displaceable terminal
3
. The displaceable terminal
3
has a base portion
37
fixedly held against the inner wall of the tubular body
12
defining the housing space
13
at a location opposite to the position of the stationary terminal
4
with an end portion
38
of the displaceable terminal
3
disposed within the housing space
13
so as to face the aperture
14
. The displaceable terminal
3
is urged toward the stationary terminal
4
by its own resiliency. Therefore, as shown in
FIG. 7A
, a contact portion
39
of the displaceable terminal
3
that is situated between the end portion
38
and the base portion
37
is held in contact with stationary terminal
4
thereby to keep the switch
5
closed when the plug
7
is not connected to the receptacle
2
. On the other hand, as shown in
FIG. 7B
, when the plug
7
is connected to the receptacle
2
with the center contact
7
a
inserted into the housing space
13
through the aperture
14
, the center contact
7
a
is brought into sliding contact with the end portion
38
causing the end portion
38
to separate away from the stationary terminal
4
. In this condition of
FIG. 7B
, not only is the center contact
7
a
of the plug
7
connected electrically with the displaceable terminal
3
, but the normally closed switch
5
is opened.
Also, the center contact
7
a
urges the end portion
38
that is further from base portion
37
than the contact portion
39
, so long as the plug
7
is connected to the receptacle
2
. Therefore, the distance of travel of the end portion
38
is small. As a result, a contact gap G between the displaceable terminal
3
and the stationary terminal
4
is so small that an insulation characteristic would likely become worse. Also, the connector
1
for the coaxial cable could not be made compact. Further, if the accuracy with which parts such as the displaceable terminal
3
or the stationary terminal
4
are machined insufficiently, the switch
5
will fail to operate properly.
Also, where the connector is downsized, the size of the taper
15
becomes too small and is likely to fail to guide the center contact
7
a
inserted through the aperture
14
. Also, as the end portion
38
is repeatedly depressed by the center contact
7
a
, then the displaceable terminal
3
is likely to be set in a buckled state. Therefore, it is difficult to downsize the connector.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a connector that could be downsized.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a connected for a coaxial cable including a body molded of insulating material and having an inner space; a receptacle adapted to removably receive a plug for the coaxial cable having a pole-shaped center contact. The receptacle includes a tubular body projecting outwardly from a surface of the body and having an inner space into which the center contact is inserted and which forms a housing space with the inner space of the body, a displaceable terminal made of conductive material and accommodated in the housing space, and a stationary terminal made of conductive material and accommodated in the housing space. The displaceable terminal has a contact piece urged from edge of the housing space toward the stationary terminal and being brought into abutment with the stationary terminal, and a base portion of the contact piece is closer to an aperture into which the center contact is inserted than the stationary terminal, and a middle portion placed between the base portion and an end portion of the contact piece projects into a passage for the center contact.
It is preferred that the displaceable terminal has a generally U-shaped retaining portion whose inner surface contacts an outer surface of the central contact inserted into the housing space. In this case, the base portion is preferably connected to the retaining portion.
It is also preferred that the contact piece has a first bending portion being closer to the base portion than a second bending portion and being bent so as to keep an end portion of the contact piece from the edge of the housing space, and the second bending portion being closer to the end portion than the first portion and being bent so as to move the end portion close to the edge of the housing space.
Advantageously, a beveling is formed at an inner surface of the body and the beveling forms a gap between the contact piece depressed by the center contact and the inner surface of the body when the plug is connected to the receptacle.
It is preferred that the connector may further include a ground terminal made of conductive material and placed on a surface of the tubular body; and a metal shell covering a surface of the body; wherein the ground terminal is electrically connected to the metal shell.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5368494 (1994-11-01), Lai
Nakamura Kazuhiko
Ono Hisahiro
Abrams Neil
Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C.
Matsushita Electric & Works Ltd.
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