Electrical connectors – Including or for use with coaxial cable
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-16
2001-04-17
Paumen, Gary F. (Department: 2833)
Electrical connectors
Including or for use with coaxial cable
C439S616000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217381
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector for a coaxial cable and its connecting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A method of connecting a connector to a coaxial cable such as shown in
FIG. 17
has been conventionally proposed. This method consists of folding the braid
81
b
of a coaxial cable
81
back on the sheath
81
c
, inserting into a connection hole
82
a
of a terminal
82
and bending the conductor
81
a
of the coaxial cable
81
, and soldering and electrically connecting the conductor
81
a
to the terminal
82
, so as to produce a terminal-attached cable
80
.
The terminal-attached cable
80
is placed on a pair of holder bodies
83
a
,
83
a
of an insulating terminal holder
83
, and the pair of holder bodies
83
a
,
83
a
, as shown in
FIG. 18
, are closed to fix the terminal-attached cable
80
therein and provide a holder-attached cable
84
. As shown in
FIG. 19
, the holder-attached cable
84
is inserted into a conductive sleeve
85
from the rear, and the latter is then crimped on and electrically connected to the folded-back braid
81
b
. After completion of the crimping, that part of the braid
81
b
exposed from the sleeve
85
is cut with a cutting means and removed to provide a connector-attached coaxial cable
86
.
With the method as mentioned above, however, the process from soldering the conductor
81
a
to the terminal
82
to crimping the sleeve
85
onto the braid
81
b
, as apparent from
FIGS. 17
to
19
, involves setting the terminal-attached cable
80
in the terminal holder
83
and setting the holder-attached cable
84
in the sleeve
85
, during each of which load tends to be imposed on the conductor
81
a
, possibly resulting in impairment of quality. Besides, the method, due to its complexity, is not adapted for automating, resulting in a poor production efficiency.
Further, another method of connecting a coaxial cable connector such as shown in
FIG. 20
has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,308. This method includes inserting the coaxial cable
81
into the adapter portion
92
of a T-shaped housing
91
and inserting the conductor
81
a
into a connection hole
93
a
of the terminal portion
93
inside the housing
91
for electrically connecting the conductor
81
a
to the terminal portion
93
.
The adapter portion
92
is pushed in between the insulator
81
d
and the braid
81
b
, followed by, as shown in
FIG. 21
, bending the sleeve portion
94
of the housing
91
toward the coaxial cable. The braid crimp piece
94
a
of the sleeve portion
94
is crimped on the braid
81
b
to electrically connect the sleeve portion
94
to the braid
81
b
. A connector-attached cable
90
is thus obtained.
With the method as mentioned above, however, because the terminal portion
93
, adapter portion
92
and sleeve portion
94
, as apparent from
FIGS. 20 and 21
, are provided in one piece by molding, an insulating member
95
needs to be inserted around the terminal portion
93
to prevent a short circuit between the terminal portion
93
connected to the conductor
81
a
and the sleeve
94
connected to the braid
81
b
, which is troublesome. Further, because the method involves bending the sleeve portion
94
, the coaxial cable
81
may erroneously get damaged or the housing
91
may be deformed during the bending operation, resulting in lowered reliability of the product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has been accomplished to overcome the above drawbacks and an object of this invention is to provide a connector for a coaxial cable which attains a reduced load on the conductor of a coaxial cable after its connection to the related terminal, which is produced by a simplified manufacturing process, and which keeps the product from being lowered in reliability.
In order to attain the object, according to an aspect of this invention, there is provided a connector for a coaxial cable, the coaxial cable including a conductor, an insulator around the conductor, a braid around the insulator, and a sheath around the braid, which comprises: a terminal provided with a connection hole into which the conductor of the coaxial cable is inserted for electrical connection with the terminal; an insulating terminal holder including a holder body for receipt therein of the terminal and a pair of opposed first and second lids provided at one end of the holder body at a side wherefrom the terminal is received into the holder body, the first lid, when closed, locking the terminal in the holder; and a conductive shield cover including a cover body detachably mounted on the terminal holder inclusive of the first lid in the closed position and a holding means provided at one end of the cover body toward the coaxial cable, the connection hole of the terminal and the holding means being longitudinally aligned with each other when the cover body is mounted on the terminal holder, wherein when the coaxial cable is advanced toward the terminal, after the terminal is locked in the holder body by the first lid and the shield cover is mounted on the terminal holder, the conductor is inserted into the connection hole of the terminal and the braid is located on the holding means so as to position the conductor relative to the terminal and the braid relative to the shield cover at one time, and the second lid is then closed to cooperate with the first lid to hold the insulator therebetween.
Preferably, the connector further comprises a sleeve for receiving the terminal holder with the shield cover, the sleeve having a braid-holding means crimped on and connected to the braid located on the holding means.
Preferably, the holding means of the shield cover comprises a pair of opposed holding pieces having as a whole a shape equal to that of the insulator so as to get between the insulator and the braid on advancement of the coaxial cable toward the terminal.
Preferably, the first lid has at a side toward the holder body a terminal locking projection for locking the terminal in the holder body and at a side remote from the holder body a holding rib, and the second lid has at a side remote from the holder body a corresponding holding rib, the holding ribs of the first and second lids cooperating with each other to hold the insulator therebetween.
Advantageously, one of the holding ribs of the first and second lids has a locking indentation for pressing therein the insulator when the holding ribs of the first and second lids hold the insulator therebetween.
Advantageously, the second lid is lockingly engageable with the shield cover when the second lid is closed, through corresponding locking means provided on the second lid and the shield cover.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of connecting a connector to a coaxial cable, the coaxial cable including a conductor, an insulator around the conductor, a braid around the insulator, and a sheath around the braid, which comprises the steps of: inserting a terminal into an insulating terminal holder, the terminal having a connection hole into which the conductor of the coaxial cable is inserted; locking the terminal in the terminal holder; mounting a conductive shield cover on the terminal holder, which shield cover has a holding means, such that the connection hole of the terminal and the holding means are longitudinally aligned with each other; and advancing the coaxial cable along a straight line toward the terminal to have the conductor inserted into the connection hole of the terminal and the braid located on the holding means so as to position the conductor relative to the terminal and the braid relative to the shield cover at one time.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of soldering the conductor to the terminal at the connection hole.
Preferably, the method further comprises the step of inserting the terminal holder with the shield cover into a sleeve provided with a braid-holding means, and crimping the braid-holding means on the braid located on the holding means of the shield cover.
The above an
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Gilman Alexander
Paumen Gary F.
Yazaki -Corporation
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