Receptacle for coaxial plug connector

• US 6,296,492 B1
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 10/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tominaga, Hiroyuki, Inaba, Yoshihisa, Sasaki, Shinya, Hashimoto, Takeshi, Fujimoto, Masaki, Kato, Shuji, Okura, Kenji, Hoshino, Narutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US09/820,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20010027033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 186 Days
• Field of Search: 439/188, 439/63, 439/247, 439/248, 439/289, 439/700, 439/824, 439/578, 439/607, 439/609, 200/51.R
• US Class Current: 439/63
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6315 allowing relative movement between coupling parts, e.g. floating connection for coupling devices specially adapted for printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables, or like generally planar structures, H01R12/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/745 separate from the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/46 comprising switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/50 mounted on a PCB [Printed Circuit Board]

Abstract

A compact receptacle for mating connection with a complementary coaxial plug connector. The receptacle is in use to be mounted on a mobile phone for switching a signal line from an internal antenna to a vehicle'"'"'s external antenna when placed on a cradle in a vehicle in mating connection with the plug connector on the cradle. The receptacle has a dielectric mold carrying an outer conductor shield fitted on top of the mold, a single spring member, and a single fixed contact member. The conductor shield includes an electrode socket for connection with an outer conductor tube of the plug. The spring member integrally carries a center electrode for connection with a center conductor post of the plug, and a movable contact which forms a normally-closed switch with a fixed contact on the fixed contact member for the above signal switching.

Claims

1. A receptacle adapted for mating connection with a coaxial plug connector, said receptacle comprising:

a dielectric mold having a cavity;

an outer conductor shield being fitted on top of the mold and formed with an electrode socket for connection with an outer conductor tube of the coaxial plug connector, said electrode socket having a axis and a bottom at one axial end, the bottom being formed with a center opening communicating with the cavity of the mold, said outer conductor shield having a ground terminal lug projecting outwardly of the mold for electrical connection with an external circuit;

a single spring member mounted to the mold and having a center electrode resiliently movable along the axis of the socket, said center electrode extending from the cavity through the center opening of the electrode socket for pressed contact with a center conductor post of the coaxial plug connector, said spring member carrying a movable contact which is disposed within the cavity and is movable together with the center electrode, said spring member having a first signal terminal lug projecting outwardly of the mold for electrical connection with the external circuit; and

a single fixed contact member mounted to the mold and having a fixed contact which is normally engaged with the movable contact by the bias of the spring member and is disengaged from the movable contact when the center electrode is depressed by the center conductor post of the coaxial plug connector, said fixed contact member having a second terminal lug projecting outwardly of the mold for electrical connection with the external circuit.

2. The receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the outer conductor shield is supported onto the periphery of the mold to project the bottom of the socket into the cavity of the mold.

3. The receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said spring member is formed by a single metal sheet to have the center electrode integrally struck therefrom and the movable contact bulged therefrom.

4. The receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said spring member is formed with a first stab at an intermediate portion between the first terminal lug and the center electrode, said first stab being inserted into the mold for mounting the spring member to the mold, said movable contact being located at a portion adjacent the center electrode and opposite of the first stab from the center electrode.

5. The receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said center electrode has a resiliently deformable contact tip for pressed contact with the center conductor post of the coaxial plug connector.

6. The receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said movable contact is disposed within the cavity behind the bottom of the electrode socket to be spaced from the center opening in a lateral direction perpendicular to the axis of the socket.

7. The receptacle as set forth in claim 4, wherein

said spring member has a bridge extending integrally between the first stab and the center electrode, said bridge being bent with respect to the length of the spring member for giving an enhanced resiliency by which the center electrode is allowed to move along the axis of the socket.

8. The receptacle as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said center electrode is of an L-shaped configuration to have a vertical leg extending along the axis of the socket and a contact tip extending horizontally from one end of the leg in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the socket for direct contact with the center conductor post of the coaxial plug connector.

9. The receptacle as set forth in claim 8, wherein

said contact tip has a return bent tab extending back into the center opening.

10. A combination of the receptacle recited in claim 1 and a coaxial plug connector for coupling a coaxial cable with the receptacle and comprising:

a mount base adapted to be fixed to a mounting structure; and

a coaxial plug having a longitudinal axis and supported to the mount base to project therefrom, said coaxial plug having an insertion end at one axial end thereof for mating connection with the receptacle and having an anchor end at the opposite longitudinal end for connection with the coaxial cable,

the outer conductor tube of the plug surrounding the center conductor post in an electrically insulating relation therefrom by means of a dielectric member fitted within the outer conductor tube,

said dielectric member occupying a fraction of a space between the center conductor post and the outer conductor tube, thereby leaving an air layer extending along the length of the coaxial plug within the space.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 10, wherein

said dielectric member is shaped into a dielectric barrel surrounding the center conductor post, said barrel having rings which are spaced axially along the plug and are held in close contact with the outer conductor tube to retain the barrel within the tube, said barrel being spaced radially at a portion other than the rings from the outer conductor tube so as to leave the air layer extending along the plug between the axially spaced rings.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 11, wherein

said dielectric barrel is spaced from the center conductor post to leave therebetween an additional air layer extending axially along the plug.

13. The combination as set forth in claim 10, wherein

said coaxial plug connector includes:

a spring which supports the coaxial plug floatingly to the mount base for urging the insertion end into pressed contact with the receptacle,

an aligning mechanism which allows the coaxial plug to move in an axial direction thereof as well as in a lateral direction perpendicular to the axial direction for aligning the insertion end to the receptacle when mating the coaxial plug to the receptacle; and

a self-centering means which causes said coaxial plug to return to a center position with respect to the lateral direction after the coaxial plug is disengaged from the receptacle.

14. The combination as set forth in claim 13, wherein

said mount base has a top cover with an opening through which the coaxial plug extends,

said self-centering means comprises a collar fixedly surrounding the coaxial plug at a portion intermediate between the insertion end and the anchor end, the top cover, and the spring,

said top cover having an inner peripheral surface defining said opening,

said collar having a root section which fits into said opening when the coaxial plug is in a non-depressed position as disengaged from the receptacle,

said collar having a slide surface which comes into slide contact with the inner peripheral surface around the opening when said coaxial plug moves axially by the bias of the spring from a depressed position to the non-depressed position,

at least one of the slide surface of the collar and the inner peripheral surface of the top cover being inclined with respect to the axial direction of the coaxial plug so as to translate the axial movement of the collar due to the bias of the spring into a lateral movement of the collar for guiding the root section of the collar into the opening, thereby centering the coaxial plug.

15. The combination as set forth in claim 14, wherein

said collar is formed as an integral part of the outer conductor tube and is shaped into a conical configuration of which conical face defines the slide surface.