Card edge coaxial connector

• US 20030186565A1
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Lovaasen, Eric L., Kerekes, James R., Khemakhem, M?apos;hamed Anis
• Granted Patent: US 6,935,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/63
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/721 cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/50 mounted on a PCB [Printed Circuit Board]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/54 Intermediate parts, e.g. adapters, splitters or elbows
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/0515 Connection to a rigid planar substrate, e.g. printed circuit board

Abstract

An adapter having a housing, a ground clip and an adapter subassembly all located in the housing. The adapter subassembly includes a proximal portion that can be coupled to a coaxial connector and a distal portion that can be coupled to a printed circuit board. A central conductor in the form of an elongated shaft that runs through the subassembly and has a ball contact end for contacting a conductor located on a printed circuit board and the elongated shaft is tapered in a region near the bal contact.

Claims

1. A high frequency adapter for coupling a printed circuit board having a signal trace and ground, to a coaxial connector, the adapter comprising:

a housing designed to be removably coupled to the printed circuit board;

a ground clip located in a rear inner portion of the housing;

an adapter subassembly comprising;

a contact having a proximal portion and a distal portion and an elongated shaft coupling the proximal portion to the distal portion wherein the distal portion is configured to mate with the coaxial connector and the proximal portion is configured to mate with the printed circuit board, wherein the elongated shaft is tapered in the proximal portion and the proximal portion terminates in a ball contact wherein the ball contact slides over the trace on the printed circuit board and electrically couples the trace on the printed circuit board to the contact;

an insulator surrounding the contact; and

a conductive cylindrical connector surrounding the insulator wherein the contact is concentrically positioned within the conductive cylindrical connector.

2. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the housing is made of plastic.

3. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the housing is barrel shaped and has a front face having a pair of alignment pins which fit into a panel to properly align the housing with respect to the panel.

4. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the housing is barrel shaped and has a front face having a pair of holes in which fit alignment pins located on a panel to properly align the housing with respect to the panel.

5. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the housing has two or more adjacent barrels wherein each barrel houses an adapter subassembly.

6. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the ground clip is press-fitted into the rear inner portion of the housing.

7. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the contact is press-fitted into the insulator.

8. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the ground clip is a spring having an elongated flat section, a first folded-over section coupled at one end to the elongated flat section, and a second folded-over section coupled at an opposite end of the elongated lat section wherein the first folded-over section has a free end that rides over the second folded-over section to provide a spring force to the clip so that when the adapter is coupled to the printed circuit board, the ground clip is compressed so that the elongated flat section mates with a ground conductor located on the printed circuit board.

9. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the ball contact is elliptical in shape.

10. An adapter according to claim 1 wherein the ball contact has a central portion and end portions adjacent to the central portion wherein the ball contact is thickest at its central portion.

11. An adapter for coupling a printed circuit board to a coaxial connector, the adapter comprising:

a housing having a first end and a second end, the first end of the housing is configured to be coupled to a coaxial connector, the second end of the housing having a printed circuit board receiving groove wherein the receiving groove is configured to slide over a portion of the printed circuit board; and

a center conductor located within the housing, the center conductor having a printed circuit board contacting end that slides over a conductive contact located on a first surface of the printed circuit board, the center conductor has a coaxial connector end opposite the printed circuit board contacting end and coupled thereto by an elongated shaft wherein the elongated shaft is tapered in a region remote from the coaxial connector end and the printed circuit contacting end is ball shaped.

12. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the housing is made of plastic.

13. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the housing is barrel shaped and has a front face having a pair of alignment pins which fit into a panel to properly align the housing with respect to the panel.

14. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the housing is barrel shaped and has a front face having a pair of holes in which fit alignment pins located on a panel to properly align the housing with respect to the panel.

15. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the housing has two or more adjacent barrels wherein each barrel houses an adapter subassembly.

16. An adapter according to claim 11 further comprising a ground clip located in the housing, the ground clip has a ground contact that slides over a ground contact located on an opposite side of the printed circuit board from the conductive contact wherein the center conductor and ground clip secure the adapter to the printed circuit board when the printed circuit board is inserted in the second end of the housing without additional mechanical parts.

17. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the ground clip is press-fitted into an rear inner portion of the housing.

18. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the contact is press-fitted into an insulator located in the housing.

19. An adapter according to claim 16 wherein the ground clip is a spring having an elongated flat section, a first folded-over section coupled at one end to the elongated flat section, and a second folded-over section coupled at an opposite end of the elongated lat section wherein the first folded-over section has a free end that rides over the second folded-over section to provide a spring force to the clip so that when the adapter is coupled to the printed circuit board, the ground clip is compressed so that the elongated flat section mates with a ground conductor located on the printed circuit board.

20. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the ball contact is elliptical in shape.

21. An adapter according to claim 11 wherein the ball contact has a central portion and end portions adjacent to the central portion wherein the ball contact is thickest at its central portion.