Patent Publication Number: US-2021167527-A1

Title: Coaxial cable connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional application Ser. No. 16/515,006, filed Jul. 17, 2019, pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/699,051, filed Jul. 17, 2018, expired. The disclosures of the prior applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to connectors for terminating coaxial cable. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a coaxial cable connector that does not require a compression tool for installation on a prepared end of a coaxial cable. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It has long been known to use connectors to terminate coaxial cable so as to connect a cable to various electronic devices such as televisions, radios and the like. Conventional coaxial cables typically include a center conductor surrounded by an insulator. A braided or foil conductive shield is disposed over the insulator. An outer insulative jacket surrounds the shield. In order to prepare the coaxial cable for termination, the outer jacket is stripped back exposing an extent of the conductive shield, which may or may not be folded back over the jacket. A portion of the insulator extends outwardly from the jacket and an extent of the center conductor extends outwardly from insulator. Such a prepared cable may be terminated in a conventional coaxial connector. 
     Coaxial connectors of this conventional type include a connector body having an inner cylindrical post which is inserted between the insulator and the conductive shield. A locking sleeve is provided to secure the cable within the body of the coaxial connector. The locking sleeve, which is typically formed of a resilient plastic, is securable to the connector body to secure the coaxial connector thereto. Conventional connectors of this type require a compression tool for installation. Thus, installers need to carry these compression tools into the field and, if the compression tool breaks or is misplaced, the conventional connectors cannot be assembled to a coaxial cable. Such connectors also typically have an elongated profile. 
     Therefore, it may be desirable to provide a coaxial connector that can be assembled to a coaxial cable without the use of a compression tool. Further, it may be desirable to provide a coaxial connector having a shorter length than conventional coaxial connectors. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to some aspects of the disclosure a coaxial cable connector is provided for terminating a coaxial cable. 
     In accordance with some aspects, a connector is configured to terminate an end of a coaxial cable. The connector includes a body, a nut, an outer conductor engager, and a grounding member. The body has a cable receiving end configured to receive the end of the coaxial cable, and the nut is configured to be coupled with and to rotate relative to the body. The outer conductor engager is configured to receive a conductive layer of end of the coaxial cable, and the grounding member is configured to couple the body, the nut, and the outer conductor engager in an assembled configuration. A first end of the grounding member is configured to extend grounding of the coaxial cable from the outer conductor engager to the nut, and a second end of the grounding member is configured to grip an outer protective jacket of the coaxial cable to prevent removal of the coaxial cable from the connector. 
     In some aspects, the first end of the grounding member includes grounding fingers configured to engage the nut. 
     In some aspects, the first end of the grounding member includes retaining fingers configured to engage the outer conductor engager. 
     In some aspects, the second end of the grounding member includes resilient fingers configured to engage the protective jacket. 
     In some aspects, the second end of the grounding member is coupled with the body via a press fit or interference fit. 
     In some aspects, the outer conductor engager includes a flange configured to engage an internal lip of the nut to maintain the connector in the assembled configuration 
     In some aspects, the connector is configured to terminate a prepared end of the coaxial cable without the use of a compression tool. 
     The foregoing and other features of construction and operation of the invention will be more readily understood and fully appreciated from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with accompanying drawings. Throughout the description, like reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various embodiments and drawing figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary coaxial connector in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional perspective view of the exemplary coaxial connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a side view along a first cross-section of the exemplary coaxial connector of  FIG. 1  coupled with a coaxial cable. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view along a second cross-section of the exemplary coaxial connector of  FIG. 1  coupled with a coaxial cable. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a series of perspective cross-sectional views illustrating assembly of the exemplary coaxial connector of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a side view along the second cross-section of the exemplary coaxial connector of  FIG. 1  during termination of a coaxial cable. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Although certain embodiments of the present invention are shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as an example of embodiments of the present invention. 
     As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIGS. 1 and 2  depict an embodiment of a coaxial cable connector  100  according to various aspects of the disclosure. As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4 , and  6 , the coaxial cable connector  100  may be operably affixed, or otherwise functionally attached, to a coaxial cable  10  having a protective outer jacket  12 , a conductive grounding shield  14 , an interior dielectric  16  and a center conductor  18 . The connector  100  is configured to be coupled with a coaxial cable interface port (not shown). An embodiment of a coaxial cable connector  100  includes a nut  30 , an outer conductor engager  40 , a connector body  50 , and a grounding member  60  formed of conductive material. 
     The coaxial cable  10  may be prepared as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  by removing the protective outer jacket  12  to expose a portion of the conductive grounding shield  14 , which surrounds the interior dielectric  16 . Further preparation of the embodied coaxial cable  10  may include stripping the dielectric  16  to expose a portion of the center conductor  18 . The protective outer jacket  12  is intended to protect the various components of the coaxial cable  10  from damage which may result from exposure to dirt or moisture and from corrosion. Moreover, the protective outer jacket  12  may serve in some measure to secure the various components of the coaxial cable  10  in a contained cable design that protects the cable  10  from damage related to movement during cable installation. The conductive grounding shield  14  may be comprised of conductive materials suitable for providing an electrical ground connection, such as cuprous braided material, aluminum foils, thin metallic elements, or other like structures. Various embodiments of the shield  14  may be employed to screen unwanted noise. For instance, the shield  14  may comprise a metal foil wrapped around the dielectric  16 , or several conductive strands formed in a continuous braid around the dielectric  16 . Combinations of foil and/or braided strands may be utilized wherein the conductive shield  14  may comprise a foil layer, then a braided layer, and then a foil layer. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various layer combinations may be implemented in order for the conductive grounding shield  14  to effectuate an electromagnetic buffer helping to prevent ingress of environmental noise that may disrupt broadband communications. The dielectric  16  may be comprised of materials suitable for electrical insulation, such as plastic foam material, paper materials, rubber-like polymers, or other functional insulating materials. It should be noted that the various materials of which all the various components of the coaxial cable  10  are comprised should have some degree of elasticity allowing the cable  10  to flex or bend in accordance with traditional broadband communication standards, installation methods and/or equipment. It should further be recognized that the radial thickness of the coaxial cable  10 , protective outer jacket  12 , conductive grounding shield  14 , interior dielectric  16  and/or center conductor  18  may vary based upon generally recognized parameters corresponding to broadband communication standards and/or equipment. 
     The nut  30  of embodiments of the coaxial cable connector  100  may be a threaded nut having a first forward end  31  and opposing second rearward end  32 . The nut  30  may comprise internal threading  33  extending axially from the edge of first forward end  31  a distance sufficient to provide operably effective threadable contact with the external threads of a standard coaxial cable interface port. The threaded nut  30  includes an internal lip  34 , such as an annular protrusion, located between the first forward end  31  and the second rearward end  32  of the nut. The internal lip  34  includes a surface  35  facing the first forward end  31  of the nut  30  and a radially inward facing surface  36 . The forward facing surface  35  of the lip  34  may be a tapered surface or side facing the first forward end  31  of the nut  30 . The structural configuration of the nut  30  may vary according to differing connector design parameters to accommodate different functionality of a coaxial cable connector  100 . 
     In some aspects, the second rearward end  32  of the nut  30  may extend an axial distance to reside radially extent, or otherwise partially surround, a portion of the connector body  50 , although the extended portion of the nut  30  need not contact the connector body  50 . Those in the art should appreciate that the nut need not be threaded. Moreover, the nut  30  may comprise a coupler commonly used in connecting RCA-type, or BNC-type connectors, or other common coaxial cable connectors having standard coupler interfaces. The nut  30  may be formed of conductive materials, such as copper, brass, aluminum, or other metals or metal alloys, facilitating grounding through the nut  30 . Accordingly, the nut  30  may be configured to extend an electromagnetic buffer by electrically contacting conductive surfaces of an interface port when the connector  100  is advanced onto the interface port. In addition, the nut  30  may be formed of both conductive and non-conductive materials. For example the external surface of the nut  30  may be formed of a polymer, while the remainder of the nut  30  may be comprised of a metal or other conductive material. The nut  30  may be formed of metals or polymers or other materials that would facilitate a rigidly formed nut body. Manufacture of the nut  30  may include casting, extruding, cutting, knurling, turning, tapping, drilling, injection molding, blow molding, combinations thereof, or other fabrication methods that may provide efficient production of the component. The forward facing surface  35  of the lip  34  of the nut  30  faces a flange  44  of the outer conductor engager  40  when operably assembled in the connector  100 , so as to allow the nut to rotate with respect to the other component elements, such as the outer conductor engager  40  and the connector body  50 , of the connector  100 . 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in an embodiment of the connector  100 , the outer conductor engager  40  comprises a first forward end  41  and an opposing second rearward end  42 . Furthermore, the outer conductor engager  40  may comprise the flange  44 , such as an externally extending annular protrusion, located at the first end  41  of the outer conductor engager  40 . The flange  44  includes a rearward facing surface  45  that faces the forward facing surface  35  of the nut  30 , when operably assembled in a coaxial cable connector  100 , so as to allow the nut to rotate with respect to the other component elements, such as the outer conductor engager  40  and the connector body  50 , of the connector  100 . The rearward facing surface  45  of flange  44  may be a tapered surface facing the second rearward end  42  of the outer conductor engager  40 . The second rearward end  42  of the outer conductor engager  40  includes a tapered inner surface  46  that tapers in a direction from the second rearward end  42  toward the first forward end  41 . The tapered inner surface  46  is configured to facilitate insertion of the conductive grounding shield  14 , the interior dielectric  16 , and the center conductor  18  of the coaxial cable  10  into the outer conductor engager  40 . 
     According to embodiments of the connector  100 , the connector body  50  may comprise a first end  51  and opposing second end  52 . The connector body  50  may include an outer annular recess  58  located proximate or near the first end  51  of the connector body  50  and configured to receive the second rearward end  32  of the nut  30 . The second end  52  of the connector body  50  is a cable receiving end. The connector body  50  includes a tapered inner surface  53  between the first end  51  and the second end  52  configured such that the first end  51  defines a through bore  54  having a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of a through bore  55  defined by the second end  52 . 
     With further reference to  FIGS. 1-4 , embodiments of the coaxial cable connector  100  include a grounding member  60 . The grounding member  60  includes a forward portion  70  and a rearward portion  80 . The forward portion  70  is between the outer conductor engager  40  and the body  50  in the radial direction, and the rearward portion  80  extends rearward from the second rearward end  42  of the outer conductor engager  40 . The forward portion  70  includes a small diameter portion  72 , and the rearward portion  80  includes a first tapered portion  82  extending rearward from the small diameter portion  72  and a second tapered portion  84  extending rearward from the first tapered portion  82 . The first and second tapered portions  82 ,  84  taper from the rearward end of the connector  100  toward the forward end of the connector. The first tapered portion  82  tapers at a greater angle than the second tapered portion  84 . In some embodiments, at least a portion of the second tapered portion  84  that is at a rearward end  81  of the rearward portion  80  has an outside diameter that is greater than an inside diameter of the second end  52  of the connector body  50  when in a rest configuration prior to be assembled with the connector body  50 . 
     The grounding member  60  includes a plurality of resilient fingers  90  that extend radially inward and axially forward from the rearward end  81  of the rearward portion  80 . The plurality of resilient fingers  90  define an inner diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the protective outer jacket  12  of the coaxial cable  10 . In some embodiments, the grounding member  60  includes a pair of grounding fingers  71  and a pair of retaining fingers  74  at the forward portion  70 . The pair of grounding fingers  71  extend radially outward and axially forward at a forward end  73  of the forward portion  70 . An outer diameter of the pair of grounding fingers  71  in a relaxed configuration is greater than an inner diameter of the radially inward facing surface  36  of the nut  30  such that when the grounding fingers  71  are received in the radially inward facing surface  36  of the nut  30 , the radially inward facing surface  36  urges the grounding fingers  71  radially inward such that the grounding fingers  71  maintain contact with the radially inward facing surface  36  of the nut  30  when the connector  100  is assembled. The pair of retaining fingers  74  are spaced rearward from the forward end  73  and extend radially inward and axially rearward from the forward end  73  of the forward portion  70 . The outer conductor engager  40  includes an outer surface feature  47 , such as a groove, that is configured to receive the pair of retaining fingers  74 . The surface feature  47  defines a forward facing shoulder  48  that may engage the pair of retaining fingers  74  of the grounding member  60  to limit relative axial movement between the outer conductor engager  40  and the grounding member  60 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , steps for assembly of the connector  100  are illustrated. As shown in Step  1 , the connector  100  includes the nut  30 , the outer conductor engager  40 , the connector body  50 , and the grounding member  60  as separate structural elements. In Step  2 , the forward portion  70  of the grounding member  60  is inserted into the second end  52  of the connector body  50 . The connector  100  may rely on press-fitting and friction-fitting between the grounding member  60  and the connector body  50  to help retain the grounding member  60  within the connector body  50 . 
     In Step  3 , the first end  51  of the connector body  50  and the forward portion  70  of the grounding member  60  are inserted into second rearward end  32  of the nut  30  such that the grounding fingers  71  engage the radially inward facing surface  36  of the internal lip  34  of the nut  30  and are urged radially inward by the internal lip  34  so as to maintain physical and electrical contact between the grounding member  60  and the nut  30 . The urging of the grounding fingers  71  by the internal lip  34  allows the grounding member  60  to make physical and electrical contact with the outer conductor engager  40 , when the coaxial cable connector  100  is operably assembled, and helps facilitate the extension of electrical grounding through the outer conductor engager  40 . 
     In Step  4 , the second rearward end  42  of the outer conductor engager  40  is inserted into the first forward end  31  of the nut  30 . The outer conductor engager  40  is moved in a rearward direction relative to the nut  30  until the shoulder  48  moves past the retaining fingers  74 . The retaining fingers  74  are configured to be urged radially outward as the second rearward end  42  of the outer conductor engager  40  moves past them, and the retaining fingers  74  are configured to return to their original orientation extending radially inward and axial rearward so as to be accommodated in the outer surface feature  47  of the outer conductor engager  40 . The retaining fingers  74  and the shoulder  48  of the outer conductor engager  40  cooperate to maintain the connector  100  in the assembled configuration of Step  4 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 6 , a prepared end of a coaxial cable  10  is terminated by the assembled connector  100 . The coaxial cable  10  is inserted into the second end  52  of the connector body  50  and through the opening defined by the resilient fingers  90  of the grounding member  60 . As the coaxial cable  10  is pushed forward relative to the outer conductor engager  40 , the tapered inner surface facilitates insertion of the conductive grounding shield  14 , the interior dielectric  16 , and the center conductor  18  of the coaxial cable  10  into the outer conductor engager  40  such that substantial physical and/or electrical contact with the shield  14  may be accomplished thereby facilitating grounding through the outer conductor engager  40 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , the coaxial cable  10  can be inserted in a forward direction to a position that moves the grounding member  60  and the outer conductor engager  40  forwardly relative to the connector body  50 , which allows the nut  30  to move forwardly away from the connector body  50 . The coaxial cable  10  can then be pulled in a rearward direction such that the resilient fingers  90  of the grounding member  60  are configured to grip, or bite into, the protective outer jacket  12  of the coaxial cable  10 . The rearward pulling of the coaxial cable  10  also moves the grounding member  60  and outer conductor engager  40  rearward relative to the connector body  50 , which in turn moves the nut  30  rearward toward the connector body  50  to the configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
     In addition, as best depicted in  FIG. 5 , various embodiments of the grounding member  60  may include a through-slit  66  that extends through the entire grounding member  60 . The grounding member  60  having a through-slit  66  may be formed from a sheet of material that may be stamped and then bent into an operable shape, which allows the grounding member  60  to function as it was intended. 
     Additional embodiments include any one of the embodiments described above, where one or more of its components, functionalities or structures is interchanged with, replaced by or augmented by one or more of the components, functionalities, or structures of a different embodiment described above. 
     It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims. 
     Although several embodiments of the disclosure have been disclosed in the foregoing specification, it is understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will come to mind to which the disclosure pertains, having the benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. It is thus understood that the disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein above, and that many modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims which follow, they are used only in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for the purposes of limiting the present disclosure, nor the claims which follow.