Patent Description:
Connectors, in particular coaxial connectors, serve to releasably connect coaxial cables. Coaxial connectors have the advantages of coaxial cables, specifically low electromagnetic influencing and good electrical shielding. Coaxial connectors also have an impedance which corresponds to that of the connected coaxial cable in order to avoid reflection phenomena at the transition point between the coaxial connector and the coaxial cable.

Coaxial connectors are designed to provide a predetermined characteristic impedance in order to ensure reflection-free transmission of RF signals. When mating a coaxial connector with a mating coaxial connector, impedance mismatch often results, causing a degradation in the signal transmitted there across. In addition, with many known connectors, mating the coaxial connector with the mating coaxial connector can cause damage to either the connector or the mating connector, due to issues such as stubbing and the like.

A prior art cable assembly having the features set out in the preamble of claim <NUM> is disclosed in patent <CIT>.

The problem to be solved is to provide a coaxial connector which provides for an improved electrical path for grounding with a mating connector. Another problem to be solved is to provide a coaxial connector which reduces the possibility of stubbing when the connector is mated with the mating connector.

These problems are solved by a cable assembly as set out in claim <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, an electrical connector assembly <NUM> is electrically and mechanically connected to a cable <NUM>. The cable <NUM> can transfer data between and among storage devices, switches, routers, printed circuit boards (PCBs), analog to digital converters, connectors, and other devices. In various embodiments, the cable <NUM> can support data transfer rates of <NUM> Mbps and higher. In some embodiments, the cable <NUM> can support data transfer rates of approximately <NUM> Gbps to approximately <NUM> Gbps. The cable <NUM> also can be used with data transfer rates above or below these exemplary rates. As shown in <FIG>, the cable <NUM> has a cable jacket <NUM>, a braided shield <NUM>, a metalized foil <NUM> and two center conductors <NUM>, <NUM>. An end of the cable <NUM> has the cable jacket <NUM> removed. The dielectrics <NUM>, <NUM> of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM> are also removed, thereby exposing a portion of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM>.

The electrical connector assembly <NUM> has a cable assembly mating end <NUM> and a cable assembly cable receiving end <NUM>. The connector assembly <NUM> includes a first metallic outer shell <NUM>, a second metallic outer shell <NUM> and a third metallic outer shell <NUM>. The first metallic outer shell <NUM> has a mating connector receiving portion <NUM> and a second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>. The second metallic outer shell <NUM> has a first metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM> and a conductor transition portion <NUM>.

A dielectric housing <NUM> is positioned in the electrical connector assembly <NUM>. The housing <NUM> made of dielectric material. As shown in <FIG>, the housing <NUM> has a mating end <NUM> and an oppositely facing conductor receiving end <NUM>. Terminal receiving openings <NUM> extend from the mating end <NUM> to the conductor receiving end <NUM>. The terminal receiving openings <NUM> are dimensioned to receive terminals <NUM> (<FIG> and <FIG>) through the conductor receiving end <NUM>. The terminals <NUM> are electrically connected to the exposed ends of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM> of the cable <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, two terminal receiving openings <NUM> are provided, however other numbers and configurations of the terminal receiving openings may be used.

The dielectric housing <NUM> has mounting projections <NUM> which extend from side surface <NUM> thereof. The mounting projections each have a first shell engagement surface <NUM> and a second shell engagement surface <NUM>.

When assembled, as shown in <FIG>, the dielectric housing <NUM> is positioned in the mating connector receiving portion <NUM> and the second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM>. The first shell engagement surfaces <NUM> of the mounting projections <NUM> engage an inner transition wall <NUM> of the mating connector receiving portion <NUM> to properly position the housing <NUM> and prevent the further movement of the housing <NUM> into the mating connector receiving portion <NUM>.

An end <NUM> of first metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM> of the second metallic outer shell <NUM> is positioned within the second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM>. One or more latches <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM> cooperate with one or more openings <NUM> of the second metallic outer shell <NUM> to secure the second metallic outer shell <NUM> to the first metallic outer shell <NUM>. Alternatively, the second metallic outer shell <NUM> is secured to the first metallic outer shell <NUM> by adhesive, or other know methods of attachment. In this position, the end <NUM> of the second metallic outer shell <NUM> engages the second shell engagement surfaces <NUM> of the mounting projections <NUM> to properly position the housing <NUM> and prevent the movement of the housing <NUM> into the second metallic outer shell <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the terminals <NUM> of the electrical connector assembly <NUM> are terminated to ends of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM> of the cable <NUM>, such as by crimping. However, other methods of terminating the terminals <NUM> to the conductors <NUM>, <NUM> may be used. In the illustrative embodiment shown, the terminals <NUM> are female terminals with receptacle portions <NUM>. However, other configurations of terminals, including, but not limited to, female socket terminals, may be used. With the terminals <NUM> properly terminated to the conductors <NUM>, <NUM>, the terminals <NUM> are inserted through the conductor transition portion <NUM> and into the terminal receiving openings <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the mating connector receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM> has resilient contact arms <NUM> which extend from the second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM> to an electrically conductive protection member or portion <NUM> of the mating connector receiving portion <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> is positioned proximate to and extends from the cable assembly mating end <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> surrounds the mating end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, but does not cover the terminal receiving openings <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> has an outer surface <NUM> which is tapered toward a longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM>. The tapered shape of the outer surface <NUM> acts as a lead-in surface when a mating connector is mated to the connector assembly <NUM>.

The resilient contact arms <NUM> have front ends <NUM> which are proximate the cable assembly mating end <NUM> and which cooperate with the protection member <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are integrally formed and attached to the protection member <NUM> of the mating connector receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM>. Rear ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are positioned away from the cable assembly mating end <NUM> and are integrally formed and attached to the inner transition wall <NUM> of the mating connector receiving portion <NUM>. The resilient contact arms <NUM> are bowed, wherein center sections <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are spaced further from a longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM> than the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> or the protection member <NUM>. In various embodiments, the center sections <NUM> may have enlarged contact sections which provide a greater surface area to engage the mating connector when the mating connector is mated to the connector assembly <NUM>.

The use of the resilient contact arms <NUM> and the bowed center sections <NUM> provide for increased connection between the mating connector (not shown) and the connector assembly <NUM>. In addition, as the resilient contact arms <NUM> are supported at both ends, the resilient contact arms <NUM> provide for enhanced structural integrity of the mating connector receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM>.

As the connector assembly <NUM> is mated with the mating connector, the bowed center sections <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> engage a cavity (not shown) of the mating connector, causing the bowed center sections <NUM> to resiliently deform toward the longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM>. As the front ends <NUM> and the rear ends <NUM> are fixed, the bowed center sections <NUM> resist the inward movement of the bowed center sections <NUM>, thereby causing a force to be applied to the mating connector. The fixed front ends <NUM> and rear ends <NUM> also cause the center of the bowed center sections <NUM> to deform more than the ends of the bowed center sections <NUM>, causing the bowed center sections <NUM> to become flatter, thereby providing more connection points and surfaces for the electrical connection or pathway between the mating connector and the connector assembly <NUM>. In addition, as the front ends <NUM> are connected to the electrically conductive protection member <NUM>, the entire length of the resilient contact arms <NUM> and the electrically conductive protection member <NUM> provide an electrical path thereby facilitating high speed transmission and better EMI performance, in contrast to prior connectors in which the contact arms are fixed or non-deformable and do not connector to an electrically conductive member at both ends, resulting in the contact arm being electrically isolated and therefore, the EMI performance is not enhanced.

As the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are integrally attached to the protection member <NUM>, free edges of the front ends <NUM> are not free or exposed and therefore cannot engage the mating connector as the mating connector is mated to the connector assembly <NUM>. In addition, as compared to the prior art which has contact arms <NUM> with free floating end surface, the outer surface <NUM> of the integrally formed protection member <NUM> acts as a lead-in surface when a mating connector is initially mated to the connector assembly <NUM> and as the mating connector is moved over the outer surface <NUM> and the contact arms <NUM>. Stubbing of the mating connector on the resilient contact arms <NUM> is thereby minimized or prevented.

An embodiment of an electrical connector <NUM> falling within the scope of the invention is shown in <FIG>. The electrical connector assembly <NUM> is electrically and mechanically connected to a cable <NUM>. The electrical connector assembly <NUM> has a cable assembly mating end <NUM> and a cable assembly cable receiving end <NUM>. The connector assembly <NUM> includes a first metallic outer shell <NUM>, a second metallic outer shell <NUM> and a third metallic outer shell <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the first metallic outer shell <NUM> has a mating connector receiving portion <NUM>, which is also a housing retention portion, and a second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>. The second metallic outer shell <NUM> has a first metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>, a conductor transition portion <NUM> and a third metallic shell cooperating portion <NUM>.

A dielectric housing <NUM> is positioned in the electrical connector assembly <NUM>. The housing <NUM> made of dielectric material. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the housing <NUM> has a mating end <NUM> and an oppositely facing conductor receiving end <NUM>. Terminal receiving openings <NUM> extend from the mating end <NUM> to the conductor receiving end <NUM>. The terminal receiving openings <NUM> are dimensioned to receive terminals <NUM> (<FIG>) through the conductor receiving end <NUM>. The terminals <NUM> are electrically connected to the exposed ends of the conductors <NUM>, <NUM> of the cable <NUM>. In the embodiment shown, two terminal receiving openings <NUM> are provided, however other numbers and configurations of the terminal receiving openings may be used.

The dielectric housing <NUM> has recess <NUM> which extend from proximate the mating end <NUM> toward the conductor receiving end <NUM>. Raised projections or areas <NUM> (<FIG>) are provided proximate the recesses <NUM>. A protection member <NUM> is provided at the mating end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> is made of dielectric material and is integrally molded with the housing <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> surrounds the mating end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, but does not cover the terminal receiving openings <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the protection member <NUM> has an outer surface <NUM> with a shoulder <NUM> which defines a resilient arm receiving cavity <NUM>.

The mating connector receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM> has resilient contact arms <NUM> which extend from the second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>. The resilient contact arms <NUM> have front ends <NUM> which are proximate the cable assembly mating end <NUM> and which cooperate with the protection member <NUM>. The front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> have curved or arcuate contact sections <NUM>, wherein curved contact sections <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are spaced further from a longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM> than the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> and the protection member <NUM>.

During assembly of the dielectric housing <NUM> into the first metallic outer shell <NUM>, the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM> are resiliently deformed away from the longitudinal axis <NUM> by the raised areas <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. Continued insertion allows the front ends <NUM> to move beyond the raised areas <NUM>, allowing the resilient contact arms <NUM> to return toward their unstressed position. In this position, the front ends <NUM> are positioned in the recesses <NUM>, thereby retaining the housing <NUM> in the first metallic outer shell <NUM>. In this position, the front ends <NUM> are also positioned in the resilient arm receiving cavity <NUM> of the protection member <NUM>, with the shoulder <NUM> positioned over the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM>.

The use of the resilient contact arms <NUM> and the curved contact sections <NUM> provides for increased connection between the mating connector (not shown) and the connector assembly <NUM>. In addition, as the free ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are supported by the housing <NUM>, the movement of the resilient contact arms <NUM> toward the longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM> is limited, thereby providing for enhanced structural integrity of the mating connector receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM>.

As the connector assembly <NUM> is mated with the mating connector, the curved contact sections <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> engage a cavity (not shown) of the mating connector, causing the curved contact sections <NUM> to deform toward the longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM>. As the front ends <NUM> are supported by the housing <NUM>, the curved contact sections <NUM> are prevented from inward movement, thereby causing a force to be applied by the curved contact sections <NUM> to the mating connector. As the front ends <NUM> are prevented from movement, the curved contact sections <NUM> are deformed as mating occurs. The deformation of the curved contact sections <NUM> causes the curved contact sections <NUM> to become flatter, thereby providing more connection points and surfaces for the electrical connection or pathway between the mating connector and the connector assembly <NUM>.

As the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are protected or sheltered by the protection member <NUM>, free edges of the front ends <NUM> are not free or exposed and therefore cannot engage the mating connector as the mating connector is mated to the connector assembly <NUM>, thereby minimizing or preventing stubbing of the resilient contact arms <NUM> when the connector assembly <NUM> is mated with the mating connector.

An electrical connector <NUM> not falling within the scope of the invention is shown in <FIG>. The electrical connector assembly <NUM> is electrically and mechanically connected to a cable <NUM>. The electrical connector assembly <NUM> has a cable assembly mating end <NUM> and a cable assembly cable receiving end <NUM>. The connector assembly <NUM> includes a first metallic outer shell <NUM> and a second metallic outer shell <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the first metallic outer shell <NUM> has a mating connector receiving portion <NUM> and a second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>. The second metallic outer shell <NUM> has a first metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>.

The dielectric housing <NUM> has recesses <NUM> which extend from proximate the mating end <NUM> toward the conductor receiving end <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, raised projections or areas <NUM> are provided proximate the recesses <NUM> A protection member <NUM> is provided at the mating end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> is made of dielectric material and is integrally molded with the housing <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> surrounds the mating end <NUM> of the housing <NUM>, but does not cover the terminal receiving openings <NUM>. The protection member <NUM> has an outer surface <NUM> which is tapered toward a longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM>. The tapered shape of the outer surface <NUM> acts as a lead-in surface when a mating connector is mated to the connector assembly <NUM>.

The mating connector receiving portion <NUM> of the first metallic outer shell <NUM> has resilient contact arms <NUM> which extend from the second metallic outer shell receiving portion <NUM>. The resilient contact arms <NUM> have front ends <NUM> which are proximate the cable assembly mating end <NUM> and which cooperate with the protection member <NUM>. In one embodiment, the front ends <NUM> are received in recesses <NUM> of the protection member <NUM>. The front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> have curved or arcuate contact sections <NUM>. The curved contact sections <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are spaced further from a longitudinal axis <NUM> of the cable assembly <NUM> than the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> or the protection member <NUM>.

During assembly of the dielectric housing <NUM> into the first metallic outer shell <NUM>, the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM> are resiliently deformed away from the longitudinal axis <NUM> by the housing <NUM>, as the width of the housing <NUM> is greater than the opening between the front ends <NUM> of the resilient contact arms <NUM>. Continued insertion allows the front ends <NUM> to move into recesses <NUM>, allowing the resilient contact arms <NUM> to return toward their unstressed position. In this position, the front ends <NUM> are positioned in the recesses <NUM>, thereby retaining the housing <NUM> in the first metallic outer shell <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A cable assembly (<NUM>) for terminating a cable, the cable assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a cable assembly mating end (<NUM>) and a cable assembly cable receiving end (<NUM>);
a metallic outer shell (<NUM>) positioned proximate to the cable assembly mating end (<NUM>) of the cable assembly (<NUM>), the metallic outer shell (<NUM>) having a mating contact engagement portion (<NUM>);
a housing (<NUM>) made of dielectric material positioned in the metallic outer shell (<NUM>), the housing (<NUM>) having a housing mating end (<NUM>) and an oppositely facing housing conductor receiving end (<NUM>), terminal receiving openings (<NUM>) extend from the housing mating end (<NUM>), the housing (<NUM>) extends from proximate the cable assembly mating end (<NUM>) toward the cable assembly cable receiving end (<NUM>);
resilient contact arms (<NUM>) provided on the mating contact engagement portion (<NUM>) of the metallic outer shell (<NUM>), the resilient contact arms (<NUM>) extend from proximate the cable assembly mating end (<NUM>), front ends (<NUM>) of the resilient contact arms (<NUM>) are proximate the cable assembly mating end (<NUM>) and cooperate with a protection member (<NUM>) of the cable assembly (<NUM>),
wherein the protection member (<NUM>) of the cable assembly (<NUM>) is provided on the housing (<NUM>), which has resilient contact arm receiving recesses (<NUM>) which extend from the protection member (<NUM>) toward the cable assembly cable receiving end (<NUM>), and the front ends (<NUM>) of the resilient contact arms (<NUM>) are positioned in the resilient contact arm receiving recesses (<NUM>),
characterised in that the protection member (<NUM>) has a shoulder (<NUM>) which extends over portions of the resilient contact arm receiving recesses (<NUM>) and the front ends (<NUM>) of the resilient contact arms (<NUM>).