Coaxial electrical interconnect

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10693266-B2
Application number	US-201816163418-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2018
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A coaxial electrical interconnect is disclosed. The coaxial electrical interconnect can include an inner conductor including an electrically conductive spring probe. The coaxial electrical interconnect can also include an outer conductor including a plurality of electrically conductive spring probes disposed about the inner conductor. Each spring probe can have a barrel and a plunger biased out of the barrel. The plunger can have a first plunger portion external to the barrel and a second plunger portion disposed partially in the barrel. The first and second plunger portions can have different diameters. A barrel of the spring probe of the inner conductor can be located proximate a plunger of at least one of the spring probes of the outer conductor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A coaxial electrical interconnect, comprising:
an inner conductor including an electrically conductive spring probe;
an outer conductor including a plurality of electrically conductive spring probes disposed about the inner conductor,
each spring probe having a barrel and a plunger biased out of the barrel via a spring, the respective plungers each having a first plunger portion external to the barrel and a second plunger portion disposed partially in the barrel, the first and second plunger portions having different diameters, wherein a barrel of the spring probe of the inner conductor is located proximate a plunger of at least one of the spring probes of the outer conductor;
a first spring probe support member configured to provide mechanical support for the spring probes of the inner and outer conductors; and
a second spring probe support member coupled to the first spring probe support member, the second spring probe support member comprising an end having alignment openings operable to receive the first plunger portions of the plungers of the spring probes of the outer conductor and the barrel of the spring probe of the inner conductor, the second spring probe support member being configured to provide mechanical support for the barrel of the spring probe of the inner conductor and the first plunger portions of the spring probes of the outer conductor.

2. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the spring probe support member is constructed of a dielectric material.

3. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the spring probe support member is engaged with the first plunger portion of the spring probe of the inner conductor and with the barrels of the spring probes of the outer conductor.

4. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the barrels of the spring probes comprise capture features, and wherein the first and second spring probe support members are configured to provide a mechanical interference with the capture features to maintain the spring probes with the first and second support members.

5. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein each spring probe comprises a spring to bias the plunger out of the barrel.

6. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the spring probe of the inner conductor comprises two barrels oriented on opposite ends of the plunger.

7. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the spring probes of the outer conductor comprise two plungers oriented on opposite ends of the barrel.

8. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the barrels of the spring probes of the inner and outer conductors comprise a detent formed therein operable to interface with a capture feature of the second plunger portion of the plunger.

9. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the spring probes of the inner and outer conductors comprise a capture feature operable to maintain the spring probe with the first and second spring probe support members.

10. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the alignment openings are sized to facilitate movement of the first plunger portions of the plungers of the spring probes of the outer conductor, as well as the barrel of the spring probe of the inner conductor relative to the second spring probe support member during compression of the interconnect.

11. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein one of the alignment openings provides a mechanical interface with the capture feature of the barrel of the spring probe of the inner conductor to maintain the spring probe of the inner conductor with the first and second spring probe support members.

12. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first or second spring probe support members comprises an overloading type of dielectric material operable to facilitate generation of a ground shield around the spring probes of the inner and outer conductors.

13. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the first spring probe support member comprises one or more recesses operable to accommodate a capture feature on the barrels of the spring probes of the outer conductor.

14. The coaxial electrical interconnect of claim 1 , wherein the spring probe of the inner conductor is inverted relative to the spring probes of the outer conductor.

15. A coaxial electrical interconnect, comprising:
first and second electrically conductive spring probes, each respectively comprising a barrel and a plunger biased out of the barrel via a spring, the plunger having a first plunger portion external to the barrel and a second plunger portion disposed partially in the barrel, the first and second plunger portions having different diameters;
wherein the first electrically conducting spring probe is supported in a position adjacent the second electrically conductive spring probe, the first electrically conducing spring probe comprising at least one capture feature that forms at least one of a protrusion or a recess, and
wherein the second electrically conductive spring probe comprises at least one of a local diameter expansion to offset a recess capture feature of the first electrically conducting spring probe or a local diameter contraction to offset a protrusion capture feature of the first electrically conducting spring probe, to reduce local variations in impedance.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Patterson Chad
• Quach Duke
• Heinrich Ethan S
• Fitzgibbon Michael M

Classifications

• H01R12/714 Primary

  with contacts abutting directly the printed circuit; Button contacts therefore provided on the printed circuit · CPC title

• H01R13/2478

  spherical · CPC title

• H01R13/405

  Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting · CPC title

• H01R13/6473

  Impedance matching · CPC title

• H01R24/86

  Parallel contacts arranged about a common axis · CPC title