Miniaturized electrical connector systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11316294-B2
Application number	US-201816635874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

Miniaturized electrical connector systems are disclosed herein. In exemplary aspects disclosed herein, the connector system includes a twinaxial female connector having a housing and at least one dielectric positioned therein. The at least one dielectric defines two parallel channels configured to receive at least a portion of two conductors of a twinaxial cable. The twinaxial female connector includes an oval interface configured to orient and align the conductors of the twinaxial cable with mating pins of a male connector. The twinaxial female connector further includes two spring-type interconnects positioned within the oval interface, each configured to directly contact a conductor of the twinaxial cable and a mating pin of the male connector. The twinaxial female connector further includes a retaining clip attached to an exterior of the housing with a lever arm biased towards and pivotable from an engaged orientation. Such features reduce the manufacturing complexity, cost, and overall size.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A twinaxial cable connector, comprising:
a housing comprising a housing first end and a housing second end;
at least one dielectric positioned within the housing, the at least one dielectric comprising a dielectric first end and a dielectric second end, the at least one dielectric defining a first channel and a second channel parallel to each other and extending from the dielectric first end to the dielectric second end, the first channel configured to receive at least a portion of a first conductor of a twinaxial cable and the second channel configured to receive at least a portion of a second conductor of the twinaxial cable; and
a non-circular interface, at least a portion of the non-circular interface configured for insertion into a mating connector wherein the non-circular interface is configured to orient the first and second conductors of the twinaxial cable with first and second electrical connections of the mating connector,
wherein the housing comprises a first endcap, a second endcap, and a casing body positioned therebetween, the first endcap and second endcap each comprising a non-circular wall, the casing body comprising a circular wall.

2. The twinaxial cable connector of claim 1 , further comprising a first spring-type interconnect positioned in the first channel and a second spring-type interconnect positioned in the second channel.

3. The twinaxial cable connector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one dielectric comprises a first dielectric and a second dielectric aligned with the first dielectric, the first dielectric comprising a non-circular portion and the second dielectric comprising a circular portion.

4. A twinaxial cable assembly, comprising:
the twinaxial cable connector of claim 1 ; and
the twinaxial cable comprising the first conductor and the second conductor, the at least a portion of the first conductor positioned within the first channel of the at least one dielectric, and the at least a portion of the second conductor positioned within the second channel of the at least one dielectric.

5. The twinaxial cable connector of claim 1 , wherein the non-circular interface comprises two or fewer axes of symmetry.

6. The twinaxial cable connector of claim 5 , wherein the non-circular interface comprises an oval interface.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Comm Rf Llc

Inventors

• Flaherty Iv Thomas Edmond
• Grabowski Daniel Michael
• Kisling Brian Lyle

Classifications

• H01R13/502

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01R13/64

  Means for preventing incorrect coupling · CPC title

• H01R13/2407

  characterized by the resilient means · CPC title

• H01R24/56 Primary

  specially adapted to a specific shape of cables, e.g. corrugated cables, twisted pair cables, cables with two screens or hollow cables · CPC title

• H01R24/568

  Twisted pair cables · CPC title