Header assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016164232-A1
Application number	US-201514944932-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 9, 2014
Publication date	Jun 9, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A header assembly includes an outer housing holding a center contact and a dielectric body. The outer housing has a rear shell and an outer contact extending forward from the rear shell. The outer contact has a catch extending therefrom positioned forward of the rear shell. The header assembly includes a nose cone coupled to the outer contact. The nose cone surrounds the outer contact. The nose cone has one or more keying ribs along an exterior thereof. The nose cone has a latch engaging the catch to secure the nose cone to the outer housing in one of at least two distinct rotational orientations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A header assembly comprising:
a center contact; a dielectric body surrounding the center contact; an outer housing holding the center contact and the dielectric body, the outer housing having a rear shell and an outer contact extending forward from the rear shell, the outer contact receiving the center contact and the dielectric body, the outer contact having multiple locking tabs extending from an exterior thereof, the locking tabs spaced apart at different angular positions around a perimeter of the outer contact; and a nose cone coupled to and surrounding the outer contact, the nose cone having one or more keying ribs along an exterior thereof, the nose cone having multiple latches spaced apart at different angular positions around a perimeter of the nose cone, the latches engaging the locking tabs to secure the nose cone to the outer housing in one of at least two distinct rotational orientations.

2 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the locking tabs are equally spaced around the perimeter of the outer contact.

3 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nose cone is variably positionable on the outer contact in at least three distinct rotational orientations, an angular position of the one or more keying ribs relative to the outer housing being different depending on which of the distinct rotational orientations the nose cone is in.

4 . The header assembly of claim 3 , wherein a first latch of the multiple latches engages a different locking tab of the multiple locking tabs in each of the distinct rotational orientations of the nose cone relative to the outer contact.

5 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nose cone defines a cavity that receives the outer contact, the nose cone including alignment lugs extending into the cavity from an interior surface of the nose cone, the alignment lugs being received in spaces defined between the locking tabs when the nose cone is coupled to the outer contact, the alignment lugs configured to engage sides of the locking tabs to restrict rotation and hold a rotational orientation of the nose cone relative to the outer contact.

6 . The header assembly of claim 5 , wherein the alignment lugs of the nose cone are spaced apart from one another, the alignment lugs each being disposed circumferentially between two adjacent latches of the nose cone such that the alignment lugs alternate with the latches along a circumference of the nose cone.

7 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multiple locking tabs comprise a first locking tab and a second locking tab, the first and second locking tabs located at angular positions that are less than 180 degrees from one another around the outer contact.

8 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the multiple latches comprise a first latch and a second latch, the first and second latches located at angular positions that are less than 180 degrees from one another around the nose cone.

9 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the nose cone extends along a longitudinal axis between a front and a rear, the front defining a mating interface for accommodating a mating connector, the multiple latches extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis between a fixed end and a free end, the free end located more proximate to the rear of the nose cone than the fixed end, the free ends of the latches including hooks that engage back surfaces of the locking tabs to secure the nose cone to the outer housing.

10 . The header assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer contact, the dielectric body, and the center contact are a first outer contact, a first dielectric body, and a first center contact, respectively, the outer housing further including a second outer contact extending forward from the rear shell, the second outer contact receiving a second dielectric body and a second center contact, wherein the nose cone is a first nose cone that is integrally connected to a second nose cone in a cone set, the first nose cone coupled to and surrounding the first outer contact, the second nose cone coupled to and surrounding the second outer contact.

11 . A header assembly comprising:
a center contact; a dielectric body surrounding the center contact; an outer housing holding the center contact and the dielectric body, the outer housing having a rear shell and an outer contact extending forward from the rear shell, the outer contact receiving the center contact and the dielectric body, the outer contact having four locking tabs extending from an exterior thereof, the locking tabs located at different angular positions 90 degrees from one another around a perimeter of the outer contact; and a nose cone coupled to the outer contact, the nose cone defining a cavity that receives the outer contact therein, the nose cone having one or more keying ribs along an exterior thereof, the nose cone having four latches spaced apart at different angular positions around a perimeter of the nose cone, each of the latches engaging one of the locking tabs to secure the nose cone to the outer housing in one of four distinct orthogonal rotational orientations.

12 . The header assembly of claim 11 , wherein the four locking tabs have angular positions generally at 45 degrees, 135 degrees, 225 degrees, and 315 degrees, respectively, relative to a reference axis.

13 . The header assembly of claim 12 , wherein the nose cone includes four alignment lugs extending into the cavity from an interior surface of the nose cone, the alignment lugs being received in spaces defined between the locking tabs when the nose cone is coupled to the outer contact, the alignment lugs having angular positions generally at 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and 360 degrees, respectively, relative to the reference axis when coupled to the outer contact.

14 . The header assembly of claim 11 , wherein the four locking tabs have angular positions generally at 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, and 360 degrees, respectively, relative to a reference axis.

15 . The header assembly of claim 14 , wherein the nose cone includes four alignment lugs extending into the cavity from an interior surface of the nose cone, the alignment lugs being received in spaces defined between the locking tabs when the nose cone is coupled to the outer contact, the alignment lugs having angular positions generally at 45 degrees, 135 degrees, 225 degrees, and 315 degrees, respectively, relative to the reference axis when coupled to the outer contact.

16 . The header assembly of claim 11 , wherein the nose cone includes four alignment lugs extending into the cavity from an interior surface of the nose cone, the alignment lugs being received in spaces defined between the locking tabs when the nose cone is coupled to the outer contact, the alignment lugs being keyed with the locking tabs such that rear walls of the alignment lugs engage front surfaces of the locking tabs to mechanically block the nose cone from coupling to the outer contact in rotational orientations other than the four distinct orthogonal rotational orientations.

17 . The header assembly of claim 11 , wherein the rear shell is generally box-shaped and includes a front wall, a top wall, a bottom that is configured to be mounted to a circuit board, and two side walls, a first keying rib of the one or more keying ribs of the nose cone being angularly positioned proximate to the top wall when the nose cone is in a first of the four rotational orientations, the first keying rib being angularly positioned proximate to one of the two side walls when t

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Lane David James
• Baker Jesse Alan

Classifications

• H01R24/50

  mounted on a PCB [Printed Circuit Board] · CPC title

• H01R24/52

  mounted in or to a panel or structure · CPC title

• H01R13/6456

  comprising keying elements at different positions along the periphery of the connector · CPC title

• H01R13/6583

  with separate conductive resilient members between mating shield members · CPC title

• H01R2201/26

  for vehicles · CPC title