Coaxial connector with floating mechanism

Abstract

The coaxial connector with a floating mechanism (1) includes a movable insulator (8) that is slidably fitted with a center conductor (7) and housed in an insulator housing portion (4) in a manner that allows movement in the axial direction, and a force applying rubber member (9) that is interposed between a partition wall (10) disposed on the inner side of the insulator housing portion and the movable insulator (8), the force applying rubber member (9) being pressed into the movable insulator (8) by the socket (3) when the plug (2) is connected to the socket (3), and the elastic columnar body (10) being bent into a circular arc shape.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a coaxial connector with a floating mechanism, which connects electronic components housed in a housing such as a camera module to a cable such as a coaxial cable. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, the module configuration of vehicle camera modules, etc., was such that the module body housed in a housing was connected to a coaxial cable via a coaxial connector mounted on the housing.

[0003] The coaxial connector has a socket for connecting to a base plate that forms part of the module body housed within the housing, and a plug for connecting to a coaxial cable. The plug and socket are connected by mounting the plug to the housing, or by assembling the rear housing with the plug mounted to the front housing.

[0004] The plug has a cylindrical outer shell containing conductive metal material, an insulator containing insulating resin housed within the outer shell, and a central conductor containing conductive metal material held in the insulator, and has an insulator housing portion for a socket to be fitted into one end of the outer shell.

[0005] The insulator is located on the inner side of the insulator receiving portion, which is open on the axial end face of the housing, forming the inner wall of the insulator receiving portion. The top end of the center conductor protrudes from its axial end face. By fitting the socket into the insulator receiving portion, the housing contacts the outer conductor of the socket, and the center conductor contacts the center conductor on the socket side.

[0006] On the other hand, when connecting the plug and socket, depending on the position of the substrate to be housed in the housing and the installation tolerances of the plug and housing, the relative positions of the plug and socket to be connected may deviate from the design value in the axial direction. In such cases, a reliable connection is also required.

[0007] Therefore, in the past, the insulation housing was configured with a specified distance margin in the axial direction (connection direction) to absorb positional deviations, allowing for design values ​​and errors generated in the axial direction, and always maintaining the connection between the plug and the socket.

[0008] However, when the insulator housing is provided with a specified distance margin in the axial direction (connection direction), when the relative position of the plug and socket deviates from the design value, an air layer with a lower dielectric constant than the resin is generated between the axial end face of the insulator and the end face of the socket, which may cause the matched impedance to change.

[0009] Therefore, a coaxial connector has been developed which has a movable insulator that is slidably housed in an insulator housing and a metal elastic member such as a helical spring or leaf spring that applies force to the movable insulator toward the socket side between the movable insulator and a fixed insulator or the inner wall of the housing. The end face of the movable insulator always abuts against the end face of the socket (for example, see Patent Document 1).

[0010] Existing technical documents

[0011] Patent documents

[0012] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-059691 Summary of the Invention

[0013] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention

[0014] However, as mentioned above, in the prior art, when an elastic component consisting of a metal helical spring or leaf spring is arranged around the center conductor, impedance matching may be hindered.

[0015] Therefore, the present invention was made in view of this prior art problem, and its object is to provide a coaxial connector with a floating mechanism that can appropriately apply force to the movable insulator on the socket side and maintain a matched impedance.

[0016] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0017] As described above, in order to solve the existing technical problems, the invention described in technical solution 1 is characterized in that, in a coaxial connector with a floating mechanism for a socket to be fitted onto one end of a plug, the plug comprises: a housing having an insulator housing portion with an opening at one end and containing a conductive material; an outer conductor held inside the insulator housing portion and containing a conductive material; a center conductor disposed inside the housing and containing a conductive material; a movable insulator slidably fitted with the center conductor and housed within the insulator housing portion in a manner movable in the axial direction; and a force-applying rubber component, located between a partition wall disposed inside the insulator housing portion or a fixed insulator fixed within the housing and the movable insulator, the force-applying rubber component comprising a pair of pressure plates spaced apart and opposed to each other, and a plurality of elastic pillars connecting the two pressure plates, wherein when the socket is connected to the plug, the movable insulator is pressed into place by the socket, and the elastic pillars are bent into an arc shape.

[0018] The invention described in technical solution 2 is based on the structure of technical solution 1. The movable insulator has a guide groove on its outer side for a guide protrusion protruding from the inner side of the insulator housing to be inserted, and is guided by the guide protrusion to slide in the axial direction within the insulator housing. The force-applying rubber component has a guide recess on the side edge of the pressure plate for the guide protrusion to be inserted, and the elastic column is arranged such that the bending center side of the side edge of the guide recess faces the guide protrusion side.

[0019] The invention described in technical solution 3 is based on the structure of technical solution 1 or 2, wherein the elastic column has a plate-shaped column body disposed on the central side in the bending direction, and a reinforcing rib protruding on the outer side of the column body in the bending direction.

[0020] The invention described in technical solution 4 is based on the structure of technical solution 3, wherein the lateral width of the column body is greater than or equal to twice the protruding width of the reinforcing ridge.

[0021] The invention described in technical solution 5 is based on the structure of any one of technical solutions 1 to 4, wherein the movable insulator is formed with a conductor insertion hole for the central conductor to pass through, and a sliding hole communicating with the conductor insertion hole and slidably inserted into the fixed insulator fixed in the outer shell.

[0022] The effects of the invention

[0023] The coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to the present invention, by having the structure described in technical solution 1, appropriately applies force to the movable insulator on the socket side, does not form an air layer between the movable insulator and the socket, and does not arrange metal parts around the center conductor, thus maintaining a matched impedance.

[0024] Furthermore, in this invention, by having the structure described in technical solution 2, the bending direction of the elastic column can be appropriately controlled, and a stable floating state can be maintained.

[0025] Furthermore, in this invention, by having the structure described in technical solutions 3 to 4, a constant force can be exerted and the bending direction can be appropriately controlled.

[0026] Furthermore, in this invention, by having the structure described in technical solution 5, the center conductor is surrounded by a resin material, which can maintain impedance matching. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 This is a longitudinal sectional view of the same plug as above.

[0029] Figure 3 This is a partially exploded 3D view of the same plug.

[0030] Figure 4 (a) is a front view of the same shell, (b) is its bottom view, and (c) is its longitudinal section.

[0031] Figure 5 (a) is an enlarged top view of the movable insulator shown above, (b) is an enlarged front view of it, and (c) is an enlarged longitudinal section view of it.

[0032] Figure 6 (a) is an enlarged perspective view of the same rubber component used for applying force, and (b) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of it.

[0033] Figure 7 These are longitudinal sectional views used to illustrate the operation of the coaxial connector with floating mechanism described above. (a) is a view showing the case where the distance between the plug and the socket is long, and (b) is a view showing the case where the distance between the plug and the socket is short.

[0034] Figure 8 These are enlarged cross-sectional views used to illustrate the operation of the rubber component applying force as described above. (a) is a view showing the case where the distance between the plug and the socket is long, and (b) is a view showing the case where the distance between the plug and the socket is short.

[0035] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0036] 1: Coaxial connector with floating mechanism

[0037] 2: Plug

[0038] 3: Socket

[0039] 4: Insulator housing section

[0040] 5: Outer shell

[0041] 6: External conductor

[0042] 7: Center conductor

[0043] 8: Movable insulator

[0044] 9: Rubber components for applying force

[0045] 10: Partition wall

[0046] 11: Cable connection part

[0047] 12: Insulator through hole

[0048] 13: Fixed insulator

[0049] 14: Intermediate rubber component

[0050] 15: Cable side insulation

[0051] 16: Protrusion

[0052] 17: Flange portion

[0053] 18: Guide ridge

[0054] 19: Guide groove

[0055] 20: Elastic Column

[0056] 21: Flange portion

[0057] 22: Conductor through hole

[0058] 23: Sliding hole

[0059] 24: Pressure plate

[0060] 25: Through-hole in insulator

[0061] 26: Guide recess

[0062] 27: Contact element

[0063] 28: Card Combination Piece

[0064] 30: External conductor of the socket

[0065] 31: Socket casing

[0066] 32: Socket contacts Detailed Implementation

[0067] Next, according to Figures 1 to 8 The illustrated embodiments describe an implementation of the coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to the present invention. Furthermore, reference numeral 1 in the drawings indicates a coaxial connector with a floating mechanism.

[0068] like Figure 1 As shown, the socket 3 of the coaxial connector 1 with a floating mechanism (hereinafter referred to as the coaxial connector) 1 is fitted into one end of the plug 2 to be connected to a coaxial cable, etc., and the plug 2 and the socket 3 are electrically connected to each other.

[0069] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the plug 2 includes: a housing 5 having an insulator housing 4 with an opening at one end; an outer conductor 6 held inside the insulator housing 4; a center conductor 7 disposed inside the housing 5; a movable insulator 8 housed in the insulator housing 4 in a manner that allows it to move in the axial direction; and a force-applying rubber member 9 that applies force to the movable insulator 8 toward the socket 3 side.

[0070] like Figure 4 As shown, the outer shell 5 is integrally formed into an irregular cylindrical shape by means of conductive metal material, and the round hole-shaped cable connection part 11 and the square hole-shaped insulator receiving part 4 are continuously formed in the axial direction by means of the partition wall 10.

[0071] The partition wall 10 is formed as a plate orthogonal to the axial direction and has a circular insulator through hole 12 formed in the center.

[0072] The cable connection portion 11 is sequentially fitted with a fixed insulator 13 containing a pin-shaped center conductor 7 made of conductive metal material, a cylindrical intermediate rubber component 14, and a bottom cylindrical cable side insulator 15 made of insulating resin. The fixed insulator 13, the intermediate rubber component 14, and the cable side insulator 15 are concentrically arranged in the center of the outer casing 5 to hold the center conductor 7.

[0073] The fixed insulator 13 is integrally formed of insulating resin and has a cylindrical protrusion 16 and a flange-shaped flange 17 extending from one end of the protrusion 16. The protrusion 16 passes through the insulator insertion hole 12 of the partition wall 10 and protrudes into the insulator receiving portion 4, while the flange 17 abuts against the partition wall 10.

[0074] The center conductor 7 is held in a through state in the fixed insulator 13, and the flange 17 is pressed against the partition wall 10 by the intermediate rubber component 14 and the cable side insulator 15, and is fixed in the housing 5 and cannot move.

[0075] The inner side of the insulator housing 4 is sealed by the partition wall 10, and the other end is formed into an open square hole, such as... Figure 3 As shown, a force-applying rubber component 9 and a movable insulator 8 are housed from the opening side, and an external conductor 6 is fitted and connected to the opening.

[0076] In the insulator housing 4, a pair of guide protrusions 18, 18 are provided on the inner surfaces that are opposite to each other. The movable insulator 8 is guided by the two guide protrusions 18, 18 and can slide in the axial direction inside the insulator housing 4.

[0077] The guide protrusions 18, 18 are formed as cuboids that are elongated in the axial direction and have planar side portions 18a, 18a formed on both sides. They are inserted into guide grooves 19, 19 formed on the side portions of the movable insulator 8 and guide the movable insulator 8 in the axial direction.

[0078] The guide ridges 18, 18 are formed to be longer than the height of the force-applying rubber component 9 at least in the axial direction, and the side portions 18a, 18a are always located on the center side A of the bending direction of the elastic columns 20, 20... which will be described later.

[0079] Furthermore, here, the bending direction refers to the direction in which each elastic column 20, based on the axial compressive force, bends into an arc-shaped bulge, and the center side of the bending direction refers to the center side of the bulging arc. Figure 6 , Figure 8 The side indicated by arrow A in the description, the outer side of the curvature refers to the bulging side of the bulging arc ( Figure 6 , Figure 8 (As shown by arrow B in the record).

[0080] like Figure 5 As shown, the movable insulator 8 is formed into a cuboid shape containing insulating resin, and has an outwardly protruding flange 21 at the other end (the side of the partition wall 10), which can be slidably inserted into the outer conductor 6, and the flange 21 is prevented from detaching by the outer conductor 6.

[0081] The movable insulator 8 has a conductor insertion hole 22 through the center for the center conductor 7 to be inserted, and a sliding hole 23 disposed on the partition wall 10 side of the conductor insertion hole 22. The protrusion 16 of the fixed insulator 13 protruding from the partition wall 10 into the insulator receiving part 4 is slidably inserted into the sliding hole 23 and is fitted with the center conductor 7 in a manner that allows it to slide in the axial direction.

[0082] In addition, the movable insulator 8 has guide grooves 19, 19 that are elongated in the axial direction and match the guide protrusions 18, 18 on its side surface, and can move in the axial direction within the insulator housing 4 along the guide protrusions 18, 18 that are inserted into the guide grooves 19, 19.

[0083] like Figure 6 As shown, the force-applying rubber component 9 is integrally formed from an elastic rubber material and has a pair of rectangular plate-shaped pressure plates 24, 24 that are spaced apart at a predetermined interval and opposed to each other in the axial direction, and a plurality of elastic columns 20, 20... connecting the pressure plates 24, 24. Each pressure plate 24, 24 abuts against the end face of the partition wall 10 and the movable insulator 8, respectively, bears the reaction force of the partition wall 10, and applies force to the movable insulator 8 on the socket 3 side.

[0084] The pressure plates 24 and 24 are rectangular plates that match the cross-sectional shape of the insulator receiving part 4. They have an insulator through hole 25 in the center for the protrusion 16 of the fixed insulator 13 to be inserted through, and respectively abut against the end face of the partition wall 10 and the movable insulator 8.

[0085] The side edges of the pressure plates 24, 24 are provided with guide recesses 26, 26 through which guide protrusions 18, 18 are inserted. The two pressure plates 24, 24 are guided by the guide protrusions 18, 18 and can move relative to each other in the axial direction.

[0086] The elastic columns 20, 20... have a plate-shaped column body 20a that is disposed on the center side of the bending direction and extends in the direction between the pressure plates 24, 24, and a convex reinforcing rib 20b that protrudes outward in the bending direction of the column body 20a. The column body 20a and the reinforcing rib 20b are formed into a column shape with an L-shaped or T-shaped cross section that is continuous in the direction between the pressure plates 24, 24.

[0087] Each elastic column 20, 20... is configured such that the surface of the column body 20a (the surface opposite to the reinforcing ridge 20b) and the inner surface of the guide recesses 26, 26 are the same surface, and the guide recesses 26, 26 of the two pressure plates 24, 24 are connected to the side edges of the guide recesses 26, 26 in the state where the center side A of the bending direction faces the guide ridge 18, 18.

[0088] Furthermore, the elastic pillars 20, 20... are disposed on the side edge of the guide recess 26, thereby the guide protrusions 18, 18 are always disposed on the center side A in the bending direction, thus the bending towards the guide protrusions 18, 18 is restricted, and the reinforcing protrusion 20b side is smoothly bent into an arc shape as the outer side B in the bending direction.

[0089] In addition, in order to achieve smooth bending and a specified rebound force, the lateral width w1 of the column body 20a is preferably greater than or equal to twice the protruding width w2 of the reinforcing rib 20b.

[0090] The outer conductor 6 is formed into a square tube shape by punching and bending the conductive sheet material. On the side, spring-shaped contacts 27, 27... are formed by cutting and forming the socket 3 and connecting the outer conductor 6.

[0091] The outer conductor 6 has outwardly protruding locking tabs 28, 28 formed on the outer surface of one end. These locking tabs 28, 28 engage with the inner surface of the insulator receiving portion 4, fixing and connecting it to the inner side of the insulator receiving portion 4. The movable insulator 8 is inserted into the outer conductor 6 in a movable manner, and the flange portion 17 abuts against the side end face of the partition wall 10 to prevent the movable insulator 8 from falling off.

[0092] When the coaxial connector 1 is inserted into the outer conductor 6, the movable insulator 8 is pressed inward into the socket 3, the contacts 27, 27... of the outer conductor 6 contact the outer conductor 30 of the socket, and the top of the center conductor 7 is inserted into the socket housing 31, contacts the socket contact 32, and is electrically connected.

[0093] In addition, when the movable insulator 8 is pressed into the inside, the pressure plate 24 on the side of the movable insulator 8 is pressed towards the pressure plate 24 that abuts against the partition wall 10. The elastic columns 20, 20... connecting the two pressure plates 24, 24 are bent into an arc shape. The rubber component 9 bears the reaction force of the partition wall 10 and applies force to the movable insulator 8 on the socket 3 side.

[0094] Therefore, even if the relative positions of the plug 2 and socket 3 to be connected deviate from the design value in the axial direction due to the position of the substrate housed in the housing and the installation tolerance of the plug 2 and the housing, the top surface of the movable insulator 8 always remains in contact with the connection end surface of the socket 3, and no gap (air layer) is generated between the movable insulator 8 and the socket 3, thus maintaining impedance matching.

[0095] Specifically, when the distance between plug 2 and socket 3 is greater than the design value, such as Figure 7 As shown in (a), the movable insulator 8 is pushed towards the socket 3 to the position where the elastic pillars 20, 20… are extended. This is achieved when the distance between the plug 2 and the socket 3 is less than the design value. Figure 7 As shown in (b), the elastic cylinders 20, 20... bend and are pushed out of the movable insulator 8 toward the socket 3 by their reaction force.

[0096] At this time, the force-applying rubber component 9, since the pressure plates 24 and 24 are plate-shaped, respectively contact the end face of the partition wall 10 and the movable insulator 8. Therefore, the compressive force accompanying the pressing of the movable insulator 8 is evenly distributed among each elastic column 20, 20..., and each elastic column 20, 20... is appropriately bent.

[0097] In addition, such as Figure 8 As shown, the force-applying rubber component 9 has guide protrusions 18, 18 arranged on the center side A of the bending direction of each elastic column 20, 20..., so that the bending direction of each elastic column 20, 20... is restricted, and it bends in a stable state.

[0098] Furthermore, since each elastic column 20, 20... has a reinforcing ridge 20b protruding outward in the bending direction B of the column body 20a, and the lateral width w1 of the column body 20a is greater than or equal to twice the protruding width w2 of the reinforcing ridge 20b, the force-applying rubber component 9 can obtain sufficient reaction force accompanying bending, so as to apply appropriate force to the socket 3 on the movable insulator 8 side.

[0099] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the case where the force-applying rubber component 9 obtains a reaction force on the partition wall 10 of the outer casing 5 has been described, but a reaction force can also be obtained on the fixed insulator 13.

[0100] Furthermore, the shape of the outer casing 5 and the outer conductor 6 is not limited to the shape of the above-described embodiment, and can be adopted in any manner that can be conceived by those skilled in the art. For example, the case where the insulator receiving portion 4 is formed into a square hole shape has been described, but it can also be in the shape of a round hole. In this case, the movable insulator 8 can also be formed into a cylindrical shape.

Claims

1. A coaxial connector with a floating mechanism, wherein a socket is fitted onto one end of a plug, characterized in that, The plug comprises: a housing having an insulator housing portion with an opening at one end and comprising a conductive material; an outer conductor held inside the insulator housing portion and comprising a conductive material; a center conductor disposed inside the housing and comprising a conductive material; a movable insulator slidably fitted with the center conductor and housed within the insulator housing portion in a manner movable in the axial direction; and a force-applying rubber component located between a partition wall disposed on the inner side of the insulator housing portion and the movable insulator. The force-applying rubber component has a pair of pressure plates spaced apart and opposite each other, and a plurality of elastic columns connecting the two pressure plates. When the socket is connected to the plug, the movable insulator is pressed into the socket and the elastic columns are bent into an arc shape.

2. The coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to claim 1, wherein, The movable insulator has a guide groove on its outer side through which a guide protrusion protruding from the inner side of the insulator housing is inserted, and is guided by the guide protrusion to slide in the axial direction within the insulator housing. The force-applying rubber component has a guide recess on the side edge of the pressure plate through which the guide protrusion is inserted, and the elastic column is arranged such that the bending center side of the side edge of the guide recess faces the guide protrusion.

3. The coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The elastic column has a plate-shaped column body disposed on the central side in the bending direction, and a reinforcing rib protruding on the outer side of the column body in the bending direction.

4. The coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to claim 3, wherein, The transverse width of the column body is greater than or equal to twice the protruding width of the reinforcing ridge.

5. The coaxial connector with a floating mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The movable insulator has a conductor insertion hole for the central conductor to pass through, and a sliding hole that communicates with the conductor insertion hole and is slidably inserted into the fixed insulator fixed in the housing.

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