Coax Connector Spring Contacts Short Mating Distance
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-frequency signal transmission in coaxial connectors requires a reduced mating distance to ensure effective shielding and reliable connections, as existing solutions often result in longer mating lengths due to the need for extended outer contacts to engage before inner contacts.
Innovation Solution
A coaxial connector assembly with static coax center and outer contact pads on one connector and spring contacts on the other, where the spring contacts are biased to engage the pads in a way that ensures the outer contacts establish shielding before the inner contacts, allowing for a shorter mating distance through pivoting the connectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If extended outer contacts are used to engage before inner contacts, then shielding is established before signal transmission, but mating distance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The outer contacts are made dynamic through spring biasing, allowing them to engage first during the mating process. The spring force enables the outer contacts to extend forward and make contact with the corresponding pads before the inner contacts engage, establishing shielding before signal transmission begins. This dynamic engagement sequence resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable shielding without requiring excessive mating distance.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring-biased outer contacts perform preliminary engagement action before the inner contacts engage. By designing the outer contacts to extend forward and make contact first, the shielding function is established in advance of signal transmission. This preliminary action ensures that the coaxial connection is properly shielded before any high-frequency signals pass through the inner conductor.
2Length of moving object
If spring contacts are used, then mating distance is reduced, but contact reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Spring contacts are employed to create a dynamic engagement mechanism that reduces mating distance while maintaining reliability. The spring bias provides continuous contact force, ensuring reliable electrical connection without requiring long mating distances. The elastic deformation of the spring allows for self-adjustment and compensation of manufacturing tolerances and assembly variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring constant and pre-compression force are carefully selected to optimize both contact reliability and mating distance. By adjusting the spring parameters, the design achieves sufficient contact pressure for reliable signal transmission while keeping the overall mating distance short. The spring force profile is engineered to ensure proper engagement sequence between outer and inner contacts.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves a shorter mating distance while ensuring reliable coaxial connections and effective shielding, maintaining high-frequency signal integrity with minimal impact on transmission, by using multiple uniformly spaced outer spring contacts to engage before the inner contacts, thus reducing the overall length of the connection process.
Implementation Method 1
a pin that is spring biased forward but that can be deflected rearward
Implementation Method 2
Each spring contact includes a pin that is spring biased forward but that can be deflected rearward
Data Source
AI summary
Coaxial contacts of a second connector (14) are in the form of static pads (34, 36), while coax contacts of a first connector (12) are in the form of spring contacts (40, 42) with pins (52) that engage the static pads. The first connector includes a coax center spring contact (40) positioned to engage a center static pad (34) of the second connector, and the first connector includes a plurality of outer coax spring contacts (42A, 42B, 42C, 42D) positioned to engage the outer static pad (36) of the second connector. When fully mated, a static pad region (90) on the first connector lies facewise adjacent to the outer static pad. The connectors are constructed to mate by pivoting the first connector against the second one, to assure that an outer coax spring contact makes engagement before the center spring contact makes engagement.