Plug Connector Assembly With Tilted Clamp Geometry for Low PIM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical plug connectors for corrugated cables experience undesirable passive intermodulations and impedance discontinuities due to non-uniform contact pressure along the thread path, leading to reflections of high-frequency signals.
Innovation Solution
The design features a compression sleeve and stop element with a tilted longitudinal axis or a helical edge, ensuring optimal clamping of the cable outer conductor over a larger angular segment, thereby maintaining constant contact pressure and minimizing intermodulations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the compression sleeve and stop element are connected with perpendicular end faces to the longitudinal axis, then the assembly is simple to manufacture, but the contact pressure along the thread path becomes non-uniform causing passive intermodulations and impedance discontinuities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by tilting the end face of the stop element or the compression sleeve relative to the longitudinal axis by a specific angle (α). This asymmetric orientation compensates for the helical thread path geometry, ensuring that the contact force between the compression sleeve and stop element remains constant throughout the 360° thread engagement, thereby eliminating passive intermodulations and impedance discontinuities while maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the connector components by introducing a tilt angle (α) between the end face normal and the longitudinal axis. This parameter modification transforms the uniform axial compression into a controlled non-uniform contact distribution that compensates for the thread helix, achieving constant contact pressure along the entire thread path and improving signal transmission reliability
2Ease of manufacture
If a standard axial compression connection is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but passive intermodulations occur due to varying contact pressure along the thread path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an asymmetric tilt angle (α) to the end face of either the stop element or compression sleeve. This asymmetric design maintains simplicity in manufacturing while effectively eliminating the varying contact pressure that causes passive intermodulations, as the tilted surface compensates for the helical thread geometry to provide uniform contact force distribution
3Device complexity
If the end faces are oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, then the structural design is straightforward, but impedance discontinuities and signal reflections occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction by introducing a moderate asymmetric tilt angle (α) to the end face orientation. This design modification maintains structural simplicity while ensuring impedance continuity, as the tilted surface compensates for thread helix effects to provide uniform contact pressure, preventing signal reflections and maintaining reliable high-frequency signal transmission
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical plug connector for a cable has a compression sleeve and a stop element that is axially adjacent to and connected to the compression sleeve. The compression sleeve has an inner lateral surface thread that is screwable to an outer lateral surface thread of an outer conductor of the cable. The outer conductor is clampable between the compression sleeve and an axial end region of the stop element, and in an assembled state, a longitudinal axis of the compression sleeve, is tilted relative to a longitudinal axis of the stop element; or b) a normal vector of a plane spanned by an edge between an end face and an inner lateral surface of the stop element is rotated by orientation angle (φA) relative to the longitudinal axis of the compression sleeve; or c) the edge has a helical course in a longitudinal axis direction of the plug connector.