Protected Resilient Contact Arms for Stub-Free Cable Mating

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Solution Overview

Problem

Coaxial connectors often experience impedance mismatch and signal degradation during mating, leading to reflection phenomena and potential damage due to stubbing issues.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates resilient contact arms with bowed center sections and an electrically conductive protection member, which provide an improved electrical path for grounding and minimize stubbing by engaging a cavity in the mating connector, ensuring enhanced structural integrity and EMI performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If resilient contact arms are used to ensure reliable electrical connection, then electrical conductivity is improved, but the risk of stubbing damage during mating increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical connection reliabilityVSAvoidstubbing damage risk
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A protection member is introduced as an intermediary element between the resilient contact arms and the mating connector. This protection member features a tapered outer surface that guides the mating connector during insertion, preventing direct contact between the mating connector and the resilient contact arms, thereby eliminating stubbing damage while maintaining electrical connection reliability through the protected contact arms

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If conventional connector design is used, then manufacturing is simple, but impedance mismatch causing signal degradation occurs during mating

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnector manufacturing simplicityVSAvoidsignal transmission quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The protection member with its specifically configured tapered outer surface performs a preliminary guiding action during the mating process. This preliminary guidance ensures that the mating connector is properly aligned and positioned before contact is made, preventing impedance mismatch and signal degradation that would otherwise occur during rough mating, while the protection member itself can be manufactured using standard processes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 solution ensures reflection-free transmission of RF signals, reduces the risk of connector damage, and enhances high-speed data transfer capabilities while preventing stubbing and improving electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance.

Implementation Method 1

The resilient contact arms with bowed center sections provide an improved electrical path for grounding

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical conduction: Conduction (electrical)

Implementation Method 2

resilient contact arms with bowed center sections... engaging a cavity in the mating connector, ensuring enhanced structural integrity

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP4101034B1Protection member to protect resilient arms of a contact assembly from stubbing
Publication Date: 2025.01.08 TE CONNECTIVITY SOLUTIONS GMBH
  • EP4101034B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4101034B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP4101034B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A cable assembly (10, 110, 210) for terminating a cable. The cable assembly(10, 110, 210) includes a cable assembly mating end (30, 130, 230) and a cable assembly cable receiving end (31, 131, 231). A metallic outer shell (32, 132,232) is positioned proximate to the cable assembly mating end (30, 130, 230)of the cable assembly (10, 110, 210). The metallic outer shell (32, 132, 232)has a mating contact engagement portion (36, 136, 236). A housing (50, 150,250) made of dielectric material is positioned in the metallic outer shell (32, 132,232). Resilient contact arms (86, 186, 286) are provided on the mating contact engagement portion (36, 136, 236) of the metallic outer shell (32, 132, 232).The resilient contact arms (86, 186, 286) extend from proximate the cable assembly mating end (30, 130, 230). Front ends (94, 194, 294) of the resilient contact arms (86, 186, 286) are provided proximate the cable assembly mating end (30, 130, 230) and cooperate with a protection portion (88, 188, 288) of the cable assembly (10, 110, 210) to prevent the front ends (94, 194, 294) of the resilient contact arms (86, 186, 286) from stubbing when the cable assembly is mated to a mating assembly.