ADAPTER
20230378693 · 2023-11-23
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H01R13/639
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H01R13/639
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
An adapter includes a connector main body, a housing, elastic members, a locking member and an elastic clamping member, wherein the connector main body includes an outer conductor, an inner conductor and an insulator; the housing is arranged on the connector main body in a sleeved manner; a limiting space is formed between the housing and the connector main body; one end of the locking member is movably limited in the limiting space, and the other end of the locking member is provided with extrusion portions; the elastic members are at least partially located in the limiting space; one end of each of the elastic members abuts against a side wall of the limiting space, and the other end of the elastic member abuts against the locking member.
Claims
1. An adapter, comprising: a connector main body, wherein the connector main body comprises an outer conductor, an inner conductor disposed within the outer conductor, and an insulator disposed between the outer conductor and the inner conductor; a housing, wherein the housing is arranged on the connector main body in a sleeved manner, a limiting space is formed between the housing and the connector main body; a locking member, wherein one end of the locking member is movably limited within the limiting space, and the other end of the locking member is provided with extrusion portions; elastic members, wherein the elastic members are at least partially located in the limiting space, one end of each of the elastic members abuts against a side wall of the limiting space, and the other end of the elastic member abuts against the locking member; and an elastic clamping member, wherein one end of the elastic clamping member is detachably connected to the outer conductor, and the other end of the elastic clamping member is provided with at least two elastic clamping portions, each of the elastic clamping portions is provided with a stop portion; wherein the extrusion portions match the stop portions such that the at least two elastic clamping portions to gather towards the center.
2. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the extrusion portions extend towards the elastic clamping portions, and the stop portions extend towards the locking member, and both the extrusion portions and the stop portions have smooth surfaces, and the extrusion portions can move along the surface of the stop portions.
3. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the outer conductor is provided with an installation hole extending along an axial direction, the installation hole comprises a first accommodating hole and a second accommodating hole communicated with each other, and a limited step portion is formed at an intersection of the first accommodating hole and the second accommodating hole, wherein one end of the elastic clamping member is inserted into the first accommodating hole and abuts against the limited step portion.
4. The adapter of claim 3, wherein the insulator is inserted into the second accommodating hole and has a through hole, and the inner conductor is inserted into the through hole and detachably connected to the insulator.
5. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the locking member has a first assembly hole extending along an axial direction, the first assembly hole comprising a third accommodating hole and a fourth accommodating hole communicated to each other, and a resistance step portion is formed at an intersection of the third and fourth accommodating holes, the other end of each of the elastic members extends into the third accommodating hole and abuts against the resistance step portion.
6. The adapter of claim 5, wherein the elastic members are arranged on the outer conductor in a sleeved manner and are located between the locking member and the outer conductor.
7. The adapter of claim 5, wherein the elastic clamping portion is at least partially located in the first assembly hole, and the extrusion portions are compression protrusion formed on an inner wall of the fourth accommodating hole.
8. The adapter of claim 1, wherein each elastic clamping portion further has a clearance groove, and when at least two elastic clamping portions gather towards the center, at least two clearance grooves form accommodating spaces.
9. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the outer conductor comprises a base and an installation protrusion formed by outwardly protruding from the outer side wall of the base, wherein the housing is arranged on the installation protrusion in a sleeve manner and connected to the installation protrusion, and the housing, the installation protrusion, and the base enclose to form a limiting space, wherein one end of each of the elastic members, which is within the limiting space, abuts against the installation protrusion.
10. The adapter of claim 1, wherein one end of the locking member is provided with a first limiting protrusion, the first limiting protrusion is located within the limiting space, and the housing is provided with a second limiting protrusion which match the first limiting protrusion to limit one end of the locking member within the limiting space.
11. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the adapter further comprises a pressing portion provided on the outer side of the locking member.
12. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with an installation portion for mounting and fixing the adapter.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027]
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036] Reference numerals: 100, adapter; 10, outer conductor; 11, installation hole; 111, first accommodating hole; 112, second accommodating hole; 12, limited step portion; 13, installation protrusion; 20, insulator; 21, through hole; 30, inner conductor; 31, insertion hole; 311, elastic locking element; 40, housing; 41, limiting space; 42, second positioning protrusion; 50, locking member; 50a, first end; 50b, second end; 51, first assembly hole; 511, third accommodating hole; 512, fourth accommodating hole; 52, resistance step portion; 53, first limiting protrusion; 54, pressing portion; 55, extrusion portion; 60, elastic clamping member; 61, main body; 611, second assembly hole; 612, elastic clamping portion; 613, slot; 614, through hole; 615, stop portion; 616, clearance groove; 617, accommodating space; 70, elastic member; a, cable core; b, insulation medium; c, outer conductor of cable; d, second component.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] The following text will provide a clear and complete description of the technical solution of the embodiments of the present disclosure, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the present disclosure.
[0038] When testing cables and cable assemblies, for double-ended cable assemblies, after calibration with corresponding calibration devices, the two ends can be connected to the respective testing equipment to test return loss, insertion loss, and other electrical performances. However, for cables and single-ended cable assemblies, it is not possible to directly obtain accurate electrical performance.
[0039] To achieve electrical performance testing of cables and cable assemblies, the commonly used methods are either creating double-ended cable assemblies or using single-ended testing. For the method of creating double-ended cable assemblies, connectors need to be added at both ends of the cable or at the tail end of the single-ended cable assembly (i.e., the end without the corresponding connector) and then removed after testing. The connectors are typically fixed to the cable using destructive methods such as welding or crimping when adding them. This testing method not only easily damages the cable, resulting in low testing efficiency and high costs, but also cannot be applied to cables or single-ended cable assemblies with components at the tail end. Moreover, it introduces measurement errors, leading to measurement results that deviate from the actual results and include certain estimations and errors. For the single-ended testing method, testing equipment such as a network analyzer or time-domain reflectometer (TDR) is usually required to measure return loss. This testing method also involves measurement errors, resulting in measurement results that deviate from the actual results and include certain estimations and errors.
[0040] In addition, it is stated in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards that adapters can be used for electrical performance testing. However, using adapters for electrical performance testing has the following disadvantages in addition to the aforementioned ones: (1) Different adapters need to be set up to adapt to different cable models, which can easily lead to increased costs; (2) Standard interface adapters cannot be used for electrical performance testing of coaxial cables or single-ended coaxial cable assemblies.
[0041] The present disclosure discloses an adapter that, on one hand, adopts a design with replaceable components to accommodate different models of cables, cable assemblies, or cable assemblies with components. On the other hand, it employs a quick self-locking structure design to facilitate fast connection between cables, cable assemblies, or cable assemblies with components and the adapter, avoiding damage to the cables, cable assemblies, or cable assemblies with components and improving assembly efficiency. The adapter of the present disclosure is particularly suitable for situations where the outer diameter of the component on the cable assembly is larger than the outer diameter of the outer conductor of the cable.
[0042] The present disclosure discloses an adapter 100, as shown in
[0043] In operation, press the locking member 50 to move along the axial direction, causing the locking member 50 to extrude the elastic member 70 and compress it. At this time, the extrusion portion 55 no longer acts on the stop portion 615 of the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612, and the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612 are in an expanded state. Further, insert the tested cable or cable assembly into the adapter 100. During the insertion process, the cable core a is inserted into the inner conductor 30, achieving electrical connection between the cable core a and the inner conductor 30 of the adapter. After insertion, release the locking member 50. Under the action of the elastic member 70, the locking member 50 returns to its original position, and the extrusion portion 55 acts on the stop portion 615 of the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612, causing the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612 to gather towards the center, thereby clamping the outer conductor c of the cable and achieving electrical connection between the outer conductor c and the outer conductor 10 of the adapter. After assembling the tested cable or cable assembly into the adapter 100, the cable electrical performance can be tested according to the IEC standard method. After the test is completed, press the locking member 50 again to move it along the axial direction. At this time, the extrusion portion 55 no longer acts on the stop portion 615 of the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612, and the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612 are in an expanded state, allowing the tested cable or cable assembly to be removed.
[0044] Referring to
[0045] Referring to
[0046] The inner conductor 30 is a columnar structure, which is inserted and fixed in the through hole 21 of the insulator 20. The inner conductor 30 is detachably connected to the insulator 20, and is coaxially arranged with the outer conductor 10. A portion of the inner conductor 30 is located in the second assembly hole 611 of the main body 61 of the elastic clamping member 60, and the portion located in the second assembly hole 611 is provided with an insertion hole 31. The insertion hole 31 is used for inserting the cable core of the cable to be tested, to achieve electrical connection with the cable or cable assembly.
[0047] In this embodiment, the insertion hole 31 is formed by a plurality of elastic locking members 311, that is, a plurality of elastic locking members 311 extend from the end face of the inner conductor 30 in the axial direction, and the plurality of elastic locking members 311 gather towards the center to form the insertion hole 31, which is in a closed state. With this design structure, on one hand, the insertion hole 31 can accommodate cable core slightly larger than the inner diameter of the insertion hole 31, and on the other hand, it facilitates the insertion and removal of the cable core, improving assembly efficiency. In other embodiments, the insertion hole 31 can also be formed by a recess along the axial direction of the end face of the inner conductor 30.
[0048] Referring to
[0049] The present disclosure achieves the connection between the insulator 20 and the inner conductor 30 in a detachable manner. By adopting a detachable structural design, it facilitates the replacement of the inner conductor 30 and the elastic clamping member 60, allowing compatibility with different types of cables or cable assemblies while maintaining the impedance characteristics of the adapter 100 unchanged. The inner conductor 30, insulator 20, and outer conductor 10 constitute the main body of the connector, which has a standard connector interface. The standard connector interface includes, but is not limited to, SMA/N. By employing a standard connector interface design, the adapter 100 can be used for electrical performance testing of coaxial cables or single-ended coaxial cable assemblies, while still maintaining an internal characteristic impedance of 50 ohms or 75 ohms. The internal characteristic impedance is determined by the radial dimension ratio between the outer conductor 10 and the inner conductor 30 of the adapter 100.
[0050] In order to apply a force to the elastic clamping member 60, the locking part 50 also includes a extrusion portion 55 raised and formed on the inner wall of the fourth accommodating hole 512. The elastic clamping portion 612 is located within the first assembly hole 51, and the extrusion portion 55 is used to apply a force to a plurality of elastic clamping portions 612, causing them to gather towards the center and present a closed state. In the initial state, i.e., when the adapter is not in use, the extrusion portion 55 acts on the plurality of elastic clamping portions 612, causing them to gather towards the center and present a closed state. When in use, a force is applied to the locking member 50 in the direction shown in the figure, causing the locking member 50 to move a certain distance relative to the outer conductor 10 along the axial direction. In the meantime, the extrusion portion 55 no longer acts on the plurality of the elastic clamping portions 612, and the plurality of the elastic clamping portions 612 are in an expanded state, facilitating the insertion of cables, cable assemblies, or cable assemblies with components. After the cables, cable assemblies, or cable assemblies with components are inserted into place, the locking member 50 is released, and is reset under the action of the elastic element 70. In the meantime, the extrusion portion 55 once again acts on the plurality of the elastic clamping portions 612, causing them to gather towards the center and clamp the outer conductor c of cable.
[0051] Referring to
[0052] As shown in
[0053] In order to facilitate the overall installation and fixation of adapter 100, the housing 40 is also equipped with an installation portion (not shown) for installing and fixing the adapter. The installation portion can adopt an installation structure that matches the testing environment, such as a flange structure. That is, the housing 40 is equipped with a flange for fixation, and the adapter 100 is fixed by the flange. Alternatively, a bolt hole structure can be used, where the housing 40 has bolt holes and the housing 40 is fixed by bolts. This allows the adapter 100 to be fixed in a suitable position on the testing panel or other appropriate locations, suitable for different testing environments, thereby improving testing efficiency and ultimately enhancing production capacity and quality.
[0054] As shown in
[0055] With reference to
Example 1
[0056] As shown in
Example 2
[0057] As shown in
Example 3
[0058] Referring to
[0059] The adapter 100 described herein, firstly, by adopting a standard connector interface design, can connect cables, cable assemblies, or cable assemblies with components to a standard RF connector interface, realizing electrical performance testing, especially suitable for electrical performance testing of coaxial cables, coaxial cable assemblies, or coaxial cable assemblies with components, such as measuring insertion loss, return loss, and intermodulation, etc. Secondly, by adopting a design of replaceable components, namely, a detachable structure design between the elastic clamp member 60 and the outer conductor 10, and a detachable structure design between the inner conductor 30 and the insulator 20, the elastic clamp member 60 and the inner conductor 30 can be replaced, enabling connection with cables, cable assemblies, and cable assemblies with components of different models, achieving the generalization of the testing tool, reducing the design and production cost of the testing tool, and also maintaining the internal characteristic impedance of the adapter unchanged. Finally, by adopting a quick self-locking structure, namely, the cooperation among the outer conductor 10, the locking member 50, the elastic clamp member 60, and the elastic member 70, the cable, cable assembly, or cable assembly with components can be quickly connected to the adapter with a small insertion force when pressing the locking member 50, and the elastic clamp member 60 can clamp the outer conductor c of the cable when releasing the locking member 50, realizing a fast connection between the cable, cable assembly, or cable assembly with components (the outer diameter dimension of the second component d can be larger than the outer diameter dimension of the outer conductor c of the cable) and the adapter, improving assembly efficiency and testing efficiency while avoiding damage to the cable or cable assembly.
[0060] Various technical content and features of the present disclosure have been disclosed as above. However, those skilled in the art may still make various substitutions and modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present disclosure based on the teachings and disclosures of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should not be limited to the content disclosed in the embodiments, but should include various substitutions and modifications that do not depart from the present disclosure, as covered by the claims of the application.