Method and device for producing an operative connection between a connector and a cable

Abstract

A method for producing an operative connection between a coaxial cable (1) and a coaxial connector (16). A cable jacket (5), if present, is removed by means of a first tool (6) to a predefined first length L1. In a second step, an outer conductor (3) is removed by means of a second tool (7) to a predefined second length L2. In a third step, a dielectric (4) is removed by means of a third tool (8) to a third length L3, such that one end (15) of the inner conductor (2) is exposed. Then the end (15) of the inner cable conductor (2) is formed by means of a rotary swaging device (9), which comprises a plurality of deflectable jaws (10) rotatable circumferentially about an axis of rotation (11) and each hammering in the radial direction with at least one operative surface (14).

Claims

1. A method for producing an operative connection between a first coaxial cable and a coaxial connector, comprising the following method steps: a. removing an outer conductor over a defined second length with a second tool; b. removing a dielectric over a third length with a third tool, so that an end of the inner conductor is exposed; c. providing a rotary swaging device comprising a plurality of jaws which are rotatable in the circumferential direction about an axis of rotation, that are movable in a radial direction and each comprise at least one active surface; d. introducing the end of the inner conductor into an active region of the at least one active surface so that a shape of the at least one active surface is transferred to the end of the inner conductor and the end of the inner conductor has at least two portions, each having a different defined diameter; e. providing the coaxial connector; and f. pushing the inner conductor into a cable opening in a housing of the coaxial connector until at least one portion having the at least one defined diameter has reached a defined position inside the coaxial connector.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, for operative connection, the end of the cable inner conductor is pushed into a connection opening in a connector inner conductor.

3. The method according claim 2, wherein the end of the cable inner conductor is pushed into a bush.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the bush is rotary swaged together with the cable inner conductor.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cable inner conductor is pushed through a central hole in an insulator of the connector until said cable inner conductor forms the connector inner conductor.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second and third lengths are approximately the same.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cable sheath is removed over a defined first length with a first tool before removing the outer conductor over the defined second length with the second tool.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Additional aspects of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the embodiment described in the following figures, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a method according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a side view of the method according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of a connector according to the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of a connector according to the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of a connector according to the invention;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of a connector according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(8) FIG. 1 is a schematic, greatly simplified perspective view of a method according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the same method.

(9) A coaxial cable 1 comprises an inner conductor 2, an outer conductor 3 arranged coaxially therewith and a dielectric 4 arranged therebetween. The outer conductor 3 is surrounded by a cable sheath 5.

(10) In a first step, the cable sheath 5 is removed over a defined first length L1 by means of a first tool 6. The outer conductor 3 is then removed over a defined second length L2 by means of a second tool 7. In a further step, the dielectric 4 is removed over a third length L3 by means of a third tool 8, so that the inner conductor 2 is exposed. In one embodiment, the second and the third lengths L2, L3 are approximately the same. The inner conductor 2, which has an approximately cylindrical shape when unprocessed, is then deformed in one or more operations by means of a rotary swaging device 9 according to the invention. In the embodiment shown, the rotary swaging device 9 has three jaws 10 (other numbers of jaws, for example 2 or 4, are possible depending on the field of application) which are arranged so as to be rotatable about an axis 11 and such that they are driven in the radial direction in a deflectable manner. The rotation movement about the axis 11 and the hammering deflection movement in the radial direction are shown schematically by the first and second arrows 12, 13. The jaws 10 are shown moved apart from one another, so that the inner structure is visible. In the production position, the jaws 10 are moved together in the radial direction (second arrow 13) so as to allow shaping active surfaces 14 to act on and thus plastically deform the inner conductor 2. The result of this is that the shape of the active surfaces 14 is transferred to the end 15 of the inner conductor 2. When necessary, the deformation process can also take place in several steps by means of a plurality of rotary swaging devices 9. The coaxial cable can be prepared, i.e. the outer layers can be removed and the inner conductor 2 exposed, in a rotary swaging device 9 designed specifically for this purpose. When necessary, one or more steps can be carried out by means of one or more other tools (not shown in greater detail). The coaxial cable 1 is positioned and held precisely by means of a mounting (not shown in greater detail), at least during the rotary swaging process. In one embodiment, the tools 6-8 are designed as cutting tools and are moved towards the coaxial cable 1 in the radial direction in order to remove the outer layers 3-5 thereof until the corresponding layer is separated. The layer can then be stripped off towards the cable end 15.

(11) FIG. 3-7 show four embodiments of connectors 16 according to the invention. The connectors 16 each comprise a housing 17 in which is arranged a connector inner conductor 18 which is held with respect to the housing 17 by an insulator 19. The housing 17 generally simultaneously acts as an outer conductor of the connector 16 for signal transmission. The connectors 16 generally also comprise a locking means 20, by means of which the connector 16 can be attached for example to a socket or to another connector (neither of these is shown in greater detail). In the connectors 16 shown in FIG. 3-7, the housing 17, the insulator 19 and the operative connection means 20 are shown in section so that the inner structure of the connector is visible.

(12) FIG. 3 shows an assembly 34 consisting of a connector 16 and a coaxial cable 1 operatively connected thereto. The connector 16 shown is an angular connector. The coaxial cable 1, which has been prepared by means of the method according to the invention, lies in a cable opening 21 which is arranged perpendicularly to the connector inner conductor 18. One end 15 of the inner conductor 2 is processed by rotary swaging and has a first portion 22 having a first diameter D1 and a second portion 23 having a second diameter D2. An end cap 24, which is spherical in this case, is then formed subsequently to the second portion. A conical transition surface 25 is located between the first and the second portion. An advantage of the method according to the invention is that abrupt changes in diameter, which can potentially impair signal transmission, can be avoided, even with small diameters of the inner conductor 2.

(13) The second diameter D2 of the second portion 23 is adapted to the diameter of a connection opening 26 in the connector inner conductor 18. In the embodiment shown, the cable inner conductor 18 is produced from a sheet and has a pin-like configuration in the front region. In the rear region, where the connection opening 24 is located, said cable inner conductor has a U-shaped cross section having a clamping tongue 27 which, in the view shown, is deflected upwards (z-axis) into the connection opening 24 when the inner conductor 2 is inserted. The connection opening 24 and the clamping tongue 25 projecting into said opening are adapted to the second diameter D2 of the second portion 23 so that the inner conductor 2 is securely operatively connected thereto following insertion into the connector inner conductor 18. Other manners of attachment are possible. The connector inner conductor 18 can be given the hollow cylindrical shape, as shown, having the different diameters by means of rotary swaging.

(14) In the arrangement shown in FIG. 4, in addition to the connector 17 the coaxial cable 1 is also shown in section, so that the inner structure is more visible. The coaxial cable 1 is shown without a cable sheath. The connector 16 is a straight connector in which the cable inner conductor 2 and the connector inner conductor 18 are arranged on the same axis. The coaxial cable 1 is inserted into the cable opening 21 formed in the rear end of the housing 17 and the exposed outer conductor 3 is operatively connected to the housing 18. The end 15 of the inner conductor 2 is inserted into a bush 28, which simultaneously forms the connector inner conductor 18. The bush 28 is placed on the inner conductor 2 of the coaxial cable 1 beforehand and then operatively connected thereto by means of rotary swaging. One advantage is that the inner conductor 2 and the bush 28 or the connector inner conductor 18 can have the same continuous diameter (cf. second portion 23). The use of a bush 28 is advantageous when the cable inner conductor 2 is a stranded inner conductor consisting of a plurality of individual wires. The connector inner conductor 18 comprises barbs 29 which are formed integrally on the outside and are used to anchor the connector inner conductor 18 in the insulator 19 of the connector 16. In the embodiment shown, the insulator 19 is pressed into the housing 17 from the front as far as up to a first shoulder 30. The connector inner conductor 18 is then pressed, together with the cable inner conductor 2, from behind into a central hole 31 in the insulator 19, the barbs 29 anchoring themselves tightly in the material of the insulator 19. Owing to the design according to the invention, the connector 16 has the advantage of having a comparatively short overall length.

(15) In the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, the variant has a similar construction to that of the variant shown in FIG. 4. The inner conductor 2 is what is known as a stranded inner conductor which consists of a plurality of individual wires (not shown) that have been stranded together. The end 15 of the inner conductor 2 is rotary swaged so that the individual wires are operatively interconnected by means of cold welding. When necessary, the individual wires can undergo surface treatment, for example in an immersion bath. The connector inner conductor 18 is arranged in the central hole 31 in the insulator 19 and is held thereby with respect to the housing 17 of the connector 16. The connector inner conductor 18 has a bush-shaped rear end having individual, inwardly directed spring tongues 33 which are separated by slits 32 and distributed on the circumference of the bush 28. For connection to the connector inner conductor 18, the cable inner conductor 2 is inserted into the bush-shaped region 28 of the connector inner conductor 18. In so doing, the spring tongues 33 are resiliently bent outwards so that a clamping effect is exerted on the cable inner conductor 2.

(16) In the connectors known from the prior art, an intermediate part is required for connecting a stranded inner conductor. This is disadvantageous in that higher costs are incurred and the connector has a greater overall length. Further disadvantages reside in the multiple contacts required therefor, which can have a negative impact on signal quality.