US2429401A - Coaxial cable device - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 21, 1947. A.-c. DAVIS C OAXIAL CABLE DEVICE Filed June 18, 1943 WWWIIM INVENTOR Aer/402 6. .34 ms,

V ATTOR EY.

Patented Oct. 21, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims. 1

The invention relates to a co-axial cable device and to an arrangement for switching a co-axial cable. The usual type of switch is not practical for use with a co-axial cable, because instead of employing an electrical conductor in its usual form, it embodies an outer tubular conductor and an inner co-axial conductor, as is well-known.

More particularly the invention relates to a coaxial switching device and has for an object to make it possible to select and connect in or disconnect from the co-axial circuit any one of a number of co-axial units. In its preferred form, such units are attenuator units, to facilitate varying the impedance in the co-axial circuit.

Another object of the invention is to provide an attenuator unit suitable for use in a co-axial cable circuit.

For further details of the invention, reference may be made to the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a plan View of a co-axial cable attenuator unit according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 2-2 of Fi 1.

Fig. .3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2, locking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View through one of the attenuator units with its associated contacts.

Referring to the drawings, the variable attenuator unit I of this invention is shown as connected between the co-axial cable terminals 2 and 3. The unit I comprises a casing 4 having a handle 5 which may be operated to select one of a number of attenuator units, and the value of the selected unit may be read at the window 6. The manner in which this is accomplished will now be described.

I provide a number of attenuator units like the one shown at I in Fig. 5, wherein the outer tubular conductor 8 is tapered at its opposite ends as indicated at 9 and III, and provided with an inner co-axial conductor H terminating in plugs I2 and I3. The co-axial conductor comprises one or more series resistance elements, two being indicated at I4 and I5, and a shunt resistance element l6, one terminal of which is connected to the co-axial conductor II, as indicated at IT, and the other terminal connected to the tubular conductor 8, as indicated at I8. The co-axial conductor II is supported in the tubular conductor 8 by means of a number of spaced insulating discs such as I9 and the plugs I2 and I3 are supported ,by similar discs such as 20.

- A number of attenuator units like I are con- 7 structed, with diiierent values of series and shunt resistances. The unit of Fig. 2 is shown as accommodating six such units of different attenuation values, although any other number may be used.

The left end of the attenuation unit I is adapted to be connected to a sliding co-axial socket 26 having an outer conductor 2| which is slotted as indicated at 22 and tapered as indicated at 23 to fit the taper 9. Also, the inner conductor 24 is provided with a socket 25 to receive the plug I2. The inner conductor 24 is supported in the outer conductor 2| by discs like I 9 and 2H, not shown.

The right end of the unit I is similarly adapted to be connected to a similar co-axial socket 26.

The outer conductor 42 of socket 26 is held in a sleeve 43 secured to wall 3| by screws or the like 44.

The outer conductor 2| of socket 26 slides on the fixed split outer conductor 45 supported in sleeve 48 secured by screws 41 to the left end wall :48 of casing 4. Inner conductor 24 of socket 26 similarly slides, in or on the fixed inner conductor 49. Thus socket 26' may move back and forth along its axis While maintaining connection with the coaxial cable 2. Inner conductor 49 is supported axially in fixed outer conductor 45 by insulating discs 20. Also, inner conductor 24 is axiall supported in outer conductor 2!, and inner conductor 50 is axially supported in outer conductor 42, by insulating discs similar to I9, 20, 20', not shown.

The manner in which the attenuation units like I may be switched in and out of circuit with the terminals 2 and 3 will now be described in connection with Figs. 2 to 4, wherein six attenuation units I, I, etc. are slidably mounted in two discs or plates 21 and 28 fixed to a shaft 29 carried at its right end in a bearing 30 in the end wall 3| of casing 4, and at its left end in a bearing 32 suitably supported from the inside of the front wall 33 of casing 4. The plate 28 has a circular flange 34 bearing indicia 35 which are readable through the window 6 to show the attenuation value of the unit I connected in circuit. Each of the units like I is provided with a collar 31' to limit its sliding movement to the left, it being urged in that direction by a compression spring 38 around the right end of each tube like I, and

arranged between a collar 39 and the left face of the disc 28.

The units like I are held impositively against rotation by means of a notched disc 40 on the shaft 29, cooperating with a spring detent 4 I.

Shaft 29 has fixed thereto a gear 5|, with which a gear 52 fixed on shaft 53 is adapted to mesh when handle is pushed up. Shaft 53 can rotate and slide in the bearing 10. On the inner end of shaft 53 bears a lever arm 54 pivoted at 55 and having an angular arm 56 pivotally connected at 51 to a, link 58 connected to a sliding detent 59 slidably mounted in an aperture 60 in the wall 6|. The detent 59 has a compression spring 62 which bears against the wall 6! and against a collar 63 to urge the detent 59 to the right. Detent 59 fits in any one of a number of apertures such as 64, one of each of which is associated with each of the attenuation units 1 in such a manner as to align the selected unit 1 with sockets 26 and 26' when the detent 59 aligns with the hole 64 belonging to that particular unit I.

The socket 26 has spaced collars 65 in which rides a fork 66 on the end of a lever 6'! pivoted at 68 to the wall 6!. Also lever 61 is pivotally connected to link 58 by a pin H so that movement of link 58 by handle 5 will cause lever 61 to swing on its pivot 68.

Between the socket 46 and the collar 65 is arranged a compression spring 69 to urge the socket 26' to the right. Spring 69 is strong enough to overpower each of the springs like 38.

Fig. 2 shows one of the units 1 connected in circuit between the coaxial conductors 2 and 3. If it is desired to remove unit 1 from circuit and substitute another unit, the handle 5 is pushed in to mesh gears 51, 52 and slide shaft 53 against lever 54 to retract the detent 59 from its aperture 6d and to slide socket 26' to the left under action of pin connection H. The length of the detent 59 is such that the shaft 29 is held against rotation until socket 26' has been moved to the left far enough to disengage the left end of unit 7 and to permit the spring 38 to disengage the right end of unit 1 from socket 26. In other words, the shaft 29 cannot be rotated until unit "I is disconnected at both of its ends. This insures that the shaft 29 will not be prematurely rotated and damage the sockets 28 and 26'. After unit I is disengaged as above described, handle 5 is maintained pushed in and is rotated to bring the desired new unit such as 1 into position between sockets 2B and 26, the interlock between detent 59 and lever 67 preventing socket 26 from moving to the right until detent 59 engages the aperture 54 associated with the new unit such as I. When detent 59 slides in its proper aperture 64, the spring 59 slides socket 26 to the right to engage the left end of unit I and to slide unit I in the discs 2'! and 28 against the action of spring 38, in order to connect the right end of unit I to the socket 26. In this way, any of the attenuator units such as I can be inserted in the circuit between terminals 2 and 3, while preventing damage to the sockets 26 and 26, as premature rotation of shaft 29 and premature sliding movement of socket 26' are prevented by means of the detent 29 and its associated parts.

It will be apparent that various modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit of the following claims. For example, for switching a micro wave circuit, the inner coaxial conductor may be omitted, and only the outer tubular conductor employed. Also one or more of the above switching features may be used for switching types of coaxial units other than the attenuation units herein disclosed.

I claim:

1. Relatively reciprocable coaxial contacts each having a tubular outer conductor and an inner coaxial conductor, a slidable coupling between said inner conductors, a slidable coupling between said outer conductors, spring means tending to engage said couplings a carrier for said couplings, and a cooperating coupling registering device movable to one position to prevent engagement of said couplings when said couplings are misaligned, said registering device being movable to another position to lock said carrier and permit said spring means to engage said couplings when the latter are aligned, a drive member movable into and out of driving relation with said carrier, and an operative connection between said registering device and said drive member for unlocking said carrier on movement of said drive member into driving relation with said carrier.

2. A coaxial cable unit comprising a pair of spaced coaxial cable contacts, one fixed and one movable, means supporting said movable contact for reciprocating movement, a movable carrier, a lurality of coaxial cable devices having coaxial cable contacts, each of said devices being slidably mounted on said carrier, means supporting said carrier for movement to bring any one of said devices into operative relation with said first contacts, and means for reciprocating said movable contact into connection with a selected one of said carrier contacts to slide the selected said device into connection with said fixed contact.

3. An attenuator unit comprising a pair of spaced coaxial cable contacts, a movable carrier, a plurality of coaxial cable pad units on said carrier, means supporting said carrier for movement to bring any one of said pad units in line with said contacts, means for axially moving one of said contacts in one direction to connect the selected pad unit to both of said contacts, and means operative to move the selected one of said pad units axially in the other direction and thereby disconnect one end of the selected pad unit from one of said contacts when said axially movable means disconnects the other contact from the other end of the selected pad unit.

l. An attenuator unit comprising a base, spaced aligned coaxial cable contacts on said base, a. carrier on said base, a plurality of coaxial cable attenuation elements on said carrier, means supporting said carrier for movement to align said elements one at a time with said spaced contacts, an operating member movable into and out of drive relation with said carrier, and means operated by movement of said operating member between driving and non-driving relations for moving the selected element into connection with or disconnection from both of said spaced contacts, and means controlled by movement of said operating member from one relation to the other on locking and unlocking said carrier.

5. A coaxial cable unit having spaced cable contacts, one of which is slidable, a carrier, a coaxial cable element on said carrier, a drive member for said carrier, said drive member having a drive position and an idle position, means operable to lock or unlock said carrier and to connect or disconnect said slidable contact and said element upon operation of said drive member from one of said positions to the other.

6. A unit according to claim 5 comprising means for automatically disconnecting said element from said other contact upon disconnection of said slidable contact from said element.

7. A coaxial cable device comprising a relatively fixed coaxial cable contact and an axially slidable coaxial cable contact, a plurality of slidable coaxial cable units therefor, a carrier for said units, operating means comprising a handle movable to one position, when said carrier is stationary, to

slide said slidable contact into engagement with one end of a selected one of said units and thereby connect the other end of the selected unit to said fixed contact, said handle being movable to another position when said carrier is stationary, to operate said operating means and slide said slidable contact out of engagement with its respective end of the selected unit and disconnect the other end of the selected unit from said fixed contact.

8. A coaxial cable device having spaced coaxial cable contacts, one of which is slidable, a rotatable carrier, a plurality of coaxial cable elements on said carrier, means rotatably supporting said carrier for aligning said cable elements in sequence with said spaced contacts, a rotatable and slidable drive member for said carrier, said drive member having a drive position and an idle position, means operable to lock said carrier when each of said cable elements is aligned with said spaced contacts, spring means urging said lock means to lock position, means operated by sliding movement of said drive member to drive position for unlocking said lock means, means operated by sliding movement of said drive member for connecting or disconnecting said slidable contact and the selected element, and means operated by rotation of said drive member, when in drive position, for rotating said carrier.

9. A tubular conductor device comprising spaced tubular contacts, a plurality of tubular contact units, a rotatable carrier for said units, means supporting said carrier to align said units one at a time with said spaced contacts, operating means for connecting or disconnecting any one of said units between said spaced contacts when said carrier is stationary, a drive member for rotating said carrier, and means under control of said drive member for preventing rotation of said carrier until said spaced contacts are disconnected from the associated unit.

10. A tubular conductor device comprising a tubular terminal contact, a plurality of tubular conductor units therefor, a telescoping member on said terminal contact and a cooperating telescoping member on each of said units, a carrier for said units, a drive member movable into and out of driving relation with said carrier, spring means for telescoping said terminal contact with any one of said units, and means operated by movement of said drive member into driving relation with said carrier to overcome said spring and separate said terminal contact from its associated unit.

11. A tubular conductor device comprising a pair of spaced tubular contacts, one fixed and one movable, means supporting said movable contact for reciprocating movement, a movable carrier, a plurality of devices each having tubular contacts, each of said devices being slidably mounted on said carrier, means supporting said carrier for movement to bring any one of said devices into alignment with said spaced contacts, means for reciprocating said movable contact into telescoping connection with a selected one of said carrier contacts to slide the selected said device into telescoping connection with said fixed contact, and spring means for each of said devices for maintaining all idle devices out of the path of said fixed contact and for sliding the selected device out of contact with said fixed contact on separation of said movable contact from the selected device.

ARTHUR C. DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 851,266 Walloch Apr. 23, 1907 1,905,353 Potter Apr. 25, 1933 1,929,878 Clavier Oct. 10, 1933 1,957,538 Jensen May 8, 1934 2,209,152 Daniels July 23, 1940 2,116,983 Schultz May 10, 1938 2,233,166 Hahn Feb. 25, 1941 2,255,898 Robb Sept. 16, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 110,494 Australia Apr. 30, 1940

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