Method of Soldering the Outer Sleeve of a Coaxial Cable Connector to a Housing

The invention relates to a method of soldering the outer conductor sleeve of a coaxial cable socket or plug to a metal plate 1 such as a housing, the sleeve being butt-mounted on the metal plate.

The outer conductor contact sleeves of coaxial sockets or coaxial plugs must have a good metal contact all around with a grounded housing or plate in order to obtain sufficient protection against interference. In order to achieve this, the outer conductor contact sleeves of coaxial sockets or coaxial plugs are generally mounted by soldering manually, the person carrying out the soldering using a soldering iron to melt the solder around the contact sleeve. This requires soldering with a high level of technical expertise.

It is also known, for example from German Gebrauchsmuster No. 19 59 172, for the outer conductor contact sleeve to be provided with a flange which can be held against the edge of an opening in a metal housing to form a coaxial feedthrough connection. This flange is then soldered to the edge of the metal housing. This case also requires care in soldering around the rim, since an increased bearing surface of the sleeve flange does not, of itself, improve the soldering conditions.

The object of the invention is to enable soldering outer conductor contact sleeves onto a metal housing in such a way that applying and moving a soldering iron all the way around a soldering seam becomes superfluous. It should be sufficient to raise the soldering zone to soldering temperature.

This object is achieved according to the invention by applying a ring of wire solder around a raised edge of the opening, on the side to which the connection is to be made. The contact sleeve is then applied over the ring of wire solder onto the metal plate, and the ring subsequently is melted by heating.

Through the insertion of a ring of wire solder and the raising of the edge of the opening, the soldering point is moved to the inner edge of the contact sleeve. The flux and the solder must flow against the contact sleeve. In this way the sleeve edge and the edge of the opening are soldered together uniformly and continuously with a high degree of reliability. The use of a soldering iron is rendered superfluous.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the melting solder flows through radial indentations in the metal plate under the end of the contact sleeve which is to be mounted on the metal plate, to ensure all-round external soldering of the edge with the metal plate. The solder thus partially flows outwards under the soldering seam and then solders continuously round the edge of the opening, to wet the outer conductor contact sleeve also from the outside. It is characteristic of the resulting contact joint that the metal plate is provided with indentations angularly spaced along the mounting area of the contact sleeve, thus extending the mounting surface of the contact sleeve from the inside to the outside. The edge of the opening is raised in a smoothly curved manner, like a spout formed in a sheet metal wall, inside the mounting area of the contact sleeve. The mounting edge and the metal plate are joined together in the mounting area by means of the solder.

The method according to the invention is detailed further with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically in exploded view the parts used in the method of soldering of an outer conductor contact sleeve of a coaxial connector onto a housing opening, and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembled parts after fitting together and soldering.

A metal housing having a generally planar wall 1, for example made of tin plate, is prepared for soldering of a coaxial connection in the form of a coaxial connecting plug or socket 3, by forming an opening 5 through which the neutral conductor 7 of the coaxial socket 3 is to be fed into the inside of the housing.

The portion 9 of the wall 1, around the edge of the opening 5, is raised with a smoothly curved outer surface as shown in the longitudinal section Around the portion 9, angularly spaced indentations 11 are arranged in the planar wall 1, in a radial pattern. The contact sleeve 3 has a lower mounting edge 13, with which it can be butt-mounted on the metal housing 1 around the opening 5.

The joining of the contact sleeve 3 with the metal housing 1 now proceeds by first placing a ring of wire solder 15 having an outer diameter less than the inside diameter of the sleeve 3, around the wall portion 9 surrounding the opening 5 in the metal housing. The contact sleeve 3 is then placed on the wall 1, with its mounting edge 13, abutting the spaces 17 being the indentations 11, and surrounding the wall portion 9 and solder ring 15. Thus the mounting edge 13 has a certain distance from the plate in the area of the indentations. The ring of wire solder 15 thereby lies in a trough 16 between the contact sleeve 3 and the outer surface of the wall portion 9. After mounting, the metal housing 1 is heated around the contact sleeve 3 to the melting temperature of the wire solder ring 15. The melting solder at the smoothly curved surface surrounging the opening 5 thereby flows to the inside 19 of the contact sleeve 3. The solder also flows underneath the mounting edge 13 in the area of the indentations 11. In this manner a continuous soldered seam is achieved between the contact sleeve 3 and the housing plate 1.