Coaxial switch

摘要

A coaxial switch having a housing and a shaft extending through and rotatably mounted to the housing. The shaft extends from opposite ends of the housing. Connector body members are attached to the housing and a support plate is mounted to the shaft. Conductor members are joined to the support plate. Each conductor member has a conductor and is configured to be inserted into a connector body member. The conductors of the conductor members are electrically connected together. When the coaxial switch is engaged, the conductor members are inserted into the connector body members. The coaxial switch becomes disengaged when a force is exerted on the shaft that causes the conductor members to be withdrawn from the connector body members. An axial force-producing mechanism produces a constant axial force on the shaft to maintain the coaxial switch in the engaged state.

主权项

1. A coaxial switch comprising:
a housing having an interior, an inner wall surrounding the interior and a plurality of connector openings therein which are in communication with the interior of said housing, a first opening at a first location of said housing and a second opening at a second location of said housing with a passageway in communication with the second opening; a plurality of coaxial connector body members mounted to said housing, wherein each of said connector body members is mounted over a corresponding connector opening of the connector openings with each of said connector body members configured to be connected to a coaxial cable; a shaft extending through and rotatably mounted to said housing, said shaft having one section within the interior of said housing, another section extending from the opening in said housing at the first location and an additional section extending from the opening in said housing at the second location, said section of said shaft within the interior of said housing having a first diameter and an intermediate section having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, wherein said intermediate section is sized to fit into the passageway; a support plate mounted to said section of said shaft within the interior of said housing; a pair of conductor members joined to said support plate, wherein each conductor member comprises a conductor and is configured to be inserted into any of said coaxial connector body members; a conductive member conductively joined to each conductor to form a signal path; an axial force producing mechanism mounted to said section of said shaft extending from said housing at the first location with said axial force producing mechanism capable of producing an axial force on said shaft that urges said support plate against the inner wall of said housing so that said support plate impacts said plurality of connector openings; a radial force producing member mounted on said shaft adjacent to said intermediate section, wherein said intermediate section and said radial force producing member are drawn into the passageway when an axial force opposite to and greater than the axial force produced by said axial force producing mechanism is exerted on said shaft and wherein said radial force producing member exerts a radial force on said shaft when said intermediate section forcibly contacts said radial force producing member within the passageway; a knob attached to said section of said shaft extending from said housing at the second location to enable a user to pull said shaft in a direction that is opposite to the axial force produced by said axial force producing mechanism, to rotate said shaft to a different position and then to release said knob to enable the axial force produced by said axial force producing member to urge said support plate member against said inner wall of said housing so that said conductor members are inserted into appropriate connector body members and said conductors of said conductor members conductively contact said conductors of the coaxial cable; and a retainer device attached to said section of said shaft extending from said housing at the first location; wherein said section of said shaft extending from the opening in said housing at the first location has a first diameter; wherein said retainer device has a diameter that is greater than the first diameter.