Floating panel-mounted coaxial connector for use with stripline circuit boards

An improved coaxial connector assembly mountable in a panel aperture in electrical engagement with a stripline circuit board and matable with a complementary panel-mounted coaxial connector, comprising:

• an outer conductive shell fixedly secured within an aperture through a panel extending from a first surface thereof to an opposed second surface, a coaxial connector subassembly secured within said outer conductive shell and secured against forward axial movement with respect thereto at a rearward section of a conductive intermediate housing at a rearward end of said outer shell, said subassembly including a contact member defining an inner conductor and secured within a dielectric sleeve to be centered with respect to an inner surface of said intermediate housing, and a resilient contact associated with said stripline circuit board and in electrical engagement with a signal circuit thereof and with a rearward contact section of said contact member of said subassembly while isolated from ground planes of said stripline circuit board, said panel, said intermediate housing and said outer shell;
• said contact member including a forward contact section exposed within a large cavity of a forward section of said intermediate housing for mating with a complementary contact member of a mating coaxial connector, with said forward section of said intermediate housing adapted for mating with a complementary forward section of an outer conductive housing of said mating coaxial connector;
• the improvement comprising:
• said rearward section of said intermediate housing being smaller in diameter than said forward section to define a rearwardly facing abutment surface, said outer shell and said intermediate housing of said subassembly being dimensioned to permit incremental axial movement and incremental radial movement of said subassembly within said outer shell and including a conductive annular spring disposed around said rearward section of said intermediate housing and rearwardly of said abutment surface, and said annular spring being disposed forwardly of a reduced diameter radially inward flange of said outer shell, all such that a leading end of said annular spring is at least abuttable with and compressible between said abutment surface and said outer shell flange to permit incremental axial movement of said subassembly with respect to said outer shell upon connector mating when urged rearwardly by engagement with said mating coaxial connector;
• and
• said annular spring having inner and outer diameters selected to define a clearance between at least one of said rearward section of said intermediate housing and an inwardly facing surface of said outer shell permitting incremental lateral movement of said subassembly within said outer shell upon connector mating when urged laterally by engagement with said mating coaxial connector,
• whereby said subassembly is float-mounted within said outer shell to accommodate a range of mated positions axially and laterally with respect to said mating coaxial connector.