Coaxial connector for coaxial cable having a corrugated outer conductor

A connector for connection to an end of a coaxial cable having an outer conductor having a corrugated profile and an outer insulative layer and the end prepared to expose a length of the outer conductor to a leading edge and further expose a portion of the an inner conductor forwardly of the leading outer conductor edge and the insulative layer, the connector comprising:

• a forward connector portion including an inner contact extending from a first contact section exposed at a mating interface to a second contact section exposed at a cable face adapted to be electrically engaged to an end of the inner conductor of the coaxial cable, a dielectric insert surrounding the inner contact, and an outer conductive housing extending from the mating interface;
• and
• a rearward connector portion including a deformable sleeve portion extending to a rearward end thereof from a body portion including an annular interior flange forwardly of which is disposed said second contact section, and a bushing disposed in said sleeve portion and being cylindrical with an outer surface and an inner surface defining a cable-receiving region thereinto from a rearward end thereof, said inner surface initially having an inner diameter just large enough to receive thereinto a prepared end of the coaxial cable until a leading edge of said corrugated outer conductor abuts said annular, flange and said end of said inner conductor electrically engages said second contact section;
• said bushing inner surface being profiled with alternating ridges and grooves to define a corrugated shape complementary to the corrugated profile of the cable outer conductor, with the ridges having a height less than a depth of the grooves of the corrugated cable outer conductor, and the bushing grooves being dimensioned incrementally narrower than said ridges of said corrugated outer conductor;
• and
• said bushing including an axial slot therealong communicating from the outer surface thereof to said inner surface thereof of selected width permitting said bushing to be reduced in diameter a controlled amount upon being crimped around said outer conductor of said cable inserted thereinto for said bushing ridges to enter said grooves of said corrugated outer conductor and said ridges of said corrugated outer conductor to enter and abut bottom surfaces of said incrementally narrower bushing grooves and be clinched thereby,
• wherein said rearward connector portion is adapted to receive thereinto the prepared end and to be controllably crimped thereonto to establish an assured mechanical connection between said cable and said connector with said bushing having dimensions and shape selected to clinch to ridges of said corrugated outer conductor with only slight deformation of said outer conductor radially inwardly.