The principles disclosed herein relate generally to telecommunications devices. Specifically, the principles disclosed herein relate to tools used in assisting termination of cabling to plugs.
For certain types of telecommunications plugs, current plug assembly processes require personnel to manually perform “wire prep” prior to termination of cables into plugs. One such plug is a category 5E plug such as an RJ45 connector. “Wire prep” is defined as preforming or orienting the leads of each twisted pair of conductors in a cable into their corresponding 568A/568B locations prior to insertion into the plug. Problems may arise when the leads are misaligned, complicating plug insertion. The leads have to be manually adjusted until proper alignment is obtained. Manual “wire prep” can, thus, be cumbersome and also result in a lot of scrapped plugs that fail transmission tests due to improper termination. What is needed in the art is a tool that assists in “wire prep” during termination. What is needed is a tool for achieving repeatability of the “wire prep” process. What is needed is a tool that assists in correctly measuring the termination length for the leads and that preforms all of the twisted pairs in the correct orientation for insertion into a plug.
The present disclosure relates to a tool for assisting in correctly measuring the proper plug termination length for the twisted pair wire leads and that assists in correctly orienting and preforming the twisted pair wire leads for insertion into the plug.
In one particular aspect, the disclosure relates to a tool that is used to correctly measure the proper termination length for the leads and to correctly preform the orientation of the leads for insertion into a plug in a single step. An example method of cable termination using such a tool is also described herein.
Certain embodiments of present disclosure will now be described, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present disclosure relates to a cable preform tool that is configured to assist in terminating a cable to a telecommunications plug and a method of using such a tool. As will be discussed in further detail below, the tool is configured to assist in correctly measuring the proper termination length of the exposed wires to be inserted into the plug and in correctly positioning and preforming the conductors of the cable for insertion into conductor receiving channels of the plug.
One example of a telecommunications plug is a category 5E plug such as an RJ45 connector. An RJ45 connector is commonly used for digital transmission over telephone lines. Twisted pair wiring typically dominates the wiring commonly used in facilities having telephone wiring. Twisting the wire pairs cancels out radiated energy from current flowing in one wire by the radiated energy from the same return current that flows from the return wire of the same pair. Thus, crosstalk is minimized between adjacent pairs of wire.
As is known in the art, when terminating a cable, such as a UTP cable, to a category 5E plug such as an RJ45 connector, the twisted conductor pairs are untwisted and individual wires are inserted directly into conductor receiving channels, into their corresponding 568A/568B locations. Once the insertion has taken place, the individual wires are crimped down with insulation piercing conductive blades at the front end of the plug. Example RJ45 configurations and further details relating thereto are described to a further extent in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,311,392; 6,161,278; 5,899,770; and 5,888,100, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
During the termination process, it is important to insert the correct conductors into the correct channels of the RJ45 connector. Certain UTP cables that carry four twisted wire pairs may use a color scheme (e.g., a solid and striped color scheme) on the insulation surrounding the individual wires to assist in the termination. For example, in certain wire groups, the insulation surrounding the individual wires may comprise a color scheme consisting of the colors solid orange, striped orange/white, solid blue, striped blue/white, solid green, striped green/white, solid brown, and striped brown/white. However, no matter how experienced the wire handlers may be, the “wire prep” step prior to insertion and the insertion step in terminating the individual wires to their proper locations (e.g., 568A/56B, etc.) may be quite cumbersome. Repeatability, as well as, a reduction in scrap and assembly time, is needed.
The tool and the method having examples of inventive aspects according to the present disclosure provides an efficient way to insert untwisted wires of, for example, a UTP cable, to a telecommunications plug, such as a category 5E plug such as an RJ45 connector.
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The body 12 defines a plurality of openings 30 extending from the front face 14 to the rear face 16. In the depicted embodiment of the tool 10, the openings 30 are located generally within the perimeter 28 of the flange 20 and are in communication with the main opening 22. As will be discussed in further detail below, the flange portion 20 of the template structure 18 is configured to abut against a cable jacket 32 at a stripped end 34 of the cable 26 (see
In the depicted embodiment of the tool 10, the template structure 18 is configured with eight openings 30 extending from the front face 14 to the rear face 16. The eight openings 30 correspond to the untwisted individual wires 24 of the four twisted wire pairs of, for example, a UTP cable 26, as discussed above. The eight openings 30 include an upper row of four openings 30a and a lower row of four openings 30b. As shown, the openings 30 are formed in a staggered configuration such that vertical lines LV going through the centerpoint of the upper openings 30a are offset to the right of vertical lines LV going through the centerpoint of the lower openings 30b. This staggered configuration of the openings 30 of the tool 10 shown in the Figures matches the configuration of the conductor receiving channels 36 of an RJ45 connector 38, as discussed above and as shown in
In the depicted embodiment of the tool 10, the flange 20 of the tool 10 is also configured for the RJ45 connector 38. The flange 20 defines a flange length LF extending from an end 40 of the flange 20 to the front face 14 of the tool 10. In certain embodiments, the length LF is about 0.150 inches. In certain embodiments, the body of the tool defines a thickness TB of about 0.500 inches. Together with the flange 20, the tool 10 defines a length LT of 0.650 inches extending from the end 40 of the flange 20 to the second face 16. This length LT is generally equal to a termination length of the conductors 25 for terminating to an RJ45 connector. As used herein, termination length may be defined as the length of exposed conductor to be inserted into a plug after the conductor has been cut to proper length in accordance with the plug type. In this manner, when the individual wires 24 of the cable 26 are inserted into the openings 30 of the tool 10, the flange 20 abuts the cable jacket 32 preventing further insertion thereof. The portions of the conductors 25 protruding out from the rear face 16 can be cut flush with the rear face 16. With this process, the proper termination length can be obtained for the conductors 25, and, when the cable 26 is removed from the tool 10, the conductors 25 will be at the right length for insertion into an RJ45 connector plug. Please see
It should be noted that, as discussed above, an RJ45 connector is simply one example embodiment of a telecommunications plug that the tool 10 can be configured for in assisting in the cable termination. Depending upon the type of plug used, the template structure 18 of the tool 10 can be configured differently, e.g., with different number of wire openings, with different opening patterns, with different flange lengths, with different tool body thicknesses, etc. Although an RJ45 connector is referred to herein to describe the inventive aspects of the tool 10, it should not be used to limit the scope of the invention.
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After the individual conductors 25 have been cut flush with the rear face 16 of the tool 10, the cable 26 is pulled away from the tool 10 and the individual wires 24 are removed from the openings 30. A cable 26 that has been prepped with the tool 10 is shown in
The embodiments discussed above are provided as examples. Having described the preferred aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, modifications and equivalents of the disclosed concepts may readily occur to one skilled in the art. However, it is intended that such modifications and equivalents be included within the scope of the claims which are appended hereto.