1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an RJ modular jack, and particularly, to an RJ modular jack configured by a wafer on which coupling traces are provided so as to create electrical coupling between selected terminals disposed within the wafer.
2. Description of Related Art
To comply with a high speed trend of data transmission, electrical devices are required to have better performance. Performance requirements have significantly increased to a level identified by industry standards as Category 5. The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in corporation with the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) has developed a proposed standard for Category 5 components. In such high speed applications, electrical coupling between adjacent terminals would create a great problem. Unless the electrical coupling between the terminals could be controlled effectively within the connector to an accepted level, it is highly unlikely that the connector can be used for long time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,341 issued to Hyland on Sep. 10, 2002 discloses an RJ modular connector comprising a housing and a terminal insert received in the housing. The terminal insert includes a pair of wafers, a plurality of conductive traces formed on an inner surface of the wafer, and a plurality of terminals sandwiched between the pair of wafers. One conductive trace of the plurality of traces has a body portion aligned with one selected terminal and a connection portion fanning out from the body portion and disposed below a specific terminal for aligning with the specific terminal for electrically connecting with the specific terminal. Therefore, an electrical coupling between the selected terminal and the specific terminal is established. The connection portions of the conductive traces are distributed along an outer side of the body portions.
The electrical connection between the connection portion and the specific terminal is not reliable enough, by disposing the connection portion below the specific terminal. Therefore, the electrical coupling between the selected terminal and the specific terminal is simultaneously unreliable. Additionally, outwardly extending connection portions would occupy the extra space of the wafer and enlarge the length of the wafer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,943 issued to Lo et al. on Aug. 11, 1998 discloses a modular outlet issued to Lo et al. comprises a housing supporting a plurality of contacts and a termination cap mated to the housing for terminating a plurality of wires at one end of the contacts. The contacts are positioned on a contact carrier received in the housing. The contacts include stacked current carrying plates to induce capacitance between the selected contacts. The method of achieving a controlled amount of capacitive coupling between selected contacts allows the modular outlet to meet or exceed Category 5 requirements. The insulation displacement contacts are sequentially positioned.
The contacts have connecting portions inserted into the housing for contact with the circuit traces. It is easy to distort the connecting portions of the contacts and thus it would result in unreliable electrical compensation between the contacts and the circuit traces.
Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the related art.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector capable of achieving reliable electrical coupling among the terminals.
To achieve the aforementioned object, an electrical connector includes an insulative housing and a terminal module retained in the insulative housing and configured with a selected terminal, a determined terminal and a specific terminal molded within a dielectric wafer. A coupling lead-frame is disposed onto a surface of the dielectric wafer and has its main portion parallel and aligned with the specific terminal. The coupling lead-frame includes one pin leg crossing over the determined terminal and having a physical and electrical engagement with the selected terminal so as to establish an electrical coupling between the selected terminal and the specific terminal.
The coupling lead-frame has a plurality of pin legs formed thereon for providing access to the terminals, to thereby establish a reliable electrical connection between the terminals and the coupling lead-frame. Therefore, the electrical compensation among the terminals is reliable.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. Referring to
Referring to
After the dielectric wafer 2 is molded the eight terminals 11-18, a flat upper surface is provided, and see
In conjunction with
In order to create an electrical coupling between the fourth and sixth terminals 14 and 16, a third circuit trace 33 is provided and lying substantially over the fourth terminal 14 with its body portion 3b. The beam 3b of the third circuit trace 33 crosses over the fifth terminal 15 and finally physically and electrically engaged with the fourth terminal 14. According to the preferred embodiment, the third compliant pin 331 is provided with needle eyes arrangement (not labeled) so as to press-fit into the fourth terminal 14 in which corresponding fourth pinhole 141 is provided. The dielectric wafer 2 is also provided with through holes corresponding to the fourth pinhole 141 such that the fourth pinhole 141 can readily pass through and make an interferential engagement. In this arrangement, the sixth terminal 16 could be regarded as a specific terminal, the fourth terminal 14 could be regarded as a selected terminal, and the fifth terminal 15 could be regarded as a determined terminal.
In order to create an electrical coupling between the sixth and eighth terminals 16 and 18, a fourth circuit trace 34 is provided and lying substantially over the eighth terminal 18 with its body portion 3a. The beam 3b of the fourth circuit trace 34 crosses over the seventh terminal 17 and finally physically and electrically engaged with the sixth terminal 16. According to the preferred embodiment, the fourth compliant pin 341 is provided with a pair of needle eyes arrangement (not labeled) so as to press-fit into the sixth terminal 16 in which corresponding sixth pinhole 161 are provided. The dielectric wafer 2 is also provided with through hole corresponding to the sixth pinhole 161 such that the sixth pinhole 161 can readily pass through and make an interferential engagement. The crosstalk compensation scheme among the terminals 11-18 has been reduced. In this arrangement, the eighth terminal 18 could be regarded as a specific terminal, the sixth terminal 16 could be regarded as a selected terminal, and the seventh terminal 17 could be regarded as a determined terminal.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Thirdly, providing a set of circuit traces 31-34 which are corresponding to those selected terminals 13-16. Each of the circuit traces 31, 32, 33 and 34 are provided with complaint pins 311-341 for electrically and physically engagement with the selected terminals 13-16.
Fourthly, embed-stamping the first through fourth circuit traces 31-34 onto the upper surface of the dielectric wafer 2 such that the complaint pins 311-341 are physically and electrically engaged with the selected terminals 13-16. The first through fourth circuit traces 31-34 are retained in the concave portion 211 of the dielectric wafer 2. In conjunction with
As the imbed-stamping occurs, the soft nature of the dielectric wafer 2 will conform around the profile of the stamping as it is pressed below the surface of the dielectric wafer 2. Thereby, the compensation stamping will not come out of the dielectric wafer 2.
Referring to
The terminals 1 are insert molded within the dielectric wafer 2 as a solid structure, with the first through fourth compliant pins 311-341 inserted into the third through sixth pinholes 131-161 of the third through sixth terminals 13-16 for electrically connecting the coupling lead-frame 3 with corresponding terminals 1. Optionally, the terminals 1 could be assembled into the dielectric wafer 2 by other methods. It is easy for assembly of the terminals 1. It is provided with necessary dielectric between the capacitive plates within the terminals 1.
Referring to
The coupling lead-frame 3 has a plurality of discrete compliant pins 311-341 formed thereon for providing access to the molded pinholes 131-161 of the terminals, to thereby establish a reliable electrical connection between the terminals 1 and the coupling lead-frame 3. Therefore, the electrical compensation among the terminals 1 is reliable.
However, the disclosure is illustrative only, changes may be made in detail, especially in matter of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention.
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6488544 | Hyland | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6506080 | Hyland | Jan 2003 | B2 |
6612876 | Hyland | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6612877 | Hyland | Sep 2003 | B2 |
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6863575 | Hyland | Mar 2005 | B2 |
6896557 | Aekins et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6916209 | Casher et al. | Jul 2005 | B1 |
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7575483 | Zhang | Aug 2009 | B1 |