Patent Grant
10608382
Electrical connectors, such as modular jacks and modular plugs, are commonly used in telecommunications systems. Such connectors may be used to provide interfaces between successive runs of cable in telecommunications systems and between cables and electronic devices. In the field of data communications, communications networks typically utilize techniques designed to maintain or improve the integrity of signals being transmitted via the network (“transmission signals”). To protect signal integrity, the communications networks should, at a minimum, satisfy compliance standards that are established by standards committees, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The compliance standards help network designers provide communications networks that achieve at least minimum levels of signal integrity as well as some standard of compatibility.
To promote high circuit density, communications networks typically include a plurality of electrical connectors that bring transmission signals in close proximity to one another. For example, the contacts of multiple sets of jacks and plugs are positioned fairly closely to one another. However, such a high density configuration is particularly susceptible to alien crosstalk inference.
Alien crosstalk is electromagnetic noise that can occur in a cable that runs alongside one or more other signal-carrying cables or in a connector that is positioned proximate to another connector. The term “alien” arises from the fact that this form of crosstalk occurs between different cables in a bundle or different connectors in a group, rather than between individual wires or circuits within a single cable or connector. Alien crosstalk affects the performance of a communications system by reducing the signal-to-noise ratio.
Various arrangements are introduced to reduce alien crosstalk between adjacent connectors. One possible solution is to separate the cables and/or connectors from each other by a predetermined distance so that the likelihood of alien crosstalk is minimized. This solution, however, reduces the density of cables and/or connectors that may be used per unit of area.
The telecommunications industry is constantly striving toward larger signal frequency ranges. As transmission frequency ranges widen, crosstalk becomes more problematic. Thus, there is a need for further development of electrical connectors with high efficiency in reducing the crosstalk between adjacent connectors.
In general terms, this disclosure is directed to an electrical connection system. In one possible configuration and by non-limiting example, the connector system includes various devices for improving alien crosstalk performance in a high density configuration. Various aspects are described in this disclosure, which include, but are not limited to, the following aspects.
One aspect is an electrical connector including a connector housing and a shield cap. The connector has a front end and a rear end and includes a cavity opened at the front end for receiving a plug, and a plurality of insulation displacement contacts supported by the connector housing. The insulation displacement contacts extend from the connector housing at the rear end and include a first pair, a second pair, a third pair, and a four pair. The first, second, third, and fourth pairs are symmetrically arranged about an axis of the connector housing, and the plurality of insulation displacement contacts are oriented at an angle relative to a reference line and symmetrical about the axis of the connector housing. The shield cap is configured to be mounted to the connector housing at the rear end and includes an end portion, a shield wall, an open side, and a cable sleeve. The end portion has an inner surface and an outer surface. The shield wall extends from the end portion and includes a first wall, a second wall opposite to the first wall, and a third wall extending between the first wall and the second wall. The first, second, and third walls are configured to partially cover the connector housing when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing. The open side is arranged opposite to the third wall and configured to expose the connector housing therethrough when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing. The cable sleeve extends from the outer surface of the end portion of the shield cap and includes an axial opening defined along an axial length of the cable sleeve.
In certain examples, a cable can be snap-fit into the cable sleeve through the axial opening. The axial opening may be arranged in the same direction as the open side of the shield cap.
In certain examples, the shield cap includes a shield rib extending from the inner surface of the end portion and configured to be disposed between adjacent pairs of the first, second, third, and fourth pairs when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing. The connector housing may include a receiving slot at the rear end. The receiving slot may be configured to receive the shield rib of the shield cap when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing.
In certain examples, the electrical connector is secured to a panel interface housing including a plurality of holes. Each hole can be configured to at least partially receive the electrical connector. The panel interface housing may include at least one shield wall arranged between the holes. The shield wall is configured to be disposed between adjacent connector housings when a plurality of the electrical connectors is received within the holes.
In certain examples, the shield wall is made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein. The shield cap may be integrally made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein.
Another aspect is an electrical connection system including a plurality of connectors and a panel interface. Each of the plurality of connectors includes a connector housing and a shield cap. The connector housing has a front end and a rear end and includes a cavity a cavity opened at the front end for receiving a plug, and a plurality of insulation displacement contacts supported by the connector housing. The insulation displacement contacts extend from the connector housing at the rear end and include a first pair, a second pair, a third pair, and a four pair. The first, second, third, and fourth pairs are symmetrically arranged about an axis of the connector housing, and the plurality of insulation displacement contacts is oriented at an angle relative to a reference line and symmetrical about the axis of the connector housing. The shield cap is configured to be mounted to the connector housing at the rear end and includes an end portion, a shield wall, an open side, and a cable sleeve. The end portion has an inner surface and an outer surface. The shield wall extends from the end portion and includes a first wall, a second wall opposite to the first wall, and a third wall extending between the first wall and the second wall. The first, second, and third walls are configured to partially cover the connector housing when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing. The open side is arranged opposite to the third wall and configured to expose the connector housing that is uncovered by the shield wall when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing. The cable sleeve extends from the outer surface of the end portion of the shield cap and includes an axial opening defined along an axial length of the cable sleeve. The panel interface housing includes a plurality of connector holes configured to at least partially receive the plurality of connectors. The plurality of connectors are inserted into the plurality of connector holes respectively such that the third wall of the shield cap of a connector of the plurality of connectors faces the open side of the shield cap of an adjacent connector of the plurality of connectors.
In certain examples, the shield cap includes a shield rib extending from the inner surface of the end portion and configured to be disposed between adjacent pairs of the first, second, third, and fourth pairs when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing.
In certain examples, the connector housing includes a receiving slot at the rear end. The receiving slot is configured to receive the shield rib of the shield cap when the shield cap is mounted to the connector housing.
In certain examples, the panel interface housing includes at least one shield wall arranged between the holes. The shield wall is configured to be disposed between adjacent connector housings when a plurality of the electrical connectors is received within the holes.
In certain examples, the shield wall is made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein. The shield cap may be integrally made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein.
The above features and advantages and other features and advantages of the present teachings are readily apparent from the following detailed description for carrying out the present teachings when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views.
In some examples, the electrical connector assembly 100 is configured for category 6A cables. Although category 6A cables have improved alien crosstalk characteristics, connectors for category 6A cables still need enhanced alien crosstalk transmission performance when arranged in high density configurations. As described herein, the connector assembly 100 includes various devices and structures for reducing alien crosstalk between adjacent connectors in high density configurations. In other examples, the electrical connector assembly 100 is configured for other types of cables.
Referring to
The jack housing 110 has a substantially rectangular shape and includes a front face 120, opposite sides 122 and 124, a top side 126, and a bottom side 128. The front face 120 is arranged at the front end 116 of the jack housing 110. The opposite sides 122 and 124, the top side 126, and the bottom side 128 extend between the front end 116 and the rear end 118 of the jack housing 110. The front face 120 forms an opening 130 that leads to a cavity 132 configured to receive the plug 104. The cavity 132 includes an array of electrical contacts 134 that extend through the jack housing 110 from the front end 116 to the rear end 118 and terminate at a corresponding wire termination conductor 180 on the contact subassembly 112. In this disclosure, the wire termination conductors 180 are depicted as insulation displacement contacts (IDC's) but could be other types of wire termination conductors such as wire wraps or pins. In certain examples, the arrangement of the electrical contacts 134 may be at least partially determined by industry standards, such as, but not limited to, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60603-7 or Electronics Industries Alliance/Telecommunications Industry Association (EIA/TIA)-568.
In some examples, the jack housing 110 is fabricated from a non-conductive material or dielectric material. In other examples, the jack housing 110 is made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein. The conductive particles form a conductive network that facilitates providing EMI/RFI shielding for the electrical connector assembly 100. As such, the jack housing 110 is adapted to avoid formation of a conductive path. More specifically, the jack housing 110 may be configured to avoid forming a conductive path with an electrical contact 134 (
The contact subassembly 112 is configured to provide a plurality of insulation displacement contacts 180 that is electrically connected to a plurality of conductors stripped at the end of the cable 108. The contact subassembly 112 is described in further detail with reference to
Similarly to the jack housing 110, the contact subassembly 112 can be fabricated from a non-conductive material or dielectric material. In other examples, the contact subassembly 112 is made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein. The conductive particles form a conductive network that facilitates providing EMI/RFI shielding for the electrical connector assembly 100.
The shield cap 114 operates to at least partially cover the contact subassembly 112 (and/or electrical components exposed therefrom) for crosstalk shielding and pass the cable 106 therethrough. As described herein, the shield cap 114 is configured to reduce crosstalk between adjacent electrical connectors in a high density configuration, in which a plurality of electrical connectors are arranged close to one another. Further, the shield cap 114 is configured to be disposed in such a high density configuration without requiring additional space. Examples of the shield cap 114 are described in more detail with reference to
Referring to
In some examples, the contact subassembly 112 includes a plurality of arms 152 that project axially outward away from the outer surface 204 of the contact subassembly 112, and thus from the rear end 118 of the jack housing 110. The plurality of arms 152 extend at an angle that is substantially perpendicular to the outer surface 204. The arms 152 can be integrally formed with the contact subassembly 112.
The plurality of arms 152 defines a plurality of conductor channels 162 configured to accommodate the insulation displacement contacts 180 therein. In particular, adjacent arms 152 define a conductor channel 162 therebetween. In the illustrated examples, eight conductor channels 162 are defined by the arms 152.
The contact subassembly 112 includes a plurality of insulation displacement contacts (IDCs) 180 accommodated within the conductor channels 162, respectively. In some examples, the contact subassembly 112 includes four pairs of insulation displacement contacts, which includes a first IDC pair 172, a second IDC pair 174, a third IDC pair 176, and a fourth IDC pair 178.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
As illustrated, the four IDC pairs 172, 174, 176, and 178 are symmetrically arranged about an axis C of the contact subassembly 112. In particular, the four IDC pairs 172, 174, 176, and 178 are symmetrically arranged about the axis C on the back cover 202 of the contact subassembly 112. For example, the first and second IDC pairs 172 and 174 are symmetric about a vertical axis LV extending through the axis C, and the third and fourth pairs 176 and 178 are symmetric about the vertical axis LV. The first and third IDC pairs 172 and 176 are symmetric about a horizontal axis LH extending through the center axis C and intersecting with the vertical axis LV at the center axis C, and the second and fourth IDC pairs 172 and 176 are symmetric about the horizontal axis LH. In some examples, the axis C extends through the center of the back cover 202 of the contact subassembly 112.
In some examples, the IDC's 180 are oriented to be symmetrical about the axis C of the contact subassembly 112. As the IDC's 180 are received within the IDC channels 261, the IDC channels 261 are also symmetrically arranged about the axis C of the contact subassembly 112. In particular, the IDC channels 261 (and thus the IDC's 180) are oriented at a same angle A relative to the vertical axis LV (thus at a same angle B relative to the horizontal axis LH). For example, the IDC channels 261 are arranged at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the vertical axis LV (thus relative to the horizontal axis LH). Other angles are also possible in other embodiments.
In some examples, a vertical distance between the IDC pairs is different from a horizontal distance between the IDC pairs. For example, the distances between the first and second IDC pairs 172 and 174 and between the third and fourth IDC pairs 176 and 178 are configured to be different from the distances between the first and fourth IDC pairs 172 and 178 and between the second and third IDC pairs 174 and 176. In other examples, the vertical distance between the IDC pairs are configured to be the same as the horizontal distance between the IDC pairs. For example, the distances between the first and second IDC pairs 172 and 174 and between the third and fourth IDC pairs 176 and 178 are configured to be the same as the distances between the first and fourth IDC pairs 172 and 178 and between the second and third IDC pairs 174 and 176.
The configuration of the IDC pairs as described above can provide electrical cancellation and increase distances between adjacent connectors arranged in a high density configuration, such as with patch panels and faceplates. Further, the structure of the IDC pairs can reduce alien crosstalk between adjacent IDC pairs within the same connector.
Referring
Referring to
As illustrated
As illustrated in
In some examples, the shield cap 114 includes an open side. As illustrated in
The shield walls 215, as well as the end portion 209 of the shield cap 114, are configured to cover the contact subassembly 114 and at least partially the jack housing 110 when the end portion 209 of the shield cap 114 engages the contact subassembly 114 or the jack housing 110. In the illustrated example of
As described in more detail with reference to
The shield cap 114 can include one or more latch projections 218 formed on an inner surface of the shield walls 215. In some examples, two latch projections 218 is formed on inner surfaces of the top and bottom walls 230 and 232, respectively, for attaching the shield cap 114 to the jack housing 110 and/or the contact subassembly 112. In some examples, the shield walls 215 (or at least the top and bottom 230 and 232) are configured to flex outward so that the shield cap 114 slides onto the contact subassembly 114 and the latch projections 218 engage the corresponding engaging grooves 221 (
The shield cap 114 can be fabricated from a non-conductive material. In some examples, the shield cap 114 is entirely made from a homogeneous non-conductive material without conductive materials or conductive particles. In some examples, the non-conductive material includes a polypropylene or other thermoplastic polymer. The non-conductive material may also include polymeric or plastic materials such as polycarbonate, ABS, and/or PC/ABS blend.
In other examples, the shield cap 114 may be made from a plastic blended with a material adapted for reducing crosstalk. For example, shield cap 114 can be made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein. The conductive particles may include, for example, a conductive powder or conductive fibers. For example, the conductive particles may be carbon powders, carbon fibers, silver coated glass beads or fibers, nickel coated carbon fibers, or stainless steel fibers. In some examples, the shield cap 114 can be made by die casting. In other examples, the shield cap 114 may be formed in an injection molding process that uses pellets containing the non-conductive material and the conductive particles. The pellets may be made by adding a conductive powder or conductive fibers to molten resin. After extruding and cooling the resin mixture, the material may be chopped or formed into pellets. Alternatively, the conductive powder or fiber may be added during an injection molding process. The conductive particles form a conductive network that facilitates providing crosstalk, EMI and/or RFI shielding. When the shield cap 114 is ultimately formed, the conductive particles may be evenly distributed or dispersed throughout. Alternatively, the conductive particles may be distributed in clusters. Further, during the molding process, the conductive particles may be forced to move (e.g., through magnetism or applied current) to certain areas so that the density of the conductive particles is greater in desired areas.
In yet other examples, the shield cap 114 can be made from metallic materials. The shield walls 215 made as a metallic plates can allow the shield cap 114 to be thin enough to save space when the electrical connector assemblies 100 are arranged as shown in
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
As schematically illustrated in
The jack housing 110 includes a first support wall 310 and a second support wall 312 opposite to the first support wall 310. The first and second support walls 310 and 312 can cooperate to support the jack assemblies 102 therebetween. For example, the first support wall 310 is at least partially engaged with the bottom side 128 of the jack housing 110, and the second support wall 312 is at least partially engaged with the top side 126 of the jack housing 110. To secure the jack housing 110 with the first and second support walls 310 and 312, various locking members can be provided. In the illustrated example, such locking members include snap fit elements 316 and 318 (
With continued reference to
The shield walls 320 can be made of various materials suitable for crosstalk shielding. In some examples, the shield walls 320 are made of the same materials as the shield caps 114. For example, the shield walls 320 can be fabricated from a non-conductive material. In some examples, the shield walls 320 are entirely made from a homogeneous non-conductive material without conductive materials or conductive particles. In some examples, the non-conductive material includes a polypropylene or other thermoplastic polymer. The non-conductive material may also include polymeric or plastic materials such as polycarbonate, ABS, and/or PC/ABS blend. In other examples, the shield walls 320 may be made from a plastic blended with a material adapted for reducing crosstalk. For example, the shield walls 320 can be made from a non-conductive material having conductive particles dispersed therein. The conductive particles may include, for example, a conductive powder or conductive fibers. For example, the conductive particles may be carbon powders, carbon fibers, silver coated glass beads or fibers, nickel coated carbon fibers, or stainless steel fibers. In other examples, the shield walls 320 are made of different materials from the shield caps 114.
In some examples, the shield walls 320 are made of materials different from other portions of the panel interface housing 300. In other examples, the shield walls 320 are integrally formed at least a portion of the panel interface housing 300 with the same materials.
Although the shield cap 114 in the present disclosure is primarily designed for category 6A cables, the shield cap 114 can be used or modified for other types of cables. The shield cap 114 as described herein is also configured to fit with a panel interface housing designed for category 6 cables.
The structures of the jack assembly 102 and the panel interface housing 300 in accordance with the present disclosure can prevent or reduce unwanted energy from entering or leaving crosstalk between adjacent connectors arranged in high density configurations such as with patch panels.
The various examples and teachings described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example examples and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/US2017/015948, filed on Feb. 1, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/290,050, filed on Feb. 2, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.
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