This application is a National Stage Application of PCT/AU2008/000263, filed 29 Feb. 2008, which claims benefit of Serial No. 2007201105, filed 14 Mar. 2007 in Australia and which applications are incorporated herein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.
The present invention relates to an electrical connector.
The international community has agreed to a set of architectural standards for intermatability of electrical connectors for the telecommunications industry. The connectors that are most commonly used are modular plugs and jacks that facilitate interconnection of electronic data cables, for example.
A plug typically includes a generally rectangular housing having an end section shaped for at least partial insertion into a socket of a corresponding jack. The plug includes a plurality of contact elements electrically connected to the insulated conductors of an electronic data cable. The contact elements extend through the housing so that free ends thereof are arranged in parallel on an outer peripheral surface of the end section of the plug. The other end of the cable may be connected to a telephone handset, for example.
A jack may be mounted to a wall panel, for example, and includes a socket shaped to at least partially receive an end section of a modular plug, and a plurality of insulation displacement contact slots for receiving respective ones of insulated conductors of an electronic data cable. The jack also includes a plurality of contact elements for electrically connecting conductors of the plug to corresponding conductors of the electronic data cable. First of the contacts are arranged in parallel as spring finger contacts in the socket. The spring finger contacts resiliently bearing against corresponding contact elements of the modular plug when it is inserted in the socket in the above-described manner. Second ends of the contact elements include insulation displacement contacts that open into respective ones of the insulation displacement contact slots. Each insulation displacement contact is formed from contact element which is bifurcated so as to define two opposed contact portions separated by a slot into which an insulated conductor may be pressed so that edges of the contact portions engage and displace the insulation such that the contact portions resiliently engage, and make electrical connection with, the conductor. The two opposed contact portions of the insulation displacement contacts are laid open in corresponding insulation displacement contact slots. As such, an end portion of an insulated conductor can be electrically connected to an insulation displacement contact by pressing the end portion of the conductor into an insulation displacement contact slot.
The above-mentioned electronic data cables typically consist of a number of twisted pairs of insulated copper conductors held together in a common insulating jacket. Each twisted pair of conductors is used to carry a single stream of information. The two conductors are twisted together, at a certain twist rate, so that any external electromagnetic fields tend to influence the two conductors equally, thus a twisted pair is able to reduce crosstalk caused by electromagnetic coupling.
The arrangement of insulated conductors in twisted pairs may be useful in reducing the effects of crosstalk in data cables. However, at high data transmission rates, the wire paths within the connector jacks become antennae that both broadcast and receive electromagnetic radiation. Signal coupling, ie crosstalk, between different pairs of wire paths in the jack is a source of interference that degrades the ability to process incoming signals.
The wire paths of the jack are arranged in pairs, each carrying data signals of corresponding twisted pairs of the data cable. Cross talk can be induced between adjacent pairs where they are arranged closely together. The cross talk is primarily due to capacitive and inductive couplings between adjacent conductors. Since the extent of the cross talk is a function of the frequency of the signal on a pair, the magnitude of the cross talk is logarithmically increased as the frequency increases. For reasons of economy, convenience and standardisation, it is desirable to extend the utility of the connector plugs and jacks by using them at higher data rates. The higher the data rate, the greater difficulty of the problem. These problems are compounded because of international standards that assign the wire pairs to specified terminals.
Terminal wiring assignments for modular plugs and jacks are specified in ANSI/EIA/TIA-568-1991 which is the Commercial Building Telecommunications Wiring Standard. This Standard associates individual wire-pairs with specific terminals for an 8-position, telecommunications outlet (T568B). The pair assignment leads to difficulties when high frequency signals are present on the wire pairs. For example, the wire pair 3 straddles wire pair 1, as viewed looking into the socket of the jack. Where the electrical paths of the jack are arranged in parallel and are in the same approximate plane, there is electrical crosstalk between pairs 1 and 3. Many electrical connectors that receive modular plugs are configured that way, and although the amount of crosstalk between pairs 1 and 3 is insignificant in the audio frequency band, it is unacceptably high at frequencies above 1 MHz. Still, it is desirable to use modular plugs and jacks of this type at these higher frequencies because of connection convenience and cost.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,956 teaches cancellation of the cross talk arising in the jack using capacitance formed on the circuit board which is connected to the jack. U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,647 teaches of the reduction of cross talk in an electrical connector by crossing over the paths of certain contact elements in the electrical connector. While these approaches to reducing cross talk may be useful, they may not be sufficient to satisfy the ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-B.2-1 standard for Gigabit Ethernet (the so-called “Category 6” cabling standard). This standard defines much more stringent conditions for crosstalk along the cable than that defined in ANSI/TIA/EIA-568-A for Category 5 cable. The high-frequency operation demanded from the Category 6 standard also produces problems for the connectors and jacks used to connect any two Category 6 cables.
It is generally desirable to overcome or ameliorate one or more of the above mentioned difficulties, or at least provide a useful alternative.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical connector for transmitting data signals between the insulated conductors of a first data cable and corresponding insulated conductors of a second data cable, including:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are hereafter described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:
a is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of a contact element of the contact elements shown in
b is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of another contact element of the contact elements shown in
c is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of a capacitor plate of the contact shown in
a is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of yet another contact of the contacts shown in
b is a diagrammatic illustration of a capacitor plate of the contact shown in
a is a diagrammatic illustration of a side view of still another contact of the contacts shown in
b is a diagrammatic illustration of a capacitor plate of the contact shown in
The electrical connector 10, also referred to as the Jack 10, shown in
The electrical connector 10 also includes eight electrically conductive contact elements 22, as shown in
The first end of each contact 22 is a resiliently compressible spring finger contact 24 joined to a fixed section 34 by an elbow 25. The spring finger contacts 24 are arranged for electrical connection to corresponding contact of a mating modular plug (not shown) seated in the socket 18. The spring finger contacts 24 resiliently bear against corresponding contact elements of a modular plug when the plug is inserted into the socket 18. Second ends 26 of the contact elements 22 include insulation displacement contacts 28 that open into respective ones of the insulation displacement contact slots 20. Each insulation displacement contact 28 is bifurcated so as to define two opposed contact portions 28i, 28ii separated by a slot into which an insulated conductor may be pressed so that edges of the contact portions 28i, 28ii engage and displace the insulation. In doing so, the contact portions 28i, 28ii resiliently engage, and make electrical connection with, the conductor. The two opposed contact portions 28i, 28ii of the insulation displacement contacts 28 are laid open in corresponding insulation displacement contact slots 20. As such, an end portion of an insulated conductor can be electrically connected to an insulation displacement contact 28 by pressing the end portion of the conductor into an insulation displacement contact slot 20.
As particularly shown in
The channels 32 are predominantly 0.5 mm in depth (depth being defined as the distance recessed in a direction perpendicular to the normal of the plane). However, at any point where two tracks cross one another, the depth of the channel is increased to 1.5 mm. The width of channels 32 is 0.6 mm. The corresponding fixed sections 34 of the contacts 22 are 0.5 mm wide and 0.5 mm deep. The fixed sections 34 of the contacts 22 thereby snugly fit into their corresponding channels 32. Frictional engagement between the channels 32 and the contacts 22 inhibits lateral movement of the contacts 22.
As particularly shown in
As particularly shown in
During assembly, the contacts 22 are seated in corresponding channels 32 in the manner shown in
Assembly of the Connector
During assembly of the connector 10, the contacts 22 are seated in their respective channels 32 so that the insulation displacement contacts 28 are seated in their insulation displacement contact slots 20. When so arranged, the elbows 25 of the contacts 22 are located in their seats 39 and are arranged in parallel along a common edge 36 of the housing 12. The spring finger contacts 24 extend outwardly away from the front side 30 of the back part 16 of the housing 12 at an angle of sixty degrees, for example, to the front side 30 in the manner shown in
The front part 14 of the housing 12 is slidably couplable to the back part 16, in the manner shown in
As particularly shown in
The top side 45a of the front part 14 of the housing 12 also includes eight parallel elbow channels 58b, each being shaped to receive a section 64 of the spring finger contacts 24 proximal the fixed sections 34. The elbow channels 58b are defined by seven partitions 66 that extend in parallel outwardly from the front part 14 of the housing 12. The elbow channels 58b locate the sections 64 of the contacts 22 in fixed positions so that movement of the spring finger contacts 24 is inhibited and the contacts 22 are electrically isolated from each other.
The top side 45a of the front part 14 of the housing 12 includes an aperture 68 lying between the terminal channels 58a and the elbow channels 58b. The aperture 68 extends through a top section 72 of the socket 18. Contact sections 70 of the contacts elements 22 extend through the aperture 68, between the terminal channels 58a and the elbow channels 58b, and are accessible from the socket 18. A mating modular plug (not shown) can thereby be inserted into the socket 18 to effect electrical connection to the contact sections 70 of the contact elements 22.
The spring finger contacts 24 are seated in their respective channels 58a, 58b when the front part 14 of the housing slides over the back part 16 of the housing 12 in the manner shown in
The Compensation Scheme
The compensation scheme of the connector 10 seeks to compensate for any near end cross-talk and far end cross-talk coupling produced by the above-mentioned connector plug (not shown). The connector 10 is preferably designed such that the mated connection looks, electrically, as close as possible to the 100 Ohm cable characteristic impedance to ensure optimal return loss performance.
Terminal wiring assignments for modular plugs and jacks are specified in ANSI/EIA/TIA-568-1991 which is the Commercial Building Telecommunications Wiring Standard. This Standard associates individual wire-pairs with specific terminals for an 8-position telecommunications outlet (T568B) in the manner shown in
1. Pair 1 Contacts 22d and 22e (Pins 4 and 5);
2. Pair 2 Contacts 22a and 22b (Pins 1 and 2);
3. Pair 3 Contacts 22c and 22f (Pins 3 and 6); and
4. Pair 4 Contacts 22g and 22h (Pins 7 and 8).
The above-mentioned pair assignment leads to some difficulties with cross-talk. This is particularly the case when high frequency signals are present on the wire pairs. For example, since Pair 3 straddles Pair 1, there will likely be electrical crosstalk between Pairs 1 and 3 because the respective electrical paths are parallel to each other and are in the same approximate plane. Although the amount of crosstalk between pairs 1 and 3 may be insignificant in the audio frequency band, for example, it is unacceptably high at frequencies above 1 MHz. Still, it is desirable to use modular plugs and jacks of this type at these higher frequencies because of connection convenience and cost.
The contacts 22 are arranged in the connector 10 to reduce the effects of cross-talk in communication signals being transmitted through the connector 10. The arrangement of the contacts 22 preferably renders the connector 10 suitable for high speed data transmission and is preferably compliant with the Category 6 communications standard. As above mentioned, electromagnetic coupling occurs between two pairs of contacts and not within a single pair. Coupling occurs when a signal, or electric field, is induced into another pair.
The compensation scheme 100 of the connector 10 shown in
1. Zone 1
As above described, parallel conductors 22 inside a connector jack 10 often contribute to crosstalk within the jack 10. Each conductor 22 acts like an antenna, transmitting signals to, and receiving signals from, the other conductors 22 in the connector 10. This encourages capacitive and inductive coupling, which in turn encourages crosstalk between the conductors 22. Capacitive coupling is dependent on the distance between components and the material between them. Inductive coupling is dependent on the distance between components.
The close proximity of the conductors 22 in zone one makes them vulnerable to capacitive coupling. Cross-talk is particularly strong at the point where signals are transmitted into cables. As the signals travel along cables they tend to attenuate, and thereby reduce electromagnetic interference caused by any given pulse.
Tip ends 60 of contacts 22 protruding beyond respective points of contact 102 of the RJ plug (not shown) and socket are considered to reside in zone 1 of the compensation scheme 100, as shown in
As particularly shown in
As particularly shown in
In an alternative arrangement, the width (“Z”) of tip ends 60 of contacts 22c, 22d, and 22e, 22f is less than the width “Z” of the tip end 60 of contacts 22a, 22b, 22g and 22h. The width “Z” of the tip ends 60 of contacts 22c, 22d, and 22e, 22f is 0.4 mm and width of the tip ends 60 of contacts 22a, 22b, 22g and 22h is 0.5 mm, for example. As such, tip ends 60 of contacts 22c, 22d, 22e, 22f are separated by a distance “X” and tip ends of the contacts 22a, 22b, 22h, 22g are separated by a distance “Y”, where “X”>“Y”. The reduced width of the contacts 22c, 22d, and 22e, 22f allows them to be spaced further apart with respect to traditional eight position, eight conductor (8P8C), connectors. This larger distance decreases the capacitive coupling between the contacts 10, thus reducing the effects of crosstalk introduced into any data signals carried therein.
2. Zone 2.
Electromagnetic coupling occurs between adjacent contacts 22 of the Pairs of contacts. The result is side to side crosstalk. To avoid the near-end crosstalk, the contact pairs may be arranged at very widely spaced locations from one another, or a shielding may be arranged between the contact pairs. However, if the contact pairs must be arranged very close to one another for design reasons, the above-described measures cannot be carried out, and the near-end crosstalk must be compensated.
The electric patch plug used most widely for symmetric data cables is the RJ-45 patch plug, which is known in various embodiments, depending on the technical requirement. Prior-art RJ-45 patch plugs of category 5 have, e.g., a side-to-side crosstalk attenuation of >40 dB at a transmission frequency 100 MHz between all four contact pairs. Based on the unfavorable contact configuration in RJ-45, increased side-to-side crosstalk occurs due to the design. This occurs especially in the case of the plug between the two pairs 3, 6 and 4, 5 because of the interlaced arrangement (e.g. EIA/TIA 568A and 568B). This increased side-to-side crosstalk limits the use at high transmission frequencies. However, the contact assignment cannot be changed for reasons of compatibility with the prior-art plugs.
In the arrangement shown in
The above-mentioned pairs of contacts 22 are crossed over at positions as close as possible to the point of contact 102 between the RJ plug 106 and the socket so as to introduce compensation to the RJ plug as soon as possible. The crossover of the mentioned contacts is effected to induce “opposite” coupling to the coupling seen in the RJ plug 106 and in the section of the spring finger contacts 24 immediately after the point of contact 102 between the plates 108 in the RJ plug 106 and socket of the connector 10. Coupling between contacts 22e and 22f and contacts 22c and 22d is introduced in the RJ plug 106 due to the geometry of the plug 106. The same coupling is seen in the socket due to the necessary mating geometry. The crossover of contacts 22d and 22e then allows coupling into opposite pair of contacts.
3. Zone 3.
As particularly shown in
The length of Zone 3 is dictated by the geometry of the connector 10, mechanical constraints and the need to mount the capacitor plates on a stable area. The following aspects of zone three are described below in further detail:
The capacitive plates 76 are created as integral parts of the contacts 22, for example, located at common points 78 on respective the fixed sections 34 close to the elbows 25. The closer that these plates 76 are to the contacts 108 of the mating modular plug 106, the greater the effect they have on crosstalk compensation. The common points 78 are located on the fixed sections to inhibit relative movement of the plates 76 during usage. Movement of the plates 76 reduces the effectiveness of these plates 76 to compensate for cross-talk.
The capacitive plates 76 are coupled to respective common points 78 of the contacts 22 so that crosstalk compensation is effected simultaneously across the contacts 22.
In designing the connector 10, as a first approximation, the connector 10 is made to look like the mating RJ plug 106. In the plug 106, there are relatively large capacitive plates 108 near the interface with the connector 10. The capacitive plates 76 advantageously mimic the capacitive plates 108 in the plug 106 by placing the plates 76 as close as possible to the connector/plug interface.
b. Stems
As particularly shown in
The stems 80 are preferably 1 mm in length. This distance is preferably sufficient to inhibit capacitive coupling between the capacitive plates 76 and respective fixed sections 34 of the contacts 22.
c. Relative Size
As particularly shown in
This ability to change the capacitance between any two adjacent plates 76 allows the manufacturer to change the capacitive coupling between any two conductive paths 22 within the connector 10. This high level of control over the capacitances in turn allows more control over the compensation of crosstalk generated between any parallel contacts within the connector.
As above mentioned, the overlapping area of two adjacent plates 76 determines the area over which capacitance may occur. In the general case, this is determined by the area of the smaller plate. The relative area between adjacent pairs of capacitive plates 76 is set out in Table 2. With control over the plate areas, the relative capacitance between any two adjacent plates may be uniquely determined and changed simply by changing the relevant plate sizes.
d. Dielectric Material.
In designing the connector 10, as a first approximation, the connector 10 is made to look like the mating RJ plug 106. In the plug 106, there are relatively large capacitive plates near the interface with the connector 10. The capacitive plates 76 advantageously mimic the capacitive plates in the plug 106. The plates 76 are located as close as possible to the connector/plug interface. There is also excessive capacitive coupling in the fixed section 34 and insulation displacement contacts 28 of the contacts 22. The capacitive plates 76 also compensate for this additional capacitive coupling.
As particularly, shown in
The proportion of housing 12 and air which fills the volume between any two adjacent plates 76 dictates the dielectric constant of the space between the same two plates. This, in turn, dictates the capacitance between these two plates. As the relative area of the housing 12 between any two plates is increased, the corresponding dielectric constant between the plates 76 is increased. These effective dielectric areas are shown in Table 2.
The capacitance between any two adjacent plates 76 is also determined by the distance between them when measured normal to the plate area (normal distance shown as “N” in
Spacing between the contacts 22d & 22e has been doubled relative to the spacing between the other pairs. This gap improves the return loss performance of the Pair 1 (22d & 22e) and provides for additional tuning in Zone 4.
4. Zone 4.
The contacts 22 in zone 4 are arranged to improve near end crosstalk performance. In particular, the contacts 22 are arranged to offset and balance some of the coupling introduced in zone 3. A detailed description of the arrangement of the contacts in zone 4 is out below.
The arrangement of the contacts 22c, 22d, 22e and 22f of pairs 4, 5 and 3, 6 is shown in
Contacts 22d and 22e (Pins 4 & 5) are crossed over at the end of zone 4 to induce a phase shift in the signal and to allow introduction of “opposite” coupling. For example, coupling between contacts 22e and 22f (Pins 5 & 6).
Contact 22c (Pin 3) is moved away from contact 22e (Pin 5) as soon as possible. This has the effect of removing any additional coupling that would be induced by the proximity of surrounding contacts 22. As particularly shown in
The length of zone 3 is determined by point of crossing over of contacts 22e and 22d (Pins 4 & 5) and the position at which contact 22d (Pin 4) deviates away from contact 22f (Pin 6).
The arrangement of the contacts 22a, 22b, 22d, and 22e of pairs 4, 5 and 1, 2 is shown in
The spacing between contacts 22a (Pin 1) and 22e (Pin 5) is reduced to 0.5 mm. This is effected by stepping the contact 22a (Pin 1) towards contact 22e (Pin 5). Coupling is thereby increased between contacts 22a (Pin 1) and 22e (Pin 5).
As particularly shown in
Contact 22b (Pin 2) is moved away from contact 22a (Pin 1) as soon as possible. This has the effect of removing any additional coupling that would be induced by the proximity of surrounding contacts 22. As particularly shown in
Similarly, contacts 22g and 22h (Pins 7 & 8) are moved away from contact 22f (Pin 6) as soon as possible. This has the effect of removing any additional coupling that would be induced by the proximity of surrounding contacts 22. As particularly shown in
5. Zone 5
The contacts 22 in zone 5 are arranged to improve near end crosstalk performance and to further offset and balance some of the coupling introduced in zone 3. As above mentioned, contacts 22d and 22e (Pins 4 & 5) are crossed over at the end of zone 4 to induce a phase shift in the signal and to allow introduction of “opposite” coupling. This is effected by stepping the path of contact 22e (Pin 5) closer to the path of contact 22f (Pin 6). As such, the spacing between contacts 22e and 22f (Pins 5 & 6) is reduced to 0.5 mm. Coupling is thereby induced between contacts 22e and 22f (Pins 5 & 6).
Contact 22d (Pin 4) is moved away from contact 22e (Pin 5) as soon as possible after the cross over towards the insulation displacement contact slot 20d. This has the effect of removing any additional coupling that would be induced by the proximity of surrounding contacts 22. As particularly shown in
The length of zone 5 is determined by the distance which contacts 22e and 22f (Pins 5 & 6) are parallel. The contacts 22e and 22f each extend in opposite directions towards their respective insulation displacement contact slots 20e and 20f at the end of zone 5.
With reference to
(⅚+¾)RJPlug+(⅚+¾)RJSocket=( 4/6+⅗+⅚)RJSocket (1)
Orientation of IDCs
The insulation displacement contacts are arranged an angle “α” angle of 45 degrees to the direction of extent of mating insulated conductors 112, as shown in
The insulation displacement contacts 28 are arranged in pairs in accordance with the T568 wiring standard. Capacitive coupling between pairs of insulation displacement contacts 28 can create a problem, inducing crosstalk between the signals travelling thereon. In order to discourage capacitive coupling, adjacent contacts 28 of neighbouring pairs open in different directions. The pairs of contacts 28 preferably open at an angle “β” of ninety degrees with respect to each other, as shown in
The insulation displacement contacts 28 are each arranged at an angle “δ” of forty five degrees with respect to the direction of the capacitive plates 76, for example.
While we have shown and described specific embodiments of the present invention, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. We desire it to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular forms shown and we intend in the append claims to cover all modifications that do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.
Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.
The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007201105 | Mar 2007 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/AU2008/000263 | 2/29/2008 | WO | 00 | 3/25/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2008/109919 | 9/18/2008 | WO | A |
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