Wire lead guide and method for terminating a communications cable

• US 20050014420A1
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Published: 01/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belden Canada ULC (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nordx/CDT Inc. (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Quenneville, Alain, Tazbaz, Antoine, Bohbot, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 7,150,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/719
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6463 using twisted pairs of wires
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/941 Crosstalk suppression
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49123 Co-axial cable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49195 with end-to-end orienting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49201 with overlapping orienting

Abstract

A method for terminating a telecommunications cable where the cable comprises a plurality of twisted pairs of wires. The method comprises the steps providing an interconnection module comprising a pair of contacts for each of the twisted pairs, aligning the end portions and interconnecting each of the aligned end portions with a corresponding pair of conductive contacts. The aligning step comprises arranging the end portions such that when connected to the contact pairs, the twisted pairs remain uncrossed. A wire lead guide for isolating the end portions of a plurality twisted pairs of wires an a connector assembly using the same. The guide comprises a guide body and a plurality of non-intersecting passageways through the body. Each of the passageways is comprised of an entrance and an exit. The end portions of one of the twisted pairs are inserted through a corresponding one of the passageways. The passageways isolate the twisted pairs of wires from one another.

Claims

1. A method for terminating a telecommunications cable, the cable comprising a plurality of twisted pairs of wires arranged in a generally parallel relationship to a common axis, each of the twisted pairs having an exposed end portion, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an interconnection module comprising a pair of contacts for each of the twisted pairs;

aligning the end portions; and

interconnecting each of the aligned end portions with a corresponding pair of conductive terminals;

wherein said aligning step comprises arranging the end portions such that when connected to said terminal pairs, said twisted pairs remain uncrossed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said terminals comprises a bifurcated contact plate and said interconnecting step comprises inserting said aligned end portions into said bifurcation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the aligned end portions lie substantially in the same plane.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the end portions are bent substantially at right angles to the common axis prior to said connecting step.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said terminals are arranged in two substantially parallel and aligned rows of terminals and wherein said connecting step further comprises connecting every second of the aligned end portions to a pair of terminals in a different row.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is comprised of four twisted pairs of wires and said interconnection module is comprised of four pairs of terminals.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said terminals are arranged in two substantially parallel rows of two pairs of terminals each, said rows defining an insertion region there between, and further comprising the step of positioning the aligned end portions in said insertion region prior to said connecting step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said end portions are aligned such that adjacent end portions are connected with pairs of terminals in different rows.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the twisted pairs is coded with a colour selected from the group consisting of blue, orange, green and brown and wherein each of said pairs of terminals is colour coded with a colour selected from the group consisting of blue, orange, green and brown, each of said colour coded pairs of terminals for interconnection with the twisted pair having the same colour code.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said colour coded pairs of terminals are arranged such that said green coded pair of terminals and said brown coded pair of terminals are on a first side of said insertion region and said orange coded pair of terminals and said blue coded pair of terminals are on an opposite side of said insertion region, said orange coded pair of terminals being opposite said green coded pair of terminals and said brown coded contact pair being opposite said blue coded contact pair and wherein the twisted pairs are distributed in an ordered sequence of blue, orange, green and brown around the common axis, said aligning step further comprising arranging the end portions such that blue is adjacent to brown and green is adjacent to orange.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said aligning step further comprising arranging the end portions in the order green, orange, brown then blue.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said colour coded pairs of terminals are arranged such that said orange coded pair of terminals and said brown coded pair of terminals are on a first side of said insertion region and said green coded pair of terminals and said blue coded pair of terminals are on an opposite side of said insertion region, said orange coded pair of terminals being opposite said green coded pair of terminals and said brown coded pair of terminals being opposite said blue coded pair of terminals and wherein the twisted pairs are distributed in an ordered sequence of blue, orange, green and brown around the common axis, said aligning step further comprising arranging the end portions such that blue is adjacent to brown and green is adjacent to orange.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said aligning step further comprising arranging the end portions in the order orange, green, brown then blue.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is a UTP cable.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is selected from the group consisting of UTP cables, ScTP cables and flat cables.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the cable is selected from the group consisting of round cables and flat cables.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of mounting a sleeve over each of the end portions prior to said interconnecting step.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to said interconnecting step, the steps of:

providing a wire lead guide comprised of a guide body and a plurality of non-intersecting passageways through said body, each of said passageways comprised of an entrance and an exit; and

inserting said end portions of the twisted pairs through corresponding passageways, said passageways isolating said twisted pairs of wires from one another.

19. A wire lead guide for guiding the end portions of a plurality twisted pairs of wires, the twisted pairs arranged in a generally parallel relationship to a common axis, the guide comprising:

a guide body; and

a plurality of non-intersecting passageways through said body, each of said passageways comprised of an entrance and an exit, the end portions of one of the twisted pairs being inserted through a corresponding one of said passageways, said passageways isolating said twisted pairs of wires from one another.

20. The guide of claim 19, wherein said passageways are parallel to one another for at least an initial portion thereof.

21. The guide of claim 19, wherein said passageways are at an angle to one another for at least an initial portion thereof.

22. The guide of claim 19, wherein adjacent passageways are at an angle to one another for at least an initial portion thereof.

23. The guide of claim 19, wherein said guide body is elongate.

24. The guide of claim 23, wherein said entrances are spaced along an upper surface of said guide body.

25. The guide of claim 24, wherein said entrances are arranged along an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said guide body.

26. The guide of claim 24, wherein said entrances are arranged in a staggered configuration.

27. The guide of claim 24, wherein said entrances are substantially at right angles to said exits.

28. The guide of claim 27, wherein the twisted pairs exit adjacent exits in substantially opposite directions.

29. The guide of claim 28, wherein said guide body further comprise a dividing abutment on each side of said body between each of said exits.

30. The guide of claim 28, wherein said guide body further comprises an outer wall at either end of said body.

31. The guide of claim 24, wherein said guide is comprised of four (4) passageways with respective entrances and exits.

32. The guide of claim 31, wherein a middle pair of said entrances are raised relative to an outer pair of said entrances.

33. The guide of claim 32, further comprising a raised abutment between each of said outer entrances and said pair of middle entrances.

34. The guide of claim 32, wherein said raised abutments have a curved outer surface.

35. The guide of claim 31, wherein a spacing between a middle pair of said entrances is less than a spacing between each of an outer entrance and said middle pair.

36. The guide of claim 19, wherein said guide body is fabricated from a dielectric material.

37. The guide of claim 19, wherein said guide body is fabricated from a shielding material.

38. The guide of claim 37, wherein said shielding material is a zinc alloy.

39. The guide of claim 37, wherein said shielding material is a aluminium alloy.

40. The guide of claim 37, wherein said shielding material is a composite including ferro-magnetic particles.

41. The guide of claim 19, wherein said guide body is fabricated from first and second interlocking parts, said first part being removable from said second part to expose said passageways.

42. A connector assembly for terminating a communications cable, the cable comprising a jacket encasing a plurality of twisted pairs of wires and wherein an end portion of each of the twisted pairs is exposed, the assembly comprising:

an interconnection module comprised of a plurality of pairs of terminals and adapted to interconnect with the end portions of the twisted pairs; and

a wire lead guide comprised of guide body and a plurality of non-intersecting passageways through said body;

wherein the end portions are inserted through a corresponding one of said passageways prior to interconnection with a corresponding one of said pairs of terminals.

43. The assembly of claim 42, further comprising a socket adapted to receive a patch cable plug terminating a plurality of wires, said socket having a plurality of conductors disposed therein, each of said conductors interconnected with one of said contacts, and wherein when said patch cable plug is inserted into said socket, each of said wires is interconnected with a corresponding one of said conductors.

44. The assembly of claim 43, wherein said socket is adapted to receive an RJ-45 plug.

45. The assembly of claim 42, wherein each of said terminals comprises a bifurcated contact plate and said end portions are inserted into said bifurcation.

46. The assembly of claim 45, wherein each of said terminals is an IDC terminal.

47. The assembly of claim 42, wherein each of said passageways are parallel to one another for at least an initial portion thereof.

48. The assembly of claim 42, wherein said terminals are arranged in two substantially parallel and aligned rows of contacts and wherein the end portions of every second twisted pair are connected to a pair of terminals in a different row.

49. The assembly of claim 42, wherein the cable is comprised of four twisted pairs of wires and said interconnection module is comprised of four pairs of terminals.

50. The assembly of claim 49, wherein said contacts are arranged in two substantially parallel rows of two pairs of terminals each, said rows defining an insertion region there between and wherein said wire lead guide is positioned within said insertion region.

51. The assembly of claim 50, wherein said end portions are aligned such that adjacent end portions are connected with pairs of terminals in different rows.

52. The assembly of claim 42, wherein said guide body is elongate.

53. The assembly of claim 52, wherein each of said passageways comprises an entrance and an exit and wherein said entrances are spaced along an upper surface of said guide body.

54. The assembly of claim 53, wherein said entrances are substantially at right angles to said exits.

55. The assembly of claim 52, wherein said entrances are aligned along an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said guide body.

56. The assembly of claim 52, wherein said entrances are staggered such that every second of said entrances is aligned along an axis substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said guide body.

57. The assembly of claim 54, wherein the twisted pairs exit adjacent exits in substantially opposite directions.

58. The assembly of claim 42, wherein the cable is a UTP cable.

59. The assembly of claim 42, wherein the cable is selected from the group consisting of UTP cables, ScTP cables, STP cables.

60. The assembly of claim 42, wherein the cable is selected from the group consisting of round cables and flat cables.

61. The assembly of claim 42, further comprising a presscap and wherein said terminals are self-cutting.

62. The assembly of claim 61, wherein said wire lead guide is integrated into said presscap.

63. The assembly of claim 42, wherein said wire lead guide is snap fit into said interconnection module.

64. The assembly of claim 42, wherein said wire lead guide is integrated into said interconnection module.

65. The assembly of claim 42, wherein said wire lead guide is bonded to the cable jacket.

66. The assembly of claim 42, wherein said wire lead guide further comprises at least one raised abutment and wherein said abutments are inserted into a lower end of said cable jacket.

67. The assembly of claim 66, wherein said abutments are bonded to said lower end of said cable jacket.

68. A connector assembly for terminating a category 6 communications cable, the cable comprising a jacket encasing four twisted pairs of wires and wherein an end portion of each of the twisted pairs is exposed, the assembly comprising:

an interconnection module comprised of four of pairs of terminals, said pairs of terminals adapted to interconnect with the end portions of the twisted pairs;

wherein the assembly exhibits over subsequent installations a range of alien cross talk at 100 Mhz between pairs of twisted pairs of less than 1.000 mV/V.

69. The assembly of claim 68, further comprising a wire lead guide comprised of guide body and a plurality of non-intersecting passageways through said body, and wherein the end portions are inserted through a corresponding one of said passageways prior to interconnection with a corresponding one of said pairs of terminals.

70. The assembly of claim 69, wherein said wire lead guide is fabricated from a dielectric material.

71. The assembly of claim 70, wherein said dielectric material is plastic.

72. A method of installing a category 6 communications cable, the cable comprising a jacket encasing four twisted pairs of wires and wherein an end portion of each of the twisted pairs is exposed, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an interconnection module comprising a pair of contacts for each of the twisted pairs;

aligning the end portions; and

interconnecting each of the aligned end portions with a corresponding pair of conductive terminals;

wherein the method exhibits over subsequent installations a range of alien cross talk at 100 Mhz between pairs of twisted pairs of less than 1.000 mV/V.

73. The method of claim 72, further comprising, prior to said interconnecting step, the steps of:

providing a wire lead guide comprised of a guide body and a plurality of non-intersecting passageways through said body, each of said passageways comprised of an entrance and an exit; and

inserting said end portions of the twisted pairs through corresponding passageways, said passageways isolating said twisted pairs of wires from one another.