COUPLER CONNECTOR AND CABLE TERMINATOR WITH SIDE CONTACTS

• US 20160072240A1
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Published: 03/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Belden Canada ULC (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Belden CDT (Canada) Inc. (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: SIEV, VIRAK, MILETTE, LUC, BEAUREGARD, FRANCOIS, FONTAINE, MARC, PLAMONDON, JEAN-SEBASTIEN, DESROCHES, ALAIN
• Granted Patent: US 9,397,455 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/506 assembled by snap action of the parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/514 composed as a modular blocks or assembly, i.e. composed of co-operating parts provided with contact members or holding contact members between them
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6272 comprising a single latching arm
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/633 for disengagement only in combination with safety switch H01R13/7132
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2107/00 Four or more poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/005 Intermediate parts for distributing signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2404 the contact members having teeth, prongs, pins or needles penetrating the insulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/01 for connecting unstripped conductors to contact members having insulation cutting edges

Abstract

An assembly comprising a cable terminator comprising a wire guide, a cube shaped securing cap comprising an open end for installation over the wire guide, and pairs of piercing contacts for piercing respective conductors of the cable. When assembled, an outer end of each of the piercing contacts is exposed on an outer surface of a respective securing cap sidewall. The assembly also comprises a coupler connector comprising one of a modular (for example RJ-45 compatible) socket or a modular (for example RJ-45 compatible) plug, a rearward surface comprising a cable terminator receiving socket, wherein pairs of contacts are exposed along at least one side wall of the socket, and further wherein each of a plurality of the tines in the modular socket or the terminal contacts of the plug is interconnected with a respective one of the contacts. When the cable terminator is inserted into the cable terminator receiving socket, each of the piercing contacts comes into contact with a respective one of the contacts, thereby interconnecting each of the tines (or each of the terminal contacts) with a respective one of the conductors. A back-to-back connector is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An assembly for terminating a cable comprising a four pairs of conductors, the assembly comprising:

a cable terminator comprising;

a wire guide comprising two opposite outer sides and four elongate parallel conductor pair receiving slots, two of said slots exposed side by side on each of said two opposite outer sides, each of said slots for receiving a respective conductor pair;

a securing cap comprising an open end sized for snug installation at least partially over said wire guide opposite outer sides, a pair of opposed sidewalls each comprising two pairs of piercing contact receiving slots therein, and four pairs of piercing contacts, each of said pairs of piercing contacts insertable into a respective pair of said piercing contact receiving slots, wherein when assembled each of said opposed sidewalls is positioned adjacent a respective one of said opposite outer sides such that a piercing end of each of said piercing contacts is positioned opposite a respective one of said conductors and in contact with said respective conductor and an outer end of each of said piercing contacts is exposed on an outer surface of a respective securing cap sidewall; and

a coupler connector comprising a rearward surface comprising a cable terminator receiving socket disposed therein wherein four pairs of socket contacts are exposed along at least one side wall of said socket and a forward surface comprising one of a modular socket disposed therein, wherein a plurality of tines are exposed within said modular socket wherein each of said is interconnected with a respective one of said socket contacts and a plug disposed thereon, wherein a plurality of terminal contacts are exposed along a forward edge of said plug and each of said terminal contacts is interconnected with a respective one of said socket contacts;

wherein when said cable terminator is inserted into said cable terminator receiving socket, each of said piercing contacts comes into contact with a respective one of said socket contacts, thereby interconnecting each of said tines with a respective one of the conductors.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said modular socket is an RJ-45 compatible socket and said plurality of tines comprises eight tines.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said modular plug is an RJ-45 compatible plug and said plurality of terminal contacts comprises eight terminal contacts.

4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a snap fit interconnecting said wire guide and said securing cap.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein said snap fit comprises a plurality of raised ribs on said wire guide and a corresponding plurality of recesses in said securing cap, each of said recesses for engaging a respective one of said ribs when assembled.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said elongate member is received in a slot in said securing cap.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said wire guide comprises a pair of plates each comprising a forward edge and arranged on either side of an axis and generally in parallel to and opposite one another, an elongate member at right angles to said axis and rigidly secured at either end to a point of attachment at a respective middle of each of said forward edges, each of said plates further comprising an inner surface which together define a cable receiving region arranged about said axis there between, a pair of notches on said forward edge wherein one of each of said notches is positioned on either side of said points of attachment, and a pair said slots on an outer surface thereof, each of said slots arranged in parallel to said axis and intersecting a respective one of said notches.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein said inner surface is arcuate and said cable receiving region is substantially cylindrical.

9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein said pair of plates flex about their respective points of attachment and further wherein when assembled, a free end of a first of said plates is biased towards a free end of a second of said plates and such that the cable is gripped there between.

10. A back-to-back connector assembly for interconnecting a first multi conductor cable with a second multi conductor cable, the connector comprising:

a pair of cable terminators for terminating respective ones of the cables, one of said each of said cable terminators comprising;

a wire guide comprising two opposite outer sides and four elongate parallel conductor pair receiving slots, two of said slots exposed side by side on each of said two opposite outer sides, each of said slots for receiving a respective conductor pair;

a securing cap comprising an open end sized for snug installation at least partially over said wire guide opposite outer sides, a pair of opposed sidewalls each comprising two pairs of piercing contact receiving slots therein, and four pairs of piercing contacts, each of said pairs of piercing contacts insertable into a respective pair of said piercing contact receiving slots, wherein when assembled each of said opposed sidewalls is positioned adjacent a respective one of said opposite outer sides such that a piercing end of each of said piercing contacts is positioned opposite a respective one of said conductors and in contact with said respective conductor and an outer end of each of said piercing contacts is exposed on an outer surface of a respective securing cap sidewall; and

a coupler connector comprising a rearward surface comprising a first cable terminator receiving socket disposed therein wherein a first plurality of pairs of socket contacts are exposed along at least one side wall of said first socket and a forward surface comprising a second cable terminator receiving socket disposed therein wherein a second plurality of pairs of socket contacts are exposed along at least one side wall of said second, and further wherein each of said first plurality of socket contacts is interconnected with a respective one of said second plurality of socket contacts;

wherein when said cable terminators are inserted into their respective cable terminator receiving sockets, each of said piercing contacts comes into contact with a respective one of said socket contacts, thereby interconnecting conductors of the first multi-conductor cable with conductors of the second multi-conductor cable.

11. The back-to-back connector assembly of claim 10, wherein each of the cables comprises four twisted pairs of conductors.

12. A method for terminating a cable comprising a jacket surrounding a plurality of twisted pairs of conductors, the method comprising:

stripping a length of the jacket from an end of the cable to expose a free end of each of said pairs of conductors;

feeding said free ends though the middle of a wire guide in a first direction;

untwisting at least a portion of said free ends;

bending each the untwisted free ends over said wire guide into a respective receiving slot and in a direction opposite said first direction wherein the untwisted free end of the first pair and second pair of the conductors are exposed along a first side of said wire guide and the untwisted free end of the third pair and fourth pair of the conductors is exposed along a second side of said wire guide opposite said first side;

inserting said wire guide into an open end of a securing cap comprising a plurality of pairs of piercing contacts arranged along opposite sides thereof, wherein when said securing cap is installed on said wire guide, each of said pairs of piercing contacts align with a respective pair of conductors;

piercing an insulation of each of said conductors with a piercing first end of an aligned one of said piercing contacts wherein a contacting second end of each of said piercing contacts remains exposed on an outer surface of said cap;

inserting said cap and said wire guide into a cap and wire guide receiving socket in rearward surface of a coupler connector such that each of said contacting second ends of said piercing contacts comes into contact with a respective one of eight socket contacts exposed on an inside wall of said cap and wire guide receiving socket, said coupler connector further comprising a forward surface comprising one of a modular socket and disposed therein, wherein a plurality of tines are exposed within said modular socket and each of said tines is interconnected with a respective one of said socket contacts and a modular plug disposed thereon, wherein a plurality of terminal contacts are exposed along a forward edge of said plug and each of said terminal contacts is interconnected with a respective one of said socket contacts.

13. The method for terminating a cable of claim 12, wherein the plurality of conductors comprises first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs of conductors and said modular socket is an RJ-45 compatible socket and said plurality of tines comprises eight tines.

14. The method for terminating a cable of claim 12, wherein the plurality of conductors comprises first, second, third and fourth twisted pairs of conductors and said modular plug is an RJ-45 compatible plug and said plurality of terminal contacts comprises eight terminal contacts.