Electrostatic discharge protected jack

• US 6,780,035 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2002
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nordx/CDT Inc. (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nordx/CDT Inc. (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Bohbot, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Tulsidas C.
• Application Number:
  US10/097,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20020151201A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: 439/188, 439/108, 439/181, 439/676, 200/51.1
• US Class Current: 439/188
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6485 Electrostatic discharge protection in general H05F1/00, for electric apparatus H05K9/0067
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/7032 making use of a separate bridging element directly cooperating with the terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/06 for computer periphery
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45

Abstract

A method and apparatus for discharging accumulated static charge in unshielded twisted pair cables. According to one example, an electrical jack includes a housing having an opening defined therein through which a mating plug is received, a grounding strip, and at least one elastically deformable signal contact residing within the housing. As the mating plug is received, the elastically deformable signal contact may move from a position in contact with the grounding strip to a position not in contact with the grounding strip, thereby discharging static charge from the unshielded twisted pair cables and allowing normal connection to the mating plug.

Claims

1. An electrical jack comprising:

a housing having an opening defined therein through which a mating plug is received;

a grounding strip including a zener diode coupled thereto; and

at least one elastically deformable signal contact residing within the housing disposed such that, when in a first position, the at least one elastically deformable signal contact is in contact with the grounding strip;

wherein the grounding strip is adapted to controllably ground any electrostatic discharges present in the at least one elastically deformable signal contact through the zener diode;

wherein as the mating plug is received any electrostatic discharges present in the mating plug are controllably grounded through the zener diode by the at least one elastically deformable signal contact being in a the first position in contact with the grounding strip, and wherein as the mating plug is further received, the elastically deformable signal contact moves to a second position not in contact with the grounding strip.

2. The electrical jack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grounding strip comprises a metal strip.

3. The electrical jack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grounding strip comprises a dielectric strip including the zener diode disposed thereon.

4. The electrical jack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grounding strip comprises a conductive plastic.

14. The electrical jack as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a resistor coupled to the zener diode.

5. An electrical connector panel comprising:

a housing having a comb portion;

a plurality of connector jacks disposed in the housing, each jack including a plurality of spring contacts located in the comb portion of the housing, the plurality of jacks being adapted to mate with a corresponding plurality of connector plugs; and

a grounding strip coupled to a housing ground terminal and including a zener diode coupled to the grounding strip, the grounding strip comprising a first portion disposed in a rear of the panel, a body portion folded over a section of the housing and contact portions disposed inside the comb portion of the housing such that the plurality of spring contacts of each of the plurality of connector jacks are in contact with the contact portions of the grounding strip when in a first position;

wherein the plurality of spring contacts of one of the plurality of connector jacks move to a second position, not in contact with the grounding strip, when a connector plug is received by the connector jack; and

wherein the grounding strip is adapted to prevent electrostatic buildup in the connector panel by controllably grounding, through the zener diode, any electrostatic charge present in any of the plurality of spring contacts of the connector jacks.

6. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grounding strip comprises a metal strip.

7. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grounding strip comprises a dielectric strip including the zener diode disposed thereon.

8. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grounding strip comprises a conductive plastic.

9. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of connector jacks includes an opening adapted to receive the corresponding connector plug.

10. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, further including a resistor connected in series between the body portion of the grounding strip and the housing ground terminal.

11. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the grounding strip further comprises a plurality of tabs adapted to retain the contact portions of the grounding strip within the comb of the housing.

15. The electrical connector panel as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a resistor coupled to the zener diode.

12. A cabling system comprising:

at least one electrical cable terminated in a connector plug;

a connector panel including at least one electrical jack adapted to receive and mate with the connector plug of the electrical cable, the electrical jack including a plurality of spring contacts movable between a first position and a second position;

a grounding strip including a zener diode disposed in the connector panel such that the plurality of spring contacts of the electrical jack are in contact with the grounding strip when in the first position, the grounding strip being coupled to a chassis ground terminal so as to provide controlled grounding, through the zener diode, of any electrostatic charges present in any of the plurality of spring contacts and the connector plug;

network equipment coupled to the connector panel; and

terminal equipment coupled to the connector panel by the at least one electrical cable;

wherein the plurality of spring contacts of the electrical jack are moved into the second position when the connector plug is received by the electrical jack; and

wherein the plurality of spring contacts are not in contact with the grounding strip when in the second position.

16. The cabling system as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a resistor coupled to the zener diode.

13. A method of discharging static in an unshielded twisted pair cable, the method including:

securing a grounding strip including a zener diode coupled to the grounding strip in a housing of an electrical jack having a plurality of movable signal contacts and an opening adapted to receive a mating connector plug, such that the movable signal contacts are in contact with the grounding strip when in a first position, thereby controllably grounding any electrostatic discharges to the unshielded twisted pair cable through the zener diode;

inserting the mating connector plug that terminates the unshielded twisted pair cable into the opening; and

causing, by said inserting, the movable signal contacts to elastically deform to a second position not in contact with the grounding strip, thereby after controllably grounding any electrostatic charges present in the mating connector plug through the zener diode.

17. A cabling system comprising:

an unshielded cable including a plurality of transmission media;

an electrical jack that terminated the unshielded cable, the electrical jack having a plurality of movable signal contacts and an opening adapted to receive a mating connector plug; and

a grounding strip including a zener diode coupled to the grounding strip, the grounding strip being positioned in the electrical jack such that the plurality of movable signal contacts are coupled to the grounding strip when in a first position so as to create an electrical circuit including the zener diode between the plurality of transmission media and a ground terminal, the electrical circuit being adapted to continuously discharge the plurality of transmission media.

18. The cabling system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a resistor coupled to the zener diode.

19. The cabling system as claimed in claim 17, further comprising a piece of network equipment including a connector plug adapted to mate with the electrical jack;

wherein the plurality of movable signal contacts of the electrical jack are adapted to move to a second position not coupled to the grounding strip when the connector plug is substantially fully inserted into the electrical jack, thereby breaking the electrical circuit.