Electrical plug connector with cable manager

• US 6,953,362 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: KRONE GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Gwiazdowski, Michael, Mössner, Frank, Nad, Ferenc
• Primary Examiner(s): LUEBKE, RENEE S
• Application Number:
  US10/344,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20030171024A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 439/660, 439/676, 439/682, 439/692, 439/694, 439/344, 439/391, 439/395, 439/417, 439/426
• US Class Current: 439/395
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/506 assembled by snap action of the parts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5804 comprising a separate cable clamping part H01R13/5841 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/582 the cable being clamped between assembled parts of the housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5837 specially adapted for accommodating various sized cables H01R13/5825 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6599 Dielectric material made conductive, e.g. plastic material coated with metal
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 24/64 for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2429 mounted in an insulating base
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2433 one part of the base being movable to push the cable into the slot
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2445 the contact members having additional means acting on the insulation or the wire, e.g. additional insulation penetrating means, strain relief means or wire cutting knives
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/031 for multiphase cables, e.g. with contact members penetrating insulation of a plurality of conductors insulation penetrating contact members in general H01R4/24
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/2416 Means for guiding or retaining wires or cables connected to terminal blocks

Abstract

An electrical connector includes a connector housing (2) and a printed circuit board (3) with two sets of contact elements (7, 8). The first set of contact elements (7) is located on the front face of the printed circuit board (3) and protrudes into an opening in the plug connector housing (2). The second set of contact elements (8) is located on the rear face of the printed circuit board (3). The contact elements of the second set (8) are configured to form insulation-displacement contacts (8). The plug connector (1) also includes a cable manager (5) which has a continuous opening (13) and is configured on the front face (16) with guides (19) for cores or wires which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts (8). The guides (19) in the region of the insulation-displacement contacts (8) are configured with recessed receiving elements or holders (20) for the insulation-displacement contacts (8), and the cable manager (5) can be latched to the plug connector housing (2).

Claims

1. An electrical plug connector, comprising:

a plug connector housing;

a printed circuit board;

a first set of contact elements;

a second set of contact elements, the first set of contact elements being arranged on a front face of the printed circuit board and projecting into an opening in the plug connector housing, the second set of contact elements being arranged on the rear face of the printed circuit board, the contact elements of the second set of contact elements being in the form of insulation-displacement contacts; and

a cable manager having a front face and a rear face, the cable manager including;

a through-opening located in a central region of the cable manager, the through-opening extending from the front face to the rear face of the cable manager; and

guides formed on the front face of the cable manager, the guides being configured to receive wire cores which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts, the guides in a region of the insulation-displacement contacts being formed with recessed holders for the insulation-displacement contacts;

the cable manager being latchable to the plug connector housing.

2. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the guides are configured to guide the wire cores so that when the cable manager is latched to the plug connector housing, the wire cores are caused to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts.

3. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein a guide cross is arranged in the through-opening in the cable manager.

4. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 3, wherein the guides run radially with respect to the through-opening.

5. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guides run parallel, with two guides being arranged in each quadrant of the cable manager.

6. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear face of the cable manager is formed with an incline on one side.

7. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a hold down device arranged between the cable manager and the printed circuit board and allowing the printed circuit board to be fixed with respect to the plug connector housing.

8. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the guides of the cable manager are arranged at offset levels with respect to one another.

9. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a cable grip arranged above the cable manager.

10. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the electrical plug connector forms a socket for an RJ-45 plug.

11. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the through-opening is divided into channels configured to separate the wire cores into pairs.

12. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 11, wherein the channels extend through from a the rear face of the cable manager to the front face of the cable manager.

13. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 2, wherein the through-opening is divided into four channels.

14. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 13, wherein a guide cross divides the through-opening into the four channels.

15. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 13, wherein the four channels comprise two eye-shaped channels, an annulus-shaped channel, and a slot-shaped channel having a widened base portion.

16. An electrical plug connector, comprising:

a plug connector housing;

a printed circuit board;

a first set of contact elements;

a second set of contact elements, the first set of contact elements being arranged on a front face of the printed circuit board and projecting into an opening in the plug connector housing, the second set of contact elements being arranged on the rear face of the printed circuit board, the contact elements of the second set of contact elements being in the form of insulation-displacement contacts;

a cable manager with a through-opening, the cable manager being formed on a front face with guides for wire cores which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts, the guides in a region of the insulation-displacement contacts being formed with recessed holders for the insulation-displacement contacts, the cable manager being latchable to the plug connector housing; and

a cable grip arranged above the cable manager,

wherein the cable grip includes a number of parts including a first part with two jaw parts which flex jointly with a joint flexing limited in an adjustable manner by a spring engaging around the jaw parts, and with a third part closure element which can be latched in an adjustable manner to the first part and/or to the spring, whereby a cable to be attached can be centered in a defined, force-fitting manner.

17. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first and the third part of the cable grip are in the form of metallized plastic parts which can be connected to a ground plate in the plug connector housing.

18. A cable manager for an electrical plug connector, the cable manager comprising:

a manager part having a front face and a rear face, the manager part defining an opening located in a central region of the manager Dart and extending from the rear face to the front face, the manager part including guides on the front face for wire cores which are intended to make contact with insulation-displacement contacts, the guides in a region of the insulation-displacement contact area including recessed holders for receiving the insulation-displacement contacts, wherein the manager part is configured for latching to a plug connector housing to form the electrical plug connector, thereby causing the wire cores to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts.

19. The cable manager as claimed in claim 18, wherein a guide cross is arranged in the opening in the cable manager.

20. The cable manager as claimed in claim 18, wherein the cable manager has a cylindrical attachment in the region of the opening on the rear face.

21. The cable manager as claimed in claim 18, wherein the guides run radially with respect to the opening.

22. The cable manager as claimed in claim 18, wherein the guides run parallel, with two guides being arranged in each quadrant of the cable manager.

23. The cable manager as claimed in claim 18, wherein the rear face of the cable manager is formed with an incline on one side.

24. An electrical plug connector, comprising:

a plug connector housing;

a printed circuit board;

a first set of contact elements;

a second set of contact elements, the first set of contact elements being arranged on a front face of the printed circuit board and projecting into an opening in the plug connector housing, the second set of contact elements being arranged on a rear face of the printed circuit board, the contact elements of the second set of contact elements being in the form of insulation-displacement contacts;

a cable manager with a through-opening, the cable manager being formed on a front face with guides for wire cores which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts, the guides in a region of the insulation-displacement contacts being formed with recessed holders for the insulation-displacement contacts, the cable manager being latchable to the plug connector housing; and

a hold down device arranged between the cable manager and the printed circuit board and having openings for receiving the insulation displacement contacts, the hold down device being latchable to the cable manager and the plug connector housing so that when the cable manager, the hold down device, and the plug connector housing are latched together, the wire cores are caused to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts.

25. The electrical plug connector as claimed in claim 24, wherein the through-opening of the cable manager is divided into channels, each of the channels being configured to receive a pair of the wire cores from the rear face of the cable manager and through to the front face of the cable manager.

26. A method for assembly of an electrical plug connector with a plug connector housing, a printed circuit board, a first set of contact elements, a second set of contact elements, the first set of contact elements being arranged on a front face of the printed circuit board and projecting into an opening in the plug connector housing, the second set of contact elements being arranged on a rear face of the printed circuit board, the contact elements of the second set of contact elements being in the form of insulation-displacement contacts and a cable manager with a through-opening located within a central region of the cable manager, the cable manager including guides for wire cores which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts, the guides in a region of the insulation-displacement contacts being formed with recessed holders for the insulation-displacement contacts, the cable manager being latchable to the plug connector housing, the method comprising the following method steps:

inserting the printed circuit board into the plug connector housing;

passing the cores of a cable with which contact is to be made through the through-opening of the cable manager from a rear face of the cable manager to a front face of the cable manager, with the cores being pressed into the associated guides on the front face of the cable manager and being cut off at side edges of the cable manager;

aligning the cable manager with respect to the insulation-displacement contacts on the printed circuit board; and

latching the cable manager to the plug connector housing, wherein the latching causes the cores to make contact with the insulation displacement contacts.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the through-opening is divided into channels and the step of passing includes inserting each pair of the cores through a different channel of the through-opening.