Plug insertion detection circuits and related methods and communications connectors

• US 8,952,707 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2011
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hashim, Amid I., Michaelis, Scott Lynn, Enge, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, LAMARR A
• Application Number:
  US13/111,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20120187961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: 324/679, 324/658, 324/647, 324/649, 370/200, 370/252, 379/25
• US Class Current: 324/649
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/68 Testing of releasable connections, e.g. of terminals mounted on a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/0272 Arrangements for coupling to multiple lines, e.g. for differential transmission

Abstract

Methods of detecting a plug insertion into a plug aperture of a communications connector are provided in which a control signal is transmitted to a control signal input circuit of the connector that includes a reactive coupling element. The control signal is electromagnetically coupled through the control signal input circuit. The electromagnetically coupled control signal is thereafter detected on a first differential pair of conductive paths that are included in the connector. A determination is made that a plug is present in the plug aperture based at least in part on detecting the electromagnetically coupled control signal on the first differential pair of conductive paths.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a plug insertion into a plug aperture of a communications connector that includes a plurality of input ports, a plurality of output ports, and a plurality of conductive paths that connect respective ones of the input ports to respective ones of the output ports, where the conductive paths are configured as a plurality of differential pairs of conductive paths, the method comprising:

transmitting a control signal to a control signal input circuit on the communications connector that includes a reactive coupling element;

electromagnetically coupling the control signal through the control signal input circuit onto a first of the differential pairs of conductive paths;

outputting at least a portion of the electromagnetically coupled control signal from the communications connector via a control signal output circuit of the communications connector;

detecting at a controller associated with the communications connector the electromagnetically coupled control signal that is output from the communications connector; and

determining that a plug is present in the plug aperture based at least in part on detecting the electromagnetically coupled control signal that is output from the communications connector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal is electromagnetically coupled onto the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths as a common mode signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal input circuit comprises a first control signal input circuit and the control signal comprises a first control signal, the method further comprising electromagnetically coupling a second control signal from a second control signal input circuit onto a second of the differential pairs of conductive paths.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first and second control signals together comprise a differential control signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control signal comprises a first component of a phantom mode control signal, and wherein a second component of the phantom mode control signal that is oppositely phased from the first component is electromagnetically coupled onto a second of the differential pairs of conductive paths.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first component of the phantom mode control signal is electromagnetically coupled onto the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths via a first capacitive circuit having an input terminal, a first output terminal and a second output terminal, and wherein the second component of the phantom mode control signal is electromagnetically coupled onto the second of the differential pairs of conductive paths via a second capacitive circuit having an input terminal, a first output terminal and a second output terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the input ports comprise first through eighth spring contacts that each mate with a respective one of first through eighth contact pads, wherein the first and second spring contacts are part of the first differential pair of conductive paths, and wherein the first and second contact pads that mate with the respective first and second spring contacts comprise first and second output terminals of the first capacitive circuit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications connector is configured such that the insertion of a plug into a plug aperture of the communications connector completes an electrical connection between the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths and the control signal input circuit.

9. A communications jack, comprising:

a plurality of spring contacts that have plug contact regions that comprise input ports of the communications jack;

a plurality of wire connection contacts that include wire contact regions that comprise output ports of the communications jack;

a plurality of conductive paths that connect respective ones of the spring contacts to respective ones of the wire connection contacts, where the conductive paths are arranged as a plurality of differential pairs of conductive paths;

a control signal input circuit that is configured to inject a common mode control signal onto a first of the differential pairs of conductive paths;

a control signal output circuit that is separate from the spring contacts and wire connection contacts and that is configured to output at least a portion of the injected common mode control signal to a processor that is associated with the communications jack; and

a plug insertion detection circuit that is coupled to the control signal output circuit.

10. The communications jack of claim 9, wherein the control signal circuit input is configured to electromagnetically couple the common mode control signal onto the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths.

11. The communications jack of claim 10, wherein the control signal input circuit comprises a capacitor.

12. The communications jack of claim 9, wherein the control signal input circuit comprises a capacitor having an input terminal, a first output terminal and a second output terminal, wherein the input terminal is coupled to a control signal generator and first and second output terminals are coupled to the respective conductive paths of the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths.

13. The communications jack of claim 9, further comprising:

a first contact pad that is positioned adjacent a first of the spring contacts that is connected to a first of the conductive paths of the first differential pair of conductive paths,

wherein the first contact pad is positioned so that it does not contact the first of the spring contacts when the first of the spring contacts is in a resting position and so that it contacts the first of the spring contacts when a mating plug is inserted within the plug aperture to resiliently deflect the first of the spring contacts;

wherein the control signal input circuit is electrically connected to the control signal output circuit when the first contact pad contacts the first of the spring contacts.

14. The communications jack of claim 9, wherein the control signal output circuit comprises an externally accessible contact that is electrically connected to at least one of the conductive paths of the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths via a capacitor.

15. The communications jack of claim 9, wherein the control signal output circuit comprises an externally accessible contact that is directly electrically connected to at least one of the conductive paths of the first of the differential pairs of conductive paths via a conductive path.

16. A method of detecting insertion of a plug into a plug aperture of a communications jack, the method comprising:

transmitting a plug insertion detection signal to a plug insertion detection circuit that includes a switch within the jack that selectively opens and closes the plug insertion detection circuit;

receiving a received version of the plug insertion detection signal at a receiver that is output from the communications jack via control signal output circuit that is separate from the input and output ports of the communications jack that carry data signals; and

determining that the plug is present within the plug aperture based on receipt of the received version of the plug insertion detection signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plug insertion detection circuit includes a capacitor that capacitively couples the plug insertion detection signal onto at least a first conductor of a first differential pair of conductive paths through the communications jack.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the switch comprises a spring contact and a mating contact pad.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the contact pad is positioned so that insertion of a mating plug within the plug aperture resiliently deflects the spring contact into physical and electrical contact with the contact pad.