AU2002100153A4 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Description

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR This invention relates to an electrical connector.

Australian patent specification 646204 describes an RJ-45 type connector having electrical insulation displacement contact parts to which electrical connections to conductive wires are in use made: and a socket for receiving a mating plug such that spring contacts of respective elongate electrical contact portions of the connector electrically connect to connection parts of the plug; the elongate electrical contact portions being formed on respective separate electrical contact elements of the connector, which contact elements each have formed thereon respective first and second ones of said contact parts; the elongate contact portions being arranged, over substantial parts of the lengths thereof, in generally parallel disposition substantially in a common plane, and the contact parts extending substantially normally away from said plane, at one side of the plane, to free ends of the contact parts arranged in rows extending longitudinally and generally parallel to the direction of extent of the elongate contact portions.

This connector has two retaining elements arranged at an end of a body of the connector, one to either lateral side of the body at locations adjacent the respective rows of free ends of the contact parts. These may be used for retaining, on the body in a neat fashion, wires to be connected to the contact parts.

In accordance with this invention a connector as above-described has a retaining element for facilitating holding to the connector of wires to be comnnected to the contact parts, the retaining element being formed on an electrically insulative body of the connector which houses the contact elements, at an end of the body adjacent ends of said rows such that, when viewed normally to said plane, it is positioned substantially on a longitudinal axis midway between said rows.

It has been found that the provision of a retaining element positioned as last described, -2enables very neat retention of wires on the body. For example, wires may be run directly through the retaining element, between the rows of contact parts and thence sidewardly to the individual contact parts whereas, in an arrangement as first above-described with retaining elements one disposed adjacent the end of each row, wires passing through the retaining elements need to pass together up and over the rows to the individual contact parts, or be additionally bent inwardly towards a central axis parallel to and between the between the rows, before passing longitudinally between the rows to the contact parts.

The socket may be configured to a shape for accepting an RJ-45 plug.

The retaining element may be in the form of a loop.

The retaining element may be at an end of said body opposite said socket.

The electrical connector may have four contact elements with the first and second contact parts of two of these disposed in a first said row and the first and second contact parts of the other two contact elements disposed in a second said row; said rows being substantially parallel to the directions of extent of said elongate contact portions: said body having two rows of outstanding posts between pairs which the insulation displacement contacts are received.

The invention is further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 to 4 are various perspective views of an electrical connector constructed in accordance with the invention. having removable covers affixed thereto; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the colector of FiguIre 1; Figures 6 to 9 are various perspective views of the connector of Figures 1 to 4, but with the covers removed: and Figure 10 is a diagram of a leadframe for forming contact blanks used in forming contact elements of the electrical connector of Figures 1 to 4 and Figures 6 to 9.

The electrical connector 10 shown in Figures 1 to 9 has an insulative connector body 12 with a first body portion 14 and a second body portion 16. Body portion 14 is formed from upper and lower parts, 18 and 20. The upper part 18 has upstanding posts 22 arranged in two rows 24, 26 (Figure 5) and between which posts in each row are arranged bifurcated contact parts 28 which form insulation displacement connectors for making electrical connections to electrical conductors of insulated wires. Thus, the contact parts 28 have slots 30, and connections to the wires are made by positioning end portions of the insulated wires into troughs between adjacent ones of the posts 22, such that the wire end portions extend transversely to the directions of extent of the rows 24, 26 of posts, and then pressing the wires downwardly so that these enter the slots 30. During this downward pressing, the portions of the contact parts 28 defining the edges of the slots 30 pierce the wire insulation and resiliently engage the inner conductors.

The body portion 16 is removably mountable to the body portion 14 by snap-fit fasteners having parts 66, 68 integrally formed on each of these. The parts 18, 20 of the body portion 14 likewise snap-fit together by means of interengaging snap-fit parts 70, 72, particularly so as to define an internal cavity in which are received four electrical contact elements 32.

Contact parts 28 are formed in pairs, there being two of these defined by each of contact element 32. Particularly, as shown in Figure 5, the contact parts 28 of each such pair are formed on a single contact portion 38 of the respective contact element 32. Each such portion 38 includes, in addition to the two parts 28. a lower part 34 which interconnects those two contact parts 28.

The portions 38 of each contact element 32 are connected, via intermediate portions 36 thereof, to side-by-side and generally parallel elongate portions 40 of the contact elements.

Substantial parts of the elongate portions 40 extend generally in a common plane, that plane also containing the intermediate portions 36. Elongate portions 40 however have upwardly arched contact parts 42 disposed towards free ends thereof.

The body portion 16 has a socket 44 which is outwardly open and which is capable of receiving an electrical plug, particularly of the kind known as type RJ-45. Plugs of this kind have, usually, eight electrical contacts on a face which, when the plug is assembled into the socket 44, is adjacent a wall surface portion 46 of the socket 44. The wall surface portion 46 has slots 48 and the upwardly arched contact parts 42 of the contact elements 32 extend within these in a fashion enabling them to electrically connect to four of the contacts of an RJ-45 plug when inserted in the socket 44. The contact parts 42 may thus define spring contacts.

Except for free end portions of the contact elements 32, including the parts 42 thereof, and exposed parts of the contact elements positioned between posts 22, the remainders of these elements are accommodated within the internal cavity defined by the body portion 14. Thus, as viewed in Figure 5, the contact portions 38 extend downwardly from the uipper part 18 of the body portion 14, within the troughs between the posts 22, and into the cavity defined within the body portion 14. Thence, the intermediate portions 36 extend from the contact portions 38 transversely of the connector body (ie transversely of rows 24, 26) inwardly to join with respective ones of the elongate portions 40 of the contact elements 32. The elongate portions thence extend forwardly in generally parallel disposition to project through a forward wall of the body portion 14 and thence into the body portion 16, so that parts 42 of the contact elements are accommodated within the slots 48 as mentioned earlier.

The contact parts 28 extend generally normally to the plane containing the major parts of the elongate portions 40 of contact elements 32, and are generally planar. The contact parts 28 of each contact element 32 are however arranged in the V-shaped configuration illustrated, such that the planes of these are arranged at an angle of approximately 90 to each other, and also at approximately 45 o to the lengthwise direction of extents of the rows 24, 26. That is to say, within the troughs between the posts 227, the median planes of the contact parts 28 are inclined at 45' with respect to the lengthwise directions of extent of the rows 24, 26, when the contact parts 28 are viewed from above in the view shown in Figure 5. Further, apices of the V-shaped configurations of the contact parts 28 of the two contact portions 38 closest to body portion 16 face outwardly whereas the apices of the V-shaped configurations of the contact parts 28 of the two contact portions 38 which are furthermost from body portion 16 face inwards. By this, in each adjacent row 24, 26, ones of the contact parts 28 on the two contact portions 38 in the row are parallel and the contact parts 28 at the opposite ends of the row are also parallel, but disposed at 90' to the other contact parts of that row.

Two cover members 50 are provided which snap-fit, by means of interengaging snap-fit components (not shown), onto the upper part 18 of body portion 14, so as in use to cover the upper ends of the posts 22 and the upper part 18 of the connector body portion 14. These cover members are fitted to the connector 10 by downward pressing as viewed in Figure 5 and are provided with internal pressing portions (not shown). Under the action of so connecting the cover members 50 to the body portion 14, these pressing portions are each capable of engaging wires positioned at the upper ends of two of the contact parts 28 in each row 24, 26, so as to press these wires downwardly into the slots 30 of the contact parts 28, during the action of affixing the cover members 50 to the connector 10. By this means, no separate tool is needed to facilitate entry of the wires into the contact parts 28.

By the above arrangement each contact element can be connected to two wires by engaging those wires with the respective contact parts 28 of the contact element. The V-shaped configuration of the contact portions 38 enables a simple and compact arrangement for the connector The body portion 16 is arranged at one end of the body portion 14. The other end of the body portion 14 is provided with a loop-like retaining element 52 which is capable of accommodating wires to be connected, or already connected, to the connector 10, to retain these on the connector 10. or which may alternatively be used as a means for tying wires to the body.

The particular form of the contact elements as described lends itself to formation of these by forming the leadframe 54 as shown in Figure 10. This leadframe 54 is in the form of a strip of electrically conductive material from which contact blanks 56a, 56b are stamped.

These blanks are subsequently deformed, by bending, to form the contact elements 32.

Leadframe 54 has two lengthwise extending side edges 58, 60 and the stamping of the blanks 56a, 56b is effected in the following way: a) the portions 38 of the blanks 56a. 56b are arranged in lengthwise extending rows.

those of blanks 56a being at side edge 58 and those of blanks 56b being at side edge 60, such that portions 38 of blanks 56a occupy an edge portion 62 of the leadframe, adjacent side edge 38, and portions 38 of blanks 56b occupy an edge portion 64 of the leadframe. adjacent side edge b) the parts 34 of the portions 38 connect to intermediate parts 36 of the blanks and thence to the elongate portions 32; c) the elongate portions 40 of contact blanks 56a, (those having portions 38 thereof at edge 58) extend towards edge 60 at an angle of 45° Likewise. the elongate portions 40 of the contact blanks 56b (those disposed with portions 38 adjacent edge 60), extend towards edge 58 at 45° and parallel to the elongate portions 40 of the blanks 56a; d) the elongate portions 40 of the contact blanks 56a are interleaved with the elongate portions 40 of the contact blanks 56b, and spaced from those.

It will be observed that the blanks 56a adjacent the edge 58 differ slightly from those adjacent the edge 60 in that the elongate portions 40 of the blanks 56a are somewhat longer.

When blanks 56b are bent to form contact elements 32, they form the two contact elements 32 which are at the end of body portion 14 remote from body portion 16, whereas the contact elements 32 formed from blanks 56a form the remaining two contact elements 32.

It will also be observed that the described retaining element 52 is positioned at an end of body 12 remote from socket 44, and is centrally disposed. That is, it is disposed so that, when the connector 10 is viewed in plan, the retaining element is disposed substantially on a longitudinal axis 25 (Figure 6) midway between the rows 24. 26 of posts 22. By this arrangement, wires to be connected to the contact parts 28 may pass to the connector, upwardly from below the connector, through the retaining element 52 and thence longitudinally of the connector between rows 24, 26 and thence laterally to the contact parts 28. For example, one such path is indicated by phantom lines 29 in Figures 7, 8, and 9.

The described arrangement is particularly convenient in that the contact elements 32 are formed in a way which limits wastage in the strip material from which the contacts are formed.

The described arrangement has been advanced merely by way of explanation any many modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which includes every novel feature and combination of novel features herein disclosed.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising". will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims (4)

1. An electrical connector having: electrical insulation displacement contact parts to which electrical connections to conductive wires are in use made; and a socket for receiving a mating plug such that spring contacts of respective elongate electrical contact portions of the connector electrically connect to connection parts of the plug; the elongate electrical contact portions being formed on respective separate electrical contact elements of the connector, which contact elements each have formed thereon respective first and second ones of said contact parts; the elongate contact portions being arranged, over substantial parts of the lengths thereof, in generally parallel disposition substantially in a common plane, and the contact parts extending substantially normally away from said plane, at one side of the plane, to free ends of the contact parts arranged in rows extending generally parallel to the direction of extent of the elongate contact portions; the connector having a retaining element for facilitating holding to the connector of wires to be connected to the contact parts, the retaining element being formed on an electrically insulative body of the connector which houses the contact elements, at an end of the body adjacent ends of said rows and aligned in the direction transverse to the rows with a location between the rows.

2. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the socket is configured to a shape for accepting an RJ-45 plug.

3. An electrical connector as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the retaining element is in the form of a loop.

4. An electrical connector as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said retaining element is at an end of said body opposite said socket. An electrical connector as claimed in any preceding claim, having four said contact -9- elements, with the first and second contact parts of two of these disposed in a first said row and the first and second contact parts of the other two contact elements disposed in a second said row, said rows being substantially parallel to the directions of extent of said elongate contact portions; said body having two spaced rows of outstanding posts extending in the directions of extent of the respective rows of contact elements, between pairs adjacent which posts the insulation displacement contacts are received. DATED this 28"' day of February, 2002 KRONE GMBH By its Patent Attorneys Davies Collison Cave