CA2164398A1 - Modular plug for high speed data transmission - Google Patents
Modular plug for high speed data transmissionInfo
- Publication number
- CA2164398A1 CA2164398A1 CA002164398A CA2164398A CA2164398A1 CA 2164398 A1 CA2164398 A1 CA 2164398A1 CA 002164398 A CA002164398 A CA 002164398A CA 2164398 A CA2164398 A CA 2164398A CA 2164398 A1 CA2164398 A1 CA 2164398A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- wire
- housing
- holder
- wire holder
- plug
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/648—Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices, e.g. anti-static shielding
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R24/00—Two-part coupling devices, or either of their cooperating parts, characterised by their overall structure
- H01R24/60—Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement
- H01R24/62—Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices
- H01R24/64—Sliding engagements with one side only, e.g. modular jack coupling devices for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/56—Means for preventing chafing or fracture of flexible leads at outlet from coupling part
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/646—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00 specially adapted for high-frequency, e.g. structures providing an impedance match or phase match
- H01R13/6461—Means for preventing cross-talk
- H01R13/6463—Means for preventing cross-talk using twisted pairs of wires
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
- H01R13/00—Details of coupling devices of the kinds covered by groups H01R12/70 or H01R24/00 - H01R33/00
- H01R13/648—Protective earth or shield arrangements on coupling devices, e.g. anti-static shielding
- H01R13/658—High frequency shielding arrangements, e.g. against EMI [Electro-Magnetic Interference] or EMP [Electro-Magnetic Pulse]
- H01R13/6591—Specific features or arrangements of connection of shield to conductive members
- H01R13/6592—Specific features or arrangements of connection of shield to conductive members the conductive member being a shielded cable
Landscapes
- Details Of Connecting Devices For Male And Female Coupling (AREA)
- Coupling Device And Connection With Printed Circuit (AREA)
- Manufacturing Of Electrical Connectors (AREA)
Abstract
Shielded modular plug (15) for category 5 applications comprises a plug housing (13) and a wire holder (10). The wire holder comprises a housing (20) with wire receiving cavities (22) extending therethrough, and a base wall extension (35) extending from the housing to a front end (36). The wire holder is assembled to the cable by inserting straightened wire ends into the cavities (22) of the holder and pulling the holder tightly against the twisted pairs of the cable. The wire ends (6) can then be trimmed with the front end (36) acting as the reference. The wire holder and cable ends are then inserted into the cavity (48) of the plug housing until a fully inserted position where the plug contacts (18) are positioned above the wire ends (6), and can be depressed for piercing through the insulation to contact the inner conductors. Due to tightening of the wire holder against the twisted pairs, the length of straightened cable is as short as possible thereby reducing crosstalk interference and enabling higher data transmission speeds. Furthermore, tightening of the wire holder against the twisted pairs ensures that connections are made in a reliable manner with less sensitivity to variations in the assembly procedure.
Description
~ODrlTAR PLIJG FOR HIGH SPEED DATA TRAI~SMT~SION
This invention relates to a modular plug cable assembly with reduced sensitivity to electromagnetic 5 noise, such as crosstalk between adjacent lines, in particular for use with high speed data transmission for example in local area networks (I~aN~.
It is quite common to use shielded modular plugs for the transmission of data in local area networks. The 10 shielding of these plugs reduces the transmission of noise and sensitivity to external noise, thereby allowing a higher data transmission speed than conventional non-shielded modular plugs (as used in telephone lines). The modular plug is compact and of relatively low cost in 15 comparison to many other data connectors for transmission of high speed data, and it is theref ore advantageous to use modular plugs in replacement of such connectors. Due to the ever increasing data transmission speeds, and the close spacing of ~uxtaposed conductors positioned in the 20 modular plug, excessive crosstalk limits the data transmission speed capability of existing modular plugs.
The cables connected to modular plugs comprise twisted pairs of insulated conductors surrounded by a conductive shielding layer which is _uLLuu.lded by 25 insulation of the cable. The twisting of pairs of conductors reduces signif icantly their sensitivity to crosstalk and enables transmission of high speed data. The outer shielding reduces transmission and reception of electromagnetic noise. One of the problems is that 30 assembly of twisted pairs cable to a modular plug means straightening end portions of the conductors which are then inserted into receiving cavities of the modular plug housing and terminated to insulation piercing contacts.
Some modular plugs have a plastic wire holder having 35 cavities therethrough for positioning the wire ends therein and subsequently, trimming the wire ends and Zt 64~9P~
inserting the wire holder into the modular plug. The adaptor makes it easier to arrange the wires in the correct order and en6ures that when inserted into the modular plug for connection to the contacts, the correct 5 order is maintained. Referring to Figures 1-7, the assembly of this Prior Art solution to a shielded twisted pairs cable is shown, and will be briefly described herebelow .
In Figure 1, a ~hiPld~d twisted pairs cable 1 is 10 shown with a strain relief rubber boot 2 mounted thereon which is for att~l L to a modular plug 15' to protect the cable from overbending. First, a certain length of outer insulation of the cable is removed as shown in Figure 2, and outer conductive shielding 3 is then pulled 15 Dver the cable to reveal the inner twisted pairs 4 of insulated conductor wires 6 as shown in Figure 3. A
certain length of the wire 6 is then straightened and arranged in their final juxtaposed order as shown in Figure 3. A ~h~Pld;ntJ cover 8 is then mounted over the 20 cable with a rear end positioned over the shielding 3 as shown in Figure 5.
An adaptor 10 ' has conductor receiving cavities 12 ' within which the cable ends 6 are inserted as shown in Figure 5. A front face 14' of the adaptor 10' can be used 25 as a reference surface for tri ln~ the wire ends such that they are all at the same length. The modular plug can then be inserted over the adaptor and pushed over the wires such that the adaptor is pushed away from the wire ends which are inserted into wire receiving cavities 16 ' 3 0 of the modular plug 15 ' until the wire ends abut the end wall 17 ' as shown in Figure 6 . Insulation piercing contacts are then pressed such that they pierce through the insulation to contact the conducting strands of the wires. The wire ends must be very close or abut the end 35 wall 17' in order to ensure that all of the wire ends are pierced by the contacts 18 as shown in Figure 7 which 2~ 643qp~
~hows a fully assembled shielded modular plug.
The wire ends 6 have to be straightened (untwisted) to allow for the rearward sliding movement of the adaptor with respect to the cable, where a certain amount of extra 5 slack is required in order to ensure that none of the conducting wires, for example due to the twist, are drawn backwards during insertion into the modular plug cavities 16 which could lead to non-connection with one of the contacts 18.
One of the problems with this modular plug is that the required length of straightened cable ends 6 limits the data transmission rate below a certain standardised value (category 5) desired in many LAN applications.
It would therefore be desirable to maintain the pairs of cables twisted and have the 6hortest po6sible straightened ends to minimize crosstalk.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a modular plug cable assembly for connection to twisted pairs cable that has reduced crosstalk.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cost-effective and reliable connector assembly for connection to a twisted pairs cable for higher speed data transmi66ion .
It i8 further object of this invention to provide a modular plug cable a66embly for category 5 applications.
The objects of this invention have been achieved by providing an assembly comprising a modular plug having a 6eparate wire holder having cavitie6 ~YtF~n~l i n~
therethrough for arranging and holding wires of twisted 3 0 pair6 cable in a predetermined order, the adaptor mountable within a receiving cavity of a housing of the modular plug for connection to contact6 of the modular plug, wherein the wire holder has an extension extending from the wire receiving cavities to a position proximate 3 5 ends of the wires, the length of wire between the ends of the wire and a forward end of the cavities forming a zone 40256 C~
2 1 643~8 . ~
of contact where the plug contact6 are connected to the wires, and wherein a rear face of the cavity housing is tightly abuttable against the twist of the cable wire pairs .
The preferred embodiment of thi6 invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures, whereby;
Figure 8 i5 a cross-sectional view of a modular plug according to this invention for connection to a shielded twisted pairs cable;
Figure 9 is an isometric view of an assembly having the cable mounted to a wire holder of the modular plug;
Figure lOa is a cross-sectional view through the modular plug (without wire) in the wire receiving position;
Figure lOb is the same cross-section as Figure lOa but with the contact in the final ~mnPcted position;
Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view through lines 11-11 of Figure 9 with the wires removed;
Figures 12a and 12b are other embo~ Ls of the wire holder mountable to the modular plug of Figure 8;
Figure 13 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a wire holder mountable to a modular plug;
Figure 14 is a top view of the wire holder of Figure 13 mounted in a modular plug housing partially shown in cross-section; and Figure 15 is another Pmhorl; r- t of a modular plug with the wire holder of Figures 13 and 14, this Pmhor~;r-nt 6hown in cross-section.
Referring to Figure 8, a modular plug 15 for connection to twi6ted pairs 4 of a twisted pair cable 1 comprising outer shielding 3, comprises a housing 13, insulation piercing contacts 18, wire holder 10 and conductive shielding 8 for connection to the shielding 3 of the cable. Outer dimensions of the modular plug 15 are similar to the prior art modular plug 15' for interconnection to standardized modular jacks. Mounting of the shielding 8 to the cable and to the hou6ing 13, as well as mounting and design of the rubber boot 2 are 6imilar to that of the prior art as shown in Figure6 1-7.
Construction of the contacts 18, and their assembly and piercing of the wire conductors 4 is similar to that described in the prior art. The modular plug is a relatively widely used conventional product and the prior art aspects as mentioned above will not be described in any great detail hereafter.
The invention principally relates to the wire holder and its cooperation with the housing 13 and twisted pairs cable 4, these aspects being ll i Ac~ d herebelow .
Referring to Figures 9-11, an ~ho~ll nt of the wire holder 10 according to this invention is shown. The wire holder 10 compriseE; a wire receiving housing 20 having cavities 22 extending therethrough from a wire receiYing end 24 to a contact end 25, the housing 20 comprising a top wall 26, side walls 28, and a base wall 30. Adjacent cavities 22 are interconnected, whereby wall portion 32,34 protruding towards each other from the top and base walls 26,30 respectively are separated by a gap. The wall protrusions 32,34 define the wire receiving cavities 22 for positioning and holding the wires in juxtaposed alignment for connection to insulation piercing contacts 18 .
The base wall 30 has a forward extension 35 which extends from the contact end 25 of the housing 20 to a trimming end 36, the base wall having a further rearward extension 37 extending from the wire receiving end 24 of the housing 20 rearwardly to a cable end 38. There are also side wall extensions 40 extending from the contact end 25 of the side walls 28 up to the trimming end 36.
There are further side wall extensions 42 extending from the wire receiving end 24 of the side walls 28 rearwardly towards the cable end 38. The front base wall extension 35 comprises wall protrusions 44 that are extensions of the base wall protrusions 34 for defining wire receiving grooves 4 6 .
The wire holder 10 is insertable into a wire holder 5 receiving cavity 48 of the modular plug housing 13 whereby the base forward extension 35 is positionable below insulation piercing tips 50 of the contacts 18. In the fully inserted position as shown in Figures lOa and lOb, the top wall 26 of the housing 20 is positioned below a 10 strain relief member 52 of the housing 13. The wire holder receiving cavity 4 8 extends f rom an open receiving end 4 9 to a closed front end 51 proximate the contacts 18. The contacts 18 are positioned in contact receiving cavities 53 that intersect the cavity 48 for insertion of the 15 contacts 18 into the wire holder receiving cavity 48 proximate the front end 51.
Assembly of the modular plug 15 to the cable 1 will now be described with reference to Figures 1-4, 9, lOa and lOb. Firstly, the cable is prepared as previously 20 de6cribed with reference to Figures 1-4, except for the ~oce.luL~ of straightening the twisted pairs wires extending from the end of the cable outer insulation. In the embodiment of this invention, the twisted pairs extending from the end of the cable insulation are 25 maintained with a few twists and their ends straightened thereafter. The length of twisted wires extending from the cable end to the straightened and rearranged wire ends 6 should be slightly greater than the rear base wall extension 38 of the wire holder 10. The straightened wire 3 0 ends 6 are then inserted into the corresponding cavities 22 of the wire holder, where the wire ends are sufficiently long to project beyond the front end 36 such that they can be grasped and the wire holder pulled towards the cable until all slack in the straightened 35 cable ends is taken up and the rear end 24 of the wire holder housing 20 abuts the twisted pairs. Further pulling ~ 2 ~
of the straightened cable ends through the cavities 2 0 tightens the twist of the twisted pairs extending from the cable outer insulation end against the holder housing rear end 24 formed by the top wall 26, 6ide walls 28 and base 5 wall 3 0 .
The portions of the wire ends extending beyond the front end 36 can then be trimmed, the front end 36 of the base wall extension 35 serving as a reference for trimming the wire ends. The wire holder 10 and wire end 6 can thus 10 be inserted into the cavity 48 of the modular plug until full insertion where the contact insulation piercing tips 50 are positioned above the wire ends 6 that extend between the housing contact end 25 and the base wall extension front end 36. The contacts 18 can then be 15 depressed a6 shown in lOb into the cavity 48 such that they pierce through the insulation of the conducting wire 6 and make contact with the inner conducting strands (as shown in Figure 8 ) .
The strain relief member 52 is then depressed against 20 the top wall 26 of the wire holder, which is sufficiently flexible to clamp down on the wires in the cavities 22, thus gripping both the wire holder and wires in the housing 13.
Due to the tightening of the wire holder against the 25 twisted pairs 4, the straightened portion of wire ends 6 are of a minimum length thereby leading to reduced crosstalk in comparison to the prior art. Furthermore, due to the trimming of the wire ends in their f inal position with respect to the wire holder, and non-movement of the 30 wire holder with respect to the wire ends 6 when inserting into the plug housing 13, there is no risk of a wire being pushed or buckled backwards during insertion into the plug housing cavity 48, thereby ensuring that all wires will be reliably and correctly connected to their corresponding 35 contacts 18. A further advantage is that once the wire holder is assembled to the wire ends 6, the wire ends 6 are in their final position and their disposition can be clearly visibly checked prior to insertion into the plug housing cavity 48, whereby the order cannot be changed due to the positioning of the wire ends into the cavities 22 and grooves 46 with no further r ~ being made during insertion and connection to the wires. Active tightening of the wire holder again6t the twists of the twisted pairs ensures that the straightened length of the wire ends is substantially the same and always a minimum, thus ensuring a reliable connection with small tolerances and; uv~
data transmission speed capability.
Referring to Figures 12a and 12b, further variants of wire holders are shown where wire holders 110 and 210 have fewer wire receiving cavities for applications where less conductors are required. In the prior art, applications with less wires are often connected to the modular plug by moulding a plug housing with different wire receiving cavities. This however requires producing different moulding dies for different plug hou6ing6, which i6 more c06tly than r ltl;n~ different wire holder6. Furthermore, the wire holders make it very easy to see the order and position of the wire ends, whereby in the plug hou6ing 60me confusion may arise due to difficulty of seeing the arrangement of the wire receiving cavities. Due to h~nrll in~ of only one type of plug housing, h:~ntll in~ and transportation costs are al60 reduced with no risk of confu6ing the plug hou6ings. In Figure 12a, the wire holder is for arranging wire pair6 on outer lateral po6ition6, whereby the central cavities are not provided.
The rear end 124 of the housing 120 comprises tapered lead-in surfaces 125 for assi6ting guidance of the wires 6 into their respective cavitie6. In Figure 12b, wire pairs are arranged centrally, and the rear end 224 of the housing 220 is provided with tapered lead-in surfaces 225 to a66i6t guidance of the wire into their re6pective cavitie6 .
g Referring to Figures 13-14, another embodiment of a modular plug according to this invention is shown. Most of the features of this Pmho-l;r~t are similar to those described for the ~mhofl;r ~ of Figures 8-12, and these 5 features will not be redescribed. Similar features will be denoted with the same numbering as that used f or the previously described ~mhofl;r-nt. The features of this nt that differ from the previous will now be described .
In Figure 13 a wire holder 310 comprises a latching protrusion 54 positioned on the top wall 26, the protrusion being substantially centrally placed between the side walls 28 and having an inclined upper surface 56 extending rearwardly from proximate the contact end 25 of the wire receiving housing 20. In Figure 15, the modular plug 115 is shown comprising a cavity 58 extending through the strain relief member 52 of the housing 13, the cavity 58 forming a shoulder 60 for engagement with the latching protrusion 56 of the wire holder 310.
Referring to Figures 13 and 14, the wire holder 310 further comprises centering chamf ers 62 at the trimming end 36 of the side walls 28 that cooperate with corrPfip~ i n~ oblique surf aces 64 of the modular plug housing 13, the surfaces 62, 64 abutting each other once the wire holder 310 has been fully inserted into the cavity 48 of the modular plug housing 13. Upon full insertion, the latch 56 engages with the housing shoulder 60 for retention of the wire holder therein.
The wire holder 310 further comprises arcuate protrusions 66 extending from the side walls 28 and positioned proximate a wire receiving end 24 of the wire receiving housing 20, these protrusions 66 extending further outwardly than the width of the wire holder receiving cavity 48 of the housing 13 such that there is an interference fit between the side wall protrusions 66 and side walls 68 of the cavity 48. The side walls 28 have ~ 43~
a certain resiliency thus allowing elastic inward biasing of the protru6ion 66 when the wire holder 310 is inserted into the modular plug housing cavity 48. Due to the positioning of the protrusion 66 proximate a wire receiving end of the wire holder 310, the trimming end 36 is able to pivot slightly, whereby the cooperation of the side wall tapered centering surface6 62 and the oblique housing side wall 6urfaces 64 provide a means of centering the wire receiving grooves 3 6 accurately with respect to the modular plug housing, and therefore with respect to the contacts 18. Furth~ c:, cooperation of the latch protrusion 56 of the wire holder with the corresponding housing latching means 58 ensures that the wire holder is fully inserted into the modular plug housing 13 and securely held in that position prior to, and during connection of the contacts 18 to the wires. The inherent elasticity of the wire holder top wall 26 allows resilient biasing of the latch protrusion 56 for insertion into the wire holder receiving cavity 48.
Accurate positioning, and full insertion of the wire ends for connection to the contacts 18 is thus ensured, thereby enabling provision of the shortest possible straightened lengths of wire ends 6, and a reliable connection thereto.
Advantageously therefore, the invention provides a more reliable connection to twisted pairs cable, with higher data transmission speed capability.
This invention relates to a modular plug cable assembly with reduced sensitivity to electromagnetic 5 noise, such as crosstalk between adjacent lines, in particular for use with high speed data transmission for example in local area networks (I~aN~.
It is quite common to use shielded modular plugs for the transmission of data in local area networks. The 10 shielding of these plugs reduces the transmission of noise and sensitivity to external noise, thereby allowing a higher data transmission speed than conventional non-shielded modular plugs (as used in telephone lines). The modular plug is compact and of relatively low cost in 15 comparison to many other data connectors for transmission of high speed data, and it is theref ore advantageous to use modular plugs in replacement of such connectors. Due to the ever increasing data transmission speeds, and the close spacing of ~uxtaposed conductors positioned in the 20 modular plug, excessive crosstalk limits the data transmission speed capability of existing modular plugs.
The cables connected to modular plugs comprise twisted pairs of insulated conductors surrounded by a conductive shielding layer which is _uLLuu.lded by 25 insulation of the cable. The twisting of pairs of conductors reduces signif icantly their sensitivity to crosstalk and enables transmission of high speed data. The outer shielding reduces transmission and reception of electromagnetic noise. One of the problems is that 30 assembly of twisted pairs cable to a modular plug means straightening end portions of the conductors which are then inserted into receiving cavities of the modular plug housing and terminated to insulation piercing contacts.
Some modular plugs have a plastic wire holder having 35 cavities therethrough for positioning the wire ends therein and subsequently, trimming the wire ends and Zt 64~9P~
inserting the wire holder into the modular plug. The adaptor makes it easier to arrange the wires in the correct order and en6ures that when inserted into the modular plug for connection to the contacts, the correct 5 order is maintained. Referring to Figures 1-7, the assembly of this Prior Art solution to a shielded twisted pairs cable is shown, and will be briefly described herebelow .
In Figure 1, a ~hiPld~d twisted pairs cable 1 is 10 shown with a strain relief rubber boot 2 mounted thereon which is for att~l L to a modular plug 15' to protect the cable from overbending. First, a certain length of outer insulation of the cable is removed as shown in Figure 2, and outer conductive shielding 3 is then pulled 15 Dver the cable to reveal the inner twisted pairs 4 of insulated conductor wires 6 as shown in Figure 3. A
certain length of the wire 6 is then straightened and arranged in their final juxtaposed order as shown in Figure 3. A ~h~Pld;ntJ cover 8 is then mounted over the 20 cable with a rear end positioned over the shielding 3 as shown in Figure 5.
An adaptor 10 ' has conductor receiving cavities 12 ' within which the cable ends 6 are inserted as shown in Figure 5. A front face 14' of the adaptor 10' can be used 25 as a reference surface for tri ln~ the wire ends such that they are all at the same length. The modular plug can then be inserted over the adaptor and pushed over the wires such that the adaptor is pushed away from the wire ends which are inserted into wire receiving cavities 16 ' 3 0 of the modular plug 15 ' until the wire ends abut the end wall 17 ' as shown in Figure 6 . Insulation piercing contacts are then pressed such that they pierce through the insulation to contact the conducting strands of the wires. The wire ends must be very close or abut the end 35 wall 17' in order to ensure that all of the wire ends are pierced by the contacts 18 as shown in Figure 7 which 2~ 643qp~
~hows a fully assembled shielded modular plug.
The wire ends 6 have to be straightened (untwisted) to allow for the rearward sliding movement of the adaptor with respect to the cable, where a certain amount of extra 5 slack is required in order to ensure that none of the conducting wires, for example due to the twist, are drawn backwards during insertion into the modular plug cavities 16 which could lead to non-connection with one of the contacts 18.
One of the problems with this modular plug is that the required length of straightened cable ends 6 limits the data transmission rate below a certain standardised value (category 5) desired in many LAN applications.
It would therefore be desirable to maintain the pairs of cables twisted and have the 6hortest po6sible straightened ends to minimize crosstalk.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a modular plug cable assembly for connection to twisted pairs cable that has reduced crosstalk.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a cost-effective and reliable connector assembly for connection to a twisted pairs cable for higher speed data transmi66ion .
It i8 further object of this invention to provide a modular plug cable a66embly for category 5 applications.
The objects of this invention have been achieved by providing an assembly comprising a modular plug having a 6eparate wire holder having cavitie6 ~YtF~n~l i n~
therethrough for arranging and holding wires of twisted 3 0 pair6 cable in a predetermined order, the adaptor mountable within a receiving cavity of a housing of the modular plug for connection to contact6 of the modular plug, wherein the wire holder has an extension extending from the wire receiving cavities to a position proximate 3 5 ends of the wires, the length of wire between the ends of the wire and a forward end of the cavities forming a zone 40256 C~
2 1 643~8 . ~
of contact where the plug contact6 are connected to the wires, and wherein a rear face of the cavity housing is tightly abuttable against the twist of the cable wire pairs .
The preferred embodiment of thi6 invention will now be described in detail with reference to the figures, whereby;
Figure 8 i5 a cross-sectional view of a modular plug according to this invention for connection to a shielded twisted pairs cable;
Figure 9 is an isometric view of an assembly having the cable mounted to a wire holder of the modular plug;
Figure lOa is a cross-sectional view through the modular plug (without wire) in the wire receiving position;
Figure lOb is the same cross-section as Figure lOa but with the contact in the final ~mnPcted position;
Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view through lines 11-11 of Figure 9 with the wires removed;
Figures 12a and 12b are other embo~ Ls of the wire holder mountable to the modular plug of Figure 8;
Figure 13 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a wire holder mountable to a modular plug;
Figure 14 is a top view of the wire holder of Figure 13 mounted in a modular plug housing partially shown in cross-section; and Figure 15 is another Pmhorl; r- t of a modular plug with the wire holder of Figures 13 and 14, this Pmhor~;r-nt 6hown in cross-section.
Referring to Figure 8, a modular plug 15 for connection to twi6ted pairs 4 of a twisted pair cable 1 comprising outer shielding 3, comprises a housing 13, insulation piercing contacts 18, wire holder 10 and conductive shielding 8 for connection to the shielding 3 of the cable. Outer dimensions of the modular plug 15 are similar to the prior art modular plug 15' for interconnection to standardized modular jacks. Mounting of the shielding 8 to the cable and to the hou6ing 13, as well as mounting and design of the rubber boot 2 are 6imilar to that of the prior art as shown in Figure6 1-7.
Construction of the contacts 18, and their assembly and piercing of the wire conductors 4 is similar to that described in the prior art. The modular plug is a relatively widely used conventional product and the prior art aspects as mentioned above will not be described in any great detail hereafter.
The invention principally relates to the wire holder and its cooperation with the housing 13 and twisted pairs cable 4, these aspects being ll i Ac~ d herebelow .
Referring to Figures 9-11, an ~ho~ll nt of the wire holder 10 according to this invention is shown. The wire holder 10 compriseE; a wire receiving housing 20 having cavities 22 extending therethrough from a wire receiYing end 24 to a contact end 25, the housing 20 comprising a top wall 26, side walls 28, and a base wall 30. Adjacent cavities 22 are interconnected, whereby wall portion 32,34 protruding towards each other from the top and base walls 26,30 respectively are separated by a gap. The wall protrusions 32,34 define the wire receiving cavities 22 for positioning and holding the wires in juxtaposed alignment for connection to insulation piercing contacts 18 .
The base wall 30 has a forward extension 35 which extends from the contact end 25 of the housing 20 to a trimming end 36, the base wall having a further rearward extension 37 extending from the wire receiving end 24 of the housing 20 rearwardly to a cable end 38. There are also side wall extensions 40 extending from the contact end 25 of the side walls 28 up to the trimming end 36.
There are further side wall extensions 42 extending from the wire receiving end 24 of the side walls 28 rearwardly towards the cable end 38. The front base wall extension 35 comprises wall protrusions 44 that are extensions of the base wall protrusions 34 for defining wire receiving grooves 4 6 .
The wire holder 10 is insertable into a wire holder 5 receiving cavity 48 of the modular plug housing 13 whereby the base forward extension 35 is positionable below insulation piercing tips 50 of the contacts 18. In the fully inserted position as shown in Figures lOa and lOb, the top wall 26 of the housing 20 is positioned below a 10 strain relief member 52 of the housing 13. The wire holder receiving cavity 4 8 extends f rom an open receiving end 4 9 to a closed front end 51 proximate the contacts 18. The contacts 18 are positioned in contact receiving cavities 53 that intersect the cavity 48 for insertion of the 15 contacts 18 into the wire holder receiving cavity 48 proximate the front end 51.
Assembly of the modular plug 15 to the cable 1 will now be described with reference to Figures 1-4, 9, lOa and lOb. Firstly, the cable is prepared as previously 20 de6cribed with reference to Figures 1-4, except for the ~oce.luL~ of straightening the twisted pairs wires extending from the end of the cable outer insulation. In the embodiment of this invention, the twisted pairs extending from the end of the cable insulation are 25 maintained with a few twists and their ends straightened thereafter. The length of twisted wires extending from the cable end to the straightened and rearranged wire ends 6 should be slightly greater than the rear base wall extension 38 of the wire holder 10. The straightened wire 3 0 ends 6 are then inserted into the corresponding cavities 22 of the wire holder, where the wire ends are sufficiently long to project beyond the front end 36 such that they can be grasped and the wire holder pulled towards the cable until all slack in the straightened 35 cable ends is taken up and the rear end 24 of the wire holder housing 20 abuts the twisted pairs. Further pulling ~ 2 ~
of the straightened cable ends through the cavities 2 0 tightens the twist of the twisted pairs extending from the cable outer insulation end against the holder housing rear end 24 formed by the top wall 26, 6ide walls 28 and base 5 wall 3 0 .
The portions of the wire ends extending beyond the front end 36 can then be trimmed, the front end 36 of the base wall extension 35 serving as a reference for trimming the wire ends. The wire holder 10 and wire end 6 can thus 10 be inserted into the cavity 48 of the modular plug until full insertion where the contact insulation piercing tips 50 are positioned above the wire ends 6 that extend between the housing contact end 25 and the base wall extension front end 36. The contacts 18 can then be 15 depressed a6 shown in lOb into the cavity 48 such that they pierce through the insulation of the conducting wire 6 and make contact with the inner conducting strands (as shown in Figure 8 ) .
The strain relief member 52 is then depressed against 20 the top wall 26 of the wire holder, which is sufficiently flexible to clamp down on the wires in the cavities 22, thus gripping both the wire holder and wires in the housing 13.
Due to the tightening of the wire holder against the 25 twisted pairs 4, the straightened portion of wire ends 6 are of a minimum length thereby leading to reduced crosstalk in comparison to the prior art. Furthermore, due to the trimming of the wire ends in their f inal position with respect to the wire holder, and non-movement of the 30 wire holder with respect to the wire ends 6 when inserting into the plug housing 13, there is no risk of a wire being pushed or buckled backwards during insertion into the plug housing cavity 48, thereby ensuring that all wires will be reliably and correctly connected to their corresponding 35 contacts 18. A further advantage is that once the wire holder is assembled to the wire ends 6, the wire ends 6 are in their final position and their disposition can be clearly visibly checked prior to insertion into the plug housing cavity 48, whereby the order cannot be changed due to the positioning of the wire ends into the cavities 22 and grooves 46 with no further r ~ being made during insertion and connection to the wires. Active tightening of the wire holder again6t the twists of the twisted pairs ensures that the straightened length of the wire ends is substantially the same and always a minimum, thus ensuring a reliable connection with small tolerances and; uv~
data transmission speed capability.
Referring to Figures 12a and 12b, further variants of wire holders are shown where wire holders 110 and 210 have fewer wire receiving cavities for applications where less conductors are required. In the prior art, applications with less wires are often connected to the modular plug by moulding a plug housing with different wire receiving cavities. This however requires producing different moulding dies for different plug hou6ing6, which i6 more c06tly than r ltl;n~ different wire holder6. Furthermore, the wire holders make it very easy to see the order and position of the wire ends, whereby in the plug hou6ing 60me confusion may arise due to difficulty of seeing the arrangement of the wire receiving cavities. Due to h~nrll in~ of only one type of plug housing, h:~ntll in~ and transportation costs are al60 reduced with no risk of confu6ing the plug hou6ings. In Figure 12a, the wire holder is for arranging wire pair6 on outer lateral po6ition6, whereby the central cavities are not provided.
The rear end 124 of the housing 120 comprises tapered lead-in surfaces 125 for assi6ting guidance of the wires 6 into their respective cavitie6. In Figure 12b, wire pairs are arranged centrally, and the rear end 224 of the housing 220 is provided with tapered lead-in surfaces 225 to a66i6t guidance of the wire into their re6pective cavitie6 .
g Referring to Figures 13-14, another embodiment of a modular plug according to this invention is shown. Most of the features of this Pmho-l;r~t are similar to those described for the ~mhofl;r ~ of Figures 8-12, and these 5 features will not be redescribed. Similar features will be denoted with the same numbering as that used f or the previously described ~mhofl;r-nt. The features of this nt that differ from the previous will now be described .
In Figure 13 a wire holder 310 comprises a latching protrusion 54 positioned on the top wall 26, the protrusion being substantially centrally placed between the side walls 28 and having an inclined upper surface 56 extending rearwardly from proximate the contact end 25 of the wire receiving housing 20. In Figure 15, the modular plug 115 is shown comprising a cavity 58 extending through the strain relief member 52 of the housing 13, the cavity 58 forming a shoulder 60 for engagement with the latching protrusion 56 of the wire holder 310.
Referring to Figures 13 and 14, the wire holder 310 further comprises centering chamf ers 62 at the trimming end 36 of the side walls 28 that cooperate with corrPfip~ i n~ oblique surf aces 64 of the modular plug housing 13, the surfaces 62, 64 abutting each other once the wire holder 310 has been fully inserted into the cavity 48 of the modular plug housing 13. Upon full insertion, the latch 56 engages with the housing shoulder 60 for retention of the wire holder therein.
The wire holder 310 further comprises arcuate protrusions 66 extending from the side walls 28 and positioned proximate a wire receiving end 24 of the wire receiving housing 20, these protrusions 66 extending further outwardly than the width of the wire holder receiving cavity 48 of the housing 13 such that there is an interference fit between the side wall protrusions 66 and side walls 68 of the cavity 48. The side walls 28 have ~ 43~
a certain resiliency thus allowing elastic inward biasing of the protru6ion 66 when the wire holder 310 is inserted into the modular plug housing cavity 48. Due to the positioning of the protrusion 66 proximate a wire receiving end of the wire holder 310, the trimming end 36 is able to pivot slightly, whereby the cooperation of the side wall tapered centering surface6 62 and the oblique housing side wall 6urfaces 64 provide a means of centering the wire receiving grooves 3 6 accurately with respect to the modular plug housing, and therefore with respect to the contacts 18. Furth~ c:, cooperation of the latch protrusion 56 of the wire holder with the corresponding housing latching means 58 ensures that the wire holder is fully inserted into the modular plug housing 13 and securely held in that position prior to, and during connection of the contacts 18 to the wires. The inherent elasticity of the wire holder top wall 26 allows resilient biasing of the latch protrusion 56 for insertion into the wire holder receiving cavity 48.
Accurate positioning, and full insertion of the wire ends for connection to the contacts 18 is thus ensured, thereby enabling provision of the shortest possible straightened lengths of wire ends 6, and a reliable connection thereto.
Advantageously therefore, the invention provides a more reliable connection to twisted pairs cable, with higher data transmission speed capability.
Claims (15)
1. An assembly comprising a modular plug (15,115) and a cable (1) having pairs of twisted wires (4) for connection thereto, the plug (15) comprising a housing (13), contacts (18) for connection to wire ends (6) of the wires (4), and a wire holder (10,110,210,310) receivable in a cavity (48) of the housing (13), the wire holder (10,110,210,310) comprising a housing (20,120,220) having a base wall (30), top wall (26), side walls (28) and wire receiving cavities (22) extending therethrough from a wire receiving face 24 to a contact end face 25, characterized in that the wire holder (10,110,210,310) comprises a base extension (35) positionable below the contacts (18) within the housing cavity (48), for positioning straightened wire ends (6) of the cable extending along the base extension (35) below the contacts (18) for connection thereto, wherein the pairs of twisted wires are in a twisted pair configuration up to the wire receiving face (24) of the holder.
2. The assembly of claim 1 characterized in that the base extension (35) extends from the base wall (30) and comprises grooves (40) for positioning the wire ends (6) thereon.
3. The assembly of claim 1 or 2 characterized in that the base extension (35) has a forward trimming end (36) that serves as a reference for trimming the wire ends (6) such that they are all positionable proximate a forward end face (51) of the plug housing cavity (48)
4. The assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that the wire holder (10,110,210,310) comprises a rearward base extension (37) extending from the holder housing (20,120,220) in an opposing direction to the forward extension (35).
5. The assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that the wire holder (110, 210) has less wire receiving cavities than the number of contacts (18) of the plug, the wire holder comprising tapered lead-in surfaces (25,225) for guiding the wire ends (6) into their respective cavities.
6. The assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that the wire holder base extension (35) has wire receiving grooves (46) extending therealong for seating the wire ends (6) therein to laterally position and hold the wire ends (6).
7. The assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that the wire holder (310) has centering surfaces (62,66) cooperable with complementary centering surfaces of the plug housing (13), for accurate lateral positioning of the base extension (35) with respect to the housing (13).
8. The assembly of claim 7 characterized in that the centering surfaces comprise tapered surfaces (64) on the side walls (28) proximate the forward trimming end (36), cooperable with complementary oblique surfaces (64) in side walls (68) of a wire holder receiving cavity (48) of the plug housing (13).
9. The assembly of claim 7 or 8 characterized in that the centering surfaces comprise protrusions (66) extending outwards from the wire holder side walls (28), positioned proximate a wire receiving end thereof, and cooperable in an interference fit with side walls (68) of a wire holder receiving cavity (48) of the plug housing (13).
10. The assembly of any preceding claim characterized in that the wire holder (310) comprises a latch (56) engageable with a corresponding latch member (60) of the plug housing (13) when the wire holder is fully inserted into a wire holder receiving cavity (48) of the plug housing.
11. The assembly of claim 10 characterized in that the latch (56) is positioned on the wire holder top wall (26) which has a certain resiliency to allow resilient biasing of the latch (56).
12. A method of connecting a cable (1) with twisted wire pairs (4) to a modular plug (15), the method characterized by the steps of: providing a wire holder (10,110,210) having a housing (20,120,220) with cavities (22) extending therethrough; inserting straightened wire ends (6) of the cable (1) through the wire holder cavities (22) and pulling the wire holder against a twisted section of the twisted wire pairs (4); subsequently trimming the wire ends (6); inserting the wire holder with the wire ends thereon into a cavity (48) of a housing (13) of the modular plug (15) and making electrical connection between the wire ends (6) and plug contacts (18).
13. The method of claim 12 characterized in that the wire holder (10,110,210) comprises a base extension (35) positionable below the contacts (18) within the housing cavity (48), for positioning the straightened wire ends (6) extending along the base extension below the contacts (18).
14. The method of claim 13 characterized in that the base extension (35) extends from the base wall (30) and comprises grooves (40) for positioning the wire ends (6) thereon.
15. The method of claim 13 or 14 characterized in that the base extension (35) has a forward trimming end (36) that serves as a reference for trimming the wire ends (6) such that they are all positionable proximate a forward end face (51) of the plug housing cavity (48)
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9424493.6 | 1994-12-05 | ||
| GB9424493A GB9424493D0 (en) | 1994-12-05 | 1994-12-05 | Modular plug for high speed data transmission |
| GBGB9506868.0A GB9506868D0 (en) | 1995-04-03 | 1995-04-03 | Modular plug for high speed data transmission |
| GB9506868.0 | 1995-04-03 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2164398A1 true CA2164398A1 (en) | 1996-06-06 |
Family
ID=26306113
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002164398A Abandoned CA2164398A1 (en) | 1994-12-05 | 1995-12-04 | Modular plug for high speed data transmission |
Country Status (8)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0716477B1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH08250180A (en) |
| KR (1) | KR960027069A (en) |
| CN (1) | CN1100365C (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2164398A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE69522300T2 (en) |
| ES (1) | ES2161819T3 (en) |
| PL (1) | PL311470A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6379175B1 (en) | 1998-10-29 | 2002-04-30 | Nordx/Cdt. Inc. | Fixture for controlling the trajectory of wires to reduce crosstalk |
Families Citing this family (16)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE19649668C1 (en) * | 1996-11-29 | 1998-05-28 | Siemens Ag | Plug for four line-pairs of data transmission system patch cable |
| US6238231B1 (en) * | 1997-09-03 | 2001-05-29 | Avaya Technology Corp. | Strain relief apparatus for use in a communication plug |
| EP0932225A1 (en) * | 1998-01-26 | 1999-07-28 | Fridolin Alois Frech | Multipolar jack |
| US6280232B1 (en) | 1998-03-31 | 2001-08-28 | Avaya Technology Corp. | Communication cable termination |
| DE19841356C1 (en) * | 1998-09-10 | 2000-03-16 | Krone Ag | Cable manager for multi-wire cable has two halves connected via links or hinges with longitudinal channels with central longitudinal dividing elements and transverse slotted openings |
| DE60028782D1 (en) * | 1999-05-28 | 2006-07-27 | Krone Digital Communications I | CABLE ASSEMBLY WITH OVERSIZED TENSION RELIEF AND ITS MANUFACTURING PROCESS |
| US6561838B1 (en) | 1999-12-13 | 2003-05-13 | Adc Telecommunications, Inc. | Connector plug and insert for twisted pair cables |
| EP1195854A1 (en) * | 2000-10-05 | 2002-04-10 | Nexans | Modular plug and method of coupling a cable with twisted wire pair to the same |
| GB0525435D0 (en) * | 2005-12-14 | 2006-01-25 | Tyco Electronics Amp Es Sa | Plug |
| JP2012099376A (en) * | 2010-11-04 | 2012-05-24 | Nidec Servo Corp | Slip ring device |
| ES1075163Y (en) | 2011-05-24 | 2011-11-02 | Tyco Electronics Amp Es Sa | THREAD HOLDER |
| US9640924B2 (en) * | 2014-05-22 | 2017-05-02 | Panduit Corp. | Communication plug |
| FR3032829B1 (en) * | 2015-02-17 | 2017-07-21 | Labinal Power Systems | MAGNETIC SHIELD OF MULTIFILAR CABLE END |
| US11158980B2 (en) | 2018-11-30 | 2021-10-26 | Commscope Technologies Llc | Modular telecommunications plug and method |
| WO2020113023A1 (en) | 2018-11-30 | 2020-06-04 | Commscope Technologies Llc | Modular telecommunications plug and method |
| EP3997762A4 (en) * | 2019-07-11 | 2023-07-19 | CommScope Technologies LLC | Modular telecommunications plug and method |
Family Cites Families (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4653837A (en) * | 1984-05-21 | 1987-03-31 | Stewart Stamping Corp. | Jack and connector |
| BR8506903A (en) * | 1984-08-30 | 1986-12-09 | Amp Inc | ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR AND WIRE ASSEMBLY PROCESS |
| US4769906A (en) * | 1986-06-18 | 1988-09-13 | Switchcraft, Inc. | Round-to-flat cable assembly |
| US4995828A (en) * | 1990-04-12 | 1991-02-26 | Itt Corporation | Connector for paired wire cable |
| US5178554A (en) * | 1990-10-26 | 1993-01-12 | The Siemon Company | Modular jack patching device |
| DE9310893U1 (en) * | 1993-07-21 | 1993-10-14 | Chen Michael | Connector for digital signals |
-
1995
- 1995-11-23 ES ES95118433T patent/ES2161819T3/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1995-11-23 PL PL95311470A patent/PL311470A1/en unknown
- 1995-11-23 DE DE69522300T patent/DE69522300T2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1995-11-23 EP EP95118433A patent/EP0716477B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1995-12-04 KR KR1019950046311A patent/KR960027069A/en active IP Right Grant
- 1995-12-04 CA CA002164398A patent/CA2164398A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1995-12-05 CN CN95120220A patent/CN1100365C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1995-12-05 JP JP7344406A patent/JPH08250180A/en active Pending
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6379175B1 (en) | 1998-10-29 | 2002-04-30 | Nordx/Cdt. Inc. | Fixture for controlling the trajectory of wires to reduce crosstalk |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN1131828A (en) | 1996-09-25 |
| CN1100365C (en) | 2003-01-29 |
| ES2161819T3 (en) | 2001-12-16 |
| EP0716477A3 (en) | 1999-03-17 |
| PL311470A1 (en) | 1996-06-10 |
| JPH08250180A (en) | 1996-09-27 |
| DE69522300T2 (en) | 2002-05-02 |
| DE69522300D1 (en) | 2001-09-27 |
| EP0716477B1 (en) | 2001-08-22 |
| EP0716477A2 (en) | 1996-06-12 |
| KR960027069A (en) | 1996-07-22 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued | ||
| FZDE | Discontinued |
Effective date: 20011204 |