EP3182530B1

EP3182530B1 - Housing of an electrical connector with removable external load bar, and method of forming the electrical connector

Info

Publication number: EP3182530B1
Application number: EP15200389.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert W. Sullivan
Original assignee: Sullstar Technologies Inc
Current assignee: Sullstar Technologies Inc
Priority date: 2015-12-16
Filing date: 2015-12-16
Publication date: 2020-04-22
Anticipated expiration: 2035-12-16
Also published as: DK3267535T3; PL3182530T3; PL3267535T3; EP3267535A1; HRP20200904T1; ES2806456T3; SI3182530T1; EP3267535B1; DK3182530T3; EP3182530A1; SI3267535T1; ES2794999T3; HRP20201129T1

Description

Background of the Present Invention

This application describes and claims improvements over the inventions shown in my previously issued United States patent No. 6,017,237 , as well as Patents No. 5,996,224 and 6,105,229 . The product patented there is a male type RJ45 connector, into which eight wires from a cable are inserted, and associated crimping and shearing tool. When the connector housing is crimped to secure the internal position of the wires, its internally contained electrical contact blades also assume the positions in which they will matingly engage the blades of corresponding contacts in the receptacle of an associated female RJ45 connector. For more than the past decade the eight-wire connector system disclosed the referenced patents has been sold under my trademark EZ-RJ45 and used in ethernet cable systems throughout the world. The uniqueness and novelty of these items has not been challenged.
One important feature of the inventions shown in those patents is that the wires are arranged inside the connector in such a way as to minimize interference or cross-talk between data streams being transmitted on respective wire pairs. Another important feature is the method in which color-coded wires inserted into the connector are allowed to protrude out from its front end so that a technician may view the color coded wires to verify their correct relative positions before shearing off their protruding ends. A further feature of those inventions is the arrangement of the connector assembly and its associated crimping and shearing tool such that the driven engagement of metallic contacts into the wires inside the connector housing, and the shearing and cutting off of the protruding wire ends, is done concurrently with the crimping of the plastic connector to secure the wires in their places inside the connector.
As electrical components for high-speed data transmission are made smaller and smaller, the data rates, packets, frequencies, and speed increase, and the corresponding wires get larger and larger, it has become necessary to establish rigorous standards to ensure their proper performance. Precise configurations and dimensions are required by FCC regulations and other industry standards. A connector housing must be made of a moldable injected material which is sufficiently moldable and deformable, such as GE Lexan material, to capture and retain the wires inside it. At the same time, the housing must have sufficient rigidity to reliably support the wires and their associated contact blades in precisely correct positions, in order to mate with associated contact elements in the receptacle of a female RJ45 connector. A further requirement is that the moldable material utilized must meet a fire safety standard of the Underwriters Laboratory and other international physical, electrical, quality and performance testing standards.
Drawings of said previous patents show many important details of the EZ-RJ45 connector as it has been and is presently being sold, those figures being identical in all three of said three prior patents. For convenient reference, certain figures of said prior patents are reproduced here as follows:

This Application Patent No. 6,017,237

Figure 1 Figure 8

Figure 2 Figure 9

Figure 3 Figure 5

Figure 4 Figure 6

There are also other important details shown in drawings of said prior patent that are not fully replicated here, but understood. A more detailed description of the prior art figures may therefore be gathered from the corresponding prior art document.
Connector 20 as shown in Fig. 5, 6, 8, and 9 of said prior patents (reproduced here as Fig. 1-4) has an elongated hollow plastic housing 22. Insulated wires 16 enter its open rearward end 24 and extend in guided pathways inside and through the housing. Within the housing metal contact plates 36 having sharpened lower ends are poised to pierce the insulation of and make firm electrical contact with corresponding wires. The upper jaw 50 of an associated crimping and shearing tool has a downward protrusion 56 that will drive the metal contact plates 36 down into the correct position for their forward edges to matingly engage corresponding contacts, not shown, in the receptacle of the female RJ45 connector. The ends of wires 16 will not engage any contacts in female receptacle.
As shown in Fig. 4 of this application [Fig. 6 of said prior patents] the crimping and shearing tool has a lower jaw 70 which provides support underneath the housing 22 during a crimping and shearing operation. Figs. 1 and 2 of this application show a control tab 30 which extends lengthwise underneath the housing 22. The forward end of control tab 30 must meet shape and dimension standards prescribed by FCC standards in order to correctly position the connector within the receptacle of a female connector (not shown). The outer end portion of the control tab 30 also provides a small anvil 42 at the forward end of housing 22 against which six of the protruding wire ends are sheared and cut when the crimping and shearing tool 50 is pressed downward.
In the EZ-RJ45 as shown in said previous patents the front end wall of housing 22 is largely closed but has openings 42 for the eight wires to protrude. There are also slots or grooves in the front end wall that are partially occupied by the contact blades 36, but the lateral edges of the blades 36 at the forward end of the housing do not extend to the front face of the housing. Instead, they are recessed back from the front end surface. This is necessary to allow the contact blades of a female receptacle (not shown) to be guided into those slots or grooves for making face-to-face contact with the lateral edges of contact blades 36. The mating contacts of the female receptacle (not shown) are protruding contact blades which will enter those slots or grooves to complete the electrical circuitry of the connector. The bared ends of wires 16 after they are cut do not engage any contacts in the female connector.
When tool 50, 70, is actuated for the crimping and shearing operation its cutting blade 60 wipes the front end of housing 22. In the EZ-RJ45 connector as shown in the prior patents, six of the eight protruding wires 16 -- wires numbers 2 through 7 -- are freely floating over the anvil 42 and are reliably cut off in concert by the crimping and shearing tool 50, 70. The reason for this is that the connector control tab 30 must have exactly correct dimensions in order to precisely fit within a receptacle whose shape and dimensions are prescribed by an FCC or industry standard. The control tab 30 is wide enough to provide a supporting anvil only for wires 2-7. It has therefore been a practice in the field for the technicians using the EZ-RJ45 system to finish cutting off the ends of wires 1 and 8 by hand, after the connector housing has been crimped and the other wires have already been cut off. The wires used in the EZ-RJ45 connector are typically of the AWG size 24 in CAT 5 cable, with a proven data transmission rate per respective standards.
As shown in the prior patents, openings 44 through which the eight wires 16 will protrude are in a lower portion of the forward end face of housing 20. The slots or grooves for the contact blades are in the upper area of the front end wall of connector housing 20, and there is a vertical separation between the horizontal row of openings 44 for the wires and the slots or grooves for the contact blades 36.
PRIOR ART also includes Taiwan Patent No. CN2854844Y , U. S. Patent No. 5,601,447 issued in 1997 , and U. S. Patent No. 6,905,359 issued in 2005 .
It is necessary for the contact blades, not shown, of a female RJ45 connector to precisely mate with the forward edges of contact blades 36. The field experience and complaints with the EZ-RJ45 connector system have shown a need for improved performance. The operation of the shearing and crimping tool 50, 70, often tends to cause a distortion in the plastic housing 20, so that the wires and contacts are not maintained precisely in their desired dimensionally stable positions. There are several different forces that contribute to this result:

1. sliding contact force overcoming friction for seating blades 36;
2. insulation displacement force IDC. This is the force it takes to push the gold connector contact blades 36 into the wire insulation plastic coating and mate with the copper wires.
3. cut wire force - the shearing force needed to cut the wires 2-7;
4. any dullness of the cutting blade exacerbates the problem.
5. since the blade 60 as shown in my prior patents is free-floating, any misalignment of the blade also exacerbates the problem.

Since the presently available products requires hand cutting of wires 1 and 8, it would also be desirable to have all eight of the wires cut and sheared by the crimping and shearing tool, to avoid an extra hand working step by the technician.
US 5 772 465 A discloses a connector including a body having an interior space for receiving de-twisted wires of a cable therein. The body has a plurality of channels for the insertion of the wires. The channels have openings formed on a front end face of the body so as to allow a portion of the wires to expose outside the front end face of the body to be pulled by an operator's hand to the desired position. The body also has a plurality of slots each receiving a metal contact therein. The metal contacts have piercing ends to penetrate into the wires for holding them in position. The exposed portions of wires are then cut off after being held by the metal contacts and a retainer for retaining the connector to a counterpart connector is removably attached to the body. The body has an open bottom defined by two opposite side walls, each having a reduced height defined by an arc connecting segment so as to allow the operator's finger to insert therein for temporarily holding the wires in position.

Summary of the Present Invention

The present invention is provided by appended claims 1 and 6. Beneficial embodiments are provided in the dependent claims. Accordingly, a housing for forming an electrical connector is provided according to claim 1, comprising an integrally thickened front end wall portion that is adapted to mechanically support the housing while a thickened outer portion is being sheared off. The housing as described above comprises the thickened front end wall portion having at least one opening through which wires placed inside the housing may project outward beyond its forward end wall.
According to the present invention, the housing as described above has a hollow elongate shape and the integrally thickened front end wall portion has a generally continuous forward end wall with upper and lower surface areas, and the lowermost surface area of the wall having the integrally thickened outer portion which is adapted to be sheared off to make the connector operable.
The housing as described above may comprise the upper surface of the forward end wall portion having a plurality of slots formed therein for receiving contact blades of a mating connector.
The housing as described above may comprise the upper surface of the forward end wall portion having a plurality of slots formed therein for receiving contact blades of a mating connector.
The housing as described above may comprise the at least one opening including an upper row of openings and a lower row of openings, and the thickened outer portion surrounds the at least one opening.
The housing as described above may comprise the upper row of openings and the lower row of openings merging into one another.
The housing as described above may comprise the thickened outer portion having a groove formed therein for guiding the movement of a cutting blade to shear off the thickened outer portion.
In one embodiment, the present invention also provide a method of forming an electrical connector according to claim 6 comprising providing a housing as described above, forming at least one opening through the thickened front end wall portion, feeding a plurality of wires respectively through the at least one opening, and then shearing off the thickened outer portion together with the wires contained therein.
In one embodiment, the present invention also provide a method of forming an electrical connector comprising a housing as described above, feeding a plurality of wires respectively through the at least one opening, and then shearing off the integrally thickened outer portion together with the wires contained therein.
The method as described above may comprise that the at least one opening is formed in an upper horizontal row and a lower horizontal row, the wires in the upper row of openings are sheared off first, and then the wires in the lower row are sheared off.
The first main concept of the present invention is using wires having thicker insulation, of AWG size 23, and keeping each twisted pair in its twisted state as close as possible to the pair of metal contacts that will conductively engage its respective wires, in order to improve the electrical performance and data transmission rate of the connector.
A second main concept is to provide an integrally thickened outer portion (herein also referred to as External Load Bar or Stiffener). The outer dimensions of the connector housing must be limited to comply with legal and industry standards, and the larger wires necessarily require a reduction in the amount of plastic material forming the connector housing. The integrally thickened outer portion (or Stiffener) mechanically supports both the connector housing and the wires it contains, and is then sheared off along with the protruding wire ends in order to allow the male connector to properly mate with an associated female connector.
A third main feature is a method which not only allows the outer ends of the protruding wire pairs to project from the front of the connector for color comparison purposes, but also allows the wires to be pulled and tightened in their still-twisted condition and brought as close as possible to their respectively associated contact blades before being sheared off. This method helps to improve the quality of electrical performance and to increase the data transmission rate.
According to the present invention, holes for the protruding wires, as well as slots or grooves for the contact blades, are provided in the thickened front end wall in generally the same way as shown in the prior parents. However, the thickened portion of the integrally thickened front end wall portion (integrally thickened outer portion), which does include the area where the horizontal openings for the protruding wires are formed, does not include the slots or grooves that will receive the contact blades of a female receptacle.
When the crimping and shearing tool cuts off the protruding ends of the wires it simultaneously shears off the unwanted thickness of the integrally thickened outer portion (External Load Bar or Stiffener). The integrally thickened outer portion is formed integral with the forward end wall of the housing. Therefore, when the blade acts to cut off the integrally thickened outer portion, that integrally thickened outer portion continues to provide a stabilizing support for the front end wall of the housing until the action of the cutting blade is fully completed and the integrally thickened outer portion has become fully severed from the connector housing.
With this integrally thickened outer portion of the front end wall, the housing better supports both the wires, and the slots or grooves for receiving the contacts blades, before, during, and after the wires are cut off.
Thus in shearing off the exposed ends of the wires, now at the same time the integrally thickened outer portion of the end wall is cut off, still leaving a thin front end wall for the connector housing that is sufficient to maintain the correct spatial locations of both the wires and the contact blades. The connector then fits correctly within its allotted space in an associated female receptacle or terminal board.
In other words, by thickening the front end wall of housing, now the connector is initially made too long to fit within its prescribed space in a receptacle or panel board. But by cutting off the excess thickness of the front wall while the connector housing is being crimped and the contacts are being forced into their conductive engagement with the associated wires, the connector housing length may be reduced so that it does correctly fit, and also improves the end result of correctly terminating the connector.
Horizontal guideways are provided inside the connector housing to permit two horizontal rows of four wires each, in a staggered relationship, to be inserted into and through the connector. The holes or openings in the front end wall of housing are then in two separate rows, four in each row. Adjacent holes then tend to slightly overlap or merge into each other.
Another and related feature is modifying the crimping and shearing tool so that it very positively cuts off all the protruding wire ends concurrent with the crimping operation. This is accomplished by adding a pair of short posts to the lateral ends of the lower jaw of crimping tool tool. These posts together with the control tab then provide an expanded and adequate anvil surface for cutting off all of the wire ends that are encased in plastic; first the four in the upper horizontal row, and then the four in the lower horizontal row.
A still further feature is that a set of guides is also provided to control downward movement of the cutting blade, and a groove extending laterally across the upper surface of the External Load Bar adjacent to the front wall of the connector housing, to guide the edge of cutting blade when the blade is pushed down in its cutting action.
The objective of these improvements is to provide a connector that is suitable for use with CAT 6, CAT 6A and other ethernet cable and future larger wires and standards, in order to reliably operate at a data transmission rate of ten gigahertz and future transmission rates and applications.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figs. 1 through 4 are provided as exact copies of certain figures in prior patents, which is necessary in order to provide a proper basis for describing my present invention.
Fig. 5 is a front end elevation view of a modified connector housing and External Load Bar, showing the empty connector not loaded with wires;
Fig. 6 is an elevational cross-section taken on Line 6 - 6 of Fig. 5 showing the empty connector housing with the External Load Bar on its forward end wall;
Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the connector housing loaded with wires;
Fig. 8 is a view like Fig. 7, but additionally with schematic indications showing how the crimping and shearing operation, and the separation of the External Load Bar with its encased wires, will be done;
Fig. 9 is a side elevational view showing the External Load Bar after it has been separated from the connector housing, and still retains its accompanying load of the insulated wires which still remain encased in it and protrude from it; and
Fig. 10 is a front end elevation of the loaded connector housing after the External Load Bar has been shorn off, exposing the bare ends of the insulated wires.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the modified connector housing 122 has a integrally thickened outer portion 100 (otherwise known as the External Load Bar or Stiffener) formed as an integral lower part of its front integrally thickened front end wall portion 128. A horizontal row of four upper holes 145 and a horizontal row of four lower holes 144 are formed through the solid material of the integrally thickened outer portion. As best seen in Fig. 5, the holes of the rows are staggered, and tend to blend or merge together. Integrally thickened outer portion 100 preferably has a flat bottom surface identified by numeral 104. During the shearing operation, integrally thickened outer portion 100 will be supported from that bottom surface 104, which will in turn rest upon an anvil. Optionally, the integrally thickened outer portion 100 may also comprise one or more supporting ribs (not shown) extending from the bottom surface 104 towards control tab 30 extending from the front portion of a bottom wall 124 of connector housing 122. There is a thin layer of plastic material underneath the lower holes 144, which forms the bottom surface 104.
On the front wall of housing 122 as best seen in Fig. 5, there is an upper vertical area 132, above the integrally thickened outer portion 100, where the slots or grooves 130 for contact blades 36 are located. There are eight of these slots to accommodate the eight contact plates 36. The cross-section view of Fig. 6 shows one contact blade 36 occupying the corresponding slot or groove 130.
As shown in Fig. 6, the bottom wall of connector housing 122 is designated 124 and its bottom surface as 126. When the connector is loaded with wires, they will be in suitable guideways extending the length of the hollow connector housing, and will also extend through the holes 144, 145, and protrude outward from the front side of the integrally thickened outer portion 100.
Since Fig. 6 is a cross-section view, it shows one of the contact blades 36 occupying a corresponding one of the slots 130.
As also indicated in Fig. 6, the plastic material of integrally thickened outer portion 100 is formed integral with integrally thickened front end wall portion 128 of housing 122. That is preferable, because when the integrally thickened outer portion 100 and the encased wires it contains are sheared off, the integrally thickened outer portion continues to mechanically support the integrally thickened front end wall portion 128 until the shearing is fully complete.
As shown in Fig. 6, the upper surface of integrally thickened outer portion 100 has a small groove 102 that is immediately adjacent the flat upper face 132 of the connector housing. The purpose of that groove is to guide the action of cutting blade 60 when the integrally thickened outer portion and wire ends are to be sheared off.
Reference is now made to Fig. 7 which shows the connector housing when loaded with insulated wires. Wires 16 are unsheathed from an incoming cable with a length sufficient to protrude at least several inches of gripping length from the front side of integrally thickened outer portion 100. This allows the technician to pull the wires tight before doing the crimping and shearing operation. Tightness of the wires inside the connector housing improves the electrical performance of the connector.
Fig. 8 reproduces the loaded housing of Fig. 7 on a smaller scale, to provide space to schematically illustrate how the crimping and shearing will be done. A hand tool 300 above the housing drives arrows 301, 302, and 303 downward. Arrow 301 represents the crimping of the plastic housing, in the manner shown in my prior patents. Arrow 302 represents the blade driver that drives all of the blades 36 into electrical engagement with the corresponding contact blades. And arrow 303 represents the cutting blade 60 that will shear off both the integrally thickened outer portion 100 and its encased wires. A block 42 shown in the lower left corner of the drawing represents an anvil that supports the bottom surface 104 of the integrally thickened outer portion 100, and that the blade 60 will engage at the end of its cutting stroke. The optional one or more supporting ribs (not shown) extending from the bottom surface towards the control tab are preferably completely removed from the plastic housing by the shearing process.
As shown in Fig. 9, the integrally thickened outer portion 100 after separation from integrally thickened front end wall portion 128 of the housing still retains its load of insulated wires 16 protruding from its front side. It is then no longer needed, and may be disposed of.
As shown in Fig. 10, removal of the integrally thickened outer portion has left the bare front wall in which the bared ends 146 of the insulated wires are clearly visible. The wire ends 146 do not and must not protrude, or there would be a risk of electrical engagement with the female connector. To accomplish the appropriate electrical function of the connector, that must not be tolerated. Removal of the integrally thickened outer portion brings the size and shape of the housing back to the industry and FCC standard, so as to correctly mate with a female RJ45 connector.
As described above, the modified connector housing of the present invention is made with the integrally thickened outer portion as an integrally formed part of it. Four pairs of insulated wires are inserted into and through the housing 122, and through the upper and lower holes 144, 145, in the integrally thickened outer portion. The manner of guiding the wire pairs is such that one wire of each pair protrudes through an upper hole 145, and the other wire of each pair protrudes through the adjacent lower hole 144.
Before shearing the integrally thickened outer portion and encased wire ends the technician will check the color coding of the wires to verify their correct locations. He then preferably stretches each of the wire pairs by pulling its protruding ends. The purpose of that is to bring each wire pair, inside the connector, as close as possible to the respectively associated contact blades. This is essential to maximize the electrical performance of the connector.
The crimping and shearing tool 50, 70 may be modified, to provide two small posts that extend the ends of anvil 42, so that all eight of the wires will be cut in a single pass of the cutting blade 60. The integrally thickened outer portion sits directly on the anvil, with no space between its bottom surface and the anvil. There is a measurable thickness of plastic material below the bottom row of holes. When the shearing takes place, the blade 60 first cuts all of the wires in the upper row 145, and then all wires in the lower row 144. After the shearing is done the integrally thickened outer portion - which is now detached from the integrally thickened front end wall portion 128 - may be disposed of. Connector housing 122 is then moved into mating engagement with an associated female receptacle, bringing the contact prongs of the female receptacle into engagement with the contact blades 36. Performance tests, if necessary or desired, may then be conducted.

Claims

Housing (122) for forming an electrical connector, comprising:
an integrally thickened front end wall portion (128) that is adapted to mechanically support the housing (122) while a thickened outer portion (100) is being sheared off during forming of the electrical connector, characterized in that the housing (122) has a hollow elongate shape and the integrally thickened front end wall portion (128) has a generally continuous forward end wall with upper and lower surface areas, and the lowermost surface area of the forward end wall having the integrally thickened outer portion (100) which is adapted to be sheared off to make the connector operable, and wherein the thickened front end wall portion (128) has at least one opening (144, 145) though which wires placed inside the housing (122) can project outward beyond the forward end wall.
The housing (122) according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the forward end wall has a plurality of slots (130) formed therein configured to receive contact blades (36) of a mating connector.
The housing (122) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one opening (144, 145) includes an upper row of openings (145) and a lower row of openings (144), and the thickened outer portion (100) surrounds the at least one opening (144, 145).
The housing (122) according to claim 3, wherein the upper row of openings (145) and the lower row of openings (144) merge into one another.
The housing (122) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the thickened outer portion (100) has a groove (102) formed therein for guiding the movement of a cutting blade (60) to shear off the thickened outer portion (100).
Method of forming an electrical connector, comprising:
providing a housing (122), comprising an integrally thickened front end wall portion (128) comprising at least one opening (144, 145) through the integrally thickened front end wall portion (128), the housing (122) having a hollow elongate shape and the integrally thickened front end wall portion (128) having a generally continuous forward end wall with upper and lower surface areas, and the lowermost surface area of the wall having an integrally thickened outer portion (100);
feeding a plurality of wires respectively through the at least one opening (144, 145); and

then shearing off the integrally thickened outer portion (100) of the thickened front end wall portion (128) together with the wires (16) contained therein to make the connector operable, the method being characterized in that the integrally thickened front end wall portion (128) mechanically supports the housing (122) and the wires while the integrally thickened outer portion (100) of the thickened end wall portion (128) is being sheared off.
Method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one opening (144, 145) is formed in an upper horizontal row (145) and a lower horizontal row (144), the wires in the upper row of openings are sheared off first, and then the wires in the lower row are sheared off.
Method according to claim 6, further comprising forcing contact blades (36) into conductive engagement with respective ones of the plurality of wires.
Method according to claim 8, further comprising crimping the connector housing while forcing contact blades (36) into conductive engagement with respective ones of the plurality of wires by shearing off the thickened outer portion (100) together with the wires contained therein.
Method according to claim 6, further comprising crimping the connector housing by shearing off the thickened outer portion (100) together with the wires contained therein.