UNIVERSAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING

US 20100144191A1
Filed: 02/15/2010
Published: 06/10/2010
Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
Status: Active Grant

First Claim

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1-39. -39. (canceled)

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Abstract

An advanced modular plug connector assembly incorporating an insert assembly disposed in the rear portion of the connector housing. In one embodiment, the connector has a plurality of ports in multi-row configuration, and the insert assembly includes a substrate adapted to receive one or more electronic components such as choke coils, transformers, or other signal conditioning elements or magnetics. The substrate also interfaces with the conductors of two modular ports of the connector, and is removable from the housing such that an insert assembly of a different electronics or terminal configuration can be substituted therefor. In this fashion, the connector can be configured to a plurality of different standards (e.g., Gigabit Ethernet and 10/100). In yet another embodiment, the connector assembly comprises a plurality of light sources (e.g., LEDs) received within the housing. Methods for manufacturing the aforementioned embodiments are also disclosed.

63 Citations

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61 Claims

1-39. -39. (canceled)

40. A connector assembly comprising:
- a connector housing comprising a plurality of recesses and defining an outer perimeter of said connector assembly;
  
  a plurality of sets of conductors disposed at least partly within respective ones of said recesses; and
  
  a plurality of application-specific insert structures comprising a horizontally disposed substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive pathways associated therewith, and a plurality of electronic components disposed substantially thereon;
  
  wherein said pathways of said horizontally disposed substrate interface with respective ones of said conductors to form an electrical pathway between said conductors and at least one of said electronic components; and
  
  wherein said assembly is adapted to receive either of two variants of said application-specific insert structures in pairs without altering the area of an external substrate consumed by said assembly when said assembly is mounted on said substrate.
- View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61)
- - 41. The connector assembly of claim 40, wherein said housing is adapted to accommodate a plurality of different configurations of said insert structure both simultaneously and alternatively.
  - 42. The connector assembly of claim 40, wherein said housing is adapted to accommodate a plurality of different configurations of said insert structure either simultaneously or alternatively.
  - 43. The connector assembly of claim 42, wherein said plurality of different configurations comprise at least:
    - (i) a gigabit Ethernet (GBE) configuration, and (ii) an Ethernet 10/100 Mbps configuration.
  - 44. The connector assembly of claim 43, further comprising at least one indicator assembly adapted to provide one or more indications visible from a front face of said housing.
  - 45. The connector assembly of claim 44, wherein said at least one indicator assembly comprises a plurality of light pipes, said indicator assembly being mounted substantially along a rear face of said housing.
  - 46. The connector assembly of claim 40, wherein said substrate is adapted to accommodate a plurality of different configurations of said insert structures.
  - 47. The connector assembly of claim 46, wherein said adaptation of said substrate comprises a plurality of apertures adapted to receive second terminals associated with any of said plurality of different configurations of insert bodies, said different configurations each comprising a different pin-out configuration for third terminals thereof.
  - 48. The connector assembly of claim 40, wherein said substrate is disposed substantially atop first and second insert bodies each having at least one recess formed therein, said insert bodies and said substrate being removable as a single unit from said housing.
  - 49. The connector assembly of claim 40, further comprising at least an external noise shield, and at least one internal noise shield, said internal noise shield being configured to mitigate noise between respective ones of signal pathways within said connector assembly.
  - 50. The connector assembly of claim 40, wherein said area of said substrate consumed by said assembly comprises an outer perimeter of the connector housing.
  - 57. The connector assembly of claim 50, wherein said application-specific insert assembly comprises at least one polymer insert body adapted to at least partly support a substrate.
  - 58. The connector assembly of claim 57, wherein said at least partly supporting of said substrate comprises said substrate being disposed substantially atop said insert body.
  - 59. The connector assembly of claim 58, wherein said at least one electronic component comprises a plurality of electronic components, some of said plurality being disposed on a first side of said substrate, and some of said plurality being disposed on a second side of said substrate.
  - 60. The connector assembly of claim 59, further comprising a plurality of external interface conductors, said external interface conductors being received at least partly within said insert body and penetrating through apertures formed in said substrate and electrically interfacing with at least one of said plurality of components.
  - 61. The connector assembly of claim 50, wherein said at least two variants of said application-specific insert structure comprise at least:
    - (i) a gigabit Ethernet (GBE) configuration, and (ii) an Ethernet 10/100 Mbps configuration.

51. A connector assembly adapted to provide application-specific conditioning of at least some signals passing therethrough, the assembly comprising:
- a connector housing comprising a plurality of recesses and a cavity, said cavity being disposed substantially in a rear portion of said housing;
  
  a set of conductors disposed at least partly within said recesses and adapted to interface electrically with respective ones of a modular plug; and
  
  an application-specific insert assembly comprising a substrate having a plurality of electrically conductive pathways and electronic components associated therewith, and at least one electronic component disposed substantially thereon, said at least one component performing at least a portion of said signal conditioning;
  
  wherein said pathways of said substrate interface with respective ones of said conductors to form an electrical pathway from said modular plug through said conductors and at least one of said at least one electronic components; and
  
  wherein said connector assembly is adapted to receive within said cavity alternatively any of at least two variants of said application-specific insert assembly, said application specific insert assembly received at least partly within multiple ones of said recesses simultaneously.
- View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
- - 52. The connector assembly of claim 51, further comprising a plurality of LED indicators.
  - 53. The connector assembly of claim 52, further comprising an external noise shield adapted to cover a majority of the external surface area of said assembly.
  - 54. The connector assembly of claim 53, wherein said signal conditioning comprises signal filtering for noise or other unwanted signal components.
  - 55. The connector assembly of claim 51, wherein said signal conditioning comprises signal filtering for noise or other unwanted signal components.
  - 56. The connector assembly of claim 55, further comprising a plurality of LED-based indicators.

Specification

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Current Assignee
Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
Original Assignee
Pulse Electronics Incorporated (Yageo Corporation)
Inventors
Machado, Russell Lee, Renteria, Victor H., Dinh, Thuyen

Granted Patent

US 7,786,009 B2
Time in Patent Office

Days
Field of Search
US Class Current

439/490
CPC Class Codes

H01R 13/514   composed as a modular block...

H01R 13/518   for holding or embracing se...

H01R 13/6633   with inductive component, e...

H01R 13/6658   on printed circuit board H0...

H01R 13/719   specially adapted for high ...

H01R 24/64   for high frequency, e.g. RJ 45

H01R 29/00   Coupling parts for selectiv...

Y10T 29/49002   Electrical device making

Y10T 29/49208   by assembling plural parts

UNIVERSAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING

First Claim

4 Assignments

0 Petitions

Accused Products

Abstract

63 Citations

61 Claims

Specification

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UNIVERSAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING

First Claim

4 Assignments

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Subscription Required

0 Petitions

Subscription Required

Accused Products

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Abstract

63 Citations

61 Claims

Specification

Subscription Required

Solutions

Use Cases

Quick Links