FEMALE CONNECTORS AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME

Abstract: A female connector (10) includes a housing (13) having an opening for receiving a male connector and a support part (11, 12) disposed in the housing. The support part has first and second rows of pins (16) which are staggered in relationship to one another, each pin having an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portions of the pins of the first and second rows are bent such that the upper portions all lie in substantially a common plane extending at an angle away from and in alignment with the opening in the housing.

Description: FEMALE CONNECTORS AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to connectors and, more particularly, to RJ type female connectors and to methods of making the same . Typically, an RJ female connector device has a front keyed opening which matches the outline of the male connector to be attached. Common examples are the connections on all telephones that accept the cable that runs from the phone body to the hand piece or accepts the wire that runs from the phone body to the wall. Depending on the application, these RJ connectors come in various sizes, RJ 6, RJ 11 etc., and will have a different number of contacts for the male to connect to, however, the keyed entrance opening remains the same for a particular series, RJ6, for example, no matter how many contacts are inside. Many various assembly methods have been developed, but essentially, they all have internal contacts with a fixed close spacing that come out of the housing in two parallel but offset rows. The reason for this is to give additional room to prevent shorting when the unit is soldered into a printed circuit board. This need to separate the contacts at the outside connecting region complicates the assembly since the contacts must be in the same plane at the contact point but staggered at the exit point. This involves expensive assembly tools and requires a plurality of pieces for the molded housing. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to RJ connectors and methods of assembly which address the foregoing problems, while also providing substantial cost savings and improved performance. More specifically, the present invention is directed to RJ type female connectors which offer substantial savings in both material costs, assembly costs, and overall space requirements. In addition, since the invention permits substantially shorter contact wires than current constructions, unwanted inductive parasitics are reduced and cross talk at high frequencies is also reduced, a tremendous advantage for the high speed data transmission systems . Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention which refers to the accompanying drawings . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connector in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c are perspective views showing stages in the assembly of pin support section forming parts of the connector of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the connector of Fig. 1 after assembly thereof. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the connector of Fig. 1 along with an electro-magnetic shield and a printed wiring board into which the connector is to be inserted. Fig. 5 is an exploded view of an alternative embodiment of a connector in accordance with the present invention. Figs. 6 and 7 are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of the connector of Fig. 5 after assembly thereof and a printed wiring board into which the connector is to be inserted. Figs. 8a, 8b and 8c show stages in the assembly of an alternative embodiment of a pin support section. Figs. 9a and 9b show another alternative embodiment of a pin support section in accordance with the present invention. Figs. 10a and 10b illustrate a method of manufacturing a pin support section. Fig. 11 illustrates an embodiment of a connector formed in-situ in accordance with the present invention. Figs. 12a and 12b are top and side views, respectively, of pin support sections used to form an in- situ connector. Figs. 12c and 12d are top and side views, respectively, of an alternative embodiment of pin support sections used to form an in-situ connector. 4 - Fig. 13 illustrates a method of forming a plurality of pin support sections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention contemplates both discrete RJ connectors which will be described in connection with Figs. 1-lOb and in-situ RJ connectors which will be described in connection with Figs. 11-13. DISCRETE RJ CONNECTORS A discrete RJ female connector 10 in accordance with the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises three molded parts - a first molded pin support section 11, a second molded pin support section 12 and a molded housing 13 - and a metal shield 14. Referring to Fig. 2a, the first pin section 11 has a first group of four pins 16 and the second pin section 12 has a second group of four pins 16. The sections 11 and 12 have opposing surfaces with respective matable projections 11a, 12a and grooves lib, 12b which enable the sections to connect to one another in interlocking fashion. Before being connected to each other, the respective pins 16 are bent, as shown in Fig. 2b, so that when the sections 11 and 12 are connected to each other the upwardly extending portions of the pins 16 interdigitate with one another and lie essentially in the same plane, as shown in Fig. 2c. Referring back to Fig. 1, the housing 13 includes an opening 17 having a shape complementary to a male RJ connector (not shown) . Additionally, as seen in Fig. 3, the housing 13 has means, such as ledges 13a and sidewalls 13b (only one of each being shown in Fig. 3) , 9/54967 for receiving and supporting the interlocked first and second pin support sections 11 and 12. If electro-magnetic shielding is required, a metal shield 14 may be provided. In such a case, the housing 13 snaps into the metal shield 14, as shown in Fig. 4, and the assembled connector may then be inserted into a support 18, such as a printed wiring board having openings for receiving the legs 20 of the connector, the legs 14a of the shield and the depending portions of the pins 16 and for providing the necessary electrical interconnections . An alternative embodiment of the connector is shown in Figs. 5-7, in which the housing 13 is extended so as to accommodate both the first and second pin sections 11 and 12 and an electronic assembly 19, such as a magnetic filter comprised of a printed wiring board and associated electronic components, such as toroids, mounted on a support board 21, such as a printed wiring board having openings for receiving the depending portions of the pins 16 and for providing the necessary electrical interconnections. As shown in Fig. 5, to assemble the connector the interlocked pin sections 11 and 12 are first assembled to the support board 21 and then the support board with the pin sections mounted thereon is assembled into the housing 13 and the housing then inserted into the metal shield 14. Figs. 6 and 7 show the combined RJ connector and electronics assembly and a support 22 having holes for receiving the depending elements thereof. An alternative embodiment of the pin support sections, 11 and 12, designated 11' and 12', is shown in Fig. 8a-Fig. 8c. Like the sections 11 and 12 of Figs. 2a-2c, the sections 11' and 12' are molded parts. One difference, however, is that the pins 16 in the embodiment of Figs. 8a-8c are, as shown in Fig. 8a, initially disposed at an angle rather than vertically. This results in different bending of the pins, as shown in Fig. 8b, to achieve the necessary orientation so that, as shown in Fig. 8c, the upper portions of the pins lie in a common angular plane after assembly of the sections 11' and 12' to each other with the lower portions disposed vertically. Another difference is the use of complementary shaped, opposing surfaces rather than matable projections and grooves to position and interlock the sections 11' and 12' to each other. A still further embodiment is shown in Figs. 9a-9c. In this embodiment, rather than two molded sections with molded-in pins a single molded or machined block is used with the pins inserted in the block in a separate step . More specifically, as shown in Figs. 9a and 9b a plurality of pins 16 are first inserted into a block 22. Then, the pins 16 are bent, as shown in Fig. 9c, so that the upper portions lie in essentially the same angular plane and the lower portions are disposed vertically. An alternative method of manufacturing the pin support sections 11, 11', 12 or 12' is shown in Figs. 10a and 10b. In accordance with this method, a lead frame 30 having groups of leads 31 supported by rails 32 is employed. The lead frame 30 is fed into a molding press (not shown) which molds the support sections (11, 11', 12 or 12') about the leads 31. The sections with the molded-in leads are then severed from the rails 32 of the - 7 lead frame and assembled to one another as described above . It should be appreciated that although the embodiment of Figs. 10a and 10b shows 4 leads per group in the lead frame 30, the number of leads per group will depend on the number of leads associated with a particular RJ connector. In summary, this aspect of the invention contemplates the following inventive features: first, developing an RJ female connector by molding pins in interlocking sections to achieve proper alignment and then combining the molded sections with a housing having an entry to align and lock the male connector. Second, the overall design that combines the above concept with various circuit combinations for filtering or other electronic treatment of incoming or outgoing signals. IN-SITU RJ CONNECTORS RJ connectors are used with a printed circuit board with many components constituting a particular circuit. The particular circuit developed is generally contained in a molded enclosure and the input signals or output signals or both are made through female RJ connectors . The molded enclosure includes a square opening to match the outside dimensions of the RJ connector. In accordance with this aspect of this invention, a keyway 30 for an RJ male connector (Fig. 11) , rather than the square opening, is formed in an enclosure 31 (Fig. 11) , thereby eliminating the need for a separate RJ enclosure. This does not add an additional component since it is just a hole in the box of a different shape. The keyway 30 has the necessary guides 8 - and shapes to center and lock the male connector when it is inserted, like the keyway or opening 17 of Fig. 1. A user incorporates the contacts or leads as part of a standard assembled PC board to be mounted in a metal frame or enclosure (not shown) , along with the simple and expensive molded plastic insert (box 31) described above that snaps and locks into a square hole in the metal frame . This aspect of the invention contemplates two different ways of forming the contact portion. Method 1 is the one which would be used for assembly of a complete circuit . Method 2 is a prepackaged system for use by others who would do the assembly. Method 1 - This method is illustrated in Fig. 11. Although the illustration shows a plurality of leads 32 folded, they would be automatically inserted vertically into tight fitting holes in two parallel staggered rows in a printed circuit board 33 to be later soldered to pads (not shown) on the under side of the board 32 along with other components. The leads 32 are folded after final board assembly. Alternatively, pushing on the box 31 can fold the leads 32 automatically. Method 2 - This method is illustrated in Figs. 12A - 12D. More specifically, Figs. 12A and 12B show top and side views, respectively, of a molded strip 40 into which staggered rows of pins (leads) 32 are inserted like in Method 1 in sections 41. The pins 32 would then be folded to the necessary angle and supplied to the customer to insert and solder to a printed circuit board. Advantageously, the sections 41 are formed in multiples that can be broken apart into either single or multiple - 9 - sections since many products may have more than one female connector to receive or send out signals. In an alternative embodiment of Method 2, as shown in Figs. 12C and 12D, the assembly is provided with pins 32 actually molded into the strip 50 so no insertion is required. Feeding two rows of wire into a mold at different levels to develop the staggered effect would be most difficult and costly. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, two separate sections, 51 and 52, having saw tooth shaped facing sides 53 would be bonded together after molding. The molded saw tooth sides 53 assure proper alignment. Fig. 13 shows how a plurality of strips 50 would be molded in one shot. Although not shown in the drawings, the bonded together sections 51, 52 incorporate molded projections to assure proper alignment with the box 31. In summary, this aspect of the invention contemplates the following inventive features: first, developing an RJ by inserting the pins in a board, printed circuit or a plain board, and combining it with an entry to align and lock the male connector. This entry could be an integral part of the assembly or supplied separately. Second, the concept of the leads encased in a single or bonded pair of molded strips rather than the board, again to be combined with a separate or integral entry. Third, the overall design that combines the above concept with various circuit combinations for filtering or other electronic treatment of incoming or outgoing signals. Although the invention has been described with reference to its preferred embodiments and certain alternatives, it is to be understood that this description is by way of example only, and it is not to /54967 - 10 be construed in a limiting sense. It is further understood that numerous changes in the details of the embodiments of the invention, and additional embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to, and may be made by persons of ordinary skill in the art having reference to this description.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A female connector comprising: a housing having an opening for receiving a male connector; and a support part disposed in said housing, said support part having first and second rows of pins which are staggered in relationship to one another, each pin having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portions of the pins of the first and second rows being bent such that the upper portions all lie in substantially a common plane extending at an angle away from and in alignment with the opening in the housing. 2. The female connector of claim 1, wherein the support part is comprised of first and second support sections, the first support section containing the first row of pins and the second support section containing the second row of pins, each of the support sections having complementary interlocking means such that the support sections may be engaged in interlocking fashion with one another and such that the pins are in said staggered relationship. 3. The female connector of claim 2 , wherein said interlocking means comprises matable projections and grooves formed on respective facing surfaces of the first and second support sections. 4. The female connector of claim 2, wherein said interlocking means comprises complementary shaped facing surfaces of the first and second support sections. 12 5. The female connector of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the support part is a molded support part and the pins are molded into the molded support part . 6. A method of assembling a female connector, which comprises : a) providing a support part having first and second rows of pins, the pins being in staggered relationship to each other and having respective upper and lower portions; b) bending the upper portions of each of the pins such that the upper portions all lie substantially in a common plane; and c) inserting the support part into a housing. 7. The method of assembling a female connector, which comprises: (a) providing a support part having first and second vertically spaced, horizontal rows of pins extending therethrough, the first row of pins being in staggered relationship to the second row of pins, respective first portions of the pins of the first and second rows extending from one side of the support part and respective second portions of the pins of the first and second rows extending from an opposite side of the support part; (b) bending the first portions of the pins extending from the one side of the support part upwardly and angularly such as to place each of the extending first portions in a common angular plane; (c) bending the second portions of the pins extending from the opposite side of the said support part - 13 - downwardly such as to form two rows of downwardly extending second portions; and (d) inserting the support part into a housing. 8. The method of assembling a female connector as in claim 7, wherein step (a) comprises: (a-1) providing a support part having first and second vertically spaced horizontal rows of openings extending therethrough, the first row of openings being in staggered relationships to the second row of openings and being vertically spaced therefrom; and (a-2) inserting respective pins in each of the openings to thereby form said first and second rows of pins. 9. The method of assembling a female connector as in claim 6 or 7, wherein step (a) comprises molding said pins, of said first and second rows into said support part . 10. The method of assembling a female connector as in claim 6, wherein step (a) comprises: (a-1) providing a first support section having a first plurality of pins therein; and (a-2) providing a second support section having a second plurality of pins therein, each of the pins of the first and second pluralities having upper and lower portions, each of the first and second sections having opposed surfaces having respective interlocking means; and step (b) comprises: (b-1) bending the upper portions of the pins of the first section in a first predetermined manner; and - 14 (b-2) bending the pins of said second section in a second predetermined manner such that when said first and second sections are interlocked with one another the pins of the first section and the pins of said second section lie substantially in a common plane. 11. The method of assembling a female connector as in claim 10, wherein steps (a-1) and (a-2) comprise molding the first and second pluralities of pins into said first and second sections, respectively. 12. A method of forming a female connector as in claim 10, wherein step (a) comprises: providing a lead frame comprised of a plurality of groups of leads supported between a pair of parallel rails; feeding the lead frame into a molding press to mold said first and second support sections around selected groups of said leads; and then severing the leads from said lead frame to provide the first and second support sections having the first and second pluralities of pins. 13. A method of forming a female connector in- situ in a printed wiring board which comprises : (a) forming two parallel staggered rows of holes in a printed wiring board; (b) inserting leads into each of the holes; and (c) inserting a housing over the upper portions of the leads, the housing having an opening for receiving a male connector having a plurality contacts, the housing being arranged with respect to the leads such that a 15 plurality of contacts of the male connector make electrical connection with respective ones of said leads 14. The method of forming an in-situ female connector as in claim 13 , wherein the leads are bent prior to the housing being inserted thereover. 15. The method of forming an in-situ female connector as in claim 14, wherein the step of inserting the housing over the leads bends said leads. 16. The method of forming a female connector in-situ as in claim 13, wherein the pins are inserted into molded sections prior to the pins being inserted into the printed wiring board. 17. The method of forming a female connector in-situ in accordance with claim 13 which comprises molding the pins into a molded part prior to inserting the pins into the printed wiring board. 18. The method of forming a female connector in-situ in accordance with claim 17, in which prior to step (a) one group of pins is molded into a first strip having interlocking means thereon and a second group of pins is molded into a second strip having interlocking means thereon, said first and second sections then being engaged with one another by means of the interlocking means so as to assure a staggered relationship of the pins prior to the pins being inserted into the printed wiring board.

Inventors: BERNSTEIN ELLIOT, BERNSTEIN, ELLIOT
Applicants: BEL FUSE INC, BEL FUSE, INC.
Application year: 1999
Main classification: H01R23
IPC codes: H01R13, H01R24, H01R43