Abstract:
A communication connector has a housing for receiving a communication plug, a printed circuit within the housing, a switch which actuates the printed circuit board, and a translating crossbar which engages the switch. The printed circuit board is moved dependent upon a type of plug inserted. The movement of the circuit board can help to selectively engage one of two sets of circuit traces and groupings of contacts.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/889,723, filed Oct. 11, 2013, the subject matter of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of telecommunication jacks, and more specifically, to network jacks adapted for operating with more than one type of a plug. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The use of electronic equipment such as personal computers, servers, and other network operable devices has continued to progress over the past decades. This progression has been accompanied by an increased need to transfer large amounts of data at ever-increasing speeds and the resulting requirement of a sufficiently powerful network infrastructure. One particular area of concentration within network infrastructure has been the plug/jack mating region together with the individual plug and jack components. It is within these components that increasingly offensive crosstalk often occurs at high bandwidths. 
         [0004]    As of today, the RJ45 connector has been one of the commonly used standards for making electrical connections within a network. While this standard is widely employed, the physical layout of electrical conductors in an RJ45 connector can cause increasing levels of crosstalk at higher bandwidths. To combat unwanted crosstalk, new plug/jack designs have been implemented. However, to ensure the ability to interface RJ45 components to new networks, it is desirable to have the new plug/jack designed be backwards compatible. 
         [0005]    U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 13/632,211 and 61/779,806, both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety, each describe a switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack that has a movable printed circuit board (PCB) which allows for two different modes of operation. A mode of operation is used when an RJ45 plug is inserted into the jack and supports a performance level up to Category 6A (CAT6A, 500 MHz). However, for higher performance and higher bandwidth (e.g. 2 GHz, 40 Gb/s) an alternate mode of operation is used. The alternate mode of operation is attained when an ARJ45 plug (compliant to IEC 60603-7-7 and IEC 61076-3-110) is inserted into the jack. An example of an ARJ45 plug is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 13/864,924 which is also herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The long nose of the ARJ45 plug (as compared to an RJ45 plug) causes the PCB to move to an alternate position in the design of both the &#39;211 and &#39;806 patent applications and thus creates the secondary mode of operation. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    A communication connector has a housing for receiving a communication plug, a printed circuit within the housing, a switch which actuates the printed circuit board, and a translating crossbar which engages the switch. The printed circuit board is moved dependent upon a type of plug inserted. The movement of the circuit board can help to selectively engage one of two sets of circuit traces and groupings of contacts. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a communication system using an RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of the communication system of  FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, with an RJ45 plug inserted. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2  with an ARJ45 plug inserted. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the front nose assembly of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a perspective cut-away view of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2  without any plugs inserted into the jack. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is a perspective cut-away view of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2  with an ARJ45 plug inserted into the jack. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the IDC assembly of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  is an exploded view of the rear cap assembly of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the foil divider of the rear cap assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 11  is an isometric view of the PCB of the RJ45/ARJ45 switchable jack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0018]      FIGS. 12-14  are views of the various layers of traces for the PCB of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 15  is a schematic diagram of the switching network and the compensation circuitry of the PCB of  FIG. 11 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The present invention is a switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack suitable for both 10 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s performance. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates copper structured cabling communication system  46  which includes patch panel  48  with switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jacks  50  and corresponding RJ45 plugs  52  and ARJ45 plugs  54 . Respective horizontal cables  56  are terminated to switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jacks  50 , respective patch cables  58  are terminated to RJ45 plugs  52 , and respective shielded patch cables  60  are terminated to ARJ45 plugs  54 . Once RJ45 plug  52  or ARJ45 plug  54  mates with switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  data can flow in both directions through these connectors. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  mated with RJ45 plug  52 , rotated 180° about the central axis of cable  56  relative to the orientation from  FIG. 1 . When RJ45 plug  52  is used with switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 , it is possible to obtain up to CAT6A performance. For higher performance and higher bandwidth (e.g. 2 GHz) ARJ45 plug  54  must be used with switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  as shown in  FIG. 3 , also rotated 180° about the central axis of cable  56  relative to the orientation from  FIG. 1 . 
         [0023]    Switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 , shown exploded in  FIG. 4 , includes metal housing  62 , front nose assembly  120 , PCB  76 , IDC assembly  82 , and rear cap assembly  122 . 
         [0024]    Front nose assembly  120 , shown exploded in  FIG. 5 , includes crossbar  65  with plug grounding tabs  64 . When ARJ45 plug  54  is inserted into RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 , crossbar  65  pushes on rocker switch  66  which then pushes PCB  76  down into its high bandwidth mode (ARJ45). Springs  63  are compressed between metal housing  62  and rocker switch  66  such that it biases switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  to its RJ45 state when ARJ45 plug  54  is withdrawn from switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  causing the rocker switch to pull PCB  76  up into its RJ45 position. Rocker switch  66  toggles switchable jack  50  between the RJ45 and switched high bandwidth mode of operation based upon which type of plug is inserted. Hinge pin  67  is inserted into front PIC support structure  68  and holds rocker switch  66 . 
         [0025]    Front PIC support structure  68  also constrains PICs  70   0-9  with combs  69 . PICs  70   1 - 70   8  are numbered in accordance with ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 and are used as signal transmission paths when an RJ45 plug is used. PICs  70   0  and  70   9  are always grounded and are used to balance the ground around signal pairs 1:2 and 7:8 during the high bandwidth mode of operation. PICs  72  are located physically in compliance with IEC 60603-7-7 and are supported by prime PIC support structure  74 . PICs  72  have region  73  which increases in width relative to the free end that interfaces with the plug contacts of ARJ45 plug  54 , and also includes bends  77  to bring region  73  closer to metal housing  62  for impedance matching. The increase in width increases capacitive coupling and helps bring the impedance of the differential pairs that use PICs  72  close to 100Ω. Without wider region  73 , the impedance through PICs  72  is above 100Ω (˜130Ω), which causes additional return loss. The extra width of region  73  increases capacitive coupling in that region between prime PICs  72   4  and  72   5  as well as between prime PICs  72   3  and  72   6 . The relative closeness of metal housing  62  to region  73  also provides a path for capacitive coupling that aids in bringing the impedance through this region close to 100Ω. PICs  72  are grounded during RJ45 mode of operation but used as signal transmission paths during high bandwidth mode. When in RJ45 mode, the signal transmission pairs are on  70   1 ,  70   2 ;  70   3 ,  70   6 ;  70   4 ,  70   5 ; and  70   7 ,  70   8 . Remaining PICs  70   0 ,  70   9 ,  72   3 ,  72   6 ,  72   4 ,  72   5  are grounded. When in high bandwidth mode, the signal transmission pairs are on  72   4 ,  72   5 ;  72   3 ,  72   6 ;  70   1 ,  70   2 ; and  70   7 ,  70   8 . Remaining PICs  70   0 ,  70   3 ,  70   4 ,  70   5 ,  70   6 ,  70   9  are grounded. 
         [0026]    PICs  70  and  72  are constructed of a thin (less than 0.014 inches, preferably 0.004 to 0.010 inches, more preferably 0.006 to 0.008 inches, even more preferably 0.007 inches) metallic material, although nonmetallic or insulative materials can also be used for some of the layers. The use of thinner material improves PIC flexibility to reduce susceptibility to internal stresses imparted during bending. To improve normal force between PICs  70  and  72  and the plug contacts of either RJ45 plug  52  or ARJ45 plug  54 , PICs  70  and  72  are folded back upon their respective selves to create layered PICs. PICs  70   0  and  70   9  have an additional contact surface  75  on the side for the purpose of providing a ground path for rocker switch  66 . The use of thin material allow PICs  70  to have a relatively short electrical length. 
         [0027]      FIG. 6  depicts switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  in its RJ45 state where crossbar  65 , rocker switch  66 , and PCB  76  are in their RJ45 position. This natural state is unchanged when RJ45 plug  52  is inserted into switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 .  FIG. 7  depicts switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  in its actuated state with ARJ45 plug  54  locked into place. When ARJ45 plug  54  is inserted into RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 , the nose  55  of ARJ45 plug engages and pushes crossbar  65 . The motion of crossbar  65  is transferred to rocker switch  66  at interface  57  and causes rocker switch  66  to rotate about hinge pin  67 . The rotation of rocker switch  66  drives the translation of PCB  76  into its actuated high bandwidth state through interface  71 . Compression springs  63  resist the rotation of rocker switch  66  and therefore drive the opposite rotation when ARJ45 plug  54  is removed, returning RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50  to its natural RJ45 state. The potential energy in springs  63  cause crossbar  65  to constantly exert force upon nose  55  of ARJ45 plug  54 . That force pushes ARJ45 plug away until plug latch  59  is mated against latch stop  61  of housing  62 . An equivalent phenomenon exists when RJ45 plug  52  is used. The nose of RJ45 plug  52  engages crossbar  65 , but the nose is not long enough to drive the switching mechanism and activate the high bandwidth state. However, crossbar  65  still drives RJ45 plug  52  so that the plug latches mate against the latch stops  61  in housing  62 . The preload in the switch causes either ARJ45 plug  54  or RJ45  52  to be positioned such that the plug latch mates against the latch stops and therefore does not “float” inside of RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 . 
         [0028]    IDC assembly  82 , shown exploded in  FIG. 8  is composed of IDC holder  84 , four IDCs  78   1,4,6,7  and four IDCs  80   2,3,5,8 . Vertical IDC isolator  86  and horizontal IDC isolator  140  from foil divider  124  (see  FIG. 9 ) in rear cap assembly  122  reduce internal crosstalk among the four signal pairs. Vertical IDC isolator  86  has contact surfaces  136  that provide a ground path between PCB  76 , housing  62 , and grounding contact  126 . Mounting snaps  138  secure IDC assembly  82  to metal housing  62  and locks nose assembly  120  and PCB  76  into position. 
         [0029]    Rear cap assembly  122  is shown exploded in  FIG. 9  and is composed of foil divider  124 , grounding contact  126 , conductor holder  128 , strain relief collar  130 , compression ring  132 , and rear cover  88 . Cable  56  is inserted through rear cover  88  and compression ring  132 . The wire braid from cable  56  is captured between compression ring  132  and strain relief collar  130  resulting in a grounding path for the jack and strain relief for the cable. The four individually foiled pairs are then placed into the foil channels  144  ( FIG. 10 ). One side of foil divider  124  has offset slot  142  to accommodate the two foil pairs that cross over each other on the vertical plane, which is required to accommodate the end to end effect of twisted pair cabling. Grounding contact  126  provides a ground path for the foil pairs in the foil divider  124  with a compressive preload from grounding pads  146 . Foil grounding pads  146  combined with foil channels  144  in foil divider  124  provide a comprehensive 360 degree ground path around the circumference of the foil pairs. Comprehensive grounding of the foil helps high frequency performance, particularly with respect to the prevention of common mode coupling. Grounding contact  126  also provides a ground path to vertical IDC isolator  86 , foil divider  124 , strain relief collar  130 , and metal housing  62  via grounding surfaces  148 . Snaps  150  secure conductor holder  128  onto foil divider  124 . Rear cover  88  snaps into metal housing  62  via latches  89  to secure rear cap assembly  122  to switchable RJ45/ARJ45 jack  50 . 
         [0030]    PCB  76  ( FIGS. 11-15 ) includes two isolated networks, one for RJ45 mode and one for the switched high bandwidth mode, and translates by rocker switch  66  ( FIGS. 5-7 ) based upon which plug is inserted. The network for the RJ45 mode contains all of the necessary compensation elements to effectively cancel the crosstalk effects of RJ45 plug  52  such that it is compliant to ANSI/TIA-568-C.2. The network for high bandwidth mode does not contain any compensation elements but rather contains 100Ω impedance matched differential pair traces that connect PICs  70   1-2 ,  70   7-8 , and  72   3-6  ( FIG. 5 ) to respective IDCs  78  and  80  ( FIG. 8 ). 
         [0031]    The layout of PCB  76  is realized in six layers as shown in  FIGS. 12-14 , and as an isometric view in  FIG. 11 .  FIG. 15  is a schematic of the switching network on PCB  76  along with the crosstalk compensation on PCB  76 . Top layer  160  ( FIG. 12 ) provides contact pads to interface with PICS  70  and  72  ( FIG. 5 ). Bottom layer  161  ( FIG. 12 ) provides contact pads to interface with IDCs  78  and  80  ( FIG. 8 ). When an ARJ45 plug is inserted into the jack, rocker switch  66  positions PCB  76  such that PICs  70  and  72  are in contact with pads 1P through 8P and GND on top layer  160 . Since an ARJ45 plug does not interface with PICs  70   3 ,  70   4 ,  70   5 ,  70   6  these PICs interface with GND pads on top layer  161  of PCB  76 . By connecting PICs  70   3 ,  70   4 ,  70   5 ,  70   6  to GND pads along with PICs  70   0 ,  70   9 , balanced transmission through PICs  70   1 ,  70   2 , and  70   7 ,  70   8  is achieved as well as enhanced isolation between PICs  70   1 ,  70   2 , and  70   7 ,  70   8 . Traces on top layer  160  connect pads 1P through 8P to through-hole vias which in turn are connected to traces on bottom layer  161 . On bottom layer  161 , the traces are routed to contact pads 1P through 8P to interface with IDCs  78  and  80 . This layout configuration completes the connection between the PICs and the IDCs when an ARJ45 plug is inserted into the jack. The contacts of an ARJ45 plug are arranged in a fashion such that there is a negligible amount of crosstalk between the pairs; therefore, no crosstalk compensation is required on PCB  76  during the high bandwidth mode of operation. 
         [0032]    When an RJ45 plug is inserted into the jack, rocker switch  66  positions PCB  76  such that PICs  70  and  72  are in contact with pads 0 through 9 on top layer  160 . Traces on top layer  160  connect pads 1 through 8 to through-hole vias. For pairs 12 and 78, the through-hole vias are connected to traces on bottom layer  161  which are routed to contact pads 1, 2, 7, and 8 to interface with the IDCs. For pairs 36 and 45, the through-hole vias are connected to traces on internal layers  3  and  4  (reference numbers  162  and  163 , respectively,  FIG. 13 ) which are routed to additional through-hole vias. These through-hole vias are connected to traces on bottom layer  161  which are routed to contact pads 3, 4, 5, and 6 to interface with the IDCs. Internal layers  2  and  5  (reference numbers  164  and  165 , respectively), are shown in  FIG. 14 . This layout configuration completes the connection between the PICs and the IDCs when an RJ45 plug is inserted into the jack. 
         [0033]    In addition to completing the connection, this layout configuration must also support appropriate coupling between pairs to appropriately cancel the crosstalk that exists in an RJ45 plug. In this embodiment, two stage crosstalk cancellation techniques, as may be found in Panduit&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 8,137,141 (incorporated by reference as if fully setforth herein) and adapted to the mechanical/electrical characteristics of the present invention jack, can be employed to cancel the plug crosstalk between pairs 36-45, 36-12, and 36-78.  FIG. 12  shows the location of the crosstalk cancellation capacitors on top layer  160 . In this embodiment the coupling between conductors is implemented with discrete surface mount components. Capacitor C 46  provides coupling between conductors  4  and  6  and capacitor C 35  provides coupling between conductors  3  and  5 . Together C 46  and C 35  comprise the first stage of NEXT compensation for the 36-45 pair combination. Components C 56 , L 56  provide a lattice coupling network between conductors  5  and  6 , and components C 34 , L 34  provide a lattice coupling network between conductors  3  and  4 . Together C 56 , L 56 , C 34 , and L 34  comprise the second stage of NEXT compensation for the 36-45 pair combination. Capacitor C 13  provides coupling between conductors  1  and  3  and capacitor C 26  provides coupling between conductors  2  and  6 . Together, C 13  and C 26  comprise the first stage of NEXT compensation for the 36-12 pair combination. Capacitor C 23  provides coupling between conductors  2  and  3  which comprises the second stage of NEXT compensation for the 36-12 pair combination. Capacitor C 68  provides coupling between conductors  6  and  8  and capacitor C 37  provides coupling between conductors  3  and  7 . Together, C 68  and C 37  comprise the first stage of NEXT compensation for the 36-78 pair combination. Capacitor C 67  provides coupling between conductors  6  and  7  which comprises the second stage of NEXT compensation for the 36-78 pair combination. For pair combinations 12-45 and 45-78, single stage compensation techniques are implemented to sufficiently compensate for the crosstalk that exists in the RJ45 plug. Capacitor C 14  provides coupling between conductor  1  and conductor  4  to create the single stage of NEXT compensation between the 12 and 45 pairs. Capacitor C 58  provides coupling between conductor  5  and conductor  8  to create the single stage of NEXT compensation between the 45 and 78 pairs. 
         [0034]    In addition to providing NEXT compensation of RJ45 plugs, PCB  76  must also provide appropriate coupling to satisfy the FEXT requirement for pair combination 36-45. This is achieved by way of incorporating the appropriate amount of inductive compensation in combination with the capacitive compensation for the 36-45 pair combination. In  FIG. 13 , internal layer  3  shows a portion of the current carrying traces of conductor  3  and conductor  5 . These traces are arranged over a portion of their length in a parallel fashion which creates the appropriate amount of inductive coupling between these traces. Internal layer  4  ( FIG. 14 ) shows a portion of the current carrying traces of conductor  4  and conductor  6 . These traces are arranged over a portion of their length in a parallel fashion which creates the appropriate amount of inductive coupling between these traces. The inductive coupling between traces  3  and  5  along with the inductive coupling between traces  4  and  6  comprises the necessary inductive compensation between the 36-45 pairs. Along with the capacitive compensation between the 36-45 pairs described in the previous paragraphs, the NEXT and FEXT requirements can be satisfied for pair combination 36-45. 
         [0035]    PCB  76  also incorporates a GND structure shown in  FIG. 12  on the top and bottom layers  160 ,  161 . Through-hole vias are positioned on PCB  76  to connect the top and bottom structures  160 ,  161 . The position of these vias reduces crosstalk between the four pairs of conductors as the signals propagate through the circuit board. This is mainly important when the jack is operating in the high bandwidth mode. Another function of the GND structure on the PCB is to provide a continuous signal path between the cable and pair shields within the patch cord to the cable and pair shields within the horizontal cabling. 
         [0036]    Although communication system  46  is illustrated as a patch panel in  FIG. 1 , alternatively it can be other active or passive equipment. Examples of passive equipment can be, but are not limited to, modular patch panels, punch-down patch panels, coupler patch panels, wall jacks, etc. Examples of active equipment can be, but are not limited to, Ethernet switches, routers, servers, physical layer management systems, and power-over-Ethernet equipment as can be found in data centers and or telecommunications rooms; security devices (cameras and other sensors, etc.) and door access equipment; and telephones, computers, fax machines, printers and other peripherals as can be found in workstation areas. Communication system  46  can further include cabinets, racks, cable management and overhead routing systems, and other such equipment. Cables  56 ,  58 ,  60  can be used in a variety of structured cabling applications including patch cords, zone cords, backbone cabling, and horizontal cabling, although the present invention is not limited to such applications. In general, the present invention can be used in military, industrial, telecommunications, computer, data communications, marine and other cabling applications. 
         [0037]    The compensation circuitry for RJ45 mode can alternatively be orthogonal compensation circuitry (OCN) as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/681,480, filed on Nov. 20, 2012, entitled “COMPENSATION NETWORK USING AN ORTHOGONAL COMPENSATION NETWORK,” incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
         [0038]    While particular embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be apparent from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.