Patent Publication Number: US-2023132737-A1

Title: Single pair connector module

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims benefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/272,774, filed Oct. 28, 2021, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY 
     This disclosure relates to a connector module having a connector for receiving a single pair of wires (i.e., conductors) and an adapter housing for accepting the connector and having characteristic dimensions for fitting into existing patch panel ports. This connector module provides a simple and effective solution for field termination of a range of single pair cables. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Throughout the course of installing equipment within a structure, many different types of cables having different sized wire conductors may be used for different applications having different power rating requirements. For example, in the distributed antenna system (DAS) industry cable of various sizes may be used during an installation to distribute power from a centralized telecom or electrical closet in a building to antennas distributed throughout the interior of the building, which may consist of many stories. Conventional zone cabling enclosures do not provide a simple termination point for conductors having such a wide range of size and power ratings. 
     SUMMARY 
     This disclosure provides a simple field termination solution for single pair cable (i.e., cable including a single pair of wire conductors) within a range of sizes (e.g.,  12 - 26  AWG) to utilize more standardized connector components. 
     According to an embodiment, a connector module for installing into an equipment opening is provided. The connector module comprising an adapter configured to receive a connector jack, the adapter comprising: a top surface, a first side wall, a second side wall opposite the first side wall, a front side surface including an opening for receiving the connector jack, and a bottom surface, wherein at least a portion of the top surface, a portion of the first side wall, a portion of the second side wall, a portion of the front side surface, and a portion of the bottom surface form an internal cavity for housing the connector jack. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a connector module in an assembled state, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of the connector module shown in  FIG.  1    in a disassembled state to show an adapter and a connector that comprise the connector module. 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view showing a bottom surface of the adapter and the connector illustrated in  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  4    is a rear perspective view showing an internal cavity of the adapter. 
         FIG.  5    is a front side view of the adapter. 
         FIG.  6    is a rear side view of the adapter. 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view of the connector module preparing to receive a plug, according to some embodiments. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of the plug inserted into the connector module, according to some embodiments. 
         FIG.  9    is a perspective view of a single pair cable installed into a plug, where the plug is inserted into the connector module that has been installed into a patch panel, according to some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     This disclosure describes embodiments of a connector module having physical dimensions for being installed into standardized, or pre-existing, structures such as a patch panel including pre-populated slot openings having characteristics for fitting the connector module. The connector module disclosed herein is configured to provide simple field termination for different sized single pair cables (e.g.,  12 - 26  AWG) using screw-down/cage-clamp for the bare single pair of conductors emerging from a centralized power equipment to be a pluggable mating connector terminating the field wires. A number of compatible, common-pitch-mating connectors can be snapped into a rear of rack-mountable panels once the field wiring conductors have been screwed down into the cage clamps. This gives a central and flexible (e.g., pluggable) head-end to field-wiring demarcation point that can greatly assist in overall installation and troubleshooting. 
       FIG.  1    shows a connector module  100  comprising a connector  20  (e.g., connector jack) and an adapter  10 . In  FIG.  1   , the connector module  100  is shown to be in an assembled state where the connector  20  is fully inserted and secured to the adapter  10 . 
       FIG.  2    shows the connector module  100  in a disassembled state where the connector  20  is not inserted into the adapter  10 . In the view illustrated by  FIG.  2    a top surface  14  of the adapter  10  is seen to be flat other than some exemplary notches at two of the corners. The adapter  10  also includes two opposing side walls  19 , as well as a front side surface  31 . The front side surface  31  includes an opening  12  through which a prong housing  26  of the connector  20  may be inserted through when the connector is inserted into the adapter  10  via a rear side. The front side surface  31  also includes a slot  17  at a bottom end of the opening  12  that provides a space that may be utilized to better insert the connector  20  into the adapter  10 , and/or remove the connector  20  from the adapter  10 . The front side surface  31  also includes an icon pocket  32  where an icon piece may fit into, and or an adhesive backed label may be placed. A head-on front side view of the adapter  10  is also illustrated in  FIG.  5   . 
     From the perspective view illustrated in  FIG.  2   , the connector  20  is shown to include the prong housing  26  which is a protrusion that is inserted through the adapter  10  to stick out, at least in part, past the opening  12  of the adapter  10 . The prong housing  26  includes an inner chamber housing two prongs  23  for mating to corresponding mating components of a plug. 
     The connector  20  also includes two detents  24 , one on each opposite side wall  27  of the prong housing  26 . When the connector  20  is inserted into an inner cavity  33  of the adapter  10 , protrusions  18  within the inner cavity  33  are configured to slide and fit into respective detents  24  on the side walls  27  of the prong housing  26 . A rear side perspective view of the adapter  10  is illustrated in  FIG.  4    and a rear side head-on view of the adapter  10  is illustrated in  FIG.  6   , where the protrusions  18  are shown to be positioned on opposite sides of the inner cavity  33 . The fitting of the protrusions  18  from the inner cavity  33  of the adapter  10  into the detents  24  of the connector  20  aids in providing a more secure installation and attachment of the connector  20  to the adapter  10  when assembling the connector module  100 . 
       FIG.  3    shows a bottom side perspective view of the adapter  10  and the connector  20 . A bottom surface  15  of the adapter  10  includes a thinner surface area  15 - 2  where a material (e.g., plastic) of the bottom surface  15  has been thinned out, and a front latching feature  15 - 3  for snapping the adapter  10  into a panel or faceplate. The bottom surface  15  also includes an extension portion  15 - 1  that extends beyond a plane of the top surface  14 . The extension portion  15 - 1  includes a latch  13  for securing the connector  20  within the adapter  10  by engaging an edge  25  of the connector  20  when the connector  20  is inserted into the adapter  10 . The bottom surface  15  also includes two holes  11  that are configured to line up with two holes  21  on the connector  20  when the connector is inserted into the adapter  10  into the assembled state. A screw is configured to be inserted and rotated into the holes  11 ,  21  to screw down and secure wire conductors that are being housed within the connector  20  after being inserted into the connector  20  via the wire openings  22 . 
     From the rear side views into the inner cavity  33  of the adapter  10  illustrated in  FIGS.  4  and  6   , two fit extensions  16  are shown to extend up from the bottom surface  15 . The fit extensions  16  are positioned and sized to provide a firm fit of the connector  20  into the inner cavity  33  of the adapter  10  when the connector module is in the assembled state. According to other embodiments, one or more fit extensions  16  may be included within the inner cavity  33 . For example, a single fit extension having a greater width may be used in place of the two fit extensions  16  shown in  FIG.  4    according to other embodiments. As another example, one or more additional fit extensions  16  may be further added to the two fit extensions  16  shown in  FIG.  4    according to other embodiments. 
       FIG.  7    shows the connector module  100  in the assembled state and prepared to receive a corresponding plug  200 . The plug  200  includes a mating extension  203  configured to be inserted into the prong housing  26  of the connector  20 , where mating components inside the mating extension  203  of the plug  200  are configured to mate with the two prongs  23  inside the prong housing  26  of the connector  20  to result in an electronic coupling between the plug  200  and the connector  20 .  FIG.  8    shows the plug  200  being mated to the connector  20  in the assembled connector module  100 . 
     The plug  200  includes two wire openings  201  at a rear surface, where each of the wire openings  201  are configured to receive a respective wire conductor from a single pair of wires (e.g., single pair cable). As provided by the exemplary installation of the connector module  100  into network equipment  300  shown in  FIG.  9   , a first wire  41  and a second wire  42  from a single pair cable may be terminated and secured into the plug  200  by twisting down screws into two holes  202  in the plug  200 . Then the plug  200  may be simply mated to the corresponding connector  20  that has already been attached to the network equipment  300  using the adapter  10  portion of the connector module  100 . So the adapter  10  is configured to have the predetermined size, shape, and coupling mechanisms to fit into a port opening  301  in the network equipment  300  and be secured within the port opening  301 . 
     In  FIG.  9    the network equipment  300  is shown to be a patch panel, but other types of network equipment that may be used for communicating using single pair cables may also be applicable for utilizing the connector module  100 . In particular,  FIG.  9    shows the connector module  100  installed into a port opening  301  provided on the network equipment  300 , where the connector module  100  includes a Panduit Mini-Com adapter and the network equipment  300  is a patch panel where the port opening  301  has characteristics to fit the Panduit Mini-Com adapter. 
     It follows that the connector module  100  offers a simple and effective solution for terminating and coupling single pair cables in various use-case environments. For example, the single pair cables may be used for transmitting power using pulsed power systems to power components in a DAS installation environment. 
     Furthermore, while the particular embodiments described herein have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the teaching described herein with reference to the connector module  100 . The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as limitation. The actual scope of the disclosure is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective.