Patent Publication Number: US-2005118883-A1

Title: High-speed cable connector with stacking structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable, and more particularly to a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable, elements of which can be collectively assembled after being individually manufactured, and which can be then stacked on and assembled with other connector assemblies having the same construction.  
      As is generally known in the art, apparatuses such as an exchange relayed only voice signals at the initial stage but are now required to relay not only voice signals but also binary data including image information. Each of such apparatuses comprises a plurality of circuit blocks including a large number of Printed Board Assemblies (hereinafter, referred to as PBAs) in order to relay voice and data of multiple subscribers. Further, as the size of relayed information increases, such apparatuses are required to transmit data at a higher speed, accommodate as many subscribers as possible, and process data at an ultra high speed.  
      As a result, signals transmitted between circuit blocks and PBAs in such apparatuses have predetermined frequencies, such as frequency bands over 240 MHz, and the volumes of the apparatuses are decreasing nowadays in order to reduce areas taken by the apparatuses.  
      Further, in the apparatuses as described above, the circuit blocks and PBAs are electrically connected with each other through transmission cables, which are connected with or separated from the circuit blocks or PBAs by means of cable assemblies. That is, cable assemblies are provided at ends of transmission cables, so as to enable the transmission cables to be easily connected with or separated from the circuit blocks or PBAs of the apparatuses. As the volumes of transmission apparatuses decrease, the volumes of the cable assemblies as described above should be reduced as much as possible while enabling the cable assemblies to transmit high frequency signals above 240 MHz, which are processed by the circuit blocks or PBAs, without distortion.  
      According to the restriction to the volumes as described above, unshielded-type cable assemblies having a pitch of 2 mm and shielded-type cable assemblies which enable high frequency signals to be transmitted without distortion have been proposed. However, in manufacturing these cable assemblies, nodes connected to cables are inserted in elements manufactured by a first injection molding and are then subjected to a second injection molding. Therefore, the conventional cable assemblies are problematic in that the manufacturing methods thereof are complicated and defective ratio of the cable assemblies is high.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable, elements of which can be collectively assembled after being individually manufactured, and which can be then stacked on and assembled with other connector assemblies having the same construction.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable and a manufacturing method thereof, in which the final insert-molding step of the conventional method is replaced by an assembling step, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost, simplifying the manufacturing process, and improving the productivity.  
      It is another object of the present invention to provide a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable and a manufacturing method thereof, which can be employed in the field of Telecom at high speed applications.  
      In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a connector assembly for connecting at least one cable for high-speed communication with a corresponding connector of another communication apparatus, the connector assembly comprising: a cable holder fixed to one end of the cable, so as to locate and hold the incoming cables at their regular positions; terminals that have one end connected to single lead wires of the cables which extend out of the cable holder, the terminals including one grounding terminal connected to a grounding wire; an insulative housing including upper and lower body portions, between which the cable holder and the terminals are seated, the upper body having an upper grounding hole which extends through it, the lower body having a lower grounding hole which extends through it and which is preferably aligned with the upper grounding hole, the lower body having mating openings that correspond to the number of the cable wires and which are formed in a front end of the lower body so that a mating connector may be connected to the terminals of the connector through the mating openings; and a grounding shell covering both upper and lower surfaces of the housing upper and lower body portions, the grounding shell having a front end which has openings corresponding to the mating openings, the grounding shell being connected to the grounding terminal, thereby grounding the connector assembly.  
      The housing lower body further comprises a plurality of partitions extending longitudinally of the housing and the terminals are disposed between the partitions. The upper body and the lower body are fused to each other by means of ultrasonic wave. The upper body and the lower body each include assembly holes, and the cable holder has assembly lugs protruding from upper and lower surfaces thereof, so that the assembly lugs are inserted into the assembly holes, thereby preventing the cable holder from moving with respect to the housing after the upper body and the lower body are assembled together. The terminals and the lead wires may be spot-welded to each other.  
      The grounding shell comprises an upper shell plate having an upper grounding arm that is formed in the central area of the upper shell plate and is bent downward therefrom. This upper grounding arm contacts the grounding terminal through the upper grounding hole. The grounding shell further includes a lower shell plate with a lower grounding arm that is centrally formed in the lower shell plate and which extends upwardly into contact with the grounding terminal by way of the lower grounding hole. Lastly, the grounding shell includes connection bridges that connect together the front ends of the upper and lower shell plates while defining mating openings between the connection bridges and plates. The upper and lower grounding arms are spot-welded to the grounding terminal in a threefold arrangement.  
      The connector assembly may further comprise a stacking means for enabling the connector assembly to be stacked on and assembled with another connector assembly having a construction equal to that of the connector assembly.  
      The stacking means comprises: stacking protuberances protruding in lateral directions from the lower body; shell attachment pieces protruding in lateral directions from the upper and lower plates of the grounding shell, being bent downward and outward, and being attached to upper and lower surfaces of the stacking protuberances; and a stacking member including at least one clamp, the clamp having a clamp hole extending in a horizontal direction, in which the stacking protuberances and the shell attachment pieces are inserted.  
      The stacking member comprises a plurality of clamps having an equal construction, which are stacked and attached on each other through attachment between upper and lower surfaces of the clamps.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a connector assembly for high-speed communication cable, the method comprising the steps of: exposing lead wires by eliminating coats of each cable of a cable assembly, and then fixing said each cable to a cable holder by molding; spot-welding first ends of connection nodes with the lead wires of said each cable; locating second ends of the connection nodes in connection holes of a lower body of a housing, and then assembling an upper body of the housing with the lower body, and assembling a grounding shell with the housing so that the grounding shell covers upper and lower surfaces of the housing. In this case, the upper body and the lower body are fused to each other by means of ultrasonic wave.  
      These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a high-speed communication cable connector assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the connector assembly of  FIG. 1 , but in an assembled state;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly of  FIG. 2 , illustrating the stacking member clamps separated from the connector assembly;  
       FIG. 4  is the same view as  FIG. 3 , but illustrating the stacking member clamps assembled to the connector assembly;  
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of  FIG. 4 , taken along line A-A thereof;  
       FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of  FIG. 4 , taken along line B-B thereof;  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of multiple part connector assembly in which individual connector assemblies are stacked and assembled together by stacking members; and,  
       FIG. 9  is the same view as  FIG. 8 , but illustrating the connector assemblies stacked and assembled together by stacking members.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.  FIGS. 1 and 2  show a process of assembling a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable according to the present invention, and  FIGS. 3 and 4  show a process of assembling stacking members with the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 2 . Further,  FIGS. 5, 6 , and  7  are sectional views and elevational views showing the interior of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 4 .  FIGS. 8 and 9  are perspective views showing the manner of stacking and assembling multiple connector assemblies for high-speed communication cables by means of six pairs of stacking members.  
      A connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable according to the present invention includes a cable (or wire) holder  100 , a terminal assembly  110 , a housing having an upper body  210  and a lower body  250 , a grounding shell  300 , and a stacking means.  
      In fixing the cables  12  to the cable holder  100 , which seats and holds the cable  12  in its regular position in the housing, lead wires  12   a  exposed by stripping off end portions of their insulative coverings, and the cables  12  are seated in their regular positions in the cable holder  100  and are then fixed to the cable holder  100  by molding so that portions of the lead wires  12   a  protrude out of the cable holder  100 . The cable holder  100  has a plurality of, preferably four assembly lugs  102  protruding from upper and lower surfaces thereof. These lugs  102  are inserted through assembly holes  214  of the upper body  210  and the lower body  250 , so that the cable holder  100  can be securely seated and held in the housing  210  and  250 . The parts may then be further fastened together by way of plastics or ultrasonic welding, or any other suitable fastening means known in the art and used in such connector assemblies. The lead wires  12   a  protrude forward from the front end of the cable holder  100  and are connected with the terminal assembly  110  as described below.  
      The terminal assembly  110  is an element which is electrically connected with a corresponding connecter of an external communication apparatus. The terminal assembly  110  have flat termination portions at one end thereof, to which the lead wires  12   a  are spot-welded, and on the other ends thereof, two bent metal arms opposed to each other so that each of connector pins of the external mating connecter can be elastically inserted into the two bent metal sheets. Further, the five terminals include four signal terminals  112  and one grounding terminal  114  located in the center of the signal terminals  112 .  
      The housing includes an upper body  210  and a lower body  250 . The upper body  210  includes an upper body plate  218 , the holder-assembling holes  214 , an upper grounding hole  212 , and an upper body grip  216 . The upper body plate  218  is shaped like a plate and has two assembly holes  214  which are formed at rear portions thereof and extend vertically through the upper body plate  218 . Further, the upper grounding hole  212  also extends vertically through the upper body plate  218 , and the upper body grip  216  is fixed to the rear end of the upper body plate  218 .  
      The assembly lugs  102  protruding upward from the upper surface of the cable holder  100  are inserted in the assembly holes  214 , thereby enabling the cable holder  100  and the upper body  210  to be easily assembled with each other and preventing the cable holder  100  from moving in the housing after they are assembled.  
      The upper grounding hole  212  is formed at a location directly above the grounding node  114  described above, so as to enable an upper grounding piece  312  of the grounding shell  300  to be easily connected with the grounding terminal  114 . That is, the upper grounding piece  312  is inserted through the upper grounding hole  212  and connected with the grounding terminal  114  disposed in the housing  210  and  250 .  
      In the meantime, the lower body  250  includes side walls  258 , connection holes  260 , partitions  262 , partition protuberances  262   a , a lower grounding hole  264 , holder-assembling holes  214 , wings  266 , first stacking protuberances  408 , second stacking protuberances  412 , third stacking protuberances  406 , a lower body grip  268 , housing-assembling grooves  254 , cable assembly seats  256 , a cable holder seat  251 , and connection node seats  262   b.    
      Two side walls  258  protruding vertically upward and extending longitudinally are formed at opposite sides of the lower body  250 . Two partitions  262  are disposed in contact with inner surfaces of the side walls  258 , and four partitions  262  having the same length are disposed at regular intervals between the two partitions  262  in contact with inner surfaces of the side walls  258 . Therefore, the grounding terminal  114  and the signal terminals  112  described above are seated in the five spaces formed between the partitions  262 , that is, in the connection node seats  262 . In this case, the lengths of and the intervals between the partitions  262  are determined by the seated grounding terminal and signal terminals,  114  and  112 .  
      Further, the lower grounding hole  264  is formed vertically through the bottom of the central terminal seat  262   b  from among the terminal seats  262  formed between the partitions  262  described above. That is, the lower grounding hole  264  is formed directly under the upper grounding hole  212  of the upper body plate  218 . Therefore, the grounding terminal  114  is seated in the central connection node seat  262   b  formed under the upper grounding hole  212 .  
      The connection holes  260  horizontally extending are formed through front ends of the partitions  262 , that is, through the front end of the lower body  250 , so that corresponding connector pins of an external apparatus can be inserted through the connection holes  260 . In this case, extensions of the partitions  262  form a front wall through which the connection holes  260  are formed. That is, the partitions  262  extend from the connection holes  260  to the front end of the cable holder  100 .  
      Each the partition  262  has the partition protuberance  262   a  extending in the longitudinal direction and protruding upward from the upper end of the partition  262 . The partition protuberances  262   a  are inserted in partition grooves (not shown) formed at the lower surface of the upper body plate  218  of the upper body  210 , thereby enabling the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  to be more firmly assembled.  
      The cable holder seat  251  for receiving the cable holder  100  is formed behind the partitions  262 . The cable holder seat  251  has a shape corresponding to the shape of the cable holder  100 , so that the cable holder  100  can be fitly inserted in the cable holder seat  251 . In the present embodiment, rear portions of the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  are angularly cut to have a shape corresponding to the shape of the rear portion of the cable holder  100 .  
      Further, the cable holder seat  251  preferably has two assembly holes  214  in which two assembly lugs (not shown) formed at the lower surface of the cable holder  100  are inserted. The holder-assembling holes  214  guide the cable holder  100  to be easily seated in the cable holder seat  251  at the initial assembling stage and prevent the cable holder  100  from moving in the housing after the assembling. The cable assembly seats  256  each preferably have a concave shape in the lower body gripping area  268  formed at the rear end of the lower body  250  so that cable assemblies  10  sit in the cable assembly seats  256 . Similar cable assembly seats  256  are also likewise formed in the upper body grip  216  of the upper body  210 .  
      Assembly lugs (not shown) protrude from the lower surface of the upper body gripping portion  216  of the upper body  210 , and the assembly grooves  254  each having a shape corresponding to the shape of the assembly lugs are formed on the upper surface of the lower body gripping portion  268  of the lower body  250 . When the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  are assembled with each other, the assembly lugs are inserted in the assembly grooves  254 . Therefore, when the partition protuberances  262   a  of the lower body  250  and the housing-assembling protuberances are inserted in the partition-assembling grooves (not shown) of the upper body  210  and the housing-assembling grooves  254  of the lower body  250 , respectively, the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  are assembled with each other.  
      Two wings  266  protrude in lateral directions from the opposite side walls  258  of the lower body  250 . The first stacking protuberances  408 , the second stacking protuberance  412 , and the third stacking protuberances  406  are formed behind each of the wings  266 . The first stacking protuberance  408  includes a horizontal portion outward extending from a portion behind the wing  266  and a vertical portion extending upward and downward from the outer end of the horizontal portion. The first stacking protuberances  408  are located within clamp holes  404  formed at opposite ends of an inner surface of a stacking member  400  which will be described later.  
      The second stacking protuberances  412  protrude outward from the side walls  258  and inserted in clamp grooves  410  which will be described later. The third stacking protuberances  406  are similar in shape of the first stacking protuberance  408  shown and are formed at both sides of the second stacking protuberance  412  and are also inserted in the clamp groove  410  of the stacking member  400 . The first stacking protuberance  408 , the second stacking protuberance  412 , the third stacking protuberance  406 , and the stacking member  400  will be described later again. Further, the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  are fused to each other by means of ultrasonic wave, so as to reinforce the assemblage and the cable-holding.  
      The grounding shell  300  is an element which forms the external appearance of the connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable and is connected with the grounding terminal  114  in the housing so as to enable the connector assembly to be grounded. The grounding shell encompasses the entire top and bottom surfaces of the connector housing and provides a reference ground through the terminal area and the cable terminal areas of the connector. The grounding shell  300  is preferably formed form a single sheet of conductive material, such as sheet metal or the like and it includes upper shell plate  310 , a lower shell plate  320 , connection bridges  330  interconnecting the two shell plates together, an upper grounding arm  312 , a lower grounding arm  322 , upper shell plate protuberances  314   a , lower shell plate protuberances  314   b , and elastic flaps  316 . The grounding shell extends from the front mating face of the connector housing to over the cable holder  100 . In this manner is provides complete shielding to the inner signal terminals of the housing. Preferably, both the upper and lower grounding plates  310 ,  320  have equal lengths.  
      The upper shell plate  310  is shaped like a plate and has the upper grounding arm  312  formed at a central portion of the upper shell plate  310 , which is cut and bent downward from the surrounding portion of the upper grounding arm  312 . Since the upper grounding arm  312  is bent downward in a shape of the letter L as described above, the upper grounding arm  312  is inserted through the upper grounding hole  212  of the upper body  210  and electrically connected and spot-welded to the grounding terminal  114  seated in the connection node seat  262   b , thereby enabling the connector assembly to be grounded.  
      Meanwhile, the upper shell plate  310  has opposite side portions bending downward from a horizontal central portion of the upper shell plate  310 . A portion of each side portion of the upper shell plate  310  at the front side thereof is separated and protrudes outward with a predetermined angle from the horizontal central portion of the upper shell plate  310 , so as to form the side elastic arm  316  in a cantilevered fashion which can elastically move in a direction to the top and bottom planes of the upper and lower grounding plates  310 ,  320 . When the connector assembly is coupled with an opposing mating connector, the elastic arm  316  applies an elastic force to the mating connector in the outward direction, thereby preventing the connector assembly and the mating connector from being easily separated. One such arm may be provided for the connector using only one of the upper or lower grounding plates  310 ,  320 , or two may be formed.  
      Two upper shell plate protuberances  314   a  protrude downward from rear portions of the side portions of the upper shell plate  310  behind the elastic arms  316 , so that the upper shell plate protuberances  314   a  can be inserted in the first stacking protuberances  408 . Since each of the first stacking protuberances  408  described above is connected with the side wall  258 , each of the upper shell plate protuberances  314   a  is inserted between the side wall  258  and the first stacking protuberance  408 .  
      Two upper shell attachment pieces  414   a  are formed at the side portions of the upper shell plate  310 . Each of the upper shell attachment pieces  414   a  is formed between the upper shell plate protuberances  314   a , has a width corresponding to the width of the second stacking protuberance  412 , that is, a width which enables the upper shell attachment piece  414   a  to be inserted between the two third stacking protuberances  406 , and protrudes downward and then bends sideward to form a shape of the letter L.  
      Since each upper shell attachment piece  414   a  has a width which enables the upper shell attachment piece  414   a  to be inserted between the two third stacking protuberances  406  and has a shape of the letter L, the upper shell attachment piece  414   a  is attached to the side surface of the side wall  258  and the upper surface of the second stacking protuberance  412  and is then inserted in the clamp groove  410  of the stacking member  400 . Lower shell attachment pieces  414   b  of the lower shell plate  320  are attached and assembled in the same way as described above, which will be described later.  
      The rear portion of the upper shell plate  310  has an angular shape corresponding to the shape of the upper body grip  216 . The lower shell plate  320  is very similar to the upper shell plate  310 , and the lower shell plate  320  has the lower grounding arm  322  having a central portion protruding upward, preferably in a shape of an inverted U, although other shapes may be used to provide the contact function to the grounding arm.  
      Since the lower grounding arm  322  protrudes upward as described above, the lower grounding arm  322  is inserted through the lower grounding hole  264  and electrically connected to the grounding node  114 , thereby enabling the connector assembly to be grounded. Therefore, when the grounding shell  300  is assembled, the upper grounding piece  312  of the upper shell plate  310  of the grounding shell  300  is inserted through the upper grounding hole  212  of the upper body  210  and connected with the upper surface of the grounding node  114  located in the housing, and the lower grounding piece  322  of the lower shell plate  320  of the grounding shell  300  is inserted through the lower grounding hole  264  of the lower body  250  and connected with the lower surface of the grounding terminal  114  located in the housing. Therefore, the upper grounding arm  312 , the grounding terminal  114 , and the lower grounding arm  322  overlap on each other and are then spot-welded to each other, thereby forming a threefold arrangement.  
      In the meantime, the connection bridges  330  are formed between the front ends of the upper and lower shell plates  310  and  320 . The connection bridges  330  take the shape of four strips which cooperate with the upper and lower shell plate  310 ,  320  to define openings corresponding to the mating holes  260 , through which pins of a mating connecter.  
      The stacking means is an element for stacking a plurality of connector assemblies together to form a unit in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The staking means comprises a stacking member  400  which includes at least one clamp  401  having a separation surface  402  and the clamp groove  410 , the first stacking protuberances  408 , the second stacking protuberance  412 , and the third stacking protuberances  406  of the lower body  250  of each connector assembly, and the upper shell attachment pieces  414   a  and the lower shell attachment pieces  414   b  of the upper shell plate  310  and the lower shell plate  320  of the grounding shell  300  of each connector assembly.  
      Each clamp  401  is made from synthetic resin, and is assembled behind the wing  266  of the lower body  250 , and has its clamp groove  410  extending in the longitudinal direction inside of the clamp  401 . Each of the clamp grooves  410  has a shape capable of receiving the second stacking protuberance  412  and the third stacking protuberances  406 .  
      In the stacking member  400 , the separation surfaces  402  of the clamps  401  are attached to each other, so that the clamps  401  extend in parallel to each other and are vertically stacked on each other. Therefore, the stacking member  400  may include a necessary number of clamps  401 , the separation surfaces  402  of which are attached to each other, corresponding to the number of connector assemblies for high-speed communication cables. Since each clamp  401  is made from synthetic resin, each clamp  401  can be easily separated from other the clamps  401  of the stacking member  400  by a cutter according to the user&#39;s necessity. For example, the stacking member  400  initially manufactured may have six clamps  401  attached to each other, which can be separated from each other by a cutter according to the number of connector assemblies for high-speed communication cables.  
      In stacking the connector assemblies by means of the stacking member  400  as described above, the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  are first assembled with each other, and then the grounding shell  300  is assembled with the assembled housing. In this case, the upper shell attachment pieces  414   a  and the lower shell attachment pieces  414   b  formed at rear portions of the upper and lower shell plates  310  and  320  are located on the outer surfaces of the side walls  258  of the lower body  250  and the upper and lower surfaces of the second stacking protuberances  412 .  
      Thereafter, each second stacking protuberance  412  together with the upper shell attachment pieces  414   a  and the lower shell attachment pieces  414   b  is inserted in the clamp groove  410  of the stacking member  400 . In this case, the third stacking protuberances  406 , the second stacking protuberance  412 , and the upper shell attachment pieces  414   a  and the lower shell attachment pieces  414   b  in contact with the upper and lower surfaces of the second stacking protuberance  412  are located in the clamp groove  410 .  
      Since a plurality of the clamps  401  can be attached to each other via the separation surfaces  402  and easily separated from each other by a cutter, a plurality of the clamps  401  attached together as one stacking member  400  can be simultaneously assembled with a necessary number of connector assemblies after the connector assemblies are stacked on each other.  
      Since the stacking member  400  includes the clamps  401  attached to each other when the stacking member  400  is initially manufactured, a necessary number of connector assemblies can be easily assembled together by stacking the connector assemblies, assembling the clamps  401  of the integrated stacking member  400 , and then separating redundant clamps  401  from the assembled clamps  401 .  
      Hereinafter, a method of assembling connector assemblies for high-speed communication cables according to the present invention will be described. First, a user strips a coat from end portions of multiple cables  12  and connects grounding wires to each other. Thereafter, the cables  12  are spaced at necessary intervals from each other, and then the cables  12  except for the stripped portions are fixed by insert-molding, so that the cables  12  are held at their regular positions.  
      Then, the stripped portions of the lead wires  12   a  are spot-welded to ends of the terminals  12 . The cable holder  100  and the terminals nodes  112  connected by spot-welding in this way are seated in the upper body plate  218  and the terminal seats  262  of the lower body  250 , respectively. In this case, since the cable holder  100  has the holder-assembling protuberances  102  protruding from the upper and lower surfaces of the cable holder  100 , the holder-assembling protuberances  102  are inserted in the holder-assembling holes  214  of the lower body  250 , so that the cable holder  100  can be held at its regular position in the lower body  250 .  
      Thereafter, the holder-assembling protuberances  102  protruding from the upper surface of the cable holder  100  are inserted in the holder-assembling holes  214  of the upper body  210 , so that the upper body  210  and the lower body  250  are assembled together. Then, the assembled upper and lower bodies  210  and  250  are fused to each other by means of ultrasonic wave.  
      When the ultrasonic wave fusion is completed, the upper shell plate  310  and the lower shell plate  320  of the grounding shell  300  are opened, the assembled housing  210  and  250  is located deeply in the grounding shell  300 , and then the upper shell plate  310  and the lower shell plate  320  of the grounding shell  300  are closed. In this state, welding electricity is applied to the upper grounding piece  312  of the upper shell plate  310 , so that the upper grounding arm  312 , the grounding terminal  114 , and the lower grounding arm  322  in a threefold arrangement are spot-welded to each other.  
      Finally, the clamp  401  is assembled with the first stacking protuberances  408 , the second stacking protuberance  412 , and the third stacking protuberances  406  disposed at rear portions of the housing  210  and  250 , so that one connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable according to the present invention is manufactured.  
      Meanwhile, in order to manufacture a unit, or lamination, of multiple connector assemblies, the connector assemblies are stacked on each other, and then the stacking member  400  including at least the same number of clamps  401  attached to each other is assembled with the first stacking protuberances  408 , the second stacking protuberance  412 , and the third stacking protuberances  406 .  
      In a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable according to the present invention as described above, elements of the connector assembly can be collectively assembled after being individually manufactured, and then the connector assembly can be stacked on and assembled with other connector assemblies having the same construction. Also, according to the present invention, cables can be located and held at their regular positions in the connector assembly, thereby preventing defective connection. Moreover, in a connector assembly for a high-speed communication cable and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, the final insert-molding step of the conventional method is replaced by an assembling step, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost, simplifying the manufacturing process, and improving the productivity.  
      Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.