Patent Publication Number: US-11387603-B2

Title: Panel mount connector with terminal module secured to connector housing

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/US2017/025441, filed Mar. 31, 2016, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/316,220, filed Mar. 31, 2016, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to the field of connectors, more specifically to connectors suitable for use in panel mount applications that can also support high data rates. 
     DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART 
     Panel mount connectors are known. As can be appreciated from  FIGS. 1-4 , existing panel mount connectors, such as panel mount connector  10 , have several issues if they are being used to support higher data rates. In a typical application, a panel mount connector assembly  10  includes a housing  20  that has a two-piece construction that partially envelops and supports a terminal module  40 . The terminal module  40  includes a terminal array  26  that is connected to a plurality of cables  44  and supports the terminal array  26  and the cables  44  in the desired position within the housing  20 . Once the panel mount cable connector is assembled it is inserted in a panel aperture  8  in a panel  5 . Because the cables  44  are connected to another connector on another end, the panel mount connector  10  is inserted into the panel aperture  8  from a cable side  6  so that the terminal array  26  is presented on a terminal side  7 . To aid in mating with a mating connector, an alignment pin  28  can be supported by a pin block  29 . The panel mount connector  10  is inserted into panel aperture  8  until a tab  21  and ears  23  are pressed against the panel  5 . A fastener  11  then operates to help secure the panel mount connector  10  in position. 
     A second embodiment of a panel mount connector  10 ′ includes a housing  20 ′ with flex tab  31 . The housing  20 ′ supports the alignment pin  28  and provides the terminal array  26  supported by a terminal module  40 ′ on the terminal side  7 . The second embodiment includes connector stops  22  that prevent over-insertion of the panel mount connector into the aperture and the flex tab prevents the panel mount connector  10 ′ from being inadvertently removed. 
     As can be appreciated, these existing designs constrain the cable with the terminal module and do not allow the cable to be removed without removing and disassembling the entire panel mount connector. Due to the cables  44  routing back to another connection, the panel mount connectors also needs to be inserted into the panel aperture  8  from the cable side  7 . Routine checks, maintenance or changes become difficult with existing solutions as it can be difficult to access the inside of the panel when the panel mount connector is part of a much larger system where space or access to the cable side  6  of the panel  5  is limited. The existing designs also mean that the latches and/or fasteners used to secure the panel mount connector to the panel must support the blind mate impact forces and mating forces applied from the terminal side  7  of the panel. These forces can potentially overcome simple to use latching systems and any error in assembly can cause the panel mount connector to be pressed out of the panel aperture  8  (or become angled in the aperture  8 ), thus inhibiting a connection. As a result, certain individuals would appreciate further improvement to a panel mount connector. 
     SUMMARY 
     In an embodiment, a panel mount connector includes a housing that is inserted into a panel aperture from a terminal side of a panel and is configured to support a terminal module that is inserted into the housing from a cable side of the panel. The resulting panel mount connector allows for easy maintenance and inspection of the system. The housing includes a lip or other features that reliably and securely limit the housing from being pressed through the panel aperture while the terminal module can be securely attached to the housing via a secondary piece that takes forces exerted on the terminal module and transfers them to the housing. The secondary piece can be locking member that can be snapped on to the housing or it can be a blocking frame that is inserted through a cut-out in the housing. The resultant design is thus suitable for maintenance while provide increased resistance to mating forces and blind mate impact forces. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is illustrated by way of example and is not limited in the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of a prior art panel mount connector. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of another prior art panel mount connector positioned in a panel. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 3  prior to insertion into a panel. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a panel mount connector positioned in a panel. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a simplified perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of a housing suitable for use in a panel mount connector. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a panel mount connector prior to installation of a secondary piece. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 9  but with the secondary piece installed. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a panel mount connector. 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a panel mount connector. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of the panel mount connector depicted in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a panel mount connector. 
         FIG. 15  illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a panel mount connector positioned in a panel and mated to a mating connector. 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 16  with the mating connector in an unmated condition. 
         FIG. 18  illustrates a perspective view of the panel mount connector depicted in  FIG. 17 . 
         FIG. 19  illustrates another perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 18 . 
         FIG. 20  illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 19 . 
         FIG. 21  illustrates a further exploded perspective view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 20 . 
         FIG. 22  illustrates another perspective and further exploded view of the embodiment depicted in  FIG. 21 . 
         FIG. 23  illustrates a enlarged perspective view of features of an embodiment of a secondary piece. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description that follows describes exemplary embodiments and is not intended to be limited to the expressly disclosed combination(s). Therefore, unless otherwise noted, features disclosed herein may be combined together to form additional combinations that were not otherwise shown for purposes of brevity. 
     Looking at  FIGS. 5-10 , features of a first type of embodiment of a panel mount connector are disclosed. A panel mount connector  100  includes housing  120  that defines one or more channels  127  and is configured to mount to the panel  5 . Like with some panel mount connectors, the housing  120  includes an outer surface  121   a  that is sized to fit inside a panel aperture  8  with some amount of clearance so that the housing can move somewhat within the panel aperture  8 . The channel  127  is configured to receive a terminal module  140  therein and will be sized appropriately. In operation, the housing  120  is inserted into the panel aperture  8  in the panel  5  from a terminal side  6  and is retained by tabs  131  that are designed to deflect during insertion. A lip  122  on provided a front side  120   a  of the housing  120  and extends beyond the outer surface  121   a . The lip  122  is configured to press up against the panel  5  and prevent the housing  120  from being further inserted into the panel  5 . The lip  122  can be sized and formed to provide structure support for the desired forces that are expected to be exerted on the panel mount connector  100 . It should be noted that the depicted housing design is rectangular in shape but other shapes could also be provided. 
     A terminal module  140  is configured to be inserted into the channel  127  on a rear side  120   b  of the housing  120  and is retained by one or more secondary pieces, such as locking member  150 , that securely engages the housing  120  and prevents the terminal module  140  from being pushed out of the housing  120 . In operation, the secondary piece transfers forces exerted on the terminal module  140  to the housing  120  and the lip  122  transfers those forces to the panel, thus providing a robust configuration. Naturally, multiple secondary pieces can be used if desired. 
     The terminal module  140  or the housing  120  can also support an alignment pin  128  to aid in mating with an opposing connector. It should be noted that the alignment pin  128  has a cylindrical shape but the shape of the alignment pin  128  can vary based on the mating connector and the type of tolerance desired to be taken up. 
     As noted above, the locking member  150  is configured to transfer forces exerted on the terminal module  140  to the housing  120 . To provide this functionality, as can be appreciated from  FIGS. 9-10 , in one embodiment the locking member  150  can include a groove  152  that engages a rail  139  in an interlocking manner. Once the locking member  150  is slid down into position, the groove  152  and rail  139  effectively transfer forces from the terminal module  140  to the housing  120 . To provide additional security, a retaining arm  155  engages a retaining tab  124  and thus prevents the locking member  150  from being inadvertently removed from the housing  120 . The depicted terminal module  140  includes a shoulder  143  that extends at least partially through the housing toward the outer surface  121   a  and further engages the locking member  150  but such a configuration is not required and instead the locking member  150  can be designed to fit into the opening  120   a.    
     As can be appreciated from  FIG. 11 , which depicts a modified embodiment of a panel mount connector, a housing  120 ′ can be configured to support multiple terminal modules  140 ′ and can include a single locking member  150 ′ that secures each of the terminal modules  140 ′. As in the above embodiments the terminal modules  140 ′ can have cables  44  extending therefrom. 
     An alternative embodiment of a panel mount connector  110 ″ is depicted in  FIGS. 12 and 13 . A housing  120 ″, which includes a design similar to housing  120  and thus uses tabs  131 ″ to help retain the housing  120 ″ in the panel aperture  5 , supports the terminal module  140 ″ but uses retaining legs  132 ″ instead of a secondary piece to retain the terminal module  140 ″ in the housing  120 ″. To provide sufficient structural support, three legs  132 ″ are used. Such a design makes it simple to insert the terminal module  140 ″ in position in the housing  120 ″ but potentially makes disassembly more difficult. 
     In another embodiment of a panel mount connector  200 , which is depicted in  FIGS. 14-15 , a housing  220  provides channels  227  that accept one or more terminal modules  240  and the terminal modules  240  are inserted into a housing  220  from the cable side while the housing is mounted on the panel from the terminal side. The terminal module  240  includes a shoulder  243  that is engaged by a locking member  250 . The locking member  250  can be configured to engage the housing  220  in an interlocking manner, such as be being positioned in a channel  225 , to effectively transfer force from the terminal module  240  to the housing  220 . To help retain the terminal modules  240  in the housing prior to mounting the locking member  250  on the housing  220 , fingers  224  can be provided to engage the terminal module  240 . 
       FIGS. 16-23  illustrate another embodiment of a panel mount connector  300  that is configured to be positioned in the panel aperture  8  of panel  5  and is configured to mate with a mating connector  301 . The panel mount connector  300  is similar in construction to the panel mount connectors discussed above and thus most of the similar features will not be discussed again for purposes of brevity as a person of skill in the art would appreciate that the same type of feature can provide the same type of benefits. As can be appreciated, the panel mount connector  300  includes a housing  320  with a lip  322  on a front side  320   a  that mounts to the panel  5  from the terminal side  6 , as discussed above, and the lip  322  is configured to provide structural support to resist mating forces. Tabs  331  help secure the housing  220  to the panel  5  in a manner similar to the previously discussed embodiments. A plurality of terminal modules  340  are inserted into a plurality of channels  327  on a rear side  320   b  of the housing  320  from the cable side  7  of the panel  5  and are connected to cables  44  and as discussed above, the terminal modules provide a terminal array  326  on the terminal side  6 . 
     One difference with this embodiment is that the secondary piece used to secure the terminal modules  340  into position is a locking post  380 . The locking post  380  is inserted into two or more housing apertures  329  and is positioned behind the terminal modules  340 . Such a construction has been found to securely retain the terminal modules  340  into position and is also effective at transferring force from the terminal modules  340  to the housing  320 . In the depicted embodiment two locking posts are provided on two sides  323   a ,  323   b  of the housing  320  to distribute force more evenly and to increase the robustness of the design but a single locking post  380  may be sufficient for many applications. 
     The locking post  380  can include a latch  382  that secures the locking post  380  in position in the housing  320 . In an embodiment the locking post can include a release tab  381  to allow for deflection of the latch and corresponding easy removal of the locking post  380  from the housing  320 . 
     As can be appreciated from the above designs, therefore, while the housing of the panel mount connector can be mounted from the terminal side of the panel, the terminal module are inserted into the housing from the cable side of the panel so as to allow for easy assembly of the panel mount connector to the panel. A secondary piece acts to transfer force exerted on the terminal modules to the housing and thus ensures a robust design. In addition to improving the robustness of the design, such a configuration has an additional benefit of providing for easy removal of the terminal modules for routine maintenance or inspection of the system without having to remove/disassemble the housing from the panel. 
     The disclosure provided herein describes features in terms of preferred and exemplary embodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications and variations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of this disclosure.