Patent Publication Number: US-8535100-B2

Title: Electrical connector with inductance and contact module used in the electrical connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This patent application is related to a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/951,099, filed on Oct. 20, 2010, assigned to the same assignee with this application and entitled “MAGNETIC ELEMENT HAVING IMPROVED TRANSFORMERS AND COMMOM MODE CHOKES”. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electrical connector having inductance, and particularly, to a contact module having inductance for noise filtering used in the electrical connector. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,259, issued to Harpham on Oct. 20, 1998, discloses an inductance for noise filtering. U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,091, issued to Krone et. al. on Jul. 14, 1998, discloses an inductance fabricated by PWB technology with ferromagnetic core embedded in PCB, which has stable electrical performance. U.S. Pat. No. 6,926,558 issued to Sasai on Aug. 9, 2005 discloses a modular jack having noise filtering inductance. 
     However, there is no solution for noise filtering inductances with stable electrical performance used in an electrical connector of low profile. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector to be mounted on an exterior PCB, the electrical connector comprising an insulating housing having a front face defining a mating port to receive a plug therein; a plurality of mating contacts received in said insulating housing and extending into said mating port for mating with a plug inserted therein; a first internal PCB having a front face on which said mating contacts are mounted; a second internal PCB with a ferromagnetic core embedded therein and forming an inductance; a plurality of terminals extending out to be mounted to said exterior PCB, wherein signal channels being formed between the mating contacts and the terminals with said inductance electrically connected therein. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a contact module to be used in a receptacle connector, the contact module comprising a plurality of mating contacts for mating with a plug inserted into the receptacle connector; a first internal PCB having a front face on which said mating contacts are mounted; a second internal PCB stacked behind the first internal PCB, the second PCB having a ferromagnetic core embedded therein, a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof, and a plurality of conductors extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits to form circuits winding around the ferromagnetic core, thereby forming an inductance. 
     Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more complete understanding of the present invention, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an electrical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is another exploded view of the electrical connector shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a contact module shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view of the contact module shown in  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a circuit diagram of the contact module shown in  FIG. 3 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a contact module according to a second embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the contact module shown in  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  a perspective view of a contact module according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded view of the contact module shown in  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a contact module according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the contact module shown in  FIG. 12 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a circuit diagram of the contact module shown in  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a contact module according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 15  is an exploded view of the contact module shown in  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of a contact module according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 17  is an exploded view of the contact module shown in  FIG. 16 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an electrical connector  100  mounted on an exterior PCB  126  is shown. The electrical connector has two stacked USB interfaces and a RJ45 interface  122  stacking on the two stacked USB interfaces  124 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the electrical connector  100  comprises an insulating housing  120 , a contact module  140  received in the insulating housing  120 , outer shells  180 ,  182  cooperatively covering the insulating housing  120  and the contact module  140 . The insulating housing  120  has a front face defining mating ports to receive a RJ45 plug and two USB plug (not shown) therein. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the contact module  140  according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of mating contacts  142  for mating with a plug inserted into RJ45 interface  122 ; a first internal PCB  144  having a front face on which the mating contacts  142  are mounted; a second internal PCB  145  with two ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a third internal PCB  145  with another two ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a plurality of conductive pins  156  mechanically and electrically connecting the first internal PCB  144 , the second internal PCB  145  and the third internal PCB  146 ; a plurality of terminals  149  mounted to the first internal PCB  144 . The second internal PCB  145  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the two ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming two isolating transformers  154 . The third internal PCB  146  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the two ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming another two isolating transformers  154 . The contact module  140  further includes four surface-mount-type common mode chokes  152 . The four common mode chokes  152  are mounted onto a rear face of the first internal PCB  145  through surface mount technology (SMT). 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the circuit diagram of the contact module  140  is shown. The contact module  140  forms four signal channels between the mating contacts  142  and the terminals  149  with the four transformers  152  and the four common mode chokes  154  electrically connected therein, respectively. The terminals  149  act as physical side (PHY SIDE) and the mating contacts  142  act as cable side of the four signal channels, wherein the transformers  154  have a function of isolating noise originated from the cable side or the physical side and the common mode chokes  152  have a function of filtering common mode noise. Each of the signal channels has one said transformer  154  and one said common mode choke  152  serially connected therein. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the contact module  240  according to a second embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of mating contacts  242  for mating with a plug inserted into RJ45 interface  122 ; a first internal PCB  244  having a front face on which the mating contacts  242  are mounted; a second internal PCB  245  with two ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a third internal PCB  246  with two ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a plurality of conductive pins  256  mechanically and electrically connecting the first internal PCB  244 , the second internal PCB  245  and the third internal PCB  246 ; a plurality of terminals  249  mounted to the first internal PCB  244 . The second internal PCB  245  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the two ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming two isolating transformers  254 . The third internal PCB  246  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the two ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming another two isolating transformers  254 . The contact module  240  further includes four surface-mount-type common mode chokes  252 . The four common mode chokes  252  are mounted onto rear faces of the second internal PCB  245  and third internal PCB  246  through SMT. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 6 , the circuit diagram of the contact module  240  according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the circuit diagram of the first embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the contact module  340  according to a third embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of mating contacts  342  for mating with a plug inserted into RJ45 interface  122 ; a first internal PCB  344  having a front face on which the mating contacts  342  are mounted; a second internal PCB  345  with four ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a third internal PCB  346  with four ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a plurality of conductive pins  356  mechanically and electrically connecting the first internal PCB  344 , the second internal PCB  345  and the third internal PCB  346 ; a plurality of terminals  349  mounted to the first internal PCB  344 . The second internal PCB  345  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the four ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming two isolating transformers  354  and two common mode chokes  352 . The third internal PCB  346  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the four ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming another two isolating transformers  354  and two common mode chokes  352 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 6 , the circuit diagram of the contact module  340  according to the third embodiment of the present invention is the same as the circuit diagram of the first embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the contact module  440  according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of mating contacts  442  for mating with a plug inserted into RJ45 interface  122 ; a first internal PCB  444  having a front face on which the mating contacts  442  are mounted; a second internal PCB  445  with two ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a plurality of conductive pins  456  mechanically and electrically connecting the first internal PCB  444  and the second internal PCB  445 ; a plurality of terminals  449  mounted to the first internal PCB  444 . The second internal PCB  445  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the two ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming two isolating transformers  454 . The contact module  440  further includes two surface-mount-type common mode chokes  452 . The two common mode chokes  452  are mounted onto a rear face of the first internal PCB  445 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , the circuit diagram of the contact module  440  according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown. The contact module  440  forms two signal channels between the mating contacts  442  and the terminals  449  with the two isolating transformers  452  and the two common mode chokes  454  electrically connected therein, respectively. The terminals  449  act as physical side (PHY SIDE) and the mating contacts  442  act as cable side of the four signal channels, wherein the transformers  454  have a function of isolating noise originated from the cable side or the physical side and the common mode chokes  452  have a function of filtering common mode noise. Each of the signal channels has one said transformer  454  and one said common mode choke  452  serially connected therein. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 14 and 15 , the contact module  440  according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of mating contacts  542  for mating with a plug inserted into RJ45 interface  122 ; a first internal PCB  544  having a front face on which the mating contacts  542  are mounted; a second internal PCB  545  with two ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a plurality of conductive pins  556  mechanically and electrically connecting the first internal PCB  544  and the second internal PCB  545 ; a plurality of terminals  549  mounted to the first internal PCB  544 . The second internal PCB  545  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the two ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming two isolating transformers  554 . The contact module  540  further includes two surface-mount-type common mode chokes  552 . The two common mode chokes  552  are mounted onto a rear face of the first internal PCB  545 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 13 , the circuit diagram of the contact module  540  according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the circuit diagram of the fourth embodiment. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 16 and 17 , the contact module  640  according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of mating contacts  642  for mating with a plug inserted into RJ45 interface  122 ; a first internal PCB  644  having a front face on which the mating contacts  642  are mounted; a second internal PCB  645  with four ferromagnetic cores (not shown) embedded therein; a plurality of conductive pins  656  mechanically and electrically connecting the first internal PCB  644  and the second internal PCB  645 ; a plurality of terminals  649  mounted to the first internal PCB  644 . The second internal PCB  645  has a plurality of printed circuits formed on opposite side faces thereof and a plurality of conductors (not shown) extending there through and electrically connecting said printed circuits. The printed circuits and the conductors form circuits winding around the four ferromagnetic cores respectively, thereby forming two isolating transformers  654  and two common mode chokes  652 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 13 , the circuit diagram of the contact module  640  according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the circuit diagram of the fourth embodiment. 
     It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.