Patent Publication Number: US-7708586-B1

Title: Illuminated panel-mount connector receptacle

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
   The present application relates to an illuminated panel-mounted cable interface. 
   BACKGROUND 
   External connections to electrical, electronic and optical equipment may be made using mating connectors. An external cable, which may be an electrical cable of conductive wires, an optical cable having optical fiber transmission paths, or a combination of such techniques, may mate with the equipment using a panel mounted interface part. The terminology used to describe the mating parts varies; however, the terms “jack” and “plug” corresponding to “female” and “male” parts is often used. Alternatively the term “receptacle” is used instead of jack. Examples of hermaphrodite connector types are also known. 
   Panel-mounted plugs or jacks may be illuminated so as to indicate the status of a connection, or to aid in orienting and mating the plug and the jack. The illumination is often provided by a light emitting diode (LED) that is an integral part of the design of the panel-mounted receptacle. Where the LED is remotely located, light may be guided by a light guide or light pipe; however such components are part of the connecting cable assembly and are not separately provided. Where the plug is illuminated, the light is guided by a light pipe in a substantially opaque jack and transmitted to the plug when the plug and the jack are mated. 
   Illuminated receptacles may find a use in medical or other applications where connections to equipment need to be made in low-ambient-light operation. Such illuminated receptacles may have illumination controllable to indicate the status of a connection or the function of the connection. 
   Illuminated connectors such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,992 to Posey et al. have integral light emitting diode (LED) light sources that may be used to indicate a status of operations conducted by or with an associated circuit. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,402 to Lin describes a connector where the electrical signal strength or status is indicated by an external ring portion of the connector and the illumination is provided by LED elements that are a part of the connector assembly. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 7,194,183 to Thornton et al. describes a connector receptacle where the light from an LED source is coupled to the receptacle by a light pipe, the light pipe being disposed to radiate the light from the receptacle onto the leading edge of a plug, when the plug is disposed within the receptacle. 
   SUMMARY 
   A device for installation in a panel is disclosed, having a connection portion configured to have an interface with a mating detachable device. The connection portion is adapted to be captivated to the panel, and further configured to terminate a cable at an end thereof opposite to the interface with the mating detachable device. A coupling, attachable to the connection portion is adapted to receive a light guiding element so that a terminating end of the light guiding element may be disposed to face a surface of the connection portion. The coupling is configured so as to be mounted to the connection portion when the connection portion has been mounted to the panel, without passing the cable through the coupling. 
   The connection portion may be a connector receptacle having a body with a substantially circular cross section. The body may be threaded along at least a portion of an exterior surface of the body. A first nut may be attachable to a first end of body, and a second nut may be threadable onto the body so as to be capable of captivating the body to an aperture in a panel. The coupling may be a mounting nut attachable onto a second end of the body and have a channel formed therein so as to permit passing the mounting nut over a cable attached to the second end of the body without passing the cable through the mounting nut along a length thereof. The body may be capable of transmitting light impinging on the second end thereof. 
   A mounting nut is disclosed, the nut having a body with a length and having a cylindrical recess extending a first distance into the body from a first surface. A slot may be formed along a length of the body, wherein the slot extends a second distance into the body from a side surface, and the body has a through hole extending from a second surface. 
   In an aspect, a method of illuminating a receptacle includes providing a panel-mountable receptacle and a mounting nut, the mounting nut attachable to the panel-mountable receptacle. The mounting nut may be configured so as to permit attachment of the mounting nut to the panel-mountable receptacle after a cable has been installed to the panel-mountable receptacle, without threading the cable along an axis of the mounting nut. The mounting nut may have a through-hole sized and dimensioned to accept a light guide. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of an example of an illuminated receptacle assembly, including a portion of a panel to which the receptacle assembly may be mounted; 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded side-rear perspective view of a portion of the receptacle, also showing a light guide; 
       FIG. 3  shows an front-side view of a portion of the receptacle body with the light guide inserted in a mounting nut; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross section of the receptacle body showing a mounting nut with a light guide inserted therein; and 
       FIG. 5  (A) is an end view of the mounting nut;  FIG. 5  (B) is a cross section view thereof along a centerline; and,  FIG. 5  (C) cross section view thereof through the light-guide-insertion through-hole. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Exemplary embodiments of the invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings, but these embodiments are not intended to be of a limiting nature. Like numbered elements in the same or different drawings perform equivalent functions. When a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an example, it will be understood that one skilled in the art may effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other examples, whether or not explicitly stated herein. 
   A panel-mountable device, which may be a panel mounted receptacle assembly, may be illuminated by directing light to a rear portion thereof. The light propagating within the receptacle may be refracted or scattered so as to exit the receptacle assembly in a direction such that a user may view an illuminated region where a plug may mate with the receptacle assembly. 
     FIG. 1  shows a front-side perspective view of the components of a panel mounted receptacle assembly  100 , the panel  60  and a light guide  80 , a connection portion, which may be the receptacle body  10  being mountable to the panel  60 . An aperture  62  is formed in the panel  60 , and may have one or more flat segments  64 , so as to engage with a corresponding flat portion  22  on the receptacle body  10  and restrain the receptacle body  10  from rotating in the aperture  62  when a torsional force is applied, for example, by a manipulation of an inserted mating detachable device, such as a plug. 
   A front nut  30  may be attached to the end of the receptacle body  10  which is intended to be accessible by the user when the receptacle body  10  is mounted to the panel  60 . The front nut  30  may be attached to the body  10  by threading, molding, or the like. The receptacle body  10 , having the front nut  30 , may be captivated to the panel  60  by a nut  50 , having internal threads  19 , which may be threaded onto the threads  18  of the receptacle body  10  to draw the nut  30  against the panel  60 . 
   A keyway  27  may be provided so as to assist in aligning the pins of a plug (not shown) with the receiving parts of the receptacle body  10 . 
   A mounting-nut  40  may be threaded onto the end of the receptacle body  10  distal from the front nut  30 , by engaging the threads  17  thereof with the threads  18  of the receptacle body  10 . The mounting nut  40  may have a channel  44  formed therein extending from a front surface  48  to a rear surface  49  thereof, so the mounting nut  40  may be threaded onto the rear portion of the receptacle body  10 , without passing the mounting nut  40  nut along an installed electrical cable  70  or conductors which may have been attached to the rear portion of the receptacle body  10 . The mounting nut  40  may have a flat portion  43  to facilitate gripping the mounting nut  40  when threading the mounting nut  40  onto the rear of the receptacle body  10 . 
   Alternatively, the mounting nut  40  may be configured so as to slideably engage the flat segments  22  of the body  10 . 
   A light guide  80 , which may be any structure capable of guiding light from a source of illumination (not shown), without substantial loss or leakage, may be used to guide illuminating light. The light guide  80  may be a plastic rod, which may be flexible, an optical fiber, or a bundle thereof formed into a cable. Often the light guide is further enclosed in a jacket or sheath for physical protection, or to limit the incidental emission of the light along the guided path. In an aspect, the plastic rod or fiber may be a polymeric optical fiber (POF) made of PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), polycarbonate (PC), or polystyrene (PS). Alternatively, the light guide may be an optical fiber made of silica or other transparent material, or be a light pipe. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the light guide  80  may be oriented so as to be insertable into a light-guide-receiving through-hole  42  formed in the mounting nut  40 , from the front surface  48  of the mounting nut  40 . The through-hole  42  may penetrate from the front surface  48  to a location permitting light exiting from an end of an inserted light guide  80  to impinge on a rear surface  26  of the receptacle body  10  when the mounting nut  40  is installed to the receptacle body  10 . 
   The receptacle body  10  may also have one or more longitudinal tubes  25  formed therein so as to accommodate metallic structures for making electrical connections. 
     FIG. 3  shows the receptacle body  10  with the mounting nut  40  assembled thereto. The light guide  80  is at the rear, as well as any electrical conductors or cable  70  that may have been attached to metallic structures inserted in the tube  25 , the front ends  28  of which may be seen recessed into the front of the receptacle body  10 . 
   In a cross sectional view,  FIG. 4 , the receptacle body  10  is shown with the metallic structures  23  inserted into the tubular holes  28  extending from the front to the back of the receptacle body  10 . The mounting nut  40  and the light guide  80  are also shown. The metallic structures  23  may have solder cups  16  formed at the rear end thereof so as to accommodate wires of the cable  70 , attachable by a soldering process. Other means of termination of wires to the metallic structures  23  such as swaging, crimping, or the like, are known and may equivalently be used. 
   The mounting nut  40  is shown threaded onto the receptacle body  10 , and a light guide  80  inserted into the through hole  42 . The assembly sequence process may be that the electrical connections may be made by soldering wires to the solder cups  16 , the receptacle body  10  captivated to the panel  60 , by the front nut  30  and the nut  50 , and the mounting nut  40  subsequently threaded onto the receptacle body  10 . The assembly of the receptacle body  10  to the panel  60 , using the front nut  30  and the nut  50 , and the connection of a cable to the rear portion of the receptacle body  10 , may be performed prior to assembling the mounting nut  40  to the rear of the receptacle body  10 . This is possible as the mounting nut  40  has a channel  44  so as to permit the mounting nut  40  to be placed over a cable  70 , which may already be in place, without having to pass the cable  70  through the mounting nut  40  from the front surface  48  to the rear surface  49  thereof, along the axis of the mounting nut  40 . The mounting nut  40  may be placed over the cable  70  so that the cable  70  passes into the channel  44  from a side of the mounting nut  40 . At this point in the assembly process, the cable  70  may have been already attached at an end thereof distal from the receptacle  10 . Other assembly processes and sequences are also possible and may be used. 
   A front face  82  of the light guide  80  may be spaced apart from the rear surface  26  of the receptacle body  10 , or be in contact therewith, depending on the relative diameter of the light guide  80  and the through-hole  42  in the mounting nut  40 . When the front face  82  of the light guide  80  does not directly contact a portion of the rear ( 26  or  35 ) of the receptacle body  10 , the light may be radiated from the front end  82  of the light guide  80  and enter the rear surface of the receptacle body  10 . Where the light guide  80  is in contact with the receptacle body  10 , the transmission of light may be directly from the light guide  80  to the receptacle body  10 . 
   In an aspect, a light-transmitting washer  35  may be affixed to the rear portion of the receptacle body  10  by gluing, thermal welding, or other similar process. The washer  35  may serve to close off any orifices in the rear portion of the receptacle body  10  that may have been needed in the manufacturing operation. In addition, the washer  35  may have a color so as to impart a color to the light received from the light guide  80 . A color code may be used to provide further guidance to the user by color coding the illumination that may be observed at the front of the receptacle body  10 , which may be viewed from the front of the panel  60 , when the receptacle assembly  100  has been installed. For this purpose, a broad-spectrum light source may be provided. Such sources may be semiconductor materials, incandescent lights, electrical discharge lights, or the like. Alternatively, the washer  35  may be transparent, and the color provided by the spectrum of the light source, which may be, for example, a light emitting diode (LED). The light guide  80  may be fixed to the mounting nut  40  using an adhesive. 
   An electrical connector is shown in  FIG. 4 , where a plurality of wires may be soldered to solder cups  16  at the rear of the receptacle  10 . Alternatively, the wires may be terminated fixtures that may be inserted into the holes  25  of the receptacle  10 , and positioned so as to engage pins (not shown) of the plug. 
   The structure of the mounting nut  40  may be seen in  FIG. 5 . The mounting nut  40  may be the form of a substantially circular cylinder. Other external shapes such as square, hexagonal, or the like may be equally possible. An aperture  51  may be formed in a rear surface  49  and extend partially along a length of the mounting nut body. The aperture  51  may be threaded with a thread  17 , complimentary to that of the receptacle body  10 , so that the mounting nut  40  may be threaded onto the receptacle body  10 . The rear surface  26  of the receptacle body may contact, or come into close proximity with, a facing surface  47  of the interior of the aperture  51  in the mounting nut  40  when the mounting nut  40  is threaded onto the receptacle body  10 . A flat portion  43  may be formed on the surface  45  of the mounting nut  40  to facilitate gripping the mounting nut  40  when threading the mounting nut  40  onto the receptacle body  10 . 
   A slot  44  may be formed in a side surface  45  of the mounting nut body, extending along the length of the mounting nut body, and extending inwards from the side surface  45  so as to provide a path for the wires  70 , a cable, or the like, from the rear surface  49  to the front surface  48  of the mounting nut  40 . The front surface  48  of the mounting nut  40 , being the surface distal from the panel  60  when the mounting nut  40  is threaded onto the receptacle body  10 , has a light-guide receiver  42  which is a through-hole, substantially perpendicular to the front surface  48 , and extending from the front surface  48  to an interior facing surface  47 . The light guide receiver  42  may have a transverse dimension at the end  42   a  proximal to the front surface  48  that is greater than the transverse dimension at the end  42   b  proximal to the interior facing surface  47 . The tapered dimensional shape of the through hole  42 , which may be seen in  FIG. 5C , may provide for an interference fit between an exterior surface of the light guide  80  and the interior of the light guide receiver  42 , along a portion of the length thereof, so as to provide a means of securing the light guide  80  to the remainder of the assembly. Such an interference fit accommodates a variety of diameters of the light guide  80 , but the interference fit is not essential, as the light guide  80  can be secured to the mounting nut  40  by an adhesive, so as to prevent pull-out after installation. Whether an interference fit is achieved, and the depth to which the light guide  80  is insertable into the through hole  42 , depends on the relative cross-sectional dimensions of the light guide  80  and the through hole  42 . A through hole  42  having a constant cross sectional dimension may also be used. In an aspect, the through hole  42  may be a channel. 
   In an aspect, the receptacle body  10  may be formed with an integral front nut or flange instead of, or in addition to, the threaded nut  30 . 
   In another aspect, the plug and receptacle assembly may terminate an optical fiber, such as may be used for data communications, or a light guide. Receptacles for other purposes, such as fluidics, may be illuminated in a similar manner. In such applications, the term “cable” would be understood to mean a light wave structure such as an optical fiber or light pipe, or a tube for containing a fluid. 
   The mounting nut  40  may thus be installed after the installation of the receptacle body  10  to the panel  60  during the construction of the equipment with which it is associated. The receptacle body may have been connected to the cable  70  in a manufacturing step that may include the fabrication of a cable harness where the cable lengths are determined so that a plurality of receptacles, which may include the receptacle body  10 . The mounting nut  40  and an optical guide  80  may be installed in another manufacturing step from that of the cable harness. In an aspect, the light guide  80  may be included in the cable harness and routed to each of the receptacles  10  that is to be illuminated. The light guide  80  may be installed in the mounting nut  40  after the receptacle  10  has been installed in the panel  60 . Each of the light guides  80  may be connected to a separate light source, or a plurality of light guides may be connected to a single light source, providing for design flexibility. In addition, the repair of the equipment is facilitated by permitting the light sources to be replaced without removing the receptacle  10  from the panel. This may be useful in medical equipment, where the seal between the receptacle  10  and the panel  60  may constitute a performance requirement. 
   The receptacle body  10 , or a portion thereof, may be molded from a light transmitting material such as a transparent or translucent plastic which may be a polycarbonate; for example, LEXAN, ULTRM (PEI) (both available from Sabic Innovative Plastics, Niskayuna, N.Y.), or the like. The mounting nut  40  may be molded from VALOX (PBT), (available from Sabic Innovative Plastics), or other suitable material. 
   Although the present invention has been explained by way of the examples described above, it should be understood to the ordinary skilled person in the art that the invention is not limited to the examples, but rather that various changes or modifications thereof are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention shall be determined only by the appended claims and their equivalents.