Patent Publication Number: US-6217374-B1

Title: Electrical connector with wire management system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and, particularly, to a connector having a wire management means for facilitating terminating the conductors of a plurality of electrical wires to the terminating portions of the connector terminals. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A known type of input/output (I/O) electrical connector includes an elongated dielectric housing having a front mating face and a rear face with a plurality of terminal-receiving passages extending therebetween. The faces extend longitudinally between opposite ends of the elongated housing. A plurality of terminals are received in the passages. Each terminal includes a forwardly projecting contact portion and a tail portion projecting rearwardly from the housing beyond the rear face thereof. The tail portions typically are inserted into holes in a printed circuit board, surface mounted to circuit traces on a circuit board or connected directly to the center conductors of discrete electrical wires. 
     With the ever-increasing miniaturization of the electronics in various industries, such as in the computer and telecommunications industries, along with the accompanying miniaturization of electrical connectors, considerable problems have been encountered in terminating miniature terminals, particularly the terminal tails. This is particularly true when the tail portions of the terminals are terminated to “loose” or freely movable electrical wires (versus more stationary circuit traces of a generally rigid circuit board). This problem of terminating the tiny terminal tails to the conductors of discrete electrical wires is magnified or compounded when the terminals are mounted in the connector housing in a plurality of closely spaced rows which is typical in many known I/O electrical connectors. The present invention is directed to solving these problems by providing a unique wire management system in such an electrical connector. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved electrical connector of the character described, including a wire management means for facilitating termination of the tail portions of a plurality of terminals to the conductors of a plurality of electrical wires, particularly when the terminals are mounted in rows in the connector housing. 
     In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the connector includes an elongated dielectric housing having a central body portion with a front face, a rear face and three rows of terminal-receiving passages extending therebetween and including a top row, a middle row and a bottom row. A plurality of terminals are received in the passages and include top terminals received in at least some of the passages of the top row, middle terminals received in at least some of the passages of the middle row and bottom terminals received in at least some of the passages of the bottom row. All of the terminals have forward contact portions and tail portions projecting rearwardly from the body portion beyond the rear face thereof. The tail portions of the middle terminals are longer than the tail portions of the top terminals. 
     The invention contemplates a wire management platform projecting from the rear face of the central body portion. The platform includes a first top surface at which the tail portions of the top terminals are juxtaposed. A second top surface is offset from the first top surface and projects further from the rear face of the body portion than the first top surface and at which the longer tail portions of the middle terminals are juxtaposed. A bottom surface is provided at which the tail portions of the bottom terminals are juxtaposed. The three distinct surfaces facilitate connection of the tail portions of the terminals to the conductors of a plurality of appropriate electrical wires. 
     As disclosed herein, a plurality of grooves are provided in at least one of the platform surfaces, aligned with the tail portions juxtaposed thereat. The grooves facilitate aligning the electrical wires and respective conductors with the tail portions of the terminals. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a wire management platform may include a first top surface and an offset, longer second top surface for use in a connector having only two rows of terminals, with the tail portions of the bottom row being longer than the tail portions of the top row. According to a further aspect of the invention, a wire management platform for a single row of terminals may include grooves for aligning the conductors of the wires with the tail portions of the terminals. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electrical connector embodying the concepts of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the connector; 
     FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the connector; 
     FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the connector; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the connector; 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the two-part housing with the terminals and ground blade mounted in the front housing part; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the two-part housing in assembled condition; 
     FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view showing the front shield assembled to the two-part housing; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 8, with the rear shield fully assembled; 
     FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the rear housing part; 
     FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the rear housing part; 
     FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view of the rear housing part; and 
     FIG. 13 is a front-to-rear section through the connector, with the conductors of three electrical wires terminated to the tail portions of terminals in the three rows thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings in greater detail, and first to FIGS. 1-5, the invention is embodied in an electrical connector, generally designated  14 , which includes an inner dielectric housing (described hereinafter) substantially surrounded by a front shield, generally designated  16 , and a back shield, generally designated  17 . Each of the shields  16  and  17  is a one-piece structure stamped and formed of conductive sheet metal material. 
     The connector is an input/output (I/O) electrical device wherein front shield  16  defines a front mating face  18  of the connector, and rear shield  17  defines a rear terminating face  20 . The front face actually is formed by a shroud portion  22  of shield  16  surrounding forwardly projecting contact portions of three rows of data transmission terminals. The top row of terminals are generally designated  24 A; the middle row of terminals are generally designated  24 B; and the bottom row of terminals are generally designated  24 C. The data transmission terminals project through terminal-receiving passages  26  (FIG. 2) in the connector housing. It should be noted in FIGS. 1 and 2 that terminals are not inserted into all of the passages in the all of the rows. The terminal configuration or array is determined by the particular specifications or application of the connector. 
     A conductive ground blade  28  projects through a blade-receiving passage  30  (FIG. 2) in the connector housing. A pair of high speed signal terminals  32  (FIGS. 1 and 3) project through a pair of terminal-receiving passages  34  (FIG. 2) in the housing on each opposite side of ground blade  28 . Terminating tail portions  34   c  (FIG. 4) of the high speed signal terminals  32  project rearwardly of rear shield  17 . The top row of terminals  24 A have tail portions  36 A projecting rearwardly of the shield. The middle of terminals  24 B have tail portions  36 B (FIGS. 4 and 5) projecting rearwardly of the rear shield. The bottom row of terminals  24 C have tail portions  36 C (FIG. 5) projecting rearwardly of the rear shield. All of the tail portions of all of the terminals project rearwardly of rear shield  17  on a rear wire management platform  40  of the connector housing. 
     At this point, it should be understood that the use of the terms “top”, “bottom” and “middle” herein and in the claims hereof is not in any way intended to be limiting. These terms are used herein to provide a clear and concise understanding of the invention. Electrical connector  14  is omnidirectional in use and such terms are used basically in reference to the depiction or orientation in the drawings to best understand the invention. 
     Front shield  16  has a pair of rearwardly formed tabs  42  on both the top and bottom thereof to embrace the housing as will be seen hereinafter. Four rearwardly formed tabs  44  are bent from a base plate  46  of front shield  16  over a base plate  48  of rear shield  17  to secure the front and rear shields about the connector housing. 
     Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, connector  14  includes a two-part dielectric housing, generally designated  60 , which is formed of a front housing or housing part, generally designated  62 , and a rear housing or housing part, generally designated  64 . The front housing part defines a front mating end  66  of the housing, and the rear housing part defines a rear end  68  of the housing. The front housing part includes a central body portion  69  which includes terminal-receiving passages  26  for data transmission terminals  24 A- 24 C, terminal-receiving passages  34  for high speed signal terminals  32  and blade-receiving passage  30  for receiving ground blade  28 . Tail portions  36 A- 36 C of the data transmission terminals and tail portions  32   c  of the signal terminals project rearwardly of front housing part  62 . The rear end of ground blade  28  also projects rearwardly of the front housing part. The front housing part has end recesses  70  and top and bottom recesses  72 , along with upwardly and downwardly projecting tabs  74 , for purposes described hereinafter. 
     Rear housing part  64  includes a central body portion  76  for abutting against the rear of front housing part  62  when the housing parts are assembled in the direction of arrows “A” (FIG.  6 ). The rear housing part has side wings  78  and top and bottom wings  80  which move into recesses  70  and  72 , respectively, of the front housing part when the two housing parts are assembled as shown in FIG.  7 . Rear housing part  64  also has upwardly and downwardly projecting tabs  82  which become juxtaposed with tabs  74  of the front housing part when assembled. 
     After data transmission terminals  24 A- 24 C, high speed signal terminals  32  and ground blade  28  are mounted in front housing part  62 , and rear housing part  64  is juxtaposed against the front housing part, the front and rear shields of the connector are assembled to complete the assembly of the connector as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. More particularly, as seen in FIG. 8, the subassembly of the two-part housing  60 , the data transmission terminals, the high speed signal terminals and the ground blade are assembled to front shield  16 . A forwardly projecting portion  84  of the front housing part is properly positioned within shroud  22  of the front shield. Tabs  42  at the top and bottom of base plate  46  of the front shield then are bent into recesses  86  in the top and bottom of rear housing part  64 , about tabs  74  and  82  (FIGS. 6 and 7) of the front and rear housing parts, respectively. Therefore, tabs  42  of the front shield are effective to not only hold the front shield to housing  60 , but to hold the two housing parts  62  and  64  together. 
     Rear shield  17  then is assembled as shown in FIG.  9 . The rear shield has a shroud  88  which substantially surrounds the two-part housing, except for rearwardly extending wire management platform  40  of the rear housing. Shroud  88  has apertures  90  for accommodating rearwardly formed tabs  42  of the front shield. In final assembly, tabs  44  of the front shield are bent or formed around the back side of base plate  48  of the rear shield to hold the two shields together and the connector in fully assembled condition. 
     FIGS. 8 and 9 best show that ground blade  28  has a pair of positioning arms  28   a  which project from each opposite side of the ground blade at a rear terminating end thereof. The rear housing has partitions  92  which project between each pair of positioning arms to form four quadrants for receiving four coaxial cables for termination to tail portions  32   a  of high speed signal terminals  32 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 10-12 which show rear housing part  64  and FIGS. 8 and 9 which show the assembled connector, the invention contemplates a particular configuration of wire management platform  40  to facilitate connection of tail portions  36 A- 36 C of terminals  24 A- 24 C to the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires. More particularly, the wire management platform projects rearwardly from rear face  68  of rear housing part  64 . The platform includes a first top land or surface  94 A at which tail portions  36 A of the top row of terminals are juxtaposed as clearly shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The platform includes a second top land or surface  94 B offset from the first top surface and projecting further from rear face  68  than first top surface  94 A, and at which tail portions  36 B of the middle row of terminals are juxtaposed. As seen in FIGS. 8 and 9, as well as in FIG. 4, the tail portions of the middle row of terminals are longer than the tail portions of the top row of terminals. Finally, the platform includes a bottom land or surface  94 C at which tail portions  36 C of the bottom row of terminals are juxtaposed. 
     In order to further facilitate managing and terminating the tail portions of the terminals to the conductors of a plurality of discrete electrical wires, grooves  96 A are formed in first top surface  94 A in alignment with tail portions  36 A of the top row of terminals as seen clearly in FIGS. 4,  8  and  9  as well as the top view of the rear housing part in FIG.  11 . Grooves  96 B are formed in second top surface  94 B in alignment with tail portions  36 B of the middle row of terminals. Grooves  96 C are formed in bottom surface  94 C as best seen in FIG. 12 in alignment with tail portions  36 C (FIG. 5) of the bottom row of terminals. These grooves facilitate positioning the discrete electrical wires in alignment with the respective tail portions of the terminals, so that the center conductors of the wires can be laid immediately onto the tail portions for soldering purposes. 
     This is seen in the sectional view of FIG. 13, wherein an electrical wire  98 A is shown with a conductor  100  on top of the tail portion  36 A of one of the terminals  24 A in the top row thereof. Another wire  98 B is shown with its conductor  100  on top of the tail portion  36 B of one of the terminals  24 B in the middle row thereof. A third wire  98 C is shown with its conductor  100  immediately below tail portion  36 C of one of the terminals  24 C in the bottom row thereof. The discrete wires are shown with a portion of their outer insulating sheaths removed to expose their conductors  100 . The insulated wires are positioned in grooves  96 A- 96 C, as described above, whereupon their respective conductors are positioned against tail portions  36 A- 36 C as seen in FIG. 13, whereupon the conductors can be easily connected, as by soldering, to the tail portions of the terminals. 
     It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.