Patent Publication Number: US-7896683-B1

Title: Connector assemblies configured to prevent damage to contacts during mating and demating

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application includes subject matter related to subject matter disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,132, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,166 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,544,084, issued Jun. 9, 2009), and U.S. patent application No. 12/257,187, filed contemporaneously with the present application, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject matter herein relates generally to connector assemblies, and more particularly, to connector assemblies that include mateable plug and receptacle connectors that are configured to prevent damage to the contacts held within one of the connectors during the mating and demating process. 
     Connector assemblies generally include two connectors, such as a plug and a receptacle, that are mated together. The receptacle includes a cavity that may have free-standing mating or pin contacts therein that are configured to engage with corresponding socket contacts when the plug is inserted into the receptacle. However, the cavity may have a size and shape that places the pin contacts at risk of being damaged from scooping. “Scooping” occurs when a shroud or another part of the plug connector shell is erroneously inserted into the cavity of the receptacle connector shell in a direction that is transverse to the appropriate loading direction. Scooping may also be caused by one of the walls of the plug connector shell sliding along the wall of the receptacle connector shell defining the cavity at a skewed angle to the loading direction. During scooping the plug connector shell may strike the exposed, free-standing pin contacts, which may cause permanent deformation such that the pin contacts may no longer be capable of forming a connection with the corresponding contacts in the plug connector. This damage can also be caused by the socket contact insert striking the exposed, free-standing pin contacts. 
     One known connector assembly that is configured to prevent scooping is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,346 to Nakamura. The connector assembly includes a male housing having a hood member that is configured to receive a female housing having a hood member that is smaller than the male hood member. The female hood member includes ribs projecting outwardly therefrom that are configured to be inserted into grooves of the male hood member. The positions of the ribs and grooves prevent the housings from being fitted together in a misaligned manner. One problem with the connector assembly disclosed in the Nakamura patent is that the plug and receptacle connector housings need to be precisely aligned before the two are mated together. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for connector assemblies that prevent the mating contacts from being damaged when the connectors are mated or demated. A need also remains for connector assemblies that correct misalignment during mating. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, a connector assembly is provided that includes a first connector that extends along a mating axis from a mating end. The first connector includes a connector body that has a shroud including a longitudinal side and a lateral side meeting at a shroud corner. The longitudinal and lateral sides extend along the mating axis. The first connector also includes pin contacts received in the shroud and a rib that projects away from the longitudinal side. The rib has a position proximate to the shroud corner. The first connector also has a wing guide that projects a distance from the lateral side to a distal end and is positioned proximate to the shroud corner. The rib and the wing guide extend in directions that are generally perpendicular to each other. The connector assembly also includes a second connector that has walls defining a cavity. The second connector includes a mating end with an opening for accessing the cavity and an array of mating socket contacts arranged therein. The cavity has a complementary shape for receiving the connector body. The walls of the second connector direct the connector body into the cavity such that the socket contacts engage the pin contacts. The position of the wing guide and the position of the rib are configured to prevent the pin contacts from being damaged when the connector body is erroneously inserted into the second connector. 
     Optionally, the wing guide projects from the lateral side at the shroud corner such that the wing guide is flush with the longitudinal side. The first connector may include a pair of longitudinal sides where each longitudinal side has an unequal number of ribs with respect to the other longitudinal side. The longitudinal sides may be generally planar. The pin contacts within the second connector may be distributed evenly and continuously throughout a substantial portion of the width of the cavity. 
     In another embodiment, a connector assembly that includes a first connector and a second connector configured to mate together is provided. The first connector has a front mating end and a back end and a cavity that extends therebetween. The cavity includes socket contacts therein and is defined by a longitudinal wall and a lateral wall that meet each other at a cavity corner. The longitudinal wall includes a channel that extends alongside the cavity. The second connector includes a connector body that has a shroud including pin contacts configured to engage the mating socket contacts when the first and second connectors are properly mated. The shroud includes a longitudinal side and a lateral side that meet at a shroud corner. The shroud corner is configured to slide along the cavity corner. The second connector also includes a rib that projects away from the longitudinal side and that is configured to slide within the channel of the first connector. The second connector also includes a wing guide that projects a distance from the lateral side to a guide edge. The rib and the wing guide extend in directions that are generally perpendicular to each other. The guide edge is curved such that the guide edge facilitates shifting the second connector from a longitudinally misaligned position in which the rib is misaligned with the channel to a longitudinally aligned position in which the rib is aligned with the channel. 
     Optionally, the guide edge initially projects from the lateral side in a substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the lateral side and then curves away to extend substantially parallel to the lateral side. The wing guide may project from the lateral side at the corner of the shroud such that the wing guide is flush with the longitudinal side. Moreover, the rib may have a tip at the mating end that is rounded. The tip of the rib and the guide edge may be configured to cooperate with each other to align the second connector when the second connector is longitudinally misaligned with the first connector. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a bottom perspective view of a connector assembly formed in accordance with one embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of a receptacle connector that may be used with the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a front planar view of the receptacle connector shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a plug connector that may be used with the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom planar view of the connector assembly shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom planar view of the connector assembly when the receptacle and plug connectors are erroneously aligned. 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom planar view of the connector assembly when the receptacle and plug connectors are longitudinally misaligned. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a connector assembly  100  formed in accordance with one embodiment. The connector assembly  100  includes a receptacle connector  102  and a plug connector  104  that are configured to mate with each other and establish an electrical and/or optical connection. The receptacle connector  102  includes a cavity  106  that houses one or more mating pin contacts  160  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The receptacle connector  102  also includes a mating end  108  that defines an opening  110  for accessing the cavity  106 . The plug connector  104  includes a shroud  310  that holds a socket module  318  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) having socket contacts  319  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) therein. Both of the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  may include one or more cables and/or conductors  114  that are communicatively coupled to the contacts of the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104 . (Tile cables and/or conductors  114  are only shown with respect to the plug connector  104 .) To mate the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104 , the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are generally aligned with one another along a mating axis  190  and moved toward each other. When in proper alignment, the shroud  310  will advance into the cavity  106  where the pin contact(s)  160  and corresponding socket contact(s)  319  will engage each other. Thus, the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  may mate with each other and establish a communicative coupling between devices, systems, other cables or conductors, etc. 
     As will be discussed in further detail below, the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are configured to prevent scooping or damage of the pin contacts  160  when the shroud  310  or some part thereof is inserted into the cavity  106 . For example, when the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are erroneously or improperly aligned while attempting engagement, the walls surrounding the opening  110  are configured to stop the shroud  310  from advancing into the cavity  106  where the shroud  310  or the socket module  318  can damage the pin contacts  160 . In addition to preventing scooping, the opening  110  and the surrounding walls may also be configured to facilitate redirecting or aligning the receptacle connector  102  with the plug connector  104 . 
     The receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  may be constructed by a variety of methods and may include various accessories attached thereto such as those methods and accessories described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,187, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. The receptacle connector  102  and/or the plug connectors  104  may be configured to hold one or more modules, such as the contact module  125  and the socket module  318  described below, within the corresponding connector as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,132, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. In addition, the receptacle connector  102  and/or the plug connector  104  may be constructed by a two or more shells that are held together as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,166, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are a front perspective view and a front planar view, respectively, of the receptacle connector  102 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the receptacle connector  102  is oriented with respect to a central axis  290 , a longitudinal axis  292 , and a lateral axis  294 . The receptacle connector  102  includes a housing  116  that may be assembled from separate parts (e.g., two shells) or, alternatively, may be integrally formed/molded. The housing  116  includes a plurality of sides S 1 -S 4  which extend substantially parallel to the central axis  290  in a front-to-back direction. The sides S 1  and S 3  are longitudinal sides that may extend parallel to a plane formed by the longitudinal and central axes  292  and  290 , and the sides S 2  and S 4  are lateral sides that may extend parallel to a plane formed by the lateral and central axes  294  and  290 . 
     Optionally, the housing  116  may include a pair of fastener mounts  122  and  124  that project from the sides S 2  and S 4 , respectively. The fastener mounts  122  and  124  include holes  126  and  128 , respectively, where fasteners (not shown) may be inserted to couple or attach with corresponding holes  316  and  314  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) from the plug connector  104  ( FIG. 1 ). As shown, each fastener mount  122  and  124  has a planar face along a plane formed by the longitudinal and lateral axes  292  and  294  that is offset a distance D 1  ( FIG. 2 ) from the mating end  108 . 
     The cavity  106  extends along the central axis  290  between the mating end  108  and a back end  109  ( FIG. 2 ). The mating end  108  has a substantially rectangular shape and a mating surface or face  118  that defines the opening  110  along an opening edge  120 . The mating face  118  extends along the plane formed by the longitudinal and lateral axes  292  and  294 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cavity  106  includes a height H 1  and a width W 1 . In the exemplary embodiment, the width W 1  is substantially greater than the height H 1 . As used herein, the term “substantially greater than” means that the width is more than two times the size of the height. For example, in one embodiment, the width is at least four times greater than the height. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the cavity  106  is surrounded by a plurality of walls  130 - 137  including longitudinal walls  130 ,  132 ,  134 , and  136  that extend parallel to the longitudinal axis  292  ( FIG. 2 ) and lateral walls  131 ,  133 ;  135 , and  137  that extend parallel to the lateral axis  294  ( FIG. 2 ). The longitudinal wall  130  and a section of the longitudinal wall  134  oppose each other across a body portion  140  of the cavity  106 . The longitudinal wall  132  opposes another section of the longitudinal wall  134  across a wing portion  142  of the cavity  106 , and the longitudinal wall  136  opposes another section of the longitudinal wall  134  across a wing portion  144  of the cavity  106 . In one embodiment, the cavity  106  includes only the body portion  140  and opposing wing portions  142  and  144 . Also shown, the cavity  106  and mating face  118  may form shoulder portions  154  and  156  proximate to the top side S 1 . The shoulder portions  154  and  156  jut into the cavity  106  and facilitate preventing the shroud  310  from being advanced into the cavity  106  if the plug connector  104  is not in the proper orientation or properly aligned with the receptacle connector  102 . Also shown in  FIG. 3 , the walls  130 - 135  meet each other at cavity corners  181 - 188 . 
       FIG. 2  also illustrates that the receptacle connector  102  may include a contact module  125  positioned within the cavity  106  for holding an array of the pin contacts  160 . (For illustrative purposes, the contact module  125  and the pin contacts  160  are not shown in  FIG. 3 .) The pin contacts  160  are arranged in an array and extend outward from the contact module  125  toward the opening  110  along the central axis  290 . The pin contacts  160  may be arranged in any desired array. Although the illustrated embodiment shows several pin contacts  160 , alternative embodiments may include only one pin contact. Also, alternative embodiments may include more than one type of mating contact or include other mateable components. Furthermore, the contact module  125  may be held within the cavity  106  as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/257,132. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, a substantial portion of the cavity  106  (e.g., the body portion  140 ) is substantially open or unobstructed such that the cavity  106  does not have walls or projections extending into the cavity  106  in front of the pin contact module  125 . For example, the cavity  106  may have a uniform width W 1  and height H 1  through the body portion  140 . Moreover, the array of pin contacts  160  may be distributed substantially evenly and continuously across the body portion  140  of the cavity  106 . The array of pin contacts  160  may be arranged in a row-and-column formation where the rows extend substantially longer than the columns. By way of example, the pin contacts  160  may include two rows of ten pin contacts  160  that are evenly distributed with respect to each other. Because the cavity  106  is substantially open and unobstructed, the connector assembly  100  ( FIG. 1 ) may provide a greater density and number of pin contacts  160  than known connector assemblies. 
     Also shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the opposing longitudinal walls  130  and  134  may each include one or more channels  161 - 165 . Specifically, the longitudinal wall  130  includes the channels  161  and  162 , which have channel openings  170 , and the opposing longitudinal wall  134  includes the channels  163 - 165 , which also have channel openings  170 . Each channel  161 - 165  extends from the mating face  118  or opening edge  120  of the mating end  108  into the cavity  106  along the central axis  290  in a substantially linear direction. Each channel  161 - 165  may include an opening gap G 1  at the respective channel opening  170  (only shown with respect to the channel  161 ) at the mating face  118 . The gap G 1  narrows to a channel gap G 2  as the corresponding channel extends into the cavity  106 . 
     The channels  161 - 165  may be positioned and spaced apart from each other in order to prevent scooping of the pin contacts  160  and may also be positioned to facilitate properly orienting and aligning the receptacle connector  102  and the plug connector  104  before mating with each other. More specifically, the channel  163  is spaced apart a distance D 2  from the lateral wall  133 , and the channel  165  is spaced apart a distance D 3  from the lateral wall  135 . The distances D 2  and D 3  oriented to prevent the shroud  310  from being inserted into the cavity  106  and damaging the pin contacts  160  when erroneously aligned. Furthermore, the channel  161  is spaced apart a distance D 3  from the lateral wall  133 , and the channel  162  is spaced apart a distance D 5  from the lateral wall  135 . In the illustrated embodiment, the distance D 4  is greater than the distance D 2  such that the channels  161  and  163  are not aligned with each other. Likewise, the distance D 5  is greater than the distance D 3  such that the channels  162  and  165  are not aligned with each other. 
     Moreover, the longitudinal walls  130  and  134  may include an unequal number of channels with respect to each other. For example, the longitudinal wall  130  may include two channels  161  and  162  while the longitudinal wall  134  may include three channels  163 - 165 . The unequal number of channels and/or the spacing between the channels may facilitate orienting the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  into the proper vertical or lateral position before mating the connectors. 
       FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the plug connector  104  that is oriented with respect to a central axis  390 , a longitudinal axis  392 , and a lateral axis  394 . The plug connector  104  extends along the central axis  390  and includes a front mating end  304  and a back end  306 . The plug connector  104  includes a housing or connector body  308  that has a base surface  312  proximate to the mating end  304  extending parallel to a plane formed by the longitudinal and lateral axes  392  and  394 . Like the housing  116  ( FIG. 2 ), the connector body  308  may be assembled from separate parts (e.g., two shells) or, alternatively, may be integrally formed/molded. The plug connector  104  includes a shroud  310  projecting from the base surface  312  along the central axis  390 . Also shown in  FIG. 4 , the base surface  312  may form holes  314  and  316  that are configured to engage a fastener and cooperate with one of the fastener mounts  122  and  124  of the receptacle connector  102  to maintain a coupling between the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104 . 
     The shroud  310  is formed from a plurality of sides S 5 -S 8  that include longitudinal sides S 5  and S 7  that extend parallel to a plane formed by the longitudinal and central axes  392  and  390 . The sides S 5 -S 8  also include lateral sides S 6  and S 8  that extend parallel to a plane formed by the lateral and the central axes  394  and  390 . The shroud  310  may include a socket module  318  that has one or more apertures  320  for holding a plug contact (not shown) therein. Each aperture  320  receives a corresponding pin contact  160  ( FIG. 2 ) when the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are engaged. The socket module  318  may be held within a cavity formed by the plurality of sides S 5 -S 8  or, alternatively, may be integrally formed with the shroud  310  and the connector body  308 . 
     The plurality of sides S 5 -S 8  form a substantially rectangular structure that has a height H 2  and a width W 2 . In the illustrated embodiment, the height  112  is substantially equal to the height H 1  of the cavity  106  ( FIG. 3 ). The width W 2  may be substantially equal to a width of the body portion  140  ( FIG. 3 ) such that the shroud  310  may slide in and out of the body portion  140 . As shown, the longitudinal sides S 5  and S 7  extend substantially parallel to one another and intersect the lateral sides S 6  and S 8  at shroud corners  351 - 354 . More specifically, the longitudinal side S 5  forms shroud corners  351  and  354  with the lateral sides S 6  and S 8 , respectively, and the longitudinal side S 7  forms shroud corners  352  and  353  with the lateral sides S 6  and S 8 , respectively. The shroud corners  352  and  353  are configured to fit within and slide along the cavity corners  181  and  188  ( FIG. 3 ) when the shroud  310  is inserted into the cavity  106 . 
     As discussed above, the shroud  310  is configured to be inserted into the cavity  106  of the receptacle connector  102 . The shroud  310  may include a plurality of ribs  321 - 325  that project outwardly from the longitudinal sides S 5  and S 7  and a plurality of wing guides  331 - 334  that project outwardly from the lateral sides S 6  and S 8 . Each wing guide  331 - 334  includes a guide edge  341 - 344 , respectively, that defines the shape of the corresponding wing guide. The ribs  321 - 325  extend from a front-to-back direction along the central axis  390  on the corresponding side. The longitudinal side S 5  includes the ribs  321 - 323  and the longitudinal side S 7  includes the ribs  324  and  325 . Each rib  321 - 325  may have a rounded tip  327 . The ribs  321 - 325  are spaced apart from each other and are configured to be inserted into and slide along the channels  161 - 165 , respectively, when the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are properly aligned on the mating axis  190  ( FIG. 1 ) and engaged with each other. 
     The ribs  321 - 325  may be configured relative to a corresponding wing guide  331 - 334 . For example, with reference to the corner  351 , the rib  323  is positioned proximate to the corner  351  and the wing guide  331  is also positioned proximate to the corner  351 . As shown, the rib  323  and the wing guide  331  project outwardly in directions that are generally perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the wing guides  331  and  333  extend from the lateral sides S 6  and S 8 , respectively, such that the wing guides  331  and  333  are flush or even with the longitudinal side S 5 . 
     The wing guides  331  and  332  project from the lateral side S 6  a distance D 7 , and the wing guides  333  and  334  project from the lateral side S 8  a distance D 8 . The pair of wing guides  331  and  332  and the pair of wing guides  333  and  334  may be spaced apart from each other a distance D 9 . When the shroud  310  is inserted into the cavity  106 , the wing guide  331  slides along the longitudinal wall  134  and the wing guide  332  slides along the longitudinal side  132 . Both of the guide edges  341  and  342  slide along the lateral wall  133 . Likewise, the wing guides  333  and  334  are spaced apart from each other and slide along the longitudinal walls  134  and  136 , respectively, when the shroud  310  is inserted into the cavity  106 . Both of the guide edges  343  and  344  slide along the lateral wall  135 . 
     As discussed above the wing guides  331  and  332  (or the wing guides  333  and  334 ) may be spaced apart from each other a distance D 9 . When the shroud  310  is inserted into the cavity  106 , the distance D 9  may be configured to allow a key (not shown) to be inserted between the corresponding wing guides. Alternatively, the shroud  310  may not have a pair of wing guides that projects from one side but may have one large wing guide that spans the length of the corresponding lateral side. 
     Furthermore, the plurality of sides S 5 -S 8  may form a mating edge  345  at the mating end  304  of the shroud  310 . The mating edge  345  lies on a mating plane  347  (indicated as a hashed line in  FIG. 5 ) that is parallel to the longitudinal and lateral axes  392  and  394 . In one embodiment, the guide edges  341 - 344  may initially project from the mating edge  345  such that the mating edge  345  is co-planar with the guide edges  341 - 344 . The guide edges  341 - 344  may then curve away from the mating end  304  toward the back end  306  and then extend substantially parallel to the central axis  390 . 
       FIG. 5  is a bottom planar view of the connector assembly  100  before the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are engaged. Although the description herein describes the plug connector  104  as being moved toward and inserted into the receptacle connector  102 , those skilled in the art understand that the receptacle connector  102  may be moved toward and inserted over the plug connector  104 . When the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  are properly aligned, the cavity  106  and the shroud  310  are laterally and longitudinally aligned with each other. As such, the ribs  321 - 325  are aligned with the corresponding channels  161 - 165 , respectively. When the shroud  310  is inserted into the cavity  106 , the wing guides  331  and  333  move alongside the lateral walls  133  and  135 , respectively. The socket module  318  ( FIG. 4 ) and the corresponding socket contacts  319  ( FIG. 4 ) are then properly aligned with the pin contacts  160  ( FIG. 2 ) within the cavity before the pin contacts  160  and the socket contacts  319  engage each other. 
       FIGS. 6 and 7  are bottom planar views of the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  when the two are misaligned.  FIG. 6  illustrates when the shroud  310  of the plug connector  104  is oriented such that the wing guide  331  is inadvertently inserted into the cavity  106 . As shown, the pin contacts  160  ( FIG. 2 ) are a depth D 6  into the cavity  106 . (The hashed line  380  indicates the positions of the tips of the pin contacts  160  within the cavity  106 .) Various parts of the shroud  310  and the receptacle connector  102  may be configured to prevent scooping of the pin contacts  160  by the shroud  310 . For example, the distance D 7  projected by the wing guide  331  from the lateral side S 6  ( FIG. 4 ), the position of the rib  323  along the longitudinal side S 5 , and the depth D 6  may all be configured with respect to each other to prevent scooping. Thus, when the shroud  310  is erroneously inserted into the cavity  106 , the rib  323  provides a positive stop and prevents the shroud  310  or, more specifically, the wing guide  331  from penetrating further into the cavity  106  and damaging the pin contacts  160 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates when the shroud  310  and the receptacle connector  102  are slightly longitudinally misaligned. As shown, before the shroud  310  is inserted into the cavity  106 , the shroud  310  may be slightly misaligned with the cavity  106 . For example, the receptacle connector  102  and the shroud  310  may have different longitudinal positions such that the rounded tips  327  of the ribs  321 - 325  engage the mating face  118  of the receptacle connector  102  or a curved portion of the channel openings  170 . Furthermore, the guide edge  341  of the wing guide  331  may engage the opening edge  120  formed by the lateral wall  133  and the mating face  118 . As such, the rounded tips  327  and the guide edges  331  and  333  may be configured to cooperate with each other to shift the shroud  310  in a longitudinal direction when the shroud  310  is longitudinally misaligned with the cavity  106 . 
     Embodiments described herein may be electrical connectors, connectors that interconnect optical fibers, or optoelectronic connectors. As such, the phrase “conductors and/or cables” or the phrase “at least one of conductors and cables” includes electrical wires, conductors, or cables that transmit electrical signals or power or electrical signals and power, as well as optical fibers or cables used for transmitting signals in fiber-optic communication. 
     In some embodiments, the connector assembly  100  may be configured for many applications, such as high-speed telecommunications equipment, various classes of servers, and data storage and transport devices. The connector assembly  100  may perform at high speeds and maintain signal integrity while withstanding vibrations and shock that may be experienced during, for example, aerospace or military operations. However, embodiments described herein are not limited to applications for extreme environments, but may also be used in other environments, such as in an office or home. The preceding description of the receptacle and plug connectors  102  and  104  is provided for illustrative purposes only, rather than limitation, and the illustrated embodiment is but one application that may be used with the features and mechanisms described herein. 
     While the illustrated embodiment described above is designed for a specific orientation when mounted or mated with another connector, alternative embodiments may have other configurations. As such, the terms front, back (or rear), top, bottom, upper, lower, upward, downward, inward and the like are relative and based on the orientation of the illustrated embodiment, and are not intended to be restrictive. 
     Furthermore, the contact module  125  and the socket module  318  may be interchangeable between connector body  308  and receptacle housing  116 . As such, the aforementioned discussion may be also applicable to pin contacts  160  in connector bodies that are mated and demated to socket contacts  319  in receptacle housings. Embodiments made and used as described herein apply to both sets of configurations. Furthermore, more than one contact module  125  and more than one socket module  318  may be used in alternative embodiments. 
     Thus, it is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. As such, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from its scope. For example, generally a “connector,” as may be used in the following claims, may either be a plug connector or a receptacle connector, such as the plug and receptacle connectors  104  and  102  described above, unless specified otherwise. Likewise, a “first connector” or a “second connector,” as may be used in the following claims, may either be a plug or receptacle connector, such as the plug and receptacle connectors  104  and  102  described above, unless otherwise specified. Furthermore, a “mating contact,” as may be used in the following claims, includes pin contacts and socket contacts, such as the pin contacts  160  and socket contacts  319  shown and described above. Also, a mating contact may be an electrical contact or a terminus for an optical fiber. 
     Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. Further, the limitations of the following claims are not written in means—plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted based on 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless and until such claim limitations expressly use the phrase “means for” followed by a statement of function void of further structure.