Network port connector and network equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a network port connector and network equipment, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The network device is applied to an FTTH or FTTR system architecture. The network port connector comprises a terminal seat, an internal connection terminal, an external connection terminal, a transformer circuit board and a network transformer. The terminal seat comprises a mounting surface and a plugging surface, the mounting surface is used for connecting a circuit board, and the internal connection terminal is exposed on the mounting surface. The plugging surface comprises an opening of a plugging hole, the plugging hole is used for being in butt joint with a network cable connector, and the external terminal is exposed in the plugging hole. The transformer circuit board is arranged between the internal connection terminal and the external connection terminal in the height direction, the network transformer is electrically connected with the internal connection terminal and the external connection terminal through the transformer circuit board, and the height direction is perpendicular to the installation face. The network transformer is integrated in the network port connector, so that an independent network transformer does not need to be specially arranged on a circuit board where the network port connector is located for the network port connector, and the board occupation area of related devices of the network port connector is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a network port connector and a network device. Background Art

[0002] Network devices, such as optical network units (ONUs) or optical network terminals (ONTs), include network port connectors that connect to network cables to enable communication between the network device and other devices.

[0003] In some application scenarios, the installation space of network equipment is limited, which requires the network equipment to be compact. Consequently, the printed circuit board (PCB) area used to mount the network port connector is relatively small. Therefore, reducing the board area occupied by the network port connector and its related components is a key technical issue. Utility Model Content

[0004] The present disclosure provides a network port connector and network device. The network port connector and related components occupy a small board area. The technical solutions of the network port connector and network device are described as follows.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a network port connector. The network port connector includes a terminal block, an internal terminal, an external terminal, a transformer circuit board, and a network transformer. The terminal block includes a mounting surface and a plug-in surface, the mounting surface is used to connect the circuit board, and the internal terminal is exposed on the mounting surface. The plug-in surface includes an opening of a plug-in hole, the plug-in hole is used to connect to a network cable connector, and the external terminal is exposed inside and outside the plug-in hole. Along the height direction, the transformer circuit board is arranged between the internal terminal and the external terminal, and the network transformer is electrically connected to the internal terminal and the external terminal respectively through the transformer circuit board, wherein the height direction is perpendicular to the mounting surface.

[0006] The technical solution provided by the present disclosure integrates the network transformer directly into the network port connector, eliminating the need to provide a separate network transformer for the network port connector on the circuit board where the network port connector resides, thereby reducing the board area occupied by the network port connector's related components (i.e., the network transformer). Furthermore, by arranging the transformer circuit board between the internal and external terminals along the height direction, compared to a technical solution in which the transformer circuit board is arranged to one side of the internal or external terminals in the length or width direction, the height dimension of the network port connector is increased, but the length and width dimensions of the network port connector are reduced, thereby reducing the board area occupied by the network port connector.

[0007] In one implementation, the transformer circuit board is parallel to the mounting surface.

[0008] In one implementation, the terminal block includes a base and an upper cover, wherein the base includes a mounting surface and the upper cover includes a plug-in surface. The base includes a receiving slot, wherein the receiving slot includes an opening on a side facing away from the mounting surface. The network transformer is located in the receiving slot, and the transformer circuit board closes the opening of the receiving slot.

[0009] In one implementation, the internal terminals extend through the base in the height direction and are arranged outside the receiving slot. In this way, the internal terminals and the network transformer reuse the space in the height direction of the network port connector, preventing the network port connector from being too high.

[0010] In one implementation, the exposed portion of the internal terminal on the mounting surface is used to be fixed to the circuit board in a surface mount manner. In this way, the side of the circuit board facing away from the network port connector can also be used to layout components, thereby improving the space utilization of the circuit board.

[0011] In one implementation, the network port connector also includes two indicator lights, the lamp bodies of which are exposed on the plug-in surface and arranged on both sides of the plug-in hole. In other words, the indicator lights are directly integrated into the network port connector, eliminating the need to provide indicator lights specifically for the network port connector on the circuit board where the network port connector is located, thereby reducing the board area occupied by the related components of the network port connector (i.e., the indicator lights).

[0012] In one implementation, each indicator light includes two pins electrically connected to the transformer circuit board. The network port connector also includes two pairs of adapter terminals, one end of which is connected to the transformer circuit board and the other end is exposed on the mounting surface. Each pair of adapter terminals is electrically connected to the two pins of an indicator light via the transformer circuit board.

[0013] The technical solution provided by this disclosure connects the indicator light to the circuit board via an adapter terminal, rather than directly connecting the indicator light pins to the circuit board. Because the position of the adapter terminal is decoupled from the position of the indicator light, the placement of the adapter terminal on the mounting surface is more flexible. This allows for flexible adjustment of the adapter terminal's position, reducing the board footprint of the network port connector.

[0014] In one implementation, the mounting surface includes a first side, a second side, a third side, and a fourth side, with the first side and the third side being opposite each other, and the second side and the fourth side being opposite each other. Internal terminals are arranged on the first, second, and fourth sides, and two pairs of adapter terminals are arranged on the second and fourth sides, respectively. The first and third sides are arranged along the width direction, and the second and fourth sides are arranged along the length direction.

[0015] The technical solution provided by this disclosure reduces the width of the network port connector by arranging two pairs of adapter terminals on the second and fourth sides, rather than on the third side. Furthermore, since the internal terminals are already arranged on the second and fourth sides, arranging the adapter terminals on the second and fourth sides does not increase the length of the network port connector. This arrangement reduces the board area occupied by the network port connector.

[0016] In one implementation, the angle between the mounting surface and the plug-in surface is greater than 35° and less than 55°. This allows the network device to be wall-mounted so that the network cable can be angled downward, reducing the size of the cable connector relative to the height of the network port connector. This facilitates the use of network devices in environments with limited installation space.

[0017] In one implementation, the angle between the mounting surface and the plug-in surface is 45°.

[0018] In one implementation, the network port connector is a registered jack 45 (RJ45) network port connector.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a network device, comprising the network port connector as described in any one of the first aspects.

[0020] The network device is an optical network unit (ONU) or an optical network terminal (ONT). The ONU or ONT can be applied to system architectures such as fiber to the home / fiber to the home (FTTH), fiber to the room (FTTR) or passive optical network (PON). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a network port connector and a circuit board provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a network port connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a mounting surface of a network port connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5This is an exploded view of a network port connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a network port connector provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the relevant dimensions of a network port connector provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Legend

[0029] 100, network port connector, 200, circuit board;

[0030] 1. Terminal block, 101. Mounting surface, 1011. First side, 1012. Second side, 1013. Third side, 1014. Fourth side, 102. Connecting surface, 103. Connecting hole, 1031. Buckle hole, 104. First side, 105. Second side, 106. Inclined surface, 11. Base, 111. Receiving groove, 112. Buckle, 12. Upper cover, 121. Upper cover bracket, 1211. Clamping hole, 122. Shielding cover;

[0031] 2. Internal terminal;

[0032] 3. External terminals;

[0033] 4. Transformer circuit board;

[0034] 5. Network transformer;

[0035] 6. Indicator light, 61. Lamp body, 62. Pin;

[0036] 7. Adapter terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The network device includes a network port connector, such as a registered jack 45 (RJ45) network port connector. The network port connector is used to connect to a network cable connector to achieve communication connection between the network device and other devices. The network device can be an optical network device, such as an optical network unit (ONU) or an optical network terminal (ONT). The ONU or ONT can be applied to system architectures such as fiber to the home / fiber to the home (FTTH), fiber to the room (FTTR) or passive optical network (PON). The network device can also be a non-optical network device, such as a wireless access point (AP), a camera or a router.

[0038] In some application scenarios, the installation space of network equipment is limited (for example, when the network equipment is installed in a wall-mounted box), which requires the network equipment to be compact. Consequently, the printed circuit board (PCB) area used to mount the network port connector in the network equipment is small. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the board area occupied by the network port connector and its related components (for example, the network transformer and indicator lights) to facilitate the layout of various components on the PCB.

[0039] The present disclosure provides a network port connector 100 that occupies a relatively small board area. The network port connector 100 is an Ethernet interface connector, such as an RJ45 network port connector. The network port connector 100 provided in the present disclosure is described below as an example.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network device including a network port connector 100 is shown. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the network port connector 100 and the circuit board 200 is shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the network port connector 100. Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the network port connector 100 includes a terminal block 1, an internal terminal 2 and an external terminal 3. There are multiple internal terminals 2 and external terminals 3, and they are all fixed to the terminal block 1. The terminal block 1 includes a mounting surface 101 and a plug-in surface 102. Figure 2 As shown, mounting surface 101 is used to connect to circuit board 200, and plugging surface 102 includes an opening for a plug hole 103. Internal terminals 2 are exposed on mounting surface 101 to facilitate electrical connection with the circuit on circuit board 200. External terminals 3 are exposed inside plug hole 103 to facilitate docking with the terminals of a network cable connector. Furthermore, internal terminals 2 and external terminals 3 are electrically connected to achieve electrical connection between circuit board 200 and the network cable. Internal terminals 2 can also be referred to as pin terminals or pin pins. External terminals 3 can also be referred to as RJ45 terminals.

[0041] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the embodiment of the present disclosure defines the length direction X, width direction Y and height direction Z of the network port connector 100. Among them, the length direction X and the width direction Y are parallel to the circuit board 200, and the height direction Z is perpendicular to the circuit board 200 or the mounting surface 101. The dimensions occupied by the network port connector 100 in the length direction X and the width direction Y are the board area occupied by the network port connector 100, or are related to the board area occupied by the network port connector 100. The length direction X and the width direction Y are only used to distinguish different directions, and do not mean that the dimension of the network port connector 100 in the length direction X must be greater than the dimension of the network port connector 100 in the width direction Y.

[0042] Figure 5 shows an exploded view of a network port connector 100, Figure 6 FIG shows a cross-sectional view of a network port connector 100. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the network port connector 100 also includes a transformer circuit board 4 and a network transformer 5. The network transformer 5 is mounted on the transformer circuit board 4 and electrically connected to the internal terminals 2 and external terminals 3 via the transformer circuit board 4. The network transformer 5 provides signal isolation. The network transformer 5 can be a network transformer with Power over Ethernet (PoE) functionality.

[0043] According to the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the network transformer 5 is directly integrated into the network port connector 100, there is no need to set a network transformer for the network port connector 100 on the circuit board 200, thereby reducing the board area occupied by related components of the network port connector 100.

[0044] In some examples, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the transformer circuit board 4 is arranged between the internal terminals 2 and the external terminals 3 along the height direction Z. Thus, compared to a technical solution in which the transformer circuit board 4 is arranged on one side of the internal terminals 2 or the external terminals 3 in the length direction X or the width direction Y, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is equivalent to increasing the size of the network port connector 100 in the height direction Z, but reducing the size of the network port connector 100 in the length direction X and the width direction Y. In other words, the board area of ​​the network port connector 100 is reduced.

[0045] In some examples, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the transformer circuit board 4 is parallel to the mounting surface 101 .

[0046] In some examples, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the terminal block 1 includes a base 11 and an upper cover 12. The base 11 includes a mounting surface 101, and the upper cover 12 includes a plug-in surface 102. The base 11 includes a receiving groove 111. The receiving groove 111 includes an opening on a side facing away from the mounting surface 101. The network transformer 5 is located in the receiving groove 111, and the transformer circuit board 4 closes the opening of the receiving groove 111.

[0047] In some examples, such as Figure 6 As shown, the upper cover 12 includes an upper cover bracket 121 and a shielding cover 122. The upper cover bracket 121 is fixedly connected to the base 11 and is used to support the external terminal 3. The shielding cover 122 covers the upper cover bracket 121 and the base 11 to achieve electromagnetic shielding for the optical port connector 100.

[0048] In some examples, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the upper cover bracket 121 is engaged with the base 11. For example, the base 11 includes a buckle 112, and the upper cover bracket 121 includes a locking hole 1211, and the buckle 112 is engaged with the locking hole 1211.

[0049] In some examples, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the internal terminal 2 extends through the base 11 in the height direction and is arranged outside the receiving slot 111. In other words, the internal terminal 2 is arranged on one side of the network transformer 5. In this way, the internal terminal 2 and the network transformer 5 share the space in the height direction Z, preventing the network port connector 100 from being too tall.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, the network port connector 100 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be integrated with an indicator light 6. In this way, there is no need to set an indicator light 6 for the network port connector 100 on the circuit board 200, which reduces the board area occupied by the related components of the network port connector 100.

[0051] In some examples, such as Figure 3 As shown, the network port connector includes two indicator lights 6 , the lamp bodies 61 of the two indicator lights 6 are exposed on the plug-in surface 102 and arranged on both sides of the plug-in hole 103 .

[0052] In some examples, one of the two indicator lights 6 is a Link light, which indicates the connection status of the network port connector 100, i.e., whether the network port connector 100 is connected to the peer end via a network cable. For example, when the Link light is on, it indicates that the network port connector 100 is connected to the peer end via a network cable. The other indicator light 6 is an ACT light, which indicates whether the network port connector 100 is transmitting data. For example, when the ACT light flashes, it indicates that the network port connector 100 is transmitting data.

[0053] In some examples, such as Figure 3 As shown, the plug hole 103 includes a buckle hole 1031, and the buckle hole 1031 is used to accommodate the buckle part of the network cable connector. Figure 3 As shown, two indicator lights 6 are arranged on both sides of the buckle hole 1031 .

[0054] It is understandable that the indicator light 6 needs to be turned on, off or flashing under the control of the relevant circuit on the circuit board 200. Therefore, the indicator light 6 also needs to be electrically connected to the circuit board 200. The following is an exemplary description of the implementation method of the electrical connection between the indicator light 6 and the circuit board 200.

[0055] In some examples, the indicator light 6 includes a lamp body 61 and two pins 62 (eg, Figure 5 As shown), the two pins 62 can be directly exposed on the mounting surface 101 to be electrically connected to the circuit board 200.

[0056] In other examples, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the two pins 62 of the indicator light 6 are electrically connected to the transformer circuit board 4. The network port connector 100 also includes two pairs of adapter terminals 7. One end of the adapter terminals 7 is connected to the transformer circuit board 4, and the other end is exposed on the mounting surface 101. Each pair of adapter terminals 7 is electrically connected to the two pins 62 of an indicator light 6 through the transformer circuit board 4.

[0057] Compared to a solution where the pins 62 are directly exposed on the mounting surface 101, the position of the adapter terminal 7 is decoupled from the position of the indicator light 6 (or the lamp body 61). Therefore, the position of the adapter terminal 7 on the mounting surface 101 is more flexible. Therefore, the position of the adapter terminal 7 can be adjusted according to actual needs, thereby reducing the board area occupied by the network port connector 100.

[0058] For example, if Figure 4As shown, the mounting surface 101 includes a first side 1011, a second side 1012, a third side 1013, and a fourth side 1014. The first side 1011 is disposed opposite the third side 1013, and the second side 1012 is disposed opposite the fourth side 1014. The first side 1011 and the third side 1013 are disposed opposite each other in the width direction Y, while the second side 1012 and the fourth side 1014 are disposed opposite each other in the length direction X. The internal terminals 2 are arranged on the first side 1011, the second side 1012, and the fourth side 1014, while the two pairs of adapter terminals 7 are arranged on the second side 1012 and the fourth side 1014, respectively, rather than on the third side 1013. This reduces the size of the network port connector 100 in the width direction Y. Furthermore, since the internal terminals 2 are already arranged on the second side 1012 and the fourth side 1014, arranging the adapter terminals 7 on the second side 1012 and the fourth side 1014 will not increase the size of the network port connector 100 in the length direction X. This arrangement reduces the board area occupied by the network port connector 100, and the terminal arrangement also enhances the smoothness of the connection between the network port connector 100 and the circuit board 200.

[0059] It is understandable that if the pins 62 are directly exposed on the mounting surface 101, considering the location of the lamp body 61, the pins 62 are more conveniently arranged on the third side 1013. This will obviously increase the board area of ​​the network port connector 100 in the width direction Y.

[0060] The disclosed embodiments do not limit the manner in which the internal terminals 2, adapter terminals 7, and circuit board 200 are electrically connected. In some examples, the portion of the internal terminal 2 exposed on the mounting surface 101 is pin-shaped and is inserted into a socket on the circuit board 200 to achieve electrical connection between the internal terminal 2 and the circuit board 200.

[0061] In other examples, such as Figure 4 As shown, the portion of the internal terminal 2 exposed on the mounting surface 101 is in the form of a surface mount pin or pin, and is used to electrically connect to the circuit board 200 using surface mounted technology (SMT). This allows components to be arranged on the side of the circuit board 200 facing away from the network port connector 100, thereby improving the space utilization of the circuit board 200.

[0062] In some examples, the portion of the transfer terminal 7 exposed on the mounting surface 101 is in the shape of a pin and is used to be inserted into the plug hole of the circuit board 200 , thereby achieving electrical connection between the internal terminal 2 and the circuit board 200 .

[0063] In other examples, such as Figure 4As shown, the portion of the transfer terminal 7 exposed on the mounting surface 101 is in the form of a surface-mount pin or surface-mount pin, and is used to electrically connect to the circuit board 200 in a surface-mount manner. In this way, the side of the circuit board 200 facing away from the network port connector 100 can also be used to layout components, thereby improving the space utilization of the circuit board 200.

[0064] The following is an exemplary description of the shape and related dimensions of the network port connector 100 .

[0065] The embodiment of the present disclosure does not limit the angle between the mounting surface 101 and the plug-in surface 102. In some examples, such as Figure 7 As shown, the angle A between the mounting surface 101 and the plugging surface 102 is greater than 35° and less than 55°, for example, A is 45°. This allows the network device to be wall-mounted, allowing the network cable to be angled downward, reducing the space occupied by the network cable connector in the height direction Z. This facilitates the use of network devices in installation spaces with limited space. This type of network port connector 100 can be referred to as an angled-insert network port connector.

[0066] In other examples, the mounting surface 101 and the plugging surface 102 are parallel, that is, the plugging and unplugging direction of the network cable connector is perpendicular to the circuit board 200. This type of network port connector 100 can be referred to as a straight-in network port connector.

[0067] In some examples, such as Figure 7 As shown, the network port connector 100 further includes two first side surfaces 104, two second side surfaces 105, and an inclined surface 106. The two first side surfaces 104 are arranged opposite to each other in the length direction X, and the two second side surfaces 105 are arranged opposite to each other in the width direction Y. The positional relationship between the first side surface 104, the second side surface 105, and the inclined surface 106 is shown in FIG. Figure 7 shown.

[0068] In some examples, such as Figure 7 As shown, the length a of the network port connector 100 is less than 25 mm or 23 mm, for example, a is 21 mm.

[0069] In some examples, such as Figure 7 As shown, the width b of the network port connector 100 is less than 20 mm, for example, b is 18 mm.

[0070] In some examples, such as Figure 7 As shown, the height c of the second side surface 105 of the network port connector 100 is less than 16 mm, for example, c is 14 mm.

[0071] The present disclosure also provides a network device, including the network port connector 100. The network device is an ONU or ONT, which can be applied to FTTH, FTTR, PON, and other system architectures.

[0072] The above descriptions are merely optional embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the principles of the present disclosure shall be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A network port connector, characterized in that: The network port connector comprises a terminal seat (1), an internal terminal (2), an external terminal (3), a transformer circuit board (4) and a network transformer (5); The terminal seat (1) comprises a mounting surface (101) and a plug-in surface (102), the mounting surface (101) being used for connecting to a circuit board (200), the internal terminal (2) being exposed on the mounting surface (101), the plug-in surface (102) comprising an opening of a plug-in hole (103), the plug-in hole (103) being used for docking a network cable connector, and the external terminal (3) being exposed inside and outside the plug-in hole (103); Along a height direction (Z), the transformer circuit board (4) is arranged between the internal terminal (2) and the external terminal (3), and the network transformer (5) is electrically connected to the internal terminal (2) and the external terminal (3) respectively through the transformer circuit board (4), wherein the height direction (Z) is perpendicular to the mounting surface (101).

2. The network port connector according to claim 1, wherein: The transformer circuit board (4) is parallel to the mounting surface (101).

3. The network port connector according to claim 1, wherein: The terminal seat (1) comprises a base (11) and an upper cover (12), the base (11) comprises the mounting surface (101), and the upper cover (12) comprises the plug-in surface (102); The base (11) comprises a receiving groove (111), the receiving groove (111) comprises an opening on a side facing away from the mounting surface (101), the network transformer (5) is located in the receiving groove (111), and the transformer circuit board (4) closes the opening of the receiving groove (111).

4. The network port connector according to claim 3, wherein: The internal connection terminal (2) passes through the base (11) along the height direction (Z) and is arranged outside the accommodating groove (111).

5. The network port connector according to claim 1, wherein: The portion of the internal terminal (2) exposed on the mounting surface (101) is used to be fixed to the circuit board (200) in a surface mounting manner.

6. The network port connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The network port connector further comprises two indicator lights (6), the lamp bodies (61) of the two indicator lights (6) being exposed on the plug-in surface (102) and arranged on both sides of the plug-in hole (103).

7. The network port connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: Each of the indicator lights (6) includes two pins (62), and the two pins (62) are electrically connected to the transformer circuit board (4); The network port connector further comprises two pairs of adapter terminals (7), one end of each of the adapter terminals (7) being connected to the transformer circuit board (4) and the other end being exposed on the mounting surface (101), wherein each pair of the adapter terminals (7) is electrically connected to two pins (62) of one of the indicator lights (6) via the transformer circuit board (4).

8. The network port connector according to claim 7, wherein: The mounting surface (101) comprises a first side (1011), a second side (1012), a third side (1013) and a fourth side (1014); the first side (1011) and the third side (1013) are arranged opposite to each other, and the second side (1012) and the fourth side (1014) are arranged opposite to each other; The internal connection terminals (2) are arranged on the first side (1011), the second side (1012) and the fourth side (1014), and the two pairs of transfer terminals (7) are arranged on the second side (1012) and the fourth side (1014), respectively.

9. The network port connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The included angle between the installation surface (101) and the plug-in surface (102) is greater than 35° and less than 55°.

10. A network device, characterized in that: The network device includes the network port connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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