Genderless insulator for an interconnect system

Abstract

A genderless insulator houses a pin contact and a socket contact. Male and female connector pairs may include one or more contact assemblies with the genderless insulator and corresponding contacts. Through the use of the pin / socket contact pairs and the genderless insulators, the male and female connectors may differ in shells only and the contact sub-assemblies may be identical (except for the pin and socket contacts). The interconnect system may be for connecting a single pair ethernet (SPE) cable to a device (or a mechanical hub) or for connecting two loose SPE cables, for example.

Description

Docket No. 3100.0148W01GENDERLESS INSULATOR FOR AN INTERCONNECT SYSTEMCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63 / 679,761 filed on August 6, 2024. The disclosures of the Provisional Application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0003] Connector systems provide electrical interconnection between different devices allowing exchange of data, control information, power, and other electrical signals. Depending on implementation, size, shape, pin numbers, and other characteristics of the connectors may vary. Some connector systems are for special environments such as hazardous environments and may therefore include special sealing properties. Others may be shielded against electromagnetic interference. Pin numbers and sizes may also differ depending on the implementation such as expected current levels, number of signals to be exchanged, etc.SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure generally describes a genderless insulator for an interconnect system.

[0005] According to some examples, a dual -contact genderless insulator sub-assembly for an interconnect system may include a front insulator having a first cavity to contain a top portion of a socket contact, a second cavity to contain a top portion of a pin contact, a first center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, and an extrusion portion. The sub-assembly may also include a rear insulator having a third cavity to contain a bottom portion of the socket contact, a fourth cavity to contain a bottom portion of the pin contact, and a second center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact. The extrusion portion of the front insulator may overlap at least partially with the rear insulator for fastening the front insulator andDocket No. 3100.0148W01 the rear insulator together. The third cavity may further contain a first wire electrically connected to the socket contact, and the fourth cavity may further contain a second wire electrically connected to the pin contact.

[0006] According to other examples, a connector for a dual-contact interconnect system may include a shell; a body inside the shell; a socket contact and a pin contact; and an insulator sub-assembly containing the socket contact and the pin contact. The insulator sub-assembly may include a front insulator having a first cavity to contain a top portion of a socket contact, a second cavity to contain a top portion of a pin contact, a first center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, and an extrusion portion. The sub-assembly may also include a rear insulator having a third cavity to contain a bottom portion of the socket contact, a fourth cavity to contain a bottom portion of the pin contact, and a second center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact. The extrusion portion of the front insulator may overlap at least partially with the rear insulator for fastening the front insulator and the rear insulator together. The third cavity may further contain a first wire electrically connected to the socket contact, and the fourth cavity may further contain a second wire electrically connected to the pin contact.

[0007] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The foregoing and other features of this disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which:FIG. 1A and IB illustrate a cross-section view of a dual-contact interconnect system with genderless insulators in the receptacle and plug connectors in uncoupled and coupled configurations;Docket No. 3100.0148W01FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section view of a genderless insulator with a pair of pin and socket contacts;FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a genderless insulator with a pair of pin and socket contacts;FIG. 4A illustrates front view of a dual -contact plug connector with a genderless insulator; andFIG. 4B illustrates front view of a dual -contact receptacle connector with a genderless insulator, all arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. The aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

[0010] This disclosure is generally drawn, inter alia, to a genderless insulator for an interconnect system.

[0011] FIG. 1 A and IB illustrate a cross-section view of a dual-contact interconnect system with genderless insulators in the receptacle and plug connectors in uncoupled and coupled configurations, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

[0012] Diagram 100A shows cross-section view of a dual-contact interconnect system in uncoupled configuration, according to examples, and includes a male (plug) connector shell 102 with a pin contact 108 and a socket contact 106 inside a genderless insulator 104. The diagram also shows a female (receptacle) connector shell 112 with its genderless insulator 114 and pin contact 118 and socket contact 116. The male and female connectors 102, 112 mate through a threaded mechanism enabling the respective pin / socket pairs to make electrical contact.Docket No. 3100.0148W01Through the use of the pin / socket contact pairs and the genderless insulators, the male and female connectors differ in shells only and the contact sub-assemblies are identical (except for the pin and socket contacts) for both making manufacturing and service (e.g., in-field replaceability) easier and reducing cost. The interconnect system may be for connecting a single pair ethemet (SPE) cable to a device (or a mechanical hub) or for connecting two loose SPE cables, for example. The interconnect system may also connect differential pair cables, twinaxial cables, low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) cables, general purpose input output (GPIO) cables, universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) cables, etc. In case of connection to a device or a hub, one of the connectors (e.g., make connector in the shown example) may include a fastening mechanism, where a nut fastens the connector to a hole in an enclosure.

[0013] In addition to the shown threaded mechanism, the connector pair may be coupled through bayonet, latch, lever, push-pull, screw, snap-in, or similar mechanisms. In some examples, the shells (102, 112) of the connector pair may be made from conductive material and act as shield (and ground) electrically coupling to the shields of the cables on both sides. In other examples, inside surfaces of the shells may be covered with conductive materials (e.g., plating, spraying, or similar methods) and act as the shield and ground. In some examples, crimpable brass, a light weight aluminum alloy, electroless or sulfamate nickel, black or zinc nickel, and similar non-reflective coatings / platings may be employed.

[0014] Diagram 100B shows cross-section view of a dual-contact interconnect system in coupled configuration, according to examples, where the male connector shell 102 and the female connector shell are completely mated with the pin / socket contact pairs fully coupled in electrical connection. Additional features illustrated in diagram 100B include a sealing gasket 124 to provide internal sealing (e.g., for hazardous environments), an O-ring 126 to seal an enclosure to which the male connector 112 may be affixed to, and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) band 122 to provide shielding / ground connection.

[0015] While the male (plug) and female (receptacle) connectors are shown having circular form in the diagrams, embodiments may be implemented using any connector form such as rectangular, trapezoid, triangular, etc. The pin / socket contacts may be coupled to their respective wires through crimping or soldering. The genderless insulator(s) may be affixed to the connector shells through a light-weight crimp ferrule, a direct crimp, a compression nut withDocket No. 3100.0148W01 grommet, a snap cap with grommet, or similar mechanisms. The insulator(s) may also be affixed to the cables through crimping, shrink-sleeve, or other similar mechanisms. Insulator materials may be selected for their dielectric constant to match an impedance of the contacts.

[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section view of a genderless insulator with a pair of pin and socket contacts, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein. Diagram 200 shows the genderless insulator with its two parts: front insulator 202 and rear insulator 204. The front and rear insulators are affixed through a snap-on mechanism in some examples with the pin and socket contacts 206, 208 contained in both parts. The pin / socket contacts 206, 208 may be crimped or soldered onto respective wires 214, 212 of a cable 216 inside the rear insulator 204. The genderless insulator may be crimped onto the cable 216 (crimp ferrule 218) or affixed onto the cable through similar mechanisms.

[0017] A center portion of the rear insulator 204 separates the pin / socket contacts and the respective wires. In the front insulator 202, a cavity contains the socket contact 206 with the socket contact recessed inside the cavity. The pin contact extends out from a similar second cavity in the front insulator 202.

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a genderless insulator with a pair of pin and socket contacts, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

[0019] Diagram 300 shows the outside view of an assembled genderless insulator with its two parts: front insulator 302 and rear insulator 304 with the pin contact 308 extending out from the front insulator and the socket contact 306 recessed inside a cavity in the front insulator 302. A portion of the front insulator 302 extends and covers over the rear insulator 304 to provide the snap-on mechanism affixing the two parts together. Crimp ferrule 318 affixes the genderless insulator onto the cable 316. The genderless insulator and the cable may be affixed through other mechanisms too.

[0020] As shown in diagram 300, the front insulator 302 may be an asymmetrical shape to allow keying, which ensures proper positioning of the pin and socket contacts in respective male and female connectors. Thus, the pin / socket contact pairs of male and female connectors may be always lined up for mating. Furthermore, a front portion of the cavity containing the socket contact 306 may have a beveled, tapered, or chamfered edge. The cavity containing the pin contact 308 may have an inverted beveled / tapered / chamfered edge. Thus, when corresponding genderless insulators of matching connectors mate, the edge portions may provide furtherDocket No. 3100.0148W01 matching and ensure full connection between the socket contacts and corresponding pin contacts. The shape and size of the genderless insulator shown is for illustration purposes only. Any size, shape genderless insulator may be implemented depending on connector requirements.

[0021] FIG. 4A illustrates front view of a dual-contact plug connector with a genderless insulator, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

[0022] Diagram 400A shows the shell 414 of the plug connector with a body 412 of the connector containing the genderless insulator 402 inside and in a substantially center location. The pin contact 408 and socket contact 406 inside the genderless insulator 402 are also shown. The genderless insulator 402 (and the corresponding cavity inside the connector body 412) is keyed to allow matching of the contacts when corresponding connectors are mated. The beveled / tapered / chamfered edge of the socket contact cavity and the inverted beveled / tapered / chamfered edge of the pin contact cavity, which assist in ensuring full connection between pin / socket contact pairs are also shown. Diagram 400A further shows an EMI band 416 surrounding the connector body 412.

[0023] FIG. 4B illustrates front view of a dual-contact receptacle connector with a genderless insulator, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

[0024] Diagram 400B shows the shell 430 of the receptacle connector with a body 432 of the connector containing the genderless insulator 402 inside and in a substantially center location. The pin contact 408 and socket contact 406 inside the genderless insulator 402 are also shown. The genderless insulator 402 (and the corresponding cavity inside the connector body 432) is keyed to allow matching of the contacts when corresponding connectors are mated. The beveled / tapered / chamfered edge of the socket contact cavity and the inverted beveled / tapered / chamfered edge of the pin contact cavity, which assist in ensuring full connection between pin / socket contact pairs are also shown.

[0025] Diagram 400B further shows sealing gasket 424 to seal an inside space of mated connectors. In an implementation configuration, where the plug connector is affixed to an enclosure (or a PCB) a nut 434 may be used to fasten the shell 430 (specifically, an extruded portion at a base of the shell) to an enclosure wall or PCB. O-ring 426 may be used to seal the fastening between the plug connector and the enclosure (or PCB).

[0026] According to some examples, a dual -contact genderless insulator sub-assembly for an interconnect system may include a front insulator having a first cavity to contain a top portionDocket No. 3100.0148W01 of a socket contact, a second cavity to contain a top portion of a pin contact, a first center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, and an extrusion portion. The sub-assembly may also include a rear insulator having a third cavity to contain a bottom portion of the socket contact, a fourth cavity to contain a bottom portion of the pin contact, and a second center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact. The extrusion portion of the front insulator may overlap at least partially with the rear insulator for fastening the front insulator and the rear insulator together. The third cavity may further contain a first wire electrically connected to the socket contact, and the fourth cavity may further contain a second wire electrically connected to the pin contact.

[0027] According to other examples, the socket contact and the first wire may be crimped or soldered together inside the third cavity, and the pin contact and the second wire may be crimped or soldered together inside the fourth cavity. The insulator sub-assembly may further include a fastening mechanism to fasten a cable containing the first wire and the second wire to the rear insulator. The fastening mechanism may include a crimp ferrule. The front insulator and the rear insulator may be fastened together through a snap-on mechanism. The front insulator may have a keyed shape to ensure proper mating of a socket / pin contact pair. The first cavity may have one of a beveled, tapered, or chamfered edge on a front surface of the front insulator, and the second cavity may have one of an inverse beveled, inverse tapered, or inverse chamfered edge on the front surface of the front insulator.

[0028] According to further examples, a connector for a dual -contact interconnect system may include a shell; a body inside the shell; a socket contact and a pin contact; and an insulator sub-assembly containing the socket contact and the pin contact. The insulator sub-assembly may include a front insulator having a first cavity to contain a top portion of a socket contact, a second cavity to contain a top portion of a pin contact, a first center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, and an extrusion portion. The sub-assembly may also include a rear insulator having a third cavity to contain a bottom portion of the socket contact, a fourth cavity to contain a bottom portion of the pin contact, and a second center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact. The extrusion portion of the front insulator may overlap at least partially with the rear insulator for fastening the front insulator and the rear insulator together. The third cavity may further contain a first wire electrically connected to the socket contact, and the fourth cavity may further contain a second wire electrically connected to the pin contact.Docket No. 3100.0148W01

[0029] According to some examples, the socket contact and the first wire may be crimped or soldered together inside the third cavity, and the pin contact and the second wire may be crimped or soldered together inside the fourth cavity. The insulator sub-assembly may further include a fastening mechanism to fasten a cable containing the first wire and the second wire to the rear insulator. The fastening mechanism may include a crimp ferrule. The front insulator and the rear insulator may be fastened together through a snap-on mechanism. The front insulator may have a keyed shape to ensure proper mating of a socket / pin contact pair. The first cavity may have one of a beveled, tapered, or chamfered edge on a front surface of the front insulator, and the second cavity may have one of an inverse beveled, inverse tapered, or inverse chamfered edge on the front surface of the front insulator.

[0030] According to other examples, the connector may further include a locking mechanism to fasten to a matching connector of the interconnect system, where the locking mechanism includes one of a bayonet, a latch, a lever, a push-pull, a screw, or a snap-in coupling mechanism. The shell may be made from a conductive material. The shell may be covered with a conductive material on an inside surface. The connector may also include a first O-ring to seal an inside space between the connector and a matching connector of the interconnect system; and a second O-ring to seal an enclosure opening to which the connector is to be affixed. In some cases, the connector may include a plurality of insulators with corresponding pairs of pin and socket contacts.

[0031] The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, are possible from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.

[0032] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. Such depicted architectures are merely examples, and in fact, many other architectures may be implemented which achieve theDocket No. 3100.0148W01 same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality may be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediate components. Likewise, any two components so associated may also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated may also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically connectable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0033] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and / or application. The various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

[0034] In general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art willDocket No. 3100.0148W01 recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).

[0035] Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general, such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

[0036] For any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as “up to,” “at least,” “greater than,” “less than,” and the like include the number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth.

[0037] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments are possible. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

Docket No. 3100.0148W01CLAIMSI / WE Claim:

1. A dual -contact genderless insulator sub-assembly for an interconnect system, comprising: a front insulator having a first cavity to contain a top portion of a socket contact, a second cavity to contain a top portion of a pin contact, a first center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, and an extrusion portion; a rear insulator having a third cavity to contain a bottom portion of the socket contact, a fourth cavity to contain a bottom portion of the pin contact, and a second center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, wherein the extrusion portion of the front insulator overlaps at least partially with the rear insulator for fastening the front insulator and the rear insulator together, the third cavity further contains a first wire electrically connected to the socket contact, and the fourth cavity further contains a second wire electrically connected to the pin contact.

2. The insulator sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the socket contact and the first wire are crimped or soldered together inside the third cavity, and the pin contact and the second wire are crimped or soldered together inside the fourth cavity.

3. The insulator sub-assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a fastening mechanism to fasten a cable containing the first wire and the second wire to the rear insulator.Docket No. 3100.0148W014. The insulator sub-assembly of claim 3, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises a crimp ferrule.

5. The insulator sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the front insulator and the rear insulator are fastened together through a snap-on mechanism.

6. The insulator sub-assembly of claim 2, wherein the front insulator has a keyed shape to ensure proper mating of a socket / pin contact pair.

7. The insulator sub-assembly of claim 1, wherein the first cavity has one of a beveled, tapered, or chamfered edge on a front surface of the front insulator, and the second cavity has one of an inverse beveled, inverse tapered, or inverse chamfered edge on the front surface of the front insulator.

8. A connector for a dual-contact interconnect system, comprising: a shell; a body inside the shell; a socket contact and a pin contact; and an insulator sub-assembly containing the socket contact and the pin contact, the insulator sub-assembly comprising: a front insulator having a first cavity to contain a top portion of the socket contact, a second cavity to contain a top portion of the pin contact, a first center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, and an extrusion portion; a rear insulator having a third cavity to contain a bottom portion of the socket contact, a fourth cavity to contain a bottom portion of the pin contact, and a second center portion to separate the socket contact and the pin contact, whereinDocket No. 3100.0148W01 the extrusion portion of the front insulator overlaps at least partially with the rear insulator for fastening the front insulator and the rear insulator together, the third cavity further contains a first wire electrically connected to the socket contact, and the fourth cavity further contains a second wire electrically connected to the pin contact.

9. The connector of claim 8, wherein the socket contact and the first wire are crimped or soldered together inside the third cavity, and the pin contact and the second wire are crimped or soldered together inside the fourth cavity.

10. The connector of claim 8, wherein the insulator sub-assembly further comprises: a fastening mechanism to fasten a cable containing the first wire and the second wire to the rear insulator.

11. The connector of claim 10, wherein the fastening mechanism comprises a crimp ferrule.

12. The connector of claim 8, wherein the front insulator and the rear insulator are fastened together through a snap-on mechanism.

13. The connector of claim 8, wherein the front insulator has a keyed shape to ensure proper mating of a socket / pin contact pair.

14. The connector of claim 8, wherein the first cavity has one of a beveled, tapered, or chamfered edge on a front surface of the front insulator, and the second cavity has one of an inverse beveled, inverse tapered, or inverse chamfered edge on the front surface of the front insulator.Docket No. 3100.0148W0115. The connector of claim 8, further comprising a locking mechanism to fasten to a matching connector of the interconnect system, wherein the locking mechanism includes one of a bayonet, a latch, a lever, a push-pull, a screw, or a snap-in coupling mechanism.

16. The connector of claim 8, wherein the shell is made from a conductive material.

17. The connector of claim 8, wherein the shell is covered with a conductive material on an inside surface.

18. The connector of claim 8, further comprising: a first O-ring to seal an inside space between the connector and a matching connector of the interconnect system; and a second O-ring to seal an enclosure opening to which the connector is to be affixed.

19. The connector of claim 8, wherein the connector comprises a plurality of insulators with corresponding pairs of pin and socket contacts.

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