Ethernet cable connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9923288-B2
Application number	US-201615294373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 14, 2016
Priority date	May 24, 2016
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

An Ethernet cable assembly including a cable with nine elongated conductors, a first connector and a second connector located on opposing ends of the cable, and a coupler for electrically coupling with one or both of the connectors. The connectors may each include nine pin receptacles electrically coupled with one of the elongated conductors. The nine receptacles may be arranged with one center receptacle surrounded by eight outer receptacles, symmetrically arranged about a line of symmetry passing through the center receptacle, such that when identical first or second connectors of another cable faces one of the first and second connectors, complementary crossover pairs of the receptacles match up with positive receptacles matching positive receptacles and negative receptacles matching negative receptacles. To couple these identical Ethernet connectors with each other, the coupler may have pins simply passing from one side of the coupler housing to another, without any crossover hardware required therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An Ethernet cable assembly comprising:
a cable including nine conductors;
a first connector coupled with a first end of the cable; and
a second connector coupled with a second end of the cable;
wherein the first and second connectors each comprise a non-conductive housing, an alignment element associated with the pin-receptacle-supporting face, and nine pin receptacles supported on the pin-receptacle-supporting face, the pin receptacles each electrically coupled with one of the conductors;
wherein the pin receptacles include a center pin receptacle and a plurality of outer pin receptacles circumferentially-spaced around the center pin receptacle in a symmetrical fashion;
wherein the outer pin receptacles comprises a first pin receptacle, a second pin receptacle, a third pin receptacle, a fourth pin receptacle, a fifth pin receptacle, a sixth pin receptacle, a seventh pin receptacle, and an eighth pin receptacle; and
wherein a third conductor and a fourth conductor are formed into a first twisted pair, a first conductor and a second conductor are formed into a second twisted pair, a seventh conductor and a eighth conductor are formed into a third twisted pair, and a fifth conductor and a sixth conductor are formed into a fourth twisted pair.

2. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first twisted pair is complementary to the fourth twisted pair and the second twisted pair is complementary to the third twisted pair.

3. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first and second connectors comprise center pin receptacles configured to serve as a drain and a ninth conductor extending between the center receptacles of the first and second connectors are configured to serve as a shield.

4. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first conductor is configured to carry a BI_DA+ data signal, and wherein the fourth conductor is configured to carry a BI_DC− data signal.

5. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second conductor is configured to carry a BI_DA− data signal, and wherein the third conductor is configured to carry a BI_DC+ data signal.

6. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 1 , wherein the fifth conductor is configured to carry a BI_DD− data signal, and wherein the sixth conductor is configured to carry a BI_DD+ data signal.

7. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seventh conductor is configured to carry a BI_DB− data signal; and wherein the eighth conductor is configured to carry a BI_DB+ data signal.

8. An Ethernet cable assembly comprising:
a cable including nine conductors;
a first connector coupled with a first end of the cable;
a second connector coupled with a second end of the cable; and
a coupler configured for physically and electrically connecting to either the first connector or the second connector;
wherein the first and second connectors each comprise a non-conductive housing, an alignment element associated with the pin-receptacle-supporting face, and nine pin receptacles supported on the pin-receptacle-supporting face, the pin receptacles each electrically coupled with one of the conductors;
wherein the pin receptacles include a center pin receptacle and a plurality of outer pin receptacles circumferentially-spaced around the center pin receptacle in a symmetrical fashion;
wherein the outer pin receptacles comprises a first pin receptacle, a second pin receptacle, a third pin receptacle, a fourth pin receptacle, a fifth pin receptacle, a sixth pin receptacle, a seventh pin receptacle, and an eighth pin receptacle.

9. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 8 , wherein the coupler comprises a non-conductive housing having first and second ends and at least one alignment element that cooperatively mates with the alignment elements on the first and second connectors.

10. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 9 , wherein the coupler further comprises nine elongated pins extending between the first and second ends of the housing, the pins arranged to physically and electrically couple with the pin receptacles of the first or the second connectors when either the first or second end of the coupler is connected to either the first connector or the second connector.

11. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 8 , further comprising a plastic collar having threads formed therein, wherein the non-conductive housings of at least one of the coupler and the first and second connectors have screw threads formed thereon, wherein the threads of the plastic collar engage with the threads of the non-conductive housings to attach the coupler with the first connector or the second connector.

12. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 9 , wherein the plastic collar forms a waterproof connection with the coupler, an o-ring, and the first or second connector.

13. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 8 , wherein the non-conductive housings of the first and second connectors and the coupler are made of plastic, wherein when the non-conductive housing of the coupler forms a waterproof connection with the non-conductive housing of the first or second connectors when the pins of the coupler are seated in the pin receptacles of the first or second connector.

14. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first alignment element of at least one of the connectors comprises an alignment protrusion and the second alignment element of the coupler comprises an alignment indention configured to slidably mate with the alignment protrusion.

15. The Ethernet cable assembly of claim 8 , wherein the first alignment element of at least one of the connectors comprises an alignment indention and the second alignment element of the coupler comprises an alignment protrusion configured to slidably mate with the alignment indention.

Assignees

• Garmin Switzerland Gmbh

Inventors

• Bertrand Paul M
• Barnes Brian B
• Pirtle Samuel T

Classifications

• H01R13/64

  Means for preventing incorrect coupling · CPC title

• H01R2201/04

  for network, e.g. LAN connectors · CPC title

• H01R13/052

  co-operating with sockets having a circular transverse section · CPC title

• H01R13/59

  Threaded ferrule or bolt operating in a direction parallel to the cable or wire · CPC title

• H01R13/5219

  Sealing means between coupling parts, e.g. interfacial seal · CPC title