Connectivity sensing assembly
View Patent ↗A receptacle assembly includes a housing having a front mating face and receptacles configured to receive plugs therein through the front mating face, where the plugs have connectivity pins attached thereto. The receptacle module includes connectivity sensor areas associated with the receptacles, where each connectivity sensor area is positioned adjacent the corresponding receptacle. Each connectivity sensor area has a first connectivity sensor and a second connectivity sensor that is electrically isolated from the first connectivity sensor when the plug is disconnected from the receptacle. Both the first and second connectivity sensors are configured to be engaged by different connectivity pins of the plug when the plug is received in the corresponding receptacle to form a sense circuit.
1. A receptacle assembly comprising:
a housing having a front mating face, the housing having receptacles configured to receive plugs therein through the front mating face, the plugs having connectivity pins attached thereto;
a circuit board coupled to the front mating face of the housing; and
connectivity sensor areas associated with the receptacles, each connectivity sensor area being positioned adjacent the corresponding receptacle, each connectivity sensor area having a first connectivity sensor and a second connectivity sensor, wherein the second connectivity sensor is electrically isolated from the first connectivity sensor when the plug is disconnected from the receptacle, and wherein both the first and second connectivity sensors are configured to be engaged by different connectivity pins of the plug when the plug is received in the corresponding receptacle to form a sense circuit, the first and second connectivity sensors being provided on the circuit board such that the circuit board has multiple sense circuits defined thereon.
2. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising insulators, the first and second connectivity sensors being arranged in a multilayer arrangement with the insulators positioned between the first and second connectivity sensors.
3. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , wherein more than one of the second connectivity sensors are electrically communed together.
4. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the second connectivity sensor is positioned between the front mating face of the housing and the first connectivity sensor.
5. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising insulators positioned between the first and second connectivity sensors to electrically isolate the first and second connectivity sensors, the first and second connectivity sensors being arranged in a multilayer arrangement with the insulators.
6. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first connectivity sensors are electrically connected to the a connectivity management system, the first connectivity sensors being configured to sense the connectivity status of the corresponding receptacle.
7. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sense circuit is closed when the first and second connectivity sensors are engaged by the connectivity pins of the plug to convey a unique plug identification to an analyzer.
8. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sense circuit forms part of a connectivity management system that is used to identify the receptacle and unique information about the particular plug received within the corresponding receptacle.
9. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a ground contact strip that is electrically grounded, the ground contact strip extending across the front mating face of the housing adjacent multiple ones of the receptacles, at least two of the second connectivity sensors forming part of the ground contact strip to provide grounding of the sense circuit.
10. A receptacle assembly comprising:
a housing having a front mating face, the housing having receptacles configured to receive plugs therein through the front mating face;
a ground contact strip being electrically grounded, the ground contact strip extending across the front mating face adjacent the receptacles; and
sense contacts being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the receptacles, the sense contacts having sense pads, the sense pads extending over the ground contact strip such that the ground contact strip is positioned between the front mating face of the housing and the sense pads; and
an insulator positioned between each of the sense contacts and the ground contact strip, the insulator insulating the sense contacts from direct contact with the ground contact strip.
11. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes contact openings extending therethrough, the first connectivity sensors extending into the contact openings to a rear of the housing, the first connectivity sensors being configured to be terminated to corresponding wires of a connectivity management system at the rear of the housing.
12. The receptacle assembly of claim 1 , the first connectivity sensors being part of discrete circuits, the second connectivity sensors being part of a common electrical circuit.
13. A receptacle assembly comprising:
a housing having a front mating face, the housing having receptacles configured to receive corresponding plugs therein through the front mating face;
ground contacts being electrically grounded, the ground contacts being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the receptacles; and
sense contacts forming part of a connectivity management system, the sense contacts being positioned adjacent corresponding ones of the receptacles; wherein the ground contacts and the sense contacts are arranged in pairs as part of a sense circuit, the ground contact and the sense contact of a particular sense circuit being configured to be engaged by different connectivity pins of one of the plugs when the particular plug is loaded into the corresponding receptacle so that upon mating of the plug and receptacle the sense circuit is created to transfer connectivity information through the connectivity management system.
14. The receptacle assembly of claim 13 , further comprising insulators positioned between the ground contacts and corresponding ones of the sense contacts, the ground and sense contacts being arranged in a multilayer arrangement with the insulators.
15. The receptacle assembly of claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the ground contact is positioned between the front mating face of the housing and the corresponding sense contact.
16. The receptacle assembly of claim 13 , wherein the ground contacts are integrally formed with a ground contact strip extending across the front mating face of the housing adjacent multiple ones of the receptacles, the sense contacts being positioned adjacent the ground contact strip.
17. The receptacle assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sense contacts are electrically connected to a connectivity management system, the sense contacts being configured to sense the connectivity status of the corresponding receptacle.
18. The receptacle assembly of claim 10 , wherein the ground contact strip and the sense contacts are arranged in a multilayer arrangement with the insulators positioned between the sense pads and the ground contact strip.
19. The receptacle assembly of claim 13 , further comprising a circuit board coupled to the front mating face of the housing, the ground contacts and sense contacts being provided on the circuit board such that the circuit board has multiple sense circuits defined thereon.
20. The receptacle assembly of claim 10 , wherein the ground contact strip is non-planar with the ground contact strip having a base and ground pads positioned forward of the base, the ground pads being substantially coplanar with the sense pads.