Data current coupler and methods of making and assembling same

A method of making an upper member of a coupler assembly having a pair of E-shaped electromagnets matably engageable with a corresponding pair of E-shaped electromagnets of a lower member, for noninvasively coupling to a pair of conductor wires of a twisted pair data bus and sensing and transmitting signals therealong in cooperation with a control unit, the upper member including an electronic subassembly containing electrical and electronic components and circuits defining amplifier circuits for amplifying said sensed signals and signals to be transmitted, a circuit-bearing substrate including circuits defining windings about central legs of said pair of electromagnets and electrically connected to said electronic subassembly, and further including an electrical connector for electrical connection with the control unit, and further providing shielding and covering about the parts thereof, the method comprising the steps of:

• securing the electrical connector to the circuit-bearing substrate and electrically connecting contact means of the electronic subassembly to appropriate contact means of the electrical connector and to appropriate circuit means of the circuit-bearing substrate;
• securing a shield member to the circuit-bearing substrate about said electronic subassembly and said electrical connector rearwardly from the mating interface thereof, and joining edges of said shield member to ground plating material of outwardly facing surfaces of the circuit-bearing substrate to establish a continuous shield about the electronic subassembly and electrical connections thereof;
• potting with dielectric material of low thermal expansion characteristics the interior of the shield member and about the electronic subassembly and electrical connections;
• molding a dielectric cover about the shield member, the electrical connector rearwardly from the mating interface thereof, and the exposed surfaces of the circuit-bearing substrate, and providing electromagnet-receiving recesses in communication with leg-receiving apertures through the circuit-bearing substrate and defining a downwardly facing planar mating face adapted to be coplanar with exposed mating end faces of legs of the electromagnets, and further defining means cooperable with fastening means for securing the upper member thus defined to a lower member having cooperable fastening means;
• and
• placing the electromagnets into said electromagnet-receiving recesses such that the legs thereof extend through said leg-receiving apertures and mating end faces thereof are not recessed below said planar mating face, and potting the electromagnets in said recesses securing them within the upper member.

A method of assembly an upper member to a lower member of a data current coupler of the type having a pair of electromagnet cores defined by pairs of matable E-shaped electromagnets to couple about a pair of conductor wires of a twisted pair cable of a data bus system to sense and transmit signals therealong, the upper member including upper ones of the pairs of electromagnets at a coupling end thereof, a circuit-bearing substrate providing circuits defining windings about the central legs of the electromagnet cores, an electronic subassembly including electrical and electronic components and circuits defining amplifier circuits to which the windings are electrically connected, and means for electrically connecting circuits of the electronic subassembly at an interface with connecting means of a control unit;

• and the lower member including lower ones of the pairs of electromagnets at a coupling end thereof, wire-receiving channel means through legs of the lower electromagnets, said lower member to be mounted to a panel at a selected location along said twisted pair cable and said conductor wires to be disposed along and within said wire-receiving channel means, the method comprising the steps of:
• providing a first fastener member at the coupling end of the upper member and a cooperable second fastener at the coupling end of the lower member, said first and second fastener members adapted to be fastened together upon the respective coupling ends of the upper and lower members being placed together;
• providing first pivot means at a second end of the upper member opposed from the coupling end thereof and cooperable second pivot means at a second pivot means at a second end of the lower member opposed from the coupling end thereof;
• after said lower member has been mounted to the panel and the conductor wires disposed along and within the wire-receiving channel means, orienting the upper member with the lower member with respective said coupling ends thereof spaced apart, respective said second ends thereof adjacent each other, and said first and second pivot means in pivotable relationship;
• and
• rotating the upper member about said first and second pivot means and said upper member coupling end toward and against said lower member coupling end and fastening said first and second fastening means together, thereby securing the upper and lower members together with the pairs of electromagnets mating and defining continuous electromagnet cores about the conductor wires disposed along and within said wire-receiving channel means.