Abstract:
A modular high speed, high density electrical connector configurable for use in multiple configurations, including a direct attach orthogonal configuration. The connector is assembled with modules that include shielded pairs of signal conductors with mating ends that are rotated approximately 45 degrees with respect to intermediate portions of the signal conductors. The connector may have a mating interface with receptacles in one connector and pins in the mating connector. The pins may be small diameter and may be implemented with superelastic wires so as to resist damage despite having very small effective diameter. A compact mating interface resulting from small diameter mating contact portions may enable other portions of the connector, including the shielding surrounding the signal conductors to be smaller, which may raise the resonant frequency of the connector and extend its bandwidth.
Abstract:
An electrical connector designed for high speed signals. The connector includes one or more features that, when used alone or in combination, extend performance to higher speeds. These features may include compensation for tie bars that are used to hold conductive members in place for molding a housing around the conductive members. Removal of the tie bars during manufacture of the connector may leave artifacts in the conductive members and/or housing, which may be addressed by the features. The conductive members, for example, may include regions, adjacent tie bar locations, that compensate for portions of the tie bar that are not fully removed. Alternatively or additionally, a housing may include openings around tie bar locations such that a punch may be used to sever the tie bars. These openings may be filled to avoid performance-affecting artifacts.
Abstract:
A modular electrical connector with broadside coupled signal conductors in a right angle intermediate portion and edge coupled end portions. Broadside coupling provides balanced pairs for very high frequency operation, while edge coupling provides a high density interconnection system at low cost. Each module has separately shielded signal conductor pairs. The shielding is shaped to avoid or suppress undesirable propagation modes within an enclosure formed by shielding per module. Lossy material may be selectively placed within and outside the shielding per module to likewise avoid or suppress unwanted signal propagation.
Abstract:
A direct-attach orthogonal electrical connection system with improved high frequency performance is provided. A conductive member is provided between first and second components, each having signal and ground conductors. The conductive member is electrically coupled to ground conductors of both the first and second components and may also have openings through which signal conductors of the first and second components may connect. As such, signal conductors may be positioned relative to the conductive member such that a uniform impedance is maintained along a signal path throughout the interconnection, reducing noise and reflections. The first-type conductive elements may be formed with multiple beams of different lengths to create multiple points of contact distributed along an elongated dimension. For example, a third beam may be fused to a mating portion to allow a tolerance for deviations in alignment between two directly attached connectors.
Abstract:
A modular electrical connector with separately shielded signal conductor pairs. The connector may be assembled from modules, each containing a pair of signal conductors with surrounding partially or fully conductive material. Modules of different sizes may be assembled into wafers, which are then assembled into a connector. Wafers may include lossy material. In some embodiments, shielding members of two mating connectors may each have compliant members along their distal portions, such that, the shielding members engage at points of contact at multiple locations, some of which are adjacent the mating edge of each of the mating shielding members.
Abstract:
An electrical connector designed for high speed signals. The connector includes one or more features that, when used alone or in combination, extend performance to higher speeds. These features may include compensation for tie bars that are used to hold conductive members in place for molding a housing around the conductive members. Removal of the tie bars during manufacture of the connector may leave artifacts in the conductive members and/or housing, which may degrade electrical performance. However, that degradation may be avoided by features that compensate for the artifacts. The conductive members, for example, may include regions, adjacent tie bar locations, that compensate for portions of the tie bar that are not fully removed.
Abstract:
An electrical interconnect for passing high speed signals through an electronic system with a high density of signals and high signal integrity. The interconnect includes an electrical connector and a transition portion of a printed circuit board to which the connector is mounted. Signal conductors are connected to pads on the surface of the PCB using edge-to-pad mounting. The pads align with intermediate portions of the signal conductors such that transitions within the connector that could degrade signal integrity are avoided. The signal conductors may be positioned as individually shielded broadside coupled pairs extending in rows within the connector. Surface traces on the PCB connect the pads to signal vias aligned for vertical routing out of the connector footprint. Ground planes underlying the surface traces facilitate a transition from the signal paths in the connector to those in the PCB with low mode conversion avoiding resonances in the connector shields.
Abstract:
A modular electrical connector facilitates low loss connections to components on a printed circuit board. A portion is of the connector is formed of one or more first type units with conductive elements designed to be attached to a printed circuit board. Signals passing through those units may be routed to components on the printed circuit board through traces in the board. One or more second type units may be integrated with the connector. Those units may be designed for attachment to a cable, which may provide signal paths to a location on the printed circuit board near relatively distant components.
Abstract:
A modular electrical connector with separately shielded signal conductor pairs. The connector may be assembled from modules, each containing a pair of signal conductors with surrounding partially or fully conductive material. The modules may have projecting portions, of conductive and/or dielectric material, that are shaped and positioned to reduce changes in impedance along the signal paths as a function of separation of conductive elements, when the connectors are separated by less than the functional mating range.
Abstract:
An electrical interconnect for passing high speed signals through an electronic system with a high density of signals and high signal integrity. The interconnect includes an electrical connector and a transition portion of a printed circuit board to which the connector is mounted. Signal conductors are connected to pads on the surface of the PCB using edge-to-pad mounting. The pads align with intermediate portions of the signal conductors such that transitions within the connector that could degrade signal integrity are avoided. The signal conductors may be positioned as individually shielded broadside coupled pairs extending in rows within the connector. Surface traces on the PCB connect the pads to signal vias aligned for vertical routing out of the connector footprint. Ground planes underlying the surface traces facilitate a transition from the signal paths in the connector to those in the PCB with low mode conversion avoiding resonances in the connector shields.