Very high speed, high density electrical interconnection system with broadside subassemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11688980-B2
Application number	US-202016858182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2020
Priority date	Jan 22, 2014
Publication date	Jun 27, 2023
Grant date	Jun 27, 2023

Abstract

A modular electrical connector with broad-side coupled signal conductors in a right angle intermediate portion. Broadside coupling provides balanced pairs for very high frequency operation. The connector is assembled with multiple subassemblies, each of which has multiple pairs of signal conductors. The subassemblies are formed from an insulative portion having grooves in opposite sides into which the intermediate portions of signal conductors. Covers, holding the signal conductors in the grooves, establish the position of the signal conductors relative to reference conductors at the exterior of subassembly, so as to provide a controlled impedance. Lossy material is positioned between the pairs in a subassembly and/or contacts the reference conductors of the subassemblies, and the lossy material of the subassemblies is in turn connected with a conductive structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical connector, comprising:
a plurality of subassemblies arranged side-by-side, each subassembly of the plurality comprising:
a plurality of pairs of signal conductors, each pair comprising a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor, each of the first signal conductor and the second signal conductor comprising:
a first end portion and a second end portion;
a contact tail formed at the first end portion;
a mating contact portion formed at the second end portion; and
an intermediate portion joining the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein at least the intermediate portion comprises broadsides and edges; and

an integral insulative portion comprising a first side and a second side separated from the first side in a first direction, wherein:
the first side comprises a plurality of first grooves;
the second side comprises a plurality of second grooves;
an intermediate portion of a first signal conductor of each pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors is inserted into a first groove;
an intermediate portion of a second signal conductor of each pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors is inserted into a second groove; and
the plurality of first grooves are aligned in the first direction with respective second grooves such that at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs are broadside coupled.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the electrical connector is a right angle connector.

3. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of subassemblies further comprises lossy material between the intermediate portions of adjacent pairs of signal conductors.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein the lossy material has a conductivity between 1 Siemen/meter and 10,000 Siemen/meter.

5. The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein the lossy material between the intermediate portions of adjacent pairs of signal conductors bends to conform to bends in the intermediate portions of the adjacent pairs of signal conductors.

6. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of subassemblies further comprises covers pressing the first signal conductors and the second signal conductors into the first and second grooves, respectively.

7. The electrical connector of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of subassemblies further comprises conductive members, outside the covers, configured for shielding the plurality of pairs.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors for each of the plurality of subassemblies comprises a transition from broadside coupled to edge coupled adjacent at least the first end portion or the second end portion of the signal conductors of the pair.

9. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of subassemblies further comprises lossy material between signal conductors in a pair.

10. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the lossy material extends in a plane perpendicular to the broadsides of the signal conductors in the pair.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the plurality of subassemblies, the insulative portion comprises a unitary structure comprising a plurality of first grooves and second grooves.

12. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the plurality of subassemblies, the insulative portion comprises a plurality of modules, each comprising a single pair of a first grooves and a second groove.

13. An electrical connector of claim 1 , comprising:
a plurality of subassemblies arranged side-by-side, each subassembly of the plurality comprising:
a plurality of pairs of signal conductors, each pair comprising a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor, each of the first signal conductor and the second signal conductor comprising:
a first end portion and a second end portion;
a contact tail formed at the first end portion;
a mating contact portion formed at the second end portion; and
an intermediate portion joining the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein at least the intermediate portion comprises broadsides and edges; and

an insulative portion comprising a first side and a second side separated from the first side in a first direction, wherein:
the first side comprises a plurality of first grooves;
the second side comprises a plurality of second grooves;
an intermediate portion of a first signal conductor of each pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors is inserted into a first groove;
an intermediate portion of a second signal conductor of each pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors is inserted into a second groove;
the plurality of first grooves are aligned in the first direction with respective second grooves such that at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs are broadside coupled; and
the insulative portion comprises a plurality of openings separated by walls, and the mating contact portions of the signal conductors of the plurality of pairs are inserted in the openings.

14. An electrical connector, comprising:
a plurality of subassemblies arranged side-by-side, each subassembly of the plurality comprising:
a plurality of pairs of signal conductors, each pair comprising a first signal conductor and a second signal conductor, each of the first signal conductor and the second signal conductor comprising:
a first end portion and a second end portion;
a contact tail formed at the first end portion;
a mating contact portion formed at the second end portion; and
an intermediate portion joining the first end portion and the second end portion, wherein at least the intermediate portion comprises broadsides and edges;

an insulative portion comprising a first side and a second side separated from the first side in a first direction; and
reference conductors on the first side and the second side, wherein:
the first side comprises a plurality of first grooves;
the second side comprises a plurality of second grooves;
an intermediate portion of a first signal conductor of each pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors is inserted into a first groove;
an intermediate portion of a second signal conductor of each pair of the plurality of pairs of signal conductors is inserted into a second groove; and
the plurality of first grooves are aligned in the first direction with respective second grooves such that at least the intermediate portions of the plurality of pairs are broadside coupled.

15. The electrical connector of claim 14 , further comprising lossy material coupled to the reference conductors on the first side and the second side.

16. The electrical connector of claim 15 , further comprising a conductive member connecting the lossy material of the plurality of subassemblies.

17. A method of manufacturing an electrical connector, the method comprising:
forming a plurality of insulative portions, each insulative portion of the plurality of insulative portions comprising a first side and a second side separated from the first side in a first direction with a plurality of first grooves on the first side and a plurality of second grooves on the second side;
forming a plurality of signal conductors, each signal conductor of the plurality comprising:
a first end portion and a second end portion;
a contact tail formed at the first end portion;
a mating contact portion formed at the second end portion; and
an intermediate portion joining the fi

Assignees

• Amphenol Corp

Inventors

• Cartier Jr Marc B
• Dunham John Robert
• Gailus Mark W
• Girard Jr Donald A
• Kirk Brian
• Levine David
• Sivarajan Vysakh

Classifications

• H01R12/737

  Printed circuits being substantially perpendicular to each other (for printed connections H05K3/366) · CPC title

• H01R43/24

  Assembling by moulding on contact members · CPC title

• Y10T29/49222

  forming array of contacts or terminals · CPC title

• Y10T29/4922

  with molding of insulation · CPC title

• H01R13/6587

  for mounting on PCBs · CPC title