Communication system having a power rail

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12566475-B2
Application number	US-202318168596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2023
Priority date	Feb 14, 2023
Publication date	Mar 3, 2026
Grant date	Mar 3, 2026

Abstract

A power rail for powering a power driver assembly includes a rail member extending between a front end and a rear end. The rail member has a track including a channel between an upper support beam and a lower support beam. The track extends between the front end and the rear end. The track configured to receive a driver circuit card of the power driver assembly. The power rail includes a power contact having a base coupled to the rail member. The power contact includes a cable termination terminated to a power cable. The power contact includes a mating beam extending from the base into the channel. The mating beam has a mating interface configured to be mated to a power pad of the driver circuit card when the driver circuit card is plugged into the track of the rail member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A power rail for powering a power driver assembly, the power rail comprising:
a rail member extending between a front end and a rear end, the rail member having a track including a channel between an upper support beam and a lower support beam, the track extending between the front end and the rear end, the track configured to receive a driver circuit card of the power driver assembly; and a power contact having a base coupled to the rail member, the power contact including a cable termination terminated to a power cable, the power contact including a mating beam extending from the base into the channel of the track, the mating beam having a mating interface configured to be mated to a power pad of the driver circuit card within the channel of the track when the driver circuit card is plugged into the track of the rail member.

2 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the rail member has a width between an inner side and an outer side of the rail member, the power contact and the power cable being contained within the width of the rail member between the inner side and the outer side.

3 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the rail member includes a power contact pocket, the power contact being received in the power contact pocket such that the power contact is contained within an envelope of the rail member.

4 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the power contact is securely coupled to and supported by the rail member.

5 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the cable termination includes a weld pad, the power cable being welded to the weld pad.

6 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the power cable extends along the upper support beam to the cable termination.

7 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the cable termination extends along a top of the upper support beam, the mating beam extending from a bottom of the upper support beam into the channel.

8 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the mating beam is a first mating beam, the power contact including a second mating beam extending from the base into the channel, the first mating beam extending in a first direction, the second mating beam extending in a second direction.

9 . The power rail of claim 1 , wherein the mating beam extends between a proximal end and a distal end, the mating beam being flexible between the proximal end and the distal ends.

10 . The power rail of claim 9 , wherein the mating interface is provided at the distal end.

11 . The power rail of claim 9 , wherein the proximal end engages and is supported by the upper support beam, the distal ends engaging and being supported by the upper support beam.

12 . The power rail of claim 1 , further comprising a second power contact coupled to the rail member, the second power contact being terminated to a second power cable, the second power contact configured to be mated to a second power pad of the driver circuit card.

13 . The power rail of claim 12 , wherein the power contact is coupled to the upper support beam, the second power contact being coupled to the lower support beam and extending into the channel to mate to the second power pad on a bottom surface of the driver circuit card.

14 . The power rail of claim 12 , wherein the power contact and the second power contact our longitudinally offset along the rail member.

15 . A power driver assembly for powering a circuit card of a data device, the power driver assembly comprising:
a driver circuit card having an upper surface extending between a front and a rear, the driver circuit card having a first edge and a second edge extending between the front and the rear, the driver circuit card including a power pad on the upper surface proximate to the first edge; a driver connector mounted to the upper surface proximate to the front, the driver connector including a connector housing having a card slot at a front of the connector housing configured to receive the circuit card of the data device, the driver connector including contacts held in the connector housing being terminated to the driver circuit card, the contacts arranged in the card slot to mate with the circuit card of the data device; and a power rail for powering the driver circuit card, the power rail including a rail member extending between a front end and a rear end, the rail member having a track including a channel between an upper support beam and a lower support beam, the track extending between the front end and the rear end, the track receiving the driver circuit card in the channel of the track, the power rail including a power contact having a base coupled to the rail member, the power contact including a cable termination terminated to a power cable, the power contact including a mating beam extending from the base into the channel of the track, the mating beam having a mating interface configured to be mated to the power pad of the driver circuit card within the channel of the track when the driver circuit card is plugged into the track of the rail member.

16 . The power driver assembly of claim 15 , wherein the driver connector has a width between a first side and a second side of the connector housing, the power rail and the power contact being laterally offset relative to the driver connector outside of the width of the driver connector.

17 . The power driver assembly of claim 15 , wherein the first edge of the driver circuit card is received in the channel, the power pad being located in the channel to mate with the mating beam of the power contact.

18 . The power driver assembly of claim 15 , wherein the power rail is a first power rail at a first side of the driver circuit card, the power driver assembly further comprising a second power rail at a second side of the driver circuit card, the second power rail including a second rail member and a second power contact coupled to the second rail member, the second power contact configured to be mated to a second power pad of the driver circuit card proximate to the second edge.

19 . A communication system comprising:
a data device having a device circuit card including a card edge having contact pads at the card edge, the device circuit card including an electrical component electrically connected to the contact pads, the device circuit card including a connector module having a separable mating interface configured for mating with a mating electrical connector, the connector module being electrically connected to the electrical component; and a power driver assembly for powering the electrical component on the circuit card of the data device, the power driver assembly comprising: a driver circuit card having an upper surface extending between a front and a rear, the driver circuit card having a first edge and a second edge extending between the front and the rear, the driver circuit card including a power pad on the upper surface proximate to the first edge; a driver connector mounted to the upper surface proximate to the front, the driver connector including a connector housing having a card slot at a front of the connector housing, the card slot receiving the card edge of the circuit card of the data device, the driver connector including contacts held in the connector housing being terminated to the driver circuit card, the contacts arranged in the card slot to mate with the contact pads of the circuit card of the data device; and a power rail for powering the driver circuit card, the power rail including a rail member extending between a front end and a rear end, the rail member hav

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Solutions Gmbh

Inventors

• Ruffini Nicholas Paul
• Andrews Jr Howard Wallace
• Mulfinger Robert Neil
• Costello Brian Patrick

Classifications

• H01R12/71

  for rigid printing circuits or like structures · CPC title

• H01R12/721

  cooperating directly with the edge of the rigid printed circuits · CPC title

• H01R13/502

  composed of different pieces (H01R13/514 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/3206

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• G06F1/1658 Primary

  related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module · CPC title