High density sealed electrical connector with multiple shielding strain relief devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9306312-B2
Application number	US-201314064046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 25, 2013
Priority date	Oct 29, 2012
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

An electrical connector system includes mating pin and socket connectors each designed for increased contact density to improve performance of high-speed data transfer. The connectors include features for retaining a plurality of pin or socket contacts in a ganged, co-aligned configuration and for shielding groups of contacts from one another to reduce interference and crosstalk. The connectors further include features for providing strain relief to the internal wires and/or cables. One of the connectors may include a plug insert with cantilevered fingers extending therefrom that contact a conductive surface of the mating connector to provide a mechanical connection and a low-impedance pathway between the mating connectors for grounding and shielding. The connectors are designed to be readily assembled and disassembled for repair or rework without the use of special tools.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrical connector, comprising:
an electrically conductive plug insert having a plurality of contact-receiving cavities extending in an axial direction through the plug insert, each of the cavities having a front opening at a front face and a rear opening at a rear face of the plug insert;
a plurality of electrically insulating sheaths, each sheath carrying a pair of electrical contacts in a spaced-apart relation such that each electrical contact is in alignment with one of a pair of contact apertures in a front wall of the sheath, each sheath sized for insertion into one of the contact-receiving cavities of the plug insert so as to position the contact apertures of the sheath in alignment with the front opening at the front face of the contact-receiving cavity;
a plurality of electrically conductive shield ferrules each having a front end, a rear end opposite the front end, a flexible skirt at the rear end, and multiple recesses arranged around an inner surface of the shield ferrule adjacent the front end, each recess receiving and retaining at least a portion of one of the sheaths such that each of the shield ferrules retains multiple sheaths; and
an electrically conductive shield housing having a base portion and a head portion, the shield housing having a plurality of cylindrically-shaped barrels extending in the axial direction from an exterior surface of the head portion, the housing further including a plurality of ferrule-receiving cavities extending in the axial direction through the shield housing, each cavity having a rear opening on a rear face of the base portion and a front opening at a front end of each of the barrels, wherein the rear opening of the cavity receives and retains the flexible skirt of the shield ferrule.

2. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein each of the contact-receiving cavities include a conductive central core extending in the axial direction and a plurality of conductive fins radiating outwardly from the core, each of the fins separating adjacent contact-receiving cavities from each other.

3. The electrical connector of claim 2 , further comprising:
a shell having a bore extending therethrough for receiving the plug insert, the shell including a plurality of notches arranged on an interior surface of the shell; and
a plurality of cantilever members on an exterior surface of the plug insert, the cantilever members each having a radially outward projecting catch proximate a free end of the cantilever member, wherein the catch of each cantilever member snaps into one of the plurality of notches to retain the plug insert in the shell.

4. The electrical connector of claim 3 , wherein the insertion plug, the conductive central core, the fins, and the cantilever members are integrally formed as a single, monolithic structure.

5. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the flexible skirt of the shield ferrule further includes cantilever members that flex radially inwardly to constrict the flexible skirt of the shield ferrule when the shield ferrule is inserted through the rear opening of the cavity in the base portion of the shield housing.

6. The electrical connector of claim 5 , wherein an interior surface of each of the cantilever members includes a strain relief mechanism to facilitate gripping and provide strain relief for internal wiring of the electrical connector when the cantilever members are flexed inwardly.

7. The electrical connector of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of circumferential grooves spaced along an exterior surface of each of the barrels; and
an adhesive-lined heat-shrink tube adhered to the circumferential grooves.

8. The electrical connector of claim 1 , further comprising:
an annular lip between the base portion and the head portion of the shield housing, the annular lip having an internal channel; and
a seal seated in the internal channel of the annular lip for forming a moisture ingress resistant barrier.

9. The electrical connector of claim 1 , further comprising:
a coupling nut having spaced apart teeth formed along a circumference of an exterior surface on a front end of the coupling nut;
a clamshell housing having at least two separate housing portions, each housing portion having:
a front end and an opposite rear end, the front end having an internal channel for receiving the teeth of the coupling nut when the electrical connector is assembled; and
a pin supported by each of the housing portions, the pin intersecting the internal channel and contacting the teeth of the coupling nut to arrest rotation of the coupling nut relative to the clamshell housing.

10. The electrical connector of claim 9 , the clamshell housing having a rear opening on the rear end and a strain relief formed adjacent the rear opening.

11. The electrical connector of claim 1 , wherein the plug insert includes a conductive recessed portion on an exterior surface thereof, the recessed portion extending from the front face toward the rear face of the plug insert.

12. A connector system including the electrical connector of claim 11 , and further comprising a mating connector configured to be mated with the electrical connector by sliding the electrical connector and mating connector together along the axial direction, the mating connector comprising:
an electrically conductive plug insert having a plurality of contact-receiving cavities extending in the axial direction from a rear end to a front end of the plug insert; and
a tongue extending from the front end of the plug insert,
wherein the tongue of the mating connector bears upon the conductive recessed portion of the plug insert of the electrical connector when the connectors are mated to establish a low impedance connection between the connectors.

13. The connector system of claim 12 , wherein the tongue is divided into multiple cantilevered members, each cantilever member contacting the recessed portion of the plug insert of the electrical connector.

14. The connector system of claim 13 , wherein the plug insert and the tongue of the mating connector are integrally formed as a single, monolithic structure.

Assignees

• Carlisle Interconnect Tech Inc

Inventors

• Dang Phong

Classifications

• H01R13/6586

  for separating multiple connector modules · CPC title

• H01R13/582

  the cable being clamped between assembled parts of the housing · CPC title

• H01R13/62

  Means for facilitating engagement or disengagement of coupling parts or for holding them in engagement · CPC title

• H01R13/502 Primary

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