Feed-through adapter assembly for an electrical connector system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9705258-B2
Application number	US-201514819828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2015
Priority date	Aug 6, 2015
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A feed-through adapter assembly includes a bezel cage configured to receive a pluggable module. Walls of the cage are manufactured from a metal material and provide electrical shielding for the pluggable module. A feed-through connector is received in the bezel cage and is positioned at or near a rear end of the cage member. The feed-through connector has a feed-through connector housing holding a contact assembly. The contact assembly has a plurality of feed-through contacts defining a first board mating interface configured to mate with and be electrically connected to a circuit board of the pluggable module and a second board mating interface configured to mate with and be electrically connected to a circuit board of a cable connector. The first and second board mating interfaces are substantially identical.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feed-through adapter assembly comprising:
a bezel cage having a plurality of walls defining a port configured to receive a pluggable module therein through a front end of the cage member, the walls being manufactured from a metal material and providing electrical shielding for the port and the pluggable module, the bezel cage being configured to be mounted to a bezel at an opening in the bezel; and
a feed-through connector received in the bezel cage and positioned at or near a rear end of the cage member, the feed-through connector having a feed-through connector housing holding a contact assembly, the contact assembly having a plurality of feed-through contacts, the feed-through contacts defining a first board mating interface configured to mate with and be electrically connected to a circuit board of the pluggable module, the feed-through contacts defining a second board mating interface configured to mate with and be electrically connected to a circuit board of a cable connector, the first and second board mating interfaces being substantially identical.

2. The feed-through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the feed-through connector housing includes a first slot at a first end thereof configured to receive the circuit board of the pluggable module and the feed-through connector housing includes a second slot at a second end thereof configured to receive the circuit board of the cable connector.

3. The feed-through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the feed-through contacts are arranged in an upper row and a lower row configured to engage upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of the circuit boards of the pluggable module and the cable connector.

4. The feed-through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the feed-through connector housing includes a first housing member and a second housing member coupled together at opposite ends of the feed-through connector, the first housing member including a first slot at the first board mating interface, the second housing member including a second slot at the second board mating interface.

5. The feed through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bezel cage includes an upper wall, a lower wall and opposite side walls between the upper and lower walls, the feed-through connector housing including mounting lugs extending therefrom engaging the side walls to secure the feed-through connector between the upper and lower walls at or near the rear end.

6. The feed-through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the feed-through connector includes a first end and a second end, the first end facing the front end of the bezel cage to receive the pluggable module, the second end facing the rear end of the bezel cage to receive the cable connector.

7. The feed-through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bezel cage includes a mounting bracket for mounting the bezel cage to the bezel, the bezel cage comprising an EMI gasket configured to provide EMI shielding between the bezel and the bezel cage.

8. The feed-through adapter assembly of claim 1 , wherein the contact assembly includes a contact holder having a dielectric body overmolded over interior portions of the feed-through contacts between the first and second board mating interfaces of the feed-through contacts.

9. An electrical connector system comprising:
a feed-through adapter assembly having a bezel cage and a feed-through connector received in the bezel cage, the bezel cage is configured to be mounted to a bezel at an opening in the bezel, the bezel cage has a plurality of walls providing electrical shielding for the feed-through connector and a pluggable module received in the bezel cage being electrically connected to the feed-through connector, the feed-through connector having a plurality of signal lines and a plurality of power lines electrically connected to the pluggable module; and
a split cable assembly electrically connected to the feed-through adapter assembly, the split cable assembly having a first cable and a second cable, the split cable assembly having a joint connector, a first split connector and a second split connector, the first cable extending between the joint connector and the first split connector, the second cable extending between the joint connector and the second split connector, the joint connector being mated with and electrically connected to the feed-through connector, the first split connector being configured to be mated with a first electrical component mounted to a host circuit board, the second split connector being configured to be mated with a second electrical component being mounted to the host circuit board separate from the first electrical component, the split cable assembly separating signal lines and power lines such that signal lines of the split cable assembly are routed along the first cable to the first split connector and power lines of the split cable assembly are routed along the second cable to the second split connector.

10. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the feed-through connector receives data and power on the signal and power lines, respectively, of the feed-through connector directly from the pluggable module, the split cable assembly splitting the data and power such that the first electrical component receives data from the signal lines of the split cable assembly via a direct connection with the first split connector, and such that the first electrical component receives power from the power lines of the split cable assembly via the host circuit board.

11. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the first cable separately shields the signal lines separate from the power lines.

12. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the first cable includes a plurality of signal wires within a common jacket and the second cable includes a plurality of power wires within a common jacket.

13. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the split cable assembly further comprises a third cable extending between the joint connector and the first split connector, the third cable routing a plurality of signal lines between the joint connector and the first split connector.

14. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of signal lines are high speed data signal lines, the feed-through connector having at least one low speed data control line, at least one control line of the split cable assembly being electrically connected to the data control line of the feed-through connector and being routed along the second cable to the second split connector.

15. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the first electrical component includes a first board cage and a first board connector electrically connected to the first split connector and being configured to be mounted to the host circuit board, the first board cage surrounding and providing electrical shielding for the first board connector, the second electrical component includes a second board cage and a second board connector electrically connected to the second split connector and being configured to be mounted to the host circuit board, the second board cage surrounding and providing electrical shielding for the second board connector.

16. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the first split connector and the joint connector have substantially identical mating interfaces.

17. The electrical connector system of claim 9 , wherein the first electrical connector and the feed-through connector have substantially identical mating interfaces.

18. The el

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Corp
• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Phillips Michael John
• Henry Randall Robert

Classifications

• H01R12/78

  connecting to other flexible printed circuits, flat or ribbon cables or like structures · CPC title

• H01R13/74

  Means for mounting coupling parts in openings of a panel · CPC title

• H01R12/71

  for rigid printing circuits or like structures · CPC title

• H01R13/658 Primary

  High frequency shielding arrangements, e.g. against EMI [Electro-Magnetic Interference] or EMP [Electro-Magnetic Pulse] {(coaxial coupling devices specially adapted for high frequency H01R24/40; for flat or ribbon cable connectors H01R12/774; for coaxial cable H01R9/05)} · CPC title

• H01R13/46

  Bases; Cases · CPC title