Connector assembly having a pin organizer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9985389-B1
Application number	US-201715482078-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 7, 2017
Priority date	Apr 7, 2017
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A connector assembly includes a housing and contact modules having signal contacts with signal pins and a ground shield providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts with ground pins. The connector assembly includes a conductive pin organizer coupled to the contact modules having a plurality of ground pin holes receiving ground pins and signal openings receiving signal pins. The conductive pin organizer substantially fills a space between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board to provide electrical shielding for the signal pins between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector assembly comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of contact modules received in the housing, each contact module having a plurality of signal contacts, the signal contacts each including a signal pin for terminating to a circuit board, the signal pins extending from a bottom of the corresponding contact module, each contact module includes a dielectric frame holding a plurality of the signal contacts, the signal pins extending below the dielectric frame, each contact module includes a conductive holder holding the dielectric frame and providing shielding for the signal contacts, the conductive holder having a bottom, the conductive pin organizer engaging the bottom to electrically connect the conductive pin organizer to the conductive holder, each contact module having a ground shield providing electrical shielding for the signal contacts, the ground shield having a plurality of ground pins extending from a bottom of the ground shield for terminating to the circuit board; and
a conductive pin organizer coupled to the contact modules, the conductive pin organizer having a plurality of ground pin holes extending therethrough receiving corresponding ground pins, the conductive pin organizer having signal openings extending therethrough receiving corresponding signal pins, the signal openings being defined by side edges, the side edges being electrically isolated from the signal pins;
wherein the conductive pin organizer substantially fills a space between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board to provide electrical shielding for the signal pins between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board.

2. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the conductive pin organizer engages the ground pins to electrically common the ground pins to the conductive pin organizer and hold relative positions of the ground pins.

3. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein gaps are provided around the signal pins between the signal pins and the side edges of the signal openings.

4. The connector assembly of claim 3 , wherein the gaps are substantially filled with dielectric material of the contact modules.

5. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the signal contacts are arranged in pairs, each signal opening receiving a corresponding pair of the signal contacts, the conductive pin organizer separating the pairs of signal pins from each other.

6. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the conductive pin organizer includes a top facing the bottoms of the contact modules and a bottom facing the circuit board.

7. The connector assembly of claim 6 , wherein the top engages the bottoms of the contact modules to locate the conductive pin organizer relative to the contact modules.

8. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the dielectric frame includes signal pin spacers at a bottom of the dielectric frame associated with corresponding signal pins, the signal pin spacers extending along portions of the signal pins, the signal pin spacers being received in corresponding signal openings to electrically isolate the signal pins from the conductive pin organizer.

9. The connector assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ground shield is electrically coupled to the conductive holder, the ground pins extending below the bottom of the conductive holder.

10. A connector assembly comprising:
a housing;
contact modules coupled to the housing, each contact module comprising:
a conductive holder holding a frame assembly, the frame assembly comprising a plurality of signal contacts arranged in pairs and a dielectric frame supporting the signal contacts, the dielectric frame being received in the conductive holder, the signal contacts each including a signal pin for terminating to a circuit board, the signal pins extending from a bottom of the contact module; and
a ground shield coupled to the conductive holder, the ground shield being electrically connected to the conductive holder, the ground shield having ground pins extending beyond the bottom of the contact module for terminating to the circuit board; and
a conductive pin organizer coupled to the contact modules and being electrically connected to the conductive holders of the contact modules, the conductive pin organizer having a plurality of ground pin holes extending therethrough receiving corresponding ground pins, the conductive pin organizer having signal openings extending therethrough each receiving corresponding pairs of signal pins, the signal openings being defined by side edges, the side edges being electrically isolated from the signal pins, the conductive pin organizer separating the pairs of signal pins from each other;
wherein the conductive pin organizer substantially fills a space between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board to provide electrical shielding for the signal pins between the bottoms of the contact modules and the circuit board.

11. The connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein the conductive pin organizer engages the ground pins and holds relative positions of the ground pins.

12. The connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein gaps are provided around the signal pins between the signal pins and the side edges of the signal openings.

13. The connector assembly of claim 12 , wherein the gaps are substantially filled with dielectric material of the contact modules.

14. The connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein the conductive pin organizer includes a top facing the bottoms of the contact modules and a bottom facing the circuit board, the top engages the bottoms of the contact modules to locate the conductive pin organizer relative to the contact modules.

15. The connector assembly of claim 10 , wherein the dielectric frame includes signal pin spacers at a bottom of the dielectric frame associated with corresponding signal pins, the signal pin spacers extending along portions of the signal pins, the signal pin spacers being received in corresponding signal openings to electrically isolate the signal pins from the conductive pin organizer.

16. A conductive pin organizer for a connector assembly having a plurality of signal pins arranged in pairs and a plurality of ground pins extending from a bottom of the connector assembly, the conductive pin organizer comprising:
a plate having a top, a bottom, a front, a rear and opposite sides with edges extending between the top and bottom along the front, rear and sides;
a plurality of ground pin holes extending through the plate between the top and bottom, the ground pin holes being configured to receive corresponding ground pins of the connector assembly; and
a plurality of signal openings extending through the plate between the top and bottom, each of the signal openings being sized and shaped and configured to receive a corresponding pair of signal pins of the connector assembly, the plate being spaced apart from the signal pins as the pairs of signal pins pass through the plate to electrically isolate the plate from the pairs of signal pins.

17. The conductive pin organizer of claim 16 , wherein the signal openings form gaps around the signal pins between the signal pins and side edges defining the signal openings.

18. The conductive pin organizer of claim 16 , wherein the signal openings are sized and shaped to receive dielectric material of a dielectric frame holding the signal pins in addition to the pairs of signal pins to electrically isolate the plate from the signal pins.

Assignees

• Te Connectivity Corp

Inventors

• Morgan Chad William
• Consoli John Joseph
• Pickel Justin Dennis
• Trout David Allison

Classifications

• H01R13/6587

  for mounting on PCBs · CPC title

• H01R13/6471 Primary

  by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal] · CPC title

• H01R13/6599

  Dielectric material made conductive, e.g. plastic material coated with metal · CPC title

• H01R12/585

  Terminals having a press fit or a compliant portion and a shank passing through a hole in the printed circuit board · CPC title