Electrical connector assembly

Abstract

An electrical connector assembly, comprising: a housing element, the housing element including a first part and a second part, the first part and the second part each including a plurality of openings in a mating surface, and the first part and the second part being spaced apart; and a plurality of first thin bodies, which are supported by the housing element within the first part of the housing element, each first thin body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each terminal having: a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a tail portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to a circuit component, the tail portion of each terminal being disposed along a lower surface of the electrical connector assembly; and at least one second thin body, which is supported by the housing within the second part of the housing element.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of an application in which the applicant is "Molex Incorporated", the application date is May 29, 2020, the application number is 202010476672.5, and the invention title is "Connector System with Laminate Body". Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to electrical connectors, and more particularly to an electrical connector assembly including a laminate body for interconnecting orthogonal circuit elements to each other. Background Art

[0003] Electrical connectors are typically designed to meet both mechanical and electrical requirements. High-speed or high-data-rate electrical connectors are commonly used in backplane applications that require extremely high density and high data rates. To meet the required mechanical and electrical requirements, such backplane connectors often utilize or incorporate a laminate body assembly having an insulating web that supports a plurality of conductive terminals. It is generally desirable to use a laminate body assembly to create a structure that can achieve the required high data rate and that is also strong enough to support the required assembly processes. The laminate body assembly is typically oriented perpendicular to the plane of the circuit substrate to which the backplane connector is mounted.

[0004] Backplane connectors can be provided for any of a variety of different configurations. In a right-angle sandwich configuration, a pair of mating connectors are mounted on two parallel (and often coplanar) circuit substrates or circuit elements. In such a sandwich configuration, additional electrical connections can be established between the two circuit substrates by adding additional mating connectors in an adjacent configuration or by using a connector having more laminate body assemblies.

[0005] In an orthogonal configuration, two right-angle backplane connectors are used to electrically connect two circuit substrates or circuit elements that are orthogonal to each other. This results in the two connectors being rotated 90 degrees relative to each other. Thus, the number of rows and columns of each connector is limited because the number of rows and columns of one connector must match the number of rows and columns of the other connector. Adding additional electrical connections to two orthogonal backplane connectors requires increasing the number of laminate body assemblies of one connector and increasing the height of the laminate body assemblies of the other connector. However, modifying the tooling used to form the laminate body assemblies or creating new tooling that changes the number of terminals within a laminate body assembly is typically very expensive.

[0006] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an orthogonal connector assembly in which the number of circuits or electrical connections can be easily modified.

[0007] The foregoing background discussion is provided for the sole purpose of assisting the reader. It is neither intended to limit the innovations described herein nor to limit or expand the prior art discussed. Accordingly, the foregoing discussion should not be taken as an indication that any particular element of an existing system is not suitable for use with the innovations described herein, nor is it intended to indicate that any element is essential for the practice of the innovations described herein. The manner of implementation and application of the innovations described herein are defined by the appended claims. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention describes various exemplary connectors and connector assemblies that allow for design flexibility and cost savings.

[0009] The present application provides an electrical connector assembly, comprising: a housing element including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion each including a plurality of openings in a mating surface, and the first portion and the second portion being spaced apart; and a plurality of first lamellae supported by the housing element within the first portion of the housing element, each first lamella including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each terminal having: a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a tail portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to a circuit component, the tail portion of each terminal being disposed along a lower surface of the electrical connector assembly; and at least one second lamella supported by the housing within the second portion of the housing element.

[0010] Wherein, the housing element includes a spacer portion located between the first portion and the second portion.

[0011] Wherein, the spacer portion is free of conductive terminals.

[0012] The electrical connector assembly further includes at least one spacer lamella between the first lamella and the at least one second lamella, the spacer lamella being free of operative terminals.

[0013] Wherein, the housing element is configured as a one-piece integrally molded structure.

[0014] Wherein, the first portion and the second portion of the housing element are portions of two separate housing elements that function as a single housing element, and the structure for securing the two separate housing elements together may occupy some or all of the space of the spacer portion.

[0015] Wherein, the first portion and the second portion are spaced apart in a direction parallel to or along a first circuit board on which the electrical connector assembly is mounted.

[0016] Among them, the first part houses some but not all of the plurality of first thin sheet bodies therein, the second part houses more than one of the second thin sheet bodies therein, and the second thin sheet bodies in the second part are the same as or different from the other first thin sheet bodies in the first part.

[0017] Among them, the spacing part has no opening.

[0018] Among them, the spacing part includes a plurality of openings similar to the openings of the docking surface but without terminals.

[0019] Among them, one or more spacing thin sheet bodies into which no terminal is inserted are located between the first group of thin sheet bodies and the thin sheet bodies and are disposed within the spacing part.

[0020] Some embodiments of an electrical connector assembly may further include: a housing element having a plurality of outer surfaces; a plurality of thin sheet bodies supported by the housing element, each thin sheet body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each terminal having a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a satellite connector disposed on one of the outer surfaces of the housing element, the satellite connector including an insulating satellite base and a plurality of connecting members supported by the satellite base, each connecting member having a termination portion that can be connected to a cable.

[0021] In some embodiments, the plurality of thin sheet bodies are parallel and oriented in a first direction, and the plurality of connecting members of the satellite connector are located in a plane perpendicular to the plurality of thin sheet bodies.

[0022] In some embodiments, the plurality of connecting members of the satellite connector include conductive terminals.

[0023] In some embodiments, the termination portions of the plurality of connecting members are disposed along a rear surface of the satellite base.

[0024] In some embodiments, the termination portion of the connecting member of the satellite connector terminates at a conductive element.

[0025] In some embodiments, the conductive element is a cable having a plurality of conductive wires, and each wire terminates at the termination portion of one of the connecting members.

[0026] In some embodiments, the conductive element is a flexible circuit element having a plurality of electrical conductors, and each electrical conductor terminates at the termination portion of one of the connecting members.

[0027] In some embodiments, the plurality of sheet bodies are all substantially flat and arranged in a side-by-side relationship, and the satellite base of the satellite connector is substantially flat, and the planes of the plurality of sheet bodies are perpendicular to the plane of the satellite base.

[0028] In some embodiments, the housing element includes spaced-apart first and second side walls, and the plurality of sheet bodies are parallel to the two side walls.

[0029] In some embodiments, the plurality of sheet bodies define a sub-assembly having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end being adjacent to the first side wall, and the second end being adjacent to the second side wall.

[0030] In some embodiments, the plurality of sheet bodies are disposed within the housing element.

[0031] In some embodiments, the satellite base is a component independent of the housing.

[0032] In some embodiments, the plurality of sheet bodies include a plurality of high-speed signal terminals and a plurality of ground elements.

[0033] In some embodiments, the terminals of the sheet body include a pair of mating portions along a mating surface, and the tails of the terminals are disposed along a substrate mounting surface, and the mating surface is perpendicular to the substrate mounting surface.

[0034] In some embodiments, the tails of the terminals include crimping feet.

[0035] In some embodiments, a portion of the housing element and a portion of the satellite base define a cover surrounding the mating portions of the terminals of the plurality of sheet bodies, and the cover is configured to receive a mating electrical connector.

[0036] In some embodiments, the portion of the satellite base defines an upper portion of the cover.

[0037] In some embodiments, the plurality of connectors of the satellite connector include at least one power terminal.

[0038] In some embodiments, the plurality of connectors of the satellite connector include at least one fiber optic connector.

[0039] In some embodiments, the plurality of connectors of the satellite connector include a plurality of high-speed signal terminals and a plurality of ground elements.

[0040] In some embodiments, the plurality of connectors of the satellite connector include at least one conductive low-speed signal terminal.

[0041] In some embodiments, the electrical connector assembly may further include: a second electrical connector assembly having a second housing element including a plurality of outer surfaces, the housing element supporting a plurality of second sheet bodies, each sheet body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each terminal having a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a second satellite connector disposed along one of the outer surfaces of the second housing element, the second satellite connector including an insulating second satellite base and a plurality of connecting members supported by the second satellite base, each connecting member having a termination portion that may be connected to the cable of the satellite connector.

[0042] In some embodiments, the housing element has an upper surface, each terminal further having a tail portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to a circuit element, the tail portion of each terminal being disposed along a lower surface of the electrical connector, the upper surface being opposite the lower surface, and the satellite connector being disposed along the upper surface of the housing element.

[0043] Other embodiments of an electrical connector assembly may include: a housing element including a first portion and a second portion spaced apart from each other; and a plurality of first sheet bodies supported by the housing element within the first portion of the housing element, each first sheet body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each terminal having: a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a tail portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to a circuit element, the tail portion of each terminal being disposed along a lower surface of the electrical connector; and at least one second sheet body supported by the housing within the second portion of the housing element.

[0044] In some embodiments, the housing element includes a spacer portion located between the first portion and the second portion.

[0045] In some embodiments, the spacer portion has no conductive terminals.

[0046] In some embodiments, the electrical connector assembly may further include at least one spacer sheet body between the first sheet body and the at least one second sheet body, the spacer sheet body having no operative terminals.

[0047] Other embodiments of an electrical connector assembly may include: a first electrical connector assembly having a first housing element and a plurality of first lamellar bodies supported by the housing element, each lamellar body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the conductive terminals, each terminal having: a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a tail portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to a circuit component, the tail portion of each terminal being disposed along a lower surface of the electrical connector; a first satellite connector disposed along an outer surface of the first electrical connector, the first satellite connector including an insulating first satellite base and a plurality of connecting members supported by the first satellite base, each connecting member having a termination portion that can be connected to a satellite cable; a second electrical connector assembly having a second housing element and a plurality of second lamellar bodies supported by the housing element, each lamellar body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each conductive terminal having a contact portion configured to electrically connect the conductive terminal to another electrical component; and a second satellite connector disposed along an outer surface of the second electrical connector, the second satellite connector including an insulating second satellite base and a plurality of connecting members supported by the second satellite base, each connecting member having a termination portion that can be connected to the satellite cable.

[0048] Another embodiment of an electrical connector assembly may include: a first electrical connector assembly having a first housing element that supports a plurality of conductive first terminals, each first terminal having a contact portion; a first satellite connector disposed along an outer surface of the first electrical connector, the first satellite connector including an insulating first satellite base and a plurality of first connecting members supported by the first satellite base, each first connecting member having a mating portion and a termination portion, the termination portion being connectable to a satellite cable; a second electrical connector assembly having a second housing element that supports a plurality of conductive second terminals, each second terminal having a contact portion configured to mate the second terminal with one of the contact portions of the first terminals; and a second satellite connector disposed along an outer surface of the second electrical connector, the second satellite connector including an insulating second satellite base and a plurality of second connecting members supported by the second satellite base, each second connecting member having a mating portion and a termination portion, the mating portion of the second connecting member being configured to mate with the mating portion of one of the first connecting members of the first satellite connector. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures, in which like reference numerals indicate like elements, and in which:

[0050] Figure 1 is an isometric view of a connector system according to the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 2 is of the connector system in an undocked state Figure 1 with a satellite connector assembly disassembled therefrom.

[0052] Figure 3 is Figure 1 an isometric view of one of the connector assemblies with a housing member disassembled therefrom.

[0053] Figure 4 is Figure 3 an isometric view of a sub - assembly of a laminate body assembly of the connector assembly with one laminate body assembly disassembled therefrom.

[0054] Figure 5 is Figure 4 an exploded isometric view of one of the laminate body assemblies.

[0055] Figure 6 is Figure 1 an isometric view of another connector assembly with a satellite connector disassembled therefrom.

[0056] Figure 7 is Figure 6 an isometric view of a part of the connector assembly with a housing member disassembled therefrom.

[0057] Figure 8 is Figure 6 an isometric view of a sub - assembly of a laminate body assembly of the connector assembly with a grounding element and one laminate body assembly disassembled therefrom.

[0058] Figure 9 is Figure 8 an exploded isometric view of one of the laminate body assemblies.

[0059] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing Figure 3 the laminate body of the connector assembly and Figure 6 the attitude of the laminate body and the satellite connector assembly.

[0060] Figure 11 is an isometric view of an alternative embodiment of a connector system according to the present disclosure.

[0061] Figure 12 is of the connector system in an undocked state Figure 11 with a satellite connector assembly disassembled therefrom.

[0062] Figure 13 is a perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of a connector system according to the present disclosure.

[0063] Figure 14 is of the Figure 13 connector system in an undocked state, from which a satellite connector assembly is disassembled.

[0064] Figure 15 is a perspective view of still another alternative embodiment of a connector system according to the present disclosure.

[0065] Figure 16 is of the Figure 15 connector system in an undocked state, from which a satellite connector assembly is disassembled.

[0066] Figure 17 is a perspective view of yet another alternative embodiment of a connector system according to the present disclosure.

[0067] Figure 18 is of the Figure 17 connector system in an undocked state, from which a satellite connector assembly is disassembled;

[0068] Figure 19 is of the Figure 17 connector system in an undocked state, in which the satellite connector assembly is partially assembled; and

[0069] Figure 20 is a Figure 2 similar perspective view, but having a pair of additional docking satellite connectors assembled to the housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] Referring to Figures 1 to 2 , there is shown an orthogonal connector system 10. The orthogonal connector system 10 includes: a first right-angle connector assembly 20 mounted on a first circuit element or a first circuit board 11; and a second right-angle connector assembly 60 mounted on a second circuit element or a second circuit board 13. The first circuit board 11 and the second circuit board 13 are orthogonal to each other.

[0071] The first connector assembly 20 includes a first insulating housing 21 and a plurality of laminate assemblies 30. The first housing 21 has a front docking end or front docking face 22, an opposite rear end or laminate insertion end or rear face or laminate insertion face 23, two side walls 24, a substrate mounting end or substrate mounting surface 25, and an opposite upper end or upper surface 26. The docking face 22, the two side walls 24, and a portion of the substrate mounting surface 25 define a docking interface portion 27 configured to be received within a receptacle or housing 105 of a second connector assembly 60.

[0072] The front docking face 22 may include a plurality of openings or holes 28 configured to receive docking terminals from the second connector assembly 60 when the two connector assemblies are docked together. The laminate insertion end 23 may be open to allow the plurality of laminate assemblies 30 to be inserted into the housing 21. The housing 21 may be open along the substrate mounting surface 25 except adjacent the docking interface portion 27. The lengths of the two side walls 24, the substrate mounting surface 25, and the upper surface 26 may be different. For example, in some embodiments, the side walls 24 may be shorter than the upper surface 26 (in the Figure 2 docking direction “A”).

[0073] The plurality of laminate assemblies 30 of the first connector assembly 20 may have any desired configuration. Referring to Figures 3 - 5 , an exemplary embodiment of the plurality of laminate assemblies 30 is shown. The plurality of laminate assemblies 30 of the group includes a plurality of parallel laminate assemblies, where each parallel laminate assembly is perpendicular to the first circuit board 11. As Figure 5 shown, each laminate assembly 30 includes a plurality of high-speed signal terminals 31, a plurality of ground elements or reference elements 37, an insulating base element or insulating laminate 42, and a generally flat plate-shaped ground plane or reference plane 44. In certain applications, the high-speed signal terminals may be re-purposed to provide power.

[0074] The high-speed signal terminals 31 may be arranged in adjacent pairs 32, where the amount of the vertical spacing between adjacent terminals within each pair is small, while the amount of the vertical spacing between adjacent pairs is large. As used herein, the word “vertical” with respect to the first connector assembly 20 refers to a direction perpendicular to the plane of the first circuit board 11, as Figures 1 to 2 shown, and the word “horizontal” with respect to the first connector assembly 20 refers to a direction parallel to the plane of the first circuit board 11.

[0075] Each signal terminal 31 has: a pair of docking ends 33 configured to dock with a high-speed signal terminal 71 of a second connector assembly 60; and a mounting tail 34 configured to be electrically connected to the first circuit board 11. In one embodiment, the mounting tail 34 may be configured as a press-fit pin that mechanically engages a plated hole on the first circuit board 11. The body portion 35 of each signal terminal 31 located between the docking end 33 and the mounting tail 34 is configured to change direction such that the first connector assembly 20 can be configured as a right-angle connector.

[0076] As shown in the figure, each grounding element 37 has: a pair of docking ends 38 configured to dock with a grounding terminal or grounding element 77 of a second connector assembly 60; and a mounting tail 39 configured to be electrically connected to the first circuit board 11. The body 40 of the grounding element 37 extends between the docking end 38 and the mounting tail 39 and has a U-shaped cross-section. The body 40 of each grounding element 37 is located between the body portions 35 of the signal terminals 31 of adjacent pairs 32 such that the pairs of terminals 32 are located within the U-shaped cross-sections of their adjacent grounding elements 37 to provide shielding and the required impedance. In some embodiments, a plurality of grounding elements 37 may be connected by a conductive grid plate 41.

[0077] The insulating sheet body 42 supports the vertically aligned signal terminals 31 of the plurality of pairs 32, and in one embodiment, the insulating sheet body 42 may be injection molded around a portion of the signal terminals 31. The grounding element 37 can then be fixed to or attached to the sheet body 42 and the generally flat ground plate 44, such as by heat staking.

[0078] Other configurations and other ways of forming the sheet body assembly 30 can be considered. For example, in one embodiment, although the terminals 31 are shown as edge-coupled signal pairs 32, the terminals 31 can also be configured as wide-side coupled signal pairs, where the planar portions of the terminals 31 of each pair are parallel to each other and adjacent. In one embodiment, each terminal of a terminal pair can be disposed in its own sheet body, and the sheet bodies are assembled together to create the terminal pair. Further, the grounding element can be disposed in its own sheet body, and its own sheet body is fixed to the sheet body of the signal terminal to form the sheet body assembly. In some embodiments, the grounding element 37 and / or the ground plate 44 can be omitted.

[0079] Due to the construction of the first housing 21 and the sheet body assembly 30, additional terminals 31 can be easily added to the first connector assembly 20. More specifically, by increasing the lateral width of the first connector assembly 20 or the distance between the side walls 24 (as Figure 3as indicated by arrow “B” therein) and adding additional terminals 31 by inserting an additional sheet body component 30 into the sheet body insertion end 23 of the first housing 21. More specifically, the first housing 21 may be formed with a molding module (not shown) that allows the distance between the two side walls 24 to be changed prior to the molding process. As a result, the number of terminals of the first connector assembly 20 can be modified by configuring the housing mold to allow more sheet body components to be inserted into the first housing 21, without the expensive cost of modifying the mold required to manufacture the sheet body components.

[0080] Referring to Figures 2 to 3 , the first housing 21 includes a first portion 50 and a second portion 51. The first portion 50 and the second portion 51 each include a plurality of openings 28 on the mating surface 22. The first portion 50 may be spaced apart from the second portion 51. As shown, the first portion 50 is spaced apart from the second portion 51 in a direction parallel to or along the first circuit board 11. The first portion 50 houses some but not all of the plurality of sheet body components 30 therein. The second portion 51 may house more than one sheet body component 30a therein. As shown, the second portion 51 houses one sheet body 30a therein. The sheet body component 30a within the second portion 51 may be the same as or different from the other sheet body components 30 within the first portion 50 and may be referenced separately or collectively with the other sheet body components 30 herein based on context. Alternative functions may be supported or provided by components 30a such as power supplies, an electrically modified sheet body that may support an alternate transmission impedance compared to other sheet body components 30, or even a different transmission medium such as an optical medium.

[0081] In one embodiment, a spacer portion 52 without openings may be provided between the first portion 50 and the second portion 51 of the first housing 21. In another embodiment, the spacer portion (not shown) may include a plurality of openings similar to the openings 29 of the mating surface 22 but without terminals. One or more spacer sheet bodies 30b into which no terminals (or at least no mating portions) are inserted may be located between the set of sheet body components 30 and the sheet body component 30a and disposed within the spacer portion 52. With such a configuration, a plurality or stack of sheet body components 30, 30a, and spacer sheet bodies 30b can be assembled together to create a sub-assembly, and then the sub-assembly is inserted into the first housing 21 through the sheet body insertion end 23.

[0082] Although the first housing 21 is described as being constructed as a one-piece integrally molded structure, the first housing 21 may be formed of a plurality of components assembled together. For example, referring to Figure 16, the first part 50 and the second part 351 of the first connector assembly 320b can be parts of two separate housing elements that function as a single housing element. The structure for fixing the two separate housing elements together can occupy some or all of the space of the spacer portion 52.

[0083] Referring to Figures 6 to 7 , the second connector assembly 60 includes a second insulating housing 61, a plurality of sheet body assemblies 70, a ground support element 85, and a satellite connector assembly 90. The second housing 61 has a front docking end or front docking face 62, an opposite rear insertion end or sheet body insertion end, or rear insertion face or sheet body insertion face 63, two side walls 64, a substrate mounting end or substrate mounting surface 65, and an opposite upper end or upper surface 66.

[0084] The docking portions of the terminals of the sheet body assembly 70 extend through the ground support element 85 to dock with the high-speed signal terminals 31 and the ground element 37 of the first connector assembly 20. The sheet body insertion end 63 can be open to allow a plurality of sheet body assemblies 70 to be inserted into the second housing 61. Except for the adjacent docking end 62, the second housing 61 can be open along the substrate mounting surface 65. The lengths of the side walls 64 and the upper surface 66 can be different.

[0085] The sheet body assemblies 70 of the second connector assembly 60 can be configured in a similar or identical manner to the sheet body assemblies 30. Referring to Figures 7 to 9 , an exemplary embodiment showing a plurality of sheet body assemblies 70 is illustrated. A group of sheet body assemblies 70 includes a plurality of parallel sheet body assemblies 70, and each parallel sheet body assembly is perpendicular to the second circuit board 13. As shown, each sheet body assembly 70 includes a plurality of high-speed signal terminals 71, a plurality of ground elements or reference elements 77, an insulating base element or insulating sheet body 82, and a generally flat ground plate or reference plate 84.

[0086] The plurality of high-speed signal terminals 71 can be arranged in adjacent pairs 72, where the amount of vertical spacing between adjacent terminals of each pair is small while the amount of horizontal spacing between adjacent pairs is large. As used herein, the term "vertical" with respect to the second connector assembly 60 refers to a direction perpendicular to the plane of the second circuit board 13, as Figures 1 to 2 shown, and the term "horizontal" with respect to the second connector assembly 60 refers to a direction parallel to the plane of the second circuit board 13.

[0087] Each signal terminal 71 has: a pair of docking ends 73 configured to dock with a high-speed signal terminal 31 of the first connector assembly 20; and a mounting tail 74 configured to be electrically connected to the second circuit board 13. As described above, in one embodiment, the mounting tail 74 can be configured as a crimp pin that mechanically engages a plated hole on the first circuit board 11. The body portion 75 between the docking end 73 and the mounting tail 74 of each signal terminal 71 is configured to change direction such that the second connector assembly 60 can be configured as a right-angle connector.

[0088] As shown in the figure, each grounding element 77 has: a pair of docking ends 78 configured to dock with a grounding terminal or grounding element 37 of the first connector assembly 20; and a mounting tail 79 configured to be electrically connected to the second circuit board 13. The body 80 of the grounding element 77 extends between the docking end 78 and the mounting tail 79 and has a U-shaped cross-section. The body 80 of each grounding element 77 is located in the body portion 75 of the signal terminals 71 of adjacent pairs 72 such that the pairs of terminals 72 are located within the U-shaped cross-section of its adjacent grounding element 77 to provide shielding and the required impedance. In some embodiments, multiple grounding elements 77 can be connected by a conductive grid plate 81.

[0089] The insulating sheet body 82 supports the vertically aligned signal terminals 71 of the pairs 72, and in one embodiment, the insulating sheet body 82 can be injection molded around a portion of the signal terminals 71. The grounding elements 77 can then be fixed or attached to the sheet body 82 and the generally flat ground plate 84, for example, by heat welding.

[0090] To allow the first connector assembly 20 to dock with the second connector assembly 60, the docking interface portion 27 of the first connector assembly 20 must be configured to be received within the housing 105 of the second connector assembly 60. In addition, the first connector assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 60 must also have the same configuration. More specifically, the number of rows and columns of the signal terminals 31, 71 and the grounding elements 37, 77 are the same, the spacing or pitch between the terminals and the grounding elements is the same, and the docking ends 33, 73 of the signal terminals and the docking ends 38, 78 of the grounding elements must also be configured to dock with each other.

[0091] Although forming a connector assembly that includes a terminal sheet body is desirable in some connector systems, using a terminal sheet body with an orthogonal connector assembly typically reduces the flexibility to modify the number of terminals that each connector assembly can carry. More specifically, although typically the distance between the two side walls 24 of the first connector assembly 20 can be increased to allow an additional sheet body assembly 30 to be inserted, modifying the second connector assembly 60 to dock with such a modified first connector assembly will require increasing the height of the second housing 61 (i.e., parallel to the side walls 64 or perpendicular to the second circuit board 13) as well as the height of the sheet body assembly 70.

[0092] The second connector assembly 60 illustrates a solution that does not require modification of the sheet body assembly 70. The second connector assembly 60 includes one or more satellite connector assemblies 90 that are mounted on the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61 and form the upper surface of the connector assembly 60. Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figures 6 to 7 , in one embodiment, the satellite connector assembly 90 includes: a satellite connector 91 having a satellite base 92 in which a plurality of conductive terminals 100 are mounted; a flexible cable or flexible circuit element 102 having a plurality of conductors 103; and a board-to-board electrical connector 120. The satellite base 92 has a terminal holder 93 and a docking portion 95. The docking portion 95 is in a generally inverted U-shaped configuration in which a connection structure or web 96 extends between a pair of spaced sidewalls 97.

[0093] The conductive terminals 100 can have any structure as long as they are configured to mate with the terminals of the sheet body assembly 30a of the first connector assembly 20. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the terminals 100 include high-speed signal terminals and ground or reference terminals arranged in the same pattern as the sheet body assembly 30a. The terminals 100 include a docking portion or docking end ( Figure 6 not shown in ) and a termination portion or termination end 101. The termination end 101 of each terminal 100 terminates at one of the conductors 103 of the cable 102. The conductors 103 of the cable 102 electrically connect at least some of the terminals 100 within the satellite base 92 to at least some of the terminals (not shown) of the board-to-board electrical connector 120.

[0094] When the satellite connector 91 is mounted on the second housing 61, a portion of the sidewall 64 of the second housing 61 can be aligned with the sidewall 97 of the satellite base 92. By reducing the length of the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61, a portion of the sidewall 64 and the substrate mounting surface 65 of the second housing 61, together with the satellite base 92, define a housing 105 configured to receive the docking interface portion 27 of the first connector assembly 20 within the housing 105.

[0095] Further, reducing the length of the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61 provides an opening for receiving the spaced portion 52 of the first housing 21. In an alternative embodiment, the upper surface 66 can extend toward the first connector assembly 20 the same (or some other) length as the sidewall 64 and the substrate mounting surface 65, and the spaced portion 52 of the first housing 21 is provided with a recess (not shown) for receiving the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61 along the docking surface 22.

[0096] The upper surface 66 of the second housing 61 and the lower surface of the main body 93 of the satellite base 92 may include alignment structures or alignment elements to align the satellite base 91 with the second housing 61. As shown, the second housing 61 includes a plurality of protrusions or pegs 67 that are received within a corresponding plurality of recesses or openings (not shown) on the lower surface of the main body 93 of the satellite base 92.

[0097] A connecting element or connection structure may be provided to fix the satellite base 92 to the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61. Any type of connection structure may be used. As shown, a fastener 107, such as a screw, may extend through the satellite base 92 into a threaded hole 68 in the second housing 61. Other connection elements or connection structures, such as a crimping element or a thermo-weld, may be considered.

[0098] A board-mounted electrical connector 125 may be mounted on the second circuit board 13 and configured to dock with a board-to-board electrical connector 120. The conductive terminals (not shown) of the board-mounted electrical connector 125 may be electrically connected to conductive traces (not shown) on or of the second circuit board 13.

[0099] If desired, some or all of the terminals 100 may be replaced with optical connections and corresponding elements for cables 102, board-to-board connectors 120, and board-mounted connectors 125 configured to transmit and receive optical signals.

[0100] During assembly, in one embodiment, in the absence of the satellite connector assembly 90, the second connector assembly 60 is mounted on the second circuit board 13 by applying a force to the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61 and / or the sheet body assembly 70 to force the mounting tails 74 of the high-speed signal terminals 71 and the mounting tails 79 of the grounding elements 77 into alignment holes in the second circuit board 13. The satellite connector assembly 90 is mounted on and fixed to the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61. The board-to-board connector 120 may then be aligned and docked with the board-mounted connector 125 pre-mounted on the second circuit board 13. In another embodiment, the fully assembled second connector assembly 60 including the satellite connector assembly 90 may be mounted on the second circuit board 13 such that the second connector assembly 60 may be fully assembled prior to the mounting operation.

[0101] The first connector assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 60 may include alignment structures and / or guiding structures for the alignment and guiding of the two connector assemblies during docking. Any desired structures may be used. As shown, the first connector assembly 20 includes two protrusions 54 along respective surfaces 25, 26 of a first portion 50 adjacent to a docking face 22 and a single recess or opening 55 along respective surfaces 25, 26 of an adjacent spacer portion 52. The second connector assembly 60 includes two recesses or openings 69 along respective sidewalls 64, the two recesses or openings 69 being configured (e.g., sized and aligned) to mate with the protrusions 54 of the first connector assembly 20 when the first and second connector assemblies are docked together. As shown, the upper surface 66 of the second housing 61 is not completely removed at the docking end 62 adjacent to the second housing 61 to form a pair of inwardly extending protrusions 66a. The inwardly extending protrusions 66a are configured (e.g., sized and aligned) to mate with the opening 55 along respective surfaces 25, 26 of the first housing 21 when the first connector assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 60 are docked together.

[0102] Referring Figure 10 , wherein the laminate body assembly 30 of the first connector assembly 20 is schematically shown in dashed lines and the laminate body assembly 70 of the second connector assembly 60 is schematically shown in solid lines. It can be seen that when the connector assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 60 are docked, the laminate body assembly 30 of the first connector assembly 20 is orthogonal to the laminate body assembly 70 of the second connector assembly 60. However, the satellite connector assembly 90 (shown in solid lines) is perpendicular to the laminate body assembly 70 of the second connector assembly 60 and is thus parallel to the laminate body assembly 30 of the first connector assembly 20. As a result, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the laminate body assembly 30a (shown in dashed lines) of the second portion 51 and the satellite connector assembly 90.

[0103] With such a configuration, the terminals within the laminate body assembly 30a and the satellite connector assembly 90 can be easily modified without affecting the laminate body assembly 30 of the first portion 50 and the laminate body assembly 70 of the second connector assembly 60. In other words, the laminate body assembly 30a and the satellite connector assembly 90 can be configured in any way without corresponding changes to the laminate body assemblies 30, 70. This independent nature of the front-anticipated and rear-designed easily allows for additions and modifications, thus providing a significant amount of flexibility in product configuration choices that may otherwise require re-designing and re-fabricating, product configuration choices including unique architectural solutions such as adding loopback and cross-connection capabilities. Additionally, the disclosed structure avoids or reduces the need for indirect solutions that may not be optimal in terms of transmission loss and timing delay.

[0104] Due to the docking of the first connector assembly 20 and the second connector assembly 60, a plurality of electrical connections will be established between the first circuit board 11 and the second circuit board 13. More specifically, electrical connections will be established from the first circuit board 11 through the high-speed signal terminals 31 and the grounding elements 37 of the sheet body assembly 30 within the first portion 50 of the first housing 21 of the first connector assembly 20, and then through the corresponding high-speed signal terminals 71 and the grounding elements 77 of the sheet body assembly 70 of the second connector assembly 60 to the second circuit board 13. Additionally, electrical connections are established from the first circuit board 11 through the sheet body assembly 30a of the second portion 51 of the first housing 21 of the first connector assembly 20, then through the terminals 92 of the satellite connector assembly 90, through the cable 93 to the board-to-board electrical connector 120. By connecting the board-to-board electrical connector 120 to the board-mounted connector 125, the electrical connection between the first circuit board 11 and the second circuit board 13 can be completed.

[0105] Various alternative configurations can be considered. For example, referring to Figures 11 to 12 , an alternative embodiment is shown, in which a pair of first connector assemblies 20a, 20b are respectively mounted on the first circuit boards 11a, 11b, while a pair of second connector assemblies 60a, 60b are mounted on a single second circuit board 13. A satellite connector assembly 190 has a pair of satellite connectors 191a, 191b, and a cable 202 extends between the two satellite connectors 191a, 191b. One of the satellite connectors 191a is mounted on the second connector housing 61 of one of the second connector assemblies 60a, and the other satellite connector 191b is mounted on the second connector housing 61 of the other connector assembly 60b. Since the cable 202 extends between the two satellite connectors 191a, 191b, a direct electrical connection is established between the two satellite connectors 191a, 191b.

[0106] With such a configuration, electrical connections are established from the first circuit board 11a through the sheet body assembly 30a of the second portion 51 of the first connector assembly 20a, through the first satellite connector 191a, through the cable 202 to the second satellite connector 191b, and through the sheet body assembly 30a of the second portion of the first connector assembly 20b to the first circuit board 11b. With such a configuration, an electrical connection can be established between the first circuit board 11a and the first circuit board 11b without establishing an electrical connection through the second circuit board 13.

[0107] Figures 13 to 14Shows yet another alternative embodiment, in which a satellite connector assembly 290 includes four satellite connectors 291a - 291d mounted on top of four second connector assemblies 60a - 60d. The satellite connectors 291a - 291d are interconnected by a cable 302 that interconnects the terminals of the four satellite connectors in any desired manner. More specifically, the terminals of the first satellite connector 291a can be connected to any of the terminals of the other satellite connectors 291b - 291d, the terminals of the second satellite connector 291b can be connected to any of the terminals of the other satellite connectors 291a, 291c - d, the terminals of the third satellite connector 291c can be connected to any of the terminals of the other satellite connectors 291a - b, 291d, and the terminals of the fourth satellite connector 291d can be connected to any of the terminals of the other satellite connectors 291a - 291c. The satellite cable assembly 290 operates to connect four first circuit boards 11a - 11d through four first electrical connector assemblies 20a - 20d mounted on respective first circuit boards 11a - 11d, and signals do not pass through the second circuit board 13.

[0108] In addition to the first connector assembly 20 having a single laminate body assembly 30a within the second portion 51 of the first housing 21 and the satellite connector 91 having a single row of terminals, the second portion 51 of the first connector assembly 20 may further include a plurality of laminate bodies 30a, and the satellite connector 391 may have multiple rows of terminals that mate with the terminals of the laminate bodies 30a. More specifically, referring to Figures 15 to 16 , the first connector assemblies 320a, 320b are respectively mounted on a first circuit board 11a, 11b. The first connector assemblies 320a, 320b can be the same as the above-described first connector assembly 20, except that the first housing 321 of each first connector assembly has a larger second portion 351 in which a plurality of laminate body assemblies 30a are provided. As shown, the first connector assembly 320b has separate housing components for the first portion 50 and the second portion 351. Components or elements that are the same as or similar to those of the above-described first connector assembly 20 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0109] The satellite cable assembly 390 includes a pair of multi-row satellite connectors 391a, 391b, where each multi-row satellite connector 391a, 391b is configured to dock with one of the first connector assemblies 320a, 320b. The multi-row satellite connectors 391a, 391b may be the same as or similar to the above-mentioned single-row satellite connector 91, except that they include multi-rows of terminals vertically above the second housing 61. In other words, the side wall 403 is higher than the side wall 97 of the satellite base 92 to accommodate more rows of terminals supported by the satellite base 392. Further, the multi-row tails 401 extend rearward from the terminal holder 393. Components or elements that are the same as or similar to those of the satellite connector assembly 90 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0110] The multi-row satellite connectors 391a, 391b can be used to connect multiple circuit boards in the manner described above with respect to Figures 1 to 9 , Figures 11 to 14 or a combination of these figures. For example, as Figures 15 to 16 shown, the upper tails 401a - 401b of two multi-row satellite connectors 391a, 391b are connected by a pair of cables 402a, 402b. As a result, the terminal sheet body or the upper sheet body 30a (as Figures 15 to 16 shown) can be electrically connected through the satellite connector assembly 390, and the signal does not need to pass through the second circuit board 13 as in the above-mentioned case with respect to Figures 11 to 14 . In addition, the lower tails 402c, 402d of two multi-row satellite connectors 391a, 391b are connected to a plurality of board-mounted connectors 120 through cables 402c - 402f. The plurality of board-mounted connectors 120 are connected to a plurality of board-to-board connectors (not shown), and the plurality of board-to-board connectors are mechanically and electrically connected to the second circuit board 13.

[0111] In Figures 17 to 19 another example shown, a second connector assembly 490 may include a multi-row satellite connector 491, which is formed with a multi-component base 492. In the example shown, the base 492 is formed by two or more base components 492a, 492b, and each base component 492a, 492b has terminals fixed therein. The terminals can be terminated to cables 502a, 502b having connected board-mounted connectors 120, or the terminals can be terminated to a cable (not shown) that is terminated to other base components 492a, 492b of an adjacent second connector assembly 490.

[0112] Figure 20 is a perspective view similar to Figure 2 , but with a pair of additional docking satellite connectors 590, 690 assembled on the housing. This pair of additional docking satellite connectors 590, 690 have terminals and a housing configured to dock together.

[0113] Although Figures 1 to 9 Although the sheet body assembly 30a and the satellite connector assembly 90 are each shown to have an array of high-speed signal terminals and ground elements that are similar or identical to those of the sheet body assemblies 30, 70, alternative configurations may be contemplated. The second portion 51 of the first housing 21 may include or establish any type of connection, including power terminals, fiber optic connectors, and low-speed signal terminals, as well as high-speed signal terminals and ground elements similar to those shown in Figures 1 to 5 In some examples, the connections within the second portion 51 may not be mounted within at least one sheet body assembly similar to the sheet body assemblies 30, 30a. The satellite connector assembly 90 is configured with connections that mate with those of the second portion 51. As an example, returning to Figure 10 , the sheet body assembly 30a and the satellite connector assembly 90 are each shown to have two power terminals 110, two fiber optic connectors 111, and two pairs of high-speed terminals 112, with the ground element 113 located between and at opposite ends of the two pairs of high-speed terminals 112.

[0114] It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examples of the disclosed systems and techniques. However, it is expected that other embodiments of the present disclosure may differ in detail from the foregoing examples. All references to the present disclosure or its examples are intended to refer to the particular example being discussed at that time and are not intended to imply any more general limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. All distinguishing and disparaging language with respect to certain features is intended to indicate that those features are not preferred, but not to exclude them entirely from the scope of the present disclosure, unless otherwise stated.

[0115] The recitation of numerical ranges herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate numerical value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate numerical value is incorporated into the specification as if it were recited individually herein. All methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by the context.

[0116] Accordingly, the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the appended claims as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by the context, the present disclosure includes any combination of the above elements in all possible variations. Additionally, the advantages described herein may not apply to all embodiments covered by the claims.

Claims

1. An electrical connector assembly, comprising: A housing element, the housing element including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion each including a plurality of openings in a mating surface, and the first portion and the second portion being spaced apart; And A plurality of first sheet bodies, which are supported by the housing element within the first portion of the housing element, each first sheet body including a plurality of conductive terminals and an insulating support element supporting the plurality of conductive terminals, each terminal having: a contact portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to another electrical component; and a tail portion configured to electrically connect the terminal to a circuit component, the tail portion of each terminal being disposed along a lower surface of the electrical connector assembly; and At least one second sheet body, which is supported by the housing within the second portion of the housing element, Wherein, the plurality of first sheet bodies within the first portion are orthogonal to and electrically connected to corresponding sheet bodies of a mating connector assembly, and the at least one second sheet body within the second portion is electrically connected to terminals of a satellite connector assembly disposed on top of the mating connector assembly.

2. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The housing element includes a spacing portion located between the first portion and the second portion.

3. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The spacing portion has no conductive terminals.

4. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 3, further comprising at least one spacer sheet body between the first sheet body and the at least one second sheet body, the spacer sheet body having no operable terminals.

5. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The housing element is configured as an integrally formed single-piece structure.

6. The electrical connector assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein, The first portion and the second portion of the housing element are parts of two independent housing elements that function as a single housing element, and a structure for fixing the two independent housing elements together occupies some or all of the space of the spacing portion.

7. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The first portion and the second portion are spaced apart in a direction parallel to or along a first circuit board on which the electrical connector assembly is mounted.

8. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, The first portion houses some but not all of the plurality of first sheet bodies therein, the second portion houses more than one of the second sheet bodies therein, and the second sheet bodies within the second portion are the same as or different from the other first sheet bodies within the first portion.

9. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The spacing portion has no openings.

10. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein, The spacing portion includes a plurality of openings similar to the openings in the mating surface but without terminals.

11. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 2, wherein, One or more spacer sheet bodies into which no terminals are inserted are located between the first sheet body and the second sheet body and are disposed within the spacing portion.

12. The electrical connector assembly according to claim 1, wherein, Additional terminals can be added by increasing the lateral width of the electrical connector assembly and inserting an additional sheet body assembly into a sheet body insertion end of the housing element.

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